I got t-boned (Page 6/11)
RichLo1 NOV 02, 10:37 AM
Yea, congrats!!

And to the point above, start doing your own research on the real value of it... search completed EBay auctions, Hagerty marketplace auctions, even barret jackson if they sold something similar, etc. Search for real 'sold' values not craigslist wanted values or unsold buy-it-now auctions.
Raydar NOV 05, 11:12 AM
Bump for... updates? Pictures?
sdgdf NOV 07, 03:24 PM

quote
Originally posted by cvxjet:

Was just scrolling down- saw your new car on trailler.....and the dang spider was walking right along-side it...Looked like it was IN the picture...(Yikes!!)



lol I thought that was a neat effect for a couple weeks



quote
Originally posted by fierofool:

It looks like the coupe I had. Where'd you get it? North Georgia?



West Virginia. Frame doesn't look too bad, and I wanted a 5-speed car to swap to. It showed up on FB marketplace and felt I was lucky to go get it. Was running as recently as september, paid $2k which seems ok for a non-running '88 in decent shape. It has a duke that apparently ate that plastic timing gear between the crank and camshaft. Anyone know about fixing this? It could be fun driving the duke 5-speed this winter getting good mpg before swapping my 3800sc cradle over.


quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

Congrats on your new ride!

Now, get ready for her insurance to insult you with their offer.



I'm expecting an offer of like $2k . Sorry for not posting more updates I was out on a week-long camping trip and didn't have cell reception. This was planned a couple months ago, and I was hard-pressed to go get the car that weekend and left Monday so I barely got to post that pic of it on the trailer.

BTW this is going to be a long drawn-out project, know of any guides for removing the body panels and swapping them over?



quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

Bump for... updates? Pictures?



I'm hoping I'll get some pictures today before the sun goes down, was going to try to wash it before more pics, it was sitting in a gravel parking lot for weeks and its covered in dust, and now has a ton of leaves on it.

I need threads/guides on swapping the body panels, swapping the interior, etc if you guys got them

sdgdf NOV 07, 06:19 PM
Here’s what I’ve got so far:
82-T/A [At Work] NOV 08, 12:18 PM
With the exception of some of the prior owner "hacks," the car looks really solid, and pretty awesome.

The decklid looks a little naked... either needs a luggage rack or a spoiler! Hah...
Raydar NOV 08, 01:18 PM
I wonder what the paint looks like, under all the dust. That's my favorite stock Fiero color.
Either way... not bad at all. I paid $2500 for mine, including shipping. The suspension and brakes were completely shot, and it leaked so much oil I nicknamed it the Fiero Valdez.

The hardest body panels to swap will be the roof and rear clip. Everything else just unbolts.
(The tail edge of the roof panel has to be raised a couple of inches to get the rear clip off. The front of the roof and the A-pillars are glued down with butyl rubber. You have to heat it up, and maybe separate it with a putty knife, or some such. If you're not careful, you will crack the roof, just behind the A-pillar. Don't ask me how I know this. )

Edit - The timing gear is kind of a b!tch. It has to be pulled off and pressed on.
There are several write-ups here, and elsewhere, about how to do it.
If the car only has 58K(?) on it, I'd be really surprised if that's what's wrong with it, though. Mine has 155K on it, and I don't think it's ever been replaced. At least it still has the plastic gear.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 11-08-2023).]

sdgdf NOV 08, 07:02 PM

quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

I wonder what the paint looks like, under all the dust. That's my favorite stock Fiero color.
Either way... not bad at all. I paid $2500 for mine, including shipping. The suspension and brakes were completely shot, and it leaked so much oil I nicknamed it the Fiero Valdez.

The hardest body panels to swap will be the roof and rear clip. Everything else just unbolts.
(The tail edge of the roof panel has to be raised a couple of inches to get the rear clip off. The front of the roof and the A-pillars are glued down with butyl rubber. You have to heat it up, and maybe separate it with a putty knife, or some such. If you're not careful, you will crack the roof, just behind the A-pillar. Don't ask me how I know this. )

Edit - The timing gear is kind of a b!tch. It has to be pulled off and pressed on.
There are several write-ups here, and elsewhere, about how to do it.
If the car only has 58K(?) on it, I'd be really surprised if that's what's wrong with it, though. Mine has 155K on it, and I don't think it's ever been replaced. At least it still has the plastic gear.




When it comes time to swap the roof over maybe GA fiero club people could help? I could provide a 12-pack of beer to get people to come over? Maybe a Saturday after 1 of the meets? Lol

Good news, I confirmed it’s a bad timing gear. Valve train doesn’t move when I crank it over. I believe the marketplace listing said it had 160k on it not 58k so it was about time for that gear to disintegrate.

Can’t I just pull the cam and take it to a shop to get the new gear pressed on? Doesn’t seem like a huge deal.

When I bought the 3800sc car I was actually looking for a duke fiero just because I had no experience with a duke Fiero. Even if they’re slow it’s a shame I’ve never driven one or ridden in 1 since I was a toddler riding in my dads 84. Most produced had the iron duke, it seems like to truly know the fiero should at least own a duke at some point. I’ve owned 5 and this is my first 1. It’ll be cool to just drive around town in it before getting my 3800sc cradle swapped over.

BTW what’s the deal with the oil filter on it? I know it’s some sort of cartridge, I see a huge round pan that comes off of the oil pan?

[This message has been edited by sdgdf (edited 11-09-2023).]

Raydar NOV 08, 07:53 PM

quote
Originally posted by sdgdf:
...
Can’t I just pull the cam and take it to a shop to get the new gear pressed on? Doesn’t seem like a huge deal.
...
BTW what’s the deal with the oil filter on it? I know it’s some sort of cartridge, I see a huge round pan that comes off of the oil pan?



To pull the cam, you're going to have to pull the belt tensioner, pulley, and timing cover.
You'll have to pull the valve cover, loosen or remove the rockers, and pull the pushrods. (Keep everything in order.)
You'll have to pull the side cover (under the intake manifold) from the block, to get to the lifters. Probably easiest to pull the intake manifold, as well.
Once you pull the lifters out (keep them in order, too) you should be able to pull the cam out. Be careful not to damage the cam bearings, getting it out and reinstalling it.

I'm not sure about how to "re-time" the cam when it goes back in. I would think there would be marks on the gears, but I don't know for sure.
There are metal gears available - at least there were a few months ago. It's the same one used for the old OHV Chevy inline six cylinder. It will be more noisy than the fiber gear.

You will likely have to drop the rear of the cradle down, for clearance.
===

Yeah. There's a big plug in the bottom of the oil pan. It unscrews. Lisle sells a tool that grips the inside of the plug, instead of using a socket on the hex part.
The filter "plugs in", inside the pan. It will need to be "tugged" out.
Guaranteed to make a big freakin' mess. Not one of GM's brighter ideas.

Edit - Summit has the gears. Fiber or metal.
https://www.summitracing.co...family/gm-4-cylinder
Rockauto has gear sets. But all they have is fiber.

2nd Edit - The gear can be replaced without pulling the cam, but it's a challenge. And you have to be careful to not knock the cam plug out, at the other end of the block.
There's lots of info out there.
I, OTOH, am going from memory of stuff I have read. I have never actually done this job. The farthest I have been into mine was to replace the timing cover, pulley, and tensioner.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 11-09-2023).]

sdgdf DEC 08, 04:53 PM
Ok I got a response from their insurance after an appraisal this week. They say $3740.00 to pay me for seeking repairs myself and they don’t total the car. This sound good? To me it sounds alright, paying for my parts/donor car and $1740 and I swap over to the other frame?

I’m assuming if I can even find frame repair it’ll be $5k+ or something?
Patrick DEC 08, 06:21 PM

quote
Originally posted by sdgdf:

...paid $2k which seems ok for a non-running '88 in decent shape.




quote
Originally posted by sdgdf:

Ok I got a response from their insurance after an appraisal this week. They say $3740.00 to pay me for seeking repairs myself and they don’t total the car. This sound good? To me it sounds alright, paying for my parts/donor car and $1740 and I swap over to the other frame?



So... they're offering you $1740 over and above the cost of the donor car to cover all your labor and other (parts, etc) expenses? I dunno man, I wouldn't be happy. There's a lot of work and time involved to swap everything over.