An extremely solid ground connection on the baseplate is vitally important to the coil pack for correct operation... Note that GM has a 8-10ga jumper from the baseplate to the cylinder head. The baseplate does NOT ground through the cam cover because the cam cover is rubber-isolated from the cylinder head.
The ignition will NEVER run right without that ground connection on the baseplate.
Huh, that’s good to know. I will add a ground to the baseplate!
Sorry if you mentioned this and I missed it -- is that header wrap around the wires? Did you put it on just to protect them during the welding, or is that going to be a permanent thing to help protect them from heat in the engine bad?
It's a neat idea. I had picked up some high temp insulating wire loom, but it's meant to be put on wires that are being build, it's not a wrap (and it will be used on new wires going in). I might adopt this idea!
Very nice work!
Joe from 2 Seat Garage did my harness, and would have added that. It looks like header wrap to me, and I thought it was a great touch, especially where the wires do go under a header.
6/29/21 I was at a junkyard in PA. Even though it was out of a Northstar, it was a different length. Also, the bottom was broken off. Apparently, the best way to remove a dipstick is to drop the oil pan and put a socket over the tube to pop it out that way. The bottoms break when you try and pull from the top. Turns out heat remedies a lot of issues. Paul was able to heat it up and pop the dent out. He also brought me a bunch of Northstar dipsticks from a yard he was at, and two were the correct length!
7/4/21 The black is hard to pick up in the pictures. Paul helped me with a lot of prep, we did use some bondo around the strut tower to blend the seams more. He brought me some Eastwood paint that brought the engine bay back to life.
The engine is ready to go in. But we need to wait for the paint to dry.
7/5/21 Thank goodness for a lift. My dad and I got the engine in, but it still took a couple hours. Lining everything up was a hassle, and the stand we had the engine on got in the way.
We had to bring the car off the engine a couple of times due to clearance issues. The dipstick was hitting the wall(I image this is how it got bent in the first place), so with some heat we bent it out of the way.
The dog bone mount was hitting the new trunk mount. So we had to pull that and cut off the top part of it so it would clear.
7/7/21 Paul came out again to help. Today was a big day. If we got everything hooked up, we were going to try and start it. It took the whole day of us both working to get it to the point of fire. We worked on the main systems: electrical, cooling, fuel. The others, brake, some vacuum, and shifting was left aside in case the engine needed to be dropped.
I changed the routing of a few things around from the first time. Nothing that is terrible noticeable, but it’s a lot cleaner and more secure.
It wasn’t until 3:00 we were at the point of start. First, we unplugged the coils, and cranked it to try and get pressure. The engine gauge I installed this time around showed nothing.
We went home for dinner, and came back after we heard from Mr. Eric who said to try firing it up. I’m a bit paranoid after the first time and don’t wanna ruin the engine. Obviously it needs to work up to having pressure. Paul also put on a cone filter, that will eventually be routed better, but it’s better than nothing.
We took the gauge off the head, and fired it up. It started up right away. No sooner was I yelled at to shut it off because oil was pouring out the head thank goodness. We put the gauge back on, and fired it up again.
It has pressure! This is reading from the far head, where there was no pressure before.
It was great hearing it again. I was worried there was a bit of a tick. Paul and I were gonna try and get it home, but we decided to leave it until Mr. Eric could hear it and verify it was good to go. Again, I’m paranoid.
7/11/21 The 02 sensor got pinched when the engine went in, so I needed to pull it and fix the wiring on it. We had Mr. Eric listen to the engine. He thought it sounded great. The ticking was gone, and he said it was probably air caught in the lifters. There seemed to be typically valve train noise. Remember there is no exhaust yet so it’s very loud. The engine would backfire under power which is odd.
Mr. Eric is getting in there to listen, and my dad is to the side
We cracked the filter open. That’s a lot of metal flakes.
New filter on, and ran the engine. Cracked this filter. We peeled apart every groove, and only found two flakes. The first filter must have all been residual that never got flushed out. Mr. Eric gave the car a clean bill of health.
7/13/21 Paul came out again on my birthday. Of course he would drive the 3 hours out to help me my car, and I really appreciate it.
The Fiero started up super rough and was missing. Shut it off. Paul determined a few of my spark plugs wires weren’t popped on all the way, oops. They must’ve come loose when I fixed the 02 sensor. I hope this fixes the backfire problem too.
Paul drove it onto the trailer. Usually I’d load a Fiero facing forward, but I only lived 2 miles away down a dirt road from Mr. Eric.
We only strapped the rear down, and Paul sat in the Fiero on the brakes while I drove super slow.
We made it home though.
I forgot to shut the battery off and the Fiero had died due to the brake lights.
I convinced my mom to park her Jeep outside because the Fiero is needy. I only have one picture of all 3 of my Fieros together, but that was before the ’88 even had a cradle. I think I’m due for another photo shoot of my 3 *running* Fieros.
I was so excited I threw on some tail lights too. They are what came with the ‘88, and are garbage with cracks and broken tabs. But it looks much better.
I will be out of town until August, so the Fieros get to rest for a bit.
Sorry for the spam, but the thread is caught up again. I am potentially going to take the Northstar to its first car show this weekend. I’ll see what I can get done to it so it is more presentable.
Paul and I got a lot done on the Northstar today. The blue bumper is attached now. This body is temporary since this car will have an IMSA over the winter.
I finished insulating the passenger side and out the carpet in.
The driver seat is bolted down. I pulled the rails off, blasted and painted them. They had some rust. We were going to get the center console together, but the shift cables are in the way to the point the center console won’t fit. I am reluctant to cut a beechwood one up.
And I cut out a water shield for the driver side and got the door panel on. Paul also did an oil change for me and it has Amsoil Z rod in it now.
I got the computer zip tied and and the rear panel on. Paul gave me a really nice beechwood center console, except it doesn’t fit. My shifter cables come up too high and push the computer up. I have a pre 88 tan console I thought about cutting the cubby out of as well…
I did not get the best picture of what I did instead. I had a fiberglass console I’ve been trying to sell for a while. Turns out, it fits great. It could be a good base for me to work off of.
The passenger side seat rails. The drivers were more rusty. I cleaned them up and painted them black.
I made huge progress on the interior today. It was an all day progress for sure. There were a few frustrating parts, especially the passenger side seatbelt. It just gave me a tough time lining everything up and getting the bolts ok straight. Especially those darn torx.
Obviously this is a mash up of random parts. Of course this isn’t permanent, but I was sick of looking at it with nothing there. Now replacing things in the future will be easier since the bolts are still there.
I tossed in a windshield washer tank.
I put on a deck lid too. I had to transfer the latches from the old deck lid. It is a bit sketchy to open since the one hinge is not finished. I wanted something to cover the engine bay though.
We are off to the first car show ever for this car tomorrow.
I took the Fiero to its first show ever on the 31st in Norwalk, OH. The longest the Fiero drove for was at this show. It probably drove a half mile between parking and getting to the show field. I can’t drive it on a road since I haven’t gotten plates yet since there’s no exhaust.
My Fiero is the striped one obviously, Paul’s is to the left, and even more left was Paul’s friend Eric’s Fiero.
Trailering the car two hours was a bit of a hassle, but was well worth it. People loved it! There were people who came by just to see the if the remote was true that there was a V8 Fiero.
I have never heard of Pontiac Nationals, but it was so much fun.
[This message has been edited by copperhens (edited 08-02-2021).]
8/31/21 I’m not sure what my goal is for the interior. In the meantime, I painted the center console tan to at least sorta match. Here are progress pictures.
[This message has been edited by copperhens (edited 09-16-2021).]
This was a very stressful day. It was the day before I was to leave to Fierorama. I left work, and was on my way to my other job to feed the horses. I stopped at McD’s, and my truck wouldn’t start… a few hours and an ICM/ignition coil later, I was back on track.
After the truck ordeal, I didn’t get to Mr. Eric’s till 8. Here are some exhaust pictures.
Finished around midnight. This picture was taken before it was done. I got the exhaust and mufflers wrapped. It is not currently mounted to the chassis, but I’ll focus on that later…
9-11-21 My car feels out of place compared to the beasts beside it.
I did not take many pictures of this day. The event of the day was going to an air show, but I needed to work on my car. It’s never been driven(aside from a mile to and from Mr. Eric’s), and now that it has plates and an exhaust it’s legal. A maiden voyage is never complete without bugs. Paul drove the car because I’m still learning how to drive a Fiero stick. The car drove decent for 5 minutes. And then it would stall. The fuel pump would whine. It seemed to be starving for fuel. We limped it back to the hotel. Of course there were others fixing Fieros in the parking lot, and I appreciate the advice from the Pickardt’s and the Goss’s. We took Paul’s Fiero to the parts store and got a fuel regulator and a fuel gauge. It did a bit better, but under power I would watch the fuel pressure tank. Paul and I replaced the fuel filter and this is what came out. That’s not good… I only had the fuel tank cleaned early this year, and everything else was brand new.
Dropping the tank seemed like the next step. The car would run enough to get to the show, so I just enjoyed the rest of the day pre-showday with my mom, and all of the Fiero people.
Uploading images on Pennocks is slow, so I won’t be posting many. Be sure to check the Facebook groups for all the photos. The day was a blast, and there were so many cool Fieros. It was very motivating to keep me working on the car. It was the only dual over head cammed Fiero at the show which is pretty neat! It was supposed to be running by Carlisle, but I think getting it to Fierorama was acceptable.
What’s a car show without running over a nail in the parking lot? Until next year, I hope I will be able to drive it instead of trailer it down.
9-14-21 I’ve never dropped a gas tank without a lift, but this was still the quickest I’ve ever dropped a tank. I was very determined. The gas luckily self siphoned out of the return line which was the longest path of the ordeal. I had the tank out in a half hour.
I held my breath and the inside of the tank has me breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, the tank is toast, but I was worried the fuel issue was something wrong with the wiring or ECM or something tricky like that. I had this tank at a radiator shop early in the year. They said the tank was very hard to clean and they should’ve charged me more. I assumed they got it all… clearly not. At this point, so much rust has come out of the tank the walls are very thin. I need to find a new one.
The strainer.
My brand new pump… sadly I think I’m going to toss it and buy a new one, just in case.
Today, I finished installing my Rodney Dickman speakers. The fronts are in, and I recovered the speaker grills.
My tabs were broken, so I just tapped the bottom bolt in. The new speakers sound great. I also purchased a T47 to take the seat belts off, and wow, that makes it so much easier than cramming on a T50.
Friday started with great excitement with picking up my new gas tank from the Pickardts’s that got shipped through Fastenal. They gave me a great deal on a clean tank and I really appreciated Gary’s generosity in getting me a tank so quickly.
If you couldn’t tell already from the above picture, there was something very wrong. I didn’t even notice at first because I was so excited.
Fastenal really ruined my day. It was obvious a pitchfork punctured the box(they even tried to tape it) and it dented my tank. This is a critical spot, and the tank is useless if the sending unit can’t sit flat.
On Sunday, Paul was over and we were doing work on the garage and organizing. A local Fiero friend, Bo, messaged me that day saying he got an ‘87 parts car and would sell the tank. I tried not to get my hopes up because a parts car tank could likely be bad. After he sent me some pictures, I realized it was in fact clean. Paul and I drove the whole 15 minutes away and picked up this tank. It was already sprayed black, so we just touched up a few spot. I just wanted to install it and did not want to bother sanding it to make it a smooth finish.
Here is the inside:
Look, no rust lol.
Within the hour, Paul and I got it installed. The car started right up, and seemed very happy. The test will be how the fuel pressure holds under power because that was the issue before. That was due to the rust clogging the strainer presumably.
I drove the car for the first time(at my house, I did drive it at Fierorama). I just went a couple miles two the gas station and the pet store. I’m still learning a stick, but I’m getting better. When the car was in the air, I lowered the rear coilovers. I think they need to be raised slightly to match the front better.
I drove the car through October and put almost 200 miles on it. Towards the end the clutch started to have issues but I think it just needs to be bled again. I’ve been working on the garage a lot, and it’s now insulated. Haven’t installed a good heater yet but just the little kerosene one we have actually heard it up to 65F.
I tore the car down this week. it took only two evenings it’s almost bare.
While I have the room, I’d like to reroute some things. Mainly the fuel lines and heated core lines. They’re currently zip tied. The engine bay just looks a bit chaotic to me and I would like to clean it up more.
I lost a bit of momentum because with almost all the body panels off, there are less fun things ahead. I am procrastinating the door skins because it feels like there is a lot to it from the last time I did them. I did start prepping the strut towers. When me boyfriend Paul and I were cleaning the engine bay all those months ago, he said screw it on the tops of the struts. I don’t blame him because he drives all the way from Ohio just to work on my boring projects.
It’s easy to work on at least, here is the before.
I spent some time sanding and here it is after one layer of paint. The paint is super thin so I probably might sand it off again and primer it because it’s showing some scratches.
I set the front end on. This is exciting. Does anyone know how the widebody attaches at the lower fender near the door? I don’t see how it would mount.
I was procrastinating the door skins. The driver side has a plastic nut strip and that was the hardest part. The car was clean enough the other bolts came off with no issue. After some practice with the driver side, I had the passenger skin off in 20 minutes.
I was not going to do the roof, but figured why not. My other two Fieros are sunroof, and each have been a pain to get to not leak. This roof skin needs some serious fiberglass help to look good, but I’m debating just going hardtop…
It took a lot of heat and old kite string, but I got the roof off with zero cracks. I was quite impressed with myself.
The widebody comes with full door skins. I’ve seen newer ones that are only the rocker. I need to transfer a lot of hardware over for this to work.
I haven’t run the car in months, and it fired right up.
[This message has been edited by copperhens (edited 01-02-2022).]
Reading this whole thing in one day. This project was quite the adventure. I'll keep checking back in. Believe it. I keep changing my mind about what engine I want to swap but this make the N* seem like a pretty good idea lol Looking at your photos, the engine fills the bay so completely and your exhaust manifold is protruding so far into where the trunk was. I did a google search and saw there were other people still had their trunk in tact. How the heck do people even manage that?
Originally posted by Internet-man: How the heck do people even manage that?
LOL... It's complicated. There is no standard way.
You can take the stock rear manifold and install it upside down, but then the outlet points right at the rear cradle crossmember. You can use an extra front manifold on the rear, but then its outlet interferes with the axle. Either fussy cutting and welding to make factory manifolds fit, or build something else.
Wow! So cool. I'm keeping photos of this for future reference. How loud is that thing? Being able to keep the trunk is a must for any engine swap, for me. So a point for N* on that
[This message has been edited by Internet-man (edited 02-03-2022).]
Mr. Eric’s work is incredible as always. 
