WTB '79-82 FIAT X 1/9

WantAnX1/9

WantAnX1/9

Stuck in gear, leaking fluids, fire in progress...
Hello,

I am looking to buy a clean, rust-free FIAT X 1/9, from '79-'82.

The better it is, the more I am willing to pay. Price is negotiable.

I expect it to need some work, but I don't want a rusty heap that doesn't drive. Car must be a solid driver, please.

Car must by in the seller's name, and the title must be clear. I don't want any excuses of how you are "selling for a friend", or that the car is fine with a "rebuilt/salvage" title. Don't waste your time or mine, please.

I am willing to wait for the right X 1/9.

I have cash in hand, not looking to waste anyone's time----mine or your's.

Thank you for reading!

My CL link in NH: https://nh.craigslist.org/wan/d/nashua-wtb-fiat-1-9/6955634945.html
 
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
Just curious why '79 to '82...?
Click to expand...

I like those years...They keep a lot of the purity of the originals, but got the 1500cc engine, 5 speed, and fuel injection.

The best of all worlds, in my opinion. The later Bertones don't speak to me, and the 1300cc ones are well nigh impossible to find in decent shape, and only have 4 speeds.

There is a decent looking green one, a 79/80 I think in Seattle, however it is over 2,000 miles away----no way I can buy a car sight unseen.

I wish that one were local...

Like I said, I will wait for the right car. My money will go toward a good car.

"Always buy the best car you can afford."

Best classic car buying advice I ever got!
 
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WantAnX1/9 said:
I like those years...They keep a lot of the purity of the originals, but got the 1500cc engine, 5 speed, and fuel injection.

The best of all worlds, in my opinion. The later Bertones don't speak to me, and the 1300cc ones are well nigh impossible to find in decent shape, and only have 4 speeds.

There is a decent looking green one, a 79/80 I think in Seattle, however it is over 2,000 miles away----no way I can buy a car sight unseen.

I wish that one were local...

Like I said, I will wait for the right car. My money will go toward a good car.

"Always buy the best car you can afford."

Best classic car buying advice I ever got!
Click to expand...

Just a point of info, the only model year that will definitely have FI is '82. '79 will definitely not have FI; '80 Cali cars might have carbs or FI; '80 federal (non-Cali) cars will have carbs; '81 federal cars were in transition so maybe carbs/maybe FI. [CORRECTED]

There are several technical advantages to the later Bertones. Most (all?) will have Bosch alternators, 84s and up will have the improved ATC fuse box, the factory rustproofing improved year by year (subject to whether it was actually applied by the factory workers!), if you're tall the Bertones are said to have a slightly lower floorpan under the seat mounts so "should" give you a bit more headroom. I don't recall any one posting any hard data measuring one or the other, though.

If you are on Facebook, look up the Fiat Club's Northeast Coast Chapter, they are very active and there might be an X1/9 owning member that you can connect with to see and maybe ride/drive in person.
https://www.facebook.com/FiatClubAmericaNortheastCoastChapter/
 
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Not only are the early 1500s not injected, but they have the worst emissions stuff, worst carb of any X and the lowest hp rating. If you plan to dump the emssions stuff and put on a stock early carb or larger aftermarket carb then the 79-80s are great starting points.
 
WantAnX1/9 said:
I like those years...They keep a lot of the purity of the originals, but got the 1500cc engine, 5 speed, and fuel injection.

The best of all worlds, in my opinion. The later Bertones don't speak to me, and the 1300cc ones are well nigh impossible to find in decent shape, and only have 4 speeds.
Click to expand...
Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
Just a point of info, the only model year that will definitely have FI is '82. '79 and '80 will definitely not have FI, and '81 is the transition year so maybe/maybe not FI.

If you are on Facebook, look up the Fiat Club's Northeast Coast Chapter, they are very active and there might be an X1/9 owning member that you can connect with to see and maybe ride/drive in person.
https://www.facebook.com/FiatClubAmericaNortheastCoastChapter/
Click to expand...

Thank you! I knew it was around that time. Still learning about these great cars, and the year-to-year changes!

I try to avoid FB, unfortunately.
 
carl said:
Not only are the early 1500s not injected, but they have the worst emissions stuff, worst carb of any X and the lowest hp rating. If you plan to dump the emssions stuff and put on a stock early carb or larger aftermarket carb then the 79-80s are great starting points.
Click to expand...

That was the plan----tear out all the emissions stuff that strangles the car and let her breathe and run!
 
alanikai said:
I think the transition year to fuel injection may be 1980, as I have a 1980 that is stock with FI. Good luck with your search for an X.
Click to expand...
As I recall, all California bound cars had FI from MY 1980, and the rest of the country got a mix of FI and carbs through 1981.
 
alanikai said:
I think the transition year to fuel injection may be 1980, as I have a 1980 that is stock with FI. Good luck with your search for an X.
Click to expand...
Whoops! Thanks for the reminder about the Cali cars vs federal cars. I corrected my post above. I may have been assuming that "Want" being in NH would likely end up with a federal car.
 
Good Luck with your search.

I also have a 1980 that has fuel injection. I thought it was stock, the PO said it was and it looks like a stock installation to me. But there are many things about the X I don't know, so possible it was a swap. Here's a pic of my '80 engine compartment:IMG_0549.jpg
(the orange hose from the side intake to the alternator is a silicone replacement to the aluminum original.)

As far as high quality available X's, I suggest this silver one in this ad:
https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/mascotte-collectibles-in-groveland/6940478913.html

Currently the seller want to bundle two of his three cars into a $20K deal, so you will need to convince him to sell the X alone. He previously offered the X for sale on this site:
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/i-am-selling-my-x-1-9.34664/

The car was prepped and gone through by MidWest Bayless. It is still on their site too under cars for sale (already sold.) I routinely daydream about selling all my "projects" and buying one really nice car like this one. Maybe you will beat me to it.
 
WantAnX1/9 said:
I like those years...They keep a lot of the purity of the originals, but got the 1500cc engine, 5 speed, and fuel injection.
Click to expand...

"Purity of the originals"? Different bumpers w/elephant ears, different front grille/spoiler, larger engine lid/sidepods, different dashboard & center console...where's the purity in those?
 
Jeff Stich said:
"Purity of the originals"? Different bumpers w/elephant ears, different front grille/spoiler, larger engine lid/sidepods, different dashboard & center console...where's the purity in those?
Click to expand...

I just prefer the style of the older X 1/9s...no need to be like that.

We're all friends here.
 
jrt said:
Good Luck with your search.

I also have a 1980 that has fuel injection. I thought it was stock, the PO said it was and it looks like a stock installation to me. But there are many things about the X I don't know, so possible it was a swap. Here's a pic of my '80 engine compartment:View attachment 24113
(the orange hose from the side intake to the alternator is a silicone replacement to the aluminum original.)

As far as high quality available X's, I suggest this silver one in this ad:
https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/mascotte-collectibles-in-groveland/6940478913.html

Currently the seller want to bundle two of his three cars into a $20K deal, so you will need to convince him to sell the X alone. He previously offered the X for sale on this site:
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/i-am-selling-my-x-1-9.34664/

The car was prepped and gone through by MidWest Bayless. It is still on their site too under cars for sale (already sold.) I routinely daydream about selling all my "projects" and buying one really nice car like this one. Maybe you will beat me to it.
Click to expand...

That silver one is worth every penny.

Unfortunately, I am limited in my budget. It is worth the money---I just won't spend that much.

I will check out that 1980 on ebay, though!
 
WantAnX1/9 said:
I like those years...They keep a lot of the purity of the originals, but got the 1500cc engine, 5 speed, and fuel injection.

The best of all worlds, in my opinion. The later Bertones don't speak to me, and the 1300cc ones are well nigh impossible to find in decent shape, and only have 4 speeds.
Click to expand...
Aesthetically, 79 through 86 differ mostly in color schemes; single color, two-tone with low belt line, two-tone with high belt line; chrome vs. black door handles, windshield surround, sail panel trim, bumpers; black vs. body color top and engine cover etc. '87 onward had the large side moldings, different steering wheel etc. Certainly makes the car look younger, if that matters when buying a car that has not been manufactured for 30 years.

One important difference between early and late cars is the electrical system. Early cars had a simple fuse box with bullet-style fuses and a rats nest of wiring to an adjacent relay panel. This was extensively reworked around 1984. Newer cars use modern ATO/ATC fuses and have most of the relays integrated in the fuse box. My MY '85 has the ATO/ATC setup.

If I were in the market for another 'X, I would have a strong preference for the later cars because of the more modern electricals.
 
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ng_randolph said:
Aesthetically, 79 through 86 differ mostly in color schemes; single color, two-tone with low belt line, two-tone with high belt line; chrome vs. black door handles, windshield surround, sail panel trim, bumpers; black vs. body color top and engine cover etc. '87 onward had the large side moldings, different steering wheel etc. Certainly makes the car look younger, if that matters when buying a car that has not been manufactured for 30 years.

One important difference between early and late cars is the electrical system. Early cars had a simple fuse box with bullet-style fuses and a rats nest of wiring to an adjacent relay panel. This was extensively reworked around 1984. Newer cars use modern ATO/ATC fuses and have most of the relays integrated in the fuse box. My MY '85 has the ATO/ATC setup.

If I were in the market for another 'X, I would have a strong preference for the later cars because of the more modern electricals.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Ng Randolph! Ideally, I'd have a '74 w/a FI 1500 and 5 speed, we can all dream!
 
WantAnX1/9 said:
I like those years...They keep a lot of the purity of the originals, but got the 1500cc engine, 5 speed, and fuel injection.

The best of all worlds, in my opinion. The later Bertones don't speak to me, and the 1300cc ones are well nigh impossible to find in decent shape, and only have 4 speeds.

There is a decent looking green one, a 79/80 I think in Seattle, however it is over 2,000 miles away----no way I can buy a car sight unseen.

I wish that one were local...

Like I said, I will wait for the right car. My money will go toward a good car.

"Always buy the best car you can afford."

Best classic car buying advice I ever got!
Click to expand...
I would not rule out one of the earlier cars with a 1300 and a 4 speed. They were a bit lighter than the 79-> cars, particularly the 74. I have not driven that many different model years but I did spend a bunch of time driving a stock 79 in 1979 and it was slower than my 74 was when stock. I helped the owner desmog it which helped quite a bit. Dual DCNFs, headers and a cam seemed to cure the slowness but you can still feel the added weight.

I think the 5 speed would have actually benefited the 1300 more. Since putting in a 1500, I can keep it in 4th in places where I would have had to downshift the 1300. From what I've read on this forum, there seems to be more 5 speed issues coming up here (fifth, reverse), but that could also be due to more of them out there. I'll defer to a trans expert. They seem to be much more sensitive to sagging engine mounts since there is not much clearance above the passenger side flange. One thing I find to be a bit of a compromise is the extreme angle the half shafts require due to cramming in the flanges instead of using Tripode joints. I'm not sure if much power is lost in the joints, but those angles likely don't help.
 
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