I didn't have the front that high so I had to raise the rear extra high. I hooked onto the bolt that holds the dogbone to the frame. If the trunk latch is strong enough to lift the car, I know that point is!
Engine separated from the cradle. This is my best cradle and it is the original one from this car. It only has surface rust and grease to remove. I'll do that and paint it before I put the 2.8/Getrag on it. The first time I dropped this cradle, I had to cut the front bolts out. I used my 4-inch grinder and I got into the cradle bushing's metal sleeve just a hair. Other than that, it is pretty much like the rest of the car. Low mile and low wear and tear. Should clean up nice and give good service.
Here are the parts I have for the cradle. Black poly cradle and control arm bushings. Rodney's rear ball joints and rear inner and outer tie rods. I would normally use and recommend rubber bushings but the '84-87 rear suspension design has the potential for too much slop.
This is what I have for the front. Rodney's front inner and outer tie rods, upper adjustable ball joints, and one inch drop lower ball joints. I also have Moog brand front control arm bushings. All of my Rodney parts together were $395.75
Jonathan
[This message has been edited by Boostdreamer (edited 05-04-2012).]
One of my Moog K6163 bushings looks different than the other three. The left one is the one that's different. Any ideas about this? Wrong part? Different lot?
Jonathan
[This message has been edited by Boostdreamer (edited 02-18-2012).]
Not yet. I spent the day pounding on some wrinkled sheet metal. We're going to have company on Saturday. A Fiero guy from Mountain City is coming by to buy my '88 steering rack and to see us remove the body panels. What time did you want to make it?
This was the big project yesterday. This corner of the trunk was split open and wrinkled up. I worked it over with my ball peen hammers and brought it to this point. Now I gotta seal and paint it.
I've been working on the cradle. I was using an angle grinder with a tiger paw to remove the heaviest rust and the rough edges, etc. After that I switched to a wire brush wheel. I got into my fingers a little bit. It just took some skin off, nothing major. Didn't really bleed like a cut. Just one of those oozing cuts. Anyway, it was enough to stop me for the day. I should be able to finish cleaning the cradle today and post a pic of it.
I got back to the cradle. It still has some rust pits in it that I didn't want to grind out. Maybe I'll Bondo it. I've never used it before so it would be a learning experience and a chance to make my cradle look nice and smooth. Here's a pic with most of the paint removed. I'll hit it with my bead blaster before I paint in order to get into the tight spots.
I appreciate you letting me come over and pick that up from you Jonathan...
Looking good on the build thread, and I know you're going to turn that 85 into a sweet ride! Subbing your thread for future reference.
Robert
It was my pleasure! I hope we didn't keep your wife waiting too long! She seemed like a good sport. Tammy usually stays in the car when I'm on a quest for parts also. LOL. I'd really like for us and the other local guys to plan something this summer. Stay in touch.
This car has very little rust and 99% of it is light surface stuff. Here's the exception to the rule. Although this battery tray is still solid enough to hold a battery, it's ugly and will need to be replaced eventually. I'd rather do it now than wait until it fails. As much fun as it would be for the battery to fall down into the belt and get sanded until it spewed acid all over the engine compartment, I'd rather just skip it.
The under side
[This message has been edited by Boostdreamer (edited 02-27-2012).]
I have an original battery tray that I cut out of my first '87 before I crushed it. Notice the extra material on the left and right. I'll use my 4" grinder with a cutting disk to separate the unneeded portion and to remove the old rusty one from the car. Then I'll use self-tapping screws to secure this tray in place. If I decide to move the battery to the front when I put in my 3800, I'll be able to easily remove this one and sell it too.
This is the front trunk of my '87. I'll be using anything in here that needs swapping. I made the carpet kit. It will look better if I tack it down here and there.
Nice! How tough was this to do? Cleans the area up nicely!
It was pretty easy, actually. I used small bits of notebook paper and taped them in place and covered the trunk. Then I pulled the paper out in one big sheet and used it as a pattern. I did it in three sections. Each fender and then the front section. In this pic, the flap from the left fender is in front when it should be behind. Thanks for the compliment!
The carpet was something I picked up in Walmart or maybe Advance. It was nothing special. Just advertised as "trunk carpet" or something. Pretty cheap too.
The car will not be a fastback. It was easier to use that car for the photoshop. I bought a spray gun from China Freight yesterday so I'm planning to shoot it myself. First timer!
The carpet was something I picked up in Walmart or maybe Advance. It was nothing special. Just advertised as "trunk carpet" or something. Pretty cheap too.
The car will not be a fastback. It was easier to use that car for the photoshop. I bought a spray gun from China Freight yesterday so I'm planning to shoot it myself. First timer!
Jonathan
As a first timer I wouldn't recommend black, it's one of the most difficult colors to lay down, shows every little tiny itty bitty mistake. Could you practice on something first? Like another car? Brad
I can definately practice. With 3 Fieros, I have plenty of canvas to hone my skill. Its got to be black! That's all I want. There is no second choice. I just want to do single stage and wet sand. I did paint one car (shown here) black with the roll-on Rustoleum method. If I had buffed it, I think it could have looked decent for what it was.
I don't know about doing the stripes, though. Should I paint them or have vinyl ones made? If vinyl, would they need to be clearcoated?
I've not worked on the car in a while. My Vmax has been the center of my attention lately. I finally got the battery and lighting problems solved and I got a good start on detailing it. I haven't forgotten my little Fiero, though. I think about it every day and I even made a few more purchases for it. I bought an 8 mil smooth and clear shower curtain to make vapor barriers for the doors. I found a source for the jute padding material that goes under the carpet. Prolly gonna order it tomorrow. I bought some rubber self-adhesive material to replace the dried out stuff on the duct work. I ordered a tube of black butyl rubber that will be used to seal some seams, put on the door's plastic barriers, and to install the winshield surround and rear clip. AND...drum roll please...I just placed my order for Koni shocks and struts! Got em' for the best price I've ever seen them. $554 shipped from Tirerack.com. I believe that sale lasts thru the end of April or May.
I got started on the process of removing the engine from the black '87. If you don't remember, I'll be using it first to get the car running and work the bugs out with. This '85 hasn't been operational in over 10 years! When I'm satisfied that it is working correctly and reliably, I'll do the '88 cradle swap. When that is done, I'll turn my attention to the L67 and whatever it takes to get it in. It will probably be next spring before I do the cradle or L67 swaps. While my Fiero is down, I'll be doing daily duty on my motorcycle. We have a 15 year old who turns 16 in May and he will end up driving the BMW that I have been driving. So with that in mind, I'll be waiting for decent weather before I do anything big. Soon it will be nice to pull the car in and out of the garage under its own power! That will make small winter projects much more comfortable.
Tomorrow I'll pass the wiring harness through the firewall, disconnect the two brake calipers and the e-brake, and remove the passenger side engine coolant hose. That's all that's left before I drop the cradle and all. Once the engine is out I'll be busy with several chores associated with it before I plug it into the '85. I have to put in a new axle seal on the drivers side. Replace the stock exhaust manifolds with another pair of stock manifolds that have been ported. And I have to change the front main seal. I'll probably clean it up a bit too.
There really isn't much new to show so no pics. Hopefully I can show you that the engine is out tomorrow!
Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I'm thinking that the gray will be a bit darker and the yellow will be more of a gold. I have GT wheels and I had planned to paint them black but gray matching the stripes might look better. Also it is a notchie but this is a great illustration of what will be. Does anyone think that a tan interior will look out of place with black/gray/gold paint? Also, what color for the brake calipers? I'm thinking silver since there's not much visibility thru GT wheels anyway. Might as well let them blend in with the disks.
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I appreciate you letting me come over and pick that up from you Jonathan..._1.jpg)
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Black has always been one of my favorite colors on a car...
