I bought this car a couple weeks ago for a daily driver... I went out today to finally get some pictures taken. Unfortunately there's not much sunlight today, very dreary and wet here in central Florida!
She's a really decent 1986 GT with 4-speed... wingless... runs really strong and drives great. It does need some TLC, so before I start tearing into things and fixing it up, I thought I would share some "before" pictures with the forum.
The wheels are staggered 18" Rohana RL05's... very nice wheels, but they are in desperate need of refinishing. The clear coat is peeling on the black centers and they have some nasty curb rash on the outer edges of their polished lips. The tires themselves are shot... I will replace them once the wheels are refinished with a slightly wider tire for the rears, and slightly narrower tire on the fronts. These will be put on my V8 car, and I will be installing the 17" Enkei's that are on it back onto this GT. A complete set of stock GT wheels with new tires on them came with the car, which I will end up selling.
Yes, this GT needs to be lowered. Pronto!
The interior is a little rough... driver seat is shot, which is why the black seat cover is on it. Passenger seat is in good shape. Nice billet shifter knob. Door panels look great. Steering wheel cover, not so much... also, headliner is gone, carpet is stained and wore, console plastics are doing the typical delamination. Also needs a new trunk seal... bad. But it's pretty much all there, and most everything works. It won't take much to make it look like new again.
The exterior is in really good shape... I'm not a big gold paint fan, but it's far from the worst color on my list. It could definitely use some polishing, along with some panel alignment. Passenger side sail panel needs to be replaced, driver's side is in excellent condition (weird). The tail lights are also in unbelievably great condition with no delamination or major scratches... I will be selling them too, as I already have a nice set of tinted tail lights from my V8 GT to use. Other than a little paint fade on the front and rear bumper covers and some mediocre scuffs here and there, the car looks great.
The previous owner installed a new distributor, new radiator and hoses, fuel filter, spark plugs and wires, clutch master and slave cylinders, engine mounts, etc, and a poly dogbone. All I've done so far is fix a few vacuum leaks, ran a can of Seafoam through the gas tank, cleaned the throttle body, replaced the IAC valve and TPS sensor, replaced the spark plugs with some NGK's, cleaned the K&N drop-in filter, and spruce it up a bit (I haven't even washed it yet!). I've already fixed a few things and replaced a couple parts that were damaged/missing... currently replacing the gauge/HVAC face-plates (you will see that in the picture). It does have a high idle condition, which I'm almost positive is being caused by the infamous cracked EGR tube (the EGR valve is new). I have a new stainless steel unit coming from Rodney Dickman, along with some new door hinge pins/bushings and a clutch banjo bushing. Oh, and a new Fiero key chain.
After the EGR tube is replaced, I'll be focusing on redoing the brakes which right now are mediocre at best.
Feels good to drive a Fiero again after not being able to drive my V8 car the last few years... I'm still amazed how quick these 4-speed cars are even with an "anemic" 2.8L 135hp (maybe) engine... such a blast to drive!
Enjoy:
[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 12-08-2014).]
Great looking car. Be sure to bring it out to the next spacecoast gathering.
Thanks guys! And...
Absolutely.
I've really missed going to CFF club meetings and Space Coast events... I missed being involved with the Fiero scene and I've SURELY missed the great people too! Not sure if I will make the next one, as I've got a baby boy due any day/week now. But yes, I'll be showing my face more regularly now, that's for sure.
Ha, I almost bought this one awhile ago. A great deal! Looking to buy a second Fiero while my first one get's a swap done and a bit of other work. Might pop on a white notchback haha.
Ha, I almost bought this one awhile ago. A great deal! Looking to buy a second Fiero while my first one get's a swap done and a bit of other work. Might pop on a white notchback haha.
Yep, I definitely think I got my money's worth. I was eying this Fiero for a while before I went to have a look at it. There were a few other GT's on craigslist at the time, but they were either in worse condition or outside my targeted price range. This one stood out from the others with the wheels of course, but also because it had the 4-Speed Muncie, lot's of new parts, and the owner drove it daily, reliably. It's pretty much exactly what I was looking for... 99% unmolested and driving great. I am very happy.
Of course, it won't be long before I start tinkering with this car... well, honestly, I already have... but not nearly as hardcore as my V8 project of course.
A man has to have his priorities.
BTW, keep at it Trent... I know you've struggled a bit with your Fiero, but trust me... patience pays off, just tackle one little thing at a time. It all adds up quick... I know from lots of personal experience on that one (see my build thread). You have one heck of a Fiero community at your fingertips here in Florida, and most of us are here on the forum because we have the same passion. The Central Florida Fiero and Space Coast Club members are some of the coolest, most generous people on the planet... if you need help or advice, you'll get it... and then some!
Thanks again!
[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 11-23-2014).]
Originally posted by ITALGT: Of course, it won't be long before I start tinkering with this car... well, honestly, I already have... but not nearly as hardcore as my V8 project of course.
Brett
I wondered if you were still out there
The new ride looks nice, we are getting together on Dec 6th heart the house. You might want to drop by and show it off
Later ------------------
Frank Martin 87 GT 3800 s/c - lowered with Held Motorsports suspension - Suicide Doors by Archie Custom Paint Fun To Drive Daily Driver
87 Convertible Sunshine Car
[This message has been edited by Dragon (edited 11-22-2014).]
I'll be cleaning it and fixing it up while I'm working on my V8 project... because it's a daily driver, I'm going to focus on making sure the mechanical aspects of the car are taken care of first, followed by fixing the cosmetic issues it has. I will do some tasteful performance and aesthetic modifications as I go along.
I will keep the springs you have in mind... right now I'm thinking that I'll use the rear Eibach's off my V8 car (will be installing coil overs on it), so if anything, I'll be needing just the front lowering springs. Not sure how hard it will be to find just the fronts tho.
[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 11-23-2014).]
I've been tinkering a bit with the car and it's running a little better. Last weekend, I replaced the stock EGR tube with Rodney's stainless steel unit (great product, BTW). The old tube must have had a small hair-line crack, as the idle did come down some. The only problem is that the EGR valve (new, installed by previous owner) isn't opening/closing, and there is no vacuum coming from the solenoid even after replacing the lines... I'm thinking that it needs to be replaced next. Read the engine codes and ended up with just a 32 (EGR System). I know that I still have a mystery vacuum leak, which was also confirmed after I did an IAC test.
I was really hoping the EGR tube would have fixed the idle issue... now I'm contemplating following through with my original plans to do an EGR delete with a new PROM chip.
Also, it's time to redo the brakes... I've been considering upgrading them with the Le Baron brakes that are on my V8 GT (and upgrade it with 'Vette brakes)... not sure yet on that. For now I may just replace the calipers and rotors with new/rebuilt stock units and just use some good pads... but what I'd really like to do is a simple/cheap brake upgrade.
Thoughts anyone?
[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 11-28-2014).]
I haven't done it myself but a lot of people like the s10 brake booster upgrade. I've been thinking of doing the booster upgrade along with the brake pads that others have said are better than stock, I think they are called Carbonet but not sure.
Yes, good suggestions. I have an S10 booster on my V8 Fiero, works great. At this point, I'm way more concerned about the brakes themselves, as they are absolutely shot (almost scary).
Right now I'd be happy just having the stock brakes working properly again. But like I said, now would be a good time to consider a cheap/simple brake upgrade if I'm going to be spending the money on new brake components anyways.
[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 12-08-2014).]
This Fiero has been treating me good... it still has it's little issues, but it's been running and driving great.
After some more thought on the subject, I have elected to skip the brake upgrade and redo the stock brakes... for now. I will have the stock rotors turned and install some good ol' Wagner ThermoQuiet pads (MX261 front, MX262 rear).
I also decided to keep the EGR system... a new Delco EGR solenoid is on its way to replace the inoperable one.
Also gave it it's first wash yesterday...
And a heads up to those CFF and Space Coast members... I will be a little busy for a while; my handsome baby boy was born on November 29th.
So I spent some time this weekend taking a closer look at the wheels and brakes, and to swap the 17" Enkei wheels from my V8 car. Turns out, these 18" wheels actually have a different bolt pattern than stock. What I first thought were standard 1" wheel spacers turned out to be adapters for a larger bolt pattern, which I'm assuming is a more common type (haven't checked which bolt pattern it is yet). So long story short, I'll have to wait until I redo my brakes before I can mount the 17's.
These adapters stick both the front and the back tires out too far... if I run these wheels on my V8 car, I WILL NOT be running them with adapters.
In the meantime, I at least busted loose the the stock lug nuts, cleaned up the wheels, and reinstalled them using some chrome spline-drive lug nuts. While at it, I painted the center caps black because I just couldn't stand them silver anymore. The wheels look much better now, even with the peeling clear coat and curb rash.
As for the brakes, I have new rotors and pads on the way, and it looks like all four calipers have been replaced recently so I should be good to go. As it turns out, nobody locally actually turns rotors anymore; good thing is, new brake rotors can be bought for about the same price as having them turned in the first place, so no big deal.
Also just received a set of stainless steel vacuum lines and new door hinge pins/bushings from Rodney. Rockauto is also sending me a 180 T-Stat, clutch pedal pad and few other odds and ends. I will also be replacing the door striker bolts with the bigger #38421's.
I also nstalled new wiper blades too so I can see in rainy weather and stuff.
Looking for some parts... I'm needing a passenger side GT ground effects panel and GT quarter panel trim piece (factory silver color) if anyone would have extra's layin' around. Also need a good tan driver seat and passenger side fastback GT quarter window. Feel free to reply here, PM me, or just reply to my ad in the mall:
