quote Originally posted by Patrick: You definitely want to either replace the factory heat shields that are missing on the exhaust crossover pipe... or heat wrap that pipe. Your ICM will thank you.

That's a really good point. I don't even know what thing the PO tried to install to do that. To me it just looks like a bent piece of sheet metal with some heat tape on it. It probably doesn't do a very good job so I will look to see if I can find the stock replacement as melting things isn't really at the top of my agenda.

quote Originally posted by pmbrunelle: In one of the pictures, we can see that the shift cables are very close to the throttle linkage; looks like the throttle linkage may hang up on the shift cables. The Isuzu's shift cables are not ideal with the V6 Fiero intake system; on my Fiero I routed the cables over the rubber intake tube, rather than under. This didn't force an unnatural bend right out of the transmission-mounted bracket. The rubber tube fits underneath the cables, with persuasion. Then, to keep the cables away from the throttle body, I made a hook from coat-hanger wire to keep the cables away from the throttle body. The hook was anchored to the LH decklid hinge box. You should only pull the minimum to avoid hanging up the throttle linkage on the cables; the less that cables are bent, the less friction they'll have. Remember than the engine moves on its mounts, so whatever clearance you have at rest isn't the same during launch.

I will try my best to take all of that into account. I thought the shifter seemed a little stiff as well (gotta love smooth shifts) and was looking for ways to make it smoother. I will try rerouting the cables as smoothly as possible and try the tricks you suggest to get the gear action a bit smoother.

As for the throttle... it is really close, I suppose it could be getting caught on something. I originally thought the throttle body was sticking so I took off the rubber intake hose and tried cleaning it all out. It was a little dirty... but not sticky throttle body dirty. And I guess I worded my post wrong originally now that I look at it. When I said my throttle sticks at the bottom of the travel, that makes it sound like its sticky near full throttle. To clarify, my throttle is sticky for the first 1/3rd of the pedal travel... once you get past that, the travel is nice and smooth. This makes driving the car fast nice and easy, but inversely, driving like a normal citizen is rather difficult because fine throttle control in the beginning of the pedal travel just doesn't exist. This leads to rather bumpy starts or rather aggressive throttle input changes at low speeds when all I wanted to do was press the throttle ever so slightly harder to increase my speed slightly... not jump for 15 to 40mph.

Long story short... any help on rerouting cables to get smoother operation is a plus in my book and I will try anything.

Also, side tangent, is there an easier way to mount the rubber intake tube? That thing was a major pain to re install... heck... I am not even 100% sure I got it all the way back on there. It really fought me tooth and nail when I was trying to put it back on there.

quote Originally posted by pmbrunelle: LSD's are not (to my knowledge) found stock in GM econobox transmissions. It is in general an aftermarket item that you purchase and install in your transmission. Welding the diff is an option. If you have a rear sway bar installed, you may try removing it. This may allow the inside wheel to droop further and more easily maintain contact with the road.

I have done a lot of reading over the past day or so... you are correct. As far as I can see, no normal Fiero transmission swap would yield a OEM LSD.

I have found a few options for ones that can be installed in the stock transmissions, could be worth the trouble for me... will have to do some more research into exactly what all is involved in swapping the diff in one of these transmissions. A decent number of roads in my area are gravel/dirt and have extreme elevation changes (as I alluded to before) thus the reason that I brought the LSD thing up. Is it necessary? No, not at all... just makes things easier when you have to deal with dirt/mud/uneven ground and whatever else gets thrown my way.

I could weld it I guess... but man... that just sounds like it could be pretty harsh to live with.

losing the rear sway bar would help keep the tires on the ground... your right about that in every way. But I gotta say... when I actually do find a proper road (or even just a halfway smooth dirt/gravel road) I absolutely LOVE the way this thing handles. The car loves to rotate into corners, and that's just the way I like it. Taking out the rear sway bar would also increase traction in the rear and increase the amount of understeer that the car would display... and honestly... I like sliding around too much to let that happen XD

So hilariously... I want to leave in the sway bar because it reduces rear end traction... something I was trying to fix by adding an LSD. It's backwards logic I guess when you look at it that way... but you know... pretend we are making a rally car here I guess as that's the kind of terrain I deal with on a daily basis. Good handling and a way to maximize power to the ground.

I can also switch up the tires to deal with the traction problems... will have to look into my options as my requirements are kind of unusual to most Fiero owners I would guess.

quote Originally posted by Raydar: That's a beautiful 85. I don't recognize it from the Forum, however.

It is a very nice car... came with its own teething problems most of which I have fixed now... but considering all the times he apparently came to these forums, I would be surprised if he never posted. But... it is possible. There is a TON of information on here, so perhaps he just never had to ask a question.

[This message has been edited by atv_123 (edited 06-20-2019).]

[This message has been edited by atv_123 (edited 06-25-2019).]