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I make good decisions, this is a fact about me that is 100% probably true. For instance, I bought a 1981 Fiat X1/9 in the middle of the winter, in the rust belt, to replace my 05 Civic as a daily driver. I'm questioning my sanity, but it was at a price I couldn't say no to* Isn't she beautiful? I love those weird, little roadsters that thrived in the 60's, 70's, and 80's  My dream is to get a Porsche 914 and put an STi engine in it, so this is training. Or something like that. First problem is right out of the gate... I have 4 keys for the car and only know what 2 of them are for, and both are for the ignition.  None of them fit inside of the door locks, and the driver's side door doesn't lock at all. Fantastic for living in Chicago *Getting the loving car home cost half as much as the car did, but purchasing the car was cheap and easy  I originally wanted to wait until I had more work done to start a thread, but I already need to replace all of the brakes, replace most of the brake lines, replace at least one wheel bearing, fix the emissions system, find out what's up with the valves, fix the heat build up, and do a lot of wiring work; so there will be more content than I expected to have this winter. Here's the car where it will be living for the next while  As you can probably already tell, the frunk doesn't close. It's still latched and needs to be released by the lever in the car, but it will not close all of the way  Thank God for European design ideologies, because it can't fly open unless I'm backing up waaaay too fast. Also pictured is a common point of failure, an empty washer fluid tank. They split in half on the bottom and bring rust to spite their owners  There's the Fiat's natural predator, attacking the hood  That door latch is a bitch. I was clawing at the door in the dark when I first bought it. Also, that weatherstripping does NOTHING  The tach goes backwards, which was pretty confusing. About to roll over onto 75K miles  The glovebox isn't attached to anything and is held in place by the capricious hand of fate. Also, none of those electronics actually do anything  These stupid loving things will not stay in place and flap around with every bump  Aaaand there's no right side wing mirror. Thankfully, visibility is great in this little guy, but that feels like I might get ticketed at some point  Engine bay is in great shape, all things considered. Only problem is that the O2 sensor is bad and it runs so loving rich  The trunk has been... interesting    I think this is a Jack with a ghetto jackstand?  A Fiat branded wrench that blends into the concrete  A parts catalog with some notes about something   A part was in the green box. Looks a bit like a starter, but it looks way too big for this tiny engine  Ok, here's some random chunks of metal, and something loving weird that I am terrified of  It's a bag of dryer sheets and socks, but the socks are tied up and there appears to be rocks of some kind in them. I'm not touching those again until I find my nitrile gloves and find out how to properly dispose of drugs, just to be safe [img]http://i.imgur.com/3fQecXd.jpg?1[timg] And of course, mismatched wheels. Both are original Fiat wheels, so I don't need to worry about my lug bolts sheering off because some rear end in a top hat decided that 4x98 and 4x100 were the same thing   That's where I'm at for now. It's a long road ahead of me, but I eventually plan on pulling the engine to put in a B20 with a B16 head, but I'm at least 6 months away from picking up any Honda stuff. Completely honest, this whole project is way over my head. I do not have the skill to do what I am planning on doing with this car, but the best way to learn is to do, right? Right?? The Door Frame fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Dec 9, 2016 |
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Dec 8, 2016 22:18
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This is gonna be totally awesome. I think there's a good whack of X1/9 owners/former owners in AI as well, because let's be honest we are all mentally ill people. Are the extra keys for the glovebox perhaps?
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Dec 8, 2016 22:24
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A weirdo Italian project? Neat! Whereabouts in Chicago are you?
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Dec 8, 2016 22:40
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You want to daily drive that? Oh boy, you're in for some fun.
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Dec 8, 2016 22:44
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Is the fuel system atleast K Jetronic? That would make this insanely more feasible if it wasn't carbed Edit: actually looked at the photos and it looks like it's atleast some form of Jetronic, looks more like the pulsed version though. Tony quidprano fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Dec 8, 2016 |
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Dec 8, 2016 23:00
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I can remember when X1/9s were new. You're in for a real treat.
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Dec 8, 2016 23:03
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Yeah, everyone has the exact same reaction when I talk about the car, but I bought it specifically to be a challenge. For all the problems this thing has, I'm lucky that it has so little rust. I should have taken pictures of the underside when it was on the truck, but there's only 2 rust holes that I can find on the entire body, and neither are larger than a half-dollar coin. That doesn't mean that there aren't Bondo-d holes somewhere, but from what I can see... And I'm in the Southwest Suburbs, like 2 miles away from the Austin Ave exit off of 290 and 2.5 miles from the city limits I don't remember how I found this blog, but his intro basically sums up my reason for purchasing this POS http://fiatx19.tumblr.com/post/5145485875 Shame that all of the pictures of his wiring fixes are dead links. Especially since his is the same year, transmission, and color as mine Seat Safety Switch posted:This is gonna be totally awesome. I think there's a good whack of X1/9 owners/former owners in AI as well, because let's be honest we are all mentally ill people. Yeah, I didn't know that so many of us had psychotic breaks and bought cheapo Italian sports cars until I posted about buying it in the Chat thread No such luck with the keys, they unfortunately don't appear to go to the trunk lock either. Hopefully all of the cylinders are also seized and I just need some dry oil to figure out what the keys are for. If not, just another thing to add to the list of parts I need 1500quidporsche posted:Is the fuel system atleast K Jetronic? That would make this insanely more feasible if it wasn't carbed I couldn't tell you what specific injection system it has, I was really hoping for an owner's manual or repair manual to be in the car to help me identify parts and show me how things are laid out, instead I'm waiting to get one from Midwest Bayless so that I'm not going in completely blind. Even Fiat forums say that the year doesn't always indicate what's actually on the car, due to Fiat's terrible dealer network and the fuel injected cars being built at the end of Fiat's first American run
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Dec 8, 2016 23:48
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1500quidporsche posted:Is the fuel system atleast K Jetronic? That would make this insanely more feasible if it wasn't carbed Looks like all the '81s got L-jetronic.
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Dec 8, 2016 23:59
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Deteriorata posted:Looks like all the '81s got L-jetronic. hoo doggies. That's going to be fun. Hopefully none of the injectors are shot. Wonder what the rational was for going to L, were the engines that bad that they couldn't meet emissions with K?
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Dec 9, 2016 00:35
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1500quidporsche posted:hoo doggies. That's going to be fun. Hopefully none of the injectors are shot. Wonder what the rational was for going to L, were the engines that bad that they couldn't meet emissions with K? Apparently emissions. L-Jetronic was California only in 1980, country wide in '81.
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Dec 9, 2016 00:37
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This is going to be a lot of fun. Good luck, OP, you're in for a rewarding   seriously though, looking forward to this. I've always had a soft spot in my heart / head for X1/9s.
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Dec 9, 2016 01:10
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The Door Frame posted:Aaaand there's no right side wing mirror. Thankfully, visibility is great in this little guy, but that feels like I might get ticketed at some point Believe it or not, the outer passenger side mirror was optional well into the 80s on a lot of cheap cars in the US, particularly imports. I know it was optional on the Nissan Sentra into the late 80s and maybe even into the early 90s. Same on the Toyota Corolla/Chevy Nova, Geo Metro, and even the Honda Civic didn't get it as standard equipment until the 1992 model year. Also optional on D21 and D22 Nissan Hardbody pickups and on the original Toyota pickups (before they were known as the Tacoma).
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Dec 9, 2016 03:18
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Believe it or not, the outer passenger side mirror was optional well into the 80s on a lot of cheap cars in the US, particularly imports. I know it was optional on the Nissan Sentra into the late 80s and maybe even into the early 90s. Same on the Toyota Corolla/Chevy Nova, Geo Metro, and even the Honda Civic didn't get it as standard equipment until the 1992 model year. Also optional on D21 and D22 Nissan Hardbody pickups and on the original Toyota pickups (before they were known as the Tacoma). Yup. Lots of domestics earlier than that as well. If I'm remembering right, you don't need the passenger mirror in IL as long as you have the driver and rear view. If your back window is tinted, you need all three though.
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Dec 9, 2016 03:24
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cwapface is a goon who daily drove one, you might get some tips from him
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Dec 9, 2016 03:55
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So I live right by ohare. I'm a mechanic and I fix old cars all the time. If you ever need help please oh please don't hesitate to ask. I love fixing it again Tony (fiat) I have tools and knowledge that could be a good help and know an old guy who has a thing for fiat vehicles
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Dec 9, 2016 04:36
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Believe it or not, the outer passenger side mirror was optional well into the 80s on a lot of cheap cars in the US, particularly imports. I know it was optional on the Nissan Sentra into the late 80s and maybe even into the early 90s. Same on the Toyota Corolla/Chevy Nova, Geo Metro, and even the Honda Civic didn't get it as standard equipment until the 1992 model year. Also optional on D21 and D22 Nissan Hardbody pickups and on the original Toyota pickups (before they were known as the Tacoma). Yep, neither of my Toyotas came with a right wing mirror. I'm putting one on the '76 cruiser and think I've got one for the '88 pickup in a box somewhere. E: Here in Ontario vehicles are legal as long as they meet the safety requirements of their year of manufacture. Basically if it came with or without x thing it's legal even if that's not okay on a new vehicle. Fermented Tinal fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Dec 9, 2016 |
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Dec 9, 2016 05:30
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I daily drove one of these things for a while and it was actually pretty reliable except for when the distributor cap liked to get full of water/ice in the winter somehow. I got sick of the lack of power since they weigh more than you might assume they do, and while they feel alright to drive, they aren't particularly capable in the handling department either, at least in stock form. That jack you took a picture of works by sticking the little pivoting post into a section of box tubing under the rocker on each side. It works better than a lot of factory jacks I've used. Sounds like a fun project, though. I imagine cutting out the rear trunk and replacing it with just a brace or two will give plenty of room for anything you can think of. I remember someone put a 500cid Cadillac v8 or something dumb like that in one, so a little Honda motor should be a piece of cake!
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Dec 9, 2016 06:00
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Fermented Tinal posted:E: Here in Ontario vehicles are legal as long as they meet the safety requirements of their year of manufacture. Basically if it came with or without x thing it's legal even if that's not okay on a new vehicle. Bingo, same here in TX. The inspection criteria calls for inspection of factory mirrors, but doesn't state how many there have to be, even on a current model. All that matters is all originally equipped mirrors are present and functional. Aftermarket ones are acceptable so long as they provide at least as much coverage as the stock mirrors.
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Dec 9, 2016 06:03
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Sensibility says find a Lancia Beta 1800, dust off the remains of the bodywork from the motor, fit, stick a pair of 48 webbers and enjoy life. You dirty self depreciating insane sadomachist . I will however offer something useful and suggest clean the fuse terminals before delving into the wiring, and check the relay plugs for corrosion.
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Dec 9, 2016 07:49
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Kaptainballistik posted:I will however offer something useful and suggest clean the fuse terminals before delving into the wiring, and check the relay plugs for corrosion.
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Dec 9, 2016 09:01
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drat, this support is amazing, all of the negativity around the car at home was killing my enthusiasm, but this encouragement is a huge boost. Thank you guys very much One of my happiest finds has been a big bag of spare fuses under the passenger seat. I'm currently waiting for a grand's worth of equipment, but am going to bondo up the hole in the footwell tonight so that I don't get any water in the cabin this winter. It's supposed to snow 8-12in tonight, so I might be kicked out of the garage in the morning if it snows bad enough. Also, early Volvo 240 O2 sensors are supposed to fit, so I'll replace that too. For whatever reason, I can only find new rear calipers for one side of the car, so I'm going to have to rebuild my old ones Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Bingo, same here in TX. The inspection criteria calls for inspection of factory mirrors, but doesn't state how many there have to be, even on a current model. All that matters is all originally equipped mirrors are present and functional. Aftermarket ones are acceptable so long as they provide at least as much coverage as the stock mirrors. Double checking with a state Trooper I know, I only actually need to have wing mirrors if I'm towing something or if my rear view mirror is obstructed in any way. He said he wouldn't personally pull over a tinted classic without wings, but I shouldn't push my luck because it's an easy ticket to write. I might forgo tinting the rear and just remove the driver's side mirror if I can find some glass without a hole, or a reasonably priced glazier/autoglass guy. Half for eveness' sake and half because the driver's mirror doesn't move enough for me to be able to see out of it
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Dec 10, 2016 20:34
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If it were mine, I'd be trying to make the existing mirror better and even looking for a passenger side mirror, especially if it's a daily driver. Constantly sweeping my head side to side would get old fast. That said, its a rad car and I hope everything goes smooth!
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Dec 10, 2016 22:58
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Those jacks are the same ones Pandas come with, they're a pretty decent design compared to things like the VAG widowmakers.
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Dec 10, 2016 23:26
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  Some things I recall from 10 years ago when I had one: That jack is neat, the little bar goes into a square tube just in front of the rear wheels to lock in place That backwards tach is cool as gently caress, my '79 did not get that At least in '79, the front and rear brakes were on separate hydraulic systems so when I blew a caliper seal in the rear, I still had full front braking $500 at vickauto.com refresh a good portion of the mechanicals on the car including things like speedo cable and brake/clutch cylinders The roll bar was built to withstand a crazy high speed rollover, I cut a fender off a junkyard car and there are layers upon layers of steel in there The alternator is a total bitch to get back on if you ever remove it The oil filter location makes it super easy to leave the old gasket on when you install a new filter, this explains the rod knock I got Those godawul USDM bumpers are the worst. I think '74 bumpers look the best but they are spendy, you can also remove your bumpers, drill out the bumper shocks so they collapse closer in to the body, and attach the black center block parts from ladder bumpers:  Get on XWeb or other fiat forums, owners hoard parts and would love to find someone keeping another car on the road. I'm sure you could find some rad Cromodoras for real cheap
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Dec 12, 2016 18:36
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superdylan posted:Those godawul USDM bumpers are the worst. I think '74 bumpers look the best but they are spendy, you can also remove your bumpers, drill out the bumper shocks so they collapse closer in to the body, and attach the black center block parts from ladder bumpers: 
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Dec 13, 2016 00:11
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superdylan posted:
Separate front and rear brake systems sounds right, because I can still brake and still have resistance in the pedal, but the car can't move without pressing the gas and it feels so heavy for how light I know it to be. I'm fine with the aesthetics for now, but when I replace the hood, wheels, and repaint the doors, I will definitely look into a bumper replacement, since the weird plastic strips on mine are warped to hell and back. Apparently they just do that in the elements and a few passes with a heatgun and the liberal application of cinderblocks fixes it, but I plan to always be in the elements, so I just want it to not happen. I've heard talk about how easy it is to put a 70's (possibly 80's, don't remember off the top of my head) Camaro alternator on the stock mount for much more reliable power, but I'm not sure how far I can get with my limited tools/experience. I'm going to get a basic MIG welder for Christmas and am looking to pick up an angle grinder once everything goes on sale after the holidays, but for now I have to deal with a battery that lives at 40% on the charging dial. And I definitely need to find some of the old Xweb lighting fixes. Most of what I have found is dead links and removed galleries detailing how to replace the terribly designed lighting systems. There are very detailed steps that I could probably follow, but considering that the interior is basically older than anything else I own, I'm reluctant to pull apart the electronics without a detailed guide I will check out the xweb forums and see if I can find both pairs of calipers though, because so far, no luck on either of the classic Fiat part sites that I know. Plus, parts are so expensive that a 3rd source will help keep me from overpaying
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Dec 13, 2016 00:25
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This looks just as goofy as All American market roadsters post '76 have awful bumpers thanks to "safety" regulations that do very little except make cars uglier 
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Dec 13, 2016 00:58
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You're a goddamn madman. I love it.
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Dec 13, 2016 01:14
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The Door Frame posted:This looks just as goofy as 
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Dec 13, 2016 01:19
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I wouldn't pussyfoot around with the interior electrics, you'd be better off stripping the interior and rewiring.
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Dec 13, 2016 14:53
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The Door Frame posted:And I definitely need to find some of the old Xweb lighting fixes. Most of what I have found is dead links and removed galleries detailing how to replace the terribly designed lighting systems. There are very detailed steps that I could probably follow, but considering that the interior is basically older than anything else I own, I'm reluctant to pull apart the electronics without a detailed guide I think what you are looking for is the Brown Wire Mod, and these seem to jog some disturbing memories for me: http://www.network54.com/Forum/12159/message/1109142317/BROWN+WIRE+MOD+-+HEADLIGHT+RELAY+MOD...+and+a+surprize%21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDlVBwrZldM It's crazy to think of how much current is trying to run through 1 tiny ignition wire from the factory. I came across a similar mod for my '87 Toyota pickup and thought surely Japanese 80's engineers wouldn't make the same mistake, but alas And not to keep plugging vickauto.com but they list both sides of rear calipers available
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Dec 13, 2016 16:57
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Those wheels are nice looking. Find two more of each and you've got a winter and summer set!
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Dec 13, 2016 18:32
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Progress is kinda being made. Except that progress means running into a big loving wall. So I should have been more attentive with the rust on the floor pans, because while brushing away the rust so that I can Bondo the hole, old Bondo came up. A lot of old Bondo... Instead of a half dollar sized hole, it's almost the entire driver's side floor that's rusted out. Christ. My first layer of Bondo is drying now, but I'll be back to take pictures once there's daylight and my fingers can bend. In the spare tire compartment (smart place to hide stuff since the glove compartment isn't secure), I found the missing piece of weatherstripping that would block stuff from coming in through the passenger door and some insurance papers that expired in July of '92. As far as I can tell, the car was pulled off of the road a few months before I was born and has been sitting ever since. Time to replace basically everything that moved near metal or ever contained a fluid  I've also been fighting with the windsheild wipers and the frunk. I fixed the hood latch, this being the second car I own that just has a loose latch; and I got the wiper fluid tank patched, filled it up, and made sure that the motor works, but I can't get anything to spray out. I'm assuming that the tubing has rotted out and will also need replacing, since there's now water pooled under the frunk carpet, so I'll look into that too come morning Update on the weird rock-socks, they're just mothballs. It kinda looked like smooth, styrofoam-y glass spheres, so I cut one open and suddenly my garage reeked like old people. Even if people cut drugs with naphthalene for some reason and I'm sitting on stinky gold, they're in the garbage now SCA Enthusiast posted:Those wheels are nice looking. Find two more of each and you've got a winter and summer set! Planning to turn the current ones into my winter set tbh, I want the mid 80's Cromodora Iron Cross wheels for when I'm out stylin in the summer. Or the Cromodora CD 179 Delta wheels if I can't find a set of the Iron Crosses in my price range   superdylan posted:I think what you are looking for is the Brown Wire Mod, and these seem to jog some disturbing memories for me: Huh, that seems like it'll clear up a lot of headaches. As long as I still have the car in the garage, I should try to get some of the wiring taken car of, especially the lights and wipers. I don't know why it took so long for cars to have adequate wiring, especially seeing the Lovecraftian webs of vacuum lines that were running on the cars of that era And I bought the rebuild kits instead of the calipers because each individual caliper being +$170 and just stock means that I'd rather get the drat things on a bench and rebuild them myself. I know that $100 of each replacement is a core charge, but it's almost $300 for a set of stock calipers after I get $400 in core charges back at some mysterious point in time. I'll save my pennies and upgrade the calipers later on
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Dec 14, 2016 04:39
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Man, the X1/9 doofy, smiling face should make me happy, but I'm associating it with losing money, being frustrated, and being confused. I just want to get this girl on the road so she doesn't feel like a boat anchor that's been tied to my dick. For the 10 minutes I drove it before the brakes died, it was exhilarating. Despite being a little more than half my height and about as wide as a king size mattress, it fits me like a glove. Look at that smile Anyways, I got a nice big lamp that gets super hot. I hated it during the summer, but I can't believe it took me this long to remember it existed, this thing is a godsend. First things first, I still loving smell mothballs, and found more socks in the drains and stuffed everywhere. But I keep seeing this ghetto rear end sound deadening in the weirdest places. It has goddamn woodchips and stuff in it and it's shoved everywhere  So while I search for more mothball socks inside of this goddamn rats' nest of fluff and poo poo, I find a literal rats' nest filled with fluff and rodent poo poo...  Thankfully Hanta isn't a worry this far north... Anyways, my package finally came in, so it's time to get to work on those brakes. Fun fact, the X1/9 has two handbrake cables. Guess who ordered only one, because why would there possibly be two? The page only says it "Goes on either side" and that I need "1 per rear caliper." Go me!! Funny little quirks, the Fiat tire iron doesn't actually fit on the front wheels, and neither does my universal metric one, the recess around the lug bolt is too narrow. Thankfully, I have a breaker bar and deep sockets. Also, there are 3 different ways to affix the wheels to this car: lug nuts, lug bolts and a weird hybrid that has both a lug nut and a bolt/stud that is turned by allen key.    The brake rotors are in much better shape than I thought they would be, but I do have 10in ones to put on instead of the stock 8.8in, so I guess they're coming off regardless. The fluid that came out of the calipers and dripped from the lines looked like honey, which made me really happy to see. And then I pumped the brakes and got chunks of black goo inside of my EPA approved Taco Bell brake fluid reservoir. Should have gotten the braided lines just in case, but for 36 years old, the brake lines are in great shape. Actually, almost all of the suspension looks newer than the stuff on my functioning car. But enough praising the old girl, the brake rotors don't have screws, they have a weird bolt that is labeled as a pin that also affixes the wheel spacers. It is a bitch to remove, and I try everything I can to loosen the bolt, only to round the bolt anyways  In fact, they're such a pain, the previous owner went and removed 5 of the 8 pins that the car is supposed to have, and there's no sign of where they went... (the other half of the allen key/lug nut things also pictured)  I forgot that asbestos and brake dust were things to avoid, so I whacked the brake rotor pin in frustration a few times with a hammer and now my lungs hurt. This is how learning happens. Now I have the calipers off the car and am in the process of rebuilding one of them. I say one, because I don't have enough pressure in my dinky air compressor to free   I'm just wet sanding the piston with 2000 grit paper and then the cylinder with 800 grit before I put the new seals in. A tiny bit of corrosion on the piston itself, but nothing that would make me hesitant about reusing it. Hopefully the other calipers' internals are also in good shape, but I'm not super optimistic about it. But how on earth do I get these other pistons loose? And I've been avoiding the bondo because it makes me very, very sad. I want to pretend that there isn't a 20 inch long gash that goes around the entire driver's footwell, so I'm fixing almost everything else first in hopes that it might just go away if I don't look at it. Despite spending 45 minutes to fix them last time I was in the garage, I entirely forgot that the windshield wipers still needed work until I started writing this post, so it might just magically vanish if I don't acknowledge its existence
The Door Frame fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Dec 18, 2016 |
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Dec 18, 2016 06:51
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Hang in there, man. I'm loving seeing the old girl brought back to her prime. It's something I'd love to do myself, but I don't have the tools, skills, patience, or time.
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Dec 18, 2016 06:59
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Lacking skill, tools, and patience is the exact reason I bought the car, and I only now fully realize how stupid that was. Thankfully, I do have the time and I love the little thing too much to stop my insane plan, but boy do I hate me from a few weeks ago for actually taking the plunge. The constant need for new and hitherto unknown parts every time I start the most basic repair should be coming to a close though. I have the dealer repair manual, so I have concrete information from the manufacturer and grainy black and white pictures, instead of dead links and a bunch of associated forum posts from 2008 about the amazing pictures that I can't see
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Dec 18, 2016 07:24
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The pin bolt is a standard Fiat thing, it lets you hang the wheel from it when fitting the wheel bolts, I think it's a better approach than the blank stud thing other manufacturers supply you with, but it doesn't help with aftermarket wheels. There shouldn't be 8, there should only be 1 per hub, the other retaining screw being a regular hex head. But if you think those are bad, God help you if you ever have to deal with Ze Germans hard-on for recessed internal allen hex wrenching on them. The sound deadening is, again, standard Fiat for that time period. Messy, isn't it?
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Dec 18, 2016 16:10
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This is an awesome thread and a hell of a project. Fiat X19s were kinda rare-ish in Western PA when I was growing up, else I'd have considered one of these myself as my "college project" over my 280Z. That said, as everyone is laughing about the motor, kinda glad I didn't do that! Also doing research about these cars, it looks like a K20 swap is well documented for these, so if you get tired of Fixing It Again Today you can always throw 200 HP of reliable Japanese engine in there. 
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Dec 18, 2016 16:42
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If it was my car that needed a 20-inch gash in the footwell repaired, I'd just seal the bottom with duct tape and pour epoxy in from the top. Maybe add a strip of something underneath, I dunno. This is why I'm not a competent mechanic I'd like to point out that those door handles are the same ones used on Ferrari 308 GT4s  Also shares the same taillights as the Lotus Esprit S1  And it looks like the trunk release is the same as the Countach and VOlvo 780 Bertone  That's REAL racing heritage right there in your car!
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Dec 18, 2016 19:41
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It's also by the same guy who did the AR Montreal, the Diablo, and the Miura too. It belongs to a family of giants, and inexplicably the Fiat 132 family sedan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcello_Gandini I am slowly bondoing the bottom up and then spraying a can of rubberized undercoat to just stop water from coming in, until spring when I can teach myself to weld and then weld it shut. I plan on being competent one day, I promise And I really want to do a B-swap, since they're way smaller and cheaper than K engines, but I might just end up doing a D series for easier clearance and less fabrication. I mean, the Fiat has 75hp stock, so even if I go up to a 115hp D engine, I'm almost doubling power and dropping almost 150lbs off of the 2020lb dry weight. And switching off of flat tappets so that I have a better high end would be great, regardless of what engine I end up with. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, since I can't focus on going fast if the car cannot stop and I have to worry about flooding the passenger compartment by going over puddles InitialDave posted:The pin bolt is a standard Fiat thing, it lets you hang the wheel from it when fitting the wheel bolts, I think it's a better approach than the blank stud thing other manufacturers supply you with, but it doesn't help with aftermarket wheels. There shouldn't be 8, there should only be 1 per hub, the other retaining screw being a regular hex head. But if you think those are bad, God help you if you ever have to deal with Ze Germans hard-on for recessed internal allen hex wrenching on them. Oh, the manual had 2 per rotor, but yeah, I suppose that I totally could put a screw or normal bolt there instead. That sound deadening needs to go, though. It's awful, and doesn't do much anyways
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Dec 18, 2016 22:45
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