NS F355 Project (Page 17/73)
fierogt28 MAR 11, 11:15 AM

quote
Originally posted by Yarmouth Fiero:

Ok, so I had a nice close look at the intersection of the upper frame rail and the top of the firewall/ rear window support and you are right Blooz. The upper frame rail does in fact stop short of the firewall but I don't think its a deal stopper for my current design. However, the upper frame rail does have a lowered top section ( that I missed) that is going to require some consideration and design "adaptation". I'll have to add this detail to my current drawing and then proceed from there with a suitable solution.

Thanks for the heads up.




I love seeing 25+ year old frame in this condition. Today I must admit I've only seen 88 fieros with pristine space frame due to they started
life later. Finding older frames (84s and 85s) are hard to come by.

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fierogt28

88 GT, Loaded, 5-speed.
88 GT, 5-speed. All original.

Yarmouth Fiero MAR 11, 01:05 PM
It is amazing Fierogt28 that its still in such great shape after so many years. The only spots I've found any rust were the seatbelt anchor points ( I recall my sunroof leaked since the day I bought the car new) and I've seen some looking up the lower frame rail where the rear cradle is secured. Other than that, the current surface rust is from us touching it with our sweaty hands....ha-ha-ha-ha

Funny story, the first time I took my boys to Blooz's, he showed us his cars and when he uncovered his mint black Fiero my youngest guy couldn't resist leaning against it hands first. Blooz remained quite composed but we teased Kirk all the way home. I think during our next visit Blooz had a set of oven mits ready to slip on him....ha-ha-ha-ha. To this day, I'm not sure why we have decided to make our own black car. It may be a decision I will live to regret.
fierogt28 MAR 11, 05:13 PM
Humm, sunroof leaking...? Can you tell mean exactly where it is / was leaking. I didn't think that fiero sunroofs leaked when new.
I thought it would leak after many years of use.

Thanks for pointing that out. You can PM if you need to go into further detail.

Thanks,

------------------
fierogt28

88 GT, Loaded, 5-speed.
88 GT, 5-speed. All original.

Yarmouth Fiero MAR 12, 11:08 AM
Yes, right from when it was new in 85, the sunroof leaked right at the center aft latch, rain, dew, it didn't matter. I use to carry a little towel and lay on the center console by my elbow to catch the drips. Of course, it stopped in 89...... when I put the car in storage until 2012. To finally fix the leaking sunroof once and for all, I've decided to cut the whole roof off and make a spyder.
Yarmouth Fiero MAR 14, 07:40 AM
Well.......we survived the battle of " Select your wheels"....... I think. It was a steady up and down emotional ride of pick a style, pick a size, pick a color and then be dissappointed over and over when you get emails saying "not available at this time". Holy smokes, the online shopping is amazing with access to so many suppliers in one place......... but would it kill them to update their posted stock numbers once in a while? Atleast the company I was dealing with, 1010Tires.com now has more up to date stock numbers because with each choice I made, someone there actually revised their website. Shoppers coming after me will have it a little easier....ha-ha-ha

So, with all that said and done, we were able to stick to our original requirements of wheel size and specifications as well as color and general style (10 spoke flush design). In the end we went with the following from 1010Tires.com. Their prices are competitive, they are in Canada so customs is not an issue and shipping is free anywhere in the country.

Drag DR-31 in Matt Black

Front: 17 x 7 ET40 5/100
Rear: 18 x 9 ET38 5/100




The tires haven't been selected yet but that will be a much easier task I think. Here is what I am considering.



I'll post pictures once the wheels arrive, which should be in a couple weeks. My credit card has been billed so hopefully I am not jinxing myself by posting this information before I have them in my hands. To be honest, everytime I check my email I am praying I don't get that familiar response, "Sorry, no longer in stock".
Yarmouth Fiero MAR 15, 12:18 PM
Not sure if anyone has experience with Drag wheels or similar designs but the sizes I selected above show only one bolt pattern, 5/100 as apposed to two bolt patterns like the picture shows. I can't find any information on this particular wheel size but is it possible that they will only be made with one bolt pattern? This would be fine, but I can't even get an straight answer from the manufacturer. Something tells me its just an error on the website and the wheels will actually be made with 2 bolt patterns, similar to the other sizes on the list.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
Austrian Import MAR 15, 12:54 PM

quote
Originally posted by Yarmouth Fiero:

Hi Austrian Import

I've read through the thread you attached. Wow... that is quite an interesting discussion accompaning the development. To be honest, I am only a humble marine engineer and the automotive world is certainly not my field of expertise. [...]
Thanks for asking btw.



You're very welcome. Give yourself some credit. Your build thread is progressing very well. You're a skilled fabricator.

BTW.: how did you come up with the source for the Rhino files? Measuring, 3D scan, etc.?

Even if you can't contribute to the suspension redesign, please share your experience and thoughts, as some of the things you've learned from redesigning the rear cradle, or chssis stiffening, or even the Rhino files may be useful for some engineers on the suspension redesign thread.
Brastic MAR 15, 12:54 PM
I just found this thread. Fun project. I really enjoyed building my car.

http://brastic.com/fiero/index.html

Shane
Yarmouth Fiero MAR 15, 01:49 PM
Thanks for the link Brastic. That is a very cool and powerful way to document your work. I quickly scanned through it at work but I'll go back and read it indepth this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

Austrian Import, I've been measuring everything by hand trying to capture as such detail as possible and as accurately as possible. As you can see, I haven't finished the cradle yet. I did what I needed for the cradle extension and then stopped and worked on the chassis extension drawings. I'd be more than happy to share my Rhyno files with whoever wants them, but only when its all done ( or atleast certain individual components of it) Even parts that are drawn, I find myself going back and making corrections after the fact so I would not feel right sharing something that I know might not be 100% accurate. I tend to draw for a while and then leave it to do some fabrication. Especially if I am doing alot of design work for my job, I tend not to have much of an interest to draw at night as well. You'll notice that I tend to zoom in close to my drawings so that you can't see what I haven't finished yet.

Here are a few pics of the cradle ( or what's done so far) as well as an overall view of the chassis to date.
Yarmouth Fiero MAR 16, 10:49 AM
Did a little Saturday morning shopping today and picked up a few items for the garage; things we'll probably use for our project over the next few years. Gotta love Canadian Tire 66% off sales. For $225 I got a full set of air tools and accessories, a 50ft retractable air hose and a compressor with enough capacity to run the tools I bought. I know they are not commercial shop grade but for our little backyard oasis, they should do just fine. Plus with Canadian Tire's 3 year "no questions" warranty, you really can't go wrong. Not a bad morning...... considering I was only going to the store to pick up an O ring for the dripping kitchen faucet.

I think I better hide the air chisel from the boys.