Seems like an obvious answer I know but I really need help here. Over 24 years ago my dad and I bought a 1986 V-6 SE for $500. It was sitting in a ditch and had the oil pan off. We got it home and it became our long term father son project. Looking back, I was an impatient teenager at the time and my dad a careful planner. But my dad always let me take the lead. We learned together to put a new crate V-6 in h and slowly worked on brakes exhaust etc. Sometimes I stupidly spent my money on superficial things like a new radio or those little emblems on the sail panels etc. Before the core was solid. We did get the Fiero to fire up but it surged and idled up and down and despite many many tries we never got it running well enough to get on the road. Then when I was 22. I joined the Marine Corps and moved away. Over the years the Fiero sat in the middle of my Dads garage and every time I came home it was our favorite thing to tinker with together. We would take off the upper plenum. Redo all the vacuum hoses etc. etc. But alas she never did run well and never got on the road. Two years ago feeling guilty that it was hogging space in my dads garage. I moved the Fiero to a lean to that my dad had outside and covered it with a poncho. A few months ago I went out to visit and me and my dad actually got it to fire up and we drove down the dirt road he lives on before it died in front of the lean to. I was able to put it back in its place . a month later my dad fell I'll and was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had gone to his brain. I lost my precious dad last week. Now comes the question of what to do with the Fiero. I live in Maryland have five kids no garage and not much in the way of resources. My mom is still alive, thank goodness, but my dad and mom live in VA about 3 hours down the road and not within a distance I could just pop over to work on the Fiero. I really want to fix it up to glory in honor of my dad. But also can't bare to see it rot into the ground where it sits. It is already in pretty bad shape. Please help. What should I do??
Thanks for the welcome! Yeah I know I am just so torn on this one. If I had a garage the I think I would just get it hauled up here and slowly restore it, but without it the options seem limited and thus the delima.
Welcome and sorry for your loss. It never makes financial sense to restore a Fiero, so don't even factor that into your thoughts.
If your goal is to build a shrine to your Dad then go for it. It will take a lot of time and money, but do as much as you can.
Find the space, maybe you can rent someone's garage to work on it? Maybe you work on it outside and cover it with a tarp.. Either way do it because it is what you want to do.
I'm very sorry about your dad. Mine passed away last year, and I'm still going through the grieving process.
Working on your Fiero without a garage can be done. I live on the west coast in a rain forest, I don't have a garage, and I've resurrected numerous Fieros.
Maybe someone on the forum who lives in your area could give you a hand to at least determine why your Fiero won't continue running. Or possibly there's a Fiero club relatively near by that you could get in touch with.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 10-22-2016).]
So sorry to hear about your loss. I'm in a similar situation. Lost my youngest brother in August. He was the reason I got hooked on Fieros. I want to finish my engine swap/restoration, but it's hard to work on the car right now.
Other members have recommended not making any decisions while grieving and I think that's great advice. I think you may come to regret getting rid of the car.
My dad passed 17 years ago. I still have and use many of his tools. Some of them dating back to the late 40's. Keeps his memory alive. Often makes me smile. Take Shade Tree's offer of help, and yes, get your kids involved. It may be something of him they can hold onto.
[This message has been edited by fierofool (edited 10-23-2016).]
Do you have enough room to put up a temporary garage? You can get them for a couple of hundred dollars. That would keep the weather off the car and a place to work when it was not too cold outside.
------------------ 88 GT 5 Speed Black with gray interior 3800 SCII Swap Complete. Paint Complete Detailing in Progress
IT RUNS!! IT'S QUICK!!
"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not."
I agree have your kids help , sometimes it's more about doing something together then what you get done. Here is what I used to rebuild mine and now my sons. I now have a bigger one for mine and use this one for my sons. I think I paid a little over $150 for it. You just have to anchor it down well.
I might, I have a shed right next to the house and then there is a little room next to that I might be able to squeeze in a workspace and a shelter. I'll try and post some pictures if I can figure out how to do that.
Sorry for your loss. Welcome to the forum I say get a temporary garage and work on it with your kids. There is a lot of help here on the forum and some that live out our way too. One important first step is to look it over for rust, maybe you already know, but pull back the trunk carpet, way back, and see if there is serious rust in there, its a good first place to look. Since the cars been stored a long time.
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 10-24-2016).]
Welcome to the forum and very sorry to hear about your dad. My dad is the person who got me into Fieros and I know that without him, the hobby wouldn't be the same.
We have a number of members near you that we could probably link you up with for help. Also, where in Virginia is the car? We have a number of members in VA that could maybe perhaps help you get it driveable on some weekend visits home. If you could get it running, it would certainly be much easier to tinker with at home.
Thanks Jennifer! The car is at my parents house in spotsylvania VA. Out route 3 west toward Culpeper. Its going to take some time for me to get to it. But I will gladlybaccept help when I do!
OK. I have decided in will keep and find a way to fix and get it up to my house to work on. Right now my mom is up here with us in MD. She could not stand being at the house by herself with all the memories. So it will probably be a while before I get down there to look at it and then get it up here. I just joined MAFOA and sent my dues via PayPal. Thanks for all the support everyone. First thing I will work on is a place here to receive the Fiero when I am able to get it up here. I am thinking the spot by the shed might work.
Cmerc, Welcome to the forum. I hope you had the chance to get a couple of photos with your dad the car and you when the times were good. If you did, frame them and hang them in a place that will bring you joy! There are a number of us in and around the Fredericksburg area and we are always scouring the local junk yards for useful FIERO parts and pieces. West of Warrenton, does that put you in the Plains area or more towards Culpepper? I hope we can get together sooner than later ---- PM me when you are going to be at the VA home.
Thanks. I have a few good photos which I am going to frame for sure. I'll post some photos soon. If you go route 3 West from Fredericksburg past Chancellor until you get close to rt. 20. You'll see rt 640 (Black Meadow Rd ). I grew up back there and that is where my parents house and the Fiero are.
OK. I have decided in will keep and find a way to fix and get it up to my house to work on. Right now my mom is up here with us in MD. She could not stand being at the house by herself with all the memories. So it will probably be a while before I get down there to look at it and then get it up here. I just joined MAFOA and sent my dues via PayPal. Thanks for all the support everyone. First thing I will work on is a place here to receive the Fiero when I am able to get it up here. I am thinking the spot by the shed might work.
Excellent! Welcome! And I see that one of our awesome members, Steve, is nearby. He's a good guy and a great resource, as you will find with many people in this wonderful community.
~ Jennifer
------------------ Silver 1988 GT Cobalt Blue 85 GT 3.4 MAFOA Newsletter Director
Yep. I remember before Central Park it was an easy 15 from Dads to the Mall. Now not so much, lol. A friend of mine who libed closer to town Mike B. First introduced me to fieros way back in Highschool his dad was a fanatic and inspired me and my dad to get started on them.
We are sorry for your loss. It is difficult to accept but many of the good things that our parents have done for us stay with us . Those of us who believe, live and die with Christ do not fear death but accept it as part of our existence. As for the Fiero, I was once a "driveway mechanic" and got the job done. When I was younger I had my car up on jack stands and had a big tarp draped over it. Once snowy winter day, I had nothing to do so I crawled under my car with a work light, my tool box, placed a small electric heater on one end (away from where I was working) and did repairs while it was snowing outside. Point is that if there is a will there is a way. Restore the Fiero IF the frame is sound.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
One word of caution. When you decide what to do make the decision based as much or more on logic than emotion.
I lost my both my parents and while I am a very sentimental guy I have had to learn to know what to keep and what to let go. Over the last two years I keep going through things and getting rid of things that I should not keep,.
With a car you have a lot of sentimental value here but you also have to balance it with how much is it going to cost to move, store and repair the car. With 5 kids it may not be something easy to do unless you have a major income.
Also you need to step back and access the and really balance the value vs. investment then pair that with the sentimental value you would get. You may have to do this over time as what you feel right now may not be the same as time goes on either.
This is a choice none of us can make for you and only you can make for yourself.
The real key here is this is just a car and a material object nothing more. The Value is the Time and memories you had with your father. While the car may add to that the memories and time you spent with your dad will never be any different. Those are things that are the real value here and you do not have to restore them or find a place to store them as they will always be in your heart and always in your mind.
Just be rational and consider the real cost of the car and make sure you are willing to deal with the cost..
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 10-26-2016).]