Where am I??? (Page 1/1)
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 02, 11:24 PM
Forum member Patrick stepped into the pit that is the O/T sub-forum... and as he was trying to escape, I grabbed his ankle and got pulled out with him, so here I am.

I haven't posted in General Fiero Chat for a long time... but figured I'd say "hi."


As I was rambling on in O/T, I've not *really* driven my 1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6 since probably 2000 / 2001. I was in the process of completely restoring the car until I had a career change that has me moving every 3-4 years. So, I put the car in storage in Ocala, where it's been sitting for about 8 years. One day I hope to settle back down and get the car running again... but I almost don't even remember what the car felt like to drive, or what it sounded like. I'd only driven it off and on a few times a year between 2005-2011 after I got the engine rebuilt. I did the ARI 3.1 engine kit... but I skimped on getting the pistons and rods balanced... plus, the new crappy "fireball" cam that I had wiped out a lobe, and it would fall flat around 4,200 rpms. So I largely didn't drive it.

I've got all the parts, but they're all just sitting in storage. My Crane H272 cam, and a 42k mile original Getrag 5-Speed... are all ready to go back in the car. I'd restored the car completely (minus body paint) from the nose all the way to the engine firewall. Eventually when I can settle down, I'll get it out of storage and finish it up.

I can't even imagine what it will be like to drive the car again.


As I was rambling in O/T, I was reminiscing back in 2000 when I was at the Daytona 2000 car show. I remembered seeing all the "old guys" get in and out of their Fieros, and the struggle that most of them had. That was 20 years ago, and I'm now about the age of a lot of the old guys I was watching. Hahah...
cvxjet OCT 02, 11:37 PM
I have owned my 85 SE V6 since new....I have noticed that in the last decade or so, it seems to be getting lower....and lower- Yet I don't remember lowering the suspension......

Soon I may need a crew to extract me from the dang thing!

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 10-02-2019).]

82-T/A [At Work] OCT 02, 11:54 PM

quote
Originally posted by cvxjet:

I have owned my 85 SE V6 since new....I have noticed that in the last decade or so, it seems to be getting lower....and lower- Yet I don't remember lowering the suspension......

Soon I may need a crew to extract me from the dang thing!



Hahah! That may not be old age... it could actually be the car. I had the same thing with my Fiero. I can't believe I'm actually remembering the RPO codes, but my suspension on my 87 SE was Y99, which I think was the mid-level suspension package. Not the base one that would be in the 87 Coupe, but the next level up which meant stiffer springs, and stiffer shocks. By the time I got the car in 1996, the Fiero was already 9 years old, and even though it had 57k miles on it back then, it did slowly get lower over the years. I could actually drive my Fiero UNDER the gate at my apartment complex when I was 19-20. And it got lower still.

Fast forward to 2009-2010 when I was well into restoring it, I installed brand new springs that were rated the same as the WS6 springs... the ride height of the Fiero easily went up about 1.5"s. The ride I was trying to go with was something that was more "German" as they say. IE: really stiff springs, but variable shocks. So it didn't have the jarring feel that someone might experience with KONI shocks. The springs of course would do more of the dampening than the shocks. I can't remember... I think I went with KYB Gas-Adjust.


Oh! I have pictures... I totally forgot I have a website. Lol... what's wrong with me.




When I put the car in storage, I re-installed the KYBs which were brand new when I put them in the first time... so they were only a couple of years old at that point. Only thing I did is spray them with white epoxy paint to make them look good. But... since the car's been sitting for 8 years, I'm probably going to have to swap them out again.
EDIT: Lol, oh man... this is what it looked like before... scary.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 10-02-2019).]

cvxjet OCT 03, 01:04 AM
I actually, technically, lowered my car back approx' 20 years ago- but then I have recently(2010) installed taller tires (205/55 & 225/55-16s) so the roof is only approx' 1/4' lower than the original 46.9" height....It FEELS like it is 6 INCHES lower (Oh my back!)

I would think of putting a spring loaded system under the seat to lift me up when I get out- but knowing the way the universe works- It would probably go off while I was driving and punch me thru the roof!

I don't reNember signing up for this "Getting older" crap! I think we need a class-action lawsuit....somebody should have warned us when we were born not to sign for that option.....
Patrick OCT 03, 02:18 AM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:

Forum member Patrick stepped into the pit that is the O/T sub-forum... and as he was trying to escape, I grabbed his ankle and got pulled out with him, so here I am.



Todd, you're more than welcome of course to visit this section of the forum anytime. I always felt you were a good guy... as long as politics weren't being discussed.
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 03, 03:35 AM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

Todd, you're more than welcome of course to visit this section of the forum anytime. I always felt you were a good guy... as long as politics weren't being discussed.




Oh, I've got my own brand of politics here. Remember the arguments that used to ensue between the Crane H260 and H272 guys, and whether or not to use the 1.52:1 rollers or the 1.6:1? Hahaha!

No, I never got into that argument, but I can remember some really heated arguments over which cam to use... it was great. Thanks Patrick...
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 03, 03:37 AM

quote
Originally posted by cvxjet:

I don't reNember signing up for this "Getting older" crap! I think we need a class-action lawsuit....somebody should have warned us when we were born not to sign for that option.....



I know... when you're younger, it's just not a thing you even think about. Then you turn 20... and then you turn 21 (wow, I'm really an adult now), then you turn 30... (wait, what happened, can I still act like a kid?), and then you turn 40... (what, just, happened?!)...
cvxjet OCT 03, 11:28 AM
A friend came up with an explanation as to how time appears to speed up as we get older; You experience each year as a PERCENTAGE of your total time- So a 5 year old goes thru a year as if that was 1/5 of his life, whereas me, at (Oh gosh...) 59, experience a year as only 1/59 of my.......life........(Fingers hurt from typing...)

The dang things are flippin' by like pages in a book during a hurricane! (STOOOOOPPPPPP!!!!!!)
Sage OCT 03, 11:41 AM

quote
Originally posted by cvxjet:

A friend came up with an explanation as to how time appears to speed up as we get older; You experience each year as a PERCENTAGE of your total time- So a 5 year old goes thru a year as if that was 1/5 of his life, whereas me, at (Oh gosh...) 59, experience a year as only 1/59 of my.......life........(Fingers hurt from typing...)

The dang things are flippin' by like pages in a book during a hurricane! (STOOOOOPPPPPP!!!!!!)



One of my favorites:
"Life is like a roll of toilet paper....the closer to the end you get...the faster it goes!"

HAGO!
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 03, 11:12 PM

quote
Originally posted by Sage:


One of my favorites:
"Life is like a roll of toilet paper....the closer to the end you get...the faster it goes!"

HAGO!




Hahah! Oh no!!!!