So I have been hunting a vibration issue for a while with my 3800 Fiero, and I just found it. It is one of my rear cradle mounts, pictures here.
The thing is, the rest of the car does not have much rust. The rest of the frame rail looks good(from the bottom) and the other side is fine. Everything in the front of the car is good too. This issue seems to be that the car sat for a long period of time and this one area seems to have gotten the brunt of the rust.
Clearly the car is not safe to drive, and I have invested a lot into it at this point, is it fixable? I understand I could cut it out and weld some more steel in as a replacement(along with reinforcement), I just need to know how bad it truly is. Would taking the fender off allow me to "get at" that part of frame to at least see the extent of the damage(without dropping the cradle/removing the rear clip)? Also, is it worth it to pay someone to fix it or is this something that I could do myself in a weekend?
This is definitely fixable (though there may be much more unseen). I think it would be good to remove all the rear panels to get a clear picture of how much damage there really is. They should come off to effect repair anyway. The cradle should be dropped to repair it's issues. If you don't have the welding skills, you can definitely find someone advertising their services....just check references, etc, etc.
This is definitely fixable (though there may be much more unseen). I think it would be good to remove all the rear panels to get a clear picture of how much damage there really is. They should come off to effect repair anyway. The cradle should be dropped to repair it's issues. If you don't have the welding skills, you can definitely find someone advertising their services....just check references, etc, etc.
I will have to take off the bumper, rear quarter panel, and rear clip(as well as drop the cradle) to perform the repair. I am just wondering if I can get a good look at it(to see if it is over my head or not) by only removing the quarter panel. I don't wanna take everything off and then all of a sudden not be able to do it, although a shop would probably charge me less if I brought it in with all that crap off hahaha.
I was at a friend's place looking over his recently purchased SBC '86 Fiero. I removed the inner fenders to have a look at the "hidden" areas. The driver's side was fine. The passenger side looked like this...
That's looking up towards the back of the car.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-10-2016).]
I am not near the car(nor will I be able to take the wheel well liner off until next weekend), but from these two pictures of the trunk and wheel well it is very localized! Awesome!
[This message has been edited by Threedog (edited 01-10-2016).]
...but from these two pictures of the trunk and wheel well it is very localized!
I'm not sure if you're being facetious, but prepare for the worst. Looking at the picture of the inside of your trunk, I'd say your upper frame rails are probably toast.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-10-2016).]
Rust is the cancer of cars, if you see rust say the size of a quarter I can just about guarantee you are going to have to cut out at least 3 times the size the hole is. Wait to make your final judgment call on this, you may be sadly mistaken about it being minor. Rust sucks on theses cars and it is always hidden because of all the plastic panels, hard to get at in a lot of cases unless you take a lot of the plastic panels off.
On a rust repair you must go beyond the hole to where there is actually steel to attach the metals together with whatever type of repair you prefer to do. I have a buddy that uses nothing but this new fangled 2 tube glue or so0mething to replace body panels, it has worked great from what I have seen that he did, he has almost stopped using the welders for most panel repairs.
Good luck, you are going to need it, and if you don't, I'll give you 200 bucks for it.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Ill get some better pictures this weekend, but after being under that thing as often as I am, I am pretty sure the rust is not car ending-ly bad. It spread from the old cradle, which was pretty bad.
Regardless, I am happy to have finally found the problem.
I dont think it spread from your old cradle, I think the whole thing probably rusted equally. After seeing a lot of junked fieros in yards, I would bet that frame rail is in bad/dangerous shape. you are going to have to pull the wheel well liner and find out. You might be lucky? If it were me, Id be looking for a replacement spaceframe/car, unless it had sentimental value. You can find a cheap replacement with a bad engine and a good frame. Cheaper than fixing rust at least.
I dont think it spread from your old cradle, I think the whole thing probably rusted equally. After seeing a lot of junked fieros in yards, I would bet that frame rail is in bad/dangerous shape. you are going to have to pull the wheel well liner and find out. You might be lucky? If it were me, Id be looking for a replacement spaceframe/car, unless it had sentimental value. You can find a cheap replacement with a bad engine and a good frame. Cheaper than fixing rust at least.
I am looking at new bodies right now. It is just a bummer because I tore out the interior, put sound deadening and engine bay stuff in, relocated the battery..etc. A lot of work, sigh.
I am looking at new bodies right now. It is just a bummer because I tore out the interior, put sound deadening and engine bay stuff in, relocated the battery..etc. A lot of work, sigh.
You should be able to make round 2 even better, and be done with it quicker. Good luck on your hunt! Now you know where to look for the rust.
I am looking at new bodies right now. It is just a bummer because I tore out the interior, put sound deadening and engine bay stuff in, relocated the battery..etc. A lot of work, sigh.
If your Fiero is a hobby and you don't worry about labor, fine... but if you total up the cost of fixing rust, it will most likely be more money than going to a sunny locale and buying a complete rust-free car. The Las Vegas Fiero Club is just one possibility.
Agreed. I don't understand why anyone bothers to put a lot of time/money/effort into a rust bucket when you can still get a southern car that has not seen snow/salt for dirt cheap.
I think rust is like a bitchy woman with PMS.... You may be able to temporarily control the symptoms.... but they will be back soon with a Vengeance!
As much as we always enjoy seeing pictures of Fieros in good condition, images of problem areas are invaluable. It gives newer Fiero enthusiasts a better idea of what to look out for.
Sounds like you have a plan. Fwiw, there are plenty of buckets around here, but its not impossible to find a clean one in Michigan too. Mine spent its life here and is doing fine. Keep your eyes out locally. You now know what a rusty one looks like. This one doesnt look too shabby. https://detroit.craigslist..../cto/5407990741.html
