Fiat x1/9 + bike engine challenge build

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) :

THat would be glorious!!!!!!!!

In reply to enginehelp :

If you are Jonesing for Japanese, mid engined Bike Engined Car content, don't miss Robbie's  Datsun

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to enginehelp :

If you are Jonesing for Japanese, mid engined Bike Engined Car content, don't miss Robbie's  Datsun

Thanks for linking it! I was going to do it myself but you beat me to it. Yes, that is the project that cut in line in front of this x. 

As far as plan changes, I'm probably not going MC engine on this anymore. I have a few ideas though: 

1. Go for a truly budget free car - this probably would mean finding a running and driving, caged, FWD junky race car for $600 or less. Definitely possible. 

2. Go for a DM or EM SCCA autox car and take it to SCCA nationals. See how well a $2k car can stack up at Nats. This would involve me finding a fast driver to work with. But I know some folks. Engine choice would be very specific in this case. And this would take a few years likely. 

3. Go for an electric challenge car, possibly using the drivetrain from a leaf.

4. Go for the biggest, baddest, gas motor I can find for less than $500. supercharged 3800, supercharged ecotec from a saturn ion redline, ls4, j35 honda, vq35 nissan (and CVT?!?!)

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

When you first gave me my X1/9, #3 was how I was strongly leaning. We get closer to a Challenge EV every day. Not a bad Idea on the list, as far as I can tell.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :

Yes, I've been following it and it is also brilliant, he deos some great work

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

What made you abandon the MC engine?

I love #4, LS4 x1/9 would be insane, vq35 or j series would also be insanely cool. Maybe a transverse volvo inline 5? I've just learned about them in my thread that I started and they sound like mini v10s, It would be a baby lambo!

(https://www.ebay.com/i/202995244935?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=202995244935&targetid=915708758100&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9021740&poi=&campaignid=9343999098&mkgroupid=94993858779&rlsatarget=pla-915708758100&abcId=1139336&merchantid=108362824&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkZ7i05eb6gIVQv3jBx26iAYdEAQYAyABEgIL0fD_BwE)

However, #3 would also be cool in that it would be revolutionary and very futurstic. I've priced leafs on copart for another project and you can get a first gen (110hp) crashed but functional leaf for about $1.5k-$2k, keep all the electrical gubbins and sell the rest and you have a pretty cheap electric drivetrain, although not much more powerful than the original x1/9. I wonder if you could splice in another leaf motor and have individually powered rear wheels OR awd?

In reply to enginehelp :

Thank you for the kind words! I just try to do slightly better work than I did the day before. 

I'm abandoning the MC engine for a couple reasons:

1. I'm using it in the Datsun
2. MC engine really limits the use of the car. You become Amod in SCCA instantly because of MC engine. 
3. Reliability. The chain drive diff setup just doesn't really have a good solution unless you buy something specifically made for it. I can't spend the cash (because then the one trick pony wouldn't even have its one trick of challenge car anymore), and I don't trust my fabrication skills enough yet. Maybe someday. Yes there are sort of solutions, but I don't think any are 'good'.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to enginehelp :

If you are Jonesing for Japanese, mid engined Bike Engined Car content, don't miss Robbie's  Datsun

Thanks for linking it! I was going to do it myself but you beat me to it. Yes, that is the project that cut in line in front of this x. 

As far as plan changes, I'm probably not going MC engine on this anymore. I have a few ideas though: 

1. Go for a truly budget free car - this probably would mean finding a running and driving, caged, FWD junky race car for $600 or less. Definitely possible. 

2. Go for a DM or EM SCCA autox car and take it to SCCA nationals. See how well a $2k car can stack up at Nats. This would involve me finding a fast driver to work with. But I know some folks. Engine choice would be very specific in this case. And this would take a few years likely. 

3. Go for an electric challenge car, possibly using the drivetrain from a leaf.

4. Go for the biggest, baddest, gas motor I can find for less than $500. supercharged 3800, supercharged ecotec from a saturn ion redline, ls4, j35 honda, vq35 nissan (and CVT?!?!)

There's a guy selling an X19 and Alfa 164L together as a package for challenge money. 164 is rusted to hell. X19 needs a little work.

In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :

link or more info?

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah like how do you drop something like that then just walk away?

Robbie, I just realized its you thats building both this car AND the Datsun.  You're a maniac.  I love it!

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

Dude your work is always amazing, I'm alway impressed. 

THat all makes sense, I used to love the hp:lb of mc engines but all these issues just put me massively off

Stampie (FS) said:

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah like how do you drop something like that then just walk away?

Sorry! Mea culpa. Had to find the link.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/582129092717149/

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

Stampie (FS) said:

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah like how do you drop something like that then just walk away?

Sorry! Mea culpa. Had to find the link.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/582129092717149/

 

oooof, that guy is going to struggle to give those away. two old rusty cars that also haven't run in more than 10 years each.

Someone needs to bring this to the challenge. I have an idea!

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

They're in Vermont. Are you thinking parking lot build? Oy!

Oh man I want the wheels from the X1/9. Those Campagnolos are less than 9 lbs. 

If I wasn't building a 2.0 16v scirocco for autocross and track I'd really want to make this happen.

Just popped up on my youtube feed. Amazing and inspiring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meZAZ8qZ5so

Golly, my pants just got tighter.

Ok, so I've been reading a lot about x1/9s recently. And one thing I noticed is that on wikipedia in model year changes, they note that the rear valence panel became an aluminum grill (moving away from the oval holes) in 1975. Wait. These oval holes?

Does this mean it's a 1974 body?!? Note also the exhaust cutout on the left side.

This made me curious, so I dug out my old boxes of parts. I found this gauge cluster, which obviously the plastic is too yellow to see anything.

I took it apart (had to drill some of the screws).

Wow! It actually looks like it would clean up pretty nicely!

Now I need to research what the 74 dash even looked like in the first place.

In reply to Robbie :

I apologise for zombifying the thread, but the graphic on the targa bar cracked me up. My X1/9 project car was given the moniker Wind Rider.

In reply to BAMF :

Awesome!!!