My Barn Find (Page 7/10)
Englishrafe MAR 12, 05:57 PM
Yes, that should hold it !

I actually TIG welded mine with a bit of copper tube inside to support the weld while molten. However, not everyone can weld metal that thin - it takes a steady hand !
Toddster MAR 12, 07:53 PM

quote
Originally posted by Englishrafe:

Yes, that should hold it !

I actually TIG welded mine with a bit of copper tube inside to support the weld while molten. However, not everyone can weld metal that thin - it takes a steady hand !



True. I have a Mig welder and I tried it before. Not much luck despite my care. This solution works great and after cleaning the trunk carpet with a pressure washer and finishing the details we're done with the engine and tranny.

BEFORE

AFTER


So I moved back to the fascia. I did a trial mounting to make sure everything connected well and that there was no binding. I added a thin coat of filler which still needs to be wet sanded, but it will be easier to do on the car since the subframe will hold the form.

[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-14-2020).]

Toddster MAR 14, 11:39 PM
OK, I started the car up today. I needed to put a 15 minute charge on the weak battery. After that I turned the key to the "on" position 3 times. This allows the fuel pump to fully pressurize the fuel system. Then I disconnected the coil wire and cranked the engine for a good 20 seconds or so. This allows the oil pump to cycle oil through the engine. Then I reconnected the coil wire.

With the A & B terminals of the ALDL shorted with a paperclip I hooked up my timing light and cranked it over. Started right up, first time. Timing was dead on 0. And the nice thing about new timing gear is that there is no walking! The timing was motionless. I set the timing at 10* then unpluged the paperclip and she was running like a champ.

I did notice one funny noise which turned out to be the distributor. The whole thing was cavetating! It runs OK but I suspect the center shaft is warped. Fortunately I have plenty of distributor spares so tomorrow the new one goes in.

Then I will bleed the clutch system and the brakes and test all other systems before finishing the body work.
Toddster MAR 16, 09:41 PM
Well I got home from work early today and put in a couple hours. I got the sanding done on the fascia. I need to apply some primer and do some more fine wert sanding but I started with 100, then 220 and lastly 400 grit. With the primer I will use 600 and 1200 grit before masking and painting.



Mechanically the car is pretty good but I did need to bleed the clutch and take care of one little thing. Can you guess what it was.




I had a spare light. Took about 20 minutes.



All other systems are working perfectly. The only other thing I noticed was the fan wasn't kicking on. It switched on so the problem is probably the fan switch. I can swap that out easily enough. I also need to recharge the AC and deal with a few more details.

[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-14-2020).]

mattwa MAR 16, 10:27 PM
what are you planning on doing with this car?
Toddster MAR 17, 10:00 AM

quote
Originally posted by mattwa:

what are you planning on doing with this car?



This is about to become my regular driver. I sold Judge Red last October and have to get ready for Westfest so I need a running Fiero! I have 6 and this is the only one running as of now.
mattwa MAR 17, 03:45 PM
5 non-running fieros? What are you thinking??
Toddster MAR 17, 04:14 PM

quote
Originally posted by mattwa:

5 non-running fieros? What are you thinking??



I'm thinking I have more ambition than time.
Toddster MAR 17, 07:21 PM
Alternating gray and black primer with a dab of spot putty, I got the smooth look I wanted. It is not 100%. The start and end point of the tear is bumped-up a little. I took it down as much as possible but there is only so much I can do with what I have. I'm OK with that. I will repaint the car one day and when I do I will replace the fascia anyway. This is a low buck repair that will look good until that repaint day comes. My cost to repair this fascia comes down to one pack of JB WELD, two cans of primer, one tube of spot putty, and one can of factory red. Total cost, around $35.



Last coat of primer



And finally a rattle can of the factory original paint. I will let it dry over night and then I will hit it with some clear before the final wet sanding and buffing.

[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 11-14-2020).]

mattwa MAR 18, 02:14 PM
Are you going to paint the molding black?