Hey all!

I posted a while back looking for advice on buying a Fiero, and got some really good input. I decided to go with a car that needs just about everything, and we started our journey together a few weeks ago. I'm not sure how thorough I'm going to be about documenting things, but I wanted to share where we've gotten to so far and solicit any feedback people are open to giving! Just some background, I have no experience doing this, have no idea what I'm doing really, and am using YouTube and this forum and all of you all's contributions to make my way through things. If I'm doing dumb stuff let me know.

Let's start with...well...what we're starting with! Here she is how I found her. She is an '88 Formula with the rear end removed, but sitting right next to her:

[IMGhttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53544404794_e0590c08da_b.jpg[/IMG]

After a little bit of clearing she emerged!:
[IMGhttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53544259598_3f299bea06_k.jpg[/IMG]

Obviously I wasn't driving her back (she doesn't have any back legs yet):


But with a little help she made it into the garage:



"Daddy has a racecar! Yay!"...the competition for favorite child heats up:


Initial walkaround thoughts: "This is going to be a lot of work. Like a lot a lot. Good thing I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. She really is beautiful under there though..."





First wipedown and cleaned out all the garbage...already looking better:




I took apart the entire interior and threw away the seats and all the carpeting; it was not salvageable. The interior trim pieces have all unfortunately turned into tortilla chips and fell apart at the lightest touch. Gonna have to figure out what we're doing about that later.

[This message has been edited by NewDustin (edited 02-21-2024).]

I know I want a 3800sc, and I'm pretty sure I want an F23 5-speed to go with it. My end goal isn't going to be crazy, but I'd like just north of 300hp out of the engine and really like the F23 as an upgrade for the transmission. Since the old engine is already out and all of the nastiness has a first pass at cleaning it, I figured out would start on the rear frame. It was pretty gross:




I figured that won't do, so I pulled off the mounts and such, dug out the wire brushes and got to work:



...turns out that's a LOT of effort for very little payoff. Time to go to Youtube! I found this guy, and he likes beer so I trust him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI37gjF2_cc

Looks like I need some materials! So I ordered the frame paint stuff he used and went off to Harbor Freight to buy the highest quality tools one can buy. And also ZEP. Lots of ZEP. Lemme tell ya, a bunch of ZEP, a powerwasher and scrubbing, a pick set, an angle grinder, and a few wire wheels make a hell of a difference:





I finally got all of the scale-y rust and almost all of the paint off. I preferred the braided wire wheel for most of the job, if anyone is interested. I also used a drill and wire brush to get into some of the hard-to-reach areas.

Tonight I finally got to PRE the entire rear frame, and got the first coat of rust encapsulator on. I still need to do some touch up and the bottom of the frame, but I'll get to that tomorrow:





I have FieroRog's mounts coming in the mail, and need to start sourcing an engine. I plan to use FieroAustin's guide for the 3800sc build up and installation. Since I'm doing the F23, I think I'm going to source one of the new transmissions from dfkitcar.com, and the mounts from West Coast Fieros. I know a lot of people have had issues with their shipping, but I'm close enough to visit in person (I'm in Vegas, they're in Tehachapi).

I need to get in touch with Amida and place an order for one of his dash/interior kits. Given that mine is as bad as it is it seems prudent to just replace as much as I can. Does anyone have any advice on that?

Beyond that, any advice about where/what/how I should do things next?

[This message has been edited by NewDustin (edited 02-21-2024).]

Just some comments...

This is an awesome project, and you will get a LOT of help here from Pennocks. It's a great community, and there are a lot of options available to you.

Second, even though the car looks really rough in the first picture, I'll tell you that you're starting out with a VERY good car. For one, you've got an 88, which... while parts are becoming a little scarce for suspension / brakes, it's an excellent year and an excellent model specifically. The Formula body is very sleek, and it's a fantastic platform to start off with. To top it off, yours is also naturally a manual transmission which at least provides you with all the parts you'd need (and already installed) when going with a manual transmission. I did a conversion, and there's a lot of things people don't think about beyond pedal, shifter, and transmission. Finally, the car is actually in fantastic shape. The dash is a little cracked, and it's suffering from all the things you get in the South West... essentially being sun-baked. But the chassis is totally rust free... and that's becoming harder and harder to find. We don't get much rust here in Florida either (despite the humidity), but pretty much everywhere else in the country aside from the deep South (Texas) and the South-West... all the cars are slowly rotting from rust. So you did absolutely awesome. That chassis looks unbent, and like new.

Paint will be the most expensive thing, and honestly... you can just get to that when you do.


I think it's awesome, and I look forward to all the questions, pictures, and updates!!!

There's a couple of good sites beyond Pennocks... you have Ogre's Cave (link on the main page of Pennocks), and I also have my own website that I put together like 15 years ago. It shows... it's very early 2000s / late 90s. I literally wrote it in Notepad, but there's a lot of pictures, images, and different things you can look at with respect to rare Fiero options and whatever... so feel free to check it out if you're bored. I was big on taking pictures back in the day... https://www.pontiacperformance.net/

Note, I switched over from a Windows hosted server to a Linux-based one... which if you know, is case sensitive (unlike Windows), so a bunch of the images are broken. Normally... that's the file extension. So if there's an image you really want to see but it's not showing up, just change the .JPG to .jpg (or vice versa). I'll eventually get around to updating the page.

Thanks 82-T/A!
Honestly, how rough it looked was part of what sold me on it. I have been pleasantly surprised by how nice everything has been under the crust and funk that've built up on everything. I am missing some of the rear end parts (axels, control arms, ball joints...). There are a few 88 formulas in car yards around here with mostly-complete rear ends that I'm planning to source the missing parts from (unless there are relatively easy/common sense swaps/upgrades, but I haven't really seen those).

I've been on Ogre's Cave quite a bit, but that is my first time seeing your site. That's going to be super helpful as well, thanks! I've spent quite a bit of time working with Linux and Windows, and am familiar with the pain of moving an old Windows webserver to ext4. If you ever want to nerd out about SysAdmin/programming/security stuff let me know!

I just recently finished a series 2 swap and parts have been abundant and easy to find, and the swap was easy. Made easier by the little things like having a cable throttle instead of trying to figure out drive by wire. Generally the series 2 is cheaper and the only benefit *I* know of with the series 3 is the better supercharger and returnless fuel rail, which you could just swap on to a cheaper series 2. I got my engine from a yard near me for 300 bucks, refreshed the gaskets, new waterpump, and sent it. Runs fantastic and now doesn't leak anything!

[This message has been edited by Additivewalnut (edited 01-31-2024).]

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: Thanks 82-T/A! Honestly, how rough it looked was part of what sold me on it. I have been pleasantly surprised by how nice everything has been under the crust and funk that've built up on everything. I am missing some of the rear end parts (axels, control arms, ball joints...). There are a few 88 formulas in car yards around here with mostly-complete rear ends that I'm planning to source the missing parts from (unless there are relatively easy/common sense swaps/upgrades, but I haven't really seen those). I've been on Ogre's Cave quite a bit, but that is my first time seeing your site. That's going to be super helpful as well, thanks! I've spent quite a bit of time working with Linux and Windows, and am familiar with the pain of moving an old Windows webserver to ext4. If you ever want to nerd out about SysAdmin/programming/security stuff let me know!

I would definitely get out there and get anything and everything you think you might need / want from those Fieros. Back in the day... (like, early 2000s), I used to see a Pontiac Fiero in the junkyard every week... there were usually at least a couple of them... with lots of rare ones. I don't see any of that stuff anymore. Parts are quickly... quickly disappearing. There's a lot of common parts you can get on Rock Auto, but 88s have some unique parts that are 1-year only. So I'd definitely recommend you get whatever you need... including brakes and control arms... whatever you're missing. You should be able to source new ball joints though...

Yeah... the switch to Linux hosting was not something I did... but the host provider did, haha... and well, I found out. Haha...

quote Originally posted by NewDustin:Just a few pics of the trunk and a question about the engine bay! Trunk was the first place I checked for rust, and after removing all of the carpeting and nastiness from under it, I was very pleasantly surprised: Where I'm at now is next steps. I'm waiting for paint to dry, mounts to arrive and engine selection/sourcing to happen. I want to minimize the amount of engine rebuilding I do and focus more on performance upgrades. I think I want a series III, even though I know there are some complications with it as opposed to a Series II. I'm seriously considering buying a renewed engine; while that's going to be ~twice as expensive as trying to rebuild something myself, I think I'd rather focus on performance upgrades rather than rebuilding. Does anyone have additional feedback on that? While I'm waiting on that I'm planning to finish stripping out the engine bay so I can clean/repaint it. My plan is to photo document and label everything, but more or less strip everything out for cleaning/painting: Any thoughts/feedback on that?

So one thing that struck me when looking at your pictures... it looks like your trunk has been smashed in from within the engine compartment, towards the rear.

This is the only picture I could find... but this is what your trunk should look like:




Note, this isn't my picture, but in this picture above, there's some metal missing above the rear drivers side wheel well... so ignore that, but the size / shape of the depth of the trunk is what you shoudl be looking at. Just from your pictures, it looks like it's been bashed in. I don't know if the previous owner did that on purpose, or if it was an accident... but I'm not aware of any of the normal transverse engine swaps that would require you to modify the trunk in this way... so I'm guessing it's unintentional or the prior owner did something weird.

Otherwise, I think it's a good plan. Your car basically has no rust on it at all... except the battery tray. I'd recommend replacing the battery tray if the rust there is more than surface rust. The Fiero Store sells new ones that weld right in. The Fiero Store actually has a whole kit for super cheap ($89) which comes with a few things: https://www.fierostore.com/...px?s=50254&d=176&p=1

It also includes the black plastic surround that helps shield from heat, etc:




As for the engine bay itself... I'd recommend tearing out all of the foam surround. All it does is just collect dust. You can buy much better sound deadening material that sticks right on. I also recommend spraying the inside of the car (along the firewall with the carpet, seats, etc... all removed) with some kind of rubberized undercoating material. Like the "Lizardskin" stuff they sell. That'll help quiet down the sounds you don't want to hear (lifter noise, etc.), but you'll still have the nice "piston symphony" in the engine cabin.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 01-31-2024).]

quote Originally posted by Additivewalnut: I just recently finished a series 2 swap and parts have been abundant and easy to find, and the swap was easy. Made easier by the little things like having a cable throttle instead of trying to figure out drive by wire. Generally the series 2 is cheaper and the only benefit *I* know of with the series 3 is the better supercharger and returnless fuel rail, which you could just swap on to a cheaper series 2. I got my engine from a yard near me for 300 bucks, refreshed the gaskets, new waterpump, and sent it. Runs fantastic and now doesn't leak anything!

This seems like a good way to go. I don't want to spend too much time rebuilding, but that's a LOT less than a renewed engine will cost.

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: So one thing that struck me when looking at your pictures... it looks like your trunk has been smashed in from within the engine compartment, towards the rear. This is the only picture I could find... but this is what your trunk should look like: Note, this isn't my picture, but in this picture above, there's some metal missing above the rear drivers side wheel well... so ignore that, but the size / shape of the depth of the trunk is what you shoudl be looking at. Just from your pictures, it looks like it's been bashed in. I don't know if the previous owner did that on purpose, or if it was an accident... but I'm not aware of any of the normal transverse engine swaps that would require you to modify the trunk in this way... so I'm guessing it's unintentional or the prior owner did something weird.

Thank you for pointing that out! Looking at it, it looks like they lowered it down onto something when the rear end was removed. It doesn't look 'bashed' but pushed cleanly in; it's even enough I hadn't even noticed it was out of place. I wonder if I can push it back out; might give that a try.

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: Otherwise, I think it's a good plan. Your car basically has no rust on it at all... except the battery tray. I'd recommend replacing the battery tray if the rust there is more than surface rust. The Fiero Store sells new ones that weld right in. The Fiero Store actually has a whole kit for super cheap ($89) which comes with a few things: https://www.fierostore.com/...px?s=50254&d=176&p=1 It also includes the black plastic surround that helps shield from heat, etc:

I actually think I'm gonna put the battery up front, but yeah that battery tray is off to the great beyond. I remember some threads on the battery move, and figure now that everything will be pulled apart why the heck not.

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: As for the engine bay itself... I'd recommend tearing out all of the foam surround. All it does is just collect dust. You can buy much better sound deadening material that sticks right on. I also recommend spraying the inside of the car (along the firewall with the carpet, seats, etc... all removed) with some kind of rubberized undercoating material. Like the "Lizardskin" stuff they sell. That'll help quiet down the sounds you don't want to hear (lifter noise, etc.), but you'll still have the nice "piston symphony" in the engine cabin.

You, sir, just confirmed my afternoon task

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: Thank you for pointing that out! Looking at it, it looks like they lowered it down onto something when the rear end was removed. It doesn't look 'bashed' but pushed cleanly in; it's even enough I hadn't even noticed it was out of place. I wonder if I can push it back out; might give that a try.

Ok, yeah, that's what I thought. When it's in proper form, it should be large enough to fit a 215/60/15 Fiero GT wheel+tire comfortably back there with the trunk lid closed. Or as the advertisements would say... "Two full sized golf bags."

As for moving the battery tray to the front... I think there was a kit that someone made, I can't remember. One kit I remember seeing, you would remove the spare tire. The other... you'd flip it over and the battery sat somewhat inside the middle of it.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 01-31-2024).]

quote Originally posted by NewDustin:

I love this image! I only hope your daughter isn't entering high school by the time this project is roadworthy. You're off to a great start though!

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 03-08-2024).]

Aside from the front trunk wall, that looks like a fairly clean/rust free 88 chassis.

I know you have already painted or primed the cradle, but you might want to consider adding a weld bead to the rear transmission mount pocket. This area is prone to crack on higher hp manual transmission swaps. The stock weld bead is on the bottom side and about 3/4" from the edge of the rail.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: I love this image! I only hope you daughter isn't entering high school by the time this project is roadworthy. You're off to a great start though!

Thank you! I'm planning on staying on top of it, so we'll see how it goes.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: Aside from the front trunk wall, that looks like a fairly clean/rust free 88 chassis. I know you have already painted or primed the cradle, but you might want to consider adding a weld bead to the rear transmission mount pocket. This area is prone to crack on higher hp manual transmission swaps. The stock weld bead is on the bottom side and about 3/4" from the edge of the rail.

I've got enough of this encapsulator stuff left to grind that section back down and add a weld. I've literally never welded anything before, so I that'll be a bigger hurdle than anything else ^.^
Side note: You have been a huge inspiration for me, and I very nearly went with an LS4 just because of how cool your work is. Thank you for commenting!

[This message has been edited by NewDustin (edited 01-31-2024).]

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: I know you have already painted or primed the cradle, but you might want to consider adding a weld bead to the rear transmission mount pocket. This area is prone to crack on higher hp manual transmission swaps. The stock weld bead is on the bottom side and about 3/4" from the edge of the rail.

Found a friend who knows how to weld, and he's coming over today or tomorrow to get this done! Thanks Guru. My future uncracked-cradle-having self thanks you, too.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: Aside from the front trunk wall, that looks like a fairly clean/rust free 88 chassis. I know you have already painted or primed the cradle, but you might want to consider adding a weld bead to the rear transmission mount pocket. This area is prone to crack on higher hp manual transmission swaps. The stock weld bead is on the bottom side and about 3/4" from the edge of the rail.

Is this issue in all Fiero cradles, or just the 88s?

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: You know what doesn't fit into that tight little corner that needs a weld? Any kind of powered grinding tool that I own. Note the sad marks from me trying,. I finally bought a teeny tiny drill bit brush, but even that didn't even come close. My hands are sore, but...

I use a wire brush for removing weld slag to clean that area for welding.

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: Is this issue in all Fiero cradles, or just the 88s?

The earlier years have similar weld bead placement, but the metal in that area is thicker, so it is less of an issue. If I was building a 300+ hp manual transmission swap that used that area, I would do the same weld modification on the 84-87 cradles as well.

My '86 got whacked in the back resulting in this:










The pic resolution is horrible, but the trunk wall was easily straightened using a 4 foot 2 by 4 prying against a selection of appropriately located wood pieces.

quote Originally posted by David Hambleton: The pic resolution is horrible, but the trunk wall was easily straightened using a 4 foot 2 by 4 prying against a selection of appropriately located wood pieces.

I have some pieces that just might work! I took the deck lid off yesterday, so I have plenty of space to find a good angle. I don't know if I'll have time to do this today, but I'm going to try to find some! Thank you so much!

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: The rust coating paint stuff was unfazed by my wire brushing attempts. I ended up using a pick to scrape almost all of it away from the area, then the wire brushes to clean up after. I'm thinking I might need stiffer wire brushes.

This is the wire brush I was referring to.

Ok, long overdue update (but with no pictures this time)!

Guru, I dunno man, I'll check for that kind lol

I've visited a few of the salvage yards in Las Vegas and unfortunately have not found any of the rear end pieces I'm missing. So much for that. I may need to start considering alternatives and widening my search. I am open to any suggestions!

Roger's mounts and flywheel have arrived and they look fantastic. I'll probably add some pictures in here later. I found an engine locally from an '04 Impalla SS and should have it here (hopefully) this weekend. I discovered Danny McIlmoyle on Facebook and have one of his wiring harnesses coming for it as well! I've touched base with Amida and am excited to get information about the G1 dash.

I'm almost done cleaning out the engine bay (maybe I'll post a progress picture here if I take one later). Once that's done and the engine is here there are all kinds of exciting options.

I'm probably missing something, but I haven't had nearly as much time to make progress as I'd like. I think the end of this week is going to clear up enough for me to have some more time.

Community questions (if you have the patience for them)!
Is anyone making quality fiberglass parts for the Fiero? I believe FieroFiberglass isn't making anything anymore, and am not sure if anyone is filling that void. I very much would like a set of GT side scoops, side skirts, and an F355-style bumper (to go with the GT fastback parts I'm also looking for)

What in the hot banana am I going to do about my rear suspension parts? I can widen my search, but are there new/swap-able parts/options available anywhere?

I need to replace all my tortilla-chip interior molding, and I don't believe what I'm hoping to get from Amida will solve that issue...Is there a solution to this other than sourcing replacement bits?

What are the options for F23 mounts (other than build them yourself because lets be real here)? I know West Coast Fieros has some, but is there anywhere else? I asked Roger but he, unfortunately, is not making them.

[This message has been edited by NewDustin (edited 02-21-2024).]

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: Community questions (if you have the patience for them)! Is anyone making quality fiberglass parts for the Fiero? I believe FieroFiberglass isn't making anything anymore, and am not sure if anyone is filling that void. I very much would like a set of GT side scoops, side skirts, and an F355-style bumper (to go with the GT fastback parts I'm also looking for)

Trent has picked up most of the molds that were used for a ton of Fiero parts.


And he just made these:


Here is his post:
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/...1/HTML/100101-2.html

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 02-21-2024).]

quote Originally posted by IMSA GT: Trent has picked up most of the molds that were used for a ton of Fiero parts. And he just made these: Here is his post: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/...1/HTML/100101-2.html

This is wonderful! I posted in the thread. Thank you!

My Fiero was rear-ended by an idiot that tried to drive onto my street at 30+...but there is a dip (I am not talking about me!!) so he lost control- then, after hitting Fiero, he took off.

The insurance adjuster tried to total it ("Frame bent") but luckily, I was friends with my agent and actually had a friend look at it ("Just the trunk wall is bent") so another adjuster inspected and then I received $480.....My friend, who owns a body-shop, straightened the trunk and charged me $140....

You might check with a (friendly) body shop......(and maybe what happened- Car lifted up to slide engine/trany assembly out but just when it was under the trunk the hoist failed...)

Nice bright work on the Cradle Dustin. I can help you with the interior.

Update time

I have an engine! I 've been following a gentleman trying to sell a very complete 3800sc Series II on Facebook market place for a few weeks, and his price has dropped from eyerolling to ballpark what I want to spend. We came to an agreement and he dropped it off.

I'm torn with what to do with it at this point. At some point in my mind this turned into a "lets rip this thing down and build it back no holds barred exactly how I want it" and I'm leaning into it. I believe I could fit a remanufactured engine into my budget still, and use this as a core. I have never done anything like this before so I'm open to suggestions about whether or not that would be a silly thing to do.

I purchased a wiring harness and PCM from Danny McIlmoyle. I didn't really intend to buy one yet, but he posted it was available on Facebook and was extremely gracious about switching it over for an F23 and answering my questions. The craftsmanship is next level, and that's something I won't have to worry about in a few weeks.

After finding many of the staple sources for parts gone in the past few years (where am I going to get GT lenses??), I've developed a bit of FOMO for some of the cool things that are available. To that end I've ordered a set of the fast window motors from Trinten, even though I haven't started on my doors yet. Not getting left out this time!

I've also started working with Amida on pretty much every aspect of my interior. I said "no holds barred" earlier right? Don't see where else I'd go for an interior in that case. I've also got one of those sweet 512 front bumpers coming.

I went to Las Vegas Fiero Club! It's still there as of 3/20/2024, and he had some project Fieros for sale at a price that made me wish I had more than a 2 car garage. He also has an 86GT with the Aero side skirts I need and the entire fastback rear clip, trunk, and decklids. I'm headed out there Saturday morning to remove them and figure out how to get them home!

Questions for the Community (if you have the time and patience for them)!

Still no idea what in the wide world of sports I'm gonna do about my rear control arms. The brakes and replaceable bits I'm less worried about, since there are products and swap kits out there. Good luck finding control arms though. Anyone have a source or a lead on where some might be acquired?

This f@$%!$% electrical connector thing through the firewall here (C500?):

Is it called a C500? How do I un-connect it without using breaking it? It's like it wasn't meant to be separated. But then why use a connector? It's maddening. I have a rule about not letting the Fiero frustrate me, and this has almost won twice now. How do I kill it? Or at least decouple it?

[This message has been edited by NewDustin (edited 03-20-2024).]

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: Update time I have an engine! I 've been following a gentleman trying to sell a very complete 3800sc Series II on Facebook market place for a few weeks, and his price has dropped from eyerolling to ballpark what I want to spend. We came to an agreement and he dropped it off. I'm torn with what to do with it at this point. At some point in my mind this turned into a "lets rip this thing down and build it back no holds barred exactly how I want it" and I'm leaning into it. I believe I could fit a remanufactured engine into my budget still, and use this as a core. I have never done anything like this before so I'm open to suggestions about whether or not that would be a silly thing to do. I purchased a wiring harness and PCM from Danny McIlmoyle. I didn't really intend to buy one yet, but he posted it was available on Facebook and was extremely gracious about switching it over for an F23 and answering my questions. The craftsmanship is next level, and that's something I won't have to worry about in a few weeks. After finding many of the staple sources for parts gone in the past few years (where am I going to get GT lenses??), I've developed a bit of FOMO for some of the cool things that are available. To that end I've ordered a set of the fast window motors from Trinten, even though I haven't started on my doors yet. Not getting left out this time! I've also started working with Amida on pretty much every aspect of my interior. I said "no holds barred" earlier right? Don't see where else I'd go for an interior in that case. I've also got one of those sweet 512 front bumpers coming. I went to Las Vegas Fiero Club! It's still there as of 3/20/2024, and he had some project Fieros for sale at a price that made me wish I had more than a 2 car garage. He also has an 86GT with the Aero side skirts I need and the entire fastback rear clip, trunk, and decklids. I'm headed out there Saturday morning to remove them and figure out how to get them home! Questions for the Community (if you have the time and patience for them)! Still no idea what in the wide world of sports I'm gonna do about my rear control arms. The brakes and replaceable bits I'm less worried about, since there are products and swap kits out there. Good luck finding control arms though. Anyone have a source or a lead on where some might be acquired? This f@$%!$% electrical connector thing through the firewall here (C500?): Is it called a C500? How do I un-connect it without using breaking it? It's like it wasn't meant to be separated. But then why use a connector? It's maddening. I have a rule about not letting the Fiero frustrate me, and this has almost won twice now. How do I kill it? Or at least decouple it?

I haven't disconnected that connector, but I have done the frunk one and the one by the battery, this looks the same, should have a 10 or 7mm bolt in the center between the 2 clumps of wires, unscrew that, and the connector will come out as one piece, which is just slotted together from the 2 clumps.

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: What are the options for F23 mounts (other than build them yourself because lets be real here)? I know West Coast Fieros has some, but is there anywhere else? I asked Roger but he, unfortunately, is not making them.

west coast fiero seems to be trying to clean up their image lately.

quote Originally posted by 1985 Fiero GT: I haven't disconnected that connector, but I have done the frunk one and the one by the battery, this looks the same, should have a 10 or 7mm bolt in the center between the 2 clumps of wires, unscrew that, and the connector will come out as one piece, which is just slotted together from the 2 clumps.

I'm an idiot and was trying to disconnect the plug from itself. Thank you!

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: I'm an idiot and was trying to disconnect the plug from itself. Thank you!

Haha, I had the same problem on the front connector last summer, glad I could help!

quote Still no idea what in the wide world of sports I'm gonna do about my rear control arms. The brakes and replaceable bits I'm less worried about, since there are products and swap kits out there. Good luck finding control arms though. Anyone have a source or a lead on where some might be acquired?

Well, bad news and bad news...

If push comes to shove I made a bench out of my collection of old 88 control arms, the biggest fear is the rear brakes if you want to keep the ebrake as they are generally not available anywhere. I have so many spare control arms because I make replacements using rod ends which can be easily searched for on here.... but they are very not friendly to street use unless you are running a very nice rod end. If you can assemble some control arms that have good joint life, they are a significant upgrade to the rear handling.

If you are set on stock control arms I can cut my chair apart and send some your way.

If I had an 88, first thing I would do is stock up on good, used front hubs from 88’s in local yards. You said there are several. I’d be all over those parts cars like flies on poop. 😀
Kit

quote Originally posted by Kitskaboodle: If I had an 88, first thing I would do is stock up on good, used front hubs from 88’s in local yards. You said there are several. I’d be all over those parts cars like flies on poop. 😀 Kit

"Several" ended up being "2" and since they were picked down to almost nothing I'd say more like .75 Fieos
That'll teach me to believe the photos are up to date at u-pull.

The Fiero Club yard has 16 Fieros in it, but I don't think any of those left are '88s. I can try to get a list from him when I'm out there on Saturday!

[This message has been edited by NewDustin (edited 03-21-2024).]

quote Originally posted by NewDustin: I am not set on stock in any way; I'm actually planning on swapping the brakes using a kit and don't know how I'm going to the e-brake yet. I'm really only partially-informed on what I'm doing here, so any advice is very much appreciated. I am currently searching for rod ends. I am interested in it being street-use friendly because this car is meant primarily for street use. I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but I'm going to try to educate myself on the way! Thank you so much!

rear 88 brake upgrades are not super common, and honestly generally overkill for even wildly high power road racing versions (I use oem 88 brakes on my almost 300whp road race car). Most of the brake upgrades you find will just be for the rotors, and not the calipers. Willwood calipers are barely if at all an upgrade and commonly you are losing Ebrake function.