I'm new here to the forum, and to the world of Fieros, so thanks for being such a helpful group of people! I recently picked up a low mileage (60k miles) 1988 Fiero, 4 cyl 5 speed, for super cheap, with the unfortunate caveat that the engine cradle is completely rotted. The rest of the car is in great shape, but somehow that cradle just did not hold up, which seems to be a common problem. When I bought the car, I had no idea that the 1988 cradles were so rare compared to the 84-87 cradles, and I have had a very hard time trying to find one. Because of this, I figured that I might as well ask - does anyone have an '88 cradle that they would be willing to sell? I live in Horseheads, NY, and would be willing to pay for shipping from anywhere. My alternative option is to use an 84-87 cradle from a parts car and basically retrofit an entire 84-87 rear suspension, which of course would be an unfortunate downgrade and a much more difficult job.
Curious, did you check the rear frame rails behind the trunk carpet on the sides and behind the rear plastic wheel well liners? Its possible that its just the cradle but unusual. I made that mistake on my very first one and the cradle was solid.
