Ecotec, Fastback, T-Top Build. (Page 20/22)
longjonsilver AUG 09, 11:01 AM

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Originally posted by Stubby79:

Those are some nice cars. You must really like Fieros!

Perhaps it is BECAUSE he works on Brainless Money Wasters and WunderWagens that he doesn't want to actually own one.



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Originally posted by wftb:Great work Shayne. I was looking at that GT in your picture at your scrapyard. Very surprised that no one has taken the fastback clip off of it and it looks like the whole body is in decent shape. Have a good one Steve

It appears to me that Fiero parts are easy to get in southern Ontario. i had been looking for a rocker panel for like forever, and finally got one (free) while on a trip thru Toronto to Guelph. Perhaps the market is totally saturated with Fiero parts while the number of Fiero hotrodders is decreasing. Anyway, a great time to pick up parts for our cars.
jon
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I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun! 3800 SC swap to come!

[This message has been edited by longjonsilver (edited 08-09-2018).]

turbo86se AUG 13, 09:34 AM
It looks like '88 coolant tubes will work with the earlier Fieros? From the way they bend towards the radiator, will a front mount battery box work?
Lunatic AUG 15, 06:37 AM

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Originally posted by turbo86se:

It looks like '88 coolant tubes will work with the earlier Fieros? From the way they bend towards the radiator, will a front mount battery box work?



Yes, the '88 coolant tubes work on the earlier cars. I can't comment on whether or not a front mounted battery box will work or not. I mounted my battery under the right front headlight assembly. Perhaps another member will chime in and answer your question.
longjonsilver SEP 12, 12:38 PM
Looking at your engine mount, i see that you are using a single mount. My duke motor also has a single mount, and it depends on the dogbone to hold it from rattling fore and aft. Because of this it has worn our numerous dogbones, including the poly one that i have in there now. i would like to go with a double engine mount like some use on the 3800 swap. Could a double engine mount be used on the Ecotec block?
thanks
jon

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Astronomy says we will find a coded signal from outer space. Then we'll KNOW that life exists there, for coded signals aren't by chance.

Biology says there are coded genetic signals in every cell, but we KNOW that no intelligence created life.

I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

Lunatic SEP 12, 08:21 PM

quote
Originally posted by longjonsilver:

Looking at your engine mount, i see that you are using a single mount. My duke motor also has a single mount, and it depends on the dogbone to hold it from rattling fore and aft. Because of this it has worn our numerous dogbones, including the poly one that i have in there now. i would like to go with a double engine mount like some use on the 3800 swap. Could a double engine mount be used on the Ecotec block?
thanks
jon




I'm using one lower mount, under the oil pan, and also a diagonal brace that triangulates from the cylinder head to the cradle. This along with the two poly transaxle mounts, keeps everything secure. I'd have to take a look at the spare Ecotec that I have sitting here in order to determine if there's a decent spot to run two dog bone mounts securely. There's always the option of using four mounts, two on the transaxle and two on the engine in a colinear placement. This will most certainly not require the use of any dog bones. If I pull the Ecotec out and go with something bigger, think V8, then I'll go that route.
longjonsilver OCT 01, 09:27 PM
i'm going to be heading out to the junkyard tomorrow to pull a booster off a 97 GMC Sonoma. i like the way that you swapped out the rod and the bracket to make a frankenbooster. i think that i might try the same. Your writeup is really well done, and is inspiring me to make this change. i also might put my battery in under the passenger headlight. All of this once i take the car off the road, because i don't want to be rushed, and i don't want to limit my driving in the next 30 days- i take it off the road the end of October. i pulled 1/2 a headlight harness today from an 87 and 1/2 from an 86, because someone cut the 87 harness that i need to install my Gen 2 headlight motors. i get to join the two together. My passenger motor in my 84 messed up and now i raise and lower it by hand. Don't wanna do that next year. So i get to do the booster, the battery, the headlight harness, and i just put in a 3 core radiator, gotta pull it to install the headlight harness. Question: can you tell just by looking if the guts of the junkyard booster are good?

jon

------------------
Astronomy says we will find a coded signal from outer space. Then we'll KNOW that life exists there, for coded signals aren't by chance.

Biology says there are coded genetic signals in every cell, but we KNOW that no intelligence created life.

I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

Lunatic OCT 02, 06:55 AM

quote
Originally posted by longjonsilver:

i'm going to be heading out to the junkyard tomorrow to pull a booster off a 97 GMC Sonoma. i like the way that you swapped out the rod and the bracket to make a frankenbooster. i think that i might try the same. Your writeup is really well done, and is inspiring me to make this change. i also might put my battery in under the passenger headlight. All of this once i take the car off the road, because i don't want to be rushed, and i don't want to limit my driving in the next 30 days- i take it off the road the end of October. i pulled 1/2 a headlight harness today from an 87 and 1/2 from an 86, because someone cut the 87 harness that i need to install my Gen 2 headlight motors. i get to join the two together. My passenger motor in my 84 messed up and now i raise and lower it by hand. Don't wanna do that next year. So i get to do the booster, the battery, the headlight harness, and i just put in a 3 core radiator, gotta pull it to install the headlight harness. Question: can you tell just by looking if the guts of the junkyard booster are good?

jon




Jon,

You're making some good choices on you mods for your Fiero. The gen two headlight motors are nice and I too might go that route. There are still Fieros in some of the salvage yards that I frequent.

As for finding a decent vacuum booster, look for the nicest, shiniest one that the salvage yard has. Heck, if it's still in the vehicle, and the engine is intact, you might even hear the vacuum leak out once you remove the vacuum line. That means it holds vacuum and isn't leaking. That's always a good sign.

I used what I had here. In essence, you could also purchase a brand new one and modify it. I don't think they're too expensive. Good luck with your mods over the winter.
longjonsilver OCT 03, 09:57 PM
i found a GMC Sonoma 1997 with a good looking power booster. i noticed that in all the S10s and Blazers that i looked at, many had the master cylinders missing, but the power boosters were ALL there. That tells me that power boosters don't fail often, and if i get a bad one, i will need one for a core anyway, and the core charge is higher than the junkyard price. i reason like this: a different (S10) wheel caliper weighs more and that is unsprung weight. There is no reason fro street driving to have vented rotors, because i don't use my brakes that much and don't drive on hills a lot. So the only thing that will give me better brakes is more pressure at the wheel calipers, which means a bigger booster. i went down this road and then came across your frankenbooster mod, well before i learned about the 100$ brake thread. It rang a bell of truth to me - and i want better brakes.


i have been soldering my frankenharness together, something like 25 solder joints in the main harness, and someone cut off all the marker lights and turn signals so i need to pull some electrical fittings so i don't have to cut into my 84 harness if i don't have too. That makes another 10 solder joints, at least my frankenharness will have two horn wires.

i see on Kijiji that there are lots of ecotecs for sale cheap. One guy in alberta wants only 200 for the complete thing - wiring harness, computer, clutch, transaxel, alternator etc. i question the condition tho. Still think i will hold out for a 2.4 that will hold up better to a supercharger. Still it is very tempting as my duke is burning a lot of oil. Like a quart every 1000kilometers. Thats a lot! Runs pretty good tho, so no rush. Maybe not this winter but next winter possibly. i also have to replace my dew wipes and sew another seat for the drivers side, replace the condensers in my tach board, and in my delay wiper board. While the door skin is off i need to repair my passenger side door handle, and fight rattles. Possibly the drivers side door pins too. Radio cassette needs repair. That'll keep me busy this winter.

jon

------------------
Astronomy says we will find a coded signal from outer space. Then we'll KNOW that life exists there, for coded signals aren't by chance.

Biology says there are coded genetic signals in every cell, but we KNOW that no intelligence created life.

I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

wftb OCT 03, 10:39 PM
Whenever I am looking for a new to me engine, I go to the OARA (ontario automobile recyclers association) website and do a search. When I got the eco that is in my car now, there were about 300 available at various yards around Ontario. I used the same search engine to pick up like new factory alloy wheels for my Focus and my youngest son's Honda Fit.
longjonsilver OCT 11, 01:32 PM
i am attempting to duplicate your frankenbooster. i went to the scrap yard and pulled a booster off a 95 GMC Sonoma 4cyl, 2wheel drive, rear drum brake model. i have found when attempting the conversion that there is a hole in the bottom due to a rust spot, that was not visible until i began cleaning it. Will this hole negate my vacuum?



Also i have had trouble pulling the snap ring off the Fiero plunger, but i took off the washer thingy off the back and removed the whole plastic cylinder with the plunger in it. i think that it just might fit into the Sonoma booster. How in the world did you get that snap ring off down deep in the hole of the cylinder?



Do you think that my idea will work?
thanks
jon

edit: since the booster is in vacuum (it is in vacuum no?) couldn't i repair the hole by cleaning well with a wire brush and sandpaper and solvent, and then use JB weld? The vacuum will be sucking in the repair, not pushing it out. ;-)

------------------
Astronomy says we will find a coded signal from outer space. Then we'll KNOW that life exists there, for coded signals aren't by chance.

Biology says there are coded genetic signals in every cell, but we KNOW that no intelligence created life.

I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

[This message has been edited by longjonsilver (edited 10-11-2018).]