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| A Heartfelt Thank You! (My sons first car) - Wrapping a Fiero (Page 1/3) |
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Forrest
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MAR 18, 10:38 AM
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First Post....
I have wanted to post this for a while now but have not taken the time. Thanks to this bug floating around I have plenty of spare time.
My boy worked for nearly 2 years cutting grass and saving as best a kid can to come up with half of the scratch needed to purchase his 1988 Fiero GT in the summer of 2019.
It had a few issues.
Bald/dry rotted tires. Almost no breaks at all. Terrible engine vibration due to only half the cylinders firing, Fluttering popup headlights, rotted out speakers, decaying paint with tons of nicks, scratches, cracks, fading.....loose driver side mirror with a dent in it, leaking sun roof, Windshield washer that just sprayed in the front compartment, cracked dry rotted outer dew wipes, cracked rear sail panels, screaming belts, no AC, leaking vacuum lines, and crazy rough shifting with the RPMs running through the roof then it slamming into gear.
I did my best to talk him out of this car and promised it would be a LOT of hot days in the sun to get her going again but he insisted it was the car for him
It was a scary drive home.....
It is worth noting that he goes to a school where most of the kids parents just buy them a brand new Jeep or Mustang...the unlucky ones just get daddys old Benz. Given this his choice kinda suprised me and it also put me under the gun to help him make it look as nice as possible on a budget....after we got the darn thing running and stopping.
The pictures are slightly out of order because there were so many but I love a visual aid.
I used these forums, the ogers cave, Ronald Finger, and LostNotForgotton's videos to help identify and fix all of these issues. I know Ronald's is a iron duke but the dude gave me hope.
I could not have done this without yalls help.
My son picked TeckWraps High Gloss white vinyl.
1.52m x 15m (59.8" x 590.6", 4.98ft x 49.2ft, 1.66yd x 16.4yd)
at $337 shipped. This was enough to make some mistakes and still have some left over.
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A month of all my spare weekend time later....
Finally Finished....
Thanks again to all the contributors in the fiero community.
This is him at the DMV waiting for his driving test. He insisted on driving his own car. He told me the instructor asked him questions about the car during the entire test.
.jpg) [This message has been edited by Forrest (edited 03-18-2020).]
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cvxjet
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MAR 18, 11:22 AM
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Great story and post....and car! Nice to see a young man taking on a "Project car"....Biggest mistake is to hand your kids everything. Most kids nowadays can't change a flat, let alone do proper maintenance on their car.
As far as new and expensive cars vs older-simple-cheap cars....I personally like the simple older cars that are A) Easy to work on, and B) Durable....I admit to lusting after the forged aluminum A-Arms on the C4 Vette back in the 80s-90s...But came to the realization that simple stamped steel A-arms are more durable and very in-expensive...They offer 80-90% of the performance for 1/10 the cost...
Keep up the good work!
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Patrick
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MAR 18, 01:38 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Forrest:
First Post....
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Great post! 
Nice to read something positive in the midst of this current world calamity.
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Rexgirl
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MAR 18, 05:33 PM
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Thank You for sharing your wonderful family story!! It reminds me of my Dad and I, and the memories he left me.
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cam-a-lot
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MAR 18, 07:59 PM
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Beautiful car and great story
Thanks for sharing. Great to see the next generation take an interest in these goofy oddball cars that we love!
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MinnGreenGT
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MAR 19, 08:07 AM
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This is awesome. Well done!
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Dennis LaGrua
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MAR 19, 11:49 AM
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Great job on the wrap. Looks like a late model car. The only reservation that I would have about owning a 30+ yr old car as a first daily driver vehicle would be that it will need TLC and probably a higher level of maintenance than with a newer vehicle. ------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
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The Art Doctor
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MAR 19, 07:28 PM
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longjonsilver
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MAR 20, 06:41 AM
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The car looks great! How long did the wrapping take? i assume that you fixed the mechanical problems?
thanks for the post
jon------------------
Astronomy says we will find a coded signal from outer space. Then we'll KNOW that life exists there, for coded signals aren't by chance.
Biology says there are coded genetic signals in every cell, but we KNOW that no intelligence created life.
I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!
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Forrest
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APR 29, 11:57 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by longjonsilver:
The car looks great! How long did the wrapping take? i assume that you fixed the mechanical problems?
thanks for the post
jon
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Yeah we got most all of it sorted out. I have a new compressor ready to go in for the A/C just waiting on the new pressure sensors.
I recently installed keyless entry for him but will need a 12v relay to make the trunk pop work.
Guess Ill be wiring up a new stereo soon as well cuz yesterday the tailight fuse popped which caused the radio to malfunction and the headlights to not go down.
Replacing the fuse sorted the lights but the radio has no sound now and lights up all weird (All possible things lit up) when I turn on the headlights.
The wrap took about a month of my spare time on weekends. For someone that knows what they are doing it would take less time, but I was learning as I went and mistakes waste time.
You could cut that time in half with a good helper.
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