Wayne, congrats on the sale! Take care of yourself!
Well, as they say, it's not where you end up that important, its the journey and the people you meet along the way that counts. Looks like Mera #8044 is headed off to the beautiful island of Kauai. Deal should go down next week Friday. Thankfully a Fiero enthusiast will be purchasing it.
Tom
So does this mean a certain C5 convertible is in your future? Hope the new owner babies 8044 like you did.
Top of the page again! OWNAGE of page 129!!!
[This message has been edited by Rick 88 (edited 09-28-2012).]
Well I guess Wayne's car was my insurance policy since it was a 5-speed. At least it will be close to me being in Oklahoma. Maybe the new owner will get tired of it shortly.
So does this mean a certain C5 convertible is in your future? Hope the new owner babies 8044 like you did.
LOL...Well Rick, that C5 was snagged by someone, so I'll probably just continue to "play" with the C4. I was able to find a fiberglass top, in the exact color, for a very reasonable price, so I brought it in from the mainland. I redid the headliner myself, turned out nice. MUCH cooler now than the acrylic top!
Last photo taken of #8044 at the Ala Moana Satellite City Hall on Friday, as the new owner changed title. I was REALLY sad to see her go, but happy that its going to a Fiero enthusiast. She'll be enjoying life on Kauai, the Garden Island. Sigh....but I'm still holding on to the 88GT! And I plan to still hang around here too!!
Aloha! Tom
[This message has been edited by Fiero-in-Paradise (edited 09-29-2012).]
Glad you found a painted top. It makes the vette much more liveable. We hardly ever use the transparent top on ours. If you ever get Mera withdrawl, at least your old car will not be far away. I miss my yellow 88 GT, but it went to a good home also. If you have any extra Mera stuff you want to unload, PM me with a list. I am still in the acquiring stage with my car.
aloha, #8002 and #8044......parting is such sarrow
soooo its getting smaller....i thought we would be mega huge by now. and all a sudden i cant get www.pontiacmera.com to boot;( man!!!! boooooooo!!!!!
but we got this..................... sooooooo Happy Mera Day!!!
Dan, mera.com booted for me. It's still there. Flipped and tucked my front bumper. I like the look much better. No more "tongue hanging out" as my wife called it.
Dan, mera.com booted for me. It's still there. Flipped and tucked my front bumper. I like the look much better. No more "tongue hanging out" as my wife called it.
yeah it finally booted later that day.....must have been a solar flare or something
how about a picture of the flip?? i always wondered what it would have looked like.... and i knew you would be the first to do so
[This message has been edited by batousai666 (edited 10-06-2012).]
No worries, I still check this site out on a daily basis! Rick, yes, I have a couple of goodies left, but haven't had time to get back with you. My son is getting married this afternoon so things have been rather hectic this past week.
yeah it finally booted later that day.....must have been a solar flare or something
how about a picture of the flip?? i always wondered what it would have looked like.... and i knew you would be the first to do so
No pics yet Dan, but I really like the look. The flip takes about an hour and a half if your brackets are not to rusty.
Before you do anything spray all the bumper fasteners with "PB Blaster" or a similar penetrating oil and let them soak. Next unplug the bulbs from the turn signals and remove the bulbs from the sockets to keep from accidentally breaking one. You then need to remove the grill. About six screws and it is out. Then you will need to remove the four bolts that attach the bumper to the impact bar on the Fiero. Carefully remove the bumper with brackets from the car and set it on a piece of cardboard, or old carpet, to protect the finish.
Next, remove the turn signals from the bumper and set them aside. After that you can tackle the four bolts that secure the bumper to the attachment brackets. One pair runs horizontally, and the other pair vertically. Once those bolts are removed, spray the brackets that attach to the bumper thru the adjustment holes with penetrant, and let them soak. To separate the bumper from the brackets, you may need a "BFH". It will persuade the outer square tubing of the mounting brackets to slide off the inner square tubing attached to the bumper itself. Patience, and carefully placed blows, will get them apart.
I also labeled the brackets so I could re install them on the same side, and in the same orientation. They look interchangeable, but I tend to be a bit anal about these things.
If you have been fortunate enough to separate the brackets from the bumper itself, take a Cerveza break at this time. Then when you return, wire brush any surface rust off the bumper brackets, and the inside of the square tubing brackets that attach the bumper to the car. I used a wire "bottle brush"and a regular wire brush, to accomplish this. Since my brackets were not very rusty, this did not take too long. Next I coated the inside of the square bracket tubing with "Lubriplate" and also applied it to the surface of bumper brackets.
The attachment brackets have a number of adjustment holes drilled thru them. This allows you to leave the bumper at is current location or move it closer in or farther out. When you flip the bumper I recommend going one hole farther in from the original bolt locations to pull the bumper closer to the body. If you want it even more tucked, you will have to cut the outer tubing even shorter before you reassemble the two brackets. You will still need the "BFH" to tap the brackets back toghether, but with the Lubriplate it will go much easier.
Next, I installed the turn signal brackets on the other side of the bumper using the original screws. You will need to measure the orignal holes and drill new ones on the opposite side. Now you are committed becasuse you have a bumper full of holes! When you reinstall the flipped and tucked bumper, you will find the original holes from the turn signals will not be visible since the bumper is pulled farther in. I still plan to fill these holes when I have my car repainted. I would recommmend leaving all the attaching bolts slightly loose so you can center and level the bumper. After you are happy with the look, snug eveything up. replace the turn signal bulbs in the sockets, and install them in the housings. Check to see if the bulbs still work. (One of mine looked like it was original to the car, so I replaced both bulbs with new ones.) Finally, re install the grill and you are ready to roll.
My front bumper now has a look similar to a US spec 308 bumper. I may consider removing it one more time and shortening the outer tubing by about an inch (one adjustment hole shorter). This would give the bumper the look of a Euro spec 308. However, it would also offer even less protection to the bodywork. On top of that then I would need to "tuck" my rear bumper for things to match. Still pondering if I want to do this on not.
The best thing was my wife saying, "It does not look like it has it's tongue hanging out anymore."
[This message has been edited by Rick 88 (edited 10-06-2012).]
No worries, I still check this site out on a daily basis! Rick, yes, I have a couple of goodies left, but haven't had time to get back with you. My son is getting married this afternoon so things have been rather hectic this past week.
Aloha! Tom
Tom, there is no way you are old enough to have a son getting married. Congratulations anyway. Are you planning to use the Vette in the wedding?
No, just flipped the stock piece. I removed the turn signals to protect them when I was separating the bumper from the brackets. Then, I just mounted the turn signals on the opposite side of the bumper before I installed it back on the car. One day I may consider the Dickman bumper. I just wanted to see how the original piece looks flipped. It really does look much better on the car now.
Wonder what this sold for. (update: I called this guy and he still has the car. He would like to get $9k for it, but can't document that it is a Mera, and the build sticker is so faded that you can't see if it's a CJB RPO. Dan and Maineac could probably help him.)
Wonder what this sold for. (update: I called this guy and he still has the car. He would like to get $9k for it, but can't document that it is a Mera, and the build sticker is so faded that you can't see if it's a CJB RPO. Dan and Maineac could probably help him.)
Rodney posted a response in another thread on this car and his comment was similar to "There is a zero percent chance that this car is a Mera." BTW, the vehicle owner has not sent me a Mera build number as requested several days ago so I am certain that he has little or no documentation wrt to this car being sold as a Mera. Possibly he got taken when he bought it.
I talked to the guy, he was very forthright about the documentation, including the RPO code. He said he had contacted Dickman and Paul V, and conveyed their doubts.
Going to Pontiac won't help. The only documentation I know of that has both the Mera Build Number and the VIN is the Mera Condition of Sale and Warranty Authorization. I think there are places you can get a copy of an RPO sticker and or build sheet.
[This message has been edited by reholmes (edited 10-10-2012).]
I talked to the guy, he was very forthright about the documentation, including the RPO code. He said he had contacted Dickman and Paul V, and conveyed their doubts.
Going to Pontiac won't help. The only documentation I know of that has both the Mera Build Number and the VIN is the Mera Condition of Sale and Warranty Authorization. I think there are places you can get a copy of an RPO sticker and or build sheet.
PHS..... http://www.phs-online.com/order.htm the old Pontiac Historical Services. they will have the Fiero information but no Mera stuff. i tried already. $65 bucks. if i was workin steady, i was going to get one for the 1987 SE portion of my Mera history....but things are not happening like they should. sucks, cuz i found another 3800 SC Fiero here in MI for $5000, asking......darn it.
Thought you were done with me didn't ya? No such luck. Talked to the fellow who bought my Mera (Ron) in OK, he is turning her back to an "real" Mera with full badge's. I told him to talk to you guy's about how to do it, SO BE NICE to him.
We all know you can't replace a Mera, but I did get another car: 1978 Mercedes 450SL, California car, white, 2 tops, saddle leather, 119,000 miles X-tra clean. So now I have a rag top and it's 32 degrees outside! Story of my life.
Waynum P.S. Rick in Magnum pi drove a 450SL!!!!
[This message has been edited by Wayne Wm. Peterson (edited 10-15-2012).]
Thought you were done with me didn't ya? No such luck. Talked to the fellow who bought my Mera (Ron) in OK, he is turning her back to an "real" Mera with full badge's. I told him to talk to you guy's about how to do it, SO BE NICE to him.
We all know you can't replace a Mera, but I did get another car: 1978 Mercedes 450SL, California car, white, 2 tops, saddle leather, 119,000 miles X-tra clean. So now I have a rag top and it's 32 degrees outside! Story of my life.
Waynum P.S. Rick in Magnum pi drove a 450SL!!!!
ha!! tooo funny. you aint needin to go nowhere, ya dig. like a small group of 7-8 guys need any less
when you sold all your Magnum stuff with Mera #8002, i thought you lost the Magnum Mojo.....but i see you just went down a back alley, so to speak nice one, mate
we will take care of your boy, send him over......actually i got a Gold Nose Emblem if he needs it! as long as i get 3 witnesses and the proper documention in triplecate with photo back up;P
[This message has been edited by batousai666 (edited 10-16-2012).]
I seen it all now.....first someone (Bracey) comes up with a great Ferrari knockoff and calls it a MERA..... now we have kits out there trying to make MERA knokoffs.... lol
I seen it all now.....first someone (Bracey) comes up with a great Ferrari knockoff and calls it a MERA..... now we have kits out there trying to make MERA knokoffs.... lol
Does that make the Mera knockoff, a "knockoff clone", a "clone knockoff", or a "clone clone" ? I'm so confused........
[This message has been edited by Rick 88 (edited 10-17-2012).]
I seen it all now.....first someone (Bracey) comes up with a great Ferrari knockoff and calls it a MERA..... now we have kits out there trying to make MERA knokoffs.... lol
indeed!!! i had a couple PM here wanting my gold nose badge and the guy actually told me it was NOT a Mera he wanted to put it on.......i still have it waiting for Waynes New Buddy to join the Merry Mera musement if not it goes back on my coffee cup Peeeeowwwwwn!!!
Ok guys trying to post pictures of my MERA - lets see if this works - if not I'll take batousai666 up on his offer and email them to him to post until I can figure PIP out.
Hey it worked here is another picture. You can see the side window panels need a little attention - the drivers side needs to be repainted, but the one on the passenger side needs more work.
Now that I'm getting the hang of this its kind of fun. This is a picture of the wheels showing the fieroguru 13" brake upgrade installed. I don't really like the Enkei wheels that came with the car - so I'm looking for something more inline with style of the car - the wheels are 18". I'm looking for a 5 spoke wheel - hoping to staggered the set with 18x8 in the front and 18x9.5 in the rear.
Last picture from me until I can take some more - the engine bay. I have done a couple of things in the engine bay since I got the car - had to install struts to hold open the rear deck, and also installed a new dogbone with newer bushings. Also did a little cosmetic work and painted a couple of pieces.
Hey it worked here is another picture. You can see the side window panels need a little attention - the drivers side needs to be repainted, but the one on the passenger side needs more work.
finally another picture post happy Mera owner! WELCOME!! Mine passenger side is a mess, tooooo.....can you post some pics of your inner and outer. mine and the propotypes are smooth on the inside and most others are not.....so we want to find when that changed. sooo cool.
[This message has been edited by batousai666 (edited 10-19-2012).]
Now that I'm getting the hang of this its kind of fun. This is a picture of the wheels showing the fieroguru 13" brake upgrade installed. I don't really like the Enkei wheels that came with the car - so I'm looking for something more inline with style of the car - the wheels are 18". I'm looking for a 5 spoke wheel - hoping to staggered the set with 18x8 in the front and 18x9.5 in the rear.
Love the brake upgrade!! Not willing to give up my traditional 15s to install. Bought the sardonyx247 big booster upgrade, but undecided which car it will go on--the one that gets the SC3800 swap gets the booster.
OBTW, congrats! Really nice Mera.
------------------
Dick Mera #8046 1987 GT T-boned (RIP) 1988 GT T-Top (Miss February 2012)
[This message has been edited by reholmes (edited 10-19-2012).]
Ok now I'm addicted to posting pictures of my mera - can't help myself -
Very nice! What is the production #? Stick or automatic? Definitely needs different wheels. What kind of side view mirrors are those? Are they power too?
[This message has been edited by Rick 88 (edited 10-19-2012).]
Its Mera #8005 - with an automatic transmission - I wish it was the 5 speed. The side mirrors have Vitaloni engraved on them. The car has the power mirror toggle switch, but it doesn't appear to be hooked up. So I'm not sure if the Vitaloni mirrors have the power capabilities. This weekend is supposed to be in the high 70's here so I'm going to spend some time working on the car. I got lucky last weekend. When I purchased the car it had the woodgrain trim pieces around the gauges. I was able to remove them and the underlying Dot matrix bezels were in perfect condition. Except for the bezel around the radio - I think whomever installed the aftermarket radio probably threw away the bezel. It took me most of the day saturday to get the adhesive off.
Mine is 8011 and is a 5-speed. I swapped in a 3.4 PR for some more power. The motor looks stock but has more power and torque. The car feels much lighter now. It gets up to speed pretty quickly compared to the 2.8.
What is you budget for wheels? I have the stock Cromodora's and a set of Gunmetal Falken Torque 5's. Fronts are 18x7's and the rears are 18x8's. They look great but need a 1 in. hubcentric spacer to look correct on the Mera body. This was the widest these wheels were available in at that time. I had them on my yellow 88 GT 5-speed and they fit perfect without the spacers. Do a search for the "Show off your custom rims" thread. Go all the way back to page two. Scroll down 2/3 of the way and you will see them. Pics were posted for me by "Flashy". Let me know what you think.
When you reinstall the flipped and tucked bumper, you will find the original holes from the turn signals will not be visible since the bumper is pulled farther in. 
I still plan to fill these holes when I have my car repainted. I would recommmend leaving all the attaching bolts slightly loose so you can center and level the bumper. After you are happy with the look, snug eveything up. replace the turn signal bulbs in the sockets, and install them in the housings. Check to see if the bulbs still work. (One of mine looked like it was original to the car, so I replaced both bulbs with new ones.) Finally, re install the grill and you are ready to roll.
_(800x600)_(800x600)_(640x480)_(500x375).jpg)
_(500x375).jpg)
_(500x375).jpg)
_(500x375).jpg)
.jpg)
