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fiero67
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MAY 20, 09:32 PM
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As you may know....Im building an 88GT from a couple different Fieros.
After finding severe frame rust on my 87GT last fall...and my 88 coupe sitting outside needing an overhaul....I decided i would strip the 88 coupe down to bare bones and rebuild the 87GT on it. So, I spent the winter stripping the 88 down( in an unheated garage in Maine BRRRRRRRRR) and got my garage redone to a workable condition. So, now that this is done and the rebuild is starting, Ill give you a little history on the 88 (my future GT) .
I bought the 88 in August of 2000.....
.... from a fellow worker that had no clue on how to be respectful to our beloved Fiero. He just couldnt get it running right...he sold it to me for $300. I looked at the simple things....four plug wires are better than three...one was burnt off, I would have guessed he would know that mouse houses didnt belong IN the air filter housing! removed it ....seemed to run better now, but was still running weird. The cause for that ..a smashed air box that is on the drivers side...the box that connects to the vent on the drivers side. That fixed it. Ran good now.
In April of 2001, I moved out of the place where I was living and found out that my ex roommate didnt like it and smashed the windows out of it including the windsheild. Poured sugar in the gastank and then proceeded to ripe the interior apart and threw it all over the front lawn. She did this to both my Fieros. (lesson learned....Move the FIeros FIRST) then come back for everything else.
the little story here:
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20030819-1-026723.html
Sept 2001, I move into my new house...brought the Fieros with me of course. Started removing the damaged stuff from the 88...and prepared to rebuild her with spare parts I had , for my son....spent the summer of 2002 redoing it with my son and then he changed his mind, it wasnt cool enough for him.He Wanted a GT...then a Lambo .... kids loves to dream ...then....then ........then... those that have kinds ,know what Im talking about...so the 88 ended up sitting again.
The summer of 2003 , a fellow member ClearDark was going to buy it off me if I finished putting back together.... I did and the weekend that he was supppose to come down to take a look at it....he was involved in a horrific wreck ( head on with a loaded dumptruck in his VW Golf) The dumptruck won and Caleb survived a long hospital stay. We both thought it would be best if I kept the 88. 
Last fall is when I discovered the horrible rust on my rear frame rails on the 87GT I was restoring. Thats when I decided I would need this forum to help me decide what to do...
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20040710-2-046460.html
Thanks to this thread and a few fellow members , it was clear to see that the 88 would be a great canidate.
prestripping in the middle of the winter... [This message has been edited by fiero67 (edited 08-31-2004).]
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fiero67
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MAY 20, 10:04 PM
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So spring is here. I brought the 88 home to put it in my new garage and finish the strip..
 Its never hard to strip a car.....Hope I can reassemble it.....  Now tonight, Im almost done with the front end prep and my order of POR15 and POR15 chassis (sp?) paint should be here tomarrow. The front compartment has been painted charcoal grey metallic..and I must say,,it was a good choice..it will compliment my interior well.  Im looking forward to starting the rebuild and joining some of these shows WITH a Fiero !!!
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linenoise
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MAY 20, 10:56 PM
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Love the garage, looks nice.
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fiero67
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MAY 21, 10:26 PM
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Thanks Linenoise.....my garage used to be a rental trailer that my parents owned. After the last renters trashed it....we cut it in half with a sawzall and towed it to my house. I put another floor over the exsisting floor giving it 1 3/4 inches thick. I ripped out the old panel walls, insulation, and wiring. reinsulated and re wired the entire thing...then sheetrocked it. Did it all myself. I wanted a place to display all my Fiero stuff besides the living room   I had to make sure it had lots of outlets.....including the ones in the ceiling......and loads of light....that way i can work all night in it. Not to mention...the West Coast chopper posters on the wall.....lol
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fiero67
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MAY 22, 07:13 PM
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Today was a good day. After finishing the countless hours of grinding ...I was able to POR15 the entire front end. I grinded smooth all the spot welds and minor rust. Cleaned all the screw /bolt holes with a mini wire wheel. Its hard to get a good picture of it painted since everything is black now....  The contrast between the Charcol grey metallic and the black is apparent now...  There will be many mods done to this GT before I am done...one thing I have learned here is that Im NOT going to sand my body panels in my garage....lol
....I cant forget to mention how much I love the 88 suspension....8 bolts and it comes out in one peice.
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ClearDark
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MAY 23, 12:39 PM
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Looking good man. Cant wait to see it finished. I will have to drive up sometime
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jscott1
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MAY 23, 01:05 PM
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You get a "+" from me just for the garage.  That looks like a very pleasant place to work on your Fiero. Especially compared to mine Keep up the good work. I love body off restorations, especially on 88s. - Jonathan ------------------
If you find my advice useful, then please give me a positive rating, thanks...
1988 GT (Firebird Interior),1988 Coupe (Daily Driver), 1985 SE (Project Car), 1985 Coupe (parts car), Firebird Interior Installation Website
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fiero67
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MAY 23, 08:13 PM
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Thanks Jscott1.....it is nice to work in the garage....especially when the only things that are really allowed in there are Fiero parts. The red and yellow containers on the wall are the ones you buy at Wal*Mart and have many clear slide out compartments. I put all my extra small Fiero parts in them from stripping down the other two Fieros. I had to make the garage livable just because I spend alot of time in there...and if I am ever in need of a dawghouse....lol
Im glad I took the time today to armor-all the entire front wiring harness before I installed it....I had to start reinstalling parts back onto this car....just to keep my spirit up..and not get overwhelmed...I even set a fender on just to show me what Im aiming at...  I am happy with the progress so far. You can really see a difference between the old and new in the next photo.... 
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jscott1
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MAY 23, 08:44 PM
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Anything special planned or are you building it back up stock? Now would be the ideal time to add Lambo doors or maybe a chop top?
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jelly2m8
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MAY 23, 09:00 PM
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Hey John, I was talking about you on our way down through Maine. Where do you live there, and maybe send me you telephone number, I'll try and look you up on the way home, which will likely be mid-late week. Looks like you have a good start on your project! [This message has been edited by jelly2m8 (edited 05-23-2004).]
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