Good morning all! Thanks for the add and the site full of resources! I am now the proud owner of a “cherry” (sarcasm) of an ‘84. I’ve always liked these cars and I found this one for a killer price. I know I will end up haunting this site for all sorts of information, and there is one hell of a story about me getting it home (it was “only” 1.5 hrs away) that I will tell when I figure out how to post pictures from a phone (I don’t own any sort of computer)
Lots of great info and people here that can help you out in plenty of ways! Including myself to the best I can
To post pics your going to need to download pip (pennocks image poster) to a computer. I'm unsure if it can be done from a phone. Maybe someone can chime in on that.
Once you get that far I want to hear the story behind how you got that car!
...and there is one hell of a story about me getting it home (it was “only” 1.5 hrs away) that I will tell when I figure out how to post pictures from a phone (I don’t own any sort of computer)
As much as I promote the use of PIP here myself, I'm afraid the multiple suggestions to use PIP to post your images are for naught. PIP requires a Windows PC.
Use a photo hosting site such Flickr or Imgur etc. Images should also be re-sized and/or presented no wider than 1024 pixels so that they properly fit within the structure of a forum thread (without the need to scroll side to side).
Yes, we'd enjoy seeing your adventure!
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 03-29-2018).]
Thank you for the link and I really wish it was that easy...I don’t own/have access/have use of a computer. Also I have an iPhone. Due to where I live I don’t have internet nor could I ever get it (I live on a boat). I will have to find something that works on mobile device and will work with apple software.
Originally posted by Red98422: Due to where I live I don’t have internet nor could I ever get it (I live on a boat). I will have to find something that works on mobile device and will work with apple software.
I am the 'puter dummy. I have an IPhone hot linking my desktop. Also, every library has free computer usage.
Sorry if I told you something you already know.
Living on a boat, that must be cool. I want to hear of your adventure even if you do not post pictures.
Welcome to the forum.
[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 03-31-2018).]
Sorry all for leaving you in suspense lol. However I have flikr now and I am uploading some pics and taking some more this afternoon before I start pulling out my interior this afternoon. Cliff, I am aware of the hotspot and the library however thank you for the suggestions. And Dratts, I’m unfortunately not close to Spokane I’m in the Tacoma area, as for living on a boat it’s pretty dang awesome if you don’t mind smaller spaces, I’ve been through about 4 boats now finally in my dream boat. However that is off topic. As far as my “mint” Fiero goes I’ll be trying to post a test/teaser picture here whenever the photos upload to flikr
I've downloaded and re-sized your image. This (or smaller) is what you're after...
quote
Originally posted by Patrick:
Use a photo hosting site such Flickr or Imgur etc. Images should also be re-sized and/or presented no wider than 1024 pixels so that they properly fit within the structure of a forum thread (without the need to scroll side to side).
And if the image file size can be kept to 300 kb or smaller, you won't end up with icons (which need to be clicked) instead of images.
Thank you Patrick, I will try to see how to do that...I’m using flikr, so do I have to resize it before I upload the image to the hosting site or resize it in flikr?
I’m using flikr, so do I have to resize it before I upload the image to the hosting site or resize it in flikr?
I honestly don't know the ins and outs of hosting images with Flickr. Maybe someone who's more familiar with Flickr can post what's the best way to link to an image that's 1024 pixels in width and no bigger than 300 kb.
I understand you're limited to using your phone, but speaking for myself, I'd hate not being able to use my PC for posting here or at any other forum.
I downloaded the highest resolution version of your image from Flickr and used IrfanView on my PC to resize and re-compress the image. Then I uploaded with PIP.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 03-31-2018).]
I found the following "how to" video. Looks like re-sizing an image within Flickr is quite easy. The only problem is that there is no control of the re-compression ratio. In other words, if you create an image 1024 pixels in width (from a larger image), it's possible that the file size will still be greater than 300 kb. Anyway, try it and see how you make out.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 03-31-2018).]
You're not actually linking to an image. The address needs to have ".jpg" at the end of it. It's probably got something to do with Sharing in the Flickr settings.
[EDIT] Try doing what the Scotsman advises...
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 04-01-2018).]
Thank you Cliff for the encouragement! I’ve decided that when it comes to anything other than spinning wrenches or welding (oxy/fuel or arc) I’m pretty inept, I mean heck my brother who programs arduiono controllers couldn’t help me do this from a phone, so here goes my story...if anyone is willing to pm me with an email or something to help me with pics that’s awesome but I will continue in dialogue as it were.
I could start with drama but let me start off with...I was looking for an amazing project (aren’t we all?!?!?) and I saw this advertisement on the CL. So it was barely beneath my criteria (local, cheap and older than ‘85) but the price was amazing...The AD states simply “1984 Pontiac Fiero, sold with affidavit, runs and drives. Has a leaky sunroof” They had three pictures, one was the dash with ODOone was the outside (port, full broadside) and one was a sorta interior shot with the messed up seat. Got a hold of the seller and set a date of the next Sunday afternoon to meet. Well I meat this guy and wow. All I can say is it was a debacle, the car in question was covered in mold/moss. And it has one of the biggest ricer wings I have ever seen on the deck lid. The color is a maroon with enough glitter for an entire strip club. I get to talking to the guy and he told me “it just needs a jump and it’ll start right up”...needless to say it needed a completely new battery, which to his credit he actually pulled out of one of his cars (it was a Cadillac CTS) well after that whole issue got sorted out and I had to crank it for a dang long time it finally fired up...sorta. It sounded like complete garbage, missing and stuttering smelled rich as heck too. I figured what the heck I’ll take it for a drive, this was about the time I noticed that the battery tray was pretty much non existent and the battery was about 1/8” away from the water pump pulley, so we rigged up a ratchet strap from behind the battery, under the positive post to help hold it up and then around the B-pillar through the passenger window to connect to the shoulder belt hoop. Finally “test drove” it and it drove about as well as it ran. However I got back, we made a deal and I bought the car. This is where the adventure truly begins, because now I get to drive it back home.
So the next thing I needed to do was grab some fuel. The gauge was reading E but I wasn’t sure if the gauge worked so I stopped into a station....and proceeded to spend the next 30mins trying to figure out/find the tank release lever....(drivers side B-pillar if you were wondering). Got that sorted and all was well. I was on the highway and she was still running like garbage but kinda going, until I hit a small hill and that was where she refused to go any further speed started to drop and she wouldn’t go past idle then she started to backfire bad out the exhaust I pulled over in the side and the first thing I did was pull the air cleaner contraption off. Nothing looked too bad in there so I pulled the spark plugs figuring I could at least read them to see what’s going on. The only ones left were 1 & 4. 2&3 were completely wasted, I mean to say there was no electrode left, I’ve seen better spark plugs come out of a burned up nitro motor. Fearing the worst case scenario, but out of other options I went to a nearby parts store to get new plugs, when I got there and I handed the plugs off to the clerk his first comment to me was “so what kind of project are you trying to get on the road”. Anyways I got the new and correct plugs and after checking for compression (ie putting your finger over the plug hole and having someone crank it) I got the new plugs in and she fired off!!! She was running soooo much better with all four cylinders! Also apologies for the multiple installments it takes a long time for me to type this all out and I’ve been ridiculously busy lately.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Red98422: Thank you Cliff for the encouragement! QUOTE]
Thank you for the tale. My my folks, I think Red98422 has got it bad, . I see a few more Fieros in his future.
Red98422, I am also usually busy as heck. Your tale though seems to have inspired me to start a new thread. I hope I can, or anybody can and I will add to it.
Cliff, the tale is not yet complete lol, there is one more installment left before I finally got her home, and as for more Fieros in the future we shall see, my lady already says she thinks my notchie is and I quote “ugly and boxy” then I showed her a pic of a fastback and she liked that one...sounds like enough on an excuse for me to start looking for a fastback!
After the spark plug debacle was sorted out I spun her back onto the highway, something I should have mentioned earlier is that the turn signals didn’t work and the window crank was missing luckily I had a pair of pliers but this means I did this entire adventure with the window down and hand signals...which apparently nobody knows what those are anymore. However I was able to get her cruising at around 65 and other than the fact she felt like she was darting all over the road on every bump and really hard to hold steady wasn’t too bad once you embraced the sketchy. I ended up making it about 20miles before I lost all power. Literally all power, the engine shut down the lights went off just dead. Managed to wrangle it over to the side of the road and this is where I noticed a small (14ga) wire just poked into the positive terminal, when I wiggled it I had power....so I wrapped it more securely and figured I would be good until I finally got home. Well 5miles down the road I see a flash of spark a big smoke cloud and the car is dead again. Looked like the wire had hard grounded itself and completely fried the wire. I was trying to chase it back to see where it even went and the wire was just shot, it literally crumbled in my hands. I chased it back to two bigger red wires (10-8ga) that were crammed into the shoddiest crimp connector I’ve ever seen. Lacking other options I cut it with my pliers and stripped then with my knife, then I had to come up with how to get power to them. Lucky for me this wasn’t my first rodeo buying a cheap car and I had a set of jumper cables which I proceeded to hack apart (and cut myself good in the process) and strip one of the wires, the problem I ran into at this point was that I had nothing resembling wire caps or electrical tape, so I used some medical tape (for me and the bare wire ends) then I used some old mop strings off the road to secure the wire away from the exhaust and the taped portions away from any grounds. Surprisingly this was it, the rest was smooth sailing. I got her home and even though it took 4 hours to make a 1.5hour trip I learned a lot about my new car...for one a LOT of hakery was done to the wiring before I even got to it (I have no less than three relays that are just dangling in the breeze and two that aren’t even hooked up, I have wires that are cut under the dash that are being used to tie up the other wires and lastly I have a fistful of wires in the trunk area that don’t look to go anywhere including a big flat connector that’s not plugged into anything) secondly I learned that in a pinch if you have nothing else medical tape works to connect wires. Unfortunately I also learned that generally society as a whole sucks....the whole time this was happening and the numerous and lengthy amount of times I was on the side of the road trying to fix my car not one car stopped to offer help or even ask if I was ok...kinda sad but I guess that’s the way it goes nowadays. And that ladies and gentleman is the epic adventure that it took me to get my fiero home
Originally posted by Red98422: After the spark plug debacle was sorted out I spun her back onto the highway, something I should have mentioned earlier is that the turn signals didn’t work and the window crank was missing luckily I had a pair of pliers but this means I did this entire adventure with the window down and hand signals...which apparently nobody knows what those are anymore.
Red98422, thank you. Epic adventure for sure.
quote
Originally posted by Red98422: Unfortunately I also learned that generally society as a whole sucks....the whole time this was happening and the numerous and lengthy amount of times I was on the side of the road trying to fix my car not one car stopped to offer help or even ask if I was ok...kinda sad but I guess that’s the way it goes nowadays.
It might comfort you to know I always stop to assist. Unless my wife, (used to be) kids were with me and unless I was in a super hurry or it's to close to heavy traffic and conditions seem unsafe.
Now a days, with the advent of everybody having a cell phone, help is but a call away. Even then though, people do need help. I am not much good on the computer controlled vehicles but I have better than fair diagnostic abilities. I also carry a butt load of tools and many things I can fix. Belts, hoses, electrical. Some people just need a ride to the parts store/gas station.
It is good to know somebody stops to help people, I usually do as well. The way I see it is I’ll eventually need help myself, even with cell phones I know I have been in the can’t afford a tow truck/waiting on parts category on the side of the road, it seems to also depend on location I blew my cars engine in Roseburg Or. And I’ll tell you what some of the nicest people I have ever met it seemed like everyone was helpful in the entire city.
Originally posted by Red98422: The way I see it is I’ll eventually need help myself ...
Yeah, we can see how well that worked out for you, .
I have been the recipient of that help. Always a thank God moment, even if it is just to see the beauty in mankind.
When I can and do help, I don't do it for me. I am also not trying to pay it back. But the high I get from doing it ? Priceless. Sometimes more than others.
In other news I was tinkering with my battery trying to figure out a better way to keep it off the water pump, or at least take the ratchet strap out of the passenger window...well couldn’t really do it, not a whole lot of options to attach a ratchet strap under the deck lid
However looking over the mess that was once a wiring harness and I see a sensor plug dangling....with a damn screw in the socket!!!! Like it was plugged in and to top it off the PO actually then wrapped the screw with wire then grounded it to the deck lid....I don’t believe there are enough words in the English language to describe the debachery that is my cars wiring.
At least all is not lost I have the shop manual for my car ordered and it should be here by this weekend with my new brake pads!!!!! I will make this car right...or if not right at least not a rolling fire hazard.
, I don't want to see pictures. I want to hear of your adventure/ordeal, 
and to top it off the PO actually then wrapped the screw with wire then grounded it to the deck lid....I don’t believe there are enough words in the English language to describe the debachery that is my cars wiring.
