In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
Yeah, 35 miles is about right.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
Yeah, 35 miles is about right.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:That looks amazing from here!
I'll help you say that again!
Here is a photo of the collapseable bracket I made for the splitter support. Fits either side. Seam on left of photo got fully welded up. Seam on right got a small tack at bottom in this view. Looking at top view if installed on right side of car. Note deliberate stress riser on the web. Hopeful that the car will survive any splitter strike, only sacrificing the splitter itself without damaging the radiator. Scored 2 out of 3 on previous design. Material is 3/4" X .048 4130 steel. All material on this splitter will be left-overs from previous customer projects.
Use a hair dryer after rolling out to pop the bubbles. Saw that tip on a Youtube video and it works surprisingly well.
"Weakly" update. On schedule for PA inspection on Tuesday, so lots of little stuff plus aero package on the nose. The first drives are done on the pictured version. It doesn't look right or work very well. Back to the cardboard this evening. Also pulled the anti roll bars off. The rear one was damaging the chassis where it was attached. All of it smelled "Addco" to me, not a compliment. On our wonderful local roads the bumpy corner response is much improved.
So the shop I went to Tuesday said "no" ...... "Gotta have bumpers".......No I won't. Thursday I went elsewhere. His price is always a little higher, but he said "I don't know of any law requiring bumpers". I am OK with that, and declined to educate him about PA safety requirements. Of course, as soon as the car had it's safety sticker the turn signals went intermittent, and the left rear caliper has decided to leak. Signals problem was a pushed back spade in the connector for the 4 way switch. Simple fix, and easy diagnosis with the Fiat factory electrical book. I have a pair of recently overhauled by me rear calipers on the other car, so their fate is decided. Robbie mentioned oil consumption, and I experienced some on the trip east, confirmed by the drips coming off of the sending unit connector. That and the oil itself and the filter are now changed. Two hundred miles this week and the smell is dissipating, as well as no noticeable consumption.
I can see why you don't want the original bumpers, I got rid of those and made some smaller simple ones.
In reply to TED_fiestaHP :
That is very close to what I would have done if I had to, but my cylinders/brackets that yours are attached to are also gone. The rubber seals that are painted blue on your car are still pliable, and surprisingly small ID when they relax a few months. I was going to put a round tube directly on the back, conveniently 1.5" OD to friction fit into the seal. Plug on, plug off. That is how I am going to fasten the tow hook covers/ shin gaurds for the front, but all in composites. Dismembering my old car is higher priority though. Much higher now I need the rear calipers!
TurnerX19 said:In reply to TED_fiestaHP :
That is very close to what I would have done if I had to, but my cylinders/brackets that yours are attached to are also gone. The rubber seals that are painted blue on your car are still pliable, and surprisingly small ID when they relax a few months. I was going to put a round tube directly on the back, conveniently 1.5" OD to friction fit into the seal. Plug on, plug off. That is how I am going to fasten the tow hook covers/ shin gaurds for the front, but all in composites. Dismembering my old car is higher priority though. Much higher now I need the rear calipers!
When I was making the brackets for the Bayless fiberglass bumpers, the tubing I used to go through the rubber seal/guide/support was 1.5", and it was sometimes so tight that I had to lubricate the tube a little in order to get it through the support. I hated doing that to the freshly (rattlecan) painted brackets that I worked so hard to make pretty, but they had to go in one way or another. Lucky for me, most of the bumpers we sold were shipped to remote customers rather than installed in-shop.
In reply to GasTungstenArc :
We think very similarly....Not sure that it is a good thing, except for cars....
Pretty cool stuff, guys. I occasionally see a yellow X1/9 near a friend's house. Looks similar to these - a not a trailer queen and it's getting driven regularly.
I have been bothered by the aero instability and also the lack of ground clearance, especially in the rear. See photo below and consider the aero implication of the angle of attack.
My previous car always looked a little tall overall, but just a tad nose down, and the air dam I built worked exactly as requested. Also handled to my taste in all lower speed conditions. Previous car is now on the chopping block. So yesterday evening the rear brake caliper swap happened and I had intended to do a spring swap as well. The tape measure said "No!" however, and triggered some vague memories too. The height difference is the location of the lower perch on the housing, not the spring. Right, a long time ago someone (Vick?) commisioned a batch of KYBs with lowered perches. Complete old Konis now installed, and the tail is up. Have not had a chance to set the tow or drive fast, and it rains for the next few days so parked it is for now. Worked OK in the neigborhood at midnight though. No photo yet, cause midnight.
TurnerX19 said:I have been bothered by the aero instability and also the lack of ground clearance, especially in the rear. See photo below and consider the aero implication of the angle of attack.
My previous car always looked a little tall overall, but just a tad nose down, and the air dam I built worked exactly as requested. Also handled to my taste in all lower speed conditions. Previous car is now on the chopping block. So yesterday evening the rear brake caliper swap happened and I had intended to do a spring swap as well. The tape measure said "No!" however, and triggered some vague memories too. The height difference is the location of the lower perch on the housing, not the spring. Right, a long time ago someone (Vick?) commisioned a batch of KYBs with lowered perches. Complete old Konis now installed, and the tail is up. Have not had a chance to set the tow or drive fast, and it rains for the next few days so parked it is for now. Worked OK in the neigborhood at midnight though. No photo yet, cause midnight.
I know that the US cars got a raised front end to meet US front bumper height standards. Ah, the things the Italians hastily did to solve US market problems. Que the montage of awful looking bumpers on otherwise great looking Italian cars...
We always cut the springs and re-profiled the cut end. I think I took out 1.5 coils. I never heard of a special KYB. That must have been before my time in the X world.
Serious test miles yesterday and the results are 100% satisfactory. Photo later today. It looks more extreme than it feels, the short KYBs are still in the front, and will be for a while, as my front Konis are leaking.
Too long since last post, but I have been to busy having fun driving it around. The tail raise did fix the straight line stability with no negative effects. Over 2K local miles now with two notable failures. First one could have been a disaster of monumental dimension, but was only inconvenient. The retaining nut on the right front trailing strut removed itself a block from my destination at the local FLAPS during a Volvo project. I thought I popped the tire, but no, the tire was hard against the fender well and did some minor body damage. Bought a nut and some washers, screwed it together and drove gently home to fix it properly. The left side was loose too!. Then just two day ago I was on my way to deliver some technical drawings to a racing customer 45 miles away....Twenty miles into the journey the exhaust broke at the entrance to the muffler. Damn my ears hurt by the time I got home. Turns out the pipe had a stress fracture caused by engine motion and a lack of support, there is only the header holding everything up. This needs to change soon, I welded it all together and reinforced the failure point, but that is only a band aid, the muffler mass needs support from the bell housing. I have some of the needed parts from my previous car, but need to adapt them to this exhaust and replace the lower engine mount simultaneously.
Couple of photos while at a customers, note new ride height, and customer"crap" in the background of second pic.
Oh yes, for Robbie in particular, Sunday afternoon I finally fixed the right window regulator, the cable had gotten off the winding drum, probably from a loose pully. It works for now, we'll see how long it lasts. There are no electric parts presently, so when it fails again it will probably grow a hand crank, and the black door cars to match the alternate crank hole.
Lucky catch on the suspension failure!
In reply to TVR Scott :
No kidding, minutes before I had been at an (indicated) 90MPH. In traffic mostly traveling at similar speed. We have very little speed enforcement in eastern PA, and everyone including the unskilled takes advantage!
Oooof.
I had found those front trailing arm bolts loose (it can cause a thunk when you apply or release the brake) and tightened them up.
Maybe the lock part of the nylock on those failed? Might be time for some new ones and some loctite?
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
All of that and I am drilling a hole for a hitch pin. There is plenty of exposed thread when they are tight.
Long time and surprisingly many miles for a hot summer. I am approaching 4000 miles since purchase. Things fall off, some get fixed, and fun continues. The right side window has failed electrically. This is a major pain, because still no easy parts. Come cold weather I am going to prop the window up and take the motor apart. Probably make brushes from something else, maybe it has draggy magnets like the way Volvo wiper motors fail
Ha, LOL... All of the body cavity plugs that were missing have been replaced after some penetrating oil spray within. Superlite wheels and hub center rings trial fitted today, see photos. I spent a lot of time cleaning the hub rings because they were so badly stuck on the old car that you could never use the spare wheel in a roadside emergency. I went a little too far... Both lefts came off during road testing. One was retrieved, and while I was stopped the Devin Triumph pictured in the Unicorn thread drove by. The other disappeared into thicket.
I am going to glue them into the wheels and make some end caps to finish, maybe, someday. Left wiper blade has proven to be effective spotted lantern fly trap. Two confirmed kills today!
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