Urban Legend??? (Page 3/3)
cmechmann DEC 13, 08:36 PM
I currently have to use my fastback for a daily driver. But I have owned a notchie. Had someone come through a stop sign and it had to go to the boneyard in the sky.
I have never had an 88, so I can't speak for them. However The Notchie seemed to handle better. The fastback is a little heavier. The notchie is also easier to get body parts for. I had an 85 GT notchie and the front bumper cover was only used on them and the 84 Indy cars because of the trim molding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipoMpbEfzGw look at time stamp 5:23. That's mine, but now I had replaced the 3800sc with a 3800n/a due to it being a daily driver. Believe me, it is still very fun with the n/a engine and I can use any crappy fuel I want.
branger DEC 14, 03:16 PM
Sweet ride, cmechmann!
olejoedad DEC 14, 03:43 PM
The 85 GT style front fascia was also used on the 86 and 87 SE...
cam-a-lot DEC 14, 11:34 PM

quote
Originally posted by cmechmann:

I currently have to use my fastback for a daily driver. But I have owned a notchie. Had someone come through a stop sign and it had to go to the boneyard in the sky.
I have never had an 88, so I can't speak for them. However The Notchie seemed to handle better. The fastback is a little heavier. The notchie is also easier to get body parts for. I had an 85 GT notchie and the front bumper cover was only used on them and the 84 Indy cars because of the trim molding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipoMpbEfzGw look at time stamp 5:23. That's mine, but now I had replaced the 3800sc with a 3800n/a due to it being a daily driver. Believe me, it is still very fun with the n/a engine and I can use any crappy fuel I want.



What's wrong with the SC being a daily driver? Seems like a lot of work to change a motor just to lose some power?! Plenty of daily driver cars on the road with far more power than a 3800SC Fiero Nice ride!

[This message has been edited by cam-a-lot (edited 12-14-2018).]

cmechmann DEC 15, 12:38 AM
OK I have a FrankenFiero. Using a 92/93 PCM from a Park Avenue Ultra. Cheap to rewrite EEproms. Using a 1995 3.4 Grand Am transmission code 5WFW, fine final drive/sun gears. Same as the G/H supercharged gears but with normal right tail stock and standard shafts. Much easier to part together shafts. That transmission had been gone through about 6 months before I did the swap.
Originally I had the engine from the Park Avenue. Series 1 vin 1. Like an idiot, lent the car to someone and they over reved it cold and spun a bearing. So I quickly had to find a replacement. Found a 1998 Series II vin 1. But had a lot of miles. Redid the exhaust and rear mount brackets. Had to modify the MAF connector, but worked well after editing the EEprom bin. Except I had to use 91 octane or better.
This was in my 85 GT and all was good till someone came through a stop sign on me and structurally damaged the front. Yanked the entire drive line, struts on down. Including all the wiring and PCM.
I bought the 87 just under 4 years ago. That transmission had a lot of miles so one weekend I swapped in the other drive line. Can't tell you how much I missed the overdrive transmission. Then shortly after that I changed jobs and had to drive longer distances to work. Also one of the yards that our shop deals with had a 2005 vin K with Carfax confirmed 14,000 miles on it for $375.00. Other than editing the bin again and fabricating another alternator bracket, the rest was bolt in. Took me about 8 hrs, but I had the brackets made already. It is another mutant part. That year Vin K that came in the Lesabre was Series II but had the same heads as the Series III But the rods and pistons were the same as the Series II. Rated at 205 hp and 230 torque. But I think it is a little light because the heads are the better breathing ones and I am using a much light torque converter. Not counting the light load on the drive belt. I think it is closer to 210 hp and 240 torque. Being that the 1998 vin 1 was rated at 240 hp and 260 torque, that's not a big loss. And about 20 lbs lighter in weight.
So now I have an engine and trans I expect to get a least another 100,000 miles out of. Simple to work on. Good aftermarket support. Straight regular fuel. Around 32 mpg highway. Much better city than the Vin 1. And is no slouch getting the car to move.

[This message has been edited by cmechmann (edited 12-15-2018).]