How do y'all tell if a Fiero is too far gone worth saving? (Page 1/1)
Polaris aka Stardude JUN 09, 09:49 PM
First of all, lemme apologize for not grabbing pictures, It was hot as hell down here in SC and quite frankly I was more focused on cleaning up my old fiero than taking some pictures. But trust me, I'll be sure to post some as it might help explain the topic title a bit more.

So, for the past 8 or so years I've always had a sort of dream with fixing up my Dad's old Fiero he bought for about 500 bucks from a friend. Now as you all know, cheap cars usually have big problems, and this one was no exception. It apparently had a engine knock, but from what Dad told me, it's not seized up and potentially salvageable, but...there's one big problem

About 10-13 years ago some of my ******* neighbors decided that it would be quite funny to use my My/Dad's fiero as target practice with their bb guns, which led to both driver and passenger windows to be shot out. And yeah. The interior is completely boned, so I'm gonna have to find new seat mounts + seats. A lot of rain and other moisture/leaves got in over the years, and I'm not going to make any excuses, could we have gotten a cover? Sure. Did we? Yep. but it didn't last long, and to our defense, I was more focused at schooling than getting a job and Dad was trying to save some money, so the Fiero took a backburner till now.

Anyway, I've wanted to ask you all since I know that somehow someone else has been in my shoes, and are there any factors I should consider before determining putting money in this thing? Like the engine still running, nostalgia factor, other things you guys can recommend? And if so, what parts should I consider just going ahead and replacing/budgeting for, since it's been sitting for so long?

Oh, and if anyone happens to want to know what took me so long, I had a couple of savings goals I wanted to reach before starting to plan to fix this thing, so please, please go easy on me guys, I really do like this car as much as you all, and it really hurt to see this car sitting for so long and to not be able to do a damn thing really sucked at times.;

Oh, and since I have a tendency to forget the important things, its a 86 SE 2m6, I'm not sure about the mileage, but I'll check tomorrow and report back, so stay tuned!

Edit 2: I happened across my old posts, and to be honest, I'm planning on saving this car mostly due to the fact that it has a lot of old sentimental value, like some of you guys might think I'm an idiot, and you know what? You're probably right. But I just can't give up on this car, like it meant a lot to Dad so at least for his sake I would like to try, but I like to think I;m smarter than I was when I first posted about this car 6 years back. So if you guys tell me it ain;t worth saving, and if the guy i got coming to check it out tomorrow says it ain't worth saving, is there anything I can do to take from this car as a memento for my next Fiero?

[This message has been edited by Polaris aka Stardude (edited 06-09-2020).]

wftb JUN 09, 10:03 PM
Welcome to the forum. The main thing to look for is rust rot on the rear cradle and frame, peel back the carpet in the trunk corners and see how bad it is. From the sounds of it you are going to need a lot of parts. If your car is not rusted, go find a rusty POS that you can get cheap and take the seats windows any interiour and body parts you need and make a good car out of 2 bad ones.
Patrick JUN 09, 10:05 PM
Spoon JUN 09, 10:11 PM
4 speed or automatic?

Spoon

------------------
"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut

Steel JUN 10, 04:52 AM
Rust and structural damage from an accident is the only thing that determines if a Fiero is salvageable for me. All the other parts are so easily replaced for relatively cheap, including the entire drivetrain/engine.

Can still find full frames for free or extremely cheap for next to nothing and swap everything over so unless it's a t-top car I wouldn't even bother to restore. I did save a T-top car from major rust but it was an entire week of my evenings dedicated to it and not something novice welders.
fierofrenzy JUN 10, 06:59 AM
Sentimantal value is important, and obvisously your Fiero has family ties, so I understand your level of concern. So like all the rest who commented above, RUST is your major concern. And if it were parked over the ground for years, that would increase your chances for major rust issues. Besides that, all your mechanical problems can be repaired. In that department, it all comes down to how much money you want to spend, and your mechanical ability, of course.
When I bought my Formula 21 years ago, I did't even see it run. All the ignition parts were off of it. I knew I was going to do a complete engine overhaul, so I bought it as is. I purchased the Fiero Stores Hi-Performance engine rebuild kit, and now 21 years later she still purrs like a kitten. I had almost all of the suspension parts sandblasted and repainted. I also coated the entire bottom of the car with POR-15, a strong rust preventative I strongly recommend.
So once again, take a close look at every part of the undercarrage of that car. The cradle is just as important . If you can save that car, save it. All of us on this forum love to hear about another long forgotten Fiero being brought back to life and saved from the crusher.
84 thru 87 parts are easily obtainable, so everything else you can replace if necessary, I wish you the best of luck on your project, and certainly hope you can save this Fiero that has been in your family so long.
hyperv6 JUN 10, 09:55 AM
Here is the deal. If it will cost you more to fix it up than to go out and buy a low mile clean model then it is not worth it unless the sentimental value is that great.

These cars are not rare or in high demand. There is a number of good cars low mile cars out there that for what you may put into a full restoration.

You just need to sit down and decide just how much are you willing to spend, Look for rust and major damage. Note that if you go custom you can save money taking liberties. But if you go full stock some parts can be heard to find and expensive if you find them.

It is not jus the Fiero as many cars even like a GTO with a frame off can cost more to do than the car is worth today. Often you can find a well restored model for less and let someone else take a hit.

How much is sentimental memories worth?

Also do you really love the car enough to not regret getting in deep money wise,
Polaris aka Stardude JUN 10, 11:29 AM
To Spoon, it's an automatic, and to everyone else, I'll post a full reply as soon as I can gethome. Thanks for the tips!.
Rick Morehouse JUN 14, 02:42 PM
Been watching your posts, got a couple spare fieros in the back yard. Not knowing the outcome of that assessment, I could offer parts, a complete car, w/wo title, all need love($). Best of luck. Rick

Regret posting on your thread, have a good life.

[This message has been edited by Rick Morehouse (edited 06-22-2020).]