A few updates now that picture uploads are working.

Front lowering springs and new sway bar end links were installed:




I tried ordering 87 Chevette front shocks to better match the stiffer springs and save a few bucks, but here's what they looked like:




So I exchanged them for 84 Fiero shocks and they honored the cheaper Chevette price.
The wheel bearing caps were made from trailer caps I modified, but unfortunately I can't get the Corvette rim centre caps on over them:




Also got the Fuel cap installed but still need to hook up the vent line to the filler neck:




As you can see, the stance has improved a little.
Ordered some other items yesterday that I should be able to work on this weekend.

------------------

86 LT1-4T60 Nitrous Roadster~84 Indy Northstar-Porsche Hatchback

It was very hot and humid this afternoon to be working, but I tackled some smaller loose ends type jobs.
First I finished brake switch to console wiring and ty-rapped everything so console cover could go back on:




The flasher box was mounted and all the lighting for the tailights was cleaned up and put in wire loom:




I put some smaller main jets the carbs and reinstalled the breathers.
Also changed the oil, tested the backup switch on the trans, checked that both automatic rad fans were operational, and performed a compression test:



Planning to work on the side mouldings, sail panels and gas tank vent tomorrow.
I should be able to make the windshield appoinment soon and with a little luck, actually bring the car to the glass, tire and carb shops under its own power...

Ryan

Here's some updates as I been working on a lot of smaller minor stuff...

I wasn't satisfied with the look of the exposed screws in the dash panel cover even though they were countersunk.
So before the new windshield goes in, I am refinishing it with a plastic repair kit:




I removed the spoiler so I could modify it's height and install 4 studs with nuts to reattach it to the decklid.
While it's off, I'm doing some minor bodywork finishing around the decklid vents and holes that had been filled:




I finished installing the vent line for the gas tank into the filler neck.
You can see that the new clips and custom lengthened side mouldings are now on too:




The Indy like the Roadster, just got a new washer pump since it wasn't working:




I installed a new slave cylinder and bled the system with no leaks.
I used V8Archie's method here under Archisms #1 : http://www.v8archie.com/v8Archie/home.htm
The pedal feel is much better now plus I have a spare slave I could rebuild as a winter project:




Bubbajoe has been helping me find an oil pressure sending unit that I use to get the oil guage working.
Once installed I can rewire the fuel pump to run properly:




Some trimming of the rear bumper cover and the grill allowed me to mount a license plate holder and cover.
The lower rear valance is currently off so I could back onto car ramps - I plan to modify it a bit and later reattach:




With the rear wheels hanging, I've got the springs unloaded so I can adjust the coilover to raise the rear.
Hopefully I can raise it about an inch to match the new front ride height - just having a hard time turning the threaded collars as even the spring seat is threaded:




Holy crap - I knew the N* held more oil than SBC's but during the oil filter change I couldn't believe it
Here's what I didn't spill - what the capacity supposed to be?




Fiero2m8

quote Originally posted by Fiero2m8: Here's Holy crap - I knew the N* held more oil than SBC's but during the oil filter change I couldn't believe it Here's what I didn't spill - what the capacity supposed to be? Fiero2m8

http://www.cadillacforums.c...hstar-oil-usage.html

The best way to minimize oil consumption in a Northstar is to keep the sump filled slightly low (many are continuously overfilled) by only checking the oil level when hot and only filling the sump with 7 quarts of oil (7.5 with a dry filter at a change.) A typical 8 quart fill at a change is "required" to put the oil level on the full mark when cold but is actually overfilling the crankcase promoting oil consumption.

Looks like you were the right guy to take over this project! Kudos to both you and BubbaJoe. Looking forward to more. This is awesome.

quote Originally posted by Cheever3000: Looks like you were the right guy to take over this project! Kudos to both you and BubbaJoe. Looking forward to more. This is awesome.

Thanks guys - "With great power comes great responsibility." This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spiderman.

So in my quest to "seek the grail" (aka Oil sending unit), I think I've got one that will work from the GM dealer.
It's for an 88 Pontiac Bonneville:

(3 pin w/guage):




GM# 12555492:




Just need to rewire the grey fuel pump wire from the pink ignition wire to ?:




Thanks Gokart Mozart for the Caddy info - once it stops raining here, I'll have some more progress to report.

More work on the dash panel today:




Of course it starting raining when I was spraying primer




The rear spoiler was installed and primed.
Gotta love that engine under glass
Notice anything different?




The modified rear valance pieces were reinstalled:




I am pleased to report my test drive allowed me to shift through all the gears and the clutch is working great:




It's getting closer - going to mount the backup lights tomorrow.
Fiero2m8

Teaser:

[This message has been edited by Gokart Mozart (edited 06-23-2008).]

Wow that looks surprisingly good!
I just wish the Indy's weren't white as I've been driving white work vehicles daily for over 15 years and just want a change.
Last night I thinking about colours and since the roadster will be black, and silver is just too common these days, I was thinking of this:



2009 GM paint code 57 - Cyber Grey Metallic


Anyways, the newest project got a few minor tasks completed today, such as mounting the Mini Cooper marker grilles and bolting the sail panels in.
Now they won't fly off on the drive to the glass shop :




I also mounted the reverse lights by cutting holes in the reflector holders of the bumper cover.
I haven't wired them yet and since I haven't been able to get the switch in the transaxle to work, I might have to temp wire them to a toggle switch:




Fiero2m8

What about hooking a plunger switch to the shifter?

quote Originally posted by Gokart Mozart: What about hooking a plunger switch to the shifter?

That sounds like an alternative that would work.

Yesterday I used my free alignment at Niagara Battery and Tire.
Here are some shots as I remembered the camera this time.

They don't have an in-floor unit but it's not as low as the Roadster:




I was pleased to see the dog tracking was able to be set to 0.00 (the new rear suspension and frame lengthening caused no issues here):




We checked specs on both the C5 vette and the Indy Fiero before settings actuals:




After test driving, the only tweak I would make would be a little more negative camber on the rear wheels:




Car is looking good - New windshield install booked for Monday:



Fiero2m8

------------------

86 LT1-4T60 Nitrous Roadster~84 Indy Northstar-Porsche Hatchback

So is it driving now? It looks awesome!!

quote Originally posted by Fiero2m8: After test driving, the only tweak I would make would be a little more negative camber on the rear wheels: Car is looking good - New windshield install booked for Monday: Fiero2m8

Why? Back end trying to come around? Whats wrong with the front windsheild?

quote Originally posted by Cheever3000: Looks like you were the right guy to take over this project! Kudos to both you and BubbaJoe. Looking forward to more. This is awesome.

I agree !!!!

Archie

quote Originally posted by DeLorean00: So is it driving now? It looks awesome!!

Well I haven't had the safety done yet, but yes it is driveable Thanks!

quote Originally posted by madcurl: Why? Back end trying to come around? Whats wrong with the front windsheild?

There seems to be a slight highway speed rear twitch when changing direction quickly. The windshield (that I accidently cracked) is just sitting in place.

quote Originally posted by Archie: I agree !!!! Archie

Thanks Archie - It's been very motivating knowing I will be able to show the project live to other Fiero enthusiasts soon.


Now, on with the show...

I stopped by John's Bug Shop with the car to show him the misfiring issue and get some ideas and a game plan to solve.
At idle, he noticed that even though I've sync'd the airflow to all carbs, some give a smooth reading while others bounce around.
After a few more checks, like pulling one coil plug wire at a time, spraying with carb cleaner and covering carb intakes one at a time - he felt the main problem was vacuum leaks.

He proved this to me by spraying carb cleaner near the base of the intake manifold and you could:
- hear the idle change
- smell the carb cleaner burn your nose and water your eyes
- see the carb cleaner exit the tailpipe

I asked him about fixing and going through each carb with me but he had about a two week backlog of jobs to complete first but agreed to call me ASAP.
He knows I don't want to spend a fortune and more importantly I want to learn how to maintain them myself.
I need more experience as my only carb tinkering was on my old Arctic Cat sled.
Since I still hope to bring the car as a Work In Progress to the 25th show - I'd better get started on my own by trying to eliminate the intake leaks first.

Here's my progress after a few hours this afternoon.
I removed the breathers, fuel lines, linkage, carbs and intakes:




I rejetted all the carbs with 65 idle jets and 150 main jets - my math vs. the manuals factory settings suggest that those should be right when all 8 cylinders are firing properly:




The gasket seal is important here as they isn't much mating surface on the block and I'm dealing with two different shapes round to rectangle:




After thoughly cleaning everything, I noticed that the billet aluminum intakes are only held down by 5 inline bolts, so I decided to butter both side of gaskets with RTV:




The carb base gaskets would buckle a little when reinstalling over the studs, so I opened up the holes slightly to allow them to lay completely flat on the intake:




I waited an hour for the RTV to set and then reinstalled the carbs, linkage, fuel lines and breathers.
I used a baseline of 1-1/2 turns out on the mixture screws and adjusted the linkage until all carbs hit the throttle stops:




I'm letting the RTV cure overnight with my fingers crossed that tomorrow it will start so I can get to the glass shop.
Any improvement to its idling and driveability would be a great bonus too
I guess time will tell if the carbs will need rebuilding or not.
In the meantime, I confirmed firing the order, checked plug wire lengths, double checked timing and installed fresh spark plugs.
As with any new project, there are bugs to work out between the first fire-up in the driveway to making it a reliable driver.
Bubbajoe never left his driveway with it, but if he was still able to work on it, I'm sure he would have solved issues quicker than I.
I'm sure many of you that have bought an unfinished project can relate - there is a learning curve to get you familiar and up to speed with the car.
With the Roadster, I started from square one myself, so there was a comfort factor starting with a factory stock car and Haynes manual.
However, I am very grateful for all the engineering and hard work Bubbajoe put into this car, (and thank god the bodywork is almost done)
This is definately a more extreme Fiero than I would have attempted for a second modified build on my own.
I know it is going to get at least as much attention at cruise nights as the Roadster already does.
I finally have my V8 stick shift Fiero and will soon have a choice of what Fiero to drive each time - SWEET

Ryan

Well the windshield is installed and looks sweet:




Bubbajoe had given me a Caddy auto night rearview mirror so I had them put it on.
It has two prong plug wires (I'm guessing one for auto and other for on?)
If anyone has experience or knows for sure how to wire it properly, please let me know.




Ryan

Looking good Ryan...And I thought I spent alot of time working on mine...Big Kudos for taking on 2 at a time. How to you like the N* so far ?

You've done a lot of work on your project in the last few months (I've been keeping an eye and it looks good - if only I could paint).
I'll reserve comment on the N* until it runs on 8 cylinders instead of 5 or 6...
I'm going to bring the newest project to my buddy Angelo this weekend to see if we can change that.
He is a typical firey Italian who owns a Ferrari and is a machinist by trade, so he said he'd help me with my Dellorto carbs from Italy
Hopefully it's only a air/fuel mixture or ignition issue and not the N*

Ryan

It was really hot out today but I got some bodywork progress.
There were a few holes in the rear bumper cover that were filled:




The driver's side skirt was sanded smooth:




The rear spoiler removed so cracks could be fixed and fiberglass filler added and sanded on the rear deck:




I filled the front bumper holes also as I'm trying out a new location for the front plate:




Fiero2m8

Can you do something like?

[This message has been edited by Gokart Mozart (edited 07-06-2008).]

Neat Dan.

I went to Angelo's tonight and he taught me how to rebuild a Dellorto carb.
I couldn't believe the amount of gummed up fuel and plugged ports/jets/orfices inside.
Anyways, the good news is I have learned alot and will be comfortable completely disassembling, cleaning and rebuilding the other three in the next couple days.
Here's a few pics of his garage, lots of stuff and his Ferrari shrine:








See you guys at the 25th - I'm only bringing one Work In Progress Fiero to the show.
Still don't know which one yet - it will probably be whichever one is more ready and reliable 24 hrs before the show!

Ryan

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86 LT1-4T60 Nitrous Roadster~84 Indy Northstar-Porsche Hatchback

[This message has been edited by Fiero2m8 (edited 07-14-2008).]

It's crunch time and I still haven't given up on bringing the "newest project" to the 25th.
It's my Birthday today and I'm hoping everything comes together for me!
Here's the list of things in progress that I am hoping to get done before Thursday am:

1. Safety - It's at Kremble Automotive in St. Catharines yesterday and today. They replaced the front to rear brake line, and are finishing the reverse lights (as I got too busy at work) and are adding the license plate lighting I totally forgot about.

2. Carbs - I finished rebuilding them all but I had a broken accelerator pump spring - got the new one yesterday and installed. Also noticed the venturi's were 28mm, so I ordered 36mm ones Friday from CB Performance in California and they are on schedule to arrive in Lewiston, NY for me to pickup today.

3. Tires - The rears wouldn't pass safety so yesterday I ordered a new set of the new BF Goodrich g-force super sports as the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS EMT (run flats) were a little too pricey for my taste. I brought the rims to Niagara Battery & Tire and they are being installed and balanced this morning off the car.

4. License and plates - renewed my driver's license yesterday and am scheduled to get plates Wednesday once the safety certificate is received - there was a concern about the frame stretch mods, but I should have that taken care of today.

5. Appearance - Hoping to have the car back Wednesday to do a little more finish work on the parts not yet in primer and give the whole thing a first really good cleaning.

Cross your fingers for me to have it street legal in time - the rest won't matter so much as it's entered in the Work In Progress category anyways.

Ryan

P.S. If you're taking the 401/402 route to Michigan Thursday - let me know

------------------

1984 Indy Northstar-Porsche~1986 LT1-4T60 NitrousRoadster

Happy Birthday.

Are you coming to the SOFA show in London on August 9th?

------------------
Jay Brintnell
Southern Ontario Fiero Association
Yellow 85 Notchback(A.K.A. GodFearN)

Yes Jay, I moved my vacation plans around so that I can attend.
I just have to register on the SOFA site.

Ryan

P.S. I got the new tires, the carb venturis and the safety certificate this afternoon - letting them keep the car till the morning to get the A/C finished.

How was the ride home?

No issues getting home - thanks for the tip to try the ferry back, the directions were great.
I got 16mpg on a full tank from Wallaceburg to Grimsby and found out exactly where "E" was coasting the last 100 feet to the pumps
Bubbajoe called me when I got home and we chatted about the handling and what other improvements I have planned.
He has agreed to meet me at the London show on August 9th to go for a test drive

Currently the Evaporator coil is being changed so the A/C can be recharged.
Next I want to lean the main jets a little and adjust the accelerator pumps.
I was able to sell the front Goodyear Eagle F1 run flat tires for $300 to a local 2003 Corvette convertible owner on Tuesday to offset the BFG purchase.
Just up at the cottage till August 7th, but my air card allows me to check the forum for pics from the 25th

Here's a couple of my fav pics taken of the newest project at the 25th:








Ryan

------------------

Indy Northstar-Stretch ~ LT1-NOS Roadster

[This message has been edited by Fiero2m8 (edited 08-01-2008).]

BUMP!!!!

I can't wait to see this thing in person on the 9th!

I can't believe it was so long ago I did a few photoshops and it ended up looking like this. Amazing!

What is the gearing and does it work well with the N* powerband?

updates updates updates updates updates updates updates

I have to say that this thing looks so much better in person. I think the pictures kind of exagerate proportions. And it sounds so nice!

quote Originally posted by doublec4: I can't wait to see this thing in person on the 9th! I can't believe it was so long ago I did a few photoshops and it ended up looking like this. Amazing!

Glad to hear you'll be there - hopefully you'll get to meet Bubbajoe too...

quote Originally posted by Erik: What is the gearing and does it work well with the N* powerband?

4.57 final drive ratio - seems to accelerate well but revs a little high on the highway for best fuel economy

quote Originally posted by bubbajoexxx: updates updates updates updates updates updates updates

LOL - just got back to Niagara today, but I have some updates from this afternoon with pics and will post soon

quote Originally posted by Alex4mula: I have to say that this thing looks so much better in person. I think the pictures kind of exagerate proportions. And it sounds so nice!

Thanks for the kind words Alex - my brother Justin and I enjoyed talking with you at the 25th - glad you drove your Fiero all the way from Florida!

Looky what was on my doorstep when I returned home from vacation

------------------

Indy Northstar-Stretch ~ LT1-NOS Roadster

quote Originally posted by Fiero2m8: Updates - the A/C was worked on again today but unforturnately no success. Ryan

Sorry to hear that. My Indy is parked until winter, because the a/c is non-functional and I don't have the time, energy or money to fix it right now. Down here a/c is not optional, pretty much mandatory.

Thanks Bubba for sourcing the replacement A/C compressor for me - going to get one off the 90 Mazda 323.

The last couple weeks, I've been using the car as a daily driver since it's so fun to drive.
I've enjoyed bringing it to local cruise nights around Niagara and the crowds and comments have all been positive as locals get there first look at the project in progress.
I get stopped all the time at traffic lights with stuff like "I've seen your car online" or "that is how GM shoulda built the Fiero" and "I love the sound - whatcha got in that?" etc...

Here are a few shots of it out and about:

25th 1st place Work in Progress Trophy:


SOFA show in London


Niagara Tinting:





Cameron Motorsports:



Mapleview Mall:



Cheers
Ryan

[This message has been edited by Fiero2m8 (edited 08-28-2008).]

Wow, the car is looking great!

quote Originally posted by Fiero2m8: Ryan

Hey, how did the tint guys perform the tinting around the heat defroster wires on the rear window?

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 08-28-2008).]

quote Originally posted by madcurl: Hey, how did the tint guys perform the tinting around the heat defroster wires on the rear window?

Hey Curly,

First we scraped the entire rear defroster with a razor blade as I won't have a problem with it staying warm
After cleaning with soap/water, he cuts the tint to fit the outside - this time I went with a lighter tint so you can still see the engine through it.
Then Jody applied the tint in one piece vertically with a heat gun up to, but not past the factory black strips down the sides.
I've had Niagara Tinting do a dozen vehicles and boats for me over the years and have never had any issues with his work.
Here's a few extra pictures of the hatch:







Ryan

Ryan

I am waiting to see some glass work finished
updates needed