Hello all. My name is Matthew and I am new to this site. I recently received an Eddy Merckx bike from a friend after my '56 Hercules was stolen. It is a beautiful bike and I would like to restore it to its original condition. The problem is this, I know nothing about the bike. I found the following letters and numbers on the bottom bracket and was wondering if one of you enthusiasts could help me decipher them?
Left side-4X with an A below that
Right side-Z with the numbers 7538 below that.
Along with this information, where would be the best place to find original parts for this thing? Any help would be much appreciated and welcomed. Thank you for your time and considerations in this matter.

This site might help you: https://www.cadre.org/Merckx/

To help more (and because we want to see them) we need pictures!

Remember that only the frame is made by Eddy Merckx. All other parts are made by someone else. Also know that many Merckx bikes were sold as frames only (no other parts) so they were built up either by the new owner or the shop. Two of the exact same frames may have widely different parts. That said, you can find period specific parts on Ebay. And PLEASE, post some photos - we may be able to tell a lot more from photos than we can from serial numbers.
Gary