------------------
87GT - 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
87GT - 3.4L Turbocharged engine, modified TH125H
" I'M ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

UPDATE: After all this work with the 4T60 4-speed automatic,
I later switched to a Getrag 5-speed manual transmission
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/F...L/000077-3.html#p113

4-speed Automatic Install
Since the engine needed rebuilding (in spite of assurances that it didn't), I decided to replace the stock TH125 3-speed automatic (3.18 final drive)
with a stronger 4T60 4-speed automatic with a 3.33 final drive (35/35 gears). I purchased a new rebuilt from one of the most reputable shops in town.

Details on this kind of transmission swap here:
https://web.archive.org/web...s.com/tech/440-4T60/

This non-electronic transmission uses both a TV (Throttle Valve) cable AND vacuum modulator to control shifting.
The TV cable is synchronized with the thottle to control shift points, downshifting etc. while the vacuum modulator
(get adjustable one) controls line pressure and the firmness of the shifts.



The ECM controls the Torque Convertor Lockup (TCC).
To do this the ECM uses engine RPM and inputs from the MAP, TPS, VSS, O2 and engine TEMP sensors.
To retain ECM control of the TCC these sensors would need to be retained and a TPS needed to be mounted to the intake manifold.
There's other standalone alternatives for TCC control as well.

At a later time, once the car was up and running, I didn't like the 3.33 final drive (35/35 gears),
so I dropped the cradle again to have the transmission gearing changed to a 3.73 final drive (33/37 gears)
which was much better match with the engine performance and the larger 15" wheels I would be using.
Runs 70mph at about 2400rpm with 215/60R15 tires.

Stock transmission and engine mounts were used at first. It later became apparent that this tilted the engine/tranmission toward the trunk firewall and would cause manifold clearance issues.
The first indicator that something was off was that the axles didn't seem to line up correctly. Hadn't anyone ever noticed this before?





It became more apparent when we test fit the engine.
I was not possible to get the 4-cylinder intake on because there wasn't enough clearance between the head and firewall.
Basically, the front of the transmission was too high and the mount needed to be modified. Before and after pictures.

The bracket sits on the end of the intake manifold and the 3/8" thick plywood is a mockup of this thickness.



Changing the front transmission mount brings everything back in line. The intake manifold will now fit.



The rubber was burned off the stock Fiero bracket. An Anchor Industries 2266 mount (67-69 Dodge Dart 273 V8 engine mount) is used.
It is about 1-inch thick and has 2 offset mounting bolts. It was positioned and a bolt was drilled in the Fiero bracket.
It was then bolted in place between the transmission side bracket and the Fiero bracket.
The assembly lines up with the second set of bolt holes in the cradle. This positions the transmission correctly.

Not my pic, but this gives you an idea on what the transmission mount would look like.
More on this here: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/082950.html



Both the right and left axle assemblies for a 1989 Pontiac 6000 (with 2.8 V6, 4T60 and light duty brakes w/o ABS) were purchased.
There are plenty of other combinations of parts that can be used to assemble DIY axles that will fit, but this was the simplest solution.
These have the correct mating ends for the transmission and the 20mm diameter spindle to match the Fiero hubs.
They can be purchased off the shelf at most auto parts stores and install directly without modification.

Part numbers
A1 CARDONE PN 601078 - LEFT side drive axle (21-inches long overall)
A1 CARDONE PN 601115 - RIGHT side drive axle (26.25-inches long overall)

A Derale transmission cooler was installed to handle transmission cooling requirements. The radiator didn't leak in static testing, so it was reinstalled.
Later it turned out that coolant would seep out around the edges of the driver's side end tank once the system was hot and pressurized.
A new radiator was installed at that time.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 09-05-2023).]

Not much interest in any of this?? But someone paints their GT yellow and there's 5 pages of comments?

Here's what I did on the interior. It was completely removed and a thorough cleaning of the door panels and all other components was undertaken.
The floor mats and carpeting was steam cleaned. The sun-faded "blue" speaker grills were recovered with new speaker fabric.
The shifter surround and shifter plate were reglued.

While the interior was out, sound proofing was installed as well as a new stereo system.





To still maintain a "factory" look a Pontiac CD player was installed, but high-end equipment was used in all hidden locations.
New Clearwater speakers were installed in the seat headrests and Infinity component speakers went in the dash.

A factory sub-woofer housing with a Tang-band sub went into the factory location.



To power the sub, a Xtant 1.1i 100 watt mono amp was used. This tiny amp really delivers and is perfect for the job because it can be installed under the passenger seat.



Complete stereo writeup here: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum3/HTML/000031.html

When I received the car, the radio surround was terribly warped and needed to repaired or replaced.



The lack of an oil pressure gauge in the instrument cluster REALLY bothered me because I consider that the MOST important gauge to have.
That's why I installed GT gauges and a new radio surround. It's "factory", looks correct, does the job and I needed to replace the warped radio surround anyway.
I still have a 2nd voltmeter in the tach, but that's not a big bother.

How to add the gauge cluster: http://www.frontiernet.net/...tt/AuxGageInstal.htm

I never did like the original T-bar type automatic shifter and most others eithers are either too big (Cobra head type) or look wrong (aftermarket aluminum).
I found something perfect from 97-04 Corvette - a small size, top-button, dark grey leather wrapped knob that suits the car's interior perfectly.
This is smaller than a similar design used in other GMs like Cavaliers, Grand AMs etc.
I mounted it on a shortened shifter shaft and installed a new leather boot I purchased from Rodney Dickman.



The previous owner sold the original "mint" Indy seats. Although the Mr Mike's leathers were nice, I'd have preferred a set of originals,
but another set of mint seats are few and far between. As luck would have it, we found some OEM red embossed Indy seat fabric which
I purchased and had sent off to Mr Mike. Mike did up a beautiful set of repro Indy seats.



I cleaned up the rusty seat rails and repainted them and bought the proper light grey color recliner covers to replace the incorrect dark grey ones the seats in the Indy came with.
Once assembled, only an Indy purist would notice that these are not the original seats. The only difference is that the backs of the seats aren't grey fabric like the originals.



The terrible condition of the sunvisors and headliner required that they be replaced. I bought new sunvisors and a headliner recover kit from the Fiero Store.
It was a bit of work, but I successfully recovered and reinstalled the headliner and the new visors. I also added the coathooks - 84's didn't have any.



More to come. The engine is next...

Edit: pictures added

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 08-25-2020).]

------------------

1987 Fiero SE/Fastback - 3100HO (Ported LIM, Ported Heads, Competion Valve Job, LS6 Springs, 3500 UIM, LX5 65mm TB) / 4t60e full manual / ZZP shift kit / 7730 ecm Emulated w/Ostrich - Boost coming soon!

quote Originally posted by 87_special: Wow! What a nice job you are doing.

Thank you. Here's a shot of the front compartment. After getting the damage to the hood repaired, the underside was repainted.
The overflow and windshield washer tanks had both yellowed, so I replaced them with new ones from Fiero Store.
I had the spare tire cover from some time ago and decided to use it here.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 03-04-2019).]

[This message has been edited by FieroWannaBe (edited 11-10-2008).]

quote Originally posted by blackrams: You've really transformed that ride into something special. Congrats

Thanks. Stay tuned - you aint' seen nothing yet!

This car will "wow" people at WoW (World of Wheels) next February.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 11-10-2008).]