[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 07-27-2021).]

[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 07-27-2021).]

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 07-28-2021).]

[This message has been edited by MikesFirstFiero (edited 07-27-2021).]

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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

So I bought this wrecked Impala and had a friend trailer it over to North Idaho so I could dismantle it. First step was to put it up on jack stands and figure out where to start. I figured I would need the engine & transmission and other things like the ECU, BCU, Accelerator, instrument cluster, shifter, keyless entry, push to start, maybe the fuel pump, and maybe the ABS controller & pump. And of course the wiring harness that ties everything together. Lots of harness it turn out.



Engine Top Mount on Left


Removing the Impala engine cradle turned out to be pretty simple. Remove the bumper, brakes and suspension parts, upper motor mounts, hoses for fuel, vacuum, cooling, heating and A/C. Removing the steering shaft, exhaust pipe and opening several connectors and the cradle is held in place by only 4 bolts. This took about 8-10 days of working about 4 hours per day. And I labeled everything that was disconnected since I knew nothing about the Impala and have a bad case of CRS (Can't Remember Stuff). Then we unbolted the cradle it dropped with a wooden dolly that had I attached to the cradle by big cable ties. We had a backhoe with forks that slid under the dolly and dropped the whole thing out in 30 minutes onto a trailer. Dropped is actually true, when the last bolt was removed the whole cradle dropped the forks about 6-8" and took us all by surprise. A short trip to home and the cradle was safely in the garage where an engine hoist was used to separate the cradle from the engine so I could spot the engine and get a rough idea of how it would fit on the Fiero cradle. Badly as it turned out. So major work was needed to make it fit.

Tranny Top Mount


Engine on Dolly before removal


On the Forks


While ripping the Impala apart I removed the Fiero V6 on it's cradle. To make life easy lifted the Fiero onto jack stands in the rear and RV leveling blocks in the front. The hoist was disconnected from the LFX which sat on a wooden support until needed. I attached 4 casters to the bottom of the Fiero cradle with bolts and lifted the Fiero off of the rear stands and lowered it to the ground until the rear casters on the cradle touched the ground and then removed the rear cradle bolts. Next a floor jack was used to raise the front of the cradle just enough to take the weight off of the front cradle bolts which were slipped out easily to my surprise. Lowering the floor jack had the cradle on the ground and mobile on it's casters. Raising the hoist lifted the car so the cradle was slipped out from under the car. Finally the front cradle bolts were replaced and the jack stands once again supported the rear of the car so the hoist could be used for engine work.



Casters Bolted.to Cradle


Ready to Lower


Lowered to Ground


Easy to Roll Around


My first thought when comparing the two engines was "How will this ever fit?" and how do I figure out how to locate it? The answer was to build a birdcage. Running over to our local Tractor Supply (North Idaho has both Farms and Tractors so farming supplies are readily available) I bought a 170' coil of #9 steel wire. I then put a second cradle for the FIero in place and spent about 3 days making a model of the engine space out of the wire, piece by piece, welding the joints of the different pieces together. The birdcage had four locating wires on the cradle exterior. Up front there were two holes on the side rails and in the rear I followed the bottom of the cradle where it steps up to the rear cradle mounts. The cradle gave me the dimensions and the locating pins related it's position to the cradle.





Once the birdcage was finished I dropped the second cradle from the Fiero and cut the birdcage in half left to right so it could be easily removed. The halves were fastened together with some screw-type electrical butt connectors. Then I dropped the birdcage over the LFX while it was still on the Impala cradle. First fitting showed that it would fit in the bay but there were some real concerns. The engine would need to be as low as possible to allow the aft head to clear the right shock tower, the cat converters had two O2 sensors that would need to be moved, The engine would need to be shifted to the left an inch or so, also for the aft head to clear the shock tower, The dog bone would need to go, the transmission would need to be notched to clear the left rear suspension arm attachment to the cradle, the cradle would need some cutting to clear the transmission and engine parts and the engine mounts would be a big problem.

Birdcage on LFX on Impala Cradle


The Aft Head too Close to Tower


Good Room on Accessory side of engine, Alternator will fit above A/C Compressor


O2 Sensor Needs Moving


Birdcage on LFX, Lowering to Cradle


On the good side the exhaust would be not too difficult since there is a notch in the oil pan for the front pipe to cross under the engine to the rear where it links up to the rear cat converter. The transmission is a boxy lump that has no parts beside the engine like the 4T65. All of it is behind the engine on the left of the car. The only access needed is on the front of the transmission where there is an electrical connector and on top where the gear selector is located.

Next, The Cradle & Motor Mounts

[This message has been edited by MikesFirstFiero (edited 07-30-2021).]

[This message has been edited by MikesFirstFiero (edited 07-30-2021).]