hey couple of quick questions, is the cradle swap worth it or would a bump steer kit do just as well? With an 88 cradle swap can i still use my motor mounts for my 3.8 sc motor? anybody have a thread on this? can i still use my hubs and such? INFO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE i tried to use the search function didn't go to well maybe I'm blind

The 88 cradle conversion is not to bad. We used HT motorsports 88 cradle adapters with coilover struts. Just have to drill a new hole in the strut tower for the strut to go through. It relocates it in and forward. You cant use any of the 87 and older stuff on that cradle. 88 has lateral links with a trailing arm where as the 87 n older have a lower ball joint. IMO its better to do the cradle swap versus bump steer correction kit. Cost wise it has to be close and if your doing a swap you'll already have the cradle out. Chris

quote Originally posted by IVANNATINKLE: hey couple of quick questions, is the cradle swap worth it or would a bump steer kit do just as well? With an 88 cradle swap can i still use my motor mounts for my 3.8 sc motor? anybody have a thread on this? can i still use my hubs and such? INFO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE i tried to use the search function didn't go to well maybe I'm blind

1 - Well worth it in my opinion. The time involved is well paid back for this particular conversion. Bump steer is eliminated and you get all the other added benefits of the 88 rear suspension (solid mounted cradle, multilink design, easier brake upgrades, ect). Brakes become slightly more difficult to match properly... keep this in mind. For this reason I do not believe the cost os the same or better for the swap. Bump steer kit is easier andcheaper, but I wouldn't say better in any way. I believe all fieros use the same rear hubs. Hopefully someone can confirm.

2 - Depends on how your mounts were made. Most swap mounts are different from 84-87 and 88. Ask whoever you got them from.

3 - Here is some info I put in my build thread about the conversion...

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: Next we started getting the struts and strut towers ready for the 88 cradle. I am using the Held adapters for this. Coilover are usually necissary also for wheel/tire clearance. The drivers side was pretty easy. The two adapter bolts nearest the fender were put in to give us a center for the hole The passenger side required more work to get it started. We used a die grinder with a milling bit to remove the spot welds from the dogbone mounting bracket so we could remove enough to drill the hole. We will probably take it all out later since it is not needed for this install. This can easily stay in but if you do the thickness to cut through is doubled. We did not have time to complete either hole And here are those pics of the top of the strut towers that I promised so long ago. It just took forever to get decent pics of them. No other modifications are are necissary. The strut mounting position is the only difference in how the cradles mount.

More info...
http://www.fierosearch.com/...B&SearchQuery=cradle swap&Action=DoSearch

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 02-02-2010).]

thanks for the info!! now I have an 87 gt 3.8 sc car and would like swap out to the 88 cradle due to its better handling and I need to change out my trans anyway, will i need new motor mounts? and is there any week area of the cradle anything i should do to it while its out?

??

Yes, if you do decide to do it, the mounting may be different depending on how the mounts were made.

Also, the area for the firewall transmission mount has been known to crack in the past. A lot of people have welded a brace on the inside of the channel to prevent the cracking.

thanks a lot everyone do you know if i can use a front sway bar put in the back?

No.

You can buy a sway bar and the brackets that attach to the nuckle from the same place that sells the adapter brackets for the cradle swap. The factory 88 rear sway bar has very different attachment points.

last two items on this page....
http://westshorefabricators...KitCarSuspension.htm

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 02-03-2010).]

I knew about the adaptors but will the sway bar it self work? Also what parts other than the cradle and linkage will I need? It's either the cradle upgrade or a bump steer kit either way I'll have aluminum cradle bushings and will have a sway bar & coilovers

quote Originally posted by Jncomutt: Also, the area for the firewall transmission mount has been known to crack in the past. A lot of people have welded a brace on the inside of the channel to prevent the cracking.

I've seen 2 this way one being mine. I have an 88 rear sway bar and strut brackets that I bought and probably would sell. PM me for aprice if interested. chris

Let see if I can explain. For the cradle swap you need...

cradle, rear suspension (links x 6 and knuckle), and adapter brackets. Grab sway bar and brackets if possible. Also grab brake calipers, e-brake cables, and rotors if you plan to use those.

If your plan is to reuse an 84-87 front sway bar on the rear of an 88 it is not going to work. The "front bar on back mod" requires a hole drilled in the rear control arm to mount the end links. 88 rear suspensions doesn't have a control arm in the rear. The factory 88 rear bar attaches to 2 small brackets (via the end links) that bolt onto the knuckle at the lower strut mounting bolts. Best bet for this is to find someone selling an 88 rear bar WITH the brackets that bolt those to the knuckle. I think I paid 90 shipped for my bar and brackets. The brackets can be bought from the place liked above if you can't find a used set (they also sell the sway bars). Its not necissary to the cradle change and can be done later. If possible do it at the same time. I think I had to drop my cradle back out to install the swaybar.

If you end up doing the cradle swap and adding the rear 88 bar I recommend getting an upgraded 84-87 front bar also. Mine has a tendency to oversteer a bit more then I'd like because I used the stock 85 front bar and stock 88 rear bar. They are the same diameter. 88 front bars on formula and GT got an upgrade to a larger diameter in addition to the add on rear bar.

Like I said, It's not cheaper or easier to install an 88 cradle. It is better IMO though. Remember to figure out the brakes ahead of time. You don't want to use the 84-87 solid front rotors with 88 vented rears. There are only a few upgrades that work on all fieros. Those are the ones to look into.

Example: I went with redrilled 12" vette rotors w/centering rings, 88 fiero calipers, machined front hubs, and fieroaddiction caliper adapter brackets. The factory 84-87 master cylinder and proportioning valve are retained.

Yea I plan to do the 88 caliper with the 12in rotors as well, about how much did it cost for your break set up I know they have kits for the 88 & 87 but did you ask for half of each or buy both?

I spoke to Jon@fieroaddiction.com directly. He put together a kit for me that included the correct brackets for the 85 front and 88 rear. IIRC the total cost was around $650.

That cost included everything...

85 front hubs pre-machined to accept 12" rotors (x2)
88-95 corvette front 12" rotors, pre-drilled with fiero bolt pattern (x4)
centering rings (x4)
84-87 front caliper adapter brackets (x2)
88 rear caliper brackets (x2)
Used 88 fiero calipers (2 front, 2 rear) from a forum member
Rebuild kits for 88 fiero calipers (rockauto)
Russell stainless braided brake hoses pn#692110 (summitracing)
88 fiero brake pads locally (x4)
And some misc hardware including - 2 bolts to mount front caliper brackets, 1 pkg rubberized hose clamps to mount brake hoses.

I reused the 88 fiero e-brake cables. I had to drill a small hole and turn the bracket that holds the rear brake hoses. Hope this helps point you in the right direction.

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 02-08-2010).]