Greetings! I just got access to post, so here goes. My name is Jeff, and I figure I will be coming here a lot now. My father recently passed away, and since he didn't have a will we decided to split the cars among us kids and my mother. I have selected his Fiero project car. It's in rough body and interior shape, but it runs well and is driveable. I am not very mechanically savvy, but already I troubleshot it not starting and managed to fix it by replacing the distributor cap and rotor(we won't talk about how long it took me to get the stupid screws back in). I know he would be thrilled to see it fixed up nice, and so that what I plan to do. It's the '85 model with the i4, and here is a picture. I'd like to think in a few years I will return to this thread and see how far it has come! I look forward to hearing all your tips and tricks!
Welcome to the forum. You'll find all the answers you need on here. However, because you mentioned the "not mechanically savvy", I have to say make sure that if you jack up the car to crawl under it, please make sure the parking brake is engaged (if you're working under the front) and the car is NOT in gear. We just lost a member on here who had his whole life ahead of him so please be careful.
I am intimately familiar with the parking break after the inaugural drive, let me tell you. I engaged it since I was parking on an incline, plus I was testing it to see if it worked, and then i spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how on earth to get it released. Turns out when you have a car that has sat for a good while that gets all rusty. Luckily WD-40 and A screwdriver got it free. So I figure I will need to replace that at some point too, since its a mega pain to release in its current state.
...if you jack up the car to crawl under it, please make sure the parking brake is engaged (if you're working under the front) and the car is NOT in gear. ...
and make sure you support the car in the proper places. Check the owner's manual if you have one or the archives for this site. to see where to jack and where not to jack. While the body panels have some flexibility, putting a jack stand, bottle jack, or lift pads in the wrong place can cause damage.
I live in Northeastern Oklahoma, USA. MY uncle used to have a same year, same model, though his was silver, and has provided me with a turn signal shaft thing, along with a spring for the rear hatch. And I know one of the last things my father did was rebuild the headlight motors. My next three projects for it are probably gonna be: 1. Find new tires, it has sat for awhile since my father spent six months in the hospital, plus he didn't drive it as much as his health declined beforehand and they are looking a bit cracked. 2. Fix the moonroof seal(hopefully that ends up being pretty simple 3. Fix the windows, they dont go up or down. I think its the metal "X" thing, the motor sounds like it tries to go, but it almost seems like something is flexing and being stressed inside the door panel. I know this was on my fathers list too, as the outer part of the door panel is already off.
They are powered, though Manuals might not be a bad idea!
I just hope doing the moonroof isn't complicated. I don't have a shop or garage, and I would hate to have the glass out for more than a day where its currently living.
Once the tires are replaced and I feel more comfortable driving it around(this is the first manual I have ever driven), it will migrate the long three mile journey to my residence, where I still don't have a garage and I still wouldn't feel great about leaving it glassless for more than a day.
Condolences on the loss of your father. Its a sad those things happen but unfortunately life is not forever. As for the Fiero the positive news is that you state that it is driveable and that many Fiero parts both new and used are available. Its easy to learn how to service and repair your Fiero by just searching on this forum. Again if you must go underneath to repair make sure to support the car at the proper jack/lift points with sturdy steel stands on a concrete surface and never do this on a dirt or gravel driveway. A tune up on that 85 should not be very difficult to do. Enjoy the car.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 03-11-2022).]
Hi Jeff and welcome to the Fiero craze ! So sorry to hear about your dad, mines gone too. May they rest in peace. Youve come to the right place resorting to PFF. This site is so valuable to the Fiero owner, with great members who helped me out countless times. Heres a little pointer from me. Ive owned about 7 different Fieros in my time, and each one of them had a very INNACURATE gas gauge . So once you start driving your Fiero around, find out if yours is bad too. Carry the gas container you have in the picture. Also, get yourself a Chiltons Repair manual. They have alot of exploded diagrams of how the car is put together. Their not the greatest, but will help in your understanding of the cars construction. Fiero Store is great for parts too . A little pricey, but you get what you need delivered to your door very quickly. I ordered from them well over 30 times , with never a problem. Once your Fiero is all cleaned up and road worthy, your gonna have loads of fun driving her around. You'll get lots of compliments too ! And your dad will be smiling down from up above. Enjoy your Fiero and best wishes to you !
Welcome, Jeff. I live in Oologah and work in downtown Tulsa.
Sorry about the loss of your father, but I bet he’d be pleased that you’re continuing his obsession. As I’m sure you can tell already, this forum is a wealth of information provided by members who know Fieros better than the original designers did.
[This message has been edited by Quadfather (edited 03-12-2022).]
Hi Jeff and welcome to the Fiero craze ! So sorry to hear about your dad, mines gone too. May they rest in peace. Youve come to the right place resorting to PFF. This site is so valuable to the Fiero owner, with great members who helped me out countless times. Heres a little pointer from me. Ive owned about 7 different Fieros in my time, and each one of them had a very INNACURATE gas gauge . So once you start driving your Fiero around, find out if yours is bad too. Carry the gas container you have in the picture. Also, get yourself a Chiltons Repair manual. They have alot of exploded diagrams of how the car is put together. Their not the greatest, but will help in your understanding of the cars construction. Fiero Store is great for parts too . A little pricey, but you get what you need delivered to your door very quickly. I ordered from them well over 30 times , with never a problem. Once your Fiero is all cleaned up and road worthy, your gonna have loads of fun driving her around. You'll get lots of compliments too ! And your dad will be smiling down from up above. Enjoy your Fiero and best wishes to you !
This one has an inaccurate Tack as well. It shows like 1800 RPM when the car is off. The longer you drive it it seems to even out, but it always goes to 1800 when the car is turned off. It probably has about two or three gallons in it, and it shows half. It should hold about ten, so I figured it must be off too. I have a haynes repair manual that my father had for it, I have heard the chiltons is better though. I am actually putting a fiero store order together currently to repair the leaking sunroof seal, I know my father ordered a couple things from them sometimes!
