Hello From America. X1/9 abarth 500

[DTohill]

HI everybody. My name is Dan Tohill. I don't own an Abarth 500. but I do have a 1980 Fiat X1/9 that I'm in the posses of restoring. My plan is to make it look as much like the Abarth 500 as possible. (white paint, red Abarth stripes, Abarth 1.4L turbo engine and original Abarth X1/9 Body kit). If anyone has some suggestions or comments on this project please let me know.

I'm also looking for a the engine. since I'm in USA. There are non to be found.
Anyone know of a wrecked Abarth 500. I can buy?:icon_thumleft:

thank in advance
Dan Tohill

[.Lefteris.]

:welcomeon500:

Please post some photos of this this project, am sure that the X1/9 Abarth will looks great!
Also you may find a Punto Abarth engine, more HP ;)

[VilleV]

Hey Dan and welcome to 500fans! Sounds like you have quite a project in your hand there!:icon_thumleft:

[DTohill]

:welcomeon500:

Please post some photos of this this project, am sure that the X1/9 Abarth will looks great!
Also you may find a Punto Abarth engine, more HP ;)


well right now I'm in Iraq with the US army and will be heading home in OCT.
so, I dont have any pics at this time. My X1/9 is in storage. I will be getting started in the project when I get home. but for now I'm just trying to get parts. Aquiring an engine is going to be my biggest problem. I'm not going with the Full X1/9 abarth body Kit. Just the Fender flares and maybe the rear wing.


Dan Tohill

[minime911]

Hello from Luxembourg,

Well it's some kind of a project.
A good X1/9 is so rare these days that it is really something I wouldn't do as these cars will only keep their value if left original.

But if someone really wants to do it, he might look for an older Fiat Uno Turbo engine which should fit quite easy.
If you look for a wrecked Abarth 500, there is one over here in Luxembourg at Autopolis.lu. (Black with red leather seats).You might try to contact the sales responsible, Mrs. Laure Goedert. She is very helpful however I believe that these cars are still quite expensive; even when they are total write off.
Probably you will have to wait a few months before more of these engines are on the market and you'll have to look for a complete one with the ECU immo and so on.
You might also look for a Punto Abarth engine which has a bigger Turbo and more HP.
It will be a huge effort to get the controllers running as all of them are connected via CAN bus which makes it quite difficult.
Fitting an aftermarket injection system will also require quite a lot of calibration work..:(
It is 25 years ago when I owned a X 1/9 but if I remember well it has the gearbox on the right side which is opposite to the Abarth 500.

Seen the tiny Engine bay it will give you some trouble to install.

I still remember that I had to remove the spare wheel behind the passenger seat as well as the fire wall cover to get access to the distributor from inside of the car in order to replace the breaker contacts.
There were so many sharp edges and sheet metal that you always have bloody hands after work... biggrin2

Good luck with the project and get home safe.:icon_thumleft:

Greetings:

Minime911

[Cadbury]

:xyxwave:

[DTohill]

minime911 I was looking for the 500 on the site you provided and cant seem to find it! will you please send me the direct link? thank you!

[5OO]

:xyxwave: Happy 4th of July! fellow American. lol
Come home safe from Iraq so we can see your project :icon_thumright:

[ewandougie]

Hello interesting project ( I have yet to see a X1/9 anywhere)

anyways

:welcomeon500:

[minime911]

minime911 I was looking for the 500 on the site you provided and cant seem to find it! will you please send me the direct link? thank you!

Hi,

They haven't the car on their web page but it's standing behind their workshop. Just send an e-mail to Mrs. Goedert to see if it's still there.
As official dealer they will not offer on their internet page dented cars, usually they go to dented car dealers for resale.

Greetings:

Minime911

[Animo]

Hello and a big welcome!

[wreckmaster]

Hi and :welcomeon500::icon_thumleft: Sounds like a big project you`ve got there:) I have to agree with Minime911, keep it original since it`s so rare:icon_thumleft: But if you go through with it, good luck:icon_thumright: Get home from Iraq safely:)

Greetings from Norway ( actually Italy at the momentlol)

[Kertallica]

:welcomeon500:

[Abarthlyness]

Hello,
I'm new here too, and I do not have an Abarth YET either, as my user name might suggest.

You have a fine looking specimen there! Very clean.

Good luck with the project, and welcome to 500 Fans!

[jimbro1000]

This is one big mouthful of a project you've picked to chew on!

The FIRE engine is *not* a good choice for a transplant but that doesn't mean it can't be done, just that there are far easier ways to do it.

I have an X1/9 with a Punto GT engine in the back (good for nearly 450bhp if I want it) and that amounts to just about the easiest install you are likely to come across - problem is the engines are a bit of a rarity these days.

The 1.4 FIRE is actually smaller in dimensions than the old SOHC engines but fills that space more making for a very compact unit however the big problem is that the engine does not have both manifolds on one side like the old SOHC so it gets very tight in the engine bay. That said the old twin cam engines fit (the engine bay was designed to use them originally) so the space is there.

If you're doing an Abarth prototipo project then I'm guessing you don't mind losing the luggage space which is what Abarth did to the cars originally so you will gain engine bay space there anyway.

You're biggest problem is going to be things like the engine mounts (completely different to the X1/9) and gear linkage. The FIRE box uses two cables to operate the 'box which means adapting the system from another FIRE engined car to suit. The dash mount selector from the 500 is not going to fit so probably something like a cinquecento/seicento/punto is a better bet. The gearbox isn't back-to-front as previously posted.

The driveshafts use a tripode arrangement like the early 1300 X1/9s at the gearbox end.

You are going to have one hell of a job with the wiring as this generation of management is on can-bus and radically different to the sort of thing you have in the X1/9 which more resembles a rats nest than a wiring loom.