Ah, man, it’s great to hear from you. Yes, I still have those tubes. If I recall, I had to cut them to get them to fit in the box, but I marked them carefully so they could be welded back in the right orientation. The box is still in the attic and I think it has your name and address on it.
I’ll get over to the shop in the next day or so and get up there to make sure the box is still there.
I braved the ridiculous heat and humidity and confirmed the box was still in the attic.
And here it is in the back of my truck about to be brought to my house.
If you still want the tubes, drop me a line at 918raider@gmail.com and we’ll figure it out. I’d love to hear your story and I’d be tickled for you to get these tubes if you still want them.
While I was over at the shop I spent some time finishing up my homemade HVAC squirrel cage shop fan.
I made this pedestal a year or two ago out of a brake rotor, axle hub and a piece of pipe. My plan was to use it as a computer stand with a swiveling arm, but I changed my mind and it had been sitting in the shop next to the bench grinder ever since.
I added the T section to create a pedestal for the squirrel cage.
Tonight I added a switch and some wire clips to secure everything.
It blows so much air I worry the brake rotor isn’t heavy enough to keep it upright. I may weld another rotor to the bottom of this one. Anyway, it works great considering I spent about $20 on it.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 06-29-2020).]
On the way home from work I bought a capacitor for the other squirrel cage the parts guy gave me. It was only $8, and when I plugged it in and wired the motor, presto, it worked.
It works so well like this, with the motor side up, I’ll probably cut a piece of plywood for the bottom, then suspend it from the ceiling at the back of the shop.
The shop is just so hot and humid, it’s difficult to focus on any task that requires sustained concentration.
I quit using all social media a few weeks ago, and that coupled with finally having broadband means I’ve been spending a lot of time on YouTube over the last few months. In the process, I discovered a series of videos from a guy in Maryland who put a Quad in a Fiero.
Actually, he put a 2.4 twin cam, the later version, in his Fiero. His videos are entertaining and informative, but he hasn’t done an episode specifically on wiring, so I’m anxious to see that.
I think he’s also given up on the twin cam because someone sold him a bored out 2.8 L V-6 with all the fixings.
Haven't spent much time in the shop, thanks to the holiday and being busy at work. I've been spending time looking around the internet trying to find the information that I read ten years ago when I first started considering this engine swap.
One small task I have been making progress on is which shifter handle to use. My son found a small aluminum sphere on the street in downtown Tulsa which is just about the perfect diameter for a shifter handle. I somehow haven't managed to take a photo of it, but I will eventually. In the meantime, I've been thinking about how to attach it to my shortened shifter rod. At first I figured I'd just drill a big hole in it and epoxy a nut into it.
To do that, I needed to know the thread size, so I took the shifter to my favorite bolt shop, The Rule Co. which is just east of downtown Tulsa. I love this place. No matter what weird fastener I need, they always have it.
For posterity's sake, the shifter thread is M16 x 1.5mm. I bought a couple nuts for a total of about $2.
But then I got to thinking that the hole would have to be very large in order to accept a nut, and since the ball is aluminum a tap should work pretty well, so I ordered one from Amazon.
The internet says to use a 14.7mm drill for an M16 x 1.5mm tap, but I haven't had a chance to track one down.
Also replaced the front radiator hoses, which was a bit of a chore. The upper hose had to be trimmed by 2" but went on easily enough.
Turns out the lower hose also had to be trimmed. Naturally, I cut a little too much off it. Tough to get it to fit because it's so short. Plus, I tried to put it on backward.
I'll order another one.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 07-13-2020).]
Sunday was the first time in a long time that I spent any time UNDER the car, specifically the front end. Years ago I noticed the lower A frame on the passenger side was bent, but didn't closely inspect it until now.
There's an impression in the crossmember from whatever the previous owner hit that also bent the A frame. You can see it right next to the bushing bolt.
Freshening up the front suspension will be the last thing I do before getting the car on the road, so this will have to wait
The front end has a layer of gravel dust on it, but otherwise looks good for a 33-year-old car.
For the first time in my life, I've rented a storage unit. On the one hand I'm relieved that I can stash my Fiero stuff in a safe place. On the other, I'm not thrilled about having to pay for a place to keep my stuff.
My butthead brother is out of state this week, so this is a good time to be moving items. This was after the first load. Would you say I have a plethora of fascias?
That's about a quarter of my spare Fiero parts. As you can see I also moved over some non-Fiero items that I can't bring myself to part with. Tonight I will move over all three sets of Fiero seats, the deck lid that was original to the car, and the suspension to go with the '88 engine cradle.
On a sort-of Fiero subject, this truck belongs to a co-worker. Every time I see it I think, "Man, that would look good on a Fiero."
He's told me the color's name four or five times but I can't seem to remember it. Something sand. Anyway, a Fiero's black trim would really set it off.
Been busy with work and other aspects of life, so I haven't spent as much time as I'd like studying the wiring for the Quad ECM. What has to be done is mating the two Beretta plugs to the Fiero's C203 connector:
Beretta/Quad 4 connectors on the left, Fiero C203 on the right.
The pinout for the Fiero C203 is pretty common on the internet.
So far I haven't been able to confirm the names of the two Beretta/Quad 4 connectors, but I will eventually.
It looks very similar to the Fiero I saw on the highway in 2010 that inspired me to buy my own. Wouldn't it be something if it's the same one?
This one was someone's parts car, so it's missing a lot of things. No engine or trans, no brake calipers, no console or shifter surround and no instrument cluster.
However, the dash is in good shape so I bought it.
Some kind of non-Fiero seats that weren't bolted in.
But look at this. It's the C200 connector I needed two months ago.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 08-09-2020).]
The thing I really need is the lower right front control arm. I could probably straighten the one that's on my car, but I like using a salvage yard car to learn how to disassemble these parts. I also wanted the rotors because I'll probably do the Grand Am brake upgrade some day.
I had a head start because the calipers were gone. Popped the tie rod end and the sway bar link loose and removed the lower shock bolt. I wrapped a chain around the spring then popped the lower ball joint loose. The spring came out easily.
Trouble began with the A frame bolts. The rear one broke but came out. The nut came off the front one, but the bolt would not come out of the hole. It's rusted to the center sleeve. I beat on it for a couple hours yesterday and went back this morning, but couldn't get it out.
I tried cutting it with a sawsall but didn't have the right blade. I'll go back this week and try again.
The car also had replacement carpets which look good so I may get them, too.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 08-09-2020).]
When the bolt is stuck to the sleeve, I normally grind each end of the bolt flush with the mounting ears, or below the surface if possible.
Then, I spread apart the mounting ears (or crossmember), and slip out the bushing that way.
Not sure if your junkyard will allow cutting/grinding tools...
They didn't say anything about my sawzall so I bet a grinder would be OK. I don't have a cordless one, so I bought a better, shorter blade for my sawsall and I think it will work.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 01-10-2022).]
Having to rent a storage unit for my Fiero stuff inspired me to clean out and organize my own garage, which led to the discovery of some treasures.
My first car was a 1970 Pontiac LeMans Sport, which I got as a hand-me-down from one of my sisters in 1981. As much fun as it was, it made me wish for a GTO, which is why I bought these magazines as a teenager right about then. Look how much copy was given to the Fiero.
Also found this, which I'd forgotten I'd bought in 2008 when I replaced the head in my Beretta GTZ.
If it seems I'm working on various other tasks as an excuse to avoid figuring out the ECM wiring for the engine swap, it's because that's exactly what I'm doing.
Haven't made it back to the salvage yard. There's no hurry.
The weather has cooled off so I'm back in the shop. I'm still moving spare parts to my storage unit and that's how I found these.
I thought I had just ONE extra sway bar. I know the one on the bottom of the photo is a stock front Fiero unit. Anyone recognize the top one? Maybe it came off the '88 cradle I bought.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 09-20-2020).]
Minor progress. Today I cleaned up the shop a bit and rearranged some tools. Then I took a look at my HO quad. The block has been sitting in a plastic bag for a few years.
I thought I'd done a good job of cleaning it. But then I came across a guy who races quads, doing YouTube videos on how to rebuild them.
I will take mine apart and clean it the way he recommends.
I decided to start reassembling the engine as part of the process of mating the quad’s wiring harness to the car’s. Years ago I bought all the parts for the rebuild, with the exception of the timing chain, gears and tensioner.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 10-04-2020).]
Also started a little side project. After years of thinking about it, I started building my own hydraulic press. The materials are scrap I had lying around, including parts of an old Soloflex, boat trailer, and a dirt scraper my dad bought at a flea market probably 25 years ago.
My mig welder ran out of gas so no more progress today.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 10-04-2020).]
Well, the salvage yard has made a bunch of changes in the last couple of months, including the length of time it leaves cars in the yard. My family took a trip back east last month to attend a wedding, and by the time I got back to the yard, this car was gone. I’m not too sad that I didn’t get the A frame off of it, but I’m bummed that the extra parts I stashed in a van in the next row are gone.
After getting a new bottle of argon for my welder, I discovered the regulator was leaking. I ordered a new one and installed it tonight. Hope to finish up the press this weekend or next.
Next up will be disassembling the Quad, cleaning the block and then finishing the reassembly.
Pretty much finished the DIY hydraulic press. I’ve been hoping to find a deal on Craigslist for a 20-ton jack, but Tractor Supply has them for 50 bucks.
Still have to source a couple springs for the return mechanism. Thinking about trying a couple hood struts from the salvage.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 11-25-2020).]
I’ve been cleaning up the shop, doing maintenance on tools and getting ready to reassemble my Quad. That has me thinking about removing the engine cradle from my car, which has me thinking about all the work I need to do to the cradle and suspension.
I saw this post by Chris Hodson and it clicked.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chris Hodson:
Decided to go with 1989 Grand Am calipers on the rear. New rotors, pads, brake lines, Joints, etc. Took a bit to locate the parts I needed for the Held bump steer setup but I managed. New Boots on the axels. I got into the passenger side too. Built coilovers, took out the rust and repainted. So the rear is pretty much good to go. I'm going to flush new brake fluid through the lines before I connect the new calipers.
[QUOTE]
That reminded me of something Sardonyx posted in this thread three years ago, when he commented on me shortening the rear tie rods by 3”:
“I think ideally would be to move the tie rods to the control arms, but yet I have never seen anyone do it, except the ‘bump steer kit.’ It would completely eliminate the bump steer.”
So today I pulled a rear wheel off and had a look.
Sure seems as though it would be straightforward to beef up the A arm from the bottom, then weld a piece of heavy plate to the top and use a link like the one Chris used from the Held kit.
I set a piece of scrap angle iron on the A frame to demonstrate. Has anyone else tried this?
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 11-25-2020).]
Found some springs that are perfect. After realizing hood struts wouldn’t work because they push the wrong direction, I thought “Heck, I’ll just get a couple hood springs.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a car in my favorite salvage yard that had hood springs. Didn’t even know when the domestic manufacturers switched from springs to struts, but I figured it was in the 80s.
The salvage had ONE vehicle to choose from, a 1976 El Camino.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 11-28-2020).]
As I was wrapping up work on the press, I spent a lot of time cleaning up the shop to get ready to clean the Quad 4 block again and then reassemble the whole engine. That included cleaning all the tools and junk left over from sanding and painting off the heavy duty work table.
I needed a big area to hold engine parts, especially the crank shaft, which I’d already installed in the block. Out it came today.
The crank looked really good when I first pulled this engine before junking the GTZ in 2012. Still looks good, but I’ll polish the journals before putting it back in.
I’m always struck by how small the Quad block is.
Its small size is because all the magic happens in the head and the towers for the overhead cams.
The car had 140,000 miles on it when my brother gave it to me in 2008 with a blown head gasket. I replaced the head but didn’t touch the bottom end and drove it for another 100,000 miles before the timing chain tensioner broke.
This is not the original engine, its a reman from Mexico, according to a sticker on the side of the block.
I also took a close look at the coolant passages and they looked very dirty.
This is exactly why I’m re-cleaning this block.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 12-06-2020).]
To clean and reassemble this engine, I’m relying on a series of YouTube videos from a user called LD9user. He just finished a whole series on rebuilding a Quad 4 engine.
He also did a transmission and is now doing a series on racing a Quad. He’s an experienced Quad builder who shares all the tips he knows, so the videos have been a huge help.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 12-06-2020).]
Fun with engine blocks. While cleaning up the block that came out of my ‘92 GTZ, I wanted to see how the cylinder walls compared to one of my spare Quads.
The block in front is from a 1989 Grand Am which I disassembled shortly after getting it home from the salvage yard a few years ago. It had a blown head gasket and had been sitting for quite some time so there’s some corrosion in the cylinders.
It’s casting number 24570377. Don’t know what the 1 G means, maybe 1st generation?
The second block is my ‘92 GTZ block, which says 2 G, casting number 24570661. It has a lot more webbing than the 1 gen block does.
The third Quad is still assembled and is actually sitting in the car because I used it to fab the engine mounts and figure out the transmission linkage. It came out of either a ‘93 or ‘94 Grand Am and it says 5 G, casting number 24570661.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 12-31-2020).]
I’m still planning to use the 0661 block out of the GTZ. I honed the cylinders and they look pretty good to me.
LD9user on YouTube recommends several easy modifications while the engine is apart. For instance, he radiuses the oil drain holes at the top of the block so the oil drains easier.
One of the interesting features of the Quad is the oil check valve. It’s just a ball bearing in a sleeve. When the engine is shut off, the bearing slides to the bottom of the tube and seals off the oil, keeping it in the head. You have to make a special tool to pop it out, which is usually a bolt with its head ground flat on both sides.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 12-31-2020).]
Today is the 10th anniversary of this project. On January 1st, 2011, my brother, our two sons and I went to Fayetteville, Arkansas to look at a zero option 1987 Fiero coupe. The original owner was selling it because it had quit running a couple of months before. She was still deeply attached to the car but it had many problems she didn’t want to solve.
Two weeks later we took a trailer and my brother’s pickup and hauled it back to Oologah.
More progress, but then a major setback. I polished the crank journals, using the sand paper/shoe lace method. I used 800, 1500 and 2000 grit paper lubricated with WD 40.
Before installing the crank, I radiused the oil drain holes on top of the block.
The setback came when I checked the ring gaps. They’re huge, more than a millimeter.
This is one of the #2 rings. The gap is supposed to be only .0256” maximum. I bought these rings along with the rest of the rebuild kit six or seven years ago. Since this block is a reman, the cylinders must have been bored out.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 01-03-2021).]
[QUOTE]
