well it came down to an 86 with the 3800 sc motor swap or an 88 stock..... i decided on the 88 because i love the the hatch back look and the 86 was the other style.
I'm not looking for a race car and with a couple upgrades i think the 2.8 will be enough for a nice car to drive to work in the summer. buutttttt i do want to have some fun with it and add my own touch my budget is $4k(as of right now) so please chime in on what you would do to this car. I'll try not to ask the newbie boring questions but please forgive me as i am not up to par on fieros anymore. I've been doing camaros for the last ten years and I thought it was time for something different. I'll post pics of the car this weekend when i bring it home.
#1 where can i get a wide body kit that wont take up my whole budget
#2 how hard is it to swap out the firebird interior or does anyone know of a fiberglass kit i could get? Archies looks pretty cool but i really want a lambo interior(mid 2000's model) as i LOVE the look of those but i cant find one.
#3 ok the question that will make everyone roll there eyes lol that 2.8 motor... what all should i do? i was thinking heads, cam, injectors and a small turbo(5psi). Like mentioned above I'm not looking for a race car, just something peppy and fun to drive to work. I figured a small turbo should get it up to around 200hp and in that little car(and me only weighing 170lbs) should be enough to scoot it down the road just fine.
Thanks for any input and advice guys. Brian
PS, what ever happened to the gentlemen from Texas? I talked to him back around 2001 and i went to his website yesterday and it looks like he's not doing fieros. Nice guy and VERY knowledgeable when i talked to him.
As for your engine, you said you know Camaros. Get a Camaro 3.4 and use it in place of your 2.8. You can swap the intake and valve covers, etc so it LOOKS stock but you'll have a bit more hp. Not really sure what the numbers are. Other than swapping a different original Fiero engine into it, it is probably the easiest swap possible. It will also save you down time since you won't be doing any internal work. You might actually be money ahead compared to the machining and parts list you had in mind for the 2.8.
As for your engine, you said you know Camaros. Get a Camaro 3.4 and use it in place of your 2.8. You can swap the intake and valve covers, etc so it LOOKS stock but you'll have a bit more hp. Not really sure what the numbers are. Other than swapping a different original Fiero engine into it, it is probably the easiest swap possible. It will also save you down time since you won't be doing any internal work. You might actually be money ahead compared to the machining and parts list you had in mind for the 2.8.
4k is for mods.
thanks for the links i will check them out.
i have honestly never owned a v6 camaro lol old school sbc's and a couple lt1's but i will look into the 3.4 swap... i would assume i could get them pretty cheap from the j-yard.
I am only about 13 miles north of Fowlerville. It will be nice to have someone semi-local.
Especially somebody who probably knows more about car repairs than I do.
I can't wait to see your car.
umm i moved,sorry. But I'm not that far, Caro is where i reside now. But fellow car enthusiast are always welcome at my house and i have a very nice set up for working on projects.
I'll post pics asap.
been reading and looking into these cars are all day lol so I'm thinking maybe swapping out the lower end for a 3.4 out of a camaro or firebird. that would give me around 160hp with out doing any performance mods. add head work, cam, a little boost and i would think i should be able to reach that 200hp mark. any input??
I'm dropping the cradle right off the bat since its rusted out. the person I'm buying it from has another cradle going with the car.. that's why I'm getting it so cheap. $900 for a good running car that needs some updating i think is a good deal.
Go buy the 3800SC fiero. put the drive line from that car on the 88 cradle. Have fun, drive it untill the wheels fall off. You will be able to go pick on all your old "F" car budy's. With the 3.4, not so much. Put your old drive line in the older car, sell it. I have a "Old school" sbc in my fiero.
Go buy the 3800SC fiero. put the drive line from that car on the 88 cradle. Have fun, drive it untill the wheels fall off. You will be able to go pick on all your old "F" car budy's. With the 3.4, not so much. Put your old drive line in the older car, sell it. I have a "Old school" sbc in my fiero.
well if i buy both cars my budget is gone. the 3800 fiero is being sold for $3800 and the 88 is being sold for $900. i admit the 3800 would be fun and more tempting but like i mentioned i really just want something to drive for work. for going fast .... I'm having a "Miami gt" by "ddr" custom car built for next summer.... ya its sick lol miamigt.com to see what those are. that's gonna run me about $50k so getting out on the cheap with this $900 fiero and having fun buying parts to personalize it and make some fun upgrades over the summer i think will be more rewarding for me at this point. plus I'll have the body style i like and can always buy a 3800 motor to put in it later.
I would go with the 88. Use the money to replace worn out parts and nice upgrades such as leather seats before making to many mods. Get the car running great first. If you plan on keeping the stock 2.8L, you may want to consider upgrading the trans to the TH440 4T60. Unless it is manual.
I got my 88 GT 1.5 months ago and it still had orginal wires, plugs, fuel pump, hoses, 10 yr old tires, even the air filter looked orginal. Car only had 22K original miles. I changed out all fluids and replaced all hoses and filters... New tires as well. This weekend I'm installing Mr. Mike's leather seats. Next is the trans upgrade for me.
I don't know about junkyards in your area, but around here its just a given dollar amount, no matter what engine you pull. If that's the case, given your budget and the HP mark you want to hit... I'd go pull a 3800 series 2. Supercharged or not, it'll hit your HP goal. Labor costs for the machining and parts (cam, etc) you won't end up too much further into your budget I wouldn't expect. If you're good with fiberglass, as stated before, build your own widebody. There a few threads that will give you some ideas and you can take it from there. Personally I'm going with Archies widebody... just the rear which is around 1900 i do believe.
3.4 yes, its the easiest swap out there. Be ready to spend some cash to get much HP out of it and still consider it completely reliable in my opinion. Another cool swap if you have a manual transmission is the 3.4 twin dual can. Is a high revving engine that makes it power in the higher rpm band, mix that with a 4 or 5 speed and its a ton of fun to drive around in. Sounds good too. You'll see since you're back that some "vendors" have..... well they're gone. People are always willing to answer questions though, no matter how dumb they may seem. You will see a lot of opinions heavily favoring the 3800 swap though. Motor is damned near bulletproof. And by the way, good call on the 88, fastback or not. We await pictures...... get to work!
~James
[This message has been edited by EvilSqueezles (edited 08-21-2013).]
I would go with the 88. Use the money to replace worn out parts and nice upgrades such as leather seats before making to many mods. Get the car running great first. If you plan on keeping the stock 2.8L, you may want to consider upgrading the trans to the TH440 4T60. Unless it is manual.
I got my 88 GT 1.5 months ago and it still had orginal wires, plugs, fuel pump, hoses, 10 yr old tires, even the air filter looked orginal. Car only had 22K original miles. I changed out all fluids and replaced all hoses and filters... New tires as well. This weekend I'm installing Mr. Mike's leather seats. Next is the trans upgrade for me.
it is the manual and ya know down the road maybe next winter i can do a swap. i am a fan of the 3800 motor so if i do it .. i'lll want to sink more the $4k into that kind of build.... we'll see
I don't know about junkyards in your area, but around here its just a given dollar amount, no matter what engine you pull. If that's the case, given your budget and the HP mark you want to hit... I'd go pull a 3800 series 2. Supercharged or not, it'll hit your HP goal. Labor costs for the machining and parts (cam, etc) you won't end up too much further into your budget I wouldn't expect. If you're good with fiberglass, as stated before, build your own widebody. There a few threads that will give you some ideas and you can take it from there. Personally I'm going with Archies widebody... just the rear which is around 1900 i do believe.
3.4 yes, its the easiest swap out there. Be ready to spend some cash to get much HP out of it and still consider it completely reliable in my opinion. Another cool swap if you have a manual transmission is the 3.4 twin dual can. Is a high revving engine that makes it power in the higher rpm band, mix that with a 4 or 5 speed and its a ton of fun to drive around in. Sounds good too. You'll see since you're back that some "vendors" have..... well they're gone. People are always willing to answer questions though, no matter how dumb they may seem. You will see a lot of opinions heavily favoring the 3800 swap though. Motor is damned near bulletproof. And by the way, good call on the 88, fastback or not. We await pictures...... get to work!
~James
good info thanks james. it is the fastback 5 speed. its pretty ruff but last time i had a fiero it took all of a full day to strip that car down when i was starting a 3800 swap back then. so I'll strip this one down, clean it up, throw on a paint job and replace all the worn out parts and I'll be happy.
pics are coming lol I'm picking up the car Friday at 7pm. its black with black rims....
ok so any input on if i just had the heads worked, cam and a small turbo for the 2.8. then maybe i'll just take the remainder and pick up a junk yard 3800 and start slowly building up parts to swap it out next summer/winter.
if you guys cant tell I'm in the "i dont know what i want to do yet" phase lol
Yup, he goes by hawk. I know about his claims lol he told them all to me ... I just smiled and said "cool" his claims dont bother me he's just talking up his car and trying to make a sell. If i was to buy it i would strip it down asap and redo it all since that would go from wanting a fun car for work to having a fun car to race lol . But $3800 is a pretty good price for the swap being done and done professionally. It has a fresh bottom end as well. He does have the reciepts so again i dont mind is claims lol. He told me it will do over 150mph and he cant find a car that can beat him etc ... Anyway.
You can get about 200 HP out of a 3.4 but it won't be inexpensive. It'll take head work (leave the shark fins in the intake ports), a cam (I used a Crane 272) and springs, headers, a larger throttle body and a less restrictive upper/middle intake manifold (like a Trueleo). You'll need larger injectors. Maybe DOHC pistons to bump up the compression. And a tune, to pull it all together.
Before I forget... Welcome to our obsession.
------------------ Raydar 88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550
You can get about 200 HP out of a 3.4 but it won't be inexpensive. It'll take head work (leave the shark fins in the intake ports), a cam (I used a Crane 272) and springs, headers, a larger throttle body and a less restrictive upper/middle intake manifold (like a Trueleo). You'll need larger injectors. Maybe DOHC pistons to bump up the compression. And a tune, to pull it all together.
Well drove three hours for the fiero.. Little more rust then i wanted to deal with. Decided to buy it anyway, sat down in it and went to drive out the drive way and clutch line popped. So after about an hour of talking back and forth to get my money back they finally gave in and i drove three hours back home with out a fiero
Going tomorrow to pick up a different one that i was told has next to nothing for rust and can be driven home... Im crossing my fingers. Also lined up a 3800 motor from the local salvage yard.
If you are going to change out the engine, there is a GREAT likely-hood you will have major problems with the front cradle bolts on a rusted car. It will literally take hours to cut them off. By not buying that car you have missed that bullet. You might want to check on the new car you are looking at to see if those bolts can be removed easily. If not and the rest of the car is acceptable to you, you might want to consider taking the drive train out in pieces from the top. That way you will have easier access to the front cradle bolts.
I was going to mention that if the cradle is rusty so are other parts of the car. Do you know about the trunk area test? Pull the carpet back in the corners check for rust.
Get down under the car and look up behind the rear wheel wells for frame rust. Look under the battery if it is in the rear. Ask about the rockers.
[This message has been edited by solotwo (edited 08-28-2013).]
i give up.. i cant find a decent fiero lol everyone i go check out is either rusted, trashed, or asking waaayyy to much for a beater fiero. one guy here in my area has an 86 with 170k on it... $5000 lol um ya OK.
i think I'll just wait a couple months till I'm ready to spend 10k and buy one that is already done.
If you want a ready to go Fiero then there is no need to wait that long or spend that much for a quality Fiero. Check here. http://paulvargyas.com/Fierosforsale.htm
I bought a white GT from him in May and drove it from the Chicago area(Lilse, Il, where he lives) to Austin without a hitch. The car I got from him is rust free because it was garaged. Paul was the original owner of this car and then he sold it to a dentist friend. After the friend passed away the estate asked Paul if he would sell the car. That makes me the third owner. The first two took great car of this car and I am proud to own it.
Paul sells quality cars and the two he currently has can be driven back to your place(only about 6 hours away). These cars also relieve you of the issues about rebuilding. These cars would save you the expense and time of upgrading for a while if you did not want to do it and just enjoy the car for a while.
His phone is listed on the for sale page - (Central Time). If you get in contact with him, give him my regards. He is a neat guy.
Get a fully loaded 3.4 pushrod engine and spend the rest on the bodyy/paint/interior. 200+ hp will be the best youll need and no BIG mods will be necessary. pend the rest on looks. The 88 had everything down but the power.
Before you go check out this price guide Paul puts out http://paulvargyas.com/Price%20Guide.htm While you are there click on the first "CLICK HERE" link to see exactly how to rate which category a car falls into.
Ask the dealer for a CarFax or Autochek to ensure it has the correct mileage. Seems like a "fair" price would be about $3300 if the car is in excellent condition. BY ALL MEANS CHECK FOR RUST.
The 87 does not have the suspension and other attributes that the 1988's have. If you were thinking of doing a swap in the future I would hold out for a 1988.