Dropping the cradle... and some other things, advice... (Page 2/2)
Wichita SEP 24, 10:55 PM
I did what gregr75 did.

If you take off the rear struts and wheel well, you can pull the cradle from the side. I didn't even have to raise it that high to do that. Installed the cradle with the new EV motor the same way. Just slide it from the side, jacked up the cradle a bit and lowered the Fiero and it went in place.
82-T/A [At Work] SEP 25, 08:28 AM


I'm helping her put together a video for this part... but this is a screen grab that I took where she's rolling it out from under the car, and moving it off to the side. Her boyfriend came over to help in the last hour or so.


EDIT: Also... my garage is totally trashed now. It's usually spotless, so I had to drink heavily to fall asleep knowing my garage is in complete disarray... haha... I can normally get three cars into my garage, and now I have one and two-halves. :/

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 09-25-2023).]

Dukesterpro SEP 25, 09:11 AM
I actually have a step by step write up for the 4 cylinder car.

I did it for school, I was in a rush but its pretty okay for a 84 duke car.

https://docs.google.com/pre...6qA/edit?usp=sharing

I basically raise the car, set jackstands. Lower motor onto dollys. Then raise car off engine.

[This message has been edited by Dukesterpro (edited 09-25-2023).]

edfiero SEP 25, 02:33 PM
Good luck to your daughter on this project. I hope to she see's it thru to completion. It will be a great car for her.
There was another teenage girl on here years ago doing a Fiero project, but it never got completed.
82-T/A [At Work] SEP 26, 10:16 AM

quote
Originally posted by edfiero:

Good luck to your daughter on this project. I hope to she see's it thru to completion. It will be a great car for her.
There was another teenage girl on here years ago doing a Fiero project, but it never got completed.




Well, I won't know until it's done, but she loves this car, and gets mad at me whenever I try to do something because she believes she should be doing it. She seems committed. She's only a Freshman in high school, but hopes to have it running and insured by the time she starts her Junior year in H.S., so we'll see...

The good thing for her is that I'm funding all of it for her, she just has to do the work... so she doesn't have a funding probblem.
Spadesluck SEP 26, 10:35 AM
Little late to the party here, but before I got a lift, I did the lifting from the bumper support. This way it gave me the room to roll the cradle/motor out. Any other way the legs of the cherry picker would always be a hurdle.

It's good to see a young lady getting involved with some mechanics. None of my kids wanted to do anything at that age. Now that they are a little older it is all starting to come back full circle.
Raydar SEP 26, 11:09 PM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
We got the subframe out from under the car... it was a chore. The engine hoist lifting the car worked like a charm. I also totally forgot to remove stuff from the car ... and I was like, oh crap...




Yeah. Once, I was lifting my car off of the cradle, and from behind the car it just didn't... look right.
Then I realized that the front of the cradle was being lifted into the air by the still connected parking brake cable. DOH!!
buddycraigg SEP 26, 11:37 PM
don't take my advice.
I have lifted many by the deck lid hook.

It is a bad idea, but I have done it.
82-T/A [At Work] SEP 27, 07:32 AM

quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

Yeah. Once, I was lifting my car off of the cradle, and from behind the car it just didn't... look right.
Then I realized that the front of the cradle was being lifted into the air by the still connected parking brake cable. DOH!!




We did EVERYTHING... and then... we noticed that we'd forgotten to remove the brake hoses. Hahah...

Since I knew I would be replacing them, I said... here, take these metal cutting sheers and cut the brake lines...