Hi. This is my first pot here so a quick hello! I'm in the UK and I got a fiero 308 replica last year which has been off the road for a about 6 years. It already had the bodykit on it, but I've had it resprayed now and done some other bits to it. But now we've found a load of rust behind the bodykit on the rear quarter which I'm guessing is on the frame rails. And also the area around the batter tray is really rusty. Does anyone know much about these kits? Can the back be removed or will the bodykit have to be cut off to get to the rust?
In the photo, mine is the bottom one, the top one is just from google, but I'm guessing the rust is probably pretty similar.
[This message has been edited by firebreather (edited 12-24-2017).]
Thanks. It does look nice. It's a really pretty car. That's why IO don't want to hack into the bodywork or have to sell it if it's going to cost too much
How does the kit come off at the back then? It looks like its one piece which includes both rear wings, the back panel, the flying buttresses and possibly the roof as well? Does that all come off in one piece? Is any of it going to have been bonded on (like the roof?) I don't mind if there's a bit of painting needed after, but I wouldn't want to have to get the whole lot painted again!
I'm very new to Fieros by the way, I don't really know much about them or how to fix them! I'm not new to Pontiacs though, I've a 3rd gen Trans Am and a 4th gen Firebird as well!
[This message has been edited by firebreather (edited 12-24-2017).]
Best thing to do is verify extent of the rust before pulling the body. You can remove the inner plastic wheel well liner and see a lot of what has occurred from there. Also, inside the engine compartment, pull the battery and any carpet and insulation in the immediate area to see what has happened there. If you are lucky, the structural integrity may not be compromised as much as you think. I've had several Fiero's with terrible battery boxes that did not have much damage beyond that. Hopefully you will be lucky. Nice car and good luck on your project.
Do you just need to see whether the rust is that bad or have you already looked at the frame rails? If you are just doing an assessment, remove each rear tire and then unscrew and remove or simply bend away the inside wheel well liners since they are flexible plastic.
Edit.....someone above me beat me to the punch
[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 12-24-2017).]
Your replica looks real nice. A real easy thing to do is pull the carpet back in the trunk area and see if there's a lot of rust. If not, your rails are probably in good shape. Otherwise, as mentioned above, you will need to look above the wheel liners to see if there's damage. Depending on the history of the car, I don't imagine they use a lot of road salt in Britain. That's what kills them here in the rust belt of the US.
As for the back end, it does come off as one piece. They all seem to be mounted a bit different, so you will have to look for all of the fasteners and evidence of adhesive (I haven't heard of one glued together yet).
The top of the roof has studs extending down through the metal roof structure. You must remove the headliner to access the nuts. All of the nuts must be removed on the front roof panel and the rear roof panel to be able to take off the body. Edit : The front panel doesn't need to come off, but the rear of it must be elevated to unlock the two pieces. End edit. The stock Fiero panels interlock, the kit body may also. Don't be surprised to find some butyl rubber (gooey black) caulking under the panels. Be very careful when manipulating the roof pieces during the removal process, the front roof panel cracks easily at the A-pillar.
[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 12-29-2017).]
The upper frame rails are repairable. There's a diagram somewhere on here of the measurements for a length of box section and how to cut/weld to replace them. I did an 88 a few years ago and it was pretty easy. The hardest part about the battery box section is that it's really thing material so welding it is a pain in the butt but once you have the bodywork panels off it's just a matter of cutting out the rusted out stuff and replacing with good metal. You don't need to remove the roof to get the rear panel off, just remove the bolts beneath the headliner as described previously and lift the rear of the roof to 'unlock' it from the rear clip. AS stated there may be some black butyl stuff between the panels and the frame that tends to 'stick' things together but just work it and the rear clip will come off. You don not need to remove the roof section to get the rear clip off, just lift it enough to unlock the two parts.
PS. Nice Car. ------------------ Anything I might say is probably worth what you paid for it, so treat it accordingly!
Thanks guys. I haven't seen the rust yet, but I can tell it's there because I can put my hand up behind the arches and break off chunks of metal! But it's going to be worth taking those inner arches and the wheels off to get a better look anyway.
I was just taking a look at RCR's build posts and it seems like in his kit both rear wings are connected by the back panel, not by the B pillars and roof. I don't know if mine is the same kit or not though.
RCR's:
My kit before paint:
Looking at the edges around the rear lights, it does look like a different kit. But then the guy who painted it also fillered along that area (which suggests there was a join) and the join along the roof as well, so it will probably need to be cut somewhere regardless.
What your body guy did makes it look better, but makes it impossible to remove without cutting. The wings attached to the fenders might still be removable as one piece, but not with it attached to the roof section.
Hello Mate, im in the UK and have a black Fiero based 308. i only use it in the summer and take it to local car shows, i would up load some pics but cant figure how to?, mine is not rusty,ive sprayed old engine oil over the metal structure best metal preservative,
A. It's hard to believe anyone would put such a nice straight kit on a decrepit space frame.
B. It's hard to believe it has deteriorated much since then.
If it were my car I would at most buy an inspection camera and/or have a professional rust proof the frame rails and such, barring major problems being discovered.
The battery tray tends to corrode from the battery acid that is overflowed when rain water, etc. gets in due to the battery's original exposed location. It's easy to assume that the space frame rots (or doesn't) uniformly, but obviously that's not the case. I had one radiator support that was fine, the other, only a foot or so away - disintegrated.
It's amazing how much seemingly critical stuff can rot away without causing problems. This might be scary, but the frame rail fix could have it's own dangers. It may be too strong. It might transfer too much force to the passenger compartment if you got hit from behind.
In short, if it were mine I wouldn't tear up the car or tear up myself worrying about it. Looks fine, more than likely is fine.
[This message has been edited by 85 SE VIN 9 (edited 01-01-2018).]
