The following is a list of parts that I know are interchangeable between a 1500 and 1300 X1/9. The columns indicate the part type, whether they go with or without modification, and any comments.
2013 Note: Pardon the messy formatting. I’m porting stuff from my old website to here. I’ll eventually (maybe) update this.
Modification column designations:
- 0 = Not interchangeable.
- N = None (no modification required),
- L = Light (minor work such as changing screws or adding new wiring connectors),
- M = Medium (medium work such as light welding, cutting, adding new parts), and
- H = Heavy (major modifications such as altering body panels, fabrication, etc.)
| Part |
Mod. |
Comments |
| Engine | ||
| 1500 engine into 1300 | M | May require change to rear chassis members. Complete 1500 drivetrain recommended (see transaxle below). Modification of engine cover not required (i.e., can keep the lower profile cover). |
| 1300 DMTR carb. to any engine using DATRA | L | Good perf. upgrade. Install manual choke cable. Possible re-jet. |
| 1300 cylinder head onto 1500 | N | I haven’t done this, but supposedly it provides increased compression |
| Cambox | N | All camboxes are the same. |
| Camshaft cover plate | N | All camshaft cover plates are the same. Though, FI might be different. |
| Distributor | L | Points dizzy works on 1500, and electronic works on 1300. |
| Transaxle | M | 5-speed tranny fits in 1300 body, but may require slight modification of chassis members. 4-speed more robust and mates to 1500 engine. Both require using the lower control arms and half-shafts from the donor car. |
| ’74 Exhaust headers | L | Works great on 1500 engine. Planing is difficult. Requires different muffler. |
| 1300 Intake Manifold | L | 1300 up to installation of EGR (year unknown) manifold is superior to EGR manifold. Bolts right up. May require modification of emissions. |
| Suspension/Brakes | ||
| Front suspension components (minus springs) | N | All front suspension components are interchangeable. |
| Rear suspension (minus springs) | M | The rear suspension is interchangeable, but must be done so with the respective transaxle. In other words, if you want to put in the 5-speed suspension, you also have to put in a 5-speed transaxle. Aside from the drivetrain replacement the suspension work is easy to do. |
| Springs (all) | ? | I imagine that the springs are totally interchangeable. Does anyone know if there is an advantage to swapping them? |
| Brake CalipersFront | N | These are the same, or only mildly different. |
| Brake CalipersRear | ? | Do not recall at the time of writing. I believe that they are not interchangeable. |
| Emergency brake lever | M | The e-brake lever is interchangeable, but it may require modification of the thing that connects to the cables. |
| Electrics | ||
| Headlamp motors | L | The motors are basically the same, but the connectors are different. Tip: If installing used motors, replace the diodes beforehand. Check diodes on dead motor, for that matter. |
| Alternator | L | A 1500 alternator works in a 1300, but requires bypassing the external voltage regulator. |
| Side marker lights | N | These are the same. Might require modification of connectors. |
| Rear light clusters | N | These are the same. |
| Wiring harness | M | It is possible to use the same year harness as your engine regardless of body. But, there may be a lot of modifications required. However, this should be considered not interchangeable if the engine is staying the same. |
| Dashboard cluster | L | The dashboard cluster is interchangeable. On 1500 in a 1300, use oil pressure sender wire (yellow/grey) on oil pressure switch. Replacement of speedometer cable is also required, unless you take out the one from the 1300 dash. |
| Light switches | 0 | These are not interchangeable, unless you also replace the interior. |
| Door jamb light switches | N | |
| Interior | ||
| Dashboard | M | The dashboards are completely swappable, but do require using the same switches. |
| Seats | * | This depends. Some use the same seat rails, some don’t. You can take the rails from the donor car and weld them in, though. |
| Seatbelts (1500 to 1300) | 0 | These are considered not interchangeable because the c-pillar on cars without 3-point harnesses is not reinforced for the seatbelt. It would be possible to do it, but would require major work. |
| Door cards | M | The door cards are interchangeable, but the location of the door latch pulls is different. 1500 to 1300 will leave a gap in the door card where the 1500’s door handle was. This can be filled with an ashtray, or a plastic nook, or left open. 1300 to 1500 would be easier, and would only require patching the hole for the original handle. |
| Brake and clutch pedals | N | No problems to my knowledge. |
| Throttle Pedal | M | 1500 and 1300 pedals use different methods of attaching the throttle cable. To put in a 1500 pedal, simply remove the pin, and replace it with an 8mm bolt. Place the throttle cable on the bolt and use a flange nut to hold in place. |
| Gear shift | 0 | This is considered not interchangeable unless you also use the same transaxle. The shift pattern is part of the base of the gear shift. Thus, if you were to use a 4-speed shifter on a 5-speed tranny, you will lose 5th gearthere’s no notch for it. |
| Rear panel | ? | The 1500 rear panel is a bit larger. They both are very difficult to remove. |
| Steering wheel | N | These are swapable. Be certain to use the same horn mechanism. |
| Rearview mirror | N | |
| Body | ||
| ’74 Bumpers | H | These are, in my opinion, the best looking bumpers. But, you will have to patch all of the empty spots from where the original bumpers were. You will also probably discover a ton of rust gremlins. |
| Targa top | M | The main part of the tops are the same, but the trim and window seals are different. |
| Trunk lid | N | |
| Doors | N | |
| Windows | N | Note: Replacement of driver’s sidelight with mirror will require bodywork to patch up old door-mounted mirror. |
| Hood (front trunk cover) | N | |
| Engine bay cover | L | To swap the engine bay cover you will need to replace all of the engine bay surrounds, and replace the gasket on the filler neck of the gas tank. |
| Intakes/vents | N | |