I found this gem on craigslist. All I had to do was drive to Arizona to get it and tow it home!
The car has been sitting for the past 15 years or so but it is 100% rust free, the dash has just one small crack, original literature is with it, it is an auto and Non-CJB, but I just parted a 1987 GT with 5-Speed so I got this swap in hand. The car was owned by an elderly man and I am the second owner. He passed away so I bought the car from his daughter. He drove it to Fiero events when he was younger but it was parked out back under a car port when his health failed and it sat there, un-moved for 15 years. I had a heck of a time dragging it out as the tires sank into the soft sand over the years. The car had original T-Tops although not CJB. It also had cruise control and AC. Other than that, it is bare bones! I will add all the desirable options.
As you know, I name every build so, I give you project WHITE LIGHTNING!
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 06-09-2021).]
Thank you brother. All the kids are grown to the point where they wants cars so what better way to get them started than working on a car with them. We just finished fixing up an 86 GT for Evan who is going into the Marines at the end of the year.
Whatever happened to that hot rod you were building from scratch? I have pics on another hard drive. Just thought it was really cool and hoped you went farther with it.
Thanks Tony, Life changes kept me away for a while but I am back to stay.
OK, the first thing to do when you get a car that has been sitting for a long time is RESEARCH!
1) Start with a visual inspection at the storage location:
I noticed no oil leaks under that car, no break fluid leaks, and no coolant leaks. The Schrader valve for the AC was pressurized, and the car rolled with the break off and the transmission in Neutral with no labor. The car was stored under a car port so it did have some sun damage on the passenger side. And I noticed the property was next to a dry creek bed so I check for evidence of flash flood damage, none was found.
2) Examine the paperwork:
In this case I bought a 1 owner car and have plenty of paperwork. At 34K he had a code 42 and 32 so an EGR and pick-up coil were replaced, tires at 67K and regular oil changes right up to 92K miles (there are 113K on it now). That is where the paperwork ends. The original title from Arizona shows the car was purchased March 1988 and the owner paid $8,999. It comes with original keys (including T-Top locks).
The paperwork was kept in a manila folder and the car has no damage. Clearly this was loved car at some point in time. This gives me hope for the next step;
3) Do a detailed inspection of the car:
The front compartment looks like a time capsule. Nothing has moved since 1988. Even spare tire still has the little thin ridge of rubber around the center line indicating that it has never been used. The tire iron look factory fresh with no paint chipping or scratches and the AC still has R-12 in it. Aside from a layer of dust to remove, I will not have much to do up here. the head light motors are probably due for a rebuild so I will get to that first, it's a simple job and takes an hour.
Spare tire:
The rear trunk is clean and the original T-Top bags are neat and folded.
The engine has good and bad news: the good is that the dog bone is in perfect condition. THAT means that it has been driven responsibly and not raced. It probably means that I will find the internals are clean. As long as I can turn the engine by hand, it will need just basic service.
the BAD news is that critters got under the hood and lunched on the wiring. It's a good thing I am swapping in a Getrag 5-speed (harness is part of the swap. I will go into a lot of detail for the benefit of all)
The T-Tops are cooked, but fortunately, the main seals are only cracked on the outside passenger side edge. The rest of the parts are available easily so I will give them a good clean and respray.
The last look is at the interior. Aside from some driver side bolster damage, the interior is in great shape. I do have some reshaping of the squishy bits to do but the dash is uncracked (I'll use caster oil to keep it that way, old navy trick) and the most interesting part is that there are NO OPTIONS......NONE! This was one light weight bad ass car in it's day. But I am building for Jeri so we will add all the bells and whistles. I have a 1987 GT parts car with everything I need: power windows, door, locks, mirrors, subwoofer, trunk release, and cruise.
Stay Tuned!
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
Yes, re-rounded, minor road rash cleaned-up, mirror finish, and new paint on the honeycomb. I'll get some new tires mounted and balanced later. Sunday, the real work begins.
For years Jeri has wanted a very specific car, White, Formula, T-Tops, 5-speed.........................sigh, sure babe, I'll just run out and buy one for you.
10 YEARS LATER.....I give you my Arizona Craig's list find for just $700:
The car has been sitting for the past 15 years or so but it is 100% rust free, dash is uncracked (believe it or not), original literature is with it, it is an auto and Non-CJB, but I just parted a 1987 GT with 5-Speed so I got this
As you know, I name every build so in the spirit of my southern belle, I give you project WHITE LIGHTNING!
Stay tuned
Had I known, Jerri could have been happy long ago. Mine could be your car's twin. My 88 CJB Formula, 5 speed with most of the bells and whistles sits the vast majority of the time. Have thought about her going several times. I just don't have the time and resources to retain, use and play with the whole fleet. My sideline activities (transporting other people's junk) takes up way more time than it's worth.
Had I known, Jerri could have been happy long ago. Mine could be your car's twin. My 88 CJB Formula, 5 speed with most of the bells and whistles sits the vast majority of the time. Have thought about her going several times. I just don't have the time and resources to retain, use and play with the whole fleet. My sideline activities (transporting other people's junk) takes up way more time than it's worth.
Rams
Sounds like you are thinking of a career change Rams.
Yes, I could have posted an ad about looking for the car she wanted but then it would cost a lot and not be as much fun to build. I'm all about bringing the dead back to life.
OHTSU FP7000 Tires 480 Wear, A traction, A temperature, 60,000 miles, H rated (130mph), $247 plus another $60 for new valve stems, mounting and balancing with unlimited rotation and rebalancing for a total of $307 total at Walmart. I ordered them online and they delivered them to my local Walmart within a week with no delivery charge.
BTW, see how they compare in size with my Chevy Silverado tires below.
Also, I took out the engine and transmission from my 1987 GT parts car and cleaned it up before pulling the 5-speed for the swap. TIP: if you think you don't need a pressure washer, you need a pressure washer.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
A cleaning reveals a lot of sins. The reason this car was sold for scrap is an old favorite:
Got me some welding to do.
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
Since the Formula is bare bones and automatic, I need a donor car for parts to be able to transform it into a 5-Speed, add Power windows, mirrors, door locks with keyless entry, cruise, subwoofer and a performance sound system with bluetooth and other bells and whistles.
Meet the donor. I bought these 2 GTs for $500 each, 1987 and 1988. I got them from a wrecking yard in Wilson California so I call them the Wilson Sisters.
(I will restore the 1988 GT after the Formula) The '87 GT make a perfect donor for the Formula, the '88 GT and for our son's '86 GT. It is rust free and loaded!
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
Sounds like you are thinking of a career change Rams.
Yes, I could have posted an ad about looking for the car she wanted but then it would cost a lot and not be as much fun to build. I'm all about bringing the dead back to life.
Yeah, I retired. But still get requests for transporting something somewhere. I'm getting pretty selective about where I go and what I haul. Thinking about selling my trailers, already sold one of my trucks. You might be surprised at how little cash it would take to drive my 88 Formula, CJB, 5 speed car home. I realize you will enjoy the build but, I'm thinking I've got one, maybe two too many Fieros. The 88 Formula, 3800SC, five speed car still holds my attention but, eventually, it will go to.
Yeah, I retired. But still get requests for transporting something somewhere. I'm getting pretty selective about where I go and what I haul. Thinking about selling my trailers, already sold one of my trucks. You might be surprised at how little cash it would take to drive my 88 Formula, CJB, 5 speed car home. I realize you will enjoy the build but, I'm thinking I've got one, maybe two too many Fieros. The 88 Formula, 3800SC, five speed car still holds my attention but, eventually, it will go to.
I was wondering how bird poop got all over the seats and dash with the windows rolled-up. What a way to go.
The next phase of the job is to totally remove the entire interior. For those of you who Jones after Rust free western cars, there IS a down side.
What is the wide wide world of Trailer park fixes am I looking at?
I LOVE unbroken trim pieces. the trim on this car is dirtly as all get out, but undamaged!
Steering column is out and now for the Automatic tranny brake assembly. The only thing holding it in place is a single 13mm nut on the top of the frame. Once you get the nuts off the Brake Booster, just pull it out. You may need to move some wiring around a bit.:
To convert to a 5-Speed you need to remove the 4 nuts holding the brake booster to the brake assembly. And you need to remove the blanking plate over the clutch hole. Just use a screw driver to pry the center metal tab up and she pops right out.
Since I am going to add Power Windows, Mirrors, etc taking everything out is essential. But this only took 3 hours so it is not as daunting as it may look.
Next, because the car has been sitting in the desert for 15 years, EVERYTHING is covered with dust. that also means that the Heater Box is probably filled with crud so out she comes for a rebuild:
Before
After (I used 3M foam to replace the deteriorated foam on the flappers, and I replaced the A/C filter)
That's enough for today. I'll get back at it on Sunday.
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
Offs, I paid twice that for my formula with no t tops... but it has the 5 speed...
I found a few bargains lately on T-Tops. I'll post another thread about them later. But you still got a bargain. Any Formula in any condition is a steal at $1400.
Next I need to restore the center console sub-frame. I've seen a lot worse but some of the tabs will get cracked or broken completely no matter how well cared for so while the interior is disassembled I hunted around for all the broken plastic tabs and super-glued them back in place. I also filled all cracks with plenty of superglue as well. I also ground off the rivets holding the stereo in place. If you want to reuse the original stereo then you can simply bolt this back in place but it is ALWAYS in the way if you do any stereo upgrade so it's better to remove it now than trying to do it while it is in the car. A Dremel with a cut off wheel works perfectly.
One other essential change is to replace the 7mm screws on the side with 7mm screws with large washers like these from the front trunk area. These crack easily so gluing the area and then putting larger washers on solves the problem.
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
FYI. restoring a car is a lot easier and faster than restoring AND modifying. Changing from Auto to 5-speed is not particularly difficult but it is time consuming because you have to first remove all the Auto stuff and then add the 5-speed stuff. Along the way, I have lots are parts that need repair or restoration such as the headlight motors, the front wiring harness (mouse nibbles), heater box, and so on.
The next step is to remove the hood. BIG TIP: Using foam plumbing noodles is a great way to protect panels
Since I am upgrading the horsepower, there will never be a better time to replace the radiator. I'm going to install a 3 core aluminum radiator so the first job is to remove the old one. I also removed the headlight assemblies and front wiring harness (all of which need repairs). Great time to do a little front end clean-up! BIG TIP: to remove the front wiring harness you must first remove the two 10mm bolts holding the upper AC condenser brackets. These are held in by RUBBER compression nuts. Be sure to pre-spray with lots of WD-40 or penetrating lube and let sit for an hour before SLOWLY turning the bolts out. Otherwise, you will just tear up the nuts and need to replace them.
Routing the clutch hydraulic line is not an easy job. You have to remove the old auto coolant lines (which I have left in place for this picture) I do not need them so I will just cut them out with dykes and recycle them. But if you need to keep them for some reason, you have to remove the intermediate steering shaft and drop the driver side coolant line, as well as removing the nuts and bolts underneath. The new 5-speed line will go back in the same location. The 1987 line I am using fits perfectly onto the 1988 except for the front end because of the different suspension in 1988. Just drill a new hole for the line clamp to hold onto something solid.
And here is the new line waiting for the Clutch Master cylinder....which I can not mount until I get the new pedal assembly in place later.
The front compartment is now completely put back together. I scavenged the plastic valence from a parts car and cleaned it up. I also replaced the AC Accumulator and filter. Looks great!
I had enough time today to clean up the entire interior and install the 5-speed shifter! The pedals, wiring, and steering column are next.
Over the next few evenings, I will repair the front wiring harness and rebuild the headlight motors to complete the entire front end except fr some more detailing. BIG TIP: if you are going to do some repainting, remove the panels enough to clean behind them. The last thing you want is loose dust flying around when you are spaying on paint. CLEAN EVERYWHERE!
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
I'm having the same issue. None of the pics are showing up.
That's freakish, I am looking right at them. Maybe it is your web service provider or browser? Do you at least see an ICON of some sort? Cliff you have any suggestions?
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 09-28-2019).]
OK, hoping people can see these pics. I needed to first repair the front wiring harness which had mouse nibbles and some previous owner "repairs".
Before:
It is important to remember that crimp connectors are INTERIOR USE ONLY! In the front headlight area they will get dirt and water and crud, the result being corrosion. These MUST be soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing. After:
Tomorrow I will clean up the harness, add some new electrical tape, replace the bulbs, and re-install.
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
Yeah, we got it fixed. It was weird, I had to open my ipad and look at the thread while not signed in to see it the way others did. It was a URL issue, we're good to go now.
Whenever I get my hands on a Fiero that has sat for a while there are just some things you have to assume need work and with 113K miles I felt like the headlight motors would be one of them and I was right. The new pucks are on top and the original ones just below them.
You need to check the gear teeth as well, if any are damaged you will need to replace the gear. I got lucky and both are fine. a little white grease and it can all go back together.
Next is a little clean up of the headlight assembly and put it all back together.
After doing the other side I was able to reinstall the repaired wiring harness and headlight assemblies.
I am just waiting on delivery of a new 3-core aluminum radiator and the front 1/3 of the car will be done!
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
I really enjoy reading these types of posts. The car is looking really nice and can't wait to see more. Thank you taking the the time to share your updates through your restoration / build.
I really enjoy reading these types of posts. The car is looking really nice and can't wait to see more. Thank you taking the the time to share your updates through your restoration / build.
Thanks for the appreciation. I do these threads for posterity so I am glad it is useful to others. That is the goal.
Since the original wiring harness was for a bare bones Fiero it lacked a lot of options. It was also for a Auto so to save time and effort, I am simply ripping it out and replacing the entire interior harness with the harness from the donor car. The one problem with the donor is that some one had cut off the stereo plugs. No problem, I can use the original harness plug and solder it in place with some heat shrink tubing and we are back to factory fresh.
Aside from adding the harness from the donor and the subwoofer I also want to tackle one common problem with 80's cars...not enough POWER! I snipped the power block plug end off the donor harness and made myself a new power port for mounting under the dash. This will plug right into a spare port in the power panel and I will have permanent power.
After installing the new wiring harness I can now install the donor steering column as well. The electro-mechanical portion of the job is almost done!
Finally, the new 3-core radiator arrived. I just mocked it in place. Some modification to the rubber mounts needs to be done. I'll get to the next and get whole thing installed and re-assembled.
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
The original Master Cylinder from the donor car is not much to look at. Also, rebuilding it is not much cheaper than just replacing it so out with the old
and in with the new. I prefer cast iron to the original thin steel. If you want to, you can paint it for a clean look but the cast iron is stronger and thicker than stock.
That goes for the Slave Cylinder as well
[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-15-2020).]
Reference Pictures, sorry, I've never figured out how. Doesn't really matter, my 88 CJB is just another Formula and looks just like yours. My 3800SC Formula has some rear side scoops air inserts (made by someone I don't remember) that look cool and provide for air to flow over the rear brakes but other than that, both my Formulas are pretty "stock" looking. Both are five speed gear boxes.
Some day, some one will want my T Top Formula. Maybe not today but, some day. Doesn't really matter, all it costs is a little bit of fuel that I put in it once in a while. I don't drive it much, just enough to make sure it's still good to go. Some day I may let the 3800SC Formula go, just not ready to do that yet. It's still fun to drive. My real problem is, storage. Recently moved south and still haven't got that shop built. The T Top is sheltered and so is my Valkyrie motorcycle but, everything else is out in the elements. Told the spousal unit, this has got to change. Just a matter of time and money. Just discovered that Mississippi doesn't allow Lottery sales. Bummer, who knew...……….
Rams
[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 10-05-2019).]
So I am walking through a wrecking yard that specializes in Fords with my son who is fixing up a 1964 Mustang. The guy had everything, galaxies, mercury coupes, falcons, an original 427 side oiler, 428 Cobra Jet, etc. Anyway, As I turn the corner, there is this 1988 Fiero Coupe! While working on the 5-speed conversion I was head scratching over where I am going to get an original 1988 5-speed pallex pattern shifter surround and BOOM! Ther it was.....in the last place on Earth I would expect to find it! Undamaged, just needs a cleaning.
So I am walking through a wrecking yard that specializes in Fords
SNIP
Anyway, As I turn the corner, there is this 1988 Fiero Coupe! While working on the 5-speed conversion I was head scratching over where I am going to get an original 1988 5-speed pallex pattern shifter surround and BOOM! Ther it was.....in the last place on Earth I would expect to find it! Undamaged, just needs a cleaning.
One never knows where the next needed part will show up. Persistence is the key. Excellent find!
