'85 Coupe Round trip time: ~9 hrs Fuel cost: $45 Car cost: $250 He was told the engine has a bad crank in it, but said that when he got it, and he was working on it, he drove it about 1.5 miles down the road & back, and "never could figure out what was wrong with it" and lost interest. It has a good title, but I was a little disappointed when he handed it to me.... It's from Michigan. So now I gotta do a full rust inspection and check out the engine issues, but I figure the rims, trans, & body panels are worth $250, so I still feel like I got a good deal, especially since those flames are good for an additional 10 whp.
Nice deal there Fieroboom. I say that for $250 you stole it. I have dynoed flames before, and believe that you may be able to ad about 13 rwhp. Awe heck, good for you.
Those flames could inspire a whole slew of the stereotypical "catching fire" jokes ...can't go wrong for $250. So what are the plans for it?
Honestly, not sure yet. I bought it for two reasons: 1) I figured at $250, I couldn't go wrong, even as a parts car, and 2) I want to get some sort of Fiero to drive to Daytona. The '88 Formula I acquired not too long ago has a pretty freshly rebuilt V6, but no title (yet), and missing a LOT of parts since I caught it in mid-part-out, so I might just swap that engine into this '85 and call it a day (or 5). That seems to be the wisest option, because this one really is too nice to part out. The insides aren't even warped... 85 isn't my favorite year, but man, I hate to make a good looking car a parts bin...
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12:58 PM
Mike Gonzalez Member
Posts: 5093 From: Colorado Springs, CO. USA Registered: Jul 2001
OMG !!!!!!!!! I heard those caught FIRE !!!!! cool deal, gotta love the cheap ones !
Haha! It always baffled me why anyone in their right mind would want to put flames on a Fiero... For that reason alone. Any other car, flames can be acceptable, but a Fiero... Heh.
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01:50 PM
fierofool Member
Posts: 12915 From: Auburn, Georgia USA Registered: Jan 2002
Haha! It always baffled me why anyone in their right mind would want to put flames on a Fiero... For that reason alone. Any other car, flames can be acceptable, but a Fiero... Heh.
Hey, those flames are on backwards. They should start at the back and go forward on a Fiero. Get that 88 engine in it, and we'll put you up front in the Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade.
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01:57 PM
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
Hey, those flames are on backwards. They should start at the back and go forward on a Fiero. Get that 88 engine in it, and we'll put you up front in the Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Hmm... That's almost an offer I can't refuse... DAM YOU!! Alabama boy in the front of a parade headed up by the GFC... Now that would be fun!
Hey, fieroboom, we've got North Carolina and Tennessee boys also in the group. Just need some Alabama and Florida to make it a real southern event. Aye, Me Laddie, pass another snort of that Moonshine!
For the maximum speed from a Fiero, you need to add a set of Tennessee Go-Faster Racing Radio Arials. I think RobsFieros, President of the East Tenn. Fiero Club specializes in those.
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07:35 PM
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
Only 10hp? It's gotta be more than that, the flames are coming out of the doorhandle!
I say for $250 you got a lot of car. Can't go wrong with more Fiero... I say you do the right thing and put a v8 in it
Heh, having owned several Cadillacs, and a Buick Regal Gran Sport (3800 NA), I'm gonna have to go with a 3800 II SC, or maybe even a Series III later on if I can afford it... But I gotta get a ride in one @ Daytona first... I don't think I'll be disappointed, cuz I can't imagine a Series II SC being less exciting than that Regal was. Don't get me wrong, the 4.9s are great, and have a boatload of torque, but I used to make that Regal scream, and it was so much fun!
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07:35 PM
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
Hey, fieroboom, we've got North Carolina and Tennessee boys also in the group. Just need some Alabama and Florida to make it a real southern event. Aye, Me Laddie, pass another snort of that Moonshine!
For the maximum speed from a Fiero, you need to add a set of Tennessee Go-Faster Racing Radio Arials. I think RobsFieros, President of the East Tenn. Fiero Club specializes in those.
Yeah, I need to pay for a bunch of sponsor stickers too... That'll add another 13 whp. Throw me a whale-tail on the back, and I'll be runnin' 9s at the track! ...on a side note, I never understood why people pay for sponsor stickers... aren't they supposed to pay you?
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07:39 PM
topher_time Member
Posts: 3231 From: Bailey's Harbor, for now. Registered: Sep 2005
I almost bought that one... just didn't have the time to drag it back home. Glad to see it went to someone on the forum. Nice buy!
I'm super excited about getting it. I got it unloaded & tucked in the garage tonight. I had to fix the clothes dryer, so I didn't have time to do much else to the car. I think maybe this weekend I'll go get the Formula and start making a plan...
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11:44 PM
Feb 10th, 2009
fierofool Member
Posts: 12915 From: Auburn, Georgia USA Registered: Jan 2002
Did you get the one out here? Drop by the meeting on Saturday if you're out here.
No, I got one in Pell City here close to Birmingham. I doubt we'll be able to make it out there this weekend; I kinda overspent my budget on the TN trip, so now I'm in the doghouse & in the hole till Friday... Plus, I gotta lot of work to do quickly if I plan to drive a Fiero to Daytona, and even more quickly if I plan to be in the parade with you guys... Which reminds me, I never signed up for that, because I didn't think I'd have a car... Would that be an issue?
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01:15 AM
IMSA GT Member
Posts: 10484 From: California Registered: Aug 2007
Nice find and of course I like the paint....anything flashy is cool By the way.....where the hell have you been hiding????
I've been pretty busy... Our rental lease on our house ends on Feb 20th, so most of my time has been concentrated on loading up the fam and going to check out houses at just about every opportunity. I've also been squirreling some things away at my parent's house so that in case I'm forced to make a quick move for some reason, I won't have as much to load up. Then when you add Daytona preparation on top of that, it keeps me busy...
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08:46 AM
Feb 11th, 2009
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
Performed a thorough rust inspection lastnight, and I was actually pleasantly surprised!!
Trunk carpet is in really good shape; just needs a good cleaning:
It's a MI car, so I expected rust in the corners:
(The other side is worse, but I lost the image by accidentally saving over it...) But the good news is, the frame rails are actually in really good shape!
YAY!! There is some surface rust, but nothing like what I experienced with my concept donor... So I'm going to continue with plans to drop the '88 v6 in it, and scoot in it to Daytona!
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12:37 PM
Feb 15th, 2009
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
Ok, Just got the Formula home, so now it's time for this coupe to meet it's destiny... To become "The '85 Coupe-ula"...
You've seen the coupe, now here's the Formula:
And both of them in harmony ...
Yes, sad shape, I know. I caught it in the middle of parting out, and got it for some trades, with no money out of pocket. Question time... This is the only '88 I've ever had; can someone tell me if an '88 cradle will bolt up to a pre-88 chassis? Thanks!
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06:07 PM
mrjohnishome Member
Posts: 925 From: Charleston, West Virginia Registered: Jun 2005
Hey thanks Nick, that was quick. I don't really need to buy anything, I'm just planning how in-depth the swap is going to be. If it would bolt up, then I was just going to swap the whole darn thing in, but it's not that much more effort to pull the drivetrain off the cradle and put it on the '85 cradle. And then if I need mounts on the cradle (which I'm sure I will), I can fab them up.
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06:23 PM
Raydar Member
Posts: 40925 From: Carrollton GA. Out in the... country. Registered: Oct 1999
Just be aware that the 88 front mount (under the crank pulley) is totally different from the earlier years. You'll have to find an earlier one, as well as a lower A/C bracket.
Ok, Just got the Formula home, so now it's time for this coupe to meet it's destiny... To become "The '85 Coupe-ula"...
You've seen the coupe, now here's the Formula:
And both of them in harmony ...
Yes, sad shape, I know. I caught it in the middle of parting out, and got it for some trades, with no money out of pocket. Question time... This is the only '88 I've ever had; can someone tell me if an '88 cradle will bolt up to a pre-88 chassis? Thanks!
that wasent very nice to do you could have at least givin it cinder blocks.
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09:05 PM
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
that wasent very nice to do you could have at least givin it cinder blocks.
...and hear all the jokes about a redneck in AL with his car on blocks?!? HA! Don't think so... It was a pain to get on the trailer as it is. As soon as I get the drivetrain out, it and the concept donor will go to my parent's house out in the boonies (they have ~25 acres) so I can have some room in my 1 car garage for the coupe-ula...
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09:19 PM
Raydar Member
Posts: 40925 From: Carrollton GA. Out in the... country. Registered: Oct 1999
Ok, I think I've formulated the plan now... I have three drivetrain setups from which I can use parts in order to get the coupe-ula on the road the quickest: - '88 Formula V6 drivetrain - '85 Coupe I4 (aka The Coupe-ula) - '86 SE 2m6 (aka The survivor)
I think in order to get everything to bolt up easily, I'll need to transplant the '88 engine/trans assembly onto the '86 V6 cradle, then bolt that cradle into the '85. Unless I'm mistaken, any other combination will require fabrication of mounts... right? In other words, stuffing the '88 cradle in the '85 requires adapters, and mounting the '88 V6 on the '85 I4 cradle will require mounts... I haven't pulled the I4 cradle yet, but that's what I'm assuming; would someone be kind enough to verify that for me real quick? Here are some pics of the '86 2m6 cradle being separated from the engine/trans... with my new homemade hoist...
Tonight I plan on pulling the cradle assembly from the Formula so I can pull the trailer out of my garage... 16 footer in a 1 car garage = not a lot of working room!
[This message has been edited by fieroboom (edited 02-17-2009).]
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09:30 AM
whodeanie Member
Posts: 3819 From: woodstock,Ga.,USA Registered: Jan 2008
What are you doing? do you drive all over the state and find cars in swamps or what? you must like rust that saems to be what you have the most of.
LOL! just kidding...... nice find now with all of those maybe you can biuld at least one car. keep us psted.
That's the plan! And I'm rushing to get it done before D9! Funny thing is, the '88 is by far the nicest Fiero I've ever owned... the chassis is absolutely 100% cherry. It's in very sad shape, but it'll go back together in the near future with a 3800 II SC I'm pretty sure... For now, the '85 is getting the '88 drivetrain, and probably the '86 panels, because I really like the aero nose. Plus, it keeps me from having to do quite as much prep work for the paint guy. Stripping spray paint = not fun. I see you're slacking on your build... You planning to be at Daytona?
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03:57 PM
whodeanie Member
Posts: 3819 From: woodstock,Ga.,USA Registered: Jan 2008
That's the plan! And I'm rushing to get it done before D9! Funny thing is, the '88 is by far the nicest Fiero I've ever owned... the chassis is absolutely 100% cherry. It's in very sad shape, but it'll go back together in the near future with a 3800 II SC I'm pretty sure... For now, the '85 is getting the '88 drivetrain, and probably the '86 panels, because I really like the aero nose. Plus, it keeps me from having to do quite as much prep work for the paint guy. Stripping spray paint = not fun. I see you're slacking on your build... You planning to be at Daytona?
No as much as I wanted to go I will not make Daytona. I have had to work to keep my shop alive and have ran low on money doing it. but it is starting to turn around now so I should have some money to get back to the car by March. being broke stinks! keep up the good work. D.
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04:08 PM
fieroboom Member
Posts: 2132 From: Hayden, AL (BFE) Registered: Oct 2008
Ok boys & girls, I didn't quite get the engine out tonight, but I did get close... Removed the rear cradle bolts and jacked it up (hooked to the driver frame rail) just to let it swing out and inspect everything:
Then I propped it up with the two white aluminum square tubes you see on either side, and anchored it down with ratchet straps, much like you would do a tent:
Raised the rear of the cradle, and slid the dolly under it:
I thought the guy I got the '88 from was BS-ing me when he said it had been rebuilt recently, but I quickly discovered that all the coolant hoses were new with the stickers still on them, so having to cut this one killed me, but I just could not get the dam thing off either of the pipes:
Done for the night, propped up, anchored, and hoist put away. For those that don't know, never leave a jack, hoist, or other hydraulic device under stress overnight, or for any length of time when you don't have to.
My helper posing...
More posing...
Please post your suggestions, ideas, comments, insults, etc...
