Georgia Fiero Club Forum
All Things Fiero => General Fiero Discussion => Topic started by: GTRS Fiero on July 19, 2020, 12:26:04 pm
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I'm now the new sortof owner of an '84. No pictures. The vehicle isn't here. It's black, manual, and apparently drove to its current location. The powerplant is a 2.5L L4. I'll probably get to see this Fiero later this week.
This Fiero sortof fell into my lap.
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Another Fiero adventure begins!
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I got an email to come get it, along with a basic description. Still no pictures. I have a feeling this isn't a show car, but it drove, so must be running.
Since we're trying to move, and buying land, and doing some other things, probably not the adventure you'd expect.
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I saw it, today, and gave it a quick lookover.
It does start and run. When turning the engine off, it runs for a while. There is a major exhaust leak. It has a high idle, and a miss. The miss is every few revolutions, which makes a stuttering sound. When it warms up, the engine exhibits a hunting idle. The engine oil is filthy, but the transmission fluid looks/smells good. The engine oil dipstick is missing the part with the fill/full marks. No oil shows on the dipstick. No idea how it runs on the fuel in the tank. The fuel smells very old. The engine runs pig-rich. The oil gauge needle is broken off, but someone mounted a gauge in the dash. The fuel gauge is incorrect.
I think anyone getting near this Fiero should be sure their tetanus shots are current. The floorpan is mostly gone.
The tires are aired up, but are dry-rotted. He claims the tires are new, and certainly they have plenty of tread. No way I'd drive anywhere on them. Get this. The wheels are painted white, but are rusty! Clearly steel wheels. The car does move under its own power. In fact, the engine fired right up.
The brakes look as if they were siezed, but it seems someone bashed the brakes loose with a BFH.
The windshield is very cracked. Most of the exterior lighting is broken, cracked, or missing. The sunroof is caucked, but the seal is gone, leaving very rusty tracks. The door seals look as if something ate them. The battery tray is gone. Some pieces of wood hold the battery in place.
I did push the car, and things are so loose the front wheels toe in and out when moving backward and forward. If it drove to its current location, it can't have been more than a few feet.
The carpet is torn. The turn stalk is missing. The guy insists that the car has cruise, but there is no canister. There is no radio, and the HVAC controls are missing. The guy insists that the radio works, and seems to genuinely believe that the radio still exists in the car. I tried explaining that the missing piece is the entire radio, but we'll just have to disagree on that. There were cranks for the windows, but the crank handles were removed. Someone installed power window switches. They cut holes in the plate, and screwed the switches to the top of the plate. The switches don't do anything. Under the dash, there are some levers and buttons. No idea what any of those do. On the passenger side, someone screwed a glove box to the dash. Someone secured the vinyl with screws.
Did I mention that this "manual" is an automatic? Having "neutral" does not make it a manual. This is another thing on which we just had to disagree.
The air filter housing has no intake hose; it just ends with a blunderbus opening. The air filter is filthy.
The decklid vents, screws, and mounts are missing. There is no center vent, so the deck lid must have been changed.
The door panels are falling off the frame. Most of the belt trim is cracked, broken, or missing.
The car itself was supposed to be black, but was painted white, except for the roof, which is silver.
I thought the headlights were sealed, but they're full of water and condensation. The headlights are fixed in the up position.
The rearview mirror was broken off the windshield. The right mirror glass is missing, and the left mirror appears to have been ripped off. The paint is oxidized and cracked. The rear fascia is bashed in on one side. So much for no accidents.
The steering wheel only has 2 spokes, like an upside-down V.
No keys work in the door or trunk locks.
The car lists to the right.
The tub in the front is missing. The entire engine bay is coated in foil, as is the underside of the deck lid.
To review, this was supposed to be a black Fiero, manual transmission, good condition, drivable. It is white, automatic, not drivable, and in what I would describe as poor condition.
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Does it come in it's own coffin?
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No.
The guy recently bought a BMW 330 GT, which probably cost more than a Fiero, so likely could have fixed this.
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Sounds like some I have gone to see with a similar description. I assume you left it there?
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Oh, yes. It will be going to the junkyard.
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The first Fiero I ever looked at for purchase, I opened the drivers door and it fell completely off. I kept looking.
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I have had that happen to me, but not on a Fiero.
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I had driven there in my Fiero, and gave the guy's oldest son a ride. The boy liked the Fiero, and is studying to be a mechanic. He is 15, and wants a Fiero. We agreed that I'll help him fix this up, then sell it to him.
Today, we ordered various interior parts, door panel fasteners, a dogbone, various bushings, tie rods, belt trim, side markers, a radio, a blinker stalk, HVAC controls, exhaust parts, the correct engine dipstick, the correct air filter housing, the front tub, headlight motors, an instrument cluster, a rear fascia, trunk seal, all sensors, all relays, various fasteners, side mirrors, solid headliner, wing stand gaskets, battery cables, starter wiring, new carpets, new coolant reservoir, new washer fluid reservoir, new wiper motor, brake lines/hoses, various seals, new shocks/struts, control arms, ball joints, new ground wires, heater resistor, blower motor, sail panels (with frames), arrow and front emblems, dew wipes, door felts, fuel lines/hoses, and decklid vents/screws/mounts. They picked up rebuilt brake calipers. Used tail light housings/lenses were ordered. All new bulbs, new plugs and wires, new wiper blades, new belt, water pump, pads, rotors, and a new injector were picked up locally. I am providing a set of door weatherstrips. The steering wheel likely came from a Chevy van. I am providing a steering wheel from a Fiero I used to own. I am also providing a fuel fill tube.
Most of the nasty white exterior paint was powerwashed off. The car is now black, again--except for the decklid, which is actually white.
The guy has a large garage, so we tried to drive the car into the garage. No dice. Don't you laugh, but they certainly did. The Fiero went everywhere but where I wanted it to go. After I'd tried several times, the guy came over and laughingly told me that I needed to steer it toward the garage. Thanks. Really helpful. Eventually, we put the front end on a dolly, and pulled the car into the garage.
The seats, headliner, door panels, and most of the interior were removed. The remnants of the exterior lighting and belt trim were removed. The front and rear fascia were removed, along with the front hood.
The sunroof was removed. The windshield was removed.
The front and rear wheels and brake calipers were removed. The wheel well liners were removed. Everything in the trunk was removed. The wheels were taken to be refinished and get new tires.
We cut out the rusty parts of the floor pans. The battery box was cut out and replaced. All visible frame rust was cut out. The rear bumper was removed in its entirety.
We detailed the car as best as possible.
The Fiero is sitting on wood blocks in the garage. Lots of newspaper is under the car.
The fluids have been drained. We cleaned out the ducts, heater box, and squirrel cage.
I'll be darned, but maybe this Fiero did have cruise control. There is a spherical plastic thing with a vacuum hose going to it. I have not found a cruise solenoid.
This thing has the wrong plugs in it.
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I think the plugs, air filter, and some other things are from a V8. It would seem that the carb would be larger on a V8, but this is all wrong. The plug wires are the wrong lengths.
We got an appointment for inspection on 8/6. So, it needs to run and drive by then.
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to remove the windshield, just yet.
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We sourced a rear fascia and the black crate stuff that goes behind it, locally. Only thing is, this fascia is a red color.
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We sourced window crank handles.
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This is not as bad as it seems.
This will be the son's first car. The father is paying for all the parts and outside labor, but the son must actually buy the car with his own money. The son is also required to work on the car.
When the change happened, I told the dad that this Fiero would cost $12K to $15K to fix to a reliable, safe vehicle, IF most of the work was done by him and his son. After the Fiero was ready to drive, it'd be worth about $800. I agreed to orchestrate getting the Fiero fixed, including helping with finding parts.
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You've hooked another one, good job.
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Only for a month or so. Once it's fixed, it's sold. Heading there, now.
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A welder from Midas came by to work on the Fiero on the side. He welded in one floor pan, the frame pieces, the trunk, and everything to fix the rear bumper. I welded in the other floor pan. When he saw my welding, he handed me the angle grinder. There were lots of pieces of wire sticking out, and my weld varied in width. I ground on my welds for an hour. Joy. So, my welds aren't that great. The Midas guy's welds were all nice and even. Whatever.
The son changed the oil pan gasket, with the help of some of his friends.
All the crumbling weatherstrips and seals have been removed.
The dad removed the steering column.
We got the area where the sunroof had been stripped down, and put a piece of wood in place, a bit below the surface. The wood is slightly curved, front to rear, but this required soaking, to get the right bend.
The decklid has been removed.
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The new calipers, pads, and rotors are installed.
All the hinges were lubed, and new door hinge pins and strikers were installed. The door and trunk locks were lubed, also. They should be resistant to freezing.
We laid fiberglass down in the sunroof area, and made it just above level with the surrounding area. When the fiberglass cures, it'll be sanded. I think it's supposed to curve, but no idea how to accomplish that, so it's flat.
The kid and his friends sanded all the body panels down, handwashed, masked, and painted the body panels with primer. No comment.
The front and rear bumpers were painted.
The headlights were a pain to replace. The screws wouldn't come loose. We tried a plethora of penetrating fluids. Eventually, I tried using a drill. The drill burned up. I don't know what those screws are made of, but I burned up some carbide bits, and a diamond bit. Not to let this defeat me, I used the angle grinder. No more screws. We put the new headlights back on with aluminum rivets.
We do have new front turn signal housings, which will go in once the front facia is installed.
They bought new wheels, so the wheels and tires are ready.
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We do have new front turn signal housings, which will go in once the front facia is installed.
It would be easier to put those on before you put the facia on.
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How do you get the bulbs plugged into the connectors? I usually reach through the holes to plug everything up.
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The whole light assembly is held in place with 2 screws through the lens. The lens is sealed to the housing. When you remove the screws, the assembly pulls out through the front of the fascia, the weather tight socket has a twist lock design. It just twists to unlock, install the bulb, then twist back into the back of the housing. Push the assembly back into the opening and install the screws.
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That's what I do. I've never worried about the fascia being on or off.
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The fiberglass has been sanded more or less smooth. This made a mess.
The kid and his friends repaired the interior vinyl.
The plugs, plug wires, and ignition components have been replaced.
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The battery and starter wiring has been replaced.
The kids gave the Fiero a base coat of paint.
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The roof is caught up with the rest of the paint.
I really hope the fiberglass had cured. Supposedly fast-curing. I am of the opinion that this will only last a year or so, if this Fiero is driven. If left immobile, it'll probably just sag a bit, but I think moving will cause the roof to flex a bit, and break the fiberglass away from the rest of the roof.
Personally, I'd have left the painting until later, but the son wouldn't hear of it. He wanted a shiny, black, beautiful Fiero to drive around. It's difficult to work on the car, with all the plastic sheeting all over, and without disturbing the masking.
There is just no time to allow the paint to set and cure. Personally, I'd like a few days between the fiberglass curing, the primer, the base coat, and the clear coat. Again, I am of the opinion that the paint job won't last long, but don't want to disparage the kid's efforts.
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I did mention a wrap (which I have never done) as an alternative to paint, but there would still have been prep work, and apparently some of them had seen bad wraps. So, no enthusiasm from anyone on this.
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Have they considered Plasti Dipping the car?
https://www.dipyourcar.com/
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That was discussed. One of the kid's friends seems to paint fairly well. I mean, I dunno. It looks good to me. No runs, nice and even, smooth. Certainly better than I could do.
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Some parts came in.
The entire Fiero was painted. The fascias, hood, and decklid are off, so are being painted separately.
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The new intake is on, and the fuel hoses, lines, and fuel fill tube have been replaced. F85gtron was right about replacing that fuel fill tube. A sawzall was mentioned.
One of the fuel lines has a quick-disconnect on it. It looks like an air hose fitting. I hope that's the right line, but it is for fuel. The old line had rotted right at the fitting.
It will be interesting to see how this runs. We've been replacing anything that looks iffy, but new parts aren't always good parts. For some things, when they got bumped, they broke, so we replaced them. For the most part, screws and bolts came out without breaking off, but we had to run a tap through to clean the threads of some holes. Only new bolts and screws were put back in.
One of the brackets broke, so we made another bracket out of aluminum. Since aluminum wasn't just setting around, we used a bracket that used to be for a truck mirror.
I'm of the opinion that some of the stuff in the engine bay isn't stock. Not being familiar with the L4, there are things that just don't seem familiar from those I have seen. We added some brackets. These brackets were made from stainless steel, which was in a scrap pile. We used existing holes to secure the brackets. Since one bracket secured a fuel hose, we put a rubber grommet between the hose and the bracket. That seems odd while typing, but made sense at the time.
The transmission cooler lines may be too short. We'll see. I thought there was supposed to be a loop.
This may seem to be slow, but it's the best we can do.
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Painted the interior, including the center console, the AUX gauges bracket, and the HVAC assembly.
Stripped and painted the steering intermediate shaft, and the brake pedal arm.
Replaced the gas and brake pedals.
Repaired some damaged wiring in the dash area. It seems that someone hadn't been careful during (re)assembly, and pinched some wires.
The kids lubed the window tracks and regulators in the doors.
Actually, the kids have done most of the work. Their enthusiasm is great. They work on the Fiero all day, then I show up in the evening and pick over it.
They had removed all the bolts on the tops of the fenders. Somehow, several of the bolts were lost. Since a Fiero can be legally driven without its body panels, I'm guessing a missing fender bolt or two isn't a safety or legal issue. We found and ordered some bolts online, but shipping may take a week.
We got the correct license plate hardware.
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Reading through this, maybe the order of things isn't the best, but things have been worked on when we could.
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The brake lines/hoses have been replaced.
The bearings and hubs for the wheels have been replaced.
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The dash oil gauge in this Fiero had a tube running to it. A very tiny tube. The engine end of the tube has a small fitting that screws onto what looks like a coupler, which screws into the spot where the oil pressure sender would go. That can't be stock.
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No. All Fieros used electric sending units, not hydraulic.
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Great. More digging into the harness. I wonder why they converted this?
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The car has been clear-coated.
The kids put some sort of heat or sound coating on the interior.
We removed the tube for the hydraulic oil pressure setup. The tube was run up by the decklid hinge, then across the firewall, and into the cabin below the ECU, then along the side of the tunnel, and up into the dash. We had thought that, with everything apart, we could just cut the connectors off each end and pull it through, but no, that would have been too easy. There were several couplings, along the way.
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The belt trim and side markers are installed, the HVAC control and radio are in.
The steering column with blinker stalk is installed. The "new" steering wheel is installed. At some point, it will need to be sent out to be re-covered. The wheel isn't oozing, nor is the leather getting loose, but the texture is not smooth, anymore. We cleaned the leather, so the wheel looks OK, but the upper part of the wheel is a bit rough.
The instrument cluster is installed. The hydraulic oil pressure setup was converted back to stock. For now, we used the actual stock OPS unit, rather than converting to the '88 unit. The '88 pigtail has been ordered.
The interior is back in, including carpet and trunk carpet. Oh, the seats, headliner, and visors, also. At some point, the kids re-carpeted the door panels with more modern carpet. The door panel carpet isn't an exact match for the floor carpet, but apparently I'm the only one who noticed that. The floor mats were cleaned. Some gum was removed, and something like glue that matted the carpet. Rust stains were removed, as well. These are probably not stock floor mats. There is no lettering on them, and the carpet looks much more modern. New floor mats are on order.
The outer door panels are secured at the bottom.
The dew wipes and felts were installed. The inner door panels were installed. Window cranks were installed.
The dogbone, motor, and transmission mounts have been replaced.
The dipstick was replaced. I did it all by myself.
The new windshield was installed, with new molding. The new molding is about 3/4" wide.
The interior light bulbs were replaced.
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The front tub is installed.
The new headlight motors are installed and working.
The trunk seal, front seal, and side mirrors were installed. New side mirror gaskets were used.
The hood latch was cleaned and lubed.
The coolant and washer fluid reservoirs were installed, along with the wiper motor, washer pump/filter, and hoses. The washer nozzles were cleaned.
The blower motor was replaced, as was the heater resistor.
The door weatherstrips were installed.
The sail panels, arrow emblem, and front emblem were installed.
The front hoot, front fascia, rear fascia, and decklid were installed.
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Wow, marching right along.
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Needs to be ready for inspection. The appointment is for 8/6.
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The tail lights are in. All exterior lighting is new.
The new ground wires are installed.
The tie rods have been replaced, along with some bushings. It's eyeball aligned.
The sensors and relays have been replaced.
Filled the brake fluid and flushed. Filled the coolant and burped. Filled the washer fluid. Filled the oil. The oil filter had already been replaced. Added a few gallons of gas. The fuel filter was replaced, already.
The wheel well liners were installed, using all new fasteners. New wheel studs were installed. The wheels were installed.
We went to start it. Nothing. Several tries. Nothing. The kid uttered an expletive, then climbed under the Fiero. He emerged a bit later, looking rather sheepish. Apparently, he hadn't connected the wiring to the starter. This time, the engine started.
Dropped off for inspection, alignment, and replacement of shocks/struts, control arms, as well as some exhaust work. Yeah. On the way to the shop, we got the Fiero up to maybe 30 MPH in the straightaways!
For now, not worrying about the cradle bushings, which appear to have been replaced with solid pieces.
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The windshield replacement (done last week) cost about $300. The windshield itself was $122. 2 guys came, and it took them almost 3 hours to do the job. Dunno how that compares for anyone else.
The welder charged $1,000, plus $200 for materials. That works out to about $100/hr. Pricey, but he came to us, and the welds do look good. Maybe part of that $1K was the trip charge, as I think on it.
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The windshield replacement (done last week) cost about $300. The windshield itself was $122. 2 guys came, and it took them almost 3 hours to do the job.
It probably took them a while to figure out how to take the windshield wipers off. That happened to me when I had the one replaced on my yellow car. I had to go get something to stick in the little hole.
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I think we already had the wiper arms and cowl off.
Not complaining. They did not rush, and the price was set beforehand. Actually, they hung around for a bit afterward, ostensibly to be sure the black goo set, but watching us work. Most of their time on the windshield was with a heat gun.
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It failed inspection. The horn didn't work. Sigh. I guess I don't usually check that.
Also, we got some washer or something on wrong on the e-brake on one side, resulting in the equalizer (new) not working. Did I mention that we replaced the e-brake cable? Well, we did.
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New fuses and horns installed. Fiero still at shop.
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One of the rear springs is broken. Fiero still at shop.
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Never had a coil break in the middle, only at the tip. What did this one do?
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I haven't seen it, but it sounded like at the top. I know that corner did not sit right, so no surprise there.
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New rear spring installed. Fiero still at shop.
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Passed inspection. Fiero still in shop.
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Engine runs terribly. Fiero still in shop.
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The TPS is bad. Fiero still in shop.
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The mechanic says the engine that is in the Fiero is not the factory engine--or even a Fiero engine. He says this engine came from something else, which is why a lot of the parts are wrong. I don't know how to tell, but that would explain a lot. The cradle clearly had been out, previously.
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Shop replaced part of the wiring harness. I gathered that this was between the ECU and the engine. This may have happened last week, while the engine was out. Fiero still in shop.
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The mechanic says the engine that is in the Fiero is not the factory engine--or even a Fiero engine. He says this engine came from something else, which is why a lot of the parts are wrong. I don't know how to tell, but that would explain a lot. The cradle clearly had been out, previously.
Is it possibly a Quad 4? Any pictures of the engine? There should be some casting numbers or letters on the block that would help identify it.
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I was going to take pics, the day I drove it to the shop, but the kid wants to showcase this one himself.
This thing is no powerhouse. It's been a while since I've seen a Quad 4, but I'm fairly sure it's an L4.
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if its got a carburetor it ain't a quad 4
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He says it was. It has an injector, now.
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Shop put 50 miles on the Fiero. Still not running right. Still in shop. They said we used the wrong plug wires, so they changed the yellow plug wires to red plug wires. Dunno. We ordered plug wires for the '84 2.5L Fiero, so whatever they gave us is what we installed. The shop says that different color wires are for different applications. News to me.
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The shop says that different color wires are for different applications.
Wait... WHAT?!
That, by itself, is the most cockamamie story I've ever heard. Unless there is some other (nebulous) logic behind it.
If there is, I'd really like to hear it.
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Ok, so it isn't just me.
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There are different wires based on ohm resistance of the system like HEI vs low tension with points. But color is independent of resistance value as far as I know. One actually needs to test the wires to see they are with an ohm meter unless marked by manufacturer.
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Shop said take Fiero somewhere else. The Fiero was picked up and returned to the guy's garage.
Well, the shop didn't charge for the plug wires they put in, or the TPS, or the wiring harness. The control arms are installed, with new ball joints. The exhaust work was done, and the shocks and struts were replaced. The steering damper was replaced, and now has new bolts. The alignment was fixed.
Actually, the car doesn't drive terribly--it just runs like a tractor. It lurches and sputters, coughs and backfires.
We tried some throttle body cleaner, and some seafoam. Now, it runs like a diesel.
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Someone mentioned cost. The shop charged a bit over $2,500.
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There are different wires based on ohm resistance of the system like HEI vs low tension with points.
As I re-read that, I'm guessing you had a good laugh at my engine articles, when you got to the ignition.
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Replaced ECU. Fiero runs!
I think my part is about finished. It should be good to go for a year. If nothing else, the kid learned a lot by doing.
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Based on images found online, I think this has a stock engine. I further suspect that the engine could be configured differently.
Whatever the engine is, it now has a completely stock ECU, and runs well.
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Installed cheap seat covers. The covers look fine, but weren't Mr. Mike's. These don't appear to be the stock seats. There are no speakers in the headrests. Also, the seats have a pattern, and there is a pouch on the back of each seat. Since there are no back seats, that doesn't seem stock.
Upgraded to '88 OPS unit.
Replaced seat handle and cover on left side.
The speakers are bad. Oh, well.
I know the Fiero was considered a parts-bin vehicle, but I think the previous owner(s) dipped heavily into their own parts bins. Many of the parts we replaced did not appear to have been Fiero parts.
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Iggee form-fitting seat covers have a pouch on the back, even though they are specifically made for Fieros. I used to have them on my yellow car. And the pouch actually came in handy for storing things. I wish the RW seat covers I have now had them.
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Two of my Fieros had pouches on the seat backs and they were stock seats.
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all three of mine have a pouch on the seat back
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Iggee form-fitting seat covers have a pouch on the back, even though they are specifically made for Fieros. I used to have them on my yellow car. And the pouch actually came in handy for storing things. I wish the RW seat covers I have now had them.
The new covers are Iggee covers.
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Two of my Fieros had pouches on the seat backs and they were stock seats.
That is interesting. Maybe I should check mine.
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Do Mr. Mike's seats have pouches in the back?
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My white car seats don't have pockets in back. All they have is mold stains, which I couldn't remove. But they're covered now.
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Do Mr. Mike's sests have pouches in the back?
No. Generally not.
But several years of stock Fiero did.
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Just went outside and looked, my 88 with factory grey cloth covers does not have a pocket on the back, reverse is vinyl not cloth. These seats may be transplants from another fiero as I do not know history from day one but are in great condition.
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Seat storage pockets were an option. I don't know if they were available in all years or seat styles. Both of my cars had mesh pockets on the seat backs. I think the RatPee 86 had pockets, too.
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They would set up against the firewall, making them hot pockets.
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Well, the cruise control works. We spent some time working on the wiring, and the cruise does set and hold. The disengage on brake is not working. I've never tried, but does the cruise control disengage if the transmission is shifted out of gear?
The cruise uses a plastic spherical cruise canister, and the stock servo. The solenoid came from an '84 Chevy van. Actually, we just wired the Fiero up like the van. There are still some extra wires, which makes me nervous.
We spent some time adjusting the TV cable.
The guy won't say who did the work on this Fiero, but I think he did. He keeps referring to the carburetor, and insists that the old air filter breathed better. Maybe, but it was hot air.
There is a puff of smoke on start (warm or cold), and the blue dingy thingy keeps dingy, dingy, dingy me nuts! I mean, that thingy is giving me the blues.
One of the wheels is locking up well before the others, on hard braking.
We have the phantom wiper issue.
Oh, there is also belt squeal on cold starts.
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On a manual transmission the clutch and brake each have a cruise disengage function. An automatic should also disengage when placed into neutral, or one could turn off the cruise engage button on the multi-function stalk.
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The brake also disengages the cruise on an automatic.
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I know it's supposed to but you said the brake disengage wasn't working.
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Fixed the brake disengage, but discovered an oddity. I can set the cruise at, say, 10 MPH. I'm fairly sure it isn't supposed to set below 40 MPH, but don't know how that is controlled.
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I I think the manual says 35 minimum speed to set, but I have found that I can set mine below that. Not sure if it will set at 10, though. I know that if it has already been set, I can resume it even down at 20mph.
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I think there are some wiring oddities.
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Cruise control is all working. There was a severed wire. There were also some corroded contacts. The contacts were cleaned, treated, and packed with protectant.
We found some wires with cracked insulation, so those were fixed. The foil wrap and loom have been replaced, and all the deteriorating insulation has been removed.
The gauges are being calibrated.
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Of course. Now Rodney has floor plates to weld in.
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The bolts on the fenders are now gold. The gold color contrasts nicely with the black. To make things match, somewhat, we put gold covers over the struts.
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The gauges are in, and the Fiero is sold. It looks good. All the body panels line up, and nothing sags. The paint looks better than the 35-year-old paint on many Fieros. The car sits right, rides well, and everything works. It starts right up and runs. There is a small puff of blue smoke when it starts, but it doesn't seem to burn oil after that. The interior is the worst part, because there were amateur repairs made to the vinyl. Underneath it all, there is a frame with some rust. Everything that had visible scaling was completely cut out, and new steel welded in, but maybe not as good as it could be. I guess the best I can say for the frame, is that rust is visible, but nothing falls off if you hit the frame there with a hammer. I pushed the Fiero a bit, last week, and nothing broke.
When I signed over the title, the dad made a comment that everything but the frame, body, and drive train is new. No. It's still 35-plus years old. I think the car should be given a thorough check, every year, from now on.
The kid said he'd stop by when he gets his license.
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Seat storage pockets were an option. I don't know if they were available in all years or seat styles. Both of my cars had mesh pockets on the seat backs. I think the RatPee 86 had pockets, too.
No pockets on the seats in my '88.
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The kid took a turn too fast, scared himself, let off the throttle, and went off-roading. Does not have his license, yet, whomever the licensed driver was should have slowed him down. That having been stated, I have driven that turn, myself. From a 60 MPH state highway, you exit to a 30 MPH ramp, and everything seems fine. About halfway through the turn to the interstate, the radius of the turn decreases dramatically, and continues to decrease. If you're going too fast, only skill will save you, at that point. I briefly let off the throtyle, my first time through there. My Fiero was on old tires, and old suspension, at the time. When I let off the throttle, the rear end started to come around. I powered out, got the Fiero straight, and merged at a much higher rate of speed than planned. Since this is a flat banked turn that goes up to the interstate, the other options are to come off the turn into the lower ground between, to drive straight across the interstate traffic.
The kid came off the turn, and hit the ground nose-first.
Whomever the licensed driver was, no beginning driver should be on that turn. The engineering of the turn is bad. When I drive by there on the interstate, I avoid the right lane, because the interstate also goes around a right turn there, and foliage hides merging traffic, meaning that vehicles running 20 MPH are dumped onto the highway, to the surprise of the 60 MPH traffic. Lots of accidents there.
I imagine the Fiero is toast. The AC and coolant radiators, front frame rails, bumper, fenders, various suspension components, the hood... I'm just guessing, from his description. He says underbody damage.
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Any good bits left to strip off?
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Dunno. He isn't returning my calls.