I should have mentioned that those heads look pretty much identical to the heads on my boat's 350's. been a few years since I had them off tho, but they were rated 235 in 1976 figures, same motor (identical cam pistons etc) was rated 280 hp 4 years later
after they re-did the standards. I don;t see any reason why you couldn;t pull 330 hp out of a 350 with those heads, considering the 280 hp rating on a low 8.5:1 compression block. get the details to be sure.

a 1/4" NPT fitting is going to be about 1/2" around -- thats most likely what it is - hardware store should have a bunch of brass fitting and you can see if any fit right

quote Originally posted by tjm4fun: In no paritcular order: I sure hope that is not a 390 cfm carb, that isn;t big enough for a 3.8l v6! I would hope it is in the 700 cfm range! 700-750 pops into mind as being about right, but I may be thinking of another motor. if the electric choke is not working, the choke will be on all the time and will cause the engine to run like you describe, you're basically choking the motor all the time. fix that and be sure it opens after the motor starts to warm. now for the temp sender issue. that hose loop is serving a function, it is acting as a bypass for the coolant around the tstat, without that, you will have problems. some coolant must flow in order to circulate the warmed coolant up to the tstat so it knows when to start opening. what you could do, for now is drill a bypass hole in the tstat disk, about 1/8" is fine. then you could get away with plugging that intake manifold port with a sensor. I would not run like that forever, but it should work for now, at least til you determine if you have any cooling issues. (tstats are relatively cheap, so no biggie replacing it later) for the sensors, pickup some teflon pipe sealant at home depot, not the tape, the can of paste. use a layer of that on the threads so you wlil be sure of good ground contact. if you only have tape, just use 1 wrap around the threads. I would not use rtv as a thread sealant, at least not on a sending unit. as for drilling and tapping the manifold, well, if you haven't done that, and don;t have pipe taps and correct drill sizes, I would leave that be, you dont; want to screw up the manifold. and as for you asking questions, well, I have 2 kids .. girls... I'm used to questions. If you werent; so far away, I'd come over and run thru it with you, at least get you reasonably comfortable with a carbed 8. (not that I am a guru, but I can get em running acceptably... I have 2 sbc 350's carbed in my boat, 1976 motors that purr like kittens.)

700cfm?! That is too much. I had a 400hp 350 crate motor with a 650 double pumper holley carb. And already I knew that was too much for it. 600 is much more ideal and the engine will run better.

quote Originally posted by Saxman: ..I also saw this oddly placed plug. I guess the crate engine came without this hole plugged and this did the job. Notice the shut-off valve in the upper corner? That is on the fuel line. I that normal? Perhaps it is another anti-theft device...

That plug looks was used at some time for the oil relocation. I had to use that port in my swap. Also on the heads you can take the casting # (look on top between valve area) and Google it and you will get a lot of info on what they can be and which car used them.

462624 is on the inside of the head along with "Hencho Mexico". I wonder which crate engine these heads came with? The block says casting #10066036

Search says the heads have 76 cc combustion chambers.Could be either 1.94 in/1.50 exhaust or the smaller valve version.

I talked to Yons again and he said that he is sure it was rated at 330hp. I called Summit today and they don't have a non-Vortec engine rated at 330hp.

I started another thread on this engine stuff at https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/077511.html

So frustrating...

quote Originally posted by Kohburn:a 1/4" NPT fitting is going to be about 1/2" around -- thats most likely what it is - hardware store should have a bunch of brass fitting and you can see if any fit right

Thanks, Kohburn. I got the parts at the hardware store along with some pipe dope. It says it is good up to 400 degrees. Will it still allow the threads to make a ground?

The fitting from the hardware store are much taller than other ones I have seen, but the tip of the sensor will still make contact with the coolant, so I guess it will still get a good reading.

A new thread is coming - describing what it is like to deal with Steve Yanda at Yons Racing (Yons on PFF). In short, he said not to call him any more about the car - just that this IS the 330hp crate engine from Summit. 'Nuff said about which engine it is (https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/077719.html)

By the way, there is LOTS of coolant in the oil.

I started sanding the intake manifold today to put black paint on it that will actually stay on this time. The old stuff peeled off everywhere there was an oil leak - at that was pretty much everywhere. I'll also tap a new spot for the temp sensor and get this baby back together (with some help from "Doc-").

This has been frustrating to say the least.

I painted the intake manifold today along with a few other parts on the top of the engine that showed bare metal. The thermostat housing is back on with a new top from CSR - with new black paint on it (since they only offered red and blue).

I'm still afraid to drill out the 1/4" hole/threads for the temp sensor since I have never done this before. Would the starter bit be 1/4" inch or would it be a bit (no pun intended) smaller? Also, because they are pipe threads, I am not sure how deep I should go.

I did buy a mechanical temp sensor today so that I have a good idea of what the actual temp is - and to make sure the gauges are right once they are hooked up. Just a little peace of mind.

Tomorrow is the day to either tap out that new sensor hole - or just put the intake on and use the mechanical sensor (which which is the only one small enough to fit the plugged threads rught under the coolant line) for a while. I have the feeling that I will be changing the heads/intake to the steel Vortecs, but not until I sell the "extra" Fiero - either parted or whole. I need to check around to see what a rebuilt 2.8 goes for these days...

if you know the pipe thread size for the sensor I can tell you the correct drill size to use for the hole to be tapped.
you would usually use a 1/4" pilot hole, unless you have a real small pipe fitting.
drill both holes thru to the cavity. the tap expects the hole to be the tap size top to bottom, even tho a pipe thread has a taper, the tap sets that.

quote Originally posted by tjm4fun:if you know the pipe thread size for the sensor I can tell you the correct drill size to use for the hole to be tapped. you would usually use a 1/4" pilot hole, unless you have a real small pipe fitting. drill both holes thru to the cavity. the tap expects the hole to be the tap size top to bottom, even tho a pipe thread has a taper, the tap sets that.

The tap I have is for 1/4" and I have an adapter to bring the 1/8" sensor up to that. Maybe I should search some more for an 1/8" pipe tap. None of the hardware stores around here had a smaller one, but I really should search more since it will look better and read the temp better.

From what you say, it seems I should drill the same size bit for whatever tap size I need.

hmmm, maybe I didn;t word that right.
the size of the drill for a specific tap is related to the tap.
a 1/8" pipe tap requires an 11/32" drill for full thread
a 1/4" pipe tap requires a 7/16" drill for full thread
a 3/8" pipe tap requires a 37/64" drill for full thread
a 1/2" pipe tap requires a 23/32" drill for full thread

that should cover all the bases for ya. 1/8" pipe is a fine thread, as it is a more special purpose size,
but alot of those tap/die sets do come with 1/8 and 1/4 pipe taps for some strange reason.

msc has em, but then again, if they don;t have things like this, no one will.
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMAKA=04662029

but honestly, if you have the 1/4" tap and the adapter, use it. a future sensor may be larger than 1/8, and it;s easier to just use an adapter than re tap.

[This message has been edited by tjm4fun (edited 10-23-2006).]

quote Originally posted by tjm4fun: hmmm, maybe I didn;t word that right. the size of the drill for a specific tap is related to the tap. a 1/8" pipe tap requires an 11/32" drill for full thread a 1/4" pipe tap requires a 7/16" drill for full thread a 3/8" pipe tap requires a 37/64" drill for full thread a 1/2" pipe tap requires a 23/32" drill for full thread that should cover all the bases for ya. 1/8" pipe is a fine thread, as it is a more special purpose size, but alot of those tap/die sets do come with 1/8 and 1/4 pipe taps for some strange reason. msc has em, but then again, if they don;t have things like this, no one will. http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMAKA=04662029 but honestly, if you have the 1/4" tap and the adapter, use it. a future sensor may be larger than 1/8, and it;s easier to just use an adapter than re tap.

I picked up the 11/32 bit last night but didn't get around to tapping it. I am off today and tomorrow, so I hope to have it tapped and back together so I can drive it Wednesday (after the RTV cures). I think I'll go with the 1/8" since it will look better right on top of the engine. Jegs carries these 1/8" sensors, so I can always replace it with the same one.

Did I mention that I picked up a mechanical sensor/gauge? I will run that on the first startup to make sure the other gauge is working right and accurate. There is a 3/8" opening just under the coolant outlet. I'll hook up the stock gauge/dummy light there once everything is right.

Thanks for the tap thread info. My 1/4" tap didn't come with that info for some reason.

Alright - the intake is back on with a fresh coat of black paint. The hole is tapped for the new temp sensor and the carb is back on, but I am trying to stop a leak where the coolant hose leaves the engine. It should be a simple fix. I finally got distributor are back on. Hmm - about the distributor:

When I tried putting the distributor back on (test-fit), the gears lined up fine and everything was right on the marks I had left. When I took it off again to put the gasket on, it would only go all the way down in a different place than I had marked (or 180 degrees in the other direction) - just a 1/2-inch off the mark - clockwise.

When I looked down in the hole, I could see the piece sticking up with the slot in it (looked like it was made for a standard screwdriver head) was running from left to right. After putting the shaft in again a few times, I noticed that the slot had rotated a little clockwise again. After putting the distro shaft in a few more times, it had moved more. After doing it enough, the rotor finally pointed to the marks I originally made, but I am afraid that something inside has turned 180 degrees now and it will be all wrong.

Anyone know what is going on? It seems to be in the right place, but I don't want to start it until I know it is OK. I am sure the engine could not have turned from just putting the distro shaft in so many times, but something doesn't seem right.

I still need to get power to the electric choke and the new temp sensor tomorrow (today), then I can get this baby started up again!

As you noticed, as you drop the dist in, it rotates. that slotted shaft is your oil pump drive. you may have inadvertently spun it slightly working the dist back in. for the future, you can always just rotate it back with a screwdriver if it seems to force you off to the next tooth and your rotor is pointing off your mark.
since the cam did not rotate, if the dist is back in at your original marks, you should be fine.

quote Originally posted by tjm4fun:As you noticed, as you drop the dist in, it rotates. that slotted shaft is your oil pump drive. you may have inadvertently spun it slightly working the dist back in. for the future, you can always just rotate it back with a screwdriver if it seems to force you off to the next tooth and your rotor is pointing off your mark. since the cam did not rotate, if the dist is back in at your original marks, you should be fine.

Great! I should have her started this afternoon!

sax, i've got an 1/8" pipe tap and a 1/4" pipe tap... let me know if you need to use either

quote Originally posted by Kohburn:sax, i've got an 1/8" pipe tap and a 1/4" pipe tap... let me know if you need to use either

Thanks, Man. I have both and the 1/8" is now used.

If I were to do this again, I think I would jsut go with the 1/4" since the threads are so fine on the 1/8". Not very secure-feeling in my mind.

Thanks again!

Any more updates? Did you say you have another leak? BTW, I'm in Ithaca, NY until Tuesday night.

quote Originally posted by Doc-: Any more updates? Did you say you have another leak? BTW, I'm in Ithaca, NY until Tuesday night.

Yeah - I got the intake and carb back on and turned on the fuel pump - then gas started shooting out of the fuel bowl vent. Damn! I thought that the high-temp engine paint would be a little more durable, but it started coming off as soon as the rag touched it! What a weak paint!

Anyway, I have been told that it could be a stuck float or clogged needle. I banged it around for a minute and the next time I turned on the fuel pump, the gas didn't shoot out, but it dripped out pretty stead inside the carb right down into the intake.

The fuel pressure is right at 6lbs, so I think that is OK. It didn't seem to be a problem before the intake was removed. I actually had a hard time getting fuel before it came off.

Well, it looks like its time for a rebuild. I will put the Edelbrock 650 from the Fino on there tonight or tomorrow to get her going. Actually, the Fino doesn't need the 650 anyway. Hell, neither one does because they are both essentially LM1's, but I really want to get this PurplePain out on the road for once.

Notice how I called it a "fixer-upper" at the beginning of this thread? Well, an OK paint job does not necessarily make for a finished car, that's for sure! It's funny to look back at how I thanked Steve Yanda (Yons) for the great deal when he knew what he was dealing me. Yes, it still was a good deal, but not what I was expecting. He still won't answer any emails. M0sh_man, you were right.

I'll report back on my progress. I think I have a mild case of the flu (since I got the vaccine), so I may rest for a night.

By the way, I was told that I should check the oil for gasoline and change it to be safe. Another person told me to pull the spark plugs and turn the engine over (coil wire removed, of course) to clear the gas from the cylinders. Does anyone here think I need to drain the oil and clear the cylinders?

With the intake mounted like it was, you probably should change the oil (check for coolant/gas in the oil). Chances are that any gas would have evaporated by now, but it couldn't hurt to pull the plugs and turn it over a few times.

quote Originally posted by Doc-:With the intake mounted like it was, you probably should change the oil (check for coolant/gas in the oil). Chances are that any gas would have evaporated by now, but it couldn't hurt to pull the plugs and turn it over a few times.

I changed it before the manifold went back on - and I plan to run it long enough to check the running temperature, then shutting her down to change the oil again - just to be sure.

Say - you must be bored up there if you have time to lurk around the forum! Get back and help me with this damn car!

I'm stuck here running consecutive 15 minute experiments. I fiddle with a sample, wait 15 minutes, fiddle with a sample, wait 15 minutes, fiddle with a sample, well, you get the idea. I wish they would let me bring some beer into this place. I am working the later shift, which is cool because there are no grad student clowns running around at 2 am. Trust me, I'd rather be working on a fiero (that should be a bumper sticker)

Well, it was a big day for the Purple-Pain. I got the Edelbrock carb on her (ripped from the Fino) and she purred like an angry kitten. This morning, I just wanted to start her up and monitor the temp with a mechanical gauge, which went fine. The temp stayed at 180 degrees for about 5 minutes and I shut her down with no leaks. So far - my work had payed off.

I went back this afternoon after she cooled down and added some coolant in case there were any air pockets, and she took only about half a cup, so all was good. I started her up and took her for a ride around the neighborhood and made the neighbors mad - because the is a pretty nice/quiet neighborhood and there aren't many like me on the block.

Anyway, the ride was nice. I did notice that the temp went up a bit towards the end of my drive - up to 210 degrees for the last minute or two. I have a large fan on the radiator, but I think the temp should have stayed at 180. I assume mine is a 180 degree stat since it hung there so long.

Anyway, I guess I should start looking for a cause. For some reason, I remember hearing that 210 wasn't bad, but a friend suggested it might be too high.

Other than that, I was extrememly pleased to go for a spin. I still need to fix an issue with the headlight not going down, but that won't keep me off the road. Once the temp is settled, I will hook up the electric temp gauges so I don't have that thick mechanical sensor wire running past the coolant cap and into the trunk.

Oh - reaching the idle speed adjustment screw on an Edelbrock is a serious pain! The screw is on the other side of the carb, and you have to get to it with a screwdriver from below. That makes for some interesting mirror work! I still don't have the idle set low enough, but it does work MUCH better than the carb Yons left me with. That one is sitting on my bench waiting for a rebuild.

Here is the engine after the intake/carb tear-down, paint and assembly. My first time "inside" an engine.


Still left:
-Antenna cable for Pontiac CD radio. I have the harness adapter, but Yons cut the antenna cable
-Take off and weld the driver's side Lambo door so it stays up. (I bought a welder, so I get to learn about that, too!)
-Realign the Lambo doors so they don't hit the front fenders every time I open them
-Rewire the temp and oil sensors so they are not running on speaker wire (per Yons install)
-New rubber since these wheels are leaking flat in 3 days (dry-rot)
-Replace the axle (or CV boot) before something breaks (leaking boot)
-Find out what the red wires are that come out above the PCM before they catch on fire
-Try to get the heater back in for the winter (Yons pulled it all to put in an under-hood sub)
-Install new fiberglass headliner
-Hook up e-brakes
-Find out why the "door ajar" light is on
-Find out why dummy light is on
-Tear off the "custom" door cover that Yons installed

Several other small things need to happen to get her on the road for a long drive. I just can't remember them all.

One big step is done - getting her on the road. Now I need to get her ready for the 1-hour drive to work so I won't go insane from traffic around here!

I just took her for a short Sunday morning spin to get a fresh tank of gas, but the station (about a mile away) just got new pumps and can't get them to work, so, mission not accomplished. Stupid peope can't even put out a sign saying the pumps are down...

I did get to take her up to 5,000 rpm's in gear and it sounded nice. I don't know the speed because the speedometer is not hooked up (more for the list). The engine did not feel real smooth, so I will probably need to dial in the carb as it was set up for the other car. The idle stayed down at 1100 when I started her up, so I guess I don't need to mess with the idle speed any more.

The car really needs an alignment because the car shifted from side to side when I went over bumps. It also pulled to one side under acceleration, so I will have all four wheels aligned. I will run it to the shop in town where a mechanic (who used to be a head tech with Pontiac or something like that) does a great job for $70. I think he was with Pontiac when the Fieros were in production. He really liked the Fino when I took it for an alignement last year.

Also, the temp didn't go over 180 until I stopped her, but I'll keep an eye on it for a while anyway .. ok, it's a Fiero, so I'll never stop watching the temp!

I read through this entire thread. Over time you'll conquer the little "bugs" here & there. Sounds as though you've had some headaches with the previous owner. Put that behind you - it sounds as if you have a running engine, and it doesn't sound as if there is anything seriously wrong.

Some pointers, as I have an SBC in my Fiero...

Way back you mentioned that the decklid hinge had put a dent into a tube for the upper rad hose. Pay special attention to this - the V8-Fiero I bought 4 or 5 years ago suffered from a similar problem. The rad hose was being pinched enough to drastically affect cooling efficiency. My solution? I purchased a rad hose that had an immediate 90 degree bend in it. This allowed the upper rad hose to stay well away from the decklid hinge. This hugged the engine more closely, so it was necessary to cut the old rad hose & use it as a wearguard to prevent the actual hose from damage as it does come into contact with the valve cover. Cooling issues resolved.

I like the fact that there's a filler neck where your thermostat goes. I think you'll find this will lead to a much easier flush & fill procedure when changing coolant. A lot of the SBC guys use the standard thermostat housing. Nothing wrong with it, but it leads to a very difficult & tedious fill procedure when attempting to rid the cooling system of air. Your set-up more closely resembles the factory set-up. As an aside, I think you can purchase those filler necks without the overflow port - this will allow you to be rid of the blocked hose. You'll probably find the blocked hose a more economical approach, though. ;-)

Your wiring: As you probably already have surmised, your wiring is an absolute nightmare. I've seen some of the photos posted earlier, and the wiring leaves a lot to be desired. Definitely the mark of someone who should never have attempted to wire anything. Don't feel too bad - I had to sort out a lot of wiring issues on my beast as well. Speaker wiring is not suitable wire...sure, it works, but.... Some advice here. Since you've had problems with the temperature guages, I'd start by ripping out all of the added wiring & begin again. You'll have to go through the pain of tracking down the original wires. If possible, and where possible, repair & re-use the original wiring. It'll save you headaches down the road when you "forget." By using original factory wires, you'll be able to trace any future problems with the standard wiring schematic. One more small piece of advice - don't use those cheap crimp-on connectors. They don't allow for a solid connection for very long. It takes a lot more prep time, but you should always solder every connection - you will never go wrong. How you choose to insulate the bare wire after that is your choice. But if you want it to look good, use heat shrink tubing.

As noted earlier, carb tuning is easy. It sounds as though you've left your swapped carb on. That old Holley is quite black, and looks ready for a rebuild. On a good-running engine and a carb that's well tuned, you shouldn't see that amount of carbon build-up. I wonder if there were back-firing issues with your engine, or the engine where that carb came from? That carb doesn't look as new as the rest of your engine...

Air-cleaner - not many air cleaners fit under the hood once a V8 is there, and if you wish the entire package to fit under the hood, you're quite limited to the height of the intake manifold, and the air cleaner you use. Yours looks like it will fit nicely. Another which fits rather nicely is Edlebrock's "triangle-shaped" one. When you close the decklid a couple of times, there is one small spot that will get dented & form around part of the decklid. It's not extremely noticeable, and works well. Only beef I have with this silly thing is in my area, you can't buy just the foam element. You have to purchase the entire kit.

All in all, it looks as though you have a solid engine that just needs some tuning. Mine is parked until spring....

quote Originally posted by Lambykin:I read through this entire thread. Over time you'll conquer the little "bugs" here & there. Sounds as though you've had some headaches with the previous owner. Put that behind you - it sounds as if you have a running engine, and it doesn't sound as if there is anything seriously wrong. Some pointers, as I have an SBC in my Fiero... Way back you mentioned that the decklid hinge had put a dent into a tube for the upper rad hose. Pay special attention to this - the V8-Fiero I bought 4 or 5 years ago suffered from a similar problem. The rad hose was being pinched enough to drastically affect cooling efficiency. My solution? I purchased a rad hose that had an immediate 90 degree bend in it. This allowed the upper rad hose to stay well away from the decklid hinge. This hugged the engine more closely, so it was necessary to cut the old rad hose & use it as a wearguard to prevent the actual hose from damage as it does come into contact with the valve cover. Cooling issues resolved. I like the fact that there's a filler neck where your thermostat goes. I think you'll find this will lead to a much easier flush & fill procedure when changing coolant. A lot of the SBC guys use the standard thermostat housing. Nothing wrong with it, but it leads to a very difficult & tedious fill procedure when attempting to rid the cooling system of air. Your set-up more closely resembles the factory set-up. As an aside, I think you can purchase those filler necks without the overflow port - this will allow you to be rid of the blocked hose. You'll probably find the blocked hose a more economical approach, though. ;-) Your wiring: As you probably already have surmised, your wiring is an absolute nightmare. I've seen some of the photos posted earlier, and the wiring leaves a lot to be desired. Definitely the mark of someone who should never have attempted to wire anything. Don't feel too bad - I had to sort out a lot of wiring issues on my beast as well. Speaker wiring is not suitable wire...sure, it works, but.... Some advice here. Since you've had problems with the temperature guages, I'd start by ripping out all of the added wiring & begin again. You'll have to go through the pain of tracking down the original wires. If possible, and where possible, repair & re-use the original wiring. It'll save you headaches down the road when you "forget." By using original factory wires, you'll be able to trace any future problems with the standard wiring schematic. One more small piece of advice - don't use those cheap crimp-on connectors. They don't allow for a solid connection for very long. It takes a lot more prep time, but you should always solder every connection - you will never go wrong. How you choose to insulate the bare wire after that is your choice. But if you want it to look good, use heat shrink tubing. As noted earlier, carb tuning is easy. It sounds as though you've left your swapped carb on. That old Holley is quite black, and looks ready for a rebuild. On a good-running engine and a carb that's well tuned, you shouldn't see that amount of carbon build-up. I wonder if there were back-firing issues with your engine, or the engine where that carb came from? That carb doesn't look as new as the rest of your engine... Air-cleaner - not many air cleaners fit under the hood once a V8 is there, and if you wish the entire package to fit under the hood, you're quite limited to the height of the intake manifold, and the air cleaner you use. Yours looks like it will fit nicely. Another which fits rather nicely is Edlebrock's "triangle-shaped" one. When you close the decklid a couple of times, there is one small spot that will get dented & form around part of the decklid. It's not extremely noticeable, and works well. Only beef I have with this silly thing is in my area, you can't buy just the foam element. You have to purchase the entire kit. All in all, it looks as though you have a solid engine that just needs some tuning. Mine is parked until spring....

Thanks for all the help, Lambykin. You have some good experience behind you and I appreciate it.

On to some of the things you mentioned:
The rad hose is a solid metal one that has a bit of a dent in it from the deck hinge, but I don't think it will slow the coolant down any more than a 90 degree bend will, so I will leave it until I have trouble. You can just see the dent directly above the filler cap in the photo above. It only goes down less than a 1/4". I will definitely keep an eye on it in case the engine rocks and starts to wear it down. The other issue with the air filter is just rotten because I bought that nice Moroso filter that has a super low profile - and it would fit except for the hinge. Like I said - I'll hang on to it and maybe try to do some creative welding later some time to make it fit. We'll see.

You are right about the filler neck without the overflow. I got one from Summitt for $20. It did have the threaded hole, but I got a plug for it for a couple bucks and all is sealed. When I tried to unscrew the original one, I found out that it was not threaded and it broke off. The guy at Pep Boys said to use some liquid steel to seal it, but I didn't want to chance it.

Wiring: I understand about soldering them, but it will not be fun doing it from below. I will be replacing the wiring like you said. Perhaps when I drop the engine to put on some Vortec heads would be a good time for solder. I do have to trace the non-speaker wires back into the harness so I can hook them up right. Nothing is labeled and I will have to go deep enough to see the original colors - like you mentioned.

The Edelbrock will stay on this car and the rebuilt Holley will go on the Fino. I ordered the rebuild kit from Summitt yesterday, so it should be here by Tuesday. I will be putting in all new plug wires and plugs because I don't trust anything that Yons did to this thing. You can see that the wires are too long is some places - and since one of them was burned by the exhaust, I'll go ahead and do them all.

I am going to have trouble leaving this one in the garage for the winter like you. Even though Yons tore out the entire heating system to put in the sub, I will drive it on any day nice enough through the winter - even if I have to bundle up in the car. At least the tunes will sound good once I get the radio going!

Thanks again for the help. This is starting to get fun now!

I took the P-P for another ride tonight to buy her some 93 octane and see if that helped smooth out the engine. I didn't notice much of a change, but it was fun to get out in her again! Not that she is running bad - but it just feels like she could be smoother while accelerating.

She is really wiggly over bumps - especially when I let off the gas turn. I sure hope it is just the alignment.

I still need to replace the CV boot, so maybe the axle is the problem?

I also need to research the speedo since it is not connected.

More to come after my little girl's ballet class...

I asked a question here on the forum about the routing of the stock antenna cable and found out that mine is gone. Here is what it looks like from the passenger side lower door sill. (The passenger side footrest pad is on the right side of the pic)



You can see that the panel has been replaced. There is nothing but the bare essentials under there. Nothing behind the air vents and not a speaker to be found. There is a big black sub box under the hood. I imagine it will sound OK when it is hooked up - but I would rather have heat.

Yup - that pink blob on the upper-right looks like bubble gum ... NICE!

Another question: I noticed that there is no sensor wire hooked to the top position sensor on the brake pedal (or maybe it is the clutch pedal). Anyone know what that one is for? My brake lights work so it has me wondering why there are two position sensors on one of the pedals.

the speedo is electrical drive. 2 wires to a sender in the unit.

the high temps can be caused by timing also. you are going to have to figure out a way to set the timing properly.

Does the car have the 4 core radiator? Might need to burp the system.
Good Luck
Gary
Don't be driving it at 255 please!!

quote Originally posted by GKDINC:Does the car have the 4 core radiator? Might need to burp the system. Good Luck Gary Don't be driving it at 255 please!!

Yeah - I drove it around yesterday after changing the radiator cap and it still crept up to 220 after about 10 minutes so I put her away fast. It has a Nova 4-core radiator, but there is no telling if Yons did anything to it before painting the exterior of the radiator. I'll have to check the inside to see if that is the problem. The electric fan stays on with the key, so the fan in not the issue. Maybe I should boil the thermostat to see if she opens far enough? Or should I run her without the stat to see if the temp stays down?

Yes, tjm, I do need to figure out the timing. I'll have a good look around tonight or tomorrow for some type of timing mark.

One more thing - could the location of the temp sensor have anything to do with it? It is attached on the far side of the coolant exit on the manifold. Is coolant moving around in that area? Perhaps I should move it to another spot to see...

there should be plenty of flow in that area around the tstat area. the point has flow coming in from both heads, so there is always somehting moving there.

Pull your stat and drive it around and see how hot it gets.

I started a new thread on this at https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/078365.html and I will try two new rad/t-stat caps today. More to come!

I ordered the axle from Advance Auto - so I will be sure to compare the lengths to be sure they gave me the right one. It should be in tomorrow, so I'll get the seal and axle nut while I am picking it up. After that, I can drive her to work for the first time. Yes - I'll keep the straps loaded on the tow dolly just in case...

On another note, the tie rod nut on the rear passenger side was about to fall off. There was no cotter pin holding it in place - so that's why the car felt so squirrelly on the road. I started another thread on it, but does anyone know how tight that should be? - and if the split rubber above it will keep me off the road until I replace it? I guess I can look up the bolt info in the manual, but I figure someone on here knows that stuff off the top of his head and I'll have an answer before I finish dinner.

I guess I should check every bolt on the thing since Yons seems to have just thrown the parts back together. I still can't get any answers to my emails to him.