Fiero No.2 - 88formula 3800/F23 swap (Page 5/15)
ignorant prodigy APR 18, 12:59 PM
so put in the new e-brake.. does this look right? i had no point of reference.. i threw out my old one.


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[This message has been edited by ignorant prodigy (edited 04-18-2016).]

ignorant prodigy APR 19, 02:58 PM
I was test fitting the engine bracket and it had some interference with the AC delete.
Also, the front side the 3 holes where not lining up.
So I cut a notch in the AC delete with my dremel. It’s not pretty but I think it’ll hold fine.

I also trimmed the top and side of the bracket so the holes would line up.
Painted the new spots with some black paint.


Then I attempted to install the flywheel and clutch.
I’ve never worked on a manual car, and have never replaced a clutch/flywheel. I was a bit blind while doing this.. probably not a great idea to go ahead and do it anyways, but I live on the edge what can I say

I wasn’t sure how to unbolt the flexplate and bolt up the new stuff without spinning it. So I found a youtube video and they recommend using vice grips to hold it in place against a dowel.
I also dropped it into a spare wheel I had to keep it from swinging on my hoist.


Another video said to use a cotton swab to apply the Loctite inside the holes instead of on the bolts. So I did that.
(I decided to believe the guy because its staggering amount of likes vs. dislikes… scientific I know)

flywheel to engine bolts GM (24505092)
I tightened them all down to 11ft/lbs hopping around to different bolts, then applied 50~ish* degree turn on each, again hopping around.

Then I threw the clutch and pressure plate on.
clutch to flywheel bolts GM (24571667)
I repeated the same procedure only 15ft/lbs and a 45~ish* turn.
A couple of these bolts got pretty hard to turn when I was doing the extra 45*, which makes me a little nervous that they weren’t consistent. The bolts are expensive and I believe are TTY, so I couldn’t back them out w/o needing new ones.

So we’ll try it out and see what happens.
fierogt455 MAY 14, 09:38 PM
Any updates?
ignorant prodigy FEB 05, 02:54 PM
Hey I'm back!

Nothing like an update nearly a year later

I haven't done much to the fiero in that year. But after 10 years of living in my house I finally cleared a space in my basement to work on car stuff when it's sub-zero outside.

And as you can see I'm starting on the fuel tank stuff.

Decent exterior rust. I'll get the wirewheel out and grind off as much as I can.. then paint the areas that need it.


Inside has some cracks in the baffles
I don't know how common those are.. but I may just run with it and leave the inside the way it is.


Got a new fierostore sending unit. Old one didn't look half bad but the car has been sitting for a very long time so...



I sent some time working on the HTOB. The spacer I got from SPEC was a bit too small and wouldn't fit over the bearing.

With some advice in the FB chat I used my dremel and a sandpaper wheel to hone out the hole a bit.


The end result


I used a level to make sure it was flush. don't pay attention to it not actually being level.. those are just my crooked counters lol
As long as before and after match I'm good.
before

after


I also spent a bunch of time measuring the HTOB with and without the spacer.
This is extended

This is compressed.. only had 2 hands so couldn't snap a pic while i had it up to it.

I posted all the results in this thread to get some opinions and to feel a little better about the measurements.

A bit too cold for me to work on getting the engine/transmission mated to the cradle. So for now I'll see if I can find more projects to do in the basement while I have time/motivation
ignorant prodigy FEB 18, 05:15 PM
50* in Massachusetts in February?!?! ...I will take it.
Supposed to be even warmer tomorrow.

ground down the rusty ares on the fuel tank


painted it with rust protect and also threw the transmission onto the cradle. hopefully tomorrow I can get the engine mated to it.
ignorant prodigy FEB 19, 05:46 PM
started today at the junkyard. sometimes it's pretty treacherous

but picked up these firebird hood vents.. maybe I'll use them?


Before I mated the engine to the transmission i thought I'd reverse bleed the HTOB. Step one was getting the stock cavi line out of the connector.. this little pin turned out to be a pain in the ass


A side by side with the stock and fieroguru adapter


I used an oil can filled with brakefluid and some clear hose to "pump" the fluid into the HOTB
Here I was getting air bubbles out


attached the other end of the hose to the bleeder screw


my super scientific catch can


Then after bleeding I was able to mate the engine and transmission together. felt good to finally reach this step
was easier with the transmission not mated to the cradle


and done!
ignorant prodigy FEB 20, 06:39 PM
Worked on the fuel assembly today (if anyone is even reading?)

Cut the wires on the brand new unit to hook up my new pump.


I'm no electrician.. but something about just crimping these wires where there will be fuel completely surrounding them makes me wonder?


So the new sending unit had a different shape bottom than the old one. The rubber grommet that came with would have been fine with the fiero pump.. but didn't fit my new pump.

I took the liberty of grinding out a round-ish hole to make it fit. It's not pretty but it's snug


I was going to use the dampener, but the new pump wouldn't fit in the given space. must be longer than the fiero pump. So I just used the rubber hose they supplied.
Also just eyeballing the strainer I knew I was going to have an issue. It's completely facing the wrong direction. In hindsight I could have probably rotated the pump and just used a longer hose to connect the line.. maybe?


The cheap little plastic tab on the pump that the strainer's retainer goes on snapped right off on the first try getting the sending unit in the tank.


Thus began my headache. The strainer that came with the pump not only faced the wrong direction, it wasn't very secure without that little retainer.. so any attempt to get the assembly into the tank it would instantly pop off.

At first I thought I was slick.. I picked up this guy at pepboys. It had a longer neck that I could clamp and was much smaller.. it also happen to face the right direction.


First try the clamp worked great.. it was very secure. However.. bonus points if you can guess why it didn't work?


If you guessed it was too long, you're right. That extra length in the neck made it impossible to get the whole assembly into the tank and close it.
So next step was to try and modify my brand new strainer. I cut the top off and honed out the inside. It was tapered so just cutting the neck meant I couldn't fit it over the pump
Here.. surely this will fit .. right...??


by now I'm a couple hours invested into a simple job... the clamp was tight but not quite as tight as before.. i figured I'd be ok... but ... the "ass"embley with the strainer was still too long.. I couldn't get the lid shut


So back to the drawing board. I started looking at the original strainer and what it'd take to get it to face the other direction. If I press it on hard it was fairly secure. If I turned it around though it wasn't flush and would fall right off. After a close inspection there was a small lip on the strainer.. so I grabbed a razor and started whittling down the plastic lip. Threw it on the pump and pushed real hard.. to my delight it was somewhat secure. I couldn't just pull it off.. and it wasn't falling off.. so I just said "F" it and tossed it in.


Here's the finish line.. I started when it was light out.. and now it's dark..i suck at this stuff
ignorant prodigy FEB 22, 01:45 PM
.. I've been a little uncomfortable with the fact the strainer isn't very secure.
Before I throw it back onto the car I figured I'd check the warranty.
The pumps have a 3 year warranty and I ordered it 2.8 years ago lol
Unfortunately Deatsch Werks said what I did wasn't covered but they have an "accidental damage replacement" program where they'll replace the broken pump for $25

I mean.. $25 for a brand new pump and I don't have to return my existing one? hell yea I'll take it.

pump description
Customer Service win for DW

I picked up a new shorter and more flexible strainer at advanced auto today. So when the pump gets delivered I'll be uber careful to not break that little tab off installing it.
Hudini FEB 23, 03:09 AM
Gasoline is an insulator. On a scale of 0 to 100 with water being 100 then gasoline is 2 or 3 conductivity. E85 is like 20. Not enough for the amount of power in the tank to jump any gap.
ignorant prodigy FEB 26, 06:51 PM

quote
Originally posted by Hudini:

Gasoline is an insulator. On a scale of 0 to 100 with water being 100 then gasoline is 2 or 3 conductivity. E85 is like 20. Not enough for the amount of power in the tank to jump any gap.



nice thanks for the info!

I didn't get a ton done this weekend.
new water pump
used the felpro gaskets instead of the paper ones that came with the pump.


Also threw on my new starter and exhaust manifolds. I put poly in all the suspension bits.. thats probably what took the longest.. kind of a dirty job too with all that grease.


slooooowly coming together.

next job will probably be get Rodney's floating cradle nuts in.. not really looking forward to that one