Blooze Own: An F355 Six Speed N* Build Thread (Page 74/126)
fieroguru JUL 14, 08:55 AM

quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:

c. I believe I'm the only person to mate an F40 to a Northstar in any Fiero, and if not, then I'm likely the first to install the combination into an '88 chassis. Either way, that forces me to locate the engine/trans in the engine bay differently than those before me.



Zac88GT did a N*/F40 build in an 88: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum3/HTML/000030.html

The big difference is his install/engine placement was first dictated by the getrag 5 speed, then he later converted it to the F40 and left the engine where it was. Focusing on keeping the F40 differential in line with the wheel center was one of the key differences with your swap. Most just allow the test fit to dictate where the drivetrain will be placed and live with whatever axle angle they end up with.
Bloozberry JUL 14, 11:08 AM
Yes, of course, how could I have forgotten Zac's build. Two differences between mine & his are the valve covers taking more room in mine, and the fact that I've raised the cradle by an inch.

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 07-14-2013).]

Will JUL 14, 04:13 PM
I can't get excited about CV joint angle with diff centerline +/- 1" from stock, and would barely even think about +/- 2".
Heck, GM transmissions in the same body had about 1" of variation across the spectrum.
BlackEmrald JUL 15, 05:40 PM

quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:

It's not the suspension, it's the fact that I'm using:

a. an '88 Fiero (with the narrower distance between the tops of the strut towers than the earlier cars);

b. I'm using the wider aftermarket CHRFAB "double bump" valve covers. (The only other person that's used these covers on an '88 N* combination had to chop off part of the valve cover whereas I chose to cut off the towers instead since I don't need them);

c. I've raised the cradle by one inch thereby raising the engine relative to the rest of the car; and

d. I believe I'm the only person to mate an F40 to a Northstar in any Fiero, and if not, then I'm likely the first to install the combination into an '88 chassis. Either way, that forces me to locate the engine/trans in the engine bay differently than those before me.




Gotcha. So you are in uncharted waters with a lot of this build.

From what I have been able to gather, the valve covers are the biggest problem. What is the reasoning behind using them? Looks? (again, sorry if this has been covered)
Bloozberry JUL 15, 09:40 PM
Yep... for looks. The Caddy aft valve cover is ugly in my opinion. Since it is hidden in the Cadillac models, no effort was made by GM to make it pretty like front valve cover, and they're not interchangeable. The problem is that when installed in a Fiero, the ugly aft one becomes the one that's seen the most.
Will JUL 16, 10:26 AM
Just keep it black and mount the coil pack to it
Will JUL 16, 10:48 AM

quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:

...and I thought the torque strut mount was tough. Holy cow... anyone that tells you removing the old hinge boxes is easy, is either being sarcastic or doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. I can't believe how long I struggled to get those damned things off. Whoever designed the program that spot welded them in clearly wasn't thinking down the road about us tinkerers, because the welds holding them to the bottom of the rear window sill aren't accessible with a drill, grinder, cut-off wheel, or any other tool known to man. I finally got them off but it's a good thing I don't have a swear-jar in the shop. It's also a good thing that I'm replacing the lower half of the rear window sill with some rectangular steel tubing like Yarmouth Fiero did in his build thread. Mine now looks more like a piece of Swiss cheese that someone took a chainsaw to!

Here's the rest of the hardware I removed from the firewall:






Do you still have the hinge boxes? Mind sending me your right hand one?

I removed more material from mine than I should have, and I'd like to replace it. Starting with yours will save me from having to remove the one from the parts car.
When first doing the swap, I didn't know how high the engine would end up sitting, so I cut away more than I should have. I don't have either of the two original hinge mounting studs anymore... Now I have to shim my modified hinge to get the decklid into the right location. I'd like to have the original adjustments back.

Now that I know where the engine goes, I see that I could keep the upper hinge mount stud on the right side, which would preserve all of the original adjustment features.
Bloozberry JUL 16, 11:00 AM
You can have it for the cost of shipping. I can measure it, weigh it, and then see how much it would cost to send it but you'll need to PM me your mailing address so I can get a few estimates.
Bloozberry JUL 22, 10:00 PM
It's in! IT'S IN!



(more on what I did to get it to fit tomorrow... I was just too excited to wait until then to share the news.)

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 07-23-2013).]

exoticse JUL 23, 01:46 AM


NIIIIICE !