Upgrade project (Page 1/1) Nasta JUN 12, 12:26 PM I scored a new 85 GT from an original owner, had some minor work done and it's been lowered, too low for the city I'm in, I'm putting in new springs to factory height and I need to replace the TCC lockup solenoid. I'm looking for advice on any other work I should do, aged parts that I should replace, etc. I find there's little power when I step on the gas, also a lot of slack in the pedal before getting any response, the brakes also take a lot of force to give any stopping power despite passing inspection, are these things that can be adjusted or will I need to replace parts? My mechanic wanted to take the transmission out to change the lockup solenoid and suggested replacing the torque converter at the same time due to the labor costs so I decided to do the minor work myself and I'm looking for suggestions from people more knowledgeable, I had heard about replacing the 3rd gear switch alongside the solenoid though not sure what that part actually is. 82-T/A [At Work] JUN 12, 04:20 PM quote Originally posted by Nasta: I scored a new 85 GT from an original owner, had some minor work done and it's been lowered, too low for the city I'm in, I'm putting in new springs to factory height and I need to replace the TCC lockup solenoid. I'm looking for advice on any other work I should do, aged parts that I should replace, etc. I find there's little power when I step on the gas, also a lot of slack in the pedal before getting any response, the brakes also take a lot of force to give any stopping power despite passing inspection, are these things that can be adjusted or will I need to replace parts? My mechanic wanted to take the transmission out to change the lockup solenoid and suggested replacing the torque converter at the same time due to the labor costs so I decided to do the minor work myself and I'm looking for suggestions from people more knowledgeable, I had heard about replacing the 3rd gear switch alongside the solenoid though not sure what that part actually is. The 85 should definitely have some get-up and go... they were high 7 second 0-60 cars, so it should still feel pretty quick and not sluggish. If you're going to have the transmission out, and likely the engine out, you might as well consider doing a simple 3.4 conversion. You order a 3.4 V6/60 rebuilt longblock from a 93-95 Camaro / Firebird, and then a $30-40 jig from Rodney Dickman (www.rodneydickman.com), drill/tap a single hole for the starter, and then you literally bolt everything from the 2.8 onto it (but with the larger fuel injectors). Everything else will just work... but if you have any issues, you'll want to resolve those first or you'll have those same problems with the 3.4. But it basically adds about 20-25 more hp, and quite a bit more torque. While it's out there's other things you can do, like port-matching the intake pieces, and hogging out the exhaust manifolds, etc. First though, I'd try to get it running and make sure you know what the issues are. Does it have a check engine light? You'll want to scan for ECM codes first. http://www.FieroOSG.com The computer codes (and how to check them) are here: https://www.pontiacperforma...icles/OSG/codes.html Patrick JUN 12, 05:14 PM quote Originally posted by Nasta: My mechanic wanted to take the transmission out to change the lockup solenoid... As far as I know, that solenoid can be changed with the transmission in the car. How long have you used this mechanic? Sluggish performance can be due to something as simple as the last person working on the engine not timing the ignition properly (ALDL jumper not in place, and/or slipped harmonic balancer which throws off the timing marks). Nasta JUN 13, 02:42 PM Engine light isn't on and I plan to change the solenoid myself, I wouldn't mind converting the engine another time, my biggest concern is the amount of force I have to put on the brakes to get any stopping power and stepping on the gas makes the car feel too heavy to accelerate fast. I've only been with my current mechanic for a few months, he's also very experienced with cars from the 80s, other mechanics I tried damaged my old fiero so I'm reluctant to go elsewhere but, he keeps telling me everything is good to go. I want my car in peak condition and not simply running so I have to do some work myself. Any ideas of what to diagnose with the pedals would be appreciated, I'm mechanically inclined, just not with cars so I should be able to do the work if I know what to look for. I'll keep the ignition timing in mind for my mechanic when I get the new springs installed. Patrick JUN 13, 05:18 PM quote Originally posted by Nasta: ...my biggest concern is the amount of force I have to put on the brakes to get any stopping power and stepping on the gas makes the car feel too heavy to accelerate fast. Perhaps find someone else in Edmonton with a 2.8 Fiero and see if your concerns are valid. Both my '84 and '88 were able to lock up the wheels at autocross with factory brakes. In regards to acceleration, a manual tranny will feel much quicker than an automatic. 82-T/A [At Work] JUN 13, 05:50 PM quote Originally posted by Nasta: Engine light isn't on and I plan to change the solenoid myself, I wouldn't mind converting the engine another time, my biggest concern is the amount of force I have to put on the brakes to get any stopping power and stepping on the gas makes the car feel too heavy to accelerate fast. I've only been with my current mechanic for a few months, he's also very experienced with cars from the 80s, other mechanics I tried damaged my old fiero so I'm reluctant to go elsewhere but, he keeps telling me everything is good to go. I want my car in peak condition and not simply running so I have to do some work myself. Any ideas of what to diagnose with the pedals would be appreciated, I'm mechanically inclined, just not with cars so I should be able to do the work if I know what to look for. I'll keep the ignition timing in mind for my mechanic when I get the new springs installed. I agree with Patrick, it was my first thought when I read this last post that... maybe you want to meet up with another Fiero owner near where you live so you can get a feel for what your Fiero should feel like. An 85 GT, even with an automatic, should feel really quick. It's like... a high 7 second / low 8 second 0-60 with an automatic... and the brakes should be decent enough (as long as they aren't glazed over) to lock up easily when you need to. I will say though, the Th-125c is a fantastic / reliable transmission, but it "IS" a slushbox. They used to sell a shift-kit for the Th-125, maybe you want to have one of those installed when it's out. It's been a long time since I've even heard of that, I don't even know where that came from in my brain, but a shift-kit would tighten up the shifts. Lol... it's so funny. I've completely forgotten what that even was. There's several kits out there. You can do it with the transmission still in the car, but if you're not comfortable drilling, you'll want the mechanic to do it ($27 bucks): https://transpartswarehouse...4-superior-k125.html Anyway, there's a whole bunch of things you can do to the car to wake it up. Like I think I mentioned above... port-matching the intake ports, hogging out the exhaust manifolds... but more importantly, making sure it's running well. Nasta JUN 13, 09:57 PM This is actually my second 85 GT, I sold my first to a friend after scoring one hell of a deal on my current one so I am familiar with the throttle and brakes, I'll run the ideas by a mechanic friend and see what changes I can make