I recall back then on the GM front wheel drive vehicles, dealers would drop the complete cradle assembly with complete drivetrain assembly attached. I don't recall them doing this to the Fiero.
My questions are....
Can this procedure be done on a Fiero?
Can it be done on the ground (without a lift)?
If anyone here has done this, how did you lift the car high enough to get the assembly out?
Anyone have photos of the car supported in the air?
Thought about using a cherry picker to lift the car but wasn't sure where to hook on. I guess the rear bumper reinforcement will hold judging by the photos.
I'm not too concerned about the body or space frame, just would like to get the rolling assembly out in one piece.
Yes, everything can come out the bottom with a simple cherry picker. There is no need for a cart to roll the cradle around. Just drop the cradle and rest it on the cherry picker legs and move it around with the cherry picker.
If you want to remove the struts, bolt and a chain across the strut towers works well as used here:
Anymore, I leave the suspension and brakes with the chassis, so I use a chain with hooks into the cross beam behind the strut towers (just pull the carpet forward):
I recall back then on the GM front wheel drive vehicles, dealers would drop the complete cradle assembly with complete drivetrain assembly attached. I don't recall them doing this to the Fiero.
My questions are....
Can this procedure be done on a Fiero? >>>> Been done many times before Can it be done on the ground (without a lift)? >>>>>Yes see the pictures above posted by other members If anyone here has done this, how did you lift the car high enough to get the assembly out? >>>>>>I believe the safest way is to use the cherry picker (attaching it to the strut towers), to lift the rear end up high enough to drop the cradle but of course after disconnecting water lines, fuel lines, wiring harness, throttle cable, struts etc, etc Anyone have photos of the car supported in the air? >>>> Already covered by the other guys, but you will need to make a dolly with wheels on it to lower down the powertrain cradle and wheel it away All this will be done on a 1988 with a V-6
I changed the engine/trany in my garage using an engine hoist...made a custom pallet for the cradle to sit on. Lowered the cradle/engine/trany assy onto the pallet, then using a cargo strap wrapped around the trunk, I lifted the chassis up to clear the top of the engine and used a pallet jack to pull the assy out from under the car.
Later, I did not want to borrow the pallet jack to reinstall it, so I used plastic yard sprinkler pipe to roll the assy under the car again (Thanks Dad!)...Remember, the rear chassis weight is probably under 1000 lbs with no engine/trany/subframe/suspension......Make sure the cargo strap can handle THAT much.
Notes: "Repair Links" for chains often are weaker then the chain. Picture in cave w/ wrench and chain is only example and that link only rated to < 800lb.
Removing knuckle and strut in one piece won't bother alignment much or none at all. If you remove strut bottom bolts or change tierod, that kills your alignment.
I remove removed knuckle and strut then attach chain hook to frame first going thru strut towel hole but even that have issues because most have chain too long or hooks to big to go thru strut hole so never added to cave page.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
you do not need a cherry picker or similar, simply put an 8' 4x4 just slightly behind the jacking point on the car, place a hockey puck ($1) between the frame and 4x4 now use a floor jack under the ends of the 4x4 sticking out from the sides of the car, you will have about 18" outside the car, jack up each side I place 3' 2x6's (flat side) under the 4x4, eventually using jack stands as double safety, the car will need to sit on 9 of these 2x6's on each side to allow you to take the cradle out the passenger side I've done this twice now this can even be done with only one jack if you go from side to side only placing one 2x6 each side as you go Todd's directions are excellent and make it easy buy 2, or better yet 4 dolly's from Harbor Freight as your support for the cradle I can uplaod pics of the dolly assembly (cost about $40) and my car in the air if you ask
My end game is to be able to have a rolling assembly. I "plan" on dropping the cradle assembly while the car is on the trailer so that once it's out I can run the remainder of the car to the scrap yard.
I recall back then on the GM front wheel drive vehicles, dealers would drop the complete cradle assembly with complete drivetrain assembly attached. I don't recall them doing this to the Fiero.
My questions are....
Can this procedure be done on a Fiero?
Can it be done on the ground (without a lift)?
If anyone here has done this, how did you lift the car high enough to get the assembly out?
Anyone have photos of the car supported in the air?
All this will be done on a 1988 with a V-6
Thanks in advance
You have over 2600 posts, and have been here for over 5 years and you are really asking these questions?
Here is how we do it. A 2 post Rotary Lift and a 1000 lb hydraulic lift table For a long time car enthusiast it doesn't get much easier than this. If you can afford it, the investment in a lift makes repair work so much easier.
[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 11-14-2020).]
Here is how we do it. A 2 post Rotary Lift and a 1000 lb hydraulic lift table For a long time car enthusiast it doesn't get much easier than this. If you can afford it, the investment in a lift makes repair work so much easier.
My shop has too many cars in it therefore there is no room for a 2 post.
This is a cradle I built using information from the Toddster who posted in here. I have found this cradle and a cherry picker to be the best combination. Using this, I was able to pull the cradle intact and then with the aid of a cherry picker, separate the engine to put it on an engine stand and I left the transmission on the cradle I built. Works great!!! Thanks, Todd
Engine on hoist, ready to put on the floor or on an engine stand to free up hoist for other things. This has worked very well for me, but to each his own.
This is a cradle I built using information from the Toddster who posted in here. I have found this cradle and a cherry picker to be the best combination. Using this, I was able to pull the cradle intact and then with the aid of a cherry picker, separate the engine to put it on an engine stand and I left the transmission on the cradle I built. Works great!!! Thanks, Todd
As mentioned...….
quote
Originally posted by Thunderstruck GT:
My end game is to be able to have a rolling assembly..
Thought about using a cherry picker to lift the car but wasn't sure where to hook on. I guess the rear bumper reinforcement will hold judging by the photos.
I'm not too concerned about the body or space frame, just would like to get the rolling assembly out in one piece.
You can do it with the entire suspension still attached to the cradle. But you'll need to remove the wheels. They'll just get in the way. And you'll need some type of dolly to put under the cradle. The drivetrain/cradle/suspension assembly won't hold itself up after it's been removed from the car.
But as you can see, dropping the cradle with the drivetrain on it is pretty common. But different people use different methods to accomplish it. For example, I built a gantry out of lumber, to lift the car up off the cradle assembly. Then I just roll it out from under the car. You can do something similar with a cherry picker. But you'll need to put jackstands under the car, so you can get the cherry picker out of the way.
[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 11-16-2020).]
I see a lot of people using cherry pickers and such... and i have done this (don't tell the ogre but via the trunk latch... DONT do this it will bend your latch. A Golden Gate Fiero club member said it was fine...) but the last one i did I jacked the car up from the center cradle support with a railroad rail as a spacer for height (I had to jack up the car put it on stands then add the rail.) Then i jacked it even higher until my SUV jack stands were maxed out. (i placed them just forward of the rear cradle mounts.) I let the jack down so the front end would come up and i could remove the spacer from my jack. I put my jack back under the cradle and maxed it out i think i was not quite touching . I unbolted everything ( I undid the harness and other things when it was lower.) I undid the shock bolts last this allowed for me to slowly drop the assembly so it was touching my jack. once it was on the jack and the nuts were off then i lowered the jack. I was fine on clearance BECAUSE i was removing the shocks and did not care about alignment. then the engine pulled right back and out. One thing i always mess up is i dont remove the tires or i try to support the cradle from the A arms. ive done this 2 or 3 times and its a struggle to move that heavy assembly once its sitting on the ground.
I do not recommend this method if you have the right tools. But it can be done without a hoist, cherry picker, swing of doom, lift, etc
I'm curious to see what you have done, even though it might not apply to the current removal situation ...
here is the car sitting on blocks with the cradle removed, note the hockey puck which gives a little stability over wood, also note the wood is supporting the 4x4, the jack stands are backup, always use two methods of support
also note the AC hanging from a coat hanger
using this method the cradle comes out the side {mud guards must be removed, which is good to do}, I cannot show a pic of the cradle support I assembled, because the cradle is currently sitting on it but maybe I can capture a pic that will give an idea of how the dollies are constructed, the 1st time I used just two, but added the fourth tjis time for more stability
BTW, two sets of wrenches you might want to get from HF are "shorty" wrenches and "S" wrenches, they come in handy where straight wrenches don't work or are cumbersome
[This message has been edited by ZaraSpOOk (edited 11-22-2020).]
.................BTW, two sets of wrenches you might want to get from HF are "shorty" wrenches and "S" wrenches, they come in handy where straight wrenches don't work or are cumbersome
For what particular purpose in removing the cradle assembly?
For what particular purpose in removing the cradle assembly?
both come in handy for the two rear AC bolts/nuts, also the S wrenches if you are removing the bolts for the transmission mounts I may be forgetting other places, in the tight quarters of the Fiero, they give more room than straight full size wrenches
they are not necessary, but convenient, and I have used them on other projects
both come in handy for the two rear AC bolts/nuts, also the S wrenches if you are removing the bolts for the transmission mounts I may be forgetting other places, in the tight quarters of the Fiero, they give more room than straight full size wrenches
they are not necessary, but convenient, and I have used them on other projects
Got it.
Funny...… I have 4 large toolboxes full of tools and not 1 curved wrench. Which goes to prove, you never have enough tools.
Although I have nothing good to say about Chiwaneese tools, I will buy Harbor Fright for that "once & done" time.
since somebody asked, here is my Harbor Freight cradle dolly with cradle sitting on it a 2x6 is screwed UNDER the dolly, two dollies lengthwiseand far enough away so frame sits on dolly I use wood screws so that I can disassemble when finished, you can see three of the heads if you look close then two more dollys at right angles attached to each other and the 2x6 between the other two dollies with two 1x4's, it looks like the muffler is sitting on the dolly, but it's really the frame in front Opposite side is the same (no pic)
[This message has been edited by ZaraSpOOk (edited 11-29-2020).]
