I also live in Oakville. The plan is to finish the car up by May so that I can go to Mapleview, this year not just as a spectator. I do still have a long list of things to do...redo headliner, door panels; sound insulation - done; black carpet - almost done. Alarm wiring - pain in the ass - not done; stereo - almost done; leather seats - done; shifter and e-brake boot - done; firewall cover - done; etc; etc; etc. Anyway, too much stuff to list but I'm working on it and the plan is to have it ready by May. I want the car to look OEM to someone who doesn't know Fieros. It's been three years since I've driven my car so I'm pretty keen on getting it back on the road. I gotta say seeing it all come together is very gratifying and motivating and yes it does look very nice. I just have to do a better job juggling a job, getting my accounting designation and my car, oh and can't forget about the girl.
Anyway, looking forward to meeting everyone this year.
Cheers
Awesome, where are you located in Ontario? I'd love to see how the leather and seude turns out, that will be luxuious [/QUOTE]
Its always nice having other fiero enthusiasts nearby. I'll have to check out your car for sure. I'm located near Bronte in Oakville, almost close to Burlington.
Although the shop touched up my rear brakes with new calipers and rotors, as well as some paint, the front brakes were the same old. A friend here on the forum, Sabre49, and I decided that we should clean up our brakes and paint them. The following pictures are the progress of detailing our brakes. It's hard to tell who's car is who's but we did the exact same thing:
Cleaning the calipers up:
Apply paint and let dry:
Finished Product:
Some beauty shots afterwards:
Little did I know I was onto bigger and better things...
Keeping on the subject of brakes and suspension, I forgot to mention that I also picked up a rear sway bar... basically a front bar that I would adapt to use on the rear. Unfortunately I don't have any progress pictures of the installation but I do have one picture to prove that I at least have the sway bar:
As for the brakes, shortly after making the stock brakes look nice and pretty, I decided that it was time to upgrade. I looked into a few of the swaps and I found that the lebaron swap (11.25 inch) would probably give me the best performance for the amount of money I could spend. I did my research on the forum and found the CAD drawings for the brackets. Luckily, I knew someone that could make the brackets for me, and he did them for free! That saved me a bunch of money. Then I took my front rotors/hubs into the machine shop and had the rotors cut off. I also had the proper spacers made for the brackets. I bought some rotors off of another forum member that didn't plan on using them anymore. Overall I did the brake swap on a budget. The only parts that I payed full price for were the calipers which I bought from an autoparts store, and a larger master cylinder which I ordered from GM.
I also cleaned up the calipers and painted them red for even better performance of course!
Here are some pictures of the parts, and a few pictures of them installed:
Unfortunately the camera quality at this point was still terrible. The calipers look orange in some pictures. Also, if you notice, I skipped ahead a bit to the point where I repainted the calipers and applied decals to them. I'm sure at this point you also noticed that they are not brembo brakes haha. I know its kind of poseur-ish but I thought the white on red looked pretty good and just gave it a little extra something. So the hell with it, I put the stickers on. I have better pictures that I will eventually add. Hopefully you guys get the main idea of what I did
Thats it for today.
[This message has been edited by doublec4 (edited 03-11-2009).]
Shortly after the brake upgrade, I came across another forum member who was clearing out his fiero parts and parting out his car. If I remember correctly, his user name was 3.8T and he had a blue GT with a wicked 3800 turbo set up. Anyways, I picked a few parts up off of him including a new gauge pod with autometer gauges. There is water temp, oil press. and a volt meter. The gauge pod replaces the rally gauges and looks stock. These are sport comp gauges and 2 and 5/8ths in size I believe. I was really happy with the way it looked when I installed it, as well as to have accurate instruments in my car:
In the last picture you can see that not all of the gauges were hooked up at that point. I did not have them fully functional until the engine swap later on...
I realized that I have not commented on this thread yet. I have seen your car more than a few times throughout it's progression and I must say that you have done a great job documenting things. It's awesome to see it all in one thread. I wish I would have kept track of my build like this.
I realized that I have not commented on this thread yet. I have seen your car more than a few times throughout it's progression and I must say that you have done a great job documenting things. It's awesome to see it all in one thread. I wish I would have kept track of my build like this.
Thanks Joe,
I have tons of pictures sitting around on my computer and on my cardomain page. Unfortunately they're not all in chronological order so I'm sorting them out by memory as I go along. There are some things that I wish I took more pictures of, such as "in progress" stuff but I suppose I didn't see myself posting a build thread. I'll have to better document installing those parts I bought from you I can't wait to get everything on the car!
I gotta say, that I like the triple guage pod. I had bought a triple set a few months ago, and have been to lazy to install them. Now I have to get up off of my a$$ and do it.
At the same time I picked up those nice autometer gauges, I also bought a chin spoiler off of 3.8T. I always liked the looks of the IMSA race cars and I figured this would be one step closer to the general look. I also always didn't like how the aero nose slants upwards to a point at the front of the car. The chin spoiler gives a lower look to the front end, while lining up the bottom of the rocker panels with the bottom of the front bumper. I couldn't wait to install it and take some pictures. At this point I also installed one of those fierostore "fiero" side scoops. It's not a big deal so I didn't really take any pictures.
I gotta say, that I like the triple guage pod. I had bought a triple set a few months ago, and have been to lazy to install them. Now I have to get up off of my a$$ and do it.
Keep up the pics, and the informative read.
Thanks! I really like it as well, I find that the gauges are easier to read than the originals, and that the circles are much nicer than the old rectangles. The tie in nicely with the tack and speedo
Originally posted by Tony Kania: I had bought a triple set a few months ago, and have been to lazy to install them. Now I have to get up off of my a$$ and do it.
Don't feel bad Tony cause I bought Chris's old stock pod last year and still haven't got around to doing anything with it
I believe it was at this point that I started searching for new seats. My stock seats were in great condition but I wanted something that held me in a little better through the turns, and looked sportier. I also wanted black seats to match my interior. First I tried these seats here:
However, these seats required some welding of the seat rails to make them work. Overall, it wouldn't be too bad for an installation but I ended up changing my mind. I decided that if I was going to be sitting in these seats all the time, then I should just buy what I really wanted. Might as well spend the money and do it the way I REALLY wanted the first time.
So the next thing I did was take a trip over to the performance shop with a tape measurer. I had my stock seats uninstalled so I measured the WIDTH of the mounting holes in the bottom of a stock seat. This measurement is the most important if you want an easy installation of aftermarket seats. I wish I had taken pictures but hopefully I can describe this well enough for everyone to understand. I then went looking for aftermarket seats with the same mounting point WIDTH. I found that the Sparco Sprint seats (non reclinable) racing seats were the perfect width. They were a different LENGTH in the mounting holes at the bottom of the seats though. That was okay though.
What this meant was that I would not need to weld for these new seats to fit. All I had to do was drill ONE new hole in each seat rail so that the new seat could bolt to one of the existing holes, and then one of the new holes that were drilled. By maintaining the stock width, the seat rails would line up perfectly with the stock mounting bolts in the floor pans.
Here are some pictures of the seats I picked up. If you notice, the stiching pattern on them are slightly different. They only had one of the new style, and one of the old style in stock at different times. I picked up the old style first, used it to plan the installation, and had it as my driver seat for about a week while I waited for the newer style seat to come in. Then I switched them over so that the driver seat was the newer style. I would recommend these seats to anyone who is looking for a very aggresively bolstered seat that is light weight. They are not reclinable but really, in the fiero there is not much room for that anyways. They hold you in a proper driving position and are suprisingly comfortable for longer drives. One small stipulation is that you must have a fairly slim waist. I am a fairly muscular guy and I just fit in snug.
^^^ Did you use the stock Fiero rails with new holes drilled or Sparco rails with new holes drilled? Seats look great! BTW Not to get too personal, would someone with a 36-38" waist fit in these comfortably in your opinion?
I did use the stock rails as I described. If the mounting points on the bottom of the seat are the same width, you can just drill new holes in the stock rails for the different length of the mounting holes on the bottom of the seats. I did not have to buy sparco mounting brackets. This way, the seats still sit very low to the floor, and I don't think the padding is thicker or anything. I don't feel closer to the roof at all.
To actually fit in these seats, its a tight squeeze. 36-38 waist might be pushing it. I'm probably about a 35 and its snug. I have broad shoulders and a thin waist but the shoulder area is fine as the seats flare out at the top. Your best bet is to find someone who has a line of Sparco seats in stock and then sit in them and try them out.
These are the most inexpensive Sparco seats you can buy, but they fit my needs nicely. They're very light, and narrow enough to fit in the fiero. They were about 320CDN each. You can probably get them for 215US each. If you go to a more expensive sparco seat, they will most likely fit a wider waist, however, I don't know if they will work with the stock rails. You might have to invest a little more money in custom rails.
Moving on with the build, there are just a few miscellaneous things that I added to the car around the same time. I don't have many pictures but a couple will suffice.
I do wish I had taken more pictures of the battery box I built though...
Anyways, first thing I did was add a fuel pressue gauge to the fuel rail in case I had to diagnose a fuel problem at some point:
I also needed some new tires, so I went with some beefy tires... I hate the rubber band look:
And lastly, I wanted to do a battery relocation for better weight distribution. I wish I had taken more pictures of the box I built, but I made one from galvanized sheet metal. I basically folded a box up and bolted it in. Works like a charm. I got some long cable from a junk yard and the proper battery connections, crimped the wires and away I went. Hot starts would be a little rough at times, I think I didn't go with a thick enough battery cable for that length.
Those aren't really the best pictures of it, but again, it will have to do for now. I mounted the box as low as I possibly could without interfering with the brake lines that run behind it.
Edit: Here is a diagram of what I'm trying to describe:
I also bought a pair of black Sparco fighter seats from JRP for my car. Adaptation to the stock slider was exactly the same as you describe. With my seats, I had a major problem though. When bolting the slider and seat to the floor, I found out that due to my seat's design, the seat belt receiver was interfering (hitting the side of the seat) due to the fact that the fighter seats don't taper in very much as you move down toward the slider. As a result, I couldn't bolt the seats down to the floor. In order for my seats to work, I'm going to have to notch the part of the seat that interferes and taper it in. Another issue that I found was that the fighter seats bolted to the stock sliders made me sit to far forward for my liking - not enough recline for my liking...I guess the moral of the story is make sure the seats are going to fit before you spend over a grand on them!
Originally posted by Eau_Rouge: I also bought a pair of black Sparco fighter seats from JRP for my car. Adaptation to the stock slider was exactly the same as you describe. With my seats, I had a major problem though. When bolting the slider and seat to the floor, I found out that due to my seat's design, the seat belt receiver was interfering (hitting the side of the seat) due to the fact that the fighter seats don't taper in very much as you move down toward the slider. As a result, I couldn't bolt the seats down to the floor. In order for my seats to work, I'm going to have to notch the part of the seat that interferes and taper it in. Another issue that I found was that the fighter seats bolted to the stock sliders made me sit to far forward for my liking - not enough recline for my liking...I guess the moral of the story is make sure the seats are going to fit before you spend over a grand on them!
I also noticed with mine, that I lost a bit of range with the slider mechanism as well. When I installed the new bolts to hold the seat in, they interfere with the track of the slider. I do not have full range anymore, but I probably only lost an inch or two I think. I still comfortably reach the pedals and am not cramped. I'm 6 feet tall. A taller guy might run into some problems. As for the seat belt, my seats are pretty narrow so the seat belt still fits up beside the seat and only needs to be wiggled a little bit when sliding the seat back and forth.
quote
Originally posted by HC: I think they are called scorpion or something, its just a generic racing seat, I want to get Corbeau Forzas
I originally planned to go with Corbeau's as well, but no local speed shops had them. I've seen the Clubman's fit in fieros, but the Forza's do look really nice as well. Hope they fit for you!!
To comemorate the last time my car would have the stock spoiler I did a photoshop before I would switch over to the new IMSA look. I had always wanted the IMSA look and a wrap around spoiler but they were hard to find and usually expensive. Luckily, Joe at racetech had one locally. It was a little rough around the edges, but the price was right and I had the cash. I picked it up and it sat in my garage for a while until I could find a decklid with no decklid holes. Again, I found one locally and for cheap.
If you have noticed in the pictures I already posted, when I bought my car it had the stock spoiler installed on top of a luggage rack. I always despised this part of my car. It was finally time to dust off the wrap around spoiler that was hung up in my garage.
Out with the old look:
Took the luggage rack off, and the spoiler. I didn't like the wingless look at all on my car:
Off to the body shop where I would have the spoiler touched up and painted and installed....
I haven't updated this in a while. Next thing I did was look for a way to balance the rear end of the car a little more. The new spoiler stands up pretty high and I wanted to bring the rear of the bumper down a little. I thought a rear diffuser would look pretty good. Instead of investing time and money into a real one, I figured I could install what would be a temporary "look a like" to see if the look suited the car. I found some cheap shark fin antennas and decided they would give the overall look temporarily. If I didn't like them they could be easily removed, and I would only be out 20 bucks.
They're still on the car now and I've grown to like them, but this summer I'm going to attempt the real deal, and out with the shark fin body accents:
Moving on with the build... I had considered new rims but I had recently bought new tires and didn't want to sell them and lose a bunch of money. I figured the rims I had on could last me a while longer and could use some sprucing up. I had seen guys paint their rims, but I decided that I just wanted a small red lip. I bought some red pinstriping from a local parts store and got creative I also repainted my calipers so that everything would look crisp and new again:
Then I figured I would give the car a good wash, take a few pictures of how it looked all together:
And then I was off to the annual Southern Ontario Fiero Association car show in London Ontario:
I believe I placed that year and possibly took home some hardware. My memory is a little fuzzy... but the show is always a good time.
Then it was time to head home:
[This message has been edited by doublec4 (edited 12-02-2009).]
I love your car so much, it is one of my favorites on the forum, so simple, yet so sporty. Did you get rid of the those black seats you decided not to use? I would also like some more information on how you did the red lip stripes on your wheels. Nick
I love your car so much, it is one of my favorites on the forum, so simple, yet so sporty. Did you get rid of the those black seats you decided not to use? I would also like some more information on how you did the red lip stripes on your wheels. Nick
Thank you for the compliments! I did in fact sell the old black seats that I didn't use. As for the red lip on my rims, it is just automotive pinstriping. Just go to your local autoparts store and they should have vinyl adhesive pinstriping. Then just apply it to the lip of your rim. Takes a bit of time to get it smooth, just be patient. Thats all!
i may have missed it but how did you make the rear defussior thing i like it alot !!!
Thanks It is just 4 shark fun antenna's that you can buy at autoparts stores. I fastened them to the bottom of the aero bumper for the diffuser "look" to see if I liked it. I will be making a REAL diffuser this summer.
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Originally posted by HC: Again; great looking car, the new tail looks awesome, what is that called exactly, and where can I get one?
I got the spoiler from a local place but it is called an IMSA wrap around spoiler. You can find them at www.fierowarehouse.com Hope that helps!
[/QUOTE]
Red brakes Rock! 
I can't wait to get everything on the car!
