goldnrust
West Midlands
Minimalist
Posts: 1,872
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Jul 29, 2016 21:15:21 GMT
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Nicely said bjornagn. I also learnt to weld by taking on project that was rotten enough that the guys on the owners forum had said it was only good for parts. It took a lot of time and effort, and I made plenty of mistakes a long the way but the end result was worth it even though I'd spent 2x the value of the finished car by the time I'd finished! I think the key is you've got to enjoy the project, for the projects sake, because if all the enjoyment will be in driving the car once done then yes you'd be better just buying a sorted one.
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Jul 29, 2016 22:05:48 GMT
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Nicely said bjornagn . I also learnt to weld by taking on project that was rotten enough that the guys on the owners forum had said it was only good for parts. It took a lot of time and effort, and I made plenty of mistakes a long the way but the end result was worth it even though I'd spent 2x the value of the finished car by the time I'd finished! I think the key is you've got to enjoy the project, for the projects sake, because if all the enjoyment will be in driving the car once done then yes you'd be better just buying a sorted one. this is pretty much the road i am planning! tbh this is not going to be a quick resto (well, obviously realy... ) i don't know enough, (anywhere near enough) to do it quickly! but i want to have a go at learning therefore i'm after a major job as jumping in feet first is the way i want to go in order to learn! tbh this is why 'HELP' is in the thread title! bonus is, i will enjoy the resto, the pride of (hopefully) finishing it (loving that sprite btw, that is something else!), i will long to drive it, but its an goal for the horizon! oh and the car cost £150 so, not to much of a gamble really.
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Jul 29, 2016 22:09:40 GMT
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The gaffa tape on the screen pillar is a BAD sign...... Those little monsters know how to rot. I had an early 1300 one ('79 IIRC) in about 1989 and it was absolutely hanging then. Didn't look that bad but underneath....... indeed it is, but tbh i would rather it wasnt hidden rot, i know its there so can attack it.. its the undoubted hidden rot that wories me more!
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Jul 29, 2016 23:28:47 GMT
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£150? I genuinely can't tell if that's a bargain or not, but that sounds amazing!! £150 is worth a learning curve? For what I paid for my car, should I lose it all, I'd be in considerably hotter water than you
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I have a Jaguar XJS - RARRGHH! She is called Lily, and she is my best friend! goo.gl/bT3ASP <-- video of her
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For those about to weld... retrorides.proboards.com/thread/188308/welding-advice?page=2about halfway down there is a good tutorial to get anyone started on welding if they have zero experience. This is not something that they would teach in a welding class since it is a process to get tin stuck together with a MIG welder and nothing more. Wont make you a welder but it will get your job done. Skill-wise, you do need to be able to count to one not using your fingers.
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Last Edit: Jul 30, 2016 0:26:02 GMT by bjornagn
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goldnrust
West Midlands
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Posts: 1,872
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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1988 Fiat Bertone x1/9 duncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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I taught myself to weld using the tutorials and forum on mig-welding.co.uk. I basically just got a whole set of strips of offcut steel from the nearest stockholder, and once I could lay a bead and got my settings sorted, welded all the strips together (continually posting pictures to the forum - I think my flickr account is mostly welding!). Having a decent welder/gas/workspace all helps, and will make it easier if you can sort it out, but there are people on this forum and others that produce excellent welds upside down outside in the snow using a rubbish welder and flux core wire! The only other thing I would say is pay attention to safety - grinders and welders produce lots of heat and sparks and can set fire to you/your car/your surroundings if you are careless (and obviously, if you're chopping bits out of your car then don't drop it (or the parts) on yourself)! Good luck... Cheers Duncan
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,711
Club RR Member Number: 39
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1988 Fiat Bertone x1/9 Darkspeed
@darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member 39
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You will get your £150 and a bit more back just in Stratos kit donor parts. - At least now you can look at your X1/9 and see it has the same door handles as a Stratos and Ferrari 308GT4 and the roof locks are the same parts that lock the clams down on a Stratos. Who needs screen pillars - when looks are improved without them And I will freely admit that after seeing an X1/9 Dallara I had momentary thoughts of selling my Stratos project.
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she's here..... update in a mo!
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*Beware,word heavy! Pics to follow!
So, yesterday I hopped in the mondeo for a drive from Cheltenham, to the rather nice location of Hartley in Kent to meet the seller of said x1/9 (now definitely named Tuesday. . Yes I name my cars!) To exchange pleasantries, paperwork, monies drink tea and examine the car.
All in all, not too bad! Bad, but not too bad! Both A pillars are indeed holed, but not as bad as I had feared, nearside sill is gone (maybe foot or so from the end has rusted) however offside is solid! Front boot is rusted, however inside is very good! (Tops of suspension look good, although this will be further investigated) both doors shot (so will either need bottom 8/10 inches cutting out or new doors) gear lever wont budge, clutch pedal the same, engine cover rotting... little bits of rust in other indiscriminate locations.. but! I am totally taken with this car, it is awesome! Inside is very good, could use refresh and I will be wearing the smallest shoes I can when I do drive her!
As for the seller, chap named Fred and really couldn't meet a nicer bloke. last had the car on the road around'04 and has had it on his drive since. We sat in his house and chatted for some hours, nice to have a good car chat! Oh and we took a stroll to his garage, in which was a ford pop hot rod that he and his lad in law built, metal flake red with a buik 5.7l totally mint and awesome! But more to my taste was the 1932 Austin 10/4, now that was a good chat piece! Anyway, we sorted the Fiat, drank more tea and I went home a very happy, if a bit daunted, man!
The parts collection begins in earnest! Tho I did find a spare instrument cluster in tje boot, bonus! I am sure much more will arise than I have found thus far, but here we go!
Now i have promised to let Fred know how I get on, so I had better get on!
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Last Edit: Aug 5, 2016 22:51:36 GMT by s1105117
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Today of course was the day, the Fiat was on her way. 10 o'clock, phone call, problem. I have the keys in my pocket! So that will make loading her a bit more tricky... oops!! The traffic then meaning that the ETA went back and back until around 8pm I get the call, the car is at my house! Excitement!! The full kid-at-Christmas stuff! :-) Unloading was a sinch, a bit of elbow grease moved the gear lever and she rolled off the lorry into her current space! Brakes work at 0.5mph then! :-) and there she sits for the night, can see her out the window, a proper classic and a proper project! Yay! Err, Help!!! :-D pics and more chat tomorrow!
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I feel very lucky in comparison that my A pillars still hold the weight of the roof without holes ... Good luck ... but what a stunner!
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I have a Jaguar XJS - RARRGHH! She is called Lily, and she is my best friend! goo.gl/bT3ASP <-- video of her
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Quite! was pleasantly amazed by your jags solidity :-) tho I do have the advantage that being a a targa top I can take the roof out! :-) cheers mate, I must admit I do keep looking at it!
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so, tested the old battery and it is had the same life as t rex skeleton in the natural history museum... tried to charge it but nope, may as well have tested the table it was sitting on! :-) no surprise really, i wasnt expecting it to work after all this time! however what did amuse me was that not one of the five people working in my local battery place had heard of an x1/9! i got asked if it was a car, if the battery was actually for my mondeo that they could see through the window, and when i gave them the x1/9 plate was told "Oh! an x forward slash 9!" hmm i believe the appropriate phrase is LOL! :-) now i just have to work out what size/power etc battery should be best, any thoughts?
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2016 9:39:57 GMT by s1105117
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Ah, this story sounds familiar. Handsome young Prince (handsome King in my case 'cos I'm telling the story) wants to learn new skills. Rides to the far corners of the Kingdom (Acton in my case) on his White Stallion. Pays peanuts for a mid engined sports car (MR2 for me) that would be in the scrap yard if only there was enough steel left to make it worth recycling. Arrives at home, beaming with delight, oblivious to the horrors that he'll manfully struggle with.
It's a very therapeutic journey, I hope you enjoy it.
I didn't bother with a battery 'cos I knew it'd be dead before I got the car running. I've got one of those jump start pack things and just used that when I wanted to power the car up. When I first started it up I had a dead battery on just to act as a load if the jump start pack fell off the boot lid.
Good luck!
James
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Darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,711
Club RR Member Number: 39
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1988 Fiat Bertone x1/9 Darkspeed
@darkspeed
Club Retro Rides Member 39
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Jump start pack was what I was going to suggest rather than a new battery - With Italian electrics you would benefit from something you can quickly disconnect and there will always be a use for a jumpstart pack.
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Advice: Don't go tearing it all to bits just yet. Pick a spot and fix that then move on.
Are repair panels available for the A post?
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Cheers guys, i will look into getting a battery pack. Although for a tester I may see what batteries are laying around too! Cheers,one area at a time is the plan. Atm I want to try and put the strength back in the car, and that nearside sill looks pretty bad. Will photograph later.. have found that the outside of the rear suspension tunnels have rot,but not all the way through.. will treat when engine comes out I think
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if it was nt for the work wee all do on here lots of cars would be lost , i replaced most of this to this
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2016 15:29:59 GMT by shielsy68
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