I am getting married in Chicago and going on the 2005 PowerTour (+ 5 days in FL) for the Honeymoon (it was her idea too!). With both of us on this lengthy of a trip there is a major need for more luggage space. A trailer is about the only option and with it being the PowerTour I want something cool. I have seen several trailers made from Fiero body parts, but my favorite (and the only style for me) is this:

I looked all over for details on how this one was built, but didn't find any. So I will just wing it and document it as I build one very similar to it. Now I am far from a fiberglass/autobody guy, so when I get to the panel filling and bonding I will probably need some help. Any autobody experts close to Mattoon and want to come help?

Since the trailer will be pulled behind a GT, why not just build one using GT panels so it will match the car better. I happened to get a GT parts car over the weekend, so I am pretty much all set. Just don't flame me when the fastback clip & decklid go under the knife - they both have some really bad spots on them and would take major work to use on a car.

Here is a rough glimpse at my plan:

The front fender is cut at the body molding line to allow easy attaching to the rear fascia. The top of the fender lines up with the GT panels pretty good at the back. The wheel well radius on the rear fascia will have to be modified slightly to more closely match the fender and fascia.

The mechanics:
The front fender (and supporting structure) will make up the majority of the trailer. I plan to use the front bumper structure and the upper fender rails and gut the rest of the front structure. This will allow attaching the front fascia, fenders and hood with all the factory hardware. The rear needs to retain the rear bumper structure and trunk latch so the rear fascia, tail lights and GT decklid can attach and function properly. I will use a traditional trailer axle and redrill it for the 5 on 100 mm pattern (gotta use Fiero wheels!). The tongue will pass through the air openings in the front fascia. There will be a basic trailer frame from 2x2 1/8" wall steel tube for the axle and tongue to attach to. Then 1x1 1/8" wall steel tube will be used to attach the Fiero structure to the trailer. Then the center will be finished out with thin aluminum sheet and made water/vapor tight. I hope to maximize the luggage space and minimize trailer weight with this method.

The initial first cuts and the point of no return:

These are the front and rear sections off the 1st Fiero I ever owned (86 SE). The chassis was near rot free, but I had modified it for an 88 front suspension and got my current 88 about mid way through the project. Focus then shifted to the 88 and the 86 has been giving up its parts ever since. It was already down to the chassis, so I just had to cut it up.

Well that is it for today. Monday I will do some more cutting on the excess metal/structure on the front and rear sections. I also want to take the fascia off the Roadster (GT parts car had a mangled fascia).
and do some more mock ups.

By next Sunday I hope to have the Fiero structure lined out with the fascias and fenders mounted a get a glimpse at how much body work will be require.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-05-2004).]

Awesome, I always have liked that trailer design, and am looking forward to seeing one's buildup.

Any idea how much interior space you'll have in the end? I like the look of the first trailer up top, but there's just waaaay too much metal parts inside for my liking... I was hoping to actually build one from the "ground up", starting with maybe an inexpensive small trailer to get the base frame / suspension, (and I don't trust my structural welding too much!) then using 1/2" steel tubing to make a "top frame" which would be where the body parts would bolt onto, just bent into the shape of the original Fiero steel. I'm thinking that would give the maximum interior space, and also make it as light as possible.. I had thought of just using the original Fiero steel, and suspension parts, but the stock susp. parts would be waaay oversprung / dampened for the weight of a trailer.. I guess I'm waiting to see some pics of just how much you're cutting out or retaining of the original steel! Good luck with the project, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. (I want to use GT parts too... Shhh! ) With 1/2 the original trunk space taken up by exhaust parts, I'll need more space for a trip like yours!

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Bob Williams
Multi-colored '86 Mutt, a work in progress! (3800SC installation almost done... I drove it!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!! This sucker is FUUUUUUUUUUUN!!! :) )

With the top open, there will be 1 huge opening fender to fender, fascia to fascia down as low as I can make it. There will not be any cross braces or anything from the original firewalls, lower frame rails or wheel wells remaining.

I would like for the space to drop down further in areas where the axle is not in the way. I may even go with a torsion axle setup so the whole opening can go down to the bottom of the ground effects.

For the axle - you may want to look at a rear axle from a Sunfire, maybe even GrandAm. Solid beam axle, with the correct bolt pattern for the wheels . . .

or just get a trailor axle and weld int he supports for the leaf springs

solid axle you lose depth - struts you lose width - its a trade off either way

The torsion setup sounds like a good idea if some hubs can be adapted... My friend's HUGE trailer (probably 10,000+ pounds of tools / wood supplies) is riding on these, I was rather surprised they could handle the weight... Not specifically the ones in the pic, but these are the ones from Northern tool for like $160. (each I think??) Not *too* bad... Would save some space...

quote Originally posted by Riceburner98: The torsion setup sounds like a good idea if some hubs can be adapted... My friend's HUGE trailer (probably 10,000+ pounds of tools / wood supplies) is riding on these, I was rather surprised they could handle the weight... Not specifically the ones in the pic, but these are the ones from Northern tool for like $160. (each I think??) Not *too* bad... Would save some space...

The Fiero trailer in this auction is riding on torsion springs. Maybe this will give you some other ideas.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7938592711&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

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A coward dies a thousand deaths..................A soldier dies but once.

Red 86 SE
Yellow 87 GT
Gold 86 SE (wrecked)
Red 84 2.5 Coupe

[This message has been edited by Fierofreak00 (edited 12-06-2004).]

Day 2:

Well I was 3 hours late leaving work, so not much time for the trailer. I did get about 2 hours in and continued with the distruction.

Well there definitely is less structure left in the front, however it is far from complete. The remaining brace behind the radiator location will be coming out too. The front frame rails will be cut just behind the attachment of the hood hinges. There really is not much left of the rear and it too will be subject to more trimming of any needed structure.

At this point I don't know how all the original Fiero structure will tie together, but I do know how I want the panels to come together. So I will now focus on attaching all the panels to the front and back sections. Then using a 1x1 steel along the trim molding recess I will slowly start bringing the front and rear halves together until I like how the panels work with each other. Once I am please with the panel layout, I will square up the structure and weld the front and rear sections together some how.

I not going to decide on the torsion or live axle until I get the body the way I like it. I will check the local farm supply store and other sources for prices on trailer stuff. This trailer will probably be rated at 1000 lbs.

That's it for today, Hopefully I will have more time on Tuesday!

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-06-2004).]

Nice, it's looking pretty wide-open now! That one in the auction is pretty cool actually.. But the center is definitely hiding a lot of unused space that you can hopefully gain by starting from the body panels -> in like you are. Good luck! - Bob

very cool! I'll be interested to see how your project develops also, as a Fiero trailer is on my list of future projects as well (as if I need more). I'm not sure if using any of the Fiero subframe is the way I'd go, but it sure looks interesting. Do you know yet what material you'll be using to build the "bed" of your trailer?

Cheers,
Russ

quote Originally posted by Riceburner98: The torsion setup sounds like a good idea if some hubs can be adapted... My friend's HUGE trailer (probably 10,000+ pounds of tools / wood supplies) is riding on these, I was rather surprised they could handle the weight...

Most modern armored vehicles (tanks, personnel carriers) ride on some form of torsion bar suspension...

nice idea.. maybe i can do something like this when the weather gives up

Hey Russ, are you gonna build an IMSA widebody trailer?

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1986 SE 350 V8

The wife and I did the 2000 Power Tour in a Fiero . We left from RI and drove to CA for the start of Power Tour. The Tour went from CA to FL . After the Tour was over we drove back to RI. ( Grand total of 8139 miles) All told we spent 3 1/2 weeks on the road . With careful packing it can be done without a trailer. We did have to do laundry at a motel but only one time. Two of those airline carryon bags fit nicely in the trunk with room left over for two small soft sided duffle bags.
Flip your spare tire around and you'll gain a few more cubic inches of space. It can be done

quote Originally posted by tesmith66: Hey Russ, are you gonna build an IMSA widebody trailer?

I'll bet I'd have the only one like it .

Russ

Adding this build-up to my bookmarks! Excellent work!

Day 3:

Phil, I would rather build the trailer than tell the soon-to-be-Mrs. that she has to pack light on her honeymoon - I just don't see anyway to come out of that one ahead. I wouldn't have any issue with luggage, but she is the type to take an empty suitcase along just for the stuff she picks up along the way...

Another productive day, but my digital camera will not upload the pics to the PC....

I got the front fascia removed from the Roadster along with the hood (also from the Roadster) and mounted on the front section of the trailer. Now this thing is starting to look cool, but without much of a rear end!

I also got the rear fascia from the parts car and removed the needed section from the fastback clip (left the rest on the car). I cut the rear clip about 1" just ahead of the seam where the inner quarter window trim stops. This allowed me to pick up 1 of the upper mount locations on each side. I then attached the rear facia and clip to the rear section.

Both the front and rear sections are getting more difficult to move around and the rear one will no longer balance on the concrete block. I may just have to fabricate some stands to keep these thing upright for the time being.

Well that is it for tonight (unless my camera cooperates!). I am not planning to have much time on Wednesday, but we will see what happens.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-07-2004).]

Seeing this gives me funny idea's. Like having the engine in the trailer so you can drive around parts cars that don't have an engine... lol, what is wrong with me? Thats the stupidest idea I have ever had. But I have seen somebody make a cradle into a dolly so he can bring his project engine to the car show. (at the 20th) That was interesting...

If I were to make one of these trailers, I would start out with a "bucket", put wheels on it using the torsion axles, then fabricate brackets to hold the body parts on. Those brackets could always be simplified parts of Fiero's.

I have also been thinking about other uses for the trailer. It looks like it will be wide enough to fit two fiero seat side by side, so I could take the top off and use it to haul some people around in a parade.

I also was thinking of how I could hitch up to a toter type thingie up front with some extended chopper bars to make this thing self propelled - kinda like the old self propelled lawn mowers that came with a little seat trailer to you didn't have to walk behind it.

The camera is still refusing to upload. I think I will reload the software for it again.

OMG!! Guru... Great job on this project!!
If you need any help when you get to the body, there tons of people here willing to help, and you are welcome to PM me anytime you need me!

Steve

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-----just me-----
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Day 4:

Today didn't start out so great. I lined up the rear to the front and got this:

There are some major width issues to contend with - grrrrrrr. So after some pondering I figured out that the fenders must come in at the rear to meet up with the rear clip better than is does now. This will require more width work to the hoods, but it appears that is the way it must be. So focus then switched to making the fenders and rear clip intersection.

The rear was moved to get more access and proped up with blocks in the exhaust cutouts in the fascia. The front fenders were removed. I then cut some bar stock so I could clamp the fenders to the rear fascia. Here is what they look like:

In order to determine how far back I had to position the fender to the rear fascia - I assumed the wheel would be centered between the moldings on the fender. Located the center point and then went to the Roadster. Lined up the center of the fender to the axle centerline and then measured the overlap between the fender and the rear fascia. I have pics of this process if any one is really curious.

Once both were clamped on and supported with jack stand in the front, I made a spacer bar the width of the hood + 1/4" and placed it at the front of the fenders. Then got some duct tape to pull the fenders into the rod like so:

Next I noticed that the inner lips of the rear of the fenders need to be removed so they were cut off:

Then I noticed the rear clip was too long on the side and had to trim it up like so:

Then the rear clip was installed again and now it looks like this:

The back of the fenders lines up much better than before. The nest step is to cut the fenders back to line up with the seam on the rear clip to get the shape and form to match better and to get a real good idea how this thing is going to look. I will then remove more steel from the front structure and then pull the side rails in to match the location the fenders are now. Then it will be time once more to try to join the front and rear structures and tack weld then together.

That's it for today!

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-08-2004).]

After looking at my parts cars, and the photo example you showed of the compleated trailer, I wonder if yours wouldn't be easier to assemble with a slightly different "cut", which retains more of the rear clip. Say for example if the rear clip were cut near the green line in the pic:....

the problems with several areas of misalignment might be minimised. As a plus, if a foot of so of the rear decklid were grafted to the (shortened) front decklid, the whole package at the back might become easier to fit up.
One reason I think the builder of the above trailer did it this way is that the shelf area (circled in blue) appears to be the stock Fiero rear trunk sheetmetal.
I'm sure you'll get it worked out, and it will come out looking great in the end.

Russ

quote Originally posted by Fierofreak00: The Fiero trailer in this auction is riding on torsion springs. Maybe this will give you some other ideas. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7938592 711&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

the trailer in this auction is my old trailer that i started and is at my friends and just have no time to finish . it is as far as everything we tryed the best suspention to use.

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86 and 87 fiero database www.geocities.com/cwandall/fiero.html

I have to agree with Russ, it seems that if the fenders were cut a little farther forward you would have a lot easier time grafting the front of the decklid to the rear of the hood.

I was going to go out and do some measuring but it is dark, cold and RAINING here. I really like this post, I have loved the trailer in the pic since the first time I saw it. I think it might be easier to use a notchy instead of a fastback as a donor, the rear would line up easier.

Russ, the IMSA kit would be great for this. Glass instead of SMC so it would be simpler to bond and the bumpers woudl be solid so it would be easier for the shape to stay constant.

Day 5; No progress - didn't even look at the trailer project - focused on other stuff.

Day 6:

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and maybe if I was doing a notchback trailer I would do it differently, but there is a method to my madness.

The contour of the GT clip and the rear potion of the fender is nearly perfect a perfect fit in height, shape, contour, etc.

I need to clean up the cuts on the GT clip and then the ones on the fender and have them joined at a visible body seam - this will same me some body work and allow easier panel disassembly than if they were bonded together. I will support the back side of the fender with some steel contoured to follow the rear clip. This will help ensure the proper shape between the fender and the rear clip. Once the fender is bolted in place at the horizontal molding seam and at the hood lip there should not be any significant movement between the fender and the rear clip.

The top portion of the rear clip still has a slight hump for the fastback contour and there still is the gap between the fender and the clip.

The raised portion will just be ground down to the proper contour.

To fill the gap I will add back a section of the rear clip that I removed earlier.

This added part also has a raised fastback contour,

so I will cut it off and use the piece to fill the gap flush with the top of the fender.

That's it for today. I hope to make some great strides this weekend, but I do have to do some other stuff as well.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-10-2004).]

Day 7:

It is finally starting to look like something!

I am pretty pleased with the overall look and the flow of the body lines. I cut the red fenders too short when I cleaned up my previous cut lines, so the Roadster gave up the black ones now pictured! Poor Roadster is just getting stripped of parts these days!

Anyway, the original Fiero structure is still not tied together, but has been pulled in the necessary amount and squared back up:

I am thinking I will run the 1x1 square tube along the body molding seam before I start attaching the front and rear sections. This will help keep the body line right and provide a good spot for the initial linking of the front and rear structure. Then it will be time to properly tie the front and rear sections together. The 1x1 at the body line will be retained for attaching the fenders, fascias and molding, but will be cut between the wheel wells once it is fully supported by the Fiero structure

Another good portion of the front structure was removed to allow the sides to be pulled in and so I could start to see how much storage space is available.

Quite a bit of space right now, but we will see how much gets taken up with the wheels and trailer frame.

I am glad this is starting to look like something!

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-11-2004).]

I have always loved the idea of a trailer with the fiero and btw nice honeymoon choice, don't give any ideas to Darth Fiero. I don't want to be doing the same for my honeymoon! Good luck with the whole marriage thing and making sure your wife has enuf room for her shoes and stuff, very sweet of you!

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http://dtcc.cz28.com/85FieroL36

Day 12:

It got cold and I have been focusing on everything but this trailer project.... no progress to speak of. Hopefully I will be back at it in a few days.

Day 14:

Back at it. I stripped the trailer of all its panels once more to focus on welding the front and rear Fiero structure together. I spent a good deal of time getting in on my frame rack (build just for Fieros!). I used the fender mounting tabs to define level front to rear and then leveled from side to side with them as well. Once everything was level, I welded the uprights to the front and rear bumpers, then I checked and verified that it was square and welded the uprights to the frame rack.

Here it is on the rack:

Here are the welded up sections:

Definitely not my best welding job, but oh well. I got some 16ga sheet to help link the pieces together. There is also some 2x2 tube that was used to extend the rear rail to tie into the lower rear section of the front. Also some 2 x 3/16" bar stock was formed to the wheel well and then bent back and welded into the rear bumper support. It is all pretty solid now.

Now next time I do this, I will be much more careful with the cuts of the front and rear frame sections to make it easier to tie them together (not have so big of a gap to fill).

That's it for today!

I've seen some trailers for the Fiero, but this is the 1st time I've seen a Fiero trailer and it is just astounding. Kudus to whoever 1st thought this up, & we all really appreciate your taking the time to document yours Guru. Can't wait to see the finished project.
Have you made an estimate what the finished trailer will weigh unloaded?
Do you already have a hitch on your GT? What kind?

It's looking real good, only it's going to need a chin spoiler and wing stand extensions Maybe a hood scoop and Firebird vents on the fenders, and ...

Maryjane,

I haven't spent any time calculating the weight, but I am optimistic that the trailer will weigh less than 350 lbs empty. I want the fully loaded trailer to weight less than 750 lbs (includes spare, and travel tools).

I don't have a hitch on my GT yet, but it will be recessed behind the liscense plate so it will not be visible when not needed. I plan to document this as well.

I finally figured out how to make an AutoCAD drawing a jpeg for viewing here! Here is a drawing of a notch fiero trailer like the one in the first post - I made this about 6 months ago.

I took a near perfect side view of a notch fiero and then imported the pic into AutoCAD. Then I traced around the body shape, wheel wells, molding, etc. Then I removed the pic and was left with just the outline. I scaled down with the diameter of the wheel. Then I rotated each half to level the body moldings. Line up the moldings and then slide the two over each other. The one on the top is centered about the wheel (Centerline of Front and Rear wheels lined up) shows the difference in wheel well radii, the one on the bottom has been adjusted (back moved closer to front) to clean up the wheel well area.

On a notchback fiero the panels seem to come together better over the wheel well (at least in 2D). Unfortunately, I never did this exercise for a GT. Maybe I will have to go back and do it.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-19-2004).]

Not much physical work happened on Sunday (DAY 15), but I figured out quite a bit.

One of the goals is to maximize the interior space and one of the main space constraints will be the wheels and axle. I looked as several torsion axles and most required at least 6” wide mounting points to the frame. These also do not work very well with excessive drops (frame mounting much lower than wheel centerline), due to their arcs and how much the centerline of the axle would change front/rear position during travel. So torsion axles are out for now.

A solid axle setup will allow the 2” frame immediately inside the wheel (clear the tire by ½” or so). The axle must also be in the dropped configuration so the center of the axle is as low as possible (4” ground clearance) to allow the floor to be as low as possible. I could not find any dropped axles in the 1000# rating, just in the 3000# and up. So I will probably have to build one from an off the shelf unit.

Wheels – I would love to get two more wheels and tires just like the ones on my 88 GT, but that would be another $400+ and not quite practical with all the wedding expenses. Plus the 45 series tires on 16” wheels would probably ride a little on the rough side on a light trailer like this. I have a front set of 88 Formula wheels that will probably get used. They have a deep inset which is needed to allow for the drop in the axle and still have room for a spring perch close to the tire.

Here is a drawing of the proposed axle/wheel setup.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-20-2004).]

Day 17:

Ordered my dropped axle today (won't be in till Jan 13th). Custom made 2000 lbs with a 4" drop - The axle will be plenty strong, but I will probably remove all but 1 of the spring leafs to soften the ride some. It would be nice to have gone lower, but they are not offered and this way I just have to redrill the 5 x 4.5 to 5x100MM and possibly turn the hub down to accept the fiero wheel.

I have also been playing with AutoCAD... Here is a drawing of a GT pulling what I think my trailer will look like:

I think this will look pretty cool on the Power Tour!

Here is a larger pic of the overall trailer shape, the 2x2 frame (Black), and the inside luggage area (Green) deterime about how much luggage volume the trailer will have. I really wanted to keep the bottom flat, but since I only went with a 4" drop, there will be a 4 1/2" hump in the center to give the axle some room to move.
Right at 20 sq-ft of interior space... should be fine (I dont' recall how much the stock Fiero has, but I estimate I am about 2.5 times that with the trailer.

The GT shape was taken from a sketch that was posted on PFF and traced in AutoCAD. I then used it to build the trailer shape, but the panels don't line up as good as they do in reality... so the sketch was off just a bit. I should just trace my side pic of the trailer so it will be more representative, but this is what I have right now.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 12-21-2004).]

the stock fiero is 5.4 IIRC

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'86 Fiero GT
My Fiero XoticRydz Mid-Rear Madness

Be Excellent To Each Other" - Bill S. Preston Esquire Ted Theadore Logan

Very interesting, thanks for taking the time to post. Please e-mail a copy of your dwg files. Why did you make the tongue that long? Keep up the good work.

I am still just playing around with the tounge... it will probably be shorter when it gets done.

I am away from my computer with the latest drawings, so I will have to email them wednesday. They are in AutoCAD 2000 format, is that OK or do you need me to save them as an earlier version?