Price check on Aisle 1 Please... (Page 1/2)
Fripp64 AUG 26, 10:51 AM
As one of the unfortunates who grew up with no mechanical knowledge but a passion for cars since I was 16 I need some advice from the Fiero Faithful.
I recently got back into a Fiero after 35 years. As an old fart with no mechanical aptitude but some discretionary income I need to get some things done on my '87 GT.
I reached out to a highly recommended hot rod shop in my area that does cars/trucks seen at SEMA. (Think FantomWorks on Motortrend but smaller )

Anyway- I went and met the owner and gave him my wish list of things that need to be done and he sent me a labor cost estimate for each service.
I'm supplying most of the parts from the Fiero Store.
I would GREATLY appreciate those with knowledge to take a look and give me their opinion. Just want to see if those in the know think these labor costs are in line.
(PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS A RETAIL SHOP SO I EXPECT TO PAY RETAIL PRICES AND THESE ARE ESTIMATES)
Prep and paint front and rear bumpers (they've got scuffs/nicks/etc)- $800 (the previous owner had them resprayed at one time, very poorly...not a good match. He says he can match)
Touch up other areas of paint on body- $38.00
Oil Pan and Valve Cover gaskets- $110
Replace engine mounts- $75
Rebuild front and rear suspensions- bushings/ball joints/tie rods- $600 (the suspension is 33 years old and just feels tired and worn out)
Replace rear main seal- $750
Put in Clutch kit while doing rear main seal- $75
Alignment at local shop he uses- $100

Thank you ALL for taking the time to read this and offer your constructive advice. I look forward to seeing the comments.

J.
LornesGT AUG 26, 06:24 PM
The price seem reasonable to me especially for a shop that creates car for SEMA.
fireboss AUG 26, 10:42 PM

quote
Originally posted by LornesGT:

The price seem reasonable to me especially for a shop that creates car for SEMA.
Fripp64 AUG 27, 09:59 AM
Thank you for the replies...just wanted to check with the experts
gjgpff AUG 27, 09:06 PM
The prices sound pretty reasonable, I'd say. Especially if you have reason to believe they do good work. Here's my thirty posts/two cents:

1) Remember that we're talking about a 30-something year old car, and that's without even mentioning the mileage. Some of this work has the potential to get more expensive, given that bad things can be discovered during the repair/replacement.

2) A lot of the parts you're gonna get from TFS can be had cheaper with equivalent quality from Rockauto and other sources. I love TFS, but I'd be remiss in not mentioning this.

3) Are you sure you have a leak from the rear main seal? How many miles on the car? If it isn't leaking and the car has < 100,000 miles you might want to leave that alone. Then again, there's never a better time to replace it than when you're getting a new clutch.

4) I would replace the master and slave clutch cylinder's with Rodney Dickman's parts, and maybe also get his special tool for bleeding the clutch. Also, have them check to make sure you have an all-steel clutch pedal that is not bent. Most 87s should have all steel clutch pedals, but I've heard there were some 87s with the old aluminum clutch pedal that bends/twists. Fiero clutches are notoriously hard to bleed, even for pros! Let them know that.

5) If you're going to the trouble of replacing the rear main seal, and you're rebuilding the front/rear suspension, you might want to consider replacing the transmission/transaxle output seals, too. Should be cheap and easy given the suspension rebuild.

6) If you're going to the trouble of replacing the oil pan, valve gaskets, and rear main seal, you should also replace the oil pressure sender/sensor, that should also be cheap and easy and it's the only other (besides the heads) common source of an oil leak that you're not replacing.

Best of luck!
------------------
Geoff Gibbons
1988 4cyl Manual

[This message has been edited by gjgpff (edited 08-27-2020).]

Fripp64 AUG 28, 08:58 AM
gjgpff
WOW----I can't thank you enough for taking the time to out together your reply. I agree that being a 33 year old car there could be hidden surprises and we have talked about that and we'll stay in communication through the process. The car has 46k miles and I had a good friend, a mechanic by trade, give her the once over and he's the one that confirmed the rear main seal leak.
We are sourcing some common parts from places other than The Fiero Store but some of the Fiero specific stuff they have has been great. I want to try and support a company that is there to help such a niche' car so I don't mind spending a few extra bucks with them but shocks, struts, belts, etc., we can source locally.
I'm dropping her off today- fingers crossed and THANK YOU again for giving me some things to consider that I hadn't.


J
edfiero AUG 28, 09:12 AM
The prices are very good. Almost too good.
I wonder if this place has ever worked on a Fiero before.
Fripp64 AUG 28, 09:22 AM
This was their SEMA car this year...I was impressed...800+HP
https://boneyardbuilds.com/brodys-70-c-10
Franked AUG 28, 08:31 PM
You have a good looking car there.. The truck is cool too. This prices seem really low for where I am in Ca
Raydar AUG 28, 09:43 PM

quote
Originally posted by edfiero:

The prices are very good. Almost too good.
I wonder if this place has ever worked on a Fiero before.



The same thought crossed my mind.
He's certainly not going to get rich and retire, doing your work.

With that said... The "rear main seal leak" might actually be a distributor O-ring.
Those are notorious for leaking, and all the oil runs down and looks like it's coming from... just about everywhere else.
Also, if the clutch is not slipping, but is hard to release/shift gears, I would suspect nothing worse than the hydraulics. At least until proven otherwise.
If your oil leak is found to be something other than the rear main, I would forego the clutch job until it starts slipping or otherwise misbehaving.

Edit - That's a freaking beautiful '87.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 08-28-2020).]