Looking at parts car, no engine. HOW do I tell an 88 cradle from the others. (Page 2/2)
fierofool AUG 06, 10:49 AM
Swapping back an older cradle would require modifications to the shock towers. 88's are set at a different angle and I believe a little more rearward.

A swaybar that has been aftermarket mounted on 84-87's does not necessarily have to be mounted to the rear of the engine. Patrick's picture confirms this. My 86 had a swaybar that had been mounted to the rear and I relocated it to the front of the engine thanks to Patrick's suggestions. Also, the swaybars must be mounted fully beneath the cradle on the early models.

Best identification is what fieroguru said just above. As for the year of the car. Use the VIN decoder on this forum: http://www.gafiero.org/vin.shtml

[This message has been edited by fierofool (edited 08-06-2020).]

Franked AUG 06, 04:32 PM
Well, it's an 85 GT V6. Thanks for the VIN decoder tip. If I had a whole 88 parts car, could I move all the suspension/brakes over to the 85?
Would it be better to move the fiberglass body(Mera style body kit) over to the 88?
This project just changed scope a little bit..
Patrick AUG 06, 06:17 PM
Without knowing a lot of factors, such as condition of the two cars, I think the most efficient swap would be to swap just the rear cradle/suspension/brakes from the '88 to the '85... and that's assuming that a rear sway bar is part of the deal. IMO, messing about to swap over the front suspension would hardly be worth the effort for what you'd gain.

I would think that going the other way, swapping all the body panels (plus whatever else that needs to be transferred over) from the '85 to the '88 would be more work, but it's impossible to know from here what is actually required.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-06-2020).]

Will AUG 06, 11:40 PM
Everyone agrees the '88 rear suspension is much better than the early rear suspension.

In my opinion the '88 front suspension is also far and away better than the early front suspension.

Since your '85 is not an original Mera, the originality argument goes away... Swapping the body to the '88 will result in the better car.
Franked AUG 09, 10:41 PM
I looked at the parts car, it IS an 88, and it has a manual trans in it, no more v6. There was junk filling up the inside of the car, and it was HOT there, I didn't stick around too long.
There are 2 Fieros there in the deal, maybe. I am going to help this guy with an electrical project, in a couple weeks, and he will give me the 88 with a trans, and an 85, with no engine or trans, I may just take the 88, unless there is a reason to get a 3rd Fiero? The 88 has gold web wheels, the 85 has the fiero classic wheels( I don't know what those are really called)
I will try to put up a pic.
Frank
Franked AUG 09, 10:49 PM
Oh, the 2 cars are now SALVAGED, which means more work to make them legal, if I were to move body panels to the 88..
A pic of the 85 body-kit car. Not a salvage title.....