Bertie the Bomber - 1983 X1/9

Maybe I shouldn't have logged into Xweb for the first time in years after lusting after the 818 in the for sale section here. Maybe I shouldn't have put a deposit on someone else's rallyx car after only looking at a few pictures and having a quick chat with the owner. Maybe I shouldn't be planning a 1000 mile fly and drive in the middle of a pandemic and a busy time at work. Maybe I shouldn't be posting a build thread before even owning the car. Maybe I shouldn't be telling myself that the X1/9 is really a Ferrari wearing blue jeans instead of a designer suit. 

Maybe I shouldn't be grinning from ear to ear like a 12 year old. Bad decision triangle strikes again! And I'm excited. 

The copy from the for sale ad here:

Its time to refocus. Time to sell my 83. I purchased it from a guy in NM, who had got it from a guy in TX that had done the engine work and autocrossed it when he had it. I have enjoyed this 1983 for several years now. Daily driving, Autocross, Track days, and recently Rally Cross.

Highlights - It has front(currently removed) and rear sway bars. Aluminum Rad. Haltech programmable engine management. BV head, long duration cam(been too long don't remember specs), 4to1 exhaust. Headlight relay done. My own Wiper Relay mod. The power windows work, slowly, with some help sometimes. all electrical works basically. A TonyK aluminum grill. Rebuilt alt and steering rack in 2020. rebuilt drvs side drive universals 2021. It comes with the wheels and tires on it, plus a set of wheels with gravel tires, and a set of 13X8 3 piece wheels that need new hardware. Fairly recent clutch and brake masters.

The Lows.. Some rust on the windshield frame under the new butyl of a windshield I put in back on 2018. Some small dings and spot rust here and there but no cancer... neighbors daughter backed into drvs rear fender trying to park... the place her father took it to get pounded out didn't do the best surfice prep, so some rust is starting where the skim starts, feeling from the inside they did a decent hammer job...The Plastidip I put on it when I took ownership is shot, Texas sun and some half hearted attempts to get it off have it in current state.

An image of the car from the ad 

Comes with 3 sets of wheels. The 13 inch rally maxxis tires pictured (only have a few rallyx's on them), another set of fiat 13s with street tires, and a set of 3 piece 13x8s with no tires currently mounted. Gonna be a tight right home. 

Currently working on scheduling the fly and drive - either next weekend or the weekend after. 

Now you got me wanting an X1/9 again and you have two.  Hoarder.

Stampie said:

Now you got me wanting an X1/9 again and you have two.  Hoarder.

Takes one to know one? With any luck, this will be the 3rd I've owned and the 1st I've driven. 

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said: With any luck, this will be the 3rd I've owned and the 1st I've driven. 

Good candidate for the Most GRM Statement Ever trophy.

That definitely isn't a looker but it does sound like a solid chance at a good driving example. Call me when you break down in Missouri.

I have purposely avoided Xweb since selling mine. This is why.

I didn't expect rallyX videos in here after our conversation yesterday. Rad.

To 02Pilot: I was just going to post that exact thing.

XWeb to GRM. Glad to hear it's staying in the neighborhood.

I also hadn't visited XWeb in months, saw an X for sale, one hour later it was mine.

4 X 98 wheels are tough to come by.  I ended up buying Diamond Racing wheels and slicks from a Legend type car.

914Driver said:

4 X 98 wheels are tough to come by.  I ended up buying Diamond Racing wheels and slicks from a Legend type car.

Wobble bolts are a thing, also with the 500 coming to the US, wheels are a little easier to come by (though they are often too large, with the wrong offset, etc. but those aren't insurmountable).

I wish to subscribe to this newsletter.

Wow, a runner. Enjoy the ride home, but please eliminate the 75 pounds of front bumper as soon as possible. I have driven just about everything in the last 50 years, and I chose an X1/9. The most fun to drive of all.

02Pilot said:

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said: With any luck, this will be the 3rd I've owned and the 1st I've driven. 

Good candidate for the Most GRM Statement Ever trophy.

No truer words ever spoken..... subscribed!

TurnerX19 said:

Wow, a runner. Enjoy the ride home, but please eliminate the 75 pounds of front bumper as soon as possible. I have driven just about everything in the last 50 years, and I chose an X1/9. The most fun to drive of all.

I'd be lying if I said that nowhere in my wanting/buying thought process was "well, TurnerX19 drives one and he's driven everything".

But it would seem that Niki Lauda and Gilles Villeneuve agree with you. 

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

Oh great, and they're both dead.....

Well, now that we're home, and the trip home was a smashing success (I'd call it a triumph, but it's not, it's a fiat), I guess it's time to post some stuff.

I found $4.54 in the ashtray. It occurred to me that it would be really cool to sell a muscle car with the displacement in change in the ashtray. Then I thought I could do it for any car, though it may not be as obvious.

The car seems to be burning a bit of oil. Enough to smell, seems to be about 1/4 quart per tank of gas. Need to dig into that, hopefully it's a breather or pcv issue and not worn rings, but even if it is I can check the oil and add some when necessary. Just don't like the smell. I guess it could be a leak onto the header too. Maybe.

Literally everyone wants to talk about the car. Talked to a kid today (high school age) who asked me about it. I told him it was an 83 fiat x1/9. He said, 1883? I wasn't sure if he was trolling me or what but he seemed serious. Regardless, he said he thought the car was really cool.

The haltec aftermarket fuel injection computer is a dinosaur. F10x, and the tuning software lists a 3.5 inch floppy drive as minimum hardware requirements for running the software. Wow. The computer doesn't seem to have spark control capability (but it does have turbo wastegate pwm output!?! Those aussies are crazy) so I need to figure out what is controlling spark. There is definitely a distributor and coil, but I dunno what triggers the system. The whole thing runs really well so I can't complain. 

Also, finally took some photos of the 13x8 3 piece wheels for gumby.

Oh, and there's this.

Yes, that's 8lbs 6.5oz per wheel. With hardware, I bet it comes up to about 9lbs. Sick!

Those look like Real brand. Current and serviceable. Very nice wheels, despite being a bit generic looking.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

I found $4.54 in the ashtray. It occurred to me that it would be really cool to sell a muscle car with the displacement in change in the ashtray. Then I thought I could do it for any car, though it may not be as obvious.

91.4 cents is not going to be super obvious. That .4 of a penny may raise some questions though. 

I agree with Real Racing wheels, those are really cool. I've had two sets of 5x130 come through.

I need to try buying a running project car sometime maybe that's what the issue is... 

You can reasonably expect lots of oil leaks on these engines. The cam tray gasket is the worst concept on the whole car. It can leak in every direction, and you will smell it. Any leak finds its way onto the exhaust, and the high EGT does the rest. Former rallycross car has had lots of bore wear opportunity too If it is still stock the distributor is Bosch with both mechanical and vacuum advance. Other than the cap and advance weights&springs it is common to many VWs.

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Yeah I was a little worried about the ingesting of dirt.

However, I do think it is leaking oil, so need to track that down first and see what the deal is after that.

I’m so excited for this! 

Nice.  I've got one on the sidelines to do for mom.  A 74.  She had one new in 74, her most favorite car ever, and the worst car she ever owned.  So for her bday 6 years ago I got her one.  (Well I bought one, then a much better shell and put all the running gear in that one, once I got it running)  It's a runner with a 1300 and a 4 speed...crazy fun to drive, that 1300 revs like crazy, and is slooooow.  Ive got a 1500 and 5 speed for it, euro head and cam, the 74 exhaust header too.  I also have a perfect uncracked late model dash.

I've got a set of appliance wheels too that I picked up at a bone yard, I really don't need em.  They sent horrible, but need a refinish.  They are up for grabs.  I haven't been on Xweb in forever.  Figured id wait till I got to the project.  Which should be beginning of next year me thinks.

Should be a sweet project!

4x98, so hawt right now