'87 GT - Restore Advice - Suspension, Brakes, Hubs/Bearings, other misc. stuff (Page 1/1)
TakeTwo MAY 13, 02:09 PM
I have an '87 GT that's been sitting for many years. I'm going to do a full restore on it, I know it's likely more $$ to do a restoration than buying something already restored.

This will be a full panel off restore. I am planning an engine swap and much higher performance than the stock V6. Still haven't committed on the engine/trans yet, leaning toward a 3800 just because it's so well documented/proven.

1) I don't know what to order to redo the suspension, should I look into upgrades of some sort, avoid certain brands? I see poly bushing kits, but some negative feedback on them vs rubber.
2) Brakes I'm all over the place on, I don't think I want stock replacement hardware, but I'm not sure what to get instead. I see a lot of dead threads on various brake configurations, some without a parking brake. Is there one decisive brake setup I should get?
3) Wheels Hubs/Bearings - what is a safe, reliable replacement? These have around 75k miles but sat for 20 years.
4) Wheels/tires - what's an optimal size for both. I won't be doing a widebody or anything, but want it to handle decent and am open to other upgrades.
5) Panel off full restore - checking for rust and addressing the entire space frame and recoating the entire thing. What coating should be used on the space frame?


That's about it for now with questions. Until I get those areas addressed and the car on new rims/tires and rolling.


Mike in Sydney MAY 14, 06:09 AM
I recently purchased an 86 SE that had been setting for 10 years about 20 miles from the coast. Surface rust on the rotors, shocks, and suspension components but the frame is solid and rust free. The fuel tank was loaded with rust so it had to be replaced along with the fuel pump, sending unit, etc. chances are you’ll need to do the same.

I’ll answer your questions with what I’ve done or doing on the SE.


1) I don't know what to order to redo the suspension, should I look into upgrades of some sort, avoid certain brands? I see poly bushing kits, but some negative feedback on them vs rubber.

New polyurethane bushings would be good. The Fiero Store (TFS) has them. Definitely replace the shocks, struts, and steering damper. Springs and struts will depend on what you want to achieve, handling-wise.

2) Brakes I'm all over the place on, I don't think I want stock replacement hardware, but I'm not sure what to get instead. I see a lot of dead threads on various brake configurations, some without a parking brake. Is there one decisive brake setup I should get?

Stick with the stock brakes replace everything: rotors, calibres, pads, & hoses. Think about replacing the booster with one from an S-10. Buy good pads. I like Wagner T- quiet. I recently bought 4 calipers from RockAuto. I purchased rotors, hoses and dust shields from TFS

3) Wheels Hubs/Bearings - what is a safe, reliable replacement? These have around 75k miles but sat for 20 years.

Replace them. RockAuto, Summit Racing, NAPA, O’Rielly’s, TFS, etc. has replacements. TFS has a front wheel bearing kit with inner & outer bearings and the wheel seal.

4) Wheels/tires - what's an optimal size for both. I won't be doing a widebody or anything, but want it to handle decent and am open to other upgrades.

To keep the speedo accurate you need to keep the overall diameter close to stock. I run 205-60R15 on the front and 215-60R15 on the rear. I’m thinking about going to 215-45R17 front and 225-45R17 rear. A bit more tread width and lower sidewalls to reduce flex. I’m running similar-sized Bridgestone Potenzas on my CLK and I’m really happy with them.

5) Panel off full restore - checking for rust and addressing the entire space frame and recoating the entire thing. What coating should be used on the space frame?

The place to look for rust is in the trunk, the rear frame rails, engine cradle and under the battery. If these are solid, chances are everything else will be OK. I have surface rust on parts of the frame and upper & lower control arms of the SE. I used a wire brush to clean the rust scale and then coated it with POR15. Eventually, I’ll strip the suspension and powder-coat everything.


Good luck with the resurrection.

Vintage-Nut MAY 14, 01:33 PM
My ’88 GT was getting ‘long in the tooth’ and I’m working to restore many issues including the suspension and brakes.

1) I have around 4k miles on new KYB Shocks and Monroe Sensa-Trac Struts, and I’m satisfied on the ride.

For me, I prefer rubber bushings since they provide a ‘smoother’ and quieter ride. Go with polyurethane if you want more precision handling but the ride will be ‘harsher’ with more vibrations and they often ‘squeak’.

On the sway bar end links, I’m replacing the old polyurethane with Rodney’s ‘Zero Lash’ links.

2) I’m still working on a complete brake system service:
* My OEM power brake booster was good, so I only needed a vacuum check valve kit
* The OEM master cylinder bore was ‘perfect’ so I rebuilt the cylinder with a GM kit
* I use ‘Calipers Online’ to completely rebuild them than DYI as I had a parking brake issue, and their results 'looks' awesome
* New rubber hoses, Raybestos R-Line rotors and Wagner ThermoQuiet semi-metallic pads as they bite harder when they’re cold than ‘performance’ brake pads

3) With your wheel hubs/bearings with only 75k miles, I think you don’t need to replace them and only service them. My wheel hubs/bearings aren’t loose and still turn freely with 137k miles.

4) I can’t suggest the “optimal wheel size” however I have the original 15-inch aluminum wheels on my ’88 GT and my tires section isn’t great. The last tires were Goodyear Eagles.

Have fun,
VN
82-T/A [At Work] MAY 17, 03:33 PM

quote
Originally posted by TakeTwo:

I have an '87 GT that's been sitting for many years. I'm going to do a full restore on it, I know it's likely more $$ to do a restoration than buying something already restored.

This will be a full panel off restore. I am planning an engine swap and much higher performance than the stock V6. Still haven't committed on the engine/trans yet, leaning toward a 3800 just because it's so well documented/proven.

1) I don't know what to order to redo the suspension, should I look into upgrades of some sort, avoid certain brands? I see poly bushing kits, but some negative feedback on them vs rubber.
2) Brakes I'm all over the place on, I don't think I want stock replacement hardware, but I'm not sure what to get instead. I see a lot of dead threads on various brake configurations, some without a parking brake. Is there one decisive brake setup I should get?
3) Wheels Hubs/Bearings - what is a safe, reliable replacement? These have around 75k miles but sat for 20 years.
4) Wheels/tires - what's an optimal size for both. I won't be doing a widebody or anything, but want it to handle decent and am open to other upgrades.
5) Panel off full restore - checking for rust and addressing the entire space frame and recoating the entire thing. What coating should be used on the space frame?


That's about it for now with questions. Until I get those areas addressed and the car on new rims/tires and rolling.





There's nothing wrong with restoring your old car, rather than simply buying a new one. You likely know your car better than some other car you might pick up.

What I would say though is... unless you have a LOT of support from someone else, and you intend to do it yourself... I find it much easier to work "front to back" so to speak.

What I mean is... you're going to want to paint all the panels if the paint is bad, but no point in tearing the whole car apart, when you're not going to be doing any work on the whole thing at the same time. For the most part, you can restore the car as you go.

I was about... I dunno... 60%? complete with a restoration before I put my car into storage? I started front to back and replaced / refurbished things as I moved back. I tried to do it somewhat with systems, but I kept the back totally intact. So for example, I removed the hood, fenders, and wheel inner-fenders, and then sanded down the entire chassis... used epoxy paint on top of metal-etching primer. I re-did everything from front to back, including the rubber sheets (flaps), new OEM radiator, hoses, new stainless steel brake lines, master cyl, clutch cyl, blah blah... and then when I was done in the front, I moved to the middle... doing the interior, etc. When I get the car back from storage, I then plan to do the engine compartment and rear-suspension, etc. That seemed to work best for me, and it's easier to do it that way, rather than tearing everything apart.

You can see everything here: https://www.pontiacperforma...et/car87FieroSE.html

Website is old, car has been in storage for 10 years, and a lot of the links are broken (because I upgraded from Windows to Linux, and the case-sensitivity broke some of the images), but you can click the "dash warning icons" under the main picture to see the various things I've done. I'm restoring my Fiero with my daughter right now (which you can see here), but as soon as that's done, I plan to bring my car back and get to work on it.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 05-17-2023).]