I may be interested in making a Fiero buggy along the lines of a Jalapeno, but probably more like the one depicted in the attached photo. It appears that most are using the 84-87 chassis. is anyone aware of a similar project using an 88 chassis?


------------------
FierOmar

[This message has been edited by FierOmar (edited 12-02-2023).]

I'm willing to bet that thing doesn't use much Fiero suspension anymore. In that application an 88 has zero benefit over the earlier years.

Most of these that are lifted are based on Blazers or the smaller 4x4 chassis. If you think about it, you simply remove the Fiero engine and cradle with suspension on the rear, remove the front crossmember and radiator, and you have the perfect car to bolt on to any chassis. The rest is wiring and custom placemenmt of body mounts for the Fiero pan.

I appreciate the comments. However, I am not looking for a rock climber, or even a serious off-road vehicle. Most likely for beach or desert sand, or El Mirage Dry Lake. So, I’m not sure I need to lift it at all, or certainly not more than 1-2” lift. I do like the look of the short overhand in the front and rear.

------------------
FierOmar

quote Originally posted by FierOmar: I appreciate the comments. However, I am not looking for a rock climber, or even a serious off-road vehicle. Most likely for beach or desert sand, or El Mirage Dry Lake. So, I’m not sure I need to lift it at all, or certainly not more than 1-2” lift. I do like the look of the short overhand in the front and rear.

If I remember, the Jalapeno kit had a 2.5" lift on the rear and a 2" lift on the front. They used spacers and weld on brackets to give a slight lift. I don't know if anyone has ever done this to an 88 though.

I'd like to see a tube frame rail buggy, similar to all the VW buggies out there, except with a Fiero cradle and/or drivetrain.

Something like this.

I agree with Jelly2m8 on this one- why 88 specific? There is very little "fiero" left at this point, so what difference does the 88 specific suspension make?

Pisa sells the 2" lift kit for the 84-87 for the Jalapeno kit.
https://www.pisafierohq.com/rebody_kits/jalapeno/


I am curious what they did for the rear attachment for 84-87 front lower control arm that is chassis mounted.

Doing the same to an 88 would probably be easier from a front spacer design perspective as the front suspension is completely isolated to the front crossmember. The only complication will likely be the coolant tubes as they pass under the front crossmember and would have to be modified slightly.

You could also switch to stiffer or longer springs to do a suspension lift of about 1", in addition to or instead of what is effectively a body lift on the PISA kit.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: Doing the same to an 88 would probably be easier from a front spacer design perspective as the front suspension is completely isolated to the front crossmember. The only complication will likely be the coolant tubes as they pass under the front crossmember and would have to be modified slightly. You could also switch to stiffer or longer springs to do a suspension lift of about 1", in addition to or instead of what is effectively a body lift on the PISA kit.

Sounds like sound advice. I am thinking that a 1” lift would be enough for my purposes… sand dunes & dry lake (a chase vehicle for my land sailer). The rear of my vehicle has already been chopped, so rear ovehang is not an issue. I think I have all the parts to chop the front end similar to the one that appears in my first photo. Am I correct that I would need to fabricate a spacer for the rear cradle, or just use 1” taller springs? I am thinking that taller springs would allow for more suspension travel, but would not affect the overall ride height. I have also determined that using taller tires would have the effectt of raising the entire body by 2” (e.g. Goodyear Wrangler TrailRunner AT 235/75/15 — just short of 4” greater diameter).

------------------
FierOmar