WAWUZAT Northstar build thread (lots of pix) (Page 13/16)
WAWUZAT DEC 14, 03:18 PM

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Originally posted by HC:Thats a very nice car... Are you going to do any mods to the outside? Like a stretch, a widebody, paint job? Or all three?



Any mods to the outside? Which car are you looking at? The white Fiero or the blue Mustang? Except for the roof panel and the glass, the entire outside of my Fiero has already been modified by installing the GT40 rebody kit I bought from NAF (later known as ASPP). It used to be red, but I may go white next time. This white primer is growing on me.

[This message has been edited by WAWUZAT (edited 12-14-2007).]

WAWUZAT DEC 14, 03:22 PM

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Originally posted by Zac88GT:

Yeah, it'll fit in the stock location fine. There is actually a large recess in the firewall right where it sits, like it was meant to be.



I looked at the engine compartment again today. Sure enough, that recess ought to be my ticket out of extra work. And it's shaped to allow relocating the engine straight up ... not slanted the same as the passenger cabin bulkhead ... so being that my drivetrain is 5/8" further aft, everything ought to work out OK. Thanks again.
dohcfiend DEC 14, 08:06 PM
i noticed some of the background pix. are you a xerox tech? what's with all the xerox boxes?

also i have not read the thread in it's entirety but there may be a few parts available for your engine at www.chrfab.com

[This message has been edited by dohcfiend (edited 12-14-2007).]

WAWUZAT DEC 14, 09:33 PM

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Originally posted by dohcfiend: i noticed some of the background pix. are you a xerox tech? what's with all the xerox boxes?

also i have not read the thread in it's entirety but there may be a few parts available for your engine at www.chrfab.com



Thanks. I've already purchased a few items from CHRFab. The Xerox boxes? We toss them out at work (we build aircraft carriers and submarines), and those boxes are the perfect size for shipping items I build for Ford Excursions. In the Excursion world, I'm known as Landyot ... just Google "Landyot Radius-Rods," and you'll find a lot of online chatter.
HC DEC 15, 05:47 AM
This is what I'm talking about...





So sexy!!
WAWUZAT DEC 15, 09:14 AM

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Originally posted by HC:

This is what I'm talking about... So sexy!!



The #6 car above was one of the prototypes made before production started on the current Ford GT (they cannot use the name "GT40"). The #14 car was a one-off test model made during development of the GT40 MKIV. Mine is a replica of the MKII version, and it's already wide ... when I rented a U-haul car trailer in the 90s, the rear tires rode atop the trailers side-rails 'cuz they would not fit down in the tire-tracks.

[This message has been edited by WAWUZAT (edited 12-23-2007).]

HC DEC 15, 03:16 PM
Nice...

I was just thinking how people would cringe if you put a Ford engine in the fiero, but you put a Ford body and caddy engine, and every one loves it.

Can't wait to see this finished...
WAWUZAT DEC 15, 03:59 PM

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Originally posted by HC:Nice... I was just thinking how people would cringe if you put a Ford engine in the fiero, but you put a Ford body and caddy engine, and every one loves it.



Thanks. Cringe? Why? When it was new it had a Pontiac chassis, a Chevy 2.8L V6 engine, Chevette front suspension, and an Isuzu transaxle. And to top that, Pontiac once offered the "Mera" which was nothing but a Fiero with a Ferrari-style skin. You're in Phoenix? That's where I went to buy this body kit back in June of 1990. Stayed at Westcourt in the Buttes, and NAF was located in Mesa.

I finished the engine cradle mods today ... lots of grinding, fitting & welding. I had to make some minor clearance adjustments to the new rear crossmember, and I fit & welded the new front crossmember. If all goes well, I'll re-fit the drivetrain to the cradle tomorrow, line it up according to where the axle centers should be, and start fabricating engine & transaxle mounts.

[This message has been edited by WAWUZAT (edited 12-15-2007).]

WAWUZAT DEC 16, 06:43 PM
I set the engine cradle up on sawhorses today, and then set the drivetrain in position. The drivetrain is aligned to the cradle using the axle-centers as reference points. Having the temporary angle-bars tackwelded beneath the cradle made it easy for setting the engine place ... just used some wooden shims atop the angle-bars to hold it at the correct height. Once the engine was "level" with the cradle, nudging it around into position required only a crowbar ... and I only needed to move it about 1/8". The vertical angle-bar held in place with Visegrips (see the photo below) worked as a solid surface for aligning axle-centers (there's one on the other side, too). The tubular cross-member seen at the front of the cradle will house my anti-swaybar.


The next step is to fab some motor mounts between the cradle and some previously fabricated bracketry bolted to the engine & transaxle. Here's a sneak preview of what's going to happen with the motor mounts ...
WAWUZAT DEC 23, 06:44 PM
I have fabricated my motor mounts, and most of them installed. All I have left to do with them is to add a couple more gussets, and finish all of the welds after I pull the engine back off the cradle. Since I last posted a teaser-pic of the left-rear mount, here's the nearly finished product (this is one place I need to add a gusset) ...


Below is a shot of the right-rear mount. This was the easiest one to fab because I used the original Caddy bracket with only some minor trimming ...


And here are the front mounts. I did some extensive mods to the Caddy bracket that connects the head with the block ...


Welding the front cross-tube caused it to bow a little bit. I may attempt to pull it straight & add a flat-bar across its front face. I have plenty of room to mount my 2-in/2-out catalytic converter beneath the cross-tube, and I won't start any routing of the exhaust pipes until after it's in the car ... I need to ensure there's sufficient room to run the pipes where I'm visualizing them to be.