How this happens, only the Fiero gods really know for sure, but look what showed up in the drive today! Another '88 GT!
This is only the first installment for this saga of my life, but oh so many thanks to mrfiero for all he did to make this happen!
I bought this as a gift and celebration of my wife having found out she had breast cancer 2 years ago, going through chemo, radiation, and all the other really nasty stuff, and coming out with a clean bill of health.
It is almost 2 years ago exactly today we got the first bad news, and now......... only good news!
Phew, I don't have to sleep in the garage tonight!
Yes! A solid roof finally, and what a nice exhaust note...... just like I remembered ones from new. Makes the T-top sound like a farm tractor.. guess I will have to fix that one soon also.
More pictures after I put the new wing windows on today.
[This message has been edited by railshot (edited 04-24-2017).]
Thanks Grantman, it is in pretty good shape, Colorado all it's life, and only a little over 83,000 miles.
It has a few minor issues that will need to be addressed, but overall I love it.
Nice to have another GT to keep the T-top company. lol Last night the wife said I could not drive it, but today she has said I can drive it as much as I want.... awww, she likes me still.
Heading to the DMV in about an hour to register and get plates, then the first real drive in it will be taken. I figure if it made the 1,000 mile trip here in pretty good shape, it is going to be outstanding with a few small fixes.
Alright, the wing windows are in, so here are a few pictures.
Needs a bath after it's long trip here, but I am very pleased with it, and so is my wife.
Yup, a beechwood interior, and I like it.
It looks so much better with the quarter windows! I think I'll be taking it back now.
I love beechwood too....it's been way too long since I've owned a Fiero with it. It was a little bittersweet selling this one, but I have a few other Fiero acquisitions ion the works so I'll be just fine. Besides, it went to someone who will take care of it and breathe some life back in it....it needs some TLC, but has good bones.
It looks so much better with the quarter windows! I think I'll be taking it back now.
I love beechwood too....it's been way too long since I've owned a Fiero with it. It was a little bittersweet selling this one, but I have a few other Fiero acquisitions ion the works so I'll be just fine. Besides, it went to someone who will take care of it and breathe some life back in it....it needs some TLC, but has good bones.
LOL, sorry, title in my name already, so no backsliding on this one, unless....... hmmmm...... nope, wife just smacked me in the head. LOL I cannot give you enough thanks for allowing me to buy this one from you Mike!
It is in good hands and is going to be brought back to as new a little at a time while we enjoy it.
Took if for a short run today after we got the plates and insurance all settled, and it does need something done to the front end. A little "rattly", but nothing terrible. Steered well, stopped well, accelerated fine, etc.
I still cannot get over how well it sounds..... music to my ears. My wife kept wanting to turn the radio on when she was driving, and I would not let her... all I wanted to hear was that beautiful exhaust note!
------------------ 88 Coupe: 2.0L Turbo 4 Cylinder, W2A, T25 Turbo, water/meth injection 84 Indy #64: Restoration Project 01 BMW 525i: The other summer car 03 BMW X5: bad weather car
Sounds like you've been blessed by the Fiero Gods! The Gods surely want you to stay. Ha I'm glad you're here to stay. I've enjoyed reading your comments.
Nice Fiero, indeed! A solid roof! A beechwood interior! '88 GT! Sounds like my kind of Fiero! Glad I got one.
What happen to the idea of getting a Formula you were thinking about buying?
Keep us posted of the changes/updates you'll make with this one.
[This message has been edited by Fiero Vice (edited 04-25-2017).]
Hey Railshot, congrats on the new addition to the family. Your driveway's looking better and better.....maybe just close the door on the PT loser ( had to say it... lol ). So happy that your wife has a clean bill of health. Hope she gets to enjoy her new toy for a long, long time. Lisa
Hey Railshot, congrats on the new addition to the family. Your driveway's looking better and better.....maybe just close the door on the PT loser ( had to say it... lol ). So happy that your wife has a clean bill of health. Hope she gets to enjoy her new toy for a long, long time. Lisa
Thanks Lilcargal, it is a nice addition to the driveway, and as far as the "loser", I call it that too, but you know what... I actually enjoy driving that bugger and would not mind having a convertible also! My wife truly has been lucky to get through all of this, thus the surprise for her and gift.
quote
Originally posted by Fiero Vice:
Sounds like you've been blessed by the Fiero Gods! The Gods surely want you to stay. Ha I'm glad you're here to stay. I've enjoyed reading your comments.
Nice Fiero, indeed! A solid roof! A beechwood interior! '88 GT! Sounds like my kind of Fiero! Glad I got one.
What happen to the idea of getting a Formula you were thinking about buying?
Keep us posted of the changes/updates you'll make with this one.
Well thanks, Fiero Vice, it is a solid one and the wife loves it so far. As to the Formula, let's just say it is still in the back of my mind, but right now I need to concentrate on these two, and at my age, that ain't easy (concentrating that is... lol).
When this one came up available to me, I just could not say no.... well at first I did, but then every night after I said no, it haunted me... literally! I was kicking myself for a few nights and then had to pm mrfiero and ask "What is wrong with me?" lol and said yes, I want it.
It took over 1 month to plan all of this and get it here, and Mike really pulled through on making this all happen. If anyone ever needs parts, advice, or knowledge, he is my go to guy from here on out!
Today I will hopefully be able to pick up the replacement dash for the wife's GT. It has a couple of cracks in it, and needs, no deserves, something better. Now this is good actually, I bought the dash before I even knew for sure I would get the GT for her.. talk about a plan coming together.
When I was up buying a replacement dash for my T-top, I saw a beautiful beechwood dash at the same place. Left without it, but thought I had better buy it just in case I did get one for my wife, and when I got back home I sent them the money.... phew, at least I have something to put it in now.
Cool, another medium red 88GT! Not a super common color.
I have the black wheel, gray interior version:
I have always liked this color myself, and have never been all that fond of beechwood, but it has grown on me to the point I like it.
Nice GT by the way!
quote
Originally posted by busa_powered:
I would park the fieros in the garage and put the PT Loser outside, just sayin
That is the plan actually, the loser loses all rights to be indoors, now to convince the owner..... I gave it to my sister in law last summer as a gift, and she is a bit feisty about the garage. lol
I almost had her convinced to sell it last Sunday (she only drives maybe 2 times a month and could use either of the HHR's we have anytime..... hmm, 2 HHR's, 2 '88 GT''s,... I see a pattern emerging! Wonder if I will wind up with 2 Formula's once I get one?)
Finally put it up on the ramps today to see what all the noise was about up there in the front and.......
This is a shot of the drivers side shock mount looking towards the back.
LMAO! Hard to see in this shot but..... The rubber bushing is totally gone from the bottom of the shock! The top rubber is also pretty much gone too.
New shocks ordered and will be here by the weekend.
Mike, what the heck did you do on your way here...... you go autocrossing or what? LOL Seriously glad you made it with the shock like this, and that it is going to be such an easy fix.
The rest of the undercarriage is in very good shape !!!!!!!!!
I am one happy camper!
Edit to add, if anyone needs ramps to get under their Fiero, I highly recommend Rhino Gear RhinoRamp MAX! Prior to getting these last summer, I had to use extra boards to get up onto my old steel ramps without hurting the front bumper cover / nose. With these, I just drag them out (they are very light) lay them down, and drive right up!
[This message has been edited by railshot (edited 04-25-2017).]
Another quick update for today, then back to work tomorrow.
Just spent the last 3 hours removing the scratched up window tint. First the drivers side, which took almost 2.5 hours all alone, and then the passenger side, which went quite well, only .5 hours for that one.
A portable steamer, a plastic razor, a sharp razor blade, and lots of patience will get the job done.
When I get back from picking up the replacement dash (leaving in 1/2 hour) I will post some pics of the tinted windows before removal....
I've been sneaking glances at this thread for a while, but have been too busy to post a comment. Nice ride! I remember a while back, when Mike brought that car home. I was ragging him about using up all the available garage/driveway space, at his new place.
But yeah... I've bought a good number of bits and pieces from Mike, over the years. He's a good guy. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a whole car from him, if he had something I needed. (I'm sure your experience bears that out.)
Congrats, again, to your wife, for her/your good news. I hope she enjoys her new ride.
Edit - That car is as clean as my "trucked in from Vegas" coupe project. Nice!
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 04-25-2017).]
I've been sneaking glances at this thread for a while, but have been too busy to post a comment. Nice ride! I remember a while back, when Mike brought that car home. I was ragging him about using up all the available garage/driveway space, at his new place.
But yeah... I've bought a good number of bits and pieces from Mike, over the years. He's a good guy. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a whole car from him, if he had something I needed. (I'm sure your experience bears that out.)
Congrats, again, to your wife, for her/your good news. I hope she enjoys her new ride.
Edit - That car is as clean as my "trucked in from Vegas" coupe project. Nice!
Thanks Raydar, it is a very good starting point for me, and the wife says thanks for the congratulations. Mike is a really good guy, and if I lived closer to him, I could easily hang with him..... though he may have other thoughts about that! LOL
Now, here is my big question..... I just got back from a 5 hour round trip to pick up a dash for my wife's GT, but.... it does not match my memory. I thought it was a dark brown on top, and a lighter brown below, but it is all dark brown.
The question is, what year is this out of, and does anyone have one that is darker on the top, and lighter on the bottom I could get / buy or trade for? This dash is perfect, but it is not what I thought it was..... old age and fantasy thinking again.
Here is a shot of the window tint before I removed it (now you can see why) and you can see what the original dash looks like.
Now, it does match the shift surround, so it may not be all that bad.
Yes, I need to re-glue that. I am going to have to take it out there when it is light out and see how it would look.
Dang, my memory sure is not what it used to be. lol
Thanks Raydar, it is a very good starting point for me, and the wife says thanks for the congratulations. Mike is a really good guy, and if I lived closer to him, I could easily hang with him..... though he may have other thoughts about that! LOL
Now, here is my big question..... I just got back from a 5 hour round trip to pick up a dash for my wife's GT, but.... it does not match my memory. I thought it was a dark brown on top, and a lighter brown below, but it is all dark brown.
The question is, what year is this out of, and does anyone have one that is darker on the top, and lighter on the bottom I could get / buy or trade for? This dash is perfect, but it is not what I thought it was..... old age and fantasy thinking again.
Judging by the dash pocket it's probably from an '84-'86 Fiero....base coupe. GT's & SE's (including Indy's) got the 2-tone treatment and an actual pocket and not the weird and totally unusable pouch thing....all others were one solid color. The color won't be a match to '88 beechwood, but is better than what is currently in that car. I would use the new one until you find a nice beechwood dash in the future then swap it out again.
Thanks for the kind words. I try to represent things I sell honestly and price them fairly too. When it comes to selling a car or part I want to make sure all of its flaws are known up front. For as nice as this one is, it certainly has its fair share of flaws and the price reflected that. A lot of people would have parted it out, but it was/is just too nice to do that. I have a full plate of Fieros (and acquiring more as we speak) so I wasn't going to be the one to resurrect it. I'm glad the car found you...you are the perfect person to bring her back to her former glory. Enjoy it!
Finally put it up on the ramps today to see what all the noise was about up there in the front and.......
This is a shot of the drivers side shock mount looking towards the back.
LMAO! Hard to see in this shot but..... The rubber bushing is totally gone from the bottom of the shock! The top rubber is also pretty much gone too.
New shocks ordered and will be here by the weekend.
Mike, what the heck did you do on your way here...... you go autocrossing or what? LOL Seriously glad you made it with the shock like this, and that it is going to be such an easy fix.
The rest of the undercarriage is in very good shape !!!!!!!!!
I wondered what that rattling noise was! It didn't do that prior to the trip, so I just figured it was the seals on the already dead shocks giving up completely. My only regret was not changing out the shocks to begin with...I won't make that mistake again! It drove like crap the whole way. Too funny.
Originally posted by mrfiero: I wondered what that rattling noise was! It didn't do that prior to the trip, so I just figured it was the seals on the already dead shocks giving up completely. My only regret was not changing out the shocks to begin with...I won't make that mistake again! It drove like crap the whole way. Too funny.
LOL, no regrets Mike, it was literally a "rough" trip for you all the way around, and I do appreciate it!
So, I return to work today after my mini "Fiero" vacation of Monday and Tuesday, and proudly set my new desktop background as the first picture I posted here. A couple of guys come over and start asking me a ton of questions, which I happily begin to answer...... then,.......
A voice behind me says "Dave, your not very American are you?". I take a moment and try to recall all my Pontiac and Fiero history to explain to him that these are very American, not a foreign car, and the only mid engine car,...... blah, blah, blah...
Before I get a chance to gather my thoughts completely and give an intelligent answer, he says..... "You don't have a blue one to go with the red, and the white one!"
Now that just totally cracked me up, and at the same time got me thinking.....
Dag nabbit, he is right!
Don't quote me on this, but the wheels are already turning, and maybe sometime in the next year I will have that beautiful blue '87 I have coveted since 1987! A red, a white, and a blue Fiero! Now that is patriotic as heck!
I could go to any 4th of July parade in the country and be a hit!
And of course I will need to start my own museum soon if I keep this up. LOL
could you explain how you adjusted the headlights? Do you have measurements or was it just sight of eye?
Really not that difficult actually.
I pull the car as close to the garage door as it will go with the lights on. When the car is this close, it is very easy to find the center of each beam of light, and mark it with tape of some kind, I prefer black electrical tape, in the horizontal center, and then another piece of tape in the vertical center forming a cross or + at the exact center of each beam.
I then back the car up 25' (that is the headlights are 25' away from the door) and start adjusting the beams until they are just low and to the right of the cross or + on the garage door. Do this one time and you will see a marked improvement in your headlights!
This seems to work out quite well, as I can see fine, and people are not flashing their lights at me.
As soon as it is totally dark out tonight, I am going to take it around the block for a test of the lighting. I will take a shot of my results for you and post here later.
Here is a shot from my test drive I just got back from.
Looking pretty good with just those basic settings and no other adjustments. Not too much going into oncoming traffic, and just the right amount on the right side.
It has been raining all day since about 1 pm, and it is getting old.......
I have a code 32 that is not going to beat me! I have taken the solenoid out, checked it per all the information I could find here, and it checks out to be just fine and dandy.
I cannot find any vacuum leaks, so I have to assume it has something to do with the ecm temp unit, so I just ordered a new temp sensor for the gauge and the one for the ecm. It could be defeated by placing a jumper in the plug, but dang it, I refuse to do that this time! Too nice of a GT to not have it "right".
Now, the T-top is a egr delete, which I plan on putting back on, and for now the jumper is making life good, but in the back of my mind I know it is not right. EGR valve on the way by this weekend, and egr tube from Rodney....
If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right!
Edit: anyone wanting an egr delete chip from phonedawgz, I have one I had him burn last summer, and will give you a deal and 1/2 on it now that I am restoring the egr. Never installed, so as newly burned.
It is specifically for a California '88 GT automatic, so keep that in mind.... If I don't get a reply by Saturday (5-8-2017) I will just post it in the mall. Really want to help others out as much as I can with my "misfortunes" lol....... think about the dash I bought by mistake.
PM me here, and it is yours for the cost of mailing!.... except to North Korea....... lol
[This message has been edited by railshot (edited 05-02-2017).]
So the wife and I just got back from a 15 mile cruise in her GT, and guess what..... she wants to take both of them to the Dells in June! She just said she wants to follow me up there on the 3rd.
I drove the crap out of hers today with her, and I have never seen her smile like she did. Twisty, windy, back roads all the way....... just what they were made for! I never thought she would be up to this, but it looks like both of the "survivors" may just make the trip!.
Now this is putting a bit of pressure on me with the T-top, as I cannot stand the exhaust note.... lol, ok, that is my call. This next week I will have to contact a local custom muffler shop to have him weld the exhaust back together (yeah, I had to cut it in 1/2 to get it home when I bought it) and install it.
This is a very good thing though! I knew I kept her around for something.... heheheheh
I am sure by now everyone knows how much of a Fiero fan I truly am, but this is probably one of the most significant times in my life. Seriously, I love Fiero's!
I'll see you up[ at the Dells. When I first got my Fiero, I took my wife for a ride on some country twisty road and really pushed it. I looked over at her and she was turning white.
[This message has been edited by notwohorns (edited 05-06-2017).]
I'll see you up[ at the Dells. When I first got my Fiero, I took my wife for a ride on some country twisty road and really pushed it. I looked over at her and she was turning white.
I am truly looking forward to meeting everyone and putting a face to each of you! LOL, turning white is a good thing when it is out of pure joy, and that is what the wife was saying " go faster " but when I hit 55 in a 25 curve, I actually started to back off. These things truly do handle amazingly. Looking forward to it notwohorns!
Just another "dear diary" post...... I installed the new temp unit for the ecm, and still have the code 32. Drove with the EGR vacuum line blocked off, still had the code 32.
I am thinking now it is an actual vacuum leak somewhere in the system or my solenoid is somehow bad now. Just for the heck of it, I did the jumper wire thing on the solenoid, and no code 32 for a 30 mile plus trip!
Also, I am waiting for a blutooth data logger I ordered from phonedawgz, and this will really help me in my diagnostics and troubleshooting! Once I get it, and figure the thing out, I will have a much better idea of what is going on in the minds of my Fiero's.
It really is a cool little device that I can monitor from my phone! Uses ALDL droid for a measly under $20.00 cost. It will also work with Tunerpro, and Tunerpro R/T.... dang, i am finally going high tech!
Man, I am also trying to resurrect the EGR on the T-top, and this is going to be fun..... really, I love troubleshooting things!
I am off this Thursday and Friday, so after I get the new dew wipes installed, I am going to be digging in deeper into the code 32.
Lovely day out today, but not much Fiero time.... wife had other plans, gazebo is up, all the leftover leaves from the neighbors yards are gone, and the riding mower needed some over due attention, so more to come next weekend!
I had a couple of vacation days I needed to use up within the next week or so, and took today and tomorrow off as "Fiero Land" days.
After 4 hours, and proudly no busted knuckles or lost screws, both new dew wipes are in the medium red GT! These truly are a pain, and I still need to do the drivers side on the T-top.
Top tip of the day, use masking tape to hold the screws onto your screwdriver when reinstalling them. Saw this on a YouTube video I watched this morning, and dang.... it really does work along with taking out the track. This allows you to raise the window and pull it back to the rear, just high enough to get those pesky middle screws out.
Many thanks to YouTube user blakewraps for this video! Some good time saving and frustration eliminating tips in this one.
Is it just a scratch? Or a crack? Scratches can sometimes be buffed out. Cracks, not so much. If you use a solvent-based anything, be careful that what you use will not attack the plastic.
