The driver's side front cradle/frame mount attachment area is badly rusted to the point that "pieces are missing" as my mechanic described it. And not the cradle, but the main frame where the cradle bolts up to. Do I try to have them weld in new metal, or is this car a parts car? I just bought this thing, looked underneath it before buying it, only saw surface rust. Now I have a Fiero that may be useless. Help me out here everyone!

If it's an 88, I'd try to save it. If it's an 84, scrap it. This is why whenever someone asks 'what should I look for when buying a Fiero' the first thing posted is almost always RUST.

It can probably be saved, but it will be costly. Pics would help.

At worst, you have a parts car, and can swap the good stuff over to a new frame. If this car runs and drives, maybe look for one with a good frame and a blown engine?

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1984 Fiero SE

I looked at the underside when i bought it, and only saw surface rust. Didin't see this one (crucial) spot that had rust-rot. It's an '87 Duke.

Really need pics to judge this.

quote Originally posted by KurtAKX: Really need pics to judge this.

2nded.

Also if you can get us pictures of the trunk corners that would us. I have seen my fair share of rust, i bought my 86 SE with 49K miles. I then later found out I had a bad cradle (rust) and one of my trunk corners had a big hole in it.

Almost ANYTHING can be fixed ! Is it that bad? how is the cradle, thats where the suspension is.

[This message has been edited by Lou6t4gto (edited 04-03-2010).]

I love the fact that almost all the post about rust are coming from us north easterners.

Discovered that the steering rack is broken, right underneath that bracket. Fixable.



And here's the rust, just in front of where the cradle mounts to the frame. The cradle mount is still solid, so this isn't as bad as I thought. The other side looks the same. It will need some new metal welded in at some point in the future, but for now it can wait.



Didn't take pics of the trunk corners, they are a little rusty, but not too bad. Not rusted through.

[This message has been edited by Ditkaphile (edited 08-18-2009).]

quote Originally posted by Ditkaphile: Discovered that the steering rack is broken, right underneath that bracket. Fixable.

Ok, I looked at the two pictures, and so far I don't think it's THAT bad. Certainly not bad enough that would warrant junking the car by any means. A lot of this looks more superficial than anything. When metal rusts, it tends to "poof out" so to speak and makes it look much worse than it really is. If you were to take a wirebrush to this, you would be left with fairly clean metal with slight pitting and it wouldn't look anywhere near as bad as it does.

As a matter of fact, the ENTIRE front suspension crossmember that you just took a picture of (below in this post) can be replaced easily by removing 4 bolts. The entire cross-member can be replaced by a reconditioned one from the Fiero Store for $150 bucks.



84-87 RECONDITIONED FRONT CROSS MEMBER
Restore your rusted or broken front suspension cross member with a quality reconditioned original. Each core is chemically stripped of all contaminants, inspected for defects and powder coated with a black finish. The cross member will bolt to the chassis of your 84-87 Fiero. All of the front control arms bolt to the cross member. You must also add part #57623 to your order (per cross member), which will be refunded upon return of your old cross member, provided that it is in rebuildable condition.

Part #57622
Price:$149.95

(note the CORE charge it mentions is $50, and shipping would probably be another $30)
So for about $230 bucks, that entire piece would be replaced.


As it is, there isn't much on the front end of the car that can be irrevocably rust damaged.

The rear suspension is where you should worry. The entire subframe of course can be replaced, but if the shock tower supports are trashed then you're pretty much out of luck.

From these pictures, the car doesn't look THAT bad at all... it just looks nastier than it really is.

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Todd,
2008 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x2
2002 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr 4x2
2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX
1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6
1981 EZ-GO Xi875-A "Miami Dolphins" Medical Cart
1973 Volkswagen Type-2 Transporter

Yea, so far you cant tell how bad it is. Gotta get under there and wire brush it. Goggles/bandanna. Gotta go a little further than the previous owner! Just a little bit and you may be surprised.

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84 Duke, Holley TBI, Manual Trans 4.10, CompuCam, White

Got to thinking...since the steering rack is going to have to be replaced, would this be a good time to do inner/outer tie rods and all that stuff?

I wouldnt replace much of the steering, other than parts that are rusted or missing.

Rust doesnt look terminal at all.. that front cradle rust is fairly typical and I wouldnt worry about it until something broke or something.

Thanks Dark. I just figured since it is all going to have get taken apart anyway, maybe replace it. Might all be original, as seems to be the case with most parts on this car. That being said, they are selling those kits on Ebay to replace all the tie rods, ball joints, everything front and rear for the whole car for like $80. Anyone have an opinion on these? Or should I spend the cash and get it all from Rodney? Just gonna be a daily driver Duke, not a build car (for now anyway.)