I am looking at possibly getting an 86 v6 parts car and a 1987 gt fiero that needs an engine and a drivers side door. I will want to put the door from the 86 on the 87 gt. Will it fit? I also intend to use the engine from the 86.
Your best bet is to look carefully at the 86. If the 86 is a GT, I know there were some late built ones that were basically early 87's. The easiest way to tell if it is a GT car is whether it is a 4 or 5 speed (if it is a manual) or to look at the headlight motors. if the motors are like the 87 then it is a late build and pretty much identical, if the motors look different then it is an early 86 and more like an 85. Also there were some changes to the 2.8, you can spot the early ones by having a "Fiero" sticker on the top plenum (if that is still original for the car). The late ones should have the word "Fiero" actually engraved into the metal like on the 87.
As far as the doors I don't think it matters other than making sure the guts are identical otherwise you will be swapping internals. For the engine, early and late have some slight differences but I do not know all of them specifically.
------------------ Fiero's Owned:
1987 Coupe 2.5 5spd May 99 - June 03 1987 GT V6 5spd July 30 2012 - Current
As far as the doors I don't think it matters other than making sure the guts are identical otherwise you will be swapping internals.
Door swaps are pretty much universal. I put an '84 door on my '88 and the everything was a match including the wiring harness connectors for the power windows/locks and the power mirrors.
The only difference I am aware of is the '84 doors require use of an '84 outer door panel since the method of attachment along the top is different from the later years.
...if the motors look different then it is an early 86 and more like an 85. Also there were some changes to the 2.8, you can spot the early ones by having a "Fiero" sticker on the top plenum (if that is still original for the car). The late ones should have the word "Fiero" actually engraved into the metal like on the 87.
But does it make any difference with swapping the engines? I don't think so.
Engines are the same. There are some attachment differences between manual and automatics, like flywheel/flexplate, coolant crossover pipe, heater bypass nipple that screws into the water pump, and engine wiring harness.
Manual uses a flywheel, automatic uses a flexplate. The 86 chassis utilizes a pipe nipple that screws into the water pump for the heater bypass hose. The 87 has a pipe plug in it's place. Plug and nipple are interchangeable because the pump is the same. Automatic and manual equipped coolant crossover pipes were different. Use the appropriate one for your engine.
While the engine is out, replace the exhaust manifold studs with the Saturn exhaust manifold studs. Just for future ease.
Your best bet is to look carefully at the 86. If the 86 is a GT, I know there were some late built ones that were basically early 87's. The easiest way to tell if it is a GT car is whether it is a 4 or 5 speed (if it is a manual) or to look at the headlight motors. if the motors are like the 87 then it is a late build and pretty much identical, if the motors look different then it is an early 86 and more like an 85. Also there were some changes to the 2.8, you can spot the early ones by having a "Fiero" sticker on the top plenum (if that is still original for the car). The late ones should have the word "Fiero" actually engraved into the metal like on the 87.
As far as the doors I don't think it matters other than making sure the guts are identical otherwise you will be swapping internals. For the engine, early and late have some slight differences but I do not know all of them specifically.
All 86 and up GT's were fastback design. Early 86GT's were available with 4-speeds. Late 86GT's had 5-speeds. If it has the old style headlamps with relays mounted on the side of the headlight mechanism, it's an 86. No exceptions. The 2-wire second generation motors did not appear until the 87 model production year. This applies to the 86 and 87SE V6 Notchbacks, too.
Virtually everything on a Fiero is interchangeable across all model years. I said Virtually, not Universally. There are a few exceptions, mostly applying to the 84 and 88 model years.
