Been gone for a while; had to come down to LA (lower Alabama) and start flight school here at Fort Rucker, AL. To catch everybody up:

I bought an 88 GT from a forum member (to remain un-named) in May. 69k original miles. My first was an 88 Notchie... a black 88 GT 5spd has been my dream car since. I was/am overjoyed at getting this.







The following options were installed by the PO:

-Mr. Mikes Short Shifter Kit
-CRX Intake
-Alarm System and Remote entry. (Had a ridiculous, effeminate air-horn installed; removed.)
-Panasonic CD player (REALLY nice head unit)

Other niceties:

-Original paint, in good condition-ish, nice and shiny.
-Rims were in good condition
-TONS of documentation. I even was given some original press slides for the 88 year model
-2 extra emergency brake cables
-Nearly perfect interior

Overall I love this car. Couple things I've done myself (but not much: )


Installed Memphis Audio replacement speakers. The tweeters have adjustable direction, so that was kind of nice.


Kicker Hideaway 8" integrated subwoofer. This thing. It doesn't blow you out, but it makes for ideal full sound.

But... now for the bad.

When the CRX intake was installed, the PCV system was capped. I've got an overpressure problem, I think. I'm losing oil from somewhere, so bad it was pooled in the spark plug wells when I changed them a couple weeks ago. Engine also burns oil - at the very least I need to do valve seals.


Not even sure what this is or what it was. The intake isn't supported at all, except into the intake manifold. Is that supposed to be like that?


My attempt to relieve some of the overpressure.


This has slipped off twice; I cinch it down pretty hard.


That's fresh oil that ends up there after every drive. The build-up was pretty bad too, before I hosed it off in attempt to find where it was coming from.

The PO told me when I got it that the oil smell was from it "running rich" - much to my surprise, I was eating oil on the drive back. So, a bit disappointed there.

Other less important issues:


Car was rear-ended at some point in it's history. I didn't notice this particular problem until I'd driven it (bought) to my parent's place. The impact tore a pretty big hole here. We put a long metal plate in the hole, and then put the bolt through with a nut on the other side, in order to secure the latch. Really, though, I need a more permanent solution. Also, the trunk open sensor is SUPER sensitive, and is always telling me that my trunk is open. (It's not.)


Spoiler is cracked all the way underneath. It's starting to creep up. Any idea how to at least mitigate this and stop the movement?


Another result of the impact, I believe. But, these are rare enough, I probably should be thankful I have them at all?

Minor issues with the front fascia:




Maintenance/Fixes so far.

First thing was the Sway Bar end links. Ever since I got the car, it sounded like a bag of change when I hit a bump. This is what I found out was causing it:


Entire pieces gone.





Had to splice the coolant line to the heater core after it ruptured:


Plus the typical plugs, wires, and brakes.

Chris (whose name on here I forgot, and whose number I lost) in KC was an immense help. He helped save me a ton of money when I was having mysterious shifting problems. Which turned out to be a bad master and slave clutch cylinder, and then a bad NEW slave (had to get the aluminum Mr Mikes slave.) And, Chris, I still would love to do my engine change with you, but I think it needs to happen sooner rather than later because this is my only DD.

Goofy way to get to the point, but I'm going through oil a lot quicker than I'd like. And the only way I can see to fix it is a complete rebuild of the top end of the motor. This would put me out of a car for quite a while, which I can't do. I have class every day, and my evenings are going to disappear here quite soon.

What I can see as a possibility is building a motor, then doing the swap once the motor is done. Granted, that's hard to do in a weekend anyway (Murphy [i]loves[i] Fieros.) but I could manage without a car if I had to, for a week. But that'd suck.

Now, the AutoCraft center here on Post lets you store engines there for $2 a day, plus $5 an hour whenever you're working on it. Not bad, considering that's access to all their tools and lifts.

What I'm looking for:

- I'd like to buy, refurbish/rebuild/port/bore etc the motor for $1k. Whether possible, who knows. It's flexible, but not hugely so.
-Specifically, I don't want to just take a block and throw it in. I know it'll cost more, but I want a total rebuild of the motor so I don't have to question what's going on inside.
- Ease of install: I'm no mechanical expert. I only did my first set of plugs two weeks ago, brakes just 1 month ago.
- AC. Non-negotiable in AL
- Goal of 200hp, but whatever after that is gravy.
- Transmission - I'd like to stick with the stock 5spd, just to keep costs down.

I've done all sorts of reading on the different swaps. Really, given my limited amount of time and experience, I figure the 3.4 pushrod is the way to go for me. Given newer internals with a slight bore and improvements to the intake (have a machine shop open it up) I think I could make my HP goals. I'd consider the 3.8 (NA or SC) but I am not comfortable with the electronics at all, and I understand adding AC can make it a mess. I could even go with a basic 350 swap...but that requires more work, from what I understand.

Also, I'd want to do bushings/joints while I'm at it. Do they even make an all poly set for the 88?

So, I'm open to general opinion. Is there anybody here in LA that's done this, and would be willing to lend a hand or advice? Anybody local(ish) with a 3.4 block? I want to get this started within the next couple of months.

Any and all advice is appreciated. Have a good evening!

PS: Oh yeah.. what is this thing for?

(the switch, btw, is for the trunk light.)

------------------
Happiness is not around the corner. It is the corner.

An onramp is a terrible thing to waste.

07 G6 GTP

quote Originally posted by brotherhood_of_nod: Also, I'd want to do bushings/joints while I'm at it. Do they even make an all poly set for the 88?

Yes, Prothane makes kits for both front and rear.
Front: http://www.summitracing.com...ication/?prefilter=1
Rear: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PTP-7-305-BL/

quote Originally posted by brotherhood_of_nod: PS: Oh yeah.. what is this thing for?

That is the cruise control unit that both holds the throttle position, and will increase/decrease throttle. The cable coming off the right side of it wraps around the engine to the throttle body.

The 3.4 is the way to go in your situation.

The Fiero Factory in Toney, Alabama east of Huntsville should be very helpful. Contact Jeremy for more info.

Welcome to the Addiction! Glad to see another Military Guy on here. I would go with a 3.4 Pushrod in your case since you are looking for something relatively quick to swap in. Pick up a decent 3.4 and then go though it or take it somewhere and go through it, put the Fiero intake and valve covers on it if you want a stock appearance. If you wanted something a little more challenging then there is always the 3.4 DOHC motor. You shouldn't have any issues using the stock Getrag 5 speed with any of your swap options.

Rodney Dickman makes the best Ball Joints for our Fieros.
http://rodneydickman.com/ca...ndex.php?cPath=26_43

The Fiero Store carries Poly Tie Rod and Ball Joint Boots
http://www.fierostore.com/P...0%20%20RED&d=325&p=1

Oh, and I would do away with the CRX Intake. Its a hot air intake. Look around in the Mall or post a thread and try and pick up a stock intake system. The little filter looks to be attached to a breather tube, not sure. I think the losing oil issue is coming from the PCV system being capped. You may be getting crankcase pressure which is causing blowby and your burning oil because of that.

Always Remember, Buy a Fiero, become a Mechanic.

Thanks, I'll look for a stock intake. I'm assuming it'll fit with the 3.4.

Also car tends to backfire, especially if RPMs are low when I push into the gas. Is that normal?

Does the Fiero Factory have any experience with swaps? I know that the PO had them do the clutch and water pump.

quote Originally posted by brotherhood_of_nod: Thanks, I'll look for a stock intake. I'm assuming it'll fit with the 3.4. Also car tends to backfire, especially if RPMs are low when I push into the gas. Is that normal? Does the Fiero Factory have any experience with swaps? I know that the PO had them do the clutch and water pump.

Backfiring is not normal, you may have a vacuum leak . Fiero Factory does do swaps but I believe they are limited to just the 4.9l Cadillac Motor and 3.4 Pushrod Motors.

Nice look GT! An original paint black GT is hard to find. Unfortunately GM was just getting into water based paints at the time and the clear coat was not near as durable as it is now. i would purchase a good car cover and keep the car out of the sun as much as possible to preserve the paint. Otherwise you will see it turn a chalky white in a relatively short period of time in sunny weather..

First...
Before you start really worrying about oil consumption, try getting the PCV system back in working order.
The PCV valve should be in the back (trunk side) valve cover. It should have an elbow and a plastic tube that leads to a fitting on the bottom of the upper intake manifold/plenum. That tube should be ~1/4 inch in diameter. The PCV valve should rattle when you shake it.
The little filter that you have in the end of the metal tube should be fine. (That tube goes to the front valve cover... right?) I have a similar setup on my 4.9. Works like a charm.

(If you already know how the Fiero PCV system works, then please excuse the tone of the message. It's not really intuitive how it all works together. There's a lot of stuff on top of that engine.)

The oil pooling in the spark plug wells, could be caused by leaking valve cover gaskets.
They're a bit of a pain to replace. Generally the upper and middle intake manifolds need to come off.
It's possible that the bolts have just worked loose, or that the plastic washers have broken and fallen off. Either can cause an oil leak.
If you have to replace them, you will need the rubber ones. They're usually blue, gray or black.
Don't use the cork gaskets. They're designed for the stamped tin valve covers on the S10. Ours are cast aluminum.

As others have mentioned, the 3.4 is the easiest swap. It looks just like the 2.8, and uses the Fiero accessories and manifolding.
You want the one with the iron heads, that came in the 93-95 Camaro and Firebird.
The swap is well documented here and elsewhere. Basically, you'll need to relocate the starter and a couple of other minor details. Other than that it's a bolt-in.
200 HP will require some head porting and other "tricks". It can get a bit expensive.
I built up a 3.4 that, if everything worked correctly, should have made about 200 HP, although I never dynoed it. I had $800, just in head work.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 02-05-2014).]