This is the build thread for the V-8 Fiero we're doing for CommanderKeen
CommanderKeen has been serving in Afghanistan for the last year & upoin his return home from his service, he found his Fiero had been stolen. You can read about it at https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/082229.html
This new thread is about the build of his Fiero.
He has plans to do a lot of things to this Fiero. We are installing an Injected ZZ4 Crate engine. We're also putting on a set of our Integrated Rocker panels & one of our GT Hatchbacks. He ha plans for a lot of other work when we are done. So he plans to take this thread all the way to the completion of the cat.
Here's what it looked like when it got to our place.
The car had been ragged on pretty good
It had 3 wheels on it that looked like aftermarket wheels for another car that had the correct bolt pattern but the wrong offset.
The car had been driven several thousand miles while in the possession of the car thief.
Someone had done an extreme lowering job on the car & the car was finally found abandoned along the hwy.
The engine was wasted. We didn't really care about the engine but we felt it would be nice to know if the trans. & the A/C were in operable condition. So we filled the cooling system with water, hooked up a battery & git it started. The head gaskets were shot & water ran out as fast as we could put it in. But we kept it running long enough to find that the trans & A/C system were still working.
Then we started on the V-8 swap...
As soon as we had the cradle out, the rear suspension was looked at.
When I talked to him on the phone about the suspension he was saying the suspension was still stock & I knew it wasn't. We finally realized that the thief had modified the suspension while they had it.
While decisions were being made about the suspension, the V-8 swap continued...
We has to do some rust repair in the area where the battery used to be. Other than that the chassis was in reaL good shape.
We worked at installing the V-8 onto the engine cradle.
As a gift, I had the engine cradle powdercoated & the CC90 headers ceramic coated.
We prepped the engine compartment.
And installed the engine
It was decided that the front & rear suspensions would be replaced with stock Fiero suspension pcs.
It the rear, that was easy, we just found a set of good springs & the upper hardware. Since the original struts were worn out, we bought a new set of struts & put them together with some poly bushings.
Here you see the car back on the floor with the rear susp. finished & the front suspension yet to do.
To return the front suspension to stock, we had to take off the front crossmember from a donor car.
It was then cleaned, new poly bushings were installed
I appreciate you helping out a fellow soldier Archie.
Thanks, Typically, when I know that someone is a veteran or active service member, I try to give them a bit of a discount on the V-8 kit parts. Also, when I do a turnkey install, I try to give them something extra that they didn't expect.
I'll be posting up some more pics to bring this build up to day later today.
Thanks, Typically, when I know that someone is a veteran or active service member, I try to give them a bit of a discount on the V-8 kit parts. Also, when I do a turnkey install, I try to give them something extra that they didn't expect.
You ever happen to have a customer ask to install a wing on the new rear window piece? The more I see that thing the more I really like the looks of it.
------------------ Is this where I insert something witty?
A Wide Body kit and a Chop would finish that off pretty nicely...me thinks! And I almost forgot a 1" lowering kit too.. But other than that it still looks pretty good. I guess there is always something more to mod.
I originally planned to do a widebody, however when my house was burglarized I lost everything of value I had. I'm sure anyone who's been a victim of major theft can tell you, even fully insured you still end up in the hole The Vehicle was the only thing recovered, it was abandoned about an hours drive from where I live. It had stolen or borrowed plates from another fiero on it. Some dick-head auto-engineering student had some of his stuff in the car, and claimed he bought the vehicle from someone and forgot to register it. Or whatever.
Anyway, the vehicle is going to Mr Norm at Norms Fiberglass for a front end, then will be coming back out to WA state. I plan on building a dash/console for it over the winter. In the Spring I will get it painted. I am thinking BMW Alpine White.
So is that as far as the police go? He was in possesion of stolen property. Doesn't he have to reveal who he supposedly bought it from? Maybe he really did buy it from the thief.
So is that as far as the police go? He was in possesion of stolen property. Doesn't he have to reveal who he supposedly bought it from? Maybe he really did buy it from the thief.
I got a couple updates from the police, the were following up on the car thing to try to maybe find all of my other stuff. Last time I talked to them I pretty much got the "found nothing out, moving on to other stuff" attitude. I had alot more pressing stuff going on though, like replacing and fixing everything that was messed up. At least I had the prudence to pay some movers to take my gun safe to a friends house, so thats about 30k in dangerous crap not floating around out there.
You ever happen to have a customer ask to install a wing on the new rear window piece? The more I see that thing the more I really like the looks of it.
I thought about it, but I wanted to shoot for as much rear visibility as would be possible with the addition of the hatchback and the removal of the rear q panel windows.
"Anyway, the vehicle is going to Mr Norm at Norms Fiberglass for a front end, then will be coming back out to WA state." JBFLM? . . . Uh, . . . bring your rain gear, and get in touch after ya muster in.
Norm
Ooops, I see your already here.
[This message has been edited by gt88norm (edited 10-26-2010).]
I love the idea of a secondary back window to help protect the difficult-to-replace stock one. I also think the hatch looks great! Let's get a stock spoiler on Cmdr. Keen's car for the sake of a couple photos, please.
Great build thread Archie. And kudos for helping out folks who have served their country
Keen....sorry this happened to you, but it looks like your Fiero may be the silver lining to the cloud. Keep us posted on the progress. The Alpine White paint sounds like a good choice.
Originally posted by Archie: As part of test driving, we had it up on the lift to check things over & I took a few pics.
Is there a reason for not bridging the two paths of flow for "equalization" of pressure? I'm considering changing up my exhaust soon to true duals and had planned an "H" pipe design. Any adverse affects of not doing an H or X?
Is there a reason for not bridging the two paths of flow for "equalization" of pressure? I'm considering changing up my exhaust soon to true duals and had planned an "H" pipe design. Any adverse affects of not doing an H or X?
Hopefully we'll hear from Archie himself, but looking at the picture of his exhaust system, how would you fit the H or X "bridge" between the cats and the mufflers? It would be pretty complicated to do in that limited space.
Besides, the H or X "bridge" ruins the sound. Duals always sound meaner when each bank is completely separate.
The Vehicle was the only thing recovered, it was abandoned about an hours drive from where I live. It had stolen or borrowed plates from another fiero on it. Some dick-head auto-engineering student had some of his stuff in the car, and claimed he bought the vehicle from someone and forgot to register it. Or whatever.
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