Fiat SOHC performance?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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March 30, 2011 3:47 p.m. SlickDizzy SuperDork

So...I bought an X1/9...

It's a nice, clean '77, with a 1500 from an '81 (installed when the original 1300 spun a bearing at Road America). It's currently running the carb and intake manifold from the '77, stock exhaust, original 4-speed, etc etc.

I've been doing some reading on how to get these things going a bit quicker, and apparently a Weber 34 DTMR, a decent header, and an oil pan baffle are good things to do right off the bat - considering the last engine spun a bearing while pulling around a corner at RA, I think the baffle is an ESPECIALLY good idea. Outside of that, does anyone have any recommendations? And where do I buy this stuff? A phantom company known as "PBS" apparently USED to make all this stuff...how handy. I'd like to keep this one stock-based and limited to bolt-ons, though some head work is probably in the future. Suggestions?
March 30, 2011 4:33 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

Nothing to add but I am interested in this as well.
March 30, 2011 4:35 p.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

These guys have a bunch of parts for X1/9s:

http://www.midwest-bayless.com/storefrontprofiles/default.aspx?sfid=208227

No connection, so I have no idea what their service is like.

It does look like tuning parts for them are easier to come by in Europe, but the shipping cost will be "interesting". You can get headers and less restrictive silencers over there and I've seen intake manifolds for sidedrafts, too (might have been at Bayless). Bayless also has a bunch of cams.
March 30, 2011 8:21 p.m. CarKid1989 Dork

Look into throwing a 1.1/1.3? Yugo head. Fairly large bump in CR and power. Easy swap.

Back when we had our Yugo we had the same setup. Fiat X19 1.5L block and a 1.1L Yugo head. It was a fun little ride.

Throw dual 40s on it too. (i think that was hot setup from my bad memory)
March 30, 2011 8:21 p.m. CarKid1989 Dork

pics?
March 30, 2011 9:38 p.m. JThw8 SuperDork

CarKid1989 wrote:

Look into throwing a 1.1/1.3? Yugo head. Fairly large bump in CR and power. Easy swap.

Back when we had our Yugo we had the same setup. Fiat X19 1.5L block and a 1.1L Yugo head. It was a fun little ride.

Throw dual 40s on it too. (i think that was hot setup from my bad memory)

1.1 head not the 1.3

Bone simple swap and as stated an appreciable bump in CR

Dual 40s are hot but expensive.

If you can find an FI Yugo (will be 1.3 GVX) you can use the bits to megasquirt the motor and have tuneability. And then its turbo time ;)
March 30, 2011 11:43 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

pics of said fiat?
March 31, 2011 2:14 a.m. spiggs None

SlickDizzy wrote:

A phantom company known as "PBS" apparently USED to make all this stuff...how handy.

www.pbeseng.com

Mostly out of the FIAT game now but back in the day they did everything, and I mean everything FIAT including their own line of 16 valve heads for the SOHC.
March 31, 2011 5:36 a.m. ddavidv SuperDork

Midwest Bayless is a good outfit, run by real enthusiasts. The hands down best cam for the SOHC was the FAZA 35/75 (street) or 40/80 (track). FAZA is long gone with the death of Crazy Al Cosentino, but you can still find them out there if you plug into the community. I think Bayless sold Alquati cams. Regrinds never seemed to be reliable in Fiats.
March 31, 2011 9:46 a.m. Jerry From LA HalfDork

http://www.international-auto.com/

My hard part supplier back in the day. They are better known in the ALFA community but they have an equal amount of FIAT stuff.
April 1, 2011 5:33 a.m. ddavidv SuperDork

IAP is okay for regular consumables, but you can do better when it comes to performance parts.