And the adventure begins...

First post...

I have never owned an "X" before but I'm very close to owning my first. 1976 with 62,500 on it and very little rust. It is in another province so I will need to get it shipped to me, and I am in the process of working out the details. And the adventure begins..............

clark

Awesome....

Welcome to this crazy club. I'm in London, where are you? Everyone on here is happy to help, I never would have made it through without them. Great bunch of people and enough knowledge to fill a warehouse. Pictures???

Welcome!
I hope it works out. Fantastic little cars.

Welcome Clark!

Welcome to Xweb, Clark! Good luck with your purchase. We will be waiting on pictures of your new ride.

WildWilly said:

Welcome to this crazy club. I'm in London, where are you? Everyone on here is happy to help, I never would have made it through without them. Great bunch of people and enough knowledge to fill a warehouse. Pictures???

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Hey Willy,

I am in a small town just north of Kitchener / Waterloo called Arthur. I have been hanging out on this forum for the past few months and I believe what you say is true. I can't remember the last time I saw an "X" on the road - so I am gonna need a fair bit of help I'm sure. Looking forward to it.

clark

Had some mates in college from that area, I went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids.

Welcome Clark, I see Arthur Ontario is...

right in the middle (of nowhere) between Upstate New York and Michigan and sitting amongst 3 of the 5 Great Lakes at the intersection of Hwy 6 and 109.

And I thought I lived in "Nowhere".

Congrats on your find but even with $62K it appears its not drive-able or the weather is an issue... I think the biggest problem you will face playing with this car will be SHIPPING or RECEIVING the car and any parts thereafter.

But otherwise, we're here to help and get a kick out of it. If you are living with a family you'll need to insure their needs are cared for first before you sneak out to your "opium den" and continue to work on your "addiction". When you get it running or cleaned up the way you want it... the fevers will only get worse.

So far I have survived over 30 years with mine... good luck and welcome again!

Welcome.....

Welcome Clark to the forum. There are about 20 or so members here from Ontario. And another 400 members scattered across the globe. So lots of help and advice available to you, and you will need it LOL.

This forum is also a great source for new and used parts. I'm sure you will need a bunch of those too...

As long as your new X is mostly rot-free, you will be fine. The mechanicals are fairly simple, and for the most part fairly easy to work on. Most parts are pretty easy to come by. But...it is a 40 year old Italian car, so do expect it will need some work and tinkering.....

If.....you are unsure of your X's service history, or it has been dormant for some time....the first order of business should be to replace - or at least check - the timing belt. It was one of the world's first engines to use a timing belt, and the belt is quite narrow and required changing at short intervals. Be aware that the engine on a '76 is an interference design, so if the belt snaps or strips the valves will bend and you will be in for a world of hurt....

Too many new X owners decide to do other work first, and drive it for a bit while planning to change the belt "later"....a decision they regret.

Again welcome to the forum and all the best to you. Doug

rx1900 said:

Welcome Clark to the forum....... Be aware that the engine on a '76 is an interference design, so if the belt snaps or strips the valves will bend and you will be in for a world of hurt....

Too many new X owners decide to do other work first, and drive it for a bit while planning to change the belt "later"....a decision they regret.

Again welcome to the forum and all the best to you. Doug

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Thanks Doug, I know I read that somewhere but thanks for the extra note. I will do that for sure.

Black-Tooth said:

right in the middle (of nowhere) between Upstate New York and Michigan and sitting amongst 3 of the 5 Great Lakes at the intersection of Hwy 6 and 109.

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You got that right Tony

Black-Tooth said:

But otherwise, we're here to help and get a kick out of it.

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Now the truth comes out LOL!

Oh... the TRUTH is it... well...

The TRUTH is the old adage that "Misery loves company"... and its also somewhat entertaining!

So... we here in the lower, lower 48's will just sit back whilst sunning ourselves as others struggle with the weather and corroded old cars.

HA!

Seriously though... many of us have a lot of EXPERIENCE and ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE and PARTS that cannot be used or spoken of in our homes, or to our families or to any other enthusiast, within a 50 mile radius. This site is our only RESOURCE and OUTLET!

HA!

Again welcome... I think yur gonna be a lot of fun!

Black-Tooth said:

HA!
Again welcome... I think yur gonna be a lot of fun!

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Well, I have a ton of questions... but it will probably be about a month or so until I see the car I am buying so.... I guess that alone speaks to my sanity (or lack thereof). I'm going to be needing some of that knowledge y'all have acquired... So get ready!

Welcome Clark.............get ready..........

...........these little cars are like crack..................... one little car won't hurt...................okay two.....................










............and pretty soon your lurking on the web trying to find your next fix:drink::drink:




So far I'm holding the line at two................but that's not due to lack of offers to add a couple more to the collection:worship:

PW

Arthur...

I'm sure I've driven through. Let us all know when the deal is done and you get the car. I'll help anyway I can, you will have fun, that is for sure.

Welcome!

Look forward to seeing pics.

Does seem like there are many X1/9's in Ontario.....

lookforjoe said:

Welcome!

Look forward to seeing pics.

Does seem like there are many X1/9's in Ontario.....

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Well...This one is in another province at the moment. Hopefully the deal will be done in the next few days and I can schedule the Hansen's transport people to go and pick it up. Fingers crossed.......

Welcome Clark,
I have beaten all these guys up a lot with my questions (ignorance). Everyone has been wonderful in helping me. I have mine running but more and more issues crop up. My favorite word (because I have a five year old) is AAARRRGGG!!! It really helps and you don't have to say sorry after words.
I started my project, OMG, over six months ago. She is worth all the issues. I sometimes get frustrated but then I come here and everyone shares their experiences with an X and I feel better. Wonderful caring folks. The other day, I actually provided advice to someone and it was correct. I could not have done that without the X family behind me.

My family is first then the X. I will do what I can when I can with her but I am a Marine at heart and can't let something sit unfinished very long. The price of being OCD.
Again, welcome,
Mike
Nebraska
Actually, the middle of nowhere.

Tavalin said:

Welcome Clark,
Again, welcome,
Mike
Nebraska
Actually, the middle of nowhere.

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Thanks Mike, All of you have been great and I do feel welcome.

Well it looks like the deal is going to go through for this car - we are currently in the stages of exchanging money etc so I figured I might as well show a few pics of the car before it comes to me. That way all of you can reminisce about the time when you got your first X. The seller has been good to work with and the car looks to be worth the asking price. I was one of the first to inquire about the car so he has been nice to see me through to the end even though others have come to him and desired to purchase it locally.

Looks really solid. Those wheels are worth more than my whole car.
Best color on an X, IHMO.
I will say...
SCORE!!!!
(and I don't even know what you paid.....?)

Clark...

Those wheels and that SS Reservoir Tank are NO GOOD for that car.

I'll be happy to send you some "proper" Steel Wheels and a Plastic Tank just for the price of shipping and be happy to "dispose" of your old junk so their is no negative impact on the environment...

OK... I'll be truthful now...

I personally do not like those wheels but there are folks here that would KILL for them.



Yours are the popular CD 31's or 32's for our cars... ala Ferrari 308's of the day. My favorite is the CD 30.

The SS tank is now a NECESSARY item because even if one were to find a NOS Plastic Tank, it would still be 40 years old and probably crispy. Aluminum & re-pops are available these days but you shouldn't need one.

The rest of the car looks good and cleaning it all up the way you want it should be fun. Do check that front spoiler as I may have detected it being bent in a bit. Its a necessary part and about $250 bucks to replace from the Netherlands.

I see you also have the sought-after RED turn signals in the rear too... needs some new weatherstripping around the perimeter of the Targa and door openings (DO NOT TOSS the two corner pieces if OK, new re-pops can be had from Ricardo id necessary.) We can discuss several trim options later.

DO check the body with a magnet and by tapping to see if there is any Bondo... look under the car in fender wells and also try to move the windshield looking for rusted or a weakened frame. You will probably need him to do this and SWEAR on a refund if he lies... in writing!