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| Father/son Fiero fix up (Page 1/3) |
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Dave7
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JUN 22, 06:52 PM
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So my middle boy (16) wants a Fiero. We had looked at a running driving 1984 example locally with four speed and four cylinder. It had a painted dash, funny shifter feel and was $3,200. A little too much and the four banger is not all that impressive. Pass.
We then checked out this 1985 GT with the 4spd, V6 combo. Had been sitting a long time. Missing radiator and a few other parts. Some claim of axle trouble. The body was nice and interior ok. Pass at $2k. These are harder to find than I recall! And more expensive than I thought.
We did go by the scrapyard in Calgary and they had three Fieros that could donate parts.
A semi local small town dealership had this one we had seen a few months ago. Again a 1985 GT with V6 and 4spd manual. When we approached it I thought it had frost but the paint was horrible, most notably on the hood. We went back to take a closer look. Had been sitting for years. Interior was ok. Paint toast, tires dry rotted. We got the owner to boost and it started. Ran with high idle for a bit then stumbled and died. I wondered if it was out of fuel but he swore that no, it had lots. But no engine knock which was a good sign. It had random new parts in the trunk. We made an offer as is and got it delivered.
We shot back to Calgary and snagged a hood. Sadly had faded headlight covers from another car.
Before
First wrenching on his own car for the boy.
So much better!
Some wet sanding, polish and clear coat. I am far from a body/paint man but certainly better.
The 16 year old owner did a good chunk of the work here.
Thermostat changed. Old one looked new but was stuck shut.
Exhaust had a rattle. The rear passenger side hanger was crusty and not hanging all that way anymore. The proper one was a steep $37US + shipping. Ouch.
Generic piece from Canadian Tire was $8 but not quite right.
Turn signals now working without turning the wipers on. A bit of cleaning on contacts set them right.
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Dave7
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JUN 22, 06:57 PM
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Now for the sad part of the story. The car has a leak. Couldn't tell if it was engine or transmission. Went to check the fluid level in the transmission. For the 4spd it means pulling out the speed sensor. That went ok until the gear wheel fell off the end, sank down into the bottom of the gearbox. Did some searching online that said it is easiest to buy a new one and grind up the old in the gearbox. Unfortunately we drove it first then found out that I can't seem to find the right one. Bought a couple that said they would fit but don't. Anyone have one they would be willing to sell? Above is a bit of the old one.
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Patrick
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JUN 22, 08:26 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Dave7:
Had been sitting for years. Interior was ok. Paint toast, tires dry rotted. We got the owner to boost and it started... no engine knock which was a good sign.
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Did you check for the most important thing... rust? More specifically, rusted rear upper frame rails.
I just hate to see anyone put a lot of time and/or money into a car before making sure it's not rotted out and worthless. Hopefully you and your son's Fiero is okay.
And welcome to the forum![This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 06-22-2020).]
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sourmash
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JUN 23, 09:42 AM
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So you need a speed sensor for the 4 speed for an '85?
Welcome.
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Zentaury
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JUN 23, 08:11 PM
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Welcome to the forum!
I had been looking for 5 years the prices of the Fiero(at least on the west coast), and it was hard to find a good one under 3k.
Is great to have the opportunity to share a hobby with your son, he has a good taste in cars!
Like Patrick said, check under the trunk carpet for possible rust, or under the battery tray. (Is funny that one of the selling points of the Fiero was the plastic panels that don't rust, as shown in this dealer training video)
http://youtu.be/yKriBQnQLPk[This message has been edited by Zentaury (edited 06-23-2020).]
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Dave7
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JUN 23, 09:12 PM
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Thanks. This thing has hardly any rust anywhere. A nice, solid southern Alberta car.
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fierosound
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JUN 24, 10:37 AM
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Dave7
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JUN 24, 11:12 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by sourmash:
So you need a speed sensor for the 4 speed for an '85?
Welcome. |
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Yes, do you have one for sale?
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sourmash
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JUN 24, 06:18 PM
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I don't but was just clarifying because there are a lot of people with parts cars.
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Dave7
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JUN 25, 10:53 AM
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Sounds good. Thanks.
We replaced the fan switch sensor the other day. The new one does not trigger the fan either oddly. A defective new part? I can trigger it manually so the wire all the back to the fan, relay and the fan itself works.
In absence of doing any real work we took a few beauty shots of it.
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