hi, i've posted in the noob section as i'm a complete novice, when it comes to fiats, had/have fords and volvos.

i've been given a X1/9 and will have to collect soon, it hasn't started for 15 yrs and stood for a further 5, would it be ill advised to try and start it straight away as it has a belt not a chain for timim=ng and may have perished, is it and interfearence engine or not? as the last thing i want is to bend valves. should i look for anything particular?

thanks in advance!

Fordy

To answer the last question first, the engine is a non-interference design so should the worst happen there is nothing to lose in that respect.

In terms of getting your engine started? The first thing is to remove the spark plugs and pour a little light oil down the bores to give them a passing chance at running without seizing up and let it penetrate for a while into the inevitable rust. While this is going on you need to drain the oil out and replace it with something fresh.

The cooling system will be hard hit - the cylinder head will have some corrosion but this shouldn't stop you getting it to start. The fuel system is likely to be as hard hit - all of the rubber components will be perished so before you try spinning it over you need to disable the coil so you can see what, if anything is going to leak you need to see what it is without any danger of fire. You should be prepared to replace the fuel lines as a precaution but only if you feel the car is worth the effort. Any car that has been left standing for 20 years is going to need some serious TLC.

The perished rubber isn't going to end with fuel and water pipes - the rubber bushes, door seals, CV boots, etc are all going to need checking. The tyres will need to be thrown away before the car is driven anywhere.

right i've been to see it and it is sat in a garage covered in sh*te, but looks resonable, only the o/s/r arch has rusted through and a bit on the front panel and scuttle panel, the car is stripped down ready for body work and paint so fingers crossed all the window rubbers are ok, i under stand the basics as i ain't a novice to cars/maintanence, just fiats and particually X1/9s, i ain't going to spend any money replacing parts until i've got it out the shed and inspected it to see whaether it's a goer or not, hearing the engine run would help that. where/what are common issues/problems with them? things to check wheather it's worth the time... obviously if it's more rust than metal, it's a no go, but all advice is helpful!

I've found out that it is a 1978 and is 1.3l

In theory at least you've got one of the best. A '78 1300 should be reasonably well rust proofed compared to earlier cars and better than the early Bertone version (which arrived a few years later).

The windscreen scuttle is a frequent failure point in terms of rust and annoyingly the windscreen is bonded in so you will have to replace it if you take it out (which you will have to do to fix the scuttle). The area on the underside of the targa bar is another common point for rust to accumulate along with the rear wheel arches and front inner arch panels. The nose panel can rot but it is unusual on a car of that year unless it is really badly rotten. The lower panels below the bumper are known to rust as well - that is pretty much standard.

All the above is repairable in the usual manner, patch panels and a bit of filling. The ones that aren't so easily fixed are the suspension towers. These are triple skinned and it is common to find the central skin rotting causing the outer panels to blow.

i picked it up yesterday! bit worse than i first thought

i'll post picks when i ain't at work! post them in here?

anyway a summary, rust on drivers rear arch, hole in drivers o/s sill, drivers door rusted along the bottam, not sure if repairable yet, rust hole just to the right of the engine cover, o/s/f strut top been repaired previously, front panel and joint to frt wings rusty, scuttle panel and windsceen surround bubbling, managed to get a stone chip in the windscreen while it towing back , too big and in the wrong place so replacment needed, rust on passenger door bottam - looks repairable boot lid is shot - rusted through and had airbounre adventure land back on tarmac. it looks to be missing the water pump - but as not familiar with the engine not sure. all parts appear to be there as it's already stripped down.

i was told that the radiator pipes run through the sills/chassis and cause bad rust? are the floors usually reasonable good or do they rust badly too? i ain't had a chance to look atthe underside yet - workshop and closed at work so no oppourtunity to get it on a ramp.

are repair panels readily available? like arches? and panels boot lid and doors? where ther any differences over the years later panels slightly different or are the all the same?

like i said i'll post pics asap so you guys and gals can see for yourselves!

but overall i'm happy with it!

Regards,

Fordy

The radiator pipes do not run through the sills, they run through the central tunnel and are boxed in under the car. If they burst for any reason it is a pig of a job to fix but it can be done (using plastic pipes threaded through).

The rust sounds like the usual thing - the windscreen surround will need proper attention as it will be rotten underneath the glass.

The floors rust the same as any other car of that period but it is rare to see one really go bad.

The sills have to be repaired with caution. If you have to do one make sure you don't do both sides at once and keep an eye on the distance between the top of the windscreen and the top of the targa bar. The door does an awful lot of work in these situations - if you can keep it closed you will find you have less problems.

All of the body panels are the same regardless of year with a few exceptions. The 1300 and 1500 front sections are different, similarly the engine cover and the rear panels around the bumper.

You won't get a new engine cover now - it will be a case of finding a good s/h one (try cascu.co.uk). Repair panels otherwise are a bit hit and miss. They are not a popular choice so it can take some finding but again try the specialists first...

as i promised, here are the pics:

tucked away

surrounding junk cleared

awoken from t's 20 yr hibernation

that guy behind is going a bit quick in reverse...



after a quick wash at work

so what do you think?

Doesn't look too bad actually - that colour really shows the rust normally. Much of the problems are relatively easily resolved but you need to find out what it is like underneath all of that.

The best bit is that its a 1300 and any 1300 in even vaguely good condition is a worthy find!

Dead jealous now!

Looks ok, a lot of work but it is worth it.I am about 3/4 the way through mine with the bodywork ready for paint, suspension done and engine back in.Electrics and interior to do next

Good luck Fordy744

1300's are great fun, they rev forever! Although with our car we had a fair bit of time to go over it with a fine tooth comb, it hadn't been started in about 5 years also. It was also salvaged from an unloved corner of somebody's yard! We did the same procedures jimbro suggested, and it coughed into life on the second turn.



Can't wait to hear more about it! What are you looking to do with it? Daily driver? toy? track demon?