box exterior

I searched high and low on XWEB for a good tutorial on the correct procedure of how to remove the rear chrome trim that outlines the rear window. As I am now getting my car ready for paint (it only took 4 years) I needed to get this trim off and do it without damaging the car or the trim in the...

Since we got her, this has been a problem, the driver’s door that shuts, can be locked, but never looks closed. That’s as closed as it gets. Who can rectify this, a body shop, or someone different. Is it the hinges bent out of shape by age, or could a collision knock the frame out of whack?

I was out for a test drive a couple of months ago as I was dialing in my suspension on my ’81 K20 swap. I had installed a set of the MWB Koni coilovers as part of the restomod, plus I was checking out a set of prototype front sway bar brackets that Doug Martin (@rx1900) had designed and sent...

This thread will give us a place to gather up the various ideas and techniques for collapsing bumper shocks to bring the bumpers closer to the body. Add in any links or instructions that you know of. Thanks.

Has anyone done a bumper conversion using a single bar from a ‘76-‘78? If so, did you use the top or bottom bars to do it? Also, what else is required, do you need brackets, bumper shocks from a certain year? Also, if anyone has pictures of their car with this done, I’d love to see it. I’ve...

I need to replace driver side wind wing glass with attached side mirror. is it possible to remove one from a donor car...if so how? i got sideswiped..got mirror..took out that triangular window. thanks

I really like most of the things Fiat and Bertone did regarding the X1/9. I even like the way they stuffed the master cylinders into the pedal box for a bigger trunk space. But those flimsy plastic tabs the front spoiler mounts to have got to be one of the silliest things on the car. When I...

I am building a 1985 X, the doors are marginal. I have a pair of ‘78 doors that are in great shape, will they just bolt up? I will lose the power windows and go to roll up windows which I would think would reduce some weight (although not as much as if I ate better). The door panels on the 78...

My winter project for the X this year was a lot easier and less expensive than some of my other projects from years past. Tired of lugging and stowing my 25 lb. insulated targa top, I bought a spare top on eBay along with some convertible top material and trunk liner material. Tools I used...

Has anyone ever painted the black plastic top side vent covers? I was thinking I could hit them with Trim Black spray paint to liven them up. Are there and cons to doing this? One could do the same to the front grill I presume.

My check straps on my '79 were getting tired and one of the ones on my '81 had a broken spring. The original style of these are hard to find and the replacements seem a little on the cheap side, quality wise. I bought one of those years ago from Art Bayless, but have never used it as I just...

Recently I removed the door 'check-straps' (opening limiter/stays) and found a style I do not recognize. It fits and functions perfectly in the X door (actually works better than the old style). Does anyone know what year/model this came from? For comparison, this is what I'm accustomed...

Despite the cables (both original and emergency) being gone from my new 1980, I managed to get both open without drilling so I thought I'd share the method in case anyone else found themselves in the same predicament. For the engine lid, I was able to reach up through the engine bay from...

there was a discussion awhile back about the weight of various targa tops for Xs. Several folks felt the unpadded tops weighed significantly less than the padded tops. I buzzed up to Todd's house today to replace my padded top for one of his unpadded tops. Turns out the unpadded top (from an...

Hi all, I have a '81 north american X1/9 with that kind of bumpers; I'd like to get Midwest Bayless' bumper set, but I have some questions about that set : Will I loose the front grill (that protects the radiator) and the front air dam ? They seem to be integral parts of the bumper. Will I...

The grill that came with ("little lady" from "little 80" thanks Bob Brown) also known as Mac's black X, is a little tattered, has all of the standoffs broken off on the bottom and 1 broken off with part of the corner on top. I think I have come up with a repair method that could be used by...

I'm looking for the length of the lower edge standoffs on the early grill, all 3 of mine are missing. A measurement from the inner lip that they are coming out of would work best. I have a feeling that the center standoff is longer than the outside ones to match the top row. edit: Are the...

Hi All, It's been a while.....haven't had much time to work on the car (or to keep up with the board too much), but I finally started my bumper mod. While I like the bumperless look and DEFINITELY prefer it to the '76 ladder bumpers, it always looked unfinished to me. I love the 74 bumpers...

Hi. I'm trying to remove the rear boot/engine lid lock assembly. I've disconnected the cables from both the rear boot latch and the engine lid latch. The book says to next disconnect the cables from the lever assembly but for the life of me I don't see how they get removed without breaking...

Ok, so I spring for Al C's FAZA book, had one when I was a teenager, and stumbled across hidden in some engine build text, a "secret" wire embedded during original windshield install ?????????? Al mentioned, Bertone installed a wire surrounding the windshield, when found, could be energized...