What did you do to your X1/9 today ?

Thank you. I wish the paint job had come out better. It photographs very well but see it in person, especially under direct sunlight, and you immediately notice lots of imperfections.
 
Thank you. I wish the paint job had come out better. It photographs very well but see it in person, especially under direct sunlight, and you immediately notice lots of imperfections.

Black paint is so hard to get right. It shows everything...but when it is right, does it ever make an X 1/9 look exotic!

Hard as heck to keep clean, though!
 
Today I removed the front bumper, cut bumper tubes and extenders. The car is now 40cm shorter and probably 20kg lighter and IMO much better looking without the huge bumpers. Surprisingly I found fragments from 1973-78 spoiler under all the plastic and I will definitely use those to build a new spoiler. I will probably also have a splitter to make the front a little bit lower and wider. Time to start thinking about plugging all holes, welding panel and what kind of lights to purchase. The original 73-78 parking/indicator light is far too expensive so I am thinking about some kind of LED combo. Any suggestions?
 
Time to start thinking about plugging all holes, welding panel and what kind of lights to purchase. The original 73-78 parking/indicator light is far too expensive so I am thinking about some kind of LED combo. Any suggestions?
Bjorn, take a look at the thread about various design ideas and modifications. The bumperless thing was discussed with some thoughts for finishing it. Unfortunately you may have to sift through it to find everything. It also links other related threads. Here:
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/x1-9-style-design-custom-modifications.36164/
 
You can find the OE design lights available as Fiat or Long tractor lights for much more reasonable prices.
 
Gearbox oil change today. Put in the correct Tutela ZC90, not sure what was in the box beforehand, it was clean and I suspect an EP oil of some sort. The gears felt a touch smoother afterwards but could have been my imagination!
 
Removed the steering column to install a new ignition switch that includes the two white wires for the door chime. I then discovered that someone has either hidden the connection for the door chime wires or cut them out completely :(.

On a positive side, I solved the creaking noise from my dash and steering wheel. I also discovered that the connection for my ignition switch doesn't actually clip and literally came apart as soon as I removed the plastic cowling around the steering... The loss of that connection could have been bad news...

Although I didn't fix what I set out to fix, the car is in better condition than when I started!
 
I also discovered that the connection for my ignition switch doesn't actually clip and literally came apart
That isn't uncommon with old brittle plastic electrical connectors like these. When attempting to disconnect the plug the locking clip breaks off. The plastic housing is available separately if you want to transfer the terminals into a new one that will lock together.
 
I tried to make a mini-me version of my 85X. Papa Tony gave me a dark green, Hot Wheels sized X1/9 years ago. It has sat near my PC all these years and I had an idea to paint it to match my 85. All I had was a small touch up bottle with a dabber, so it was destined to be kinda rough from the start. Not horrible, but certainly not great. I could probably remove the plastic parts and drop it in a cup of thinner to strip it back down. Starting over might be a good idea.
mimi me attempt 2.jpg

It didn't turn out too well, but it is passable in person, since it is so small. Looking at it enlarged in the photo has me thinking about getting a better model and trying again with rattle cans. Fresh rattle cans, because the clear I had on hand had been buried in a box in the shop for ever. It didn't spray well and added a milky film to the overall finish. We learn from failure. :)
 
2BB51D22-30F9-43AE-A5F2-F411320941BC.jpeg
CD817ED1-405D-4A5A-9DFE-CD7E2525A3AB.jpeg
Got my freshly refurbished Speedline wheels from 1990 Audi Quattro mounted with some fresh rubber Toyo T1r 195 45/15. This was a pretty expensive route to go, but I fell in love with the wheels. I had to get the hub centric portion bored out so I could get my custom wheel adapters to have enough meat to make a hub centric extension.
 
With the help of @carl and his garage I flushed the brake system, verified the timing to be correct, re-torqued the Bayless Header bolts and can say the car is much improved from 24 hours ago... Now I just need the weather to improve!!
 
That isn't uncommon with old brittle plastic electrical connectors like these. When attempting to disconnect the plug the locking clip breaks off. The plastic housing is available separately if you want to transfer the terminals into a new one that will lock together.

So two things interesting about this... First, the ignition switch that does not include the chime wires does not clip the same way the stock one clips, so that was never going to work... Second, once I reconnected the plug and taped it all up my dash lights and gauges work better. I am not sure if that is the brown wire not getting enough power or what but it made a difference...
 
once I reconnected the plug and taped it all up my dash lights and gauges work better. I am not sure if that is the brown wire not getting enough power or what but it made a difference
Most likely the removal and reconnection of the connections served to clean their contact surfaces of contamination/corrosion. A good scrub with a wire brush or such is always a good idea, the surfaces get a build up of stuff you can't see by eye and causes less electrons to pass.
 
I tried to make a mini-me version of my 85X. Papa Tony gave me a dark green, Hot Wheels sized X1/9 years ago. It has sat near my PC all these years and I had an idea to paint it to match my 85. All I had was a small touch up bottle with a dabber, so it was destined to be kinda rough from the start. Not horrible, but certainly not great. I could probably remove the plastic parts and drop it in a cup of thinner to strip it back down. Starting over might be a good idea.
View attachment 24156
It didn't turn out too well, but it is passable in person, since it is so small. Looking at it enlarged in the photo has me thinking about getting a better model and trying again with rattle cans. Fresh rattle cans, because the clear I had on hand had been buried in a box in the shop for ever. It didn't spray well and added a milky film to the overall finish. We learn from failure. :)

Why did you build it there? Now you are going to have to build a tow truck to get it out of that dip.

Be careful putting plastic parts in thinner. Some thinners will melt the plastic.
Test first.

If the humidity is anything like here where you are it is hard to get paint to dry right.

I have been painting some miniature cars I made and have been getting a little blush in places.
Black shows up the worst.
 
I synced the carbs, set the idle mixture, and checked the timing. I went out for another test drive and I think the car is now ready for prime time. I've got about 85 miles on it now with no trip longer than ~15 miles. The oxidized rubber seems to have worn off the tire treads as it now seems to be generating some pretty serious corning forces without being squirrely. On the way home I stopped at a scenic view turnout to check the wheel temperatures and looked in the engine compartment to make sure all was well. Two European tourists came up to me, and one, with a heavy French accent, exclaimed "That's an X1/9.":

1974 Fiat X19 at Russian Ridge - 2019_08_12 - 1.jpg

1974 Fiat X19 at Russian Ridge - 2019_08_12 - 2.jpg


It is impossible to see due to my crappy cell phone camera, but downtown San Francisco is roughly above where the radio is on the passenger side about 40 miles north.

A couple of guys on motorcycles were leaving the same time I was so I followed them on a spirited ride for about 5 -6 miles until I turned off for home. By that time, the red light on the fuel gauge was full on. I guess the 5 gallons I poured in many months ago is just about gone in 85 miles. Must be all those acceleration tests, although I don't think I got much over 22 mpg when those DCNFs were on the 1300.
 
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