The ClayTonto Fiero Build (Page 2/36)
Archie FEB 18, 10:24 AM

quote
Originally posted by ltlfrari:

Is it just me or are these calipers on upside down (bleeder is at the bottom)?
Since they are Willwoods I suspect they have been put on the wrong sides.




Actually there are 4 bleeders on each of the calipers. Top & bottom & inside & outside.

Archie
Archie FEB 18, 01:57 PM
Ok

We started working on this stuff on Jan. 9th. & have been working on it pretty steady.

We've been working in several different areas at the same time. That gives us other things to do while we wait on fiberglass to cure on someparts while we work in other areas. So this will jump around a bit but I'll try to keep it in the order we have been working on it.

In the interior, we were putting in a big speaker into the area between the seats. That ment that we had to make the area that covered the original ECM thicker for the speaker box & other items behind it. To do that we had to move that center section forward. That ment that we also had to cut & section the piece of the console that is between the seats so that it met up with the center area of the dashboard. The fiberglass of the dash, console & back section were made of thin fiberglass. So in the center speaker area we had to make the glass thicker to support the weight of the speaker. In certain areas of the dash (like the speaker areas & the center gage mounting area) we also had make the glass thicker so we had enough material to finish the areas correctly. For example, in the speaker areas on the top of the dash, we wanted to use the stock speaker covers. By the time we got those areas shaped to where the speaker covers would fit into them like they fit into the stock dash, we were breaking thru the fiberglass of the dash so in those areas we had thicken it up a bit.

Here we have removed the old dash & are doing the initial fitting of the new one.....







While working on this, we were also working on mounting the NOS bottle on custom brackets above the Battery.









Here we're working on extending the center speaker console....









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Archie FEB 18, 02:13 PM
The dash doesn't have any provisions for bolting it in, so we made some mounting brackets & pop rivited them in & they were fiberglassed in a little later on.





Here we built up the thickness of the dash in the areas of the center gage mounting & the speaker grills.





Fitting the speakers & the dashboard end vents









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Jncomutt FEB 18, 02:18 PM
How long is this car planned to be at Archie's place? Are we still on for our spring 'get-together' or are you having to back down due to mods?
Archie FEB 18, 02:34 PM
Next comes the fun part of making the ductwork from behind the Fiero dash fit the inside of the new dash.

I've been told that some people duct tape this stuff into place. However, we won't be upholstering this dash here & we'd like to mount everything in place so the dash (& other parts) can be removed & serviced & reinstalled without someone saying "why did they duct tape this stuff in place?".

So after fitting the dash back into the car a couple of times & making some brackets, we set about glassing the brackets into place.







We also fitted the gage panel along the way.....



While the fiberglass setup on the dash, we made & glassed in the back wall of the center speaker box area....







On all this glassing, we don't like to do stuff twice so when we complete one step, we fit everything back into the car to make sure it all fits right before going to the next step.

For example on the center speaker box. Fit it all into the car, measure twice, cut once & fiberglass once.

More to come later.

Archie

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Sig by Custom2M4

Archie FEB 18, 02:49 PM

quote
Originally posted by Jncomutt:

How long is this car planned to be at Archie's place? Are we still on for our spring 'get-together' or are you having to back down due to mods?



I don't know what you all have planned but all the stuff you're seeing now & for the next several posts is done already. The project is growing a bit as we go & as he keeps finding other things he wants done. But as of right now, we've started making the mold off of the outside of the rear hatch & by the time we're done with designing the rest of the hatch everything else should be done.

Archie
Jncomutt FEB 18, 03:43 PM
Nice! This is good news.
Archie FEB 18, 04:52 PM
In these pics, you can see how much was added to the back end of the center back console to make enough room for the speaker to mount into it.





Here the dash is starting to take shape, gage holes are cut & mounting brackets are being fabbed for the mounting of the center of the dash. We can now modify the center console section to fit inbetween the dash & the rear console area.









I was out of town for most of the day when the center console was modified but here's a pic of it as it was glassed back together.



Here Kris is fitting the shifter boot & other items to the center console.







The Fiero air ducting doesn't come all the way up to the new fiberglass dash in the center section....



And in the air outlets on the ends of the dash....



In the center area, we made a thin metal extension on the end of the Fiero duct to bring it farther back.

On the ends, we fiberglassed a shroud on the ends of the dash. Here's a before & after pic.





Archie
Archie FEB 18, 09:16 PM
We took the console & speaker box area back to fiberglass one more time to glass in some steel in a few places for the screws that are going to hold the parts together. We didn't really want to just screw the fasteners into the fiberglass because the glass would let go of the threads after a while. So we glassed in some steel in the areas where the attachment screws are going to go thru.

Kris also put the hinge on the glove box door.

Then after some filling & sanding we painted the dash a primer gray.....

















Notice that even the shifter boot has metal to screw into & doesn't just screw into raw fiberglass.



The we put the interior together.....













Next, we start fabricating the CAI & qtr. window scoops

Archie
ClayTonto FEB 18, 10:24 PM
Looking great, Archie.
Any luck with the steering wheel?