Well, I've always wanted my own little project car, and the Fiero happened to fit my criteria perfectly. It's not something you see every day (at least not here in S. Texas), it's light, it's RWD, and being midengine just makes me giggle like a schoolgirl. It took a few years of poking around before I found a Fiero that met my criteria. I got exactly what I wanted: a 1987 GT with a 5-speed. Alright, let's figure out what's planned on being done!

Engine:
I'll be doing an engine swap as well. Instead of the L67 (which I already know quite well, I've owned two L67-powered W-Bodies, still have one) I'm going to do an L36. I can hear the gnashing of teeth now! "Oh God, Why?!" I like to do things differently from the rest of the crowd. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the L67 swap, in fact I was dead-set on doing it until I saw some people here trashing the L36. I like a challenge! So, that being said, please don't try to convince me to do an L67 or other swap because it's not going to happen. Besides, I estimate I'll make approximately 250HP to the wheels with the L36. That's enough for my needs, and yes I'm quite aware that the same efforts made on an L67 would net me a much larger HP gain.

UPDATE: Going with an L67 to school the newbs around here on how it's really done.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: Going back to an L36. Don't ask. LOL.

Suspension:
Since I'm focusing on turning this car into a corner carver, I've already installed the Lebaron/Seville 11.25" brake upgrade and I'm revamping the suspension as I write this with poly control arm bushings, aluminum cradle bushings, KYB shocks and struts and new tie rods/balljoints everywhere. I plan on installing a rear swaybar, but haven't made any headway into researching what diameter bars will work for my plans. Besides, I'm a firm believer in not just buying a bunch of suspension upgrades and expecting them to work well together. I'll make a small change, then evaluate how well it works. Then I'll get the next upgrade that will have the desired effect, install it, and evaluate again.

UPDATE: New suspension components are on, car is aligned. Next up is new tires and the aluminum cradle bushings, then another alignment. After a bit of driving and evaluation, I'll consider what to do with the swaybar situation, if anything at all.

Interior:
I'm planning on just a few mods here, nothing really special. I'd like some aftermarket seats, like the following.



Aside from that, I may replace the GT's auxilary gauge cluster with a 3-gauge pod. I've already got a Rodney Dickman competition short throw shifter and shifter rebuild kit (not yet installed) and a really nice Delrin shift knob I purchased from eBay exactly like the one pictured below.



Another few ideas I've been kicking around are an auto-dimming rear view mirror and a hideaway GPS console. That last one's a secret.

My links (relevant to my build):
My Blog
My Photobucket (Albums are on the left column)
My LeBaron/Seville brake upgrade how-to

More to come!

[This message has been edited by GS Jon (edited 02-01-2010).]

Didn't get far today, but any progress is good progress. In case you haven't seen what a Fiero wheelwell looks like without its related components, well, here you go:


I've managed to burn out the bushings from the control arms and remove both ball joints from them as well. The lower ball joint needed a bit of a butt whoopin' with a socket and a BFH for it to come out, but it yielded in the end. Once I finish cleaning out the bushing sleeves, I'll proceed with putting in the new poly bushings and putting it all back together. Then I'll be about 20% done with this fool's errand.

Heh, I like that. I'm going with it. Commence project: Fool's Errand! Now only if I can get my thread's title edited to reflect that?

Don't let people give you crap about the L36, I'm in the middle of a NA swap too, and have no regrets. If it's not fast enough, add a turbo, and voila, another 100HP.

Update time. I had taken a break for a month due to work and some news being laid down on me, resulting in a shift of priorities. After getting home from work today I decided that I wanted to clean up the garage a bit. Well, I saw my Fiero sitting there with the suspension in pieces and thought "I think I'll give it a shot, and try to get that coil spring on its perch..."

It didn't even fight me this time. Just popped into place. Funny how when I had my wife's help, it fought and fought. Turns out it helps if you push the lower control arm almost straight down, then push the coil spring up into the top perch and leverage the lower part of the spring onto the perch. Using a crowbar it popped in with almost NO effort. Stayed in place as I put the jack under the control arm and jacked it up enough to install the new Gas-A-Just shock. Now all I need to do is pop on the knuckle and press on to the other 3 corners!



I'm stoked for this weekend, I'm gettin' her on the road!

Well, I'm done with the driver's side front corner and have moved onto the passenger's side. I've disassembled and replaced everything but the lower balljoint which is giving me epic amounts of trouble trying to get it back in place. The ball joint is currently in the freezer and will stay there overnight as I recharge my batteries and research the next phase of the suspension rebuild. I also picked up some new Energy Suspension endlinks for my swaybar from the local auto parts store, but they didn't have the midlinks. I'll have to check NAPA and PepBoys before I give up and order them online.

Overall today went well, though I missed my pre-set deadline. Driving your daughter to the mall and bringing her back a few hours later will do that to plans, you know? Tomorrow I'll get that ball joint installed and button up the front, then start on the rear. I wonder if I should do the aluminum cradle bushings before everything else, or what?

Off the top of my head, this is what I have left to do:
- Rear Struts (KYB GR-2)
- Strut mounts (KYB)
- New spring isolators, top and bottom
- Poly lower control arm bushings
- New tie rod ends
- Rear bearings/hubs and seals (Timkin)
- Passenger side cv axle
- Alum cradle bushings
- New rear lower balljoints

And that should essentially get the suspension in order for the Fiero's safety inspection.

[This message has been edited by GS Jon (edited 09-06-2009).]

Don't overwhelm me with questions, folks! Sheesh!

The hot weather has finally been broken here in South Texas, so I can actually work on the car during the day. It's about 80° outside, which is relatively cold for a late Texas summer day. I'm done with the front suspension upgrade with exception of the swaybar mid and endlinks. I have the poly endlinks, but I'll have to order the poly midlinks. No one carries them in stock for a Fiero around here. No big deal, I can put the endlinks on and wait for the mids. It's in drivable condition once the endlinks are on.

I noticed that when the front end is jacked up, the car reeks of raw gas. Not good. I'll have to research that and see what I can do about it.

I'm thinking of starting the teardown on the rear suspension tonight. From what I've read, the rear suspension should be cake compared to the front, even though I'm replacing a lot of extra components like the hub bearings, passenger's side CV axle amongst other things. This car is so close to drivable it's driving me NUTS!

OK folks, I'm looking for help here: If you're replacing the cradle bushings with aluminum, and doing basically everything else on the suspension, would you do the cradle bushings before, during or after the suspension rebuild? I just want to avoid backtracking. THANKS!

How do you plan on getting that 250whp out of a L36? Thats a 40-45% power gain over stock and not an easy feat.

It's been done before, I've seen the results. Just because the Fiero guys haven't done it doesn't mean it's not possible. Doesn't even take a huge cam, either. Stock bottom end, too. I will tell you: It's all in the tune.

[This message has been edited by GS Jon (edited 02-01-2010).]

Just found something that's really concerning. When I was draining the trans fluid out of the getrag for my halfshaft replacement, the first 3-4 ounces of fluid was water. Not good. I'll be doing a few trans fluid flush and refills and hopefully there's no real damage to the transmission.

Second, when I went to remove the passenger's side halfshaft, the dang thing basically fell apart at the tripot. I was holding the majority of the halfshaft and the tripot was still in the transmission case.

I'm glad I'm going over this car with a fine toothed comb, I keep finding more and more disappointing things about it. Case in point: I took the passenger's side strut out, and three lugnuts fell out of the lower spring perch.

WHAT... THE... HELL!

No tsaying it hasnt or cant be done, just curious how without spending $1500+ building it.

This should give you an idea:
http://www.fquick.com/garag...c/Firebird/1999/250/

Now, on to what was done today:
Got the passenger's side rear corner done. All the parts are installed and I'm quite pleased with how my little project is going so far. It's all coming together quite nicely. Found some water in the transmission, though. About 3-4 ounces of it. I'm not going to fret as I know this car's been sitting for a while, and will just do a few fluid exchanges on it before leaning on the Fiero heavily.

The driver's side rear corner is mostly disassembled. I hate drilling out the rivets on the ball joints back there, though. PITA. But, it's worth it as Rodney Dickman's ball joints, tie rods and more are going on the car in their place. I still have to remove the top bolts to pull out the strut and burn out the bushings in the control arm but after that everything's ready for reassembly. I guess I should have the driver's side back together by the end of tomorrow night after I'm done with work.

The days have been long, but that's what happens when you don't half-ass anything.

Not much progress today, but I made some headway.

What I did: got the new poly bushings installed in the control arm, installed control arm, pulled and disassembled the strut, picked up some new hardware for the strut mount from lowes and a holesaw in prep for replacing the front cradle bushings with the aluminum replacements.

What's left? Assembling the strut, putting it in place, getting a new driver's side cv halfshaft and installing it (may hold off on this until later), installing the balljoint, knuckle, tie rod and tying it all together. Then I do the cradle bushings and BAM! Suspension upgrade complete.

Well, phase one of it, anyways.

What part of san antonio you on? Didn't think there was anybody near me on here, i'm in Converse (northeast). I also plan on swapping an L36 into my fiero, since that's what I happen to have sitting in the garage right now (also have a top-swapped L36 with an XP cam in the garage, but it needs a new set of heads and I don't feel like spending that much right now).

I'm by Sea World, it's about a 5-10 min drive to get there from my house. If you'd like to stop by, let me know and we can work something out in our schedules.

Yeah i'll let you know. My work schedule kinda sucks, 3pm-midnight M-F. Guy I work with also has a Fiero, an '87 that needs a motor, i'm trying to convince him to go the 3800 route.

Well, it looks like he'll have plenty of local support if he goes 3800.

I'm not much of a morning person, so I tend to be up until a decent hour at night. We'll figure out a time to meet up, no worries.

quote Originally posted by Mike46: Didn't think there was anybody near me on here, i'm in Converse (northeast).

Mike and Jon you are not alone, there are more Fiero's in the SA area. I live just north of 1604 & I35 by the Rolling Oaks Mall. Also there is the Alamo Area Fiero Owners:
http://groups.myspace.com/i...le&groupID=105572184
They meet the last Sunday of the month at Denny’s Hwy 90 and Military 3:00 to 5:00 PM.

Oh, I'll have to attend this month's get together! I MIGHT have the Fiero safety inspected and registered by then, let's hope. My poor car looks like hell, but it's getting all the TLC I can give it. Can't wait to meet the other local Fiero owners to swap ideas, get their opinions, etc.

I took a break from working on the Fiero last night (worn out emotionally from a lot of things going on in my life) but I'll be getting back out into the garage just as soon as I get home from work. I'm motivated to drive the 'ol girl!

quote Originally posted by BlackThunderGT: Mike and Jon you are not alone, there are more Fiero's in the SA area. I live just north of 1604 & I35 by the Rolling Oaks Mall. Also there is the Alamo Area Fiero Owners: http://groups.myspace.com/i...le&groupID=105572184 They meet the last Sunday of the month at Denny’s Hwy 90 and Military 3:00 to 5:00 PM.

Awesome, i'll have to make it out there some time. Maybe I can get my friend from work to go out, too. Be nice to see some rides and learn some stuff from the fiero owners. We're both mechanics, he messes with hondas more, and I work mostly on W-bodies (own a '97 GTP, '99 GT, and '98 SE 3800). I got a powrtuner too, so if anybody needs PCM work on a '97-'02 3800 I can do it.

EDIT: I know a good place to get your inspection done if you don't think it'll pass. As long as you have insurance, your lights (turn signals, brakes, etc) work, you're good to go.

[This message has been edited by Mike46 (edited 09-17-2009).]

Aaaand the suspension upgrade/rebuild is complete (with exception of the aluminum cradle bushings). Drove it to get it aligned and the tech did a great job. The car drives and brakes straight as an arrow, and I expect it to get a bit more solid with the alum cradle bushings installed.

The brake upgrade works perfect, and I have excellent pedal modulation. I haven't tested an emergency stop yet, but I will after bedding in the brakes. The e-brake locks up the rear tires HARD at 5 clicks, as it's supposed to (no, not while I'm moving, doofus!).

Once I get it inspected and registered, I'll be taking her out to the local gathering at the end of the month so everyone can laugh at how tattered and worn she looks.

Got her inspected and registered yesteday, then started taking her out on the road for some troubleshooting. I did an oil and filter change, put in new synchromesh in the getrag, and put on a new fuel filter for starters. Still have to put in the PCV valve, but I've discovered a larger problem. This car has always acted kinda funky when driving uphill (lots of that here in San Antonio), and has stalled on me before when I took it out for gas a few months ago.

Well, last night it did it again, but in a relatively dangerous area for it to happen. Thankfully with the assistance of a few strangers and a tail vehicle, we were able to get the Fiero to a gas station about 250 ft away from where it stalled. What I remember from the incident was the OIL and BATTERY idiot lights coming on, loss of power and then it didn't want to turn over. It would crank, but wouldn't do anything.

I'm thinking that since the car apparently sat for a long time, there's some trash in the gas tank that needs to be cleaned out, and the fuel pump pickup sock needs to be replaced. While I'm in there, I can do some troubleshooting on the inop fuel level gauge in the Fiero. Oh yeah, and the coolant temp gauge just bounces around as well. Another thing to fix, WEWT!

Looks like there's a lot of work to be done, yet.

[This message has been edited by GS Jon (edited 09-19-2009).]

Sorry to hear of your issues. I too had a temp guage bouncing around on me a few weeks back. I found that I had an intake gasket move on me, causing coolant to get into the engine. My first indication of an issue was the bouncing temp guage. The lack of the proper level of coolant in the system caused an air bubble. As soon as the air bubble hit the temp guage, my needle went all bonkers. Do a double check on your coolant level. Is your upper hose to your radiator getting hot? Mine stopped pumping fluid at that point.

Tony

I'll go out and check the hose, but I think I have a bad sensor (or two) somewhere. The needle is normally pegged to the far left (cold), but when cranking/starting it will bounce to the far right (hot), then peg hard to the left.

I'll admit I haven't searched for the problem yet, as I'm feeling much more threatened by the random stall/no-start the car's hitting me with so I'm dedicating my efforts towards eliminating that issue as of this moment.

When I bought the car, the condition of the engine and how it ran was a complete unknown since we couldn't get it to start and run reliably. I'm thinking I overpaid by a large amount for this car, but I don't regret it... at least, not yet.

Whooo! I actually did something with the L36 today. Of course it took my buddy Brian to be the motivating force behind it all to get me moving. I promised him the L36 heads off this beast, so I pulled them off today so I can transport them to a get together tomorrow at College Station.



Oh, and the lower intake manifold gasket was shot, along with the HG between the #4 and 6 cylinders. Wewt. I'll be taking this block to a machine shop to have them give it a thorough going-over, and a thorough dunking in a hot tank to get the crappy Dexcool out of it.

I know, it's been a long time since I've last updated. Why? Not much has happened. Between going to a training class for over a month and just finding out that I still have a job as of a couple hours ago, I've had to put my Fiero on hold.

Now that my situation's much more stabilized, I can focus on making some headway on the Fiero. Not a minute too soon, I might add!

I just recently replaced the fuel pump, strainer, fuel pressure regulator, ignition coil and MAP sensor to track down and eliminate a stalling problem when the Fiero got warmed up. It seems to be fixed now, and I think it was the MAP causing the issue.

The Fiero is back up in the air, wheels are pulled off for refinishing. The powdercoat that's on them is some tough stuff, but I'll be buying some Permatex Gasket Remover aerosol to help strip them. I'll get some pics up once I've made some progress.

So, the project starts in earnest tomorrow. It should be an interesting experience.

quote Originally posted by GS Jon: I just recently replaced the fuel pump, strainer, fuel pressure regulator, ignition coil and MAP sensor to track down and eliminate a stalling problem when the Fiero got warmed up. It seems to be fixed now,

What fuel pump did you use? I was wondering because you will have to replace it again to support the 3800.

Glad to hear your job worked out for you…looking forward to see your progress on the Fiero

quote Originally posted by nosrac: What fuel pump did you use? I was wondering because you will have to replace it again to support the 3800.

Just a stock Fiero replacement. I figure I can sell it used when I upgrade to a 3800SC-compatible unit. I didn't have the time or patience to read through all the threads bickering back and forth about which fuel pump to use with a 3800SC swap, and then find out what I'd have to change to accommodate the upgraded pumps, so I just went with a stocker. Good looking out though, thanks.

quote Originally posted by BlackThunderGT: Glad to hear your job worked out for you…looking forward to see your progress on the Fiero

Thank you. I'm somewhat obsessed with building a new computer at the moment, once that's taken care of I'll start moving forward with my engine swap.

You didnt have to change anything to run any of the 3800 pumps. There really isnt any pump that doesnt work with a stock 3800, but the AC delco type pumps are usually a bit lacking in anything sub 3.4 pulley.

The price of any of the aftermarket pumps makes it fairly easy to buy them, as nobody argues that they dont work well, and the price has dropped quite a bit on the high output aftermarkets sense the arguing was going on, while the factory pumps go up in price.

needs to be more pics in this thread!!!

Do you want to come to Austin and see a REAL good 3800 swap? come on! lol

quote Originally posted by revin: needs to be more pics in this thread!!!

You're absolutely correct. Here's a pic of my garage after I've cleaned it up a bit. The Fiero's now up on jackstands awaiting my decision on how I'm going to strip the wheels. I'd like to take them to a powdercoating shop or a media blaster, but they're only open during the days and hours I work. Awesome.

quote Do you want to come to Austin and see a REAL good 3800 swap? come on! lol

I do! However, I'll have to do it later this month because I'm wayyyy busy right now. Just let me know when you're free, and I'd be happy to drive up there and check out your Fiero!

[This message has been edited by GS Jon (edited 01-09-2010).]

pm sent!
Like the fog light mod!!!

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: You didnt have to change anything to run any of the 3800 pumps. There really isnt any pump that doesnt work with a stock 3800, but the AC delco type pumps are usually a bit lacking in anything sub 3.4 pulley.

Yeah the Vette A/C Delco pump I run in my DD 3800 running a 3.0 is really lacking!!!!!!

Good thing I went from running the 2.8 daily to the 3.0 or I might be in trouble.

what set up do you have in your car.. wbody? that allows you to run a 2.8 pulley?? in my w body i was only running a 3.4 (then broke due to teenager driving) now im running a 3.25 in my Daily fiero but still no cam or rockers or intercooler thats why its not a 3.0 first fix my trans

quote Originally posted by IVANNATINKLE: what set up do you have in your car.. wbody? that allows you to run a 2.8 pulley?? in my w body i was only running a 3.4 (then broke due to teenager driving) now im running a 3.25 in my Daily fiero but still no cam or rockers or intercooler thats why its not a 3.0 first fix my trans

I have all the supporting MODs to run the 2.8--cam/IC/Tune/LS1TB/PP SC/TOGS/ect.

quote Originally posted by revin: pm sent! Like the fog light mod!!!

Yeah, that was done by the previous owner. The only changes I've made to the car is the suspension, brakes and getting the engine to run. I've inherited all of the other headaches. There's some errant, random wires running through my engine bay that I've not ID'd yet. Of course the PO had to replace the original engine with one from an auto Fiero because his brother blew the first one.

As for that bumper, it's probably getting swapped out. Either that or I have to find a way to fix the deformity of the top of the nose to match the hood, and change the foglight holes into brake ducts.

quote Originally posted by BlackThunderGT: Mike and Jon you are not alone, there are more Fiero's in the SA area. I live just north of 1604 & I35 by the Rolling Oaks Mall. Also there is the Alamo Area Fiero Owners: http://groups.myspace.com/i...le&groupID=105572184 They meet the last Sunday of the month at Denny’s Hwy 90 and Military 3:00 to 5:00 PM.

I need to check this out thanks for the link

I know, slow progress. BUT! Progress is being made. I got tired of messing with the wheels and trying to strip them myself (word to the wise: if you value your time, DON'T!) so I wound up taking them to Alamo City Soda Blasting. Great bunch of guys. They opened early at 0630 on Friday so I could drop them off and then busted their asses to get them done ASAP. $108 later, I have clean wheels. Here's a before and after:

Before:


After:


Tomorrow I polish the lips and paint the rest of the wheels an Iron Gray. Should look good.

[This message has been edited by GS Jon (edited 01-30-2010).]

Man, this is taking longer than I thought it would (yes, this is a recurring theme with me). Here's a pic of the lip after blasting:



And after it's been wetsanded to 220 grit:


Yeah, I got a while longer to go and this is my first wheel. With how rough the wheel is after blasting, I need to start with a more aggressive grit. I'm going out to pick up more paper right now, hopefully I can get all 4 wheels done up to 220 so I can bring them inside to finish them tonight. Gonna be a cold one and I don't want to be out in the garage with an open door working on these things tonight.

This is taking WAY longer than expected. At this rate, I'll MAYBE be done with two wheels in time for tomorrow morning. The lack of light is hindering my efforts as well. Here's the first wheel with the polishing at about 75% of where I want it. Further polishing can wait, this one needs to be painted: