Through what remained of March and into April, the removal and cutting of the engine compartment began. At this point, the project began to feel more "real" to me as I knew there really wasn't a way to easily turn back. Again, some bittersweet emotions flooded forth thinking of my dad and what we did together, but I also knew he would have been pretty stoked about the upgrade so that made me smile.
I felt like I was constantly moving sheets and securing car covers as we tried to keep the body panels as protected as possible. Pro tip for readers: don't paint the car before doing an extensive engine swap - it's nerve-wracking lol.
I also had to remove the remnants of the blasted firewall pieces. That was one major regret I had from Round 1. I wish we had just decided to unline it or reline it back then. As Matt began planning out the removal of pieces parts with the grinder etc. I set about removing the pieces that didn't require power tools.
That major items that had to go were the battery tray, the dog bone mount and the passenger side trunk hinge mount. In an effort to give the swap a polished look and follow some of the work that Gary had been doing with his swaps, we removed both hinge mounts completely, other miscellaneous bracket mounting points in the car that would no longer be used and Matt reshaped the passenger's side strut tower to remove the mounting point for the dog bone mount. This would allow both sides of the car to look even.
While the "chopping" was occurring, other work was progressing on the foray into the world of wiring harnesses. Matt's background is in electronics and all things electromechanical. He spent years working for Deka battery as an electro-mechanical technician, then a controls technician before moving into a controls engineer position prior to our relocation to Virginia. That move took him into a new role as a Mechatronics professor and department head at our local community college. Thus, when the opportunity came to make a harness for an LS4 conversion, he jumped at the chance. And in true Matt form - he decided to make it from scratch. Of course, R&D and materials purchasing was the first step.
I got the official job of compiling the list and sorting everything when it arrived.
Battery placement was another issue we needed to tackle. Obviously, the standard Fiero placement would not be an option due to the alternator placement on the LS4 so we had to consider options. Traditionally, many individuals placed the battery in the front compartment where the spare tire was located. Without wanting to run run flats and the amount of work I had put into that part of my car, I ruled that option out. Fieroguru opted with a dynabat that was placed under the passenger side headlight, a look that I initially favored since it wouldn't mess up my spare time area. That said, Matt pointed out my propensity to do "dumb things" with electrical items in my car and jumping a battery in that area may not be as easy as I'd like. There was also the added distance of running wiring (which wasn't insurmountable, just viewed as another item to engineer and tackle).
In the end, I looked over the compartment and suggested we consider the opposite side within the compartment itself. It would not be as efficient for weight distribution (although ultimately, the front-rear difference is 25 pounds) but I wasn't building a car to autocross or frequently track race. The dynabat is fairly light overall so it wasn't a big issue. The next thing that had to be done was engineer a holder.
Matt's first step is always R&D. He decided on a tray style and got that fitted into place:
Next, he designed the shroud that went over the battery - sometimes design takes place in our living room:
From there, a successful test fit led to the creation of the final shroud (of course, it needed a little bit of massaging)
It fits!
[This message has been edited by Fierochic88 (edited 08-23-2021).]
With Matt focusing on wiring and brakes, I turned my attention to prepping the compartment for paint. This was tough for me because I had to get my OCD in check. The engine bay had certain typical imperfections from the factory and while addressing some would enhance the aesthetics of the car, time was a factor and ultimately, if people were looking super hard at the bay itself, they were missing the bigger picture ;-) I also needed to address the items that were removed from the bay during the process of altering it to fit the LS4.
The first step, after taping off the surfaces that needed to be protected, was removing as much of the old paint as possible.
I was fortunate to have a good helper too:
Once the removal was done, surface preparation followed by some surface leveling occurred:
Overall, I found it to be pretty relaxing most of the time!
[This message has been edited by Fierochic88 (edited 08-24-2021).]
While we were working on getting the engine compartment, wiring, brakes and suspension prepared, Gary was working on the package assembly including an F40 6 speed manual transmission out of a 2006 G6 GXP. The transmission set-up included a SPEC flywheel/Stage 3 clutch that necessitated long flywheel bolts and a throwout bearing/spacer from SPEC. Gary had a set of Fiero axles machined to fit with the F40.
We also converted the shifter mechanism to a 5 speed since the car had previously been a 4 speed Muncy. We purchased the starter bracket and cables from Fieroguru and also the F40 shifter bracket and reverse lockout from Paul. Gary modified the transmission for the starter bracket and the transmission was ready to roll.
(Unfortunately, I did not get closeups of this part of the process!)
With almost exactly 2 months remaining before Carlisle, it was finally time for the test fit. Admittedly, I was getting a bit nervous but with both Gary & Jestin and us juggling multiple projects throughout this build, I knew that I would have to flexible and roll with it - the Blue Demon was in the best hands and the guys wouldn't let me down.
Gary & his wife, Jenn (with two "n"s) came out in late April with the engine and trans mounted on the cradle we initially planned to utilize. After some side projects getting tackled (like discussion over brake upgrades and wiring), and some shenanigans, we got down to the main event.
The engine itself fit with the modifications to the compartment (yay)! We also decided at that point to go with an '88 cradle.
With all of the new "go" coming, we also wanted to increase the car's "whoa." The original plan was to do a C5 brake conversion on the fronts and a C4 conversion on the rear calipers using the kits from Chris at www.embraceracing.com. This would allow the parking brake to continue to be utilized. However, as the project unfolded, we had some issues with the fitment of some of the C4 components and with time running short, and Matt's desire to try something different, he and Gary collaborated to create a second set of brackets for the rear as time was short. A plan is also in progress to add a parking brake but we aren't there yet in the timeline.
Of course, this change required me to re-tape a set of rotors - as we were powder-coating them, I already had the 12 inch rotors ready to go. Oh well - my OCD would now be happier with symmetrical set of brakes (and yes, I know it wouldn't have been noticeable but of course, I'm neurotic about those things!
After the test fit was done, it was time to tape up the car and set up the paint booth! Note to readers (and I've likely made this note before): Build up your car's engine in its' finality first, and then paint it. Do as I say and not as I do lol. Keeping this beautiful 18 year-old paint safe was a job in-and-of itself!
The first round was of a self-etching black primer. After this was shot, pictures were not taken but some additional minor leveling and prep work was done. The bay was again wiped down and Matt sprayed the lower part of the bay in black. The original plan was to do all blue; however, I'm glad he had the foresight to change it up. It turned out really well. Then more taping and preparation and voila - time for the blue. While these pictures don't truly do it justice - it looks incredible in person. Both the black and blue paint is single-stage enamel with hardener.
Now that the compartment was dry, the next step was to do the final preparations for engine placement. This involved redoing the wiring enclosures on the existing wiring that was not part of the new harness. Wire loom has come a long way in the past 19 years so I tackled that task while Matt working on finishing the setup of the new Champion radiator.
The radiator fitment took a bit of finagling, and some choice words from Matt, but eventually we had it tucked in and leveled out. There was a bit of panic when the hood was latched but a few adjustments took care of things without any damage and it was ready to roll.
We managed to get things situated and ready for install by mid-May. Matt had to run out to Gary's to tag-team some wiring on another install and in the process, he picked up the engine, cradle and some of the "pieces parts." The project was getting more "real" by the day and with about a month left before Carlisle, we were almost there.
When he arrived with the trailer I was eager to see what it had contained. Gary had sent limited pictures along the way to maintain some of the suspense factor. Of course, Matt unloaded the less flashy pieces first. Then the back of the trailer was opened and I got my first look at the engine itself:
But the real excitement was in seeing the manifold. Gary had taken it up to Earl Sessions who had painted my car back in 2003 with his brother, Bill. Earl has also been my go-to for several repairs over the years and he knows the pain on my car better than anyone. I knew Earl put his own little flair on it but didn't yet know what it would be! At first, I was a little surprised by the red, but boy did it make the intake stand out!
[This message has been edited by Fierochic88 (edited 09-08-2021).]
The first attempt at the install took place on June 8. 15 days away from Carlisle. For a team who had nearly a year-long timeline, our lives and other projects pushed us up to the limits.
Gary and Jestin came out with the goal of assembling the final pieces, including the spacer shown here, and then installing the engine into the Blue Demon. We got off to a running start:
In between meetings (the joy of working from home - I can work from the garage!), I worked to get the fuel rails together while Gary prepared the manifolds:
Matt & Jestin had started to scope out the exhaust and soon it was together and almost ready to go in:
I had to get this requisite picture to mimic the one my dad had treasured from years before:
As with any project, a parts run had to be made including the obtainment of the world's most expensive crossover fuel line (aka a fancy, made-on-the-spot piece since we hadn't realized one wasn't included). It was now time for the install (or so I hoped):
Unfortunately, things did not fit as they should and brains began to be wracked:
Modifications to the headers were made courtesy of Jestin and his trusty dog, Sparky (aka Killian who is obsessed with the welder). Another few attempts were made but the crew was not pleased:
It was ultimately decided that the cradle Gary had used for the test fit would be the better choice and we made plans for them to return that Sunday for another attempt.
Round 2 of the install came that weekend. Jestin and Gary ventured out on Sunday with the "new" cradle (aka the one used for the test fit) and it was evident that this would be the better way to go. We also continued to get a laugh out of Gary's choice in boxes to "hide" my parts. As the project was secret and many people came in and out of his place, he kept everything in this box to keep anyone from getting too curious.
Once the engine was back in and situated, Jestin began to get to work on installing the exhaust:
He brought out Killian's favorite toy - the welder - and got to work:
At the end of Day 1 of Install #2, it was determined that much progress had been made. The following day would allow us to make some final adjustments and tighten things up while gearing up for the first start.
As Matt and Gary worked to fit the harness and doublecheck everything on the block, Jestin prepped the spark plug wires:
...unfortunately the attempt didn't take...and it didn't take over the course of the next few hours. It ran with starting fluid but it was evident it wasn't getting fuel. After testing a variety of different components, one thought was that the fuel pump wasn't properly installed, or perhaps the filter was wonky? The tank was yanked, drained, and examined and still no answers:
By the end of the night, frustrated and tired, Gary and Jestin had to head home for an early start to work the next day. We, too, were tired and decided a night of sleep might be the best solution.
The next day, Matt was up bright and early. He rechecked elements of the harness and found that everything rang out so that was not the issue; however, he did stumble upon the fact that the LS2 cam sensor was too shallow. Apparently there were different iterations of this sensor and this particular one did not pair correctly with our setup. A new cam sensor was fortunately on hand and we now moved forward - the car would start, but it wouldn't stay running.
After nearly 12 hours of troubleshooting, Matt threw his hands up in the air and declared that the only remaining possibility was the ECM. The best option was for me to jump in the car and head 3 hours to Gary's to test my computer in his car, which had a similar set-up and the same ECM. Gary's car had been running for years so we knew his was good.
With a major conference call the following day at 2, I knew going in the morning would be a tight turnaround. I had just gotten home from Ashleigh's riding lesson, so I unhooked the trailer, packed a bag and awaited word from Gary & Jenn that they had an open guest room. The drive out in the dark was a little adventurous at times but the "shop car" (aka the C5 Vette) was fun to drive and I pulled into their driveway just before midnight.
The next AM, Gary and I put Matt's theory to test - first, Gary started his car just to ensure that all was in working order. He then removed the ECM and installed mine, and sure enough - it was a no go. Happy to have an answer but frustrated with the tuner for what was obviously an error in program installation, I jumped in the car to head home. It was a beautiful day and I was buoyed by the fact that my car would soon be running with a departure for Carlisle exactly 1 week away. I stopped for gas, dropped the top and quickly learned that passing an unmarked Camaro would result in a bit of a ticket (apparently he wasn't bothered by the car in front of him going an inconsistent speed) but still, I was on my way home to see if my car would finally run!
Upon arriving back home, and opting to leave out the story of the speeding ticket until after Carlisle (although Jestin had other plans!), we popped Gary's ECM into the Blue Demon. Sure enough, it was a success. You can hear it's first real fire at this link.
Huge sighs of relief all around. While there were still things to do before Carlisle (including reassemble the SD4 and reinstall it into the Indy), at least I had a running car. Matt spent some time buttoning things up while I did a thorough cleaning. One of the things that came about doing this time was the installation of the oil catch can. Matt carefully routed it and placed it in where it was nearly invisible keeping with the aesthetic goals of the build.
Soon, it was loaded up and ready to head to Pickardt's for a last minute appointment with the tuner the Wednesday before Carlisle. The Indy was also loaded and both trucks were packed to the brim with Carlisle gear.
The trip to Gary's was a bit more interesting than I had hoped for (especially after my last adventure). That day, a massive rain storm hit Central & Eastern Virginia. While I was pretty experienced in towing the horse trailer, it was my first time towing our open air car trailer and knowing that it was loaded with an irreplaceable Indy made it a little sketchy for awhile, especially as we traveled over Afton Mountain.
That night, we tinkered around on some projects of Gary's but largely enjoyed a little bit of relaxation before a busy few days. The next day, we unloaded the Blue Demon to address its alignment (it still needed adjustments due to the 88 cradle but was not yet ready for the rack). I was also able to do a bit of further cleaning thanks to Gary's two-post lift.
The tuner was set to arrive at 10 but was 45 minutes late which did not bode well for our hoped for noon departure for Carlisle. He then spent about 2 hours on the car before declaring it finished minus a driveability tune. Matt got in to back out the car and recognized that the gauge was reflecting an issue with the alternator. Sure enough, the new alternator was faulty but frankly the local parts store had one in stock. Gary and Matt managed a quick replacement, and then the tuner set about making some additional adjustments with a properly functioning alternator (i.e. he should have noticed this the first time around).
Finally at nearly 4 PM, the car was loaded and we were ready to hit the road - just in time for lovely DC & Baltimore traffic. We finally made it to Carlisle around 8 PM to unload the cars. Our original intention was to head to Reading that night to drop off Ashleigh and pick up my mom's 88GT, but thankfully she offered to come to Carlisle to make the swap the next AM. We were able to extend our stay and arrived for some extra parking lot festivities at the Fairfield Inn, ready for a great weekend in which I'd get to enjoy driving my car!
So after this blitz, has the motoring been trouble-free, or have some issues cropped up?
It's the Blue Demon...of course not! Lol. But as of late, yes...hopefully I'll get this thread up to present day this week. We learned some interesting things this summer.
Daytime Thursday at Carlisle brought tent setup, lunch at Red Robin and general organization but the events themselves didn't officially start until our Subs & Swaps event at Tom Derr's. Prior to that event, a small group of us went to the Carlisle Regal Theaters to set up our cars in front of the theater to kick-off the post-picnic special screening of Fast 9. As we pulled into the parking lot and found a spot to situate the trailer, I was excited to unveil my car. With the exception of Jestin & Gary, the others present had no idea my car had gotten a significant engine upgrade. The throaty sound of the engine quickly brought on this realization and I couldn't wait to unload it and fire it up.
Well the unloading part when smooth but that's where the fun ended. The car would not start! We stood there scratching our heads - it had run a little lean the day before but there was absolutely no reason why it shouldn't run. It was both embarassing and frustrating but with little time, we pushed it across the lot and put it in place so we could drop the trailer and grab the 88GT for rides to Tom and Sara's. One possible idea was that the spark plugs needed to be replaced so an evening run for the parts store was also planned.
Following a great gathering and an "entertaining" film, complete with movie theater drama, we set out to load the car. Many had not yet realized that the powerplant had changed and a few shocked murmers ran through the crowd. Still, it's lack of "go" was frustrating and even starting fluid didn't seem to show an easy diagnosis. A plan was made for the next morning to replace the plugs and the car was reloaded for its journey back to the fairgrounds.
The next morning, Matt, Jestin, Gary & Andrew set about with the spark plug change on the ramp of the trailer while I set about finishing show set-up. Unfortunately, this didn't do the trick and the guys soon honed in on the fact that it was likely a problem with the ECM tuning. Someone had a remote dongle and Matt soon determined that the cold start injectors appeared to be disabled. It was beyond frustrating, especially after all of the hours the tuner had spent messing with the car days prior. Matt was already less than impressed with his efforts and this definitely clinched the deal that post-Carlisle we would need to go in a different direction.
The diagnosis was further confirmed when Eric White showed up from South Dakota with his fantastic orange LS4 coupe. Conversation with Eric soon led us to realize we had the same ECMs and Eric generously allowed us to borrow his ECM to test Matt's theory. Sure enough, the Blue Demon fired up and we were at least able to showcase it's "thunder" for show attendees. It was also a relief to know that we had identified the problem and finding a solution post-show would be achievable.
Despite these hiccups, it was a really special weekend. Fieros at Carlisle had its biggest turnout in about 15 years and 130 cars were present. Most importantly, we made many new friends and had fun. MAFOA captured both the "Largest Club Turnout" and "Coolest Club" awards which were a testament to the amazing group of people we have. And speaking of amazing, I was honored to see all of the hardwork everyone put into the Blue Demon also be recognized by the attendees of the show. It was hard to be there without my Dad, but knowing I had such an amazing circle of friends made it a bit easier.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I loved seeing the car in person at Carlisle, and reading about the thrash to get it done was absolutely a thrill. I remember watching them work on her on the trailer ramps. I look forward to continuing to follow this!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I loved seeing the car in person at Carlisle, and reading about the thrash to get it done was absolutely a thrill. I remember watching them work on her on the trailer ramps. I look forward to continuing to follow this!
Thanks! Yeah it was a thrill...or something! LOL...you'd think after all these years we'd learn but I guess not! ;-)
Following Carlisle, we needed a bit of down time and Gary & Jestin had some projects that they needed to continue moving forward. Matt was also eager to get back to the SD4 whose replacement oil pump was a dud. He had put the engine back in to get the car to Carlisle but another drop was in store and he started on that in July.
With our sights now set on attending Fierorama in September both to take the swapped car out to the Midwest and support Jestin's bid for "Best in the Midwest: Fieros Owned by People Younger than Their Cars," we took the car up to Gary's the first weekend in August. We had 2 main goals - to replace the leaking slave cylinder and to redo the cradle that had been hastily prepped and painted amid the leadup to Carlisle. Gary's garage is equipped with a wonderful two-post lift and a great engine table that makes dropping engines a breeze.
In the week prior to our trip East, Matt initially thought that it was the seal that needed replacing and he unfortunately waited until mid-week to order it - not realizing how difficult an OEM seal would be to obtain. After a bit of stress and anxiety, and some assistance from Fiero Brian and Brad P, I was able to find an aftermarket seal that could be delivered to the Pep Boys near Gary's house that Friday. We loaded up the car and headed out Thursday night, grateful for the Pickardt's hospitality.
By Friday AM, the engine was out.
Unfortunately, it was soon realized that it was not a single seal but instead the entire slave cylinder that needed replaced:
More stress - but again - thanks for FieroBrian we were able to locate a part through the local O'Reilly's that would be delivered by early Saturday AM. When we drove over to pay, I even got an additional 10% off for being pleasant because the parts guy was apparently having a bad day and I was his first polite customer! ;-)
While we waited to move forward, we set about working on the cradle. It became a family effort - first trying Payten's soda blaster before turning to Jenn's paint stripper. While the smell was atrocious, between the stripper and Gary's power washer, we made progress to be ready for POR-15 application the next AM.
The next two days at Gary's allowed us to get the cradle redone:
Additional adjustments were made for the trans to be remounted:
And the engine was reinstalled:
Since Matt had also made some adjustments to the tune, I desperately wanted to take it for a spin but we needed to get home and Matt wasn't convinced it was fully burped - it's definitely one of the more PITA things about the swap. Sure enough, as he was backing it up to load it, she spewed a bit and Matt got to say, "see!" LOL.
An appointment was set with a new tuner, James Brewer of Joats Premium Performance Tuning, for the following Sunday and near completion was in sight - or so I thought!
I'm not really sure what to make of your tuning difficulties.
I am by no means a tuning professional, I just tuned my own Fieros (twice now, with two different engines).
However, to get a reasonably good tune on my current Fiero, it took me maybe 50~100 hours in the car (mechanical issues that popped up made the tuning process less efficient), over a period of 4 months, with some further fine-tuning as the cold winter temps rolled in.
The hardest aspects to do are the cold start/running parameters, as the tuner only has one true cold start per day to see if the settings worked. If not, readjust parameters and wait until the next day to try again...
There are a number of situations that need to be tested: Hilly/flat terrain Cold/hot coolant temp Cold/hot ambient temp Humid/dry air Different altitudes (if you drive up and down mountains) WOT/cruise Crawling in a parking lot with the clutch fully engaged at idle Throttle transitions Different fuel blends Differences depending on which gear you're in
I don't see tuning as a very fast exercise.
On the other hand, I read of people bringing their car to a tuner, and two hours later it's tuned
What are your expectations for how much time/money it should require to get your engine tuned nicely?
[This message has been edited by pmbrunelle (edited 09-27-2021).]
I'm not really sure what to make of your tuning difficulties.
I am by no means a tuning professional, I just tuned my own Fieros (twice now, with two different engines).
However, to get a reasonably good tune on my current Fiero, it took me maybe 50~100 hours in the car (mechanical issues that popped up made the tuning process less efficient), over a period of 4 months, with some further fine-tuning as the cold winter temps rolled in.
The hardest aspects to do are the cold start/running parameters, as the tuner only has one true cold start per day to see if the settings worked. If not, readjust parameters and wait until the next day to try again...
There are a number of situations that need to be tested: Hilly/flat terrain Cold/hot coolant temp Cold/hot ambient temp Humid/dry air Different altitudes (if you drive up and down mountains) WOT/cruise Crawling in a parking lot with the clutch fully engaged at idle Throttle transitions Different fuel blends Differences depending on which gear you're in
I don't see tuning as a very fast exercise.
On the other hand, I read of people bringing their car to a tuner, and two hours later it's tuned
What are your expectations for how much time/money it should require to get your engine tuned nicely?
Great questions!
You are in the ballpark with all but time. I should reiterate that the initial tune was to simply get the car able to idle and drive short distances at Carlisle. The first tuner was young and less experienced than we initially realized. My husband is well-versed in electronics and the concepts, but the short time frame leading up to the show (on top of running point on the show) led us to simply engage this first guy to lessen our load.
The issues we ran into there were not due to time but the lack of experience. He disabled certain components of the tune that caused the core issues. He also was not proficient in fuel output so the car was running far richer than it should have during the tune process. An experienced tuner does their homework in advance, loads a base tune based on the car's specs and then modifies it from there. Unfortunately, this did not occur during Round 1.
I'll get to Round 2 here in my next post with a bit more detail but remote tuning is able to do the things you mentioned above (as long as you have access to varied terrain). The only limitation is weather conditions BUT in the case of this particular build, it isn't going to be driven in winter so a Fall day with varying temps worked well for the tune.
It was actually 3 weeks until the tuning appointment times matched up for Matt and James (I had first thought we had it set for the following weekend but we had a lot of other things happening during the time in-between). James charges $300 for a base tune/driveability session and while the time range can vary, it was estimated to take up to 3 hours. If you do not have your own HP tuners dongle, there might be an additional charge but we had the dongle and Matt had done some experimentation as we prepared for the actual tune.
For the tune to happen, James and Matt connected via remote software that allowed James to control the software and grab the data logs from Matt's computer. While there are likely other options, this was the fastest and most efficient way for James and Matt to work together on my car. In typical Blue Demon fashion, the weather threatened to derail the session but fortunately, things began to clear up in time for the driveability tunes. The tuning process itself involves driving the car and creating data logs that James then examined, made tweaks to and applied to the car. As is typical in our house, a million things were happening simultaneously and I didn't realize until I heard it going out the driveway that the car had left the property for the first time under its own power:
Drives 1 & 2 went well and James quickly made fuel adjustments that helped tackle the car's desire to run rich.
To test the application, Matt took me out for my first "ride" in the Demon as we prepared for the wide-open throttle (WOT) runs. As we were coming back up the road after a cruise, I began to hear a slight whine which increased under acceleration but was non-existent at other points. Matt wasn't entirely sure of its cause but planned to investigate as soon as the tuning session finished.
In true Blue Demon fashion, the tuning was not able to be completed that day. Prior to the WOT run, Matt's best friend came over and wanted to hear the car run. This time, on start-up, the whine appeared and it became very evident to Matt that something was going on with the lifters. He called James and asked to reschedule and then broke the news to me. I was heartbroken to hear that the engine needed to come out and the top end, at the very least would need to be torn off. With about 11 days until our departure for Fierorama, I was beginning to doubt if the car would make it.
The following day, Matt was able to reinstall the SD4 in the Indy and drop the engine from the Blue Demon and begin to tear it down. It soon became evident what the problem was - the lifters had started self-destructing because they had "spun" in their lifter trays. Something like this should never happen but it quickly became evident that it had. The initial cause of this occurrence was not apparent but the damage certainly was:
As Matt examined the lifter trays, they seemed to be a bit "spongy" and had more wiggle room than they should have. We soon learned that while Delco trays had been ordered, aftermarket trays actually arrived and due to the tight time frame we were on pre-Carlisle, it was decided to just go with them - no one thinking that this was even a possibility. Fortunately, Gary had a set of Delco lifter trays, spare lifters, another cam and the other necessary pieces parts to get the car going again. In the midst of Hurricane Ida that Wednesday, I drove out to meet Gary & Jenn halfway to grab the parts, hopeful that Matt (who was on a "hurricane day" from work) would not find any further damage as he dropped the pan and began to clean out the block.
Saying bye to Jenn & Gary before heading home to meet Matt gave me the realization that we had 8 days until our departure for Fierorama. I was still optimistic but getting increasingly skeptical about which car would actually be making the trip with us. When I arrived home that afternoon, Matt had managed to remove the pan without removing the engine from the cradle and had started the process of cleaning things out and checking for further damage. Luckily, it appeared that there wasn't anything that wasn't replaceable damaged and the amount of metal shavings in the oil pan itself were minimal.
Still a new problem had emerged. The cam was larger than the initial cam. Cam #2 was a Texas Speed LS1 Cam (228/228 .600/600 110), and the accompanying valves had dual coil springs and we did not have the proper valve guide seals to pair with them. Thankfully, a Friday delivery was possible which would be the next day Matt had off work and the same day the new gaskets were set for delivery.
Matt worked his magic and soon everything was back together and able to be reinstalled in the car:
Following installation, she fired right up! It was a glorious sound. Although the AC compressor had a slight squeak, everything else appeared to be in good working order. James, our tuner, was gracious enough to fit us in on Labor Day Monday so once everything was tightened up (and the door put back together after Matt realized he ordered the wrong set of dew wipes), we set about to enjoy what remained of Labor Day weekend and to prep for our departure for St. Charles. Surely, nothing else would go wrong, right?
[This message has been edited by Fierochic88 (edited 10-01-2021).]
On Labor Day, I had to teach my 2 classes at the college which sadly, did not close on Labor Day. Matt had an afternoon appointment with the tuner so I waited with baited breath to arrive home that night to ensure that all went well.
Of course, James Brewer worked his magic and I came home to a happy husband and a fully running Blue Demon! After dropping my bags, he asked if I wanted to go for a ride and I don't think he even heard an actual response before I was in the passenger seat. As we pulled out of the driveway and he accelerated, we were into 3rd gear before we even hit the other side of our property line and I believe I was looking down the road partially through the driver's side window. Apparently, much to Matt's amusement, I was also gripping the door handle with wide eyes!
We just went down to the end of the road (3/4 of a mile) and back as it was starting to get dusky and our area is notorious for deer at that time of day. I was ready to drive but we decided to put that off until the following day. As we pulled back into the driveway and approached the garage, Matt decided to chirp the tires and we heard a "clunk" - suddenly, the transmission no longer appeared to be functioning and both of our jaws had dropped. Really, something else had gone wrong????
The car was able to coast into the driveway but it was so hot that Matt didn't want to mess with it that night. The following day, he had to work but he was determined that the axle had (for some reason) popped out and that we could rectify this issue to still depart as planned for Fierorama on Thursday.
The next night as I arrived home from cheer practice, the tire and wheel well were off and the axle was separated from the transmission (which it had, of course, done by itself the night before). That was the "good" news. The bad news was that the axle had de-splined and there was no easy fix as it was custom machined to fit the tulip of the F40.
Matt had set about filing it in an attempt to ease the damage and get it back together to make it to St. Charles. He was frustrated and not entirely optimistic as he had discovered that it had popped out because it was never properly seated in the first place. Somehow, amid all the other insanity, none of us realized that the aftermarket axle had a bushing that was preventing it from seating properly. (Note: This is why you never rush when doing these projects - and honestly, avoid aftermarket parts if possible!)
Matt's "Hail Mary" was abetted by his access to a lathe at work. He managed to take the axle in, machine off enough for it to hopefully work and then swing home on his lunch break to doublecheck. I was not home that day and anxiously texted Gary to see if he had heard from Matt as I was afraid since I did not hear anything myself.
Fortunately, in the end, he was able to work his magic and that night, we loaded up for our departure for St. Charles.
Our trip out to St. Charles was uneventful, meeting up en route with the Pickardts and picking up Wayne Geib too. We arrived Friday night and while we planned to drive the car to the cruise-in, some last minute confusion and need to arrange a tow for a fellow Fiero owner resulted in my test drive being postponed.
The following day, as Matt and the rest of the crew played "garage" on a few different issues for a few different cars, Gary and I jumped in the Blue Demon to take it for a spin around the neighborhood! It was definitely an experience!! I didn't get much above 45 mph and 3rd gear in the neighborhood we were in; however, Gary can definitely attest that I was smiling ear to ear. The clutch is taking some getting used to and we plan to install the RAM hydraulic clutch adjuster kit to change the throw (it grabs a little late for my tastes personally). We also need to fix the AC compressor squeak and have ordered the appropriate kit, but that will likely get attended to in the next few weeks.
The car was a hit at Fierorama, capturing Best in Class (V8) and Best in Show - Non Stock Fiero, as well as Bonter Solutions Favorite Fiero and Best License Plate. We had a blast and were also excited to celebrate Jestin as the co-winner of the Best in the Midwest: Fieros Owned by Kids Younger than Their Cars along with Jon Revelle and his beautiful Formula.
Most importantly, I am enjoying the build immensely. As I look back over the past year, which was the hardest in my life with the loss of my dad, this build and the teamwork that created it are not only a highlight of the year but one in my life. If you've read this far, you know it was not easy but we managed to push through and learn some valuable lessons along the way. When you are trying new things and pushing the envelope, things are bound to go wrong and when you're doing so under a very tight timeline, it ups your chances. Doing an involved swap isn't best under those circumstances but many lessons were learned that will be applied in the future.
I'm incredibly grateful to Gary & Jestin, and most especially Matt, for making this dream come true. This isn't the end of this post as other updates will be done but I hope to this point, it has been beneficial and at times, humorous, for all to read.
Today, the Blue Demon and I enjoyed a drive to lunch and I look forward to many, many more!
