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| 84-86 headlight motor upgrade kits (Page 1/1) |
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Rodney
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MAY 11, 10:54 AM
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I installed an upgrade kit on a Fiero owners blue GT from Chicago last Sunday. A Mr. Brian Nowak from Chicago stopped in with his Blue GT. It went really well. It was my third install. Every time I install a system I learn more and find things to make better etc. I think I am there now. I'm making a web page for the installation. Brian was especially helpful helping with the installation, offering worthy suggestions and setting things up to take these pictures. He arrived at 8:00 AM. He left at 2:30. We worked non stop that whole time. Was a good day. When we were finished it looked very close to factory and very clean. Connected the battery and his headlight system worked like new again. 
It is a bit of a process to install this kit. I would guess it would be 3-4 hours to install it. You also should have rebuilt headlight motors or rebuild them along with installing this kit.
http://rodneydickman.com/ca...h=32&products_id=424
I hope to have that done in a few days.
The one area we ran into a slight problem is where the new wires go under the drivers side headlight bucket. There is very little room in that area. So I'm changing the design some and the new wires will go in the factory convoluted tube eliminating that clearance concern. When the drivers side headlight bucket was in the down position it touched the new wire looms we tie wrapped to the existing factory wiring harness convoluted tube. On his Fiero that may never be a problem because the headlight bucket at the full down position only lightly touches the new convoluted tubes but to make sure it never is a problem you will open the clamps and push the new wires into the factory harness convoluted tube. This is on the inner side of the drivers side headlight bucket. I'm not that far on this page yet.
So I should have kits available for sale soon. I have a few that have placed an order and are waiting on these kits to ship. The kit will include paper copies of the installation instructions. Use this web page to help you see exactly what I am talking about during the installation of this kit. The instructions are step by step and every step has it's own paragraph. Read that paragraph then do that step before moving on to the next step.
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Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page:
All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com
Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories
7604 Treeview Drive
Caledonia, WI 53108
Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575[This message has been edited by Rodney (edited 05-11-2017).]
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Stubby79
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MAY 11, 11:43 AM
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Good to have an alternative to switching/upgrading to the later model's setup. We'll run out of donors to get the parts from soon enough.
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Rodney
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MAY 14, 11:53 AM
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I've been working on this installation web page. Many hours to do this one page.
http://rodneydickman.com/ca...h=32&products_id=424
I'm getting close to shipping some of these kits now. Maybe by the middle/end of this week. Overall the system is not too hard to install. But there are many steps. I've put in three systems now in three different Fiero's learning things every time I installed a system. Here is my installation web page. It is mostly finished. If I would do one more here I could takes pictures of the few things I have changed. Once some start installing these systems I hope some will send me some updated pictures I can use.
I'm sure I'll probably be doing some changes/additions to this installation web page in the days/weeks ahead yet. But for the moment it is fairly complete etc.
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Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page:
All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com
Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories
7604 Treeview Drive
Caledonia, WI 53108
Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
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Dennis LaGrua
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MAY 14, 01:39 PM
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Its great to have an upgrade kit on the electronics side of the 84-86 headlight motors. This should increase functional reliability but as I mentioned once before many don't have faith in the reliability of the early motors themselves. They can be temperamental and if they go they are very difficult to rebuild properly. A swap harness where the 87/88 motors can be bolted in and run is what I am alluding to The later 87/88 headlight motors are available new and the later solid state control modules (they are very reliable) are still being made. They are also used in the Corvette. It should just be a simple upgrade of making up a harness and replacing the motors. Since most Fieros were made with the older headlight motor design this product would most likely be popular.
You commented previously that the late headlight motor upgrade would be difficult to do but how so? Since the modules are still available, would it not be a simple matter of just supplying a wiring harness , letting the customer buy two new motors or am I missing something? ------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
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Rodney
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MAY 14, 07:07 PM
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Use this controller plus 2 new headlight motors, plugs/wires etc.
http://www.ecklerscorvette....odule-1997-2004.html
Buy a used controller off eBay? I bought a few used ones. Corvette and Firebird. Some were burned out. I did not care as I was trying to reverse engineer them. Will there be enough good used ones around in the years to come? Will it even work in a Fiero? One would have to put together one in their 84-86 Fiero and see if that controller works as it should.
I'm not sure what you mean by saying the 84-86 headlight motors are tricky to rebuild. I've worked on many. They are a simple device. If you have rebuilt some and afterwards they did not work as they should I would want to blame the electrical supply side of the 84-86 system. Not the motors.
I have a lot of faith in my upgrade kit and I have no doubt many will be happy after they install it. It should provide a trouble free headlight lift system for a very, very long time. Worked perfect in the three Fieros I have put this system in so far. The headlights go up at a very nice speed and go down at a very nice speed. Smooth and quieter than with the old OEM relays and isolation relay. Once installed your headlight motors should be getting close to 100% of the power they were designed to run at. Did you watch my video on Utube? That is real time. Not sped up. The owner of the first system I installed it in told me his headlight motors were never that fast and never that quiet. I would guess the degraded low voltage make the motors struggle and groan. ------------------
Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page:
All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com
Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories
7604 Treeview Drive
Caledonia, WI 53108
Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
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Dennis LaGrua
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MAY 14, 07:55 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Rodney:
Use this controller plus 2 new headlight motors, plugs/wires etc.
http://www.ecklerscorvette....odule-1997-2004.html
Buy a used controller off eBay? I bought a few used ones. Corvette and Firebird. Some were burned out. I did not care as I was trying to reverse engineer them. Will there be enough good used ones around in the years to come? Will it even work in a Fiero? One would have to put together one in their 84-86 Fiero and see if that controller works as it should.
I'm not sure what you mean by saying the 84-86 headlight motors are tricky to rebuild. I've worked on many. They are a simple device. If you have rebuilt some and afterwards they did not work as they should I would want to blame the electrical supply side of the 84-86 system. Not the motors.
I have a lot of faith in my upgrade kit and I have no doubt many will be happy after they install it. It should provide a trouble free headlight lift system for a very, very long time. Worked perfect in the three Fieros I have put this system in so far. The headlights go up at a very nice speed and go down at a very nice speed. Smooth and quieter than with the old OEM relays and isolation relay. Once installed your headlight motors should be getting close to 100% of the power they were designed to run at. Did you watch my video on Utube? That is real time. Not sped up. The owner of the first system I installed it in told me his headlight motors were never that fast and never that quiet. I would guess the degraded low voltage make the motors struggle and groan.
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Corvette Central sells a new aftermarket headlight actuator module for around $150 retail. It should be the same exact headlight actuator module used in the 87/88 Fieros and a plug in.. I would guess that they can be purchased for $100 wholesale.
I have faith in your products also and have never had an issue using any of them. The objective was to find out if you or anyone else had an interest in building a swap harness to use with the later headlight motors and modules that are available and reasonably priced. Short of that if my 85 headlight motors have electrical issues, I would buy your kit. Certainly more cost effective than buying a whole new system. ------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
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Josh52894
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MAY 17, 11:24 AM
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2 or 3 weeks ago we installed one of these kits on my fiero as well and my headlights work great again. definitly a worthwhile kit.
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hunter29
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JUL 14, 07:43 PM
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Bump, is this still around?
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cvxjet
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JUL 14, 09:15 PM
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