Popular Post ThePog Posted April 20 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 20 I did a thing. First I went to visit @yoeddynz who kindly welded the crack up. I also got a preview of exciting Imp developments.... When I got home I had a look to see what that plug thread was. Interestingly it appeared to be an M22x1.5 parallel thread, which meant a tapered plug made very little sense. And it just so happened that I had an M22x1.5 tap and some threaded rod. So I messed around for a while to get this; I put some pretty mega threadlocker on the insert, so it shouldn't go anywhere. Now the fucked shaft. It was pretty obvious that the broken bit wasnt a new development, and that the box had basically been working ok like that, so I did the obvious thing and just put it back together with the broken bit back in place, retained by the gear and the retaining nut. It feels fine. I figure that worst case I lose 5th at some point, by which time I will have a new box to go in. I will lift an optimistic pint to that notion tonight.... 28 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted April 22 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 22 I got it all back together and has all of its gears so I'm calling that a win. It also does not appear to be leaking any transmission fluid, another win. So then I looked to the wheel bearing situation, and smashed that out. There is a dedicated X1/9 forum, Xweb, which has a lot of excellent info and how to's. I found a great pictorial run through of the process and set to. I did need to make a special tool to remove a locking ring but that was no drama. Octagonal lock ring fuckery. Special tool made by a special tool. That and the engine going in meant Sunday was quite a big day, so I left the tie rod end for tonight. On the basis of this minor last task I booked the car in for its recheck and a wheel alignment. After work I went down to sort it, only to find that the rod end is the wrong one, and about 50mm too short, GAHhhh! It took two weeks for the last one to arrive, I am so disappointed. Anyway. Previously to this weekends shenanigans I had done some messing with the jetting, and drilled the mains out to 130 from 125. So I took it out for a short run so I could bleed the cooling system properly and check the AFRs which were much improved, as was the idle to main circuit transition, so that at least was good. 27 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 2 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 2 The correct tie rod end arrived a couple of days ago thankfully before the wof grace period ran out; And so this just happened; And I was greeted by a complementary bit of even leakier wedgieness which was an irresistible photo op; So fucking excited. 37 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 3 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 3 Ah man I just took it for its first 'just for the fun of it' blast around the back roads, fuck it goes well. The engine is just so willing to get up and go and it feels amazingly planted for a 43 year old car. The handling is really really good. It does an almost comical amount of burbling and popping on the overrun, I might have to tune a bit of it out. 11/10 would trade again. 41 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 6 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 6 As expected something shat itself, I would have been incredibly surprised had my *stress testing* over the weekend not opened a few cracks. It turns out that the occasional non start I had been experiencing was not the battery going flat, but the starter not playing the game. I pulled it tonight, the starter that is, and it spun up no problem on the bench but less so firing it with the solenoid. But the solenoid was clunking so it must be the contactor. Shortly afterwards some crispy was uncovered; I cleaned those contacts up, soldered it back together and reassembled, then had the old girl firing into life shortly afterwards. Nice. I have also had the weird situation where the resting voltage of the battery(s) after a run has been over 13v. I suspect the alternator might be overcharging but when I had it running I was seeing 14v at about 3000 revs. This is kindof weird anyway as the alt light does not come on, which is either a poor connection or blown lamp, but this also has an LED not an incandescent fitted, and I now know that theoretically this isn't enough to excite the alt anyway. It was on my list to fix when I got a chance, so I will investigate. Obviously I'll do more testing about the charging, including fitting the voltmeter I have ordered. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 8 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 8 So it wasnt running quite right last time I went out, it started after taking a spirited left hander, and I had to curtail todays supply run as the problem persisted. So tonight I pulled the carbs to see what gunk was blocking things up, and it turned out to be a noticeable amount of water. I stripped both and blew out the passages then reassembled. That cardboard surface was a great idea as it turned out cos the petrol soaked in and the water sat on the top which made it super obvious thats what was going on. Interestingly someone has fitted some proper 32mm chokes, I recall the ones I had on it were 28mm that had been bored to 33ish in a rough manner. It all looked pretty good in there tbh. But I suspect tomorrows effort will be siphoning out the tank.... 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePog Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 My budget tank pumperouterer This only worked averagely as the pump kept getting blocked with all the clag coming out, and the results were displeasing. The dark stuff is rusty water, time to pull the tank I reckon, i can see a layer that is obviously where water has sat and rusted shit up. Pah. 5 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 16 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 16 So the tank came out, pretty easy all in all. 4 bolts and two straps and it drops straight down. There does need to be a bit of room so I lifted her up onto the big ramps again. Shes pretty claggy down in the hole; And here is the most obvious culprit, the joiner between the filler and the tank. ; I ordered a silicone joiner of the correct diameters which arrived promptly. I took the tank to the local radiator place and he reckoned I needed to split it open to sandblast the inside. We settled on cutting big holes in either side, and he said he could just solder it up again. This he did, and did a tidy job, but he reckoned it was so glazed on the inside it took 4 hours to blast it properly poor boy. He ended up coating the inside of the tank, so unfortunately the paint kit that @dmulally sent me expressly for this purpose will not be used.... Not on this job anyway. So I got it back today and chucked it in, somehow without managing to take any pics, and its all up and running. I'll have to balance the carbs again but it runs ok. While I waited for the tank to get sorted I tidied a few other things, I sourced a relay that @vk327 suggested, and wired that in to run the fuel pump. There is a signal that comes from the starter to prime the pump when cranking, but I wired that to a button on the dash so I could just podge it to get things going if it has been sitting for a while. I also pulled the cluster (fuck) to put an incandescent bulb in place of the LED so the charging circuit would excite properly. This was a bit of a fudge as the tiny bulbs dont seem to be particularly available, so I filed the hole a bit bigger for a bigger holder/bulb of which I had spares. This worked out ok surprisingly. Ill tune it up in the weekend then see what else breaks 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 18 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 18 So far no issues, and I gave it the fullest of full beans over the hill to Moutere today. The tyres are IRL pretty shit at anything over 80km/h, I may investigate finding something with actual sidewall stiffness. And here is an *action shot* that at least proves my wiring is legit. 15 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 27 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 27 Ah man I have been on a rim finding mission so I can go to a 14" or 15" rim and improve the sidewall situation, but as the PCD is 4x98mm things are difficult. I did find this pic which has me boned up, those are Maserati BiTurbo 14" rims, oof But as you can Imagine they are not super common. All I can hope for is that Barry has a set in his shed left over after the rest of the car has disintegrated and will flick them on to me.. I will take further suggestions... 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted May 29 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 29 I borrowed some 14's off a chap to see the rough state of play; Current 13x5 ET25 Lancia 14x5 ET45 - I like the look but that offset is a hard no Fiat steels, 14x5.5 ET28 (ish, I couldnt find markings so did a roughy measurement). These fill the arches nicely but I have never liked this style and they are heavy as fuck. I am leaning pretty heavily to some 5.5 or 6 steels with the RWD offset, but in the holey style if @azzurro will sell me some Altho a man with a Maserati has told me he has some of those mint rims then ghosted me The search continues. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted June 9 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 9 Oof. Is there anyone in/near Alexandria that can pick them up and get them to a depot or heading up this way? 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted June 20 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 20 14x6, 6mm offset. Magnesium! That looks like it might work. The question is whether to hit them with some mattyB. I like black wheels and these are not so super tidy that it would be a shame.. See poll at the top for opinions. 20 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted June 27 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 27 Picked these boys up today, 185/55-14 Kumho. Turns out there are very few options in this size... They are pretty much exactly the same weight as the CD58's. Now it turns out that the hub is a bit thicker on these so the bolts won't work, there is only a few mm of engagement. Stink. Now if I was the sort of boy who were to research the fitment of these rims relentlessly and thoroughly I would have realised this early on and come to the party prepared.... Which I am and so I did. These arrived from Midwest Bayless a week or so ago. I also drew up and printed some centercaps with the 'Fiat' logo with a nod to @h4nd's ever useful input into things. So then I simply bolted the boys on, although as per my research I removed the front factory 5mm spacer. The previous tyres were a bit bigger at 175-70/13 so must have clearanced things a bit cos there is very little rubbing. I may need to heat the inner guard a bit and push it in but Ill wait til the rubbing shows up well. Anyway, that shit looks fucking goooood. And it feels much tighter on the road, so a complete win. 37 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted June 29 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 29 When in context with modern cars you realise that this thing is absolutely tiny. I was 6'3' the last time I checked, it must look like a fucking clown show when I get in or out. 31 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted July 9 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 9 A kindof boring and wordy update now You may have seen the discussion thread for this where I noted that the car had developed a light rattle/cyclical vibration somewhere in the engine. This was disappointing but not surprising, in reality I should have stripped it right down to check shit when it was out. But at the same time it had only done 6000kms or so since I sold it, and it basically had a new engine, and it looked ok when I pulled a few things. The noise was weird as it had a cyclical quality every couple of seconds, like something with a wee bit of weight was being slowly rotated while undergoing vibration. I couldn't think what that could be in the engine, and otherwise it sounded like a roller bearing gone bad. @GregT suggested excessive camshaft endfloat, I checked that and the most I could see was 0.3mm, so probably not that. So then I loosened the cambelt to check the tension bearing, that felt ok. Then I took off the v belt and checked the water pump and alternator, they also felt ok. But as I was reinstalling that I noticed some fuckery with the long lower alternator bolt, it looked like the head wasn't sat in its little recess. When I looked I saw that there was no nut at all on the bolt. So I found a suitable locknut and put it back together. Tonight I took it for a quick run to check things and the noise appears to be gone. I will check again but I am hoping it is as simple as that... Also as discussed elsewhere @yoeddynz and I did a little drive swapping the other day, I was super pleased to be able to have a go in the Imp, it was a good time and I felt a certain privilege. It goes very well considering its early state of tune/refinement. Here is the only pic I took of it laying rubber into the distance; Alex pointed out that my throttle feel was not all it could be (TBH I thought he liked it stiff and hard), so a few days later I rejigged the mechanism at the throttle to make it seat at idle a bit better. This meant I could remove the hacked in extra spring that was making things stiffer. Then I reduced the amazing amount of slop in the pedal linkage itself, so that all feels a lot nicer now.... I didnt take any pics of any of this so I leave you with it looking rather fetching in its shiny new boots... 37 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted July 12 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 12 One of the things that has been bothering me is the rattle(s) somewhere in the cabin. It is pretty loud when the right mid range revs kicks it off. I chased it a couple of weeks ago and found that the door pull was loose, the frunk release was loose and the fusebox needed better mounting. I fixed all of this and it made the overall noise levels better but the main noise was still there. After some testing I eventually I figured out that it was coming from the gear stick mechanism. This has always been pretty loose, and in fact the whole gearstick can move up and down by 2 or 3mm. Someone (possibly me) had hacked a spring in there that pulled the main actuation rod upwards which helped it a bit, but obviously not enough. So I pulled it all out to have a look and shit was pretty sorry in there, mostly the light coloured lower retainer had worn away to something pretty thin. Then without realising it I fucked things up by splitting the lower retainer to see if splaying it out would allow it to push upwards a bit further and take up the slack. No, it turns out, and this was bad for other reasons. I chucked the upper part in the lathe and trimmed a few mm off the underside, just enough so the lower cover could take up the slack. In principle this worked, but I needed a spacer in there to give some additional push. I split a conveniently sized grommet to fit, assembled it with a bit of a clean up and grease, then chucked it in. It felt splendid until I pushed down on the gearstick and it popped past the retainer that I stupidly split... Obviously I then needed to break out the 3D printer, how great are these things for making new shit to replace the shit you broke on your car. I made a first guess which took 45mins to print, the took half a mm off the extra height and printed another. Then just grease it up and assemble. Look at that fucking mad gearstick knob, I used to hate it but now it seems an intrinsic part of the dumbfuckery and I wouldnt be without it. 27 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted July 12 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 12 Also; after work I took it for a quick drive to see how the gearstick felt and sounded which was way better all round. But when I pulled in towards the shed I could see what looked like a largish puddle of oil on the shed floor. I got out to check and thats exactly what it was I park up and look under and there is a small flood of oil falling out of the engine. I tried hard not to, but I couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed... I then tried to trace it back to some sort of source that wasnt the main crank seal and I can see traces up quite high on the engine. So I start the engine to see if a bit more pressure won't force more out and voila, there is a bit of a river coming out of one of the tappet cover bolt holes. You can see the culprit right there, my last noise source check must have split it when I tightened it down. Fortunately I had a spare handy that I had ordered in case my cursory investigations when I first had the engine out meant I had to replace it. I probably need to find some degreaser to wash off what remains but basically that was another surprisingly easy fix. 32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted July 19 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 19 All is well in X land currently, I have just been trying to make it slightly more civilised, but it is a losing battle. The raw power and agression seems to break all attempts to tone things down. I made a cover for the gaping hole behind the drivers seat. This has direct noise and air access to the engine compartment so probably best to close it off. The spare goes in there but a standard rim is too thick and pushes the seat forward too much for me. Some CAD and some ACM did the trick. The beading around the hole is fluffy so I found some stick on velcro. Its fine. Also I am again enjoying the mad factory spec camber, this clearly means it is a proper sports car. Fuckers mess around and spend big dollars to achieve this sort of goodness. I want to go out for a burn but it is wet and my paint job will probably not protect it any more than a fat gingers Temu sourced sunblock at a beach barbeque. 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ThePog Posted August 9 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 9 Not much news, been chasing a rattle in the cabin for ages without success. I hope its not a bit of sheetmetal sitting in the sill or anything, but that cant be ruled out. I am waiting for a man in Australia to send me a badge and some other stuff but he is not exactly rocketshipping it here, and in the meantime there are actual holes in the boot lid where the badge should be that would definitely let in unwanted water. So I thought I would fudge it temporarily. Here is what should be there. And here is some nonsense; A bit of red permanent and there you are; That will do for now. And here is me fully enjoying the stance last night. 34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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