Benvenuti amici!
I thought I was set for the new CC5C piece, then, I received an absolutely brilliant email from Sean Kane. If you are new to the CC5C blog and/or Facebook page, Sean is a member of the CC5C Famiglia. He is the proud driver of an immaculately cared for 1982 FIAT X1/9. He & his Italian lady serve as one leg of our 'Cruise Captain' team.
Sean inherited the stately chariot from his uncle, Damon Kane, and we are fortunate to count him among the many great FIAT life enthusiasts in our area. I could blather on for hours about how amazing it is to be connected to you, but this is an opportunity for you to connect with Sean and the Kane legacy. Sean…
I thought I was set for the new CC5C piece, then, I received an absolutely brilliant email from Sean Kane. If you are new to the CC5C blog and/or Facebook page, Sean is a member of the CC5C Famiglia. He is the proud driver of an immaculately cared for 1982 FIAT X1/9. He & his Italian lady serve as one leg of our 'Cruise Captain' team.
Sean inherited the stately chariot from his uncle, Damon Kane, and we are fortunate to count him among the many great FIAT life enthusiasts in our area. I could blather on for hours about how amazing it is to be connected to you, but this is an opportunity for you to connect with Sean and the Kane legacy. Sean…
All hail: Legend's Garagemahal! (courtesy of SK)
After some Easter celebrations, today, I managed to take advantage of the beautiful weather and gingerly unpacked my FIAT after it had been sitting since November.
Now, I should start by saying that when I was trying to glean as much information from my uncle as possible before he passed, I asked him how he went about winterizing the X1/9 each year. He replied with a simple, "I don't." I was a bit shocked by that. I'll be honest. However, after a bit more prodding I found out that he sometimes put Sta-Bil in the fuel if it was going to sit for a long time. However, the magic in keeping her running well over the winter was taking her out for a spin every 3 weeks or so --- using extra caution to avoid super-salty roads and of course any stagnant winter road grime.
The first year I had the X1/9, I did that same thing. The winter of 2012-2013 was sort of mild and granted me a few opportunities to get the X out. This year --- not so much. Never would I have predicted that we would have had 3 months of subzero temps.
So, I will be honest, I was a bit nervous about how she was going to start up today. But, here's how it went…
First, I cleared out all the girls' toys and snow removal equipment from around the X. Of course, there is always a 1-2 foot buffer of space between said items and the X (insert smiley emoticon). This left a great opportunity to take a photo of the girl in her sleeping gown (haha).
After I snapped this photo, I started to pull the cover off and this happened…
So, finally, I got the top off and stood back to admire the fact that she was still gleaming.
As you can see, my youngest princess was just as anxious to get into the car as I was. I had to repeatedly tell her to 'hold her horses' (haha).
Anyway, the first thing I did was get behind the car and push it out into my driveway. I wanted to take a good look at her (Oil, coolant, tire pressure, etc) before I started her up.
Once she got out into the driveway, she gleamed even more.
After walking back into the garage, I noticed that a "small coolant leak" developed a bit over winter. I believe it is just a loose clamp on the reservoir, or even possibly the reservoir itself. However, the most interesting part of this was the fact that the coolant seemed to eat a hole into the concrete of my garage. I had no idea it was corrosive like that. I don't QUITE recall if that hole was there, however it would be a VERY odd coincidence if the coolant dripped exactly into an area of my garage which was missing concerete. The coolant leak is an issue I'm hoping to get addressed in the next month.
So, after topping off the coolant and verifying that the oil was still there and in good shape, it was time to start her up. Oh! Three of the tires were at 100%, one was 1 lbs low. I was rather pleased about that…
Because I was unsure how she was going to start, I set up my iPhone to record the rear end of the X as I started it for the first time. I wanted to capture any odd smoke, leaks, sounds, etc that may pop out the back of the car when I start her for the first time. Plus, I wanted to capture how long it took to start it. My sidekick and official Summerizing copilot, Brenna, sat in her Cozy Coupe with ear protection (not needed, just... well, she's 2 - 'nuff said.)
I'll let the video below tell the story of what happened…
I assure you, that was the first time that I have turned the key on that car since November --- nearly half a year later. Also, complete side note, as my wife said while watching the video "It's so weird, you expect the sound from the car to come from the front... but it is so quiet up front!"
With her running without any crazy sounds, screeching noises, puffs of smoke, leaks or minor explosions I had to go for a spin.
Naturally, I took my copilot with me as she very patiently waited for us to get rolling. She earned it. And yes, that is her Easter Dress (insert smiley emoticon).
Of course, I had to document the drive as well... I placed my window-mounted iPhone mount on the rear window of the X and clamped the iPhone camera facing forward. Hit record and drove. It is clear that this is NOT a GoPro Camera... and I still have some playing to do as there was some serious rattling going on from the bracket but you get the picture.... (the corny canned Youtube music is there to hide the rattle).
Lastly, of course, the other princess in my house required a spin in the FIAT when she heard she was OUT! This is her dramatic model pose with the car.
All said and done, I'm ecstatic to have the X up and running again. With the winter we had this year... I am going to be putting a lot of miles on her this summer!
Vivere.Amare.Guidare.
Ciao!
