Well thanks to "Rotten" John he has talked me in to swaping a 3800sc in to my Fiero.( it didnt require much talking i might add just dont tell the wife ) I will also be moving to germany due to military and yes I will be having lots of fun on the Autobahn. I've own my Fiero for 11 years it currently has 78k miles
List of things to do (all suggestions are welcome)
3800sc Swap Tires/Rims Shocks/Struts Possible brake upgrade 200 MPH speedo Drive car for 15 days then ship it to gremany (cry for a few minutes) Larger life insurance policy (maybe i should move this one to the top right under engine swap)
Things to ponder 280HP or 380+HP? Replace 5spd with 4T65E HD (for faster speed at lower rpms. about 25% i think) 17" Rims or stock 15"? Digital Speeedo? S10 brake booster or better? Lower 1" or more?
Tweeter aka Jason
PS If anybody sees a Blue 87 GT on the side of the highway stop and give me a lift. (going from Pensicola FL to Atlanta GA via 65 and 85)
[This message has been edited by Tweeter (edited 02-19-2012).]
Ohhhh, I love your GT. Blue on black 17's would look dirty as hell. I would go for the higher HP build, drop it a inch or 2 on the 17's and do non digital gauges. would also tint the windows 20% all around. Its your car, build it how you want. Either way its gonna kick ass!
I made it no real issues. Although the check engine light came on after 80 miles. It was an EGR code so I took a look and kept on driving. I averaged 29 mpg.
Ok daddy when do I get the allowance check?
[This message has been edited by Tweeter (edited 12-03-2011).]
I'm thinking 350+ HP build. I had my eyes on a black set of rims. Sadly in Germany you can't have window tint in the form of a film so I have to actual take it off. Thanks for the inputs
The things I say on the transmission swap, how much work do you want it to be to drive your car to the fullest extent?
The more power you have the stronger the clutch you need, and the more effort it is to drive, with an auto it stays pretty much the same.
Now on a different note, will it be easier to get a 4t65e HD in germany or a fiero 5 speed? I would think the 4t65, so I would lean that way. I would also consider getting a second set of axles made to take with you, incase you up the power there and break one, which some people will say will never happen, but they might be the hardest thing to get over there.
Headers, Cam, Pulley, valve springs, and a good intake does it pretty easy, a bigger throttle body wouldn't hurt anything. And if you go for an intercooler set up you can get more than 350hp without too much work on stock heads.
So its you who cursed us with the cold weather. Lol. Funny my mother in law just arrived heee in ga today.
,Enjoy germany its very pretty over there. I went there to meet some relatives back when I was in school. Yes check to see what parts will be hardest to get in germany and take some spares.
I vote 17s. Sux on the window tint.
------------------ Rescued & resuscitated 1984 Indy Fiero Pace Car #770 presently reversibly modified...LOL!
Yeah, that guy should be making over 350 crank hp, and should be pretty quick, and the auto makes it just another car to drive, not to say the clutch on a 5 speed car is that bad when it can handle that power, but it isn't quite the same as driving the auto. I have to say I like my 5 speed 3800 a lot more than I liked the car when it was an auto, but I am bias towards the manual cars, but my other 3800 auto car really wasn't bad at all.
Get it lowered, get bigger brakes. Can you do work on the car yourself?
Get better brakes. Better than you thought when I said get bigger brakes. when you're going 130, someone WILL pull out in front of you.
I say keep the 5speed. But if you break it, you will have to ship one here. But same goes with the 4t65e most likely. Granted, some military posts have some sort of salvage yard, they don't always have much, let alone a GM car. you should be able to slip a spare trans in your household goods. Just drain it.
There's lots of twisty roads here. Driving is blast. I wish I could find an engine to swap into mine right now.
Keep in mind, you will need winter tires if you drive from Nov til April. it's the law to have at least All season tires. If you're not driving in the winter, it's not an issue. I have mine parked. I got a beater for the winter. It's easier to swap wheels than changing tires on your rims. Keep that in mind when getting big brakes. I have my stock wheels, but they won't fit over the drop spindles I have(I assume) But I'll give it a shot today. You MUST have a parking brake to ship AND register the car.
I'm not going to get too lengthy. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Have fun, I love driving out here. I have a stock motor and I still have a blast.
Thanks for all the replys. Once I get back home withal real computer and keyboard ill post some more. Kissmy I'm sure ill have lots of questions. As for winter tires I was thinking keep factory rims and using them in the winter. But that limits my choices for brake upgrade, and the e-brake requirement as well.
The family car is currently on the boat headed to germany with an ETA of 8 Feb 2012. The 17" rims and tires are at Whodeanies and the engine swap is nearly complete. The Movers arrived today and boxed/wrapped 65% of our stuff. My dog is mad at me the corner of the room she is looking at is where her kennel goes. Now she is happy. I moved some boxes
The house looks like USPS durning christmas rush, but they should be done friday afternoon. Then i'll head up to Whodeanies for the overhauling project with John as you can see above the wifes dog doesnt care where he sleeps as long as he is in the middle of the walk way
[This message has been edited by Tweeter (edited 01-31-2012).]
Added 1200 miles to the car in the short time i've had it back from Whodeanies. Its running strong and its time to send it to Germany. The family car made it to Northern Water Port in germany and is awaiting transportation to S/W germany.
The Fiero has started its journey to New Orleans where it will also be loaded on a BIG boat bound for germany as well. We got a late start because i broke the slave cylinder.
I was able to fix it up enough to get me home luckly i was only 30 miles in to the trip when i decided my clutch pedal was a little to soft and i snapped off the entire top end of the treaded part of the slave cylinder.
Here is a pic of the new one
Johny and I also went thru all the 194 bulbs and cleaned/replaced the bad ones the other day.
Picture of the fiero getting inspected prior to being accepted for shipment. Primary shipping company is Transcar.de
BTW Dean the odometer is at 80484 thats about 1200 miles on your motor so far. Also the guys at the VPC were very impressed by your install. Here a pic of the good looking install done by Whodeanie for anybody who hasnt seen it.
Estimated shipping time is 50-60 days.
Tweeter
edit Updated List of things to do/completed (all suggestions are welcome)
Complete - 3800sc Swap Complete - Tires/Rims 235/45/ZR17 Complete - 200 MPH speedo (GPS) Complete - Drive car for 15 days then ship it to gremany (cry for a few minutes) Complete - 300+HP Complete - 17" Rims Complete - S10 brake booster
Pending - Larger life insurance policy (maybe i should move this one to the top right under engine swap) Pending - Install rear view mirror (auto dim/direction) Pending - Install home link garage door control Pending - New Shocks/Struts Pending - Lower 1" Pending - Mr Mikes Leather seats Pending - Decklid Struts Pending - Hood vent
Not going to happen - Digital Speeedo?
[This message has been edited by Tweeter (edited 02-01-2012).]
Is there a year when they wont require you to keep it stock? like 25 years or 30+?
You can only get antique license plates if the car hasn't been modified. Actually, you CAN get anything legalized but it may cost you in terms of testing and approval.