So what do I have to do to get a page two around here , ( get the car to run or what ) LOL maybe I should start a pool take bets on which one will happen first. Now that the battery is dead I can't even sit in it and llisten to the radio.
Ok been sick , sore busy here are the pics of what i have been doing with the help of some good pff members.
The rust on the steering looks bad
Well that is what I did , as far as I can tell I am down disconnecting the main wire harnes , the four cradle bolts the dog bone and the struts. then it will be time for the tractor, the skid and drop it! Wish me luck
That should be everything I got the A/C lines today just forgot the pics. Its supposed to rain for the next couple days so I think I will spend the time soaking the cradle bolts in more oil before I even try to loosen them. I also need to buy a couple impact sockets to fit the bolts so thats a good excuse also. turns out the passenger side of the trunk just looked a little rusty untill I brushed it today and discovered a hole all the way through. So I will need to get some fiberglass or see if my brother will weld in a patch for me, Its been too long ago for me to try to weld it myself. I am also thinking while its out to replace all rubber hoses , the water pump, and the struts ( dont tell my wife or my widow will be selling the car ). I would like to get it so I can drive it at least a couple time this year , but more worried about having it run for the 30th next year in Indy. Cant live in Indiana and miss the Indy event. It will go around the track if I have to carry it LOL
Ok no pics this time computer crashed and my wifes laptop wont read the memmory card from my camera . I will work on it but in the mean time, here is what I have done lately. The duke is out ( yes I said out ) to my amaizment I went by several post disconnected everything . I had no problem with the cradle bolts ( after 2 cans of liquid wrench ) they came out with hand tools . built a cart to drop it on with a pallet reinforced with 4x4 blocks , and put on four casters rated at 385 lbs . Two problems when droping it 1 after 26 years I would have thought the lime stone drive would have been packed harder 2 We used my dads tracter with a boom and chain to pick it up, should have taken rear deck off. I watched under the car to make sure every thing was loose and he watched the top. We forgot to look up, and the chain hit the back of the decklid and put a chip in the plastic. Dont know how I am going to put it back in , it seems to have to be lined up real good to get in or out. The prob is it does'nt roll worth a crap on the stone and is much heavier than I thought it would be, should have been on cement. The engine, tran, and cradle all look so much bigger out of the car then it did in and the bay looks smaller. Now I have to wait on it's replacement to see what all I have to strip off to get it ready to go back in. In the meantime I think I will fix the rust I found in the trunk, Odd one corner was rusted out and the rest looks like new. well going to work on the pics so I can post them, no pics it did'nt happen. will be asking more questions on how to take things apart to get ready for the swap.
[This message has been edited by kendallville (edited 06-05-2012).]
Congrats, get a pic standing in the engine bay. I almost have the cradle out of the black base coupe, I just need to jack the car up a bit more to get it out. I usually put a few patio slabs on the ground to roll it out, I'm working on a soft driveway also, or an old sheet of plywood. Slip a floor jack under the pallet to slide wood under it etc.
The only thing you will need for sure is new set of plug wires and air filter, the base coupe is completely original, everything. Maybe we could plan for Friday ? I'll pm you tomorrow night. Rob
Ok lets try some pics ( proof ) lets start with pics of the trunk . It just doe'nt make sense some of it looks new and some is rusted out.
Now for the drop it was harder than I thought and in some ways easier.
we used my dads tractor and boom to raise the car which went pretty well or would have if we would of had another set of eyes to watch.
next time I will remove the deck lid to prevent further damage It just does'nt pay to take shortcuts. Now that it's out it looks to big to fit in the car , and next time I need to put something down over the limestone. You would think after 26 years the drive would be more packed down than that . The rollers I got wanted to dig into the stone , and would not roll . When I put the new one in I will have to have something for it to roll on or I will never be able to line it up good enough. It seems to have to be almost perfect or it hits or rubs on something there is not a lot of room ( glad its a 4 and not a 6 ).
Now for the one that says it all! I know but I'll get a better pic after my grandkids get here.
Ok lets start with yesterday, a very big day in the life of the car. Got brother-in-law to take me to Windsor, Canada to meet fellow PFF member rourke_87_T-Top. For the most part a prety good trip, Can't say that I care much for border quards it would be a toss up as to which ones are the bigger a_ _ es. Since this was my first time out of the country, yes i have lived a shelterd life I was taken by surprise when I gave McDonalds a US $ 20 and got this as change
don't know why just lookedso much like home I forgot that I wasn't . Well any way met up with rourke_87_T-Top at starbucks I was a little late because of road construction but got there and saw this as promised
After a short meet and greet and a little paper work for the border dic_s , Which they were the only ones on either side with bad attitudes we looked for some one to transfer the drive train to our truck
Well the people at Canadian tire did have poor atitudes also, would not use thier forktruck to help us , when Rob asked and would not talk to me at all just told me to leave. If you ever get to meet rob, Very nice to talk to and very helpful. The other one in the pic was my brother-in-law who made the trip possible So a very BIG THANK YOU TO BOTH Rob for the donation of the drive train to save my car, and for meeting me half way , and to family for taking me and the use of his truck. Now I need to decide what to do next my car has A/C so I need to swap that but I would have rather used the new wire harness not sure what to do. then decide what else needs to be swaped or replace while its still out , and of course to put the new one on the cradle. After I clean and repaint it of course, to slow the rust up as much as possible. Will be posting questions as I go not real shure about what I am doing and there are some minor diffs between the two.
Nice to meet you Kurt, once you get it on your cradle, easiest thing to do is add your A/C, swap your harness, take pics as you go, don't forget what I said about adding tranny fluid. Don't overfill it.
Today I got my old motor off the cradle and started the cradle cleanup. I feel like a real redneck now ( I always was ) that I have a motor swining from a tree limb, I will have to cook meth next like all the rest of the people around here.
This pic is for you rob, it is the belt tensioner and pulley on my motor never noticed the made in canada sticker before
this is one rotten motor mount glad I parked it before it fell out , the rubber is rotten and falling apart.
Not a lot of rust on the cradle in fact very little I guess its good to be coated in oil and dirt.
and I got the motor mounts cleaned up today but it's time to clean up or I will not be able to walk tomarrow.
I have been cleaning and adding a little paint where needed, I have allso stareted taking parts off the eingine that i want to swap like the starter , and belttensioner. I have allso decided just to paint some of the exhaust pipe with engine enamel because I could'nt get all the rust off. I got the rust off the manifold and first section of pipe because they are easier to see ( sorry no pic now ). Can someone tell me if the oil pressure sending units on the 88 and 87 2.5 can be interchanged they look diff but I am hopeing the hole in the block are the same size , plan on swapping the wireharness.
Will try to get more pics and show and tell more about what is going on and what is next soon.
Work has slowed a little been sick, fell and hurt my wrist, and need to get some money for a/c compressor and a new water pump. but here is some of what i did. first got the alternater and a/c brakets on and old a/c unit to see how it fits. One problem is two of the holes for the a/c have never been used and need to be tapped to clean them out. and i got the trunk fixed where it was rusted so that looks better.here are some pics
before
after
with a/c fits ok just need to clean up the two holes for the rear bracket.
still trying to track down a used compressor to save money , I think one of the local pick a parts have one for $30 will have to go see it and check it out. I don't want to put the drivetrain on the cradle until I do , I think it would be easier off then on but I can't wait for ever so we will see how things go.
No pics did get the two holes taped that hold the rear a/c bracket. Got a tap at D&B sales for $3.99 thought that was a good price, and it made the job easy. mounted the old a/c back on so I don't forget how it goes , now I just need to get some money for paint , a new a/c compressor , and water pump. Hope to get back to getting more done, but wishes don't go far. I need to switch the wire harnesses I hope that goes well kinda nervous about starting it and have been putting it off.
Ok so it has been so hot 100 to 106 so I have not felt good and did not get much done but here is what I did. I got a few things cleaned and painted, My dad wants to see me get it done so he bought a new a/c compressor, I got that put on . I got the wire harness off my old duke and modified to fit the new oil pressure sending unit (BIG THANKS TO THE OGER ) THEN managed to get it on the new duke was not as hard as I thought just went one connector at a time. I got the new duke on the cradle, now I have to change the water pump and the heater hose .
well hope you like the post and that I get more done so I can go for a drive
did not get to much done had to help my sister with her house ac went bad and had to take it out ( built in the wall ) then pick up a window unit so she could use it till she gets a new unit. getting closer got the axels / struts back on today, still need to get a new water pump. I also want to replace the fuel filter while its easy to get at.
My new water pump arrived to day so I got that put on and the a/c bracket back on then he belt . Looks good new a/c , waterpump, belt tensioner, alternator should be ready to go back in the car.
Looking good! This would also be a good time to replace the catalytic converter, that original has to be bad.
Also, looking at the one pic towards the top of the page, it looks like the fuel pressure regulator diaphram on the TBI might be leaking?
Wife says I have to wait till I get an income before replacing the cat, Luckey for me the pic is of the 87 that I took out it was leaking but the 88 looks good nice catch though.
A BIG OK it is back in the car , you heard right it is back in the car. It took about 1 1/2 hours from the time we raised the car till we had everything lined up and all 4 cradle bolts and the strut bolts back in. I allso got most of the hoses and the wire harnes hooked back up. so here are some pics of todays progress, along with my son ( hired help )
and this looks a lot better on this duke than mine did
Wait something looks different , OMG I know its in the tent and sitting in the opposite direction IT LIVES !!!!!!!!!!! got done putting things back together, put in some coolant, brake fluid, bled the brake lines. turned the key and to my surprise it started right up, you heard right no hesitation just started ( not bad for a red neck who never wanted to be a mechanic ). It did idle fast around 2500 rpm for a few minutes then slowed down to around 800 and stayed there , maybe the computer had to learn the new motor. Still need to add more trany fluid , I added a bottle but dip stick ( not the wife ) says it still needs a pint. It runs a lot smoother than my old one and a lot quieter, in fact so quiet in the car you don't know if its running or not. although I like the sound my sons gt makes when running sounds like it is a fast car.
again I would like to thank all the members who provided info and parts two big thumbs up to rourke_87_T-Top who made this rebuild possible But I am not done there is still a lot of work to do to the car, no matter how long it takes . Next week it goes to a body shop to have the deck lid repaired and a wing added, and paint to match. My son reminded me at least it will run for the Auburn , Cord , Duzenberg festival in Auburn this year, and a show in Albion in a few weeks ( don't remember the date have to find out) Still needs a good bath and a wax job, also I need to put insurance back on it and get a license plate. thought of that when I wanted to drive it down the road and a cop went by you never see one on this road, they must have know that I would drive it to make sure it ran. Stayed tuned for more upgrades and pics to come
[This message has been edited by kendallville (edited 07-26-2012).]
Congratulations. You are an inspiration. The 88 Duke has a balance shaft that smooths out the old duke vibrator. (That plus a new motor mount) You probably have already noticed the filter in the pan. I've never worked on an 88 so I can't say much about them. Sounds like you got a good one though.
[This message has been edited by 2farnorth (edited 07-27-2012).]
sorry it took so long to get back in , but thanks it does seem real nice. and if I helped one person get the confidence to do their own work since one of my hold ups was I was not a mechanic and thought it was to big a job then it was worth it. I now believe any thing can be done with the help of the members here on Cliffs site. Here is a pic of the latest addition I damaged my decklid taking the motor out , I wanted to fix it and keep it original . Atleast for the now this seems to be easier just to repaint this one , than to worry about keeping it stock. Car still goes nowhere due to the fact it needs a plate but I start it to keep the battery up , and the motor oiled.
Ok I forgot the camera untill I was almost done ( afraid it would'nt turn out ) but I got the rear decklid painted back on and the wing on and painted. Not the best paint job but I have seen worse and I can live with it.
At least it's not red , and I can take it to the car show saturday to show it off.
Did some cleaning to get ready for Saturdays show, repaired the lighter socket. It kept blowing fuses and never worked I replaced the socket but it took looking at the cave to get it to work another thankyou to the ogre. Tomarrow I get insurance put back on and go to the bmv. I also plan to go get some floor mats to keep the carpet clean . The show is peoples choice so not going to win anything unless I stuff the ballot box, but will try to get pics and post what happens. Looking forward to driving it again its been about 2 and a half years
not sure on the tires they were on the car when I bought it in 2008. the po could'nt tell me much about the car all she knew was that she wanted a new ride. I do like them they handle nice and I am thinking about getting new ones if they still sell them. I should replace them but I can't aford it yet so it will have to wait to be on next years to do list.
I have been driving the car for a few weeks now not much but some mostly short trips . I have noticed that it shifts hard from 1st to second , ok from second to third not sure if it just needs to be run more or if the trany needs some attention. the fluid level is ok so not sure what it needs its the auto transmission if anyone has any ideas let me know. took it to its first car show was the only fiero there but there was only about two dozen cars and not a lot of people.closest one in age was a 86 firebird. won't be doing much on the car for a while no money but still have lots of work to do , one thing is get the driver seat fixed had a cover i was going to buy from some one but lost the pm and can't remember who it was ( i have and idea but not sure ) so if it was you let me know and maybe I can still get the money out of the wife .
The tranny was shifting normally when I removed it, there were no issues with hard shifts, I am very, very, very certain ! Check your cable adjustment or fluid level. Do Not Overfill !
[This message has been edited by rourke_87_T-Top (edited 08-26-2012).]
I am sure there is nothing wrong with the trany , I think its because the cable needs adjusted. The cable on the new one was apparently a two peice cable but mine was a one peice. Needed gas for the first time it took 10.57 gallons to go 289 miles, for a little over 27 mpg. I still think its funny my 95 sunfire is bigger ( a four door ) and gets 33 mpg. will have to check on adjusting the cable in my haines manual.
That is a nice looking car. And I'm not just saying that because I also have an '87 coupe. Mine doesn't have a rear wing, so I may have to make that modification. I really like the Fiero in silver paint.
Thanks I had thought about changing color , but I like it a lot more with the addition of the rear wing. With it on the rear deck lid does'nt look so big and empty now ( imo ). the fact that it is the only silver one I have ever seen does not hurt either. I would add the wing if I were you it just adds a lot to the look of the car.
I like how the wing looks on yours, but I also really like how the notchback looks without it. I may wait until I have mine running and painted to decide whether to get a wing. The way things are going for me that could be some time in 2019.
Since the paint on my '87 is in bad shape anyway, and blue is my favorite color, I'll be changing mine to some shade of blue. Probably midnight blue.
I re-read your thread and noticed that your interior is just like mine, both in color and condition. Thanks for posting all the photos.
I am sure there is nothing wrong with the trany , I think its because the cable needs adjusted. The cable on the new one was apparently a two peice cable but mine was a one peice. Needed gas for the first time it took 10.57 gallons to go 289 miles, for a little over 27 mpg. I still think its funny my 95 sunfire is bigger ( a four door ) and gets 33 mpg. will have to check on adjusting the cable in my haines manual.
Just wanted to post an update for comparison third tank of gas took 8.6 gallons to go 272 miles so the mileage got a little better aprox 31 . Still think these cars should do a lot better. Had the car to 4 car shows now , no prizes ( did'nt think i would ) cant even get in the top 20 but a lot of people look at it and comment on it . To hear all the people that say they had one of have one or a relative that had one , you would think they made these cars by the millions.
[This message has been edited by kendallville (edited 09-17-2012).]
Ok so winter is hanging on . this is a list of thing planned for this years cleanup. in no perticular order install new shocks and struts install new ( to me ) gas gage sending unit recover driver side seat install new steering dampener install courtesy lights install new light in radio display install new horn paddles ( only one works ) move front sway bar to the back install new larger sway bar in front clean inside and out on gas tank repaint gas tank clean and paint underside of car check condition of bushings getting old forgot installing deck lid strut from Rodney Dickman ( on order ) and might think of a few more , we will have to see what I can do and can afford. hope to do the writeups well enough that they help someone else keep my favorite cars on the ROAD and OUT OF PICK APARTS
[This message has been edited by kendallville (edited 03-05-2013).]
the dog bone and the struts. then it 
It just does'nt pay to take shortcuts.
Ok so it has been so hot 100 to 106 so I have not felt good and did not get much done but here is what I did.
