Fiero Jacking and Lift Points

[Fierofool]

Here's a chart showing the lift points for the Fiero.  Print it out and keep it in your glove box just in case your car ever needs to be raised on a lift at a garage or tire shop.  It can prevent damage to the coolant tube and rocker panels of the Fiero.

The file is an MGI PhotoSuite jpg file.  You must click on the Fiero Jacking Point text below in order to see the chart.

[Donster]

Printed, laminated and in Shanine's car
 
Good info Charlie, thnx.
 
\D

[TopNotch]

Strange... I don't see any picture. But there's a nice one on this page.

[Donster]

Same picture, just in color
 
\D

[TopNotch]

It's interesting to note that the 88 service manual has the same jacking diagram as the earlier books, but the jacking points, especially in the rear are not exactly the same on 88 models. In particular, there's no control arm in the rear, and jacking up by the rear link instead, while I've done it, is probably not the safest thing to do. The link is narrow, and at an angle that could cause the jack to slide.

[GTRS Fiero]

Adding likely image:

[Raydar]

I just about always jack the rear of my 88 using the rear cradle rail. I place the jackstands under the ends of the side cradle rails.
In the front, the jack goes under the crossmember, or under the control arm, pretty much centered on the spring.

In the unlikely event that I have to jack up just one side, I just hook the "cup" on my floor jack (it has four "tabs" around the edge) in the slot where the factory jack is designed to rest.
I also have jacked the rear by placing the cup on the floor jack under the rear bushing of the trailing link, where it bolts to the knuckle, essentially lifting the car by the knuckle. Not my preferred method, however.

[Roger]

You could also have a Certified ASE Mechanic at a dealership use the coolant pipes like Jom Hardman in Gainesville did on mine.

[GTRS Fiero]

That's because they ”know better”.

[Fierofool]

You could also have a Certified ASE Mechanic at a dealership use the coolant pipes like Jom Hardman in Gainesville did on mine.

Or the way Bob Davis Pontiac in Roswell did the 86SE.  They got both coolant pipes and rocker panels. 

[GTRS Fiero]

How do you ”uncrush” coolant pipes?

[Fierofool]

Someone on PFF had posted a how-to.  I don't know the complete process, but they drilled a small hole in the dented area, inserted a small rod and welded it into place or they just welded the rod to the crushed area.  Then they used something to pull on that rod.  A similar process to using a dent puller on a body panel. 

[GTRS Fiero]

I found 2 solutions on PFF: repairing with a section of hose, or repairing with a welded-in section of pipe.  Apparently, that was NIFE's solution, also.

[Raydar]

You can straighten them and put them "pretty much" back into shape.
The one that I gave Roger (he needed one, and I got the one from the "parts stash") came from my white project car. It was smashed flat enough that I was afraid to drive it.
Once I removed it from the car (very easy on an 88) I clamped the "short end" into my bench vise, just beyond the crushed area, and bent the pipe as straight as possible, using the leverage of the long section. I then removed it from the vise and hammered the wide (formerly bent) area back into shape. First on one side, and then the other. (I may have also used the vice to squeeze it back into shape. I don't really remember. Just whatever method you choose, don't "go gorilla" on it. It can be broken.)
You will never get it completely straight, or completely round, but you  can probably get it 75-80%.  I thought about driving a socket into it, in order to spread it and round it a bit more, but figured I'd never get it back out.

Roger can comment on the quality (or lack of it) of the fix, since he has the pipe, now.