Need help finding a good person to restore my wifes 1985 Fiero. She has owned it since 1990. She is wanting to have it restored and we need help finding someone. The car is complete with no body damage and has about 95,000 miles on it. It needs a complete restoration as the car has been sitting since 1994. Car ran when they parked it but hasn't been started since. To this day she has dreams about the car and is very passionate about it. Any information, contacts or leads would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Troy
While I'm too far away to help you, I can offer you some of my experience from a relatively recent complete restoration of an 86 GT.
First off, the word "restoration" means different things to different people. Here are the things it meant to me:
Body-off panel painting ($5K); Frame rust repairs and re-paint; Engine disassembly and overhaul ($2K); New brake hardware (pads, rotors, flexible and solid hydraulic lines; New shocks & struts; New suspension bushings, cradle bushings, tie rods, and ball joints front and rear; New tires; New clutch; Refaced flywheel; Rebuilt steering rack; New shifter cables; New door glass and windshield; New clutch slave cylinder; and New fasteners (most suspension and engine mounting bolts are seized and get ruined taking them off)
All of this cost $12K with me doing all of the work except the machining of the engine components and repainting the body panels. Figure out what parts and labor you know you won't need and adjust the cost downward by an appropriate amount (you can find the current costs for parts at The Fiero Store), then take that figure and double it if you're getting someone else to do the work for you. Bear in mind that well-restored cars are only fetching around $6K or so, so if you're still interested in a complete restoration, then consider posting your budget for the car and you might get a bite or two. Just be careful to screen any potential rebuilders... there have been a few in the last couple years that have disappeared with the money. Good luck.
