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New friends over a ressurected Fiero by 94blackbird
Started on: 01-29-2015 10:04 PM
Replies: 17 (517 views)
Last post by: 94blackbird on 02-18-2015 11:55 PM
94blackbird
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Report this Post01-29-2015 10:04 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 94blackbirdSend a Private Message to 94blackbirdEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Recently I returned an 86 Fiero GT (the car pictured below) to forum member Sage's son. This car came into my temporary possession due to an unknown issue with the engine.

The car:



The culprit:



As you can tell by the culprit, this car needed a complete engine rebuild, which I performed. I also took care of a couple other small items while I had the car (the left rear was missing a wheel stud when I picked it up and lost another due to corrosion and age when I first dissassembled the car.) as well as some tune up items and new poly cradle bushings. Unfortunatley I did not take any other pictures of the whole priocess, though I'm sure any of you who have ever removed the engine from a fiero can imagine how it went.

A few of you may recall this last spring/summer when I started posting up about cars I had bought to part out. Then I fell off the map. I'm still doing that, but it'll be a little while before I'm caught up to the point where I'll be ready to start sending stuff out again. I also have a few ideas for some parts I would like to produce for the community, as well as upgrade items that I've been brainstorming, but that will all come out in a future thread.

Jim
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solotwo
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Report this Post01-29-2015 10:18 PM Click Here to See the Profile for solotwoSend a Private Message to solotwoEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Nice angle on the rod. LOL
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94blackbird
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Report this Post01-29-2015 10:22 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 94blackbirdSend a Private Message to 94blackbirdEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by solotwo:

Nice angle on the rod. LOL


You can't see it in the pic, but that piston is almost split in two!
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CavScout
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Report this Post01-30-2015 07:16 AM Click Here to See the Profile for CavScoutSend a Private Message to CavScoutEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Not familiar enough with yearly options, but was that out of a V6 or Iron Duke?
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fierosound
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Report this Post01-30-2015 07:21 AM Click Here to See the Profile for fierosoundClick Here to visit fierosound's HomePageSend a Private Message to fierosoundEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by CavScout:

Not familiar enough with yearly options, but was that out of a V6 or Iron Duke?


ALL GTs had the 2.8L V6 engine.

------------------
Calgary time/temp

3.4L Supercharged 87 GT Click me
Super Duty 4 Indy #163 Click me

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CavScout
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Report this Post01-30-2015 09:52 AM Click Here to See the Profile for CavScoutSend a Private Message to CavScoutEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by fierosound:

ALL GTs had the 2.8L V6 engine.



That's what I assumed, but the rod messed me up hearing so much about bad 4 cylinder rods...

Thanks for the clarification.
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2.5
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Report this Post01-30-2015 10:19 AM Click Here to See the Profile for 2.5Send a Private Message to 2.5Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
So how does that happen?
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jimbolaya
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Report this Post01-30-2015 11:39 AM Click Here to See the Profile for jimbolayaSend a Private Message to jimbolayaEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
I didn't even know a connecting rod could bend like that.

Jim
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solotwo
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Report this Post01-30-2015 12:55 PM Click Here to See the Profile for solotwoSend a Private Message to solotwoEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Hydraulic lock?
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2.5
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Report this Post01-30-2015 03:58 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 2.5Send a Private Message to 2.5Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by solotwo:

Hydraulic lock?


I guess either that or bearing siezed?
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94blackbird
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Report this Post01-30-2015 04:41 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 94blackbirdSend a Private Message to 94blackbirdEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by 2.5:

So how does that happen?


That happens from a combination of age and (ab)use. The car has roughly 250k on the clock when the rod let go. From what i found in the oil pan, my guess is that it beat the bearing completely out, which then let the rod knock around, bending it, then finally the crank caught the rod at the exact right moment to remove the big end from the rest of the rod, probably sometime during an upstroke as the piston wacked the cylinderhead hard enough to leave a perfect indentation of the chamber perimeter and both valves. The rod journal was pretty wasted (blacked and scored) when I finally got the engine apart for diagnosis.
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Tstang429
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Report this Post01-30-2015 06:45 PM Click Here to See the Profile for Tstang429Send a Private Message to Tstang429Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
can i buy that piston and rod? great wall decoration.
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Fiero Vampire
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Report this Post01-30-2015 07:06 PM Click Here to See the Profile for Fiero VampireSend a Private Message to Fiero VampireEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Damn that rod is messed up, I've kinda seen worse as far as the bend is concerned, but it was a from a diesel when water got sucked into the intake through a crack in the hose coming from the turbo, the rest of the Piston and rod were perfectly fine (not counting the U-ish bend). I'm thinking perfect time for a 3.4 upgrade!
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94blackbird
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Report this Post01-31-2015 07:39 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 94blackbirdSend a Private Message to 94blackbirdEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Tstang429:

can i buy that piston and rod? great wall decoration.


Sorry not for sale. You are right though it does make a good wall decoration!
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94blackbird
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Report this Post01-31-2015 07:40 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 94blackbirdSend a Private Message to 94blackbirdEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post

94blackbird

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quote
Originally posted by Fiero Vampire:

Damn that rod is messed up, I've kinda seen worse as far as the bend is concerned, but it was a from a diesel when water got sucked into the intake through a crack in the hose coming from the turbo, the rest of the Piston and rod were perfectly fine (not counting the U-ish bend). I'm thinking perfect time for a 3.4 upgrade!


Maybe one day in the future. For now it's his only means of transportation (more or less) so getting it back on the road was priority.
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Sage
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Report this Post02-02-2015 08:50 AM Click Here to See the Profile for SageSend a Private Message to SageEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
A little more "input" concerning this operation from one of the guys who helped instigate it:

My son (some of you may remember when he used to post here as "Reality") got this 86GT from a co-part lot. It had been wrecked in the rear and obviously totaled by the insurance co..

When he finally got it home, had to beat/straighten out the trunk, put a rear bumper on it (thanks JimmyS ....see that fiberglass rear bumper DID finally get used! ) and a few other little things before it could be driven. Thought he was going to have to buy a set of taillights, but when we finally got the decklid open, there were the lights stuffed in the trunk!

The car had over 225,000 miles on the odometer, but the body, (other than collision damage), looked like it had been taken care of and in fairly decent shape. While looking through the car, a stack of oil filter box tops with mileage written on them was found in the drivers door map pocket, suggesting that the engine had received regular oil changes during it's entire life. Ran good, didn't make any strange noises, so he drove it.

I wasn't with him every minute after we got it on the road, so I really can't say how it was treated, but it was either already on it's way out, or had an oil leak and was let go too long, or it was downright raunched on once too often! Truth is I don't know what happened to cause it to spin the bearing, but that's what it did. After the bearing was toast, the big end of the rod obviously tried to weld itself to the crank and something had to give sooner or later. The picture above clearly shows what it was!

So then the car sat, and sat and sat. He eventually bought another Fiero with a 3.4 installed, but not much else in good condition, with the intention of pulling the 3.4 and moving it over to the GT. So then they BOTH sat, and sat and sat.

After contacting Jim about selling him a couple other cars since he was looking to stockpile some parts, we threw around the idea of him doing the work on the GT. We came to an agreement, and he drove 4hours (one way!) pulling his 38' enclosed trailer to where the cars were and headed back to Painsville with them. He actually made three round trips in all. One to pick up the two cars he bought from me, one to pick up the two from Anthony, one of which was going to have a good engine installed, and one to return the GT after it was completed.

Jim knows his stuff when it comes to engines. He completely rebuilt the spare engine, removed the bad one, installed the fresh one, and delivered the car when finished, all for what it probably would have cost for us to rebuild an engine and pay labor to install it. Granted it took a little longer than any of us had originally anticipated or wanted it to, but it got done, and it wasn't a ridiculous amount of time, just longer than we thought it was going to take. We ALL know that deal about life getting in the way of what we want to do....right? In the end, he performed "above and beyond the call of duty."

I'm just here to tell you that you can trust Jim. He knows what he is doing, says what he means and means what he says. He's still a Marine.....and a good one!

Anybody close to his location (Cleveland area) should have no quams what-so-ever about having Jim do work for them.

Not sure what all he intends to offer in the way of services, but whatever it ends up being, it will be top-notch, that you can be sure of.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Seriously, Jim's one of the "good guys".


HAGO!

[This message has been edited by Sage (edited 02-02-2015).]

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kristinagalloway
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Report this Post02-02-2015 11:32 AM Click Here to See the Profile for kristinagallowaySend a Private Message to kristinagallowayEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
That looks pretty hard work
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94blackbird
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Report this Post02-18-2015 11:55 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 94blackbirdSend a Private Message to 94blackbirdEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Bumping this back up for the few who may read this. Due to a situation that has arisen, I may be moving forwards with a couple of things I've been planning much sooner than expected. I'll start a new post in the near future detailing what I've got in mind once I get a few details ironed out. Needless to say I've very excited, and I hope you all will be too once I make my announcement.
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