Thanks for the positive replies Greg / Tony. I need to go to work for Archie.....lol! I don't think my welding and glass skills would hold up in Archies world. I do alright for a old - fat man. The welds are not pretty but I know I have penetration. Nothing a little grinding and paint can't hide.
Pat
Weeeeee........ Page 7 owned!
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 02-14-2010).]
So today I had to tackle the front motor mounts. Man what an ordeal - actually it was not that bad - just time consuming trying to figure it all out, cutting, drilling, tacking, starting over a few times, etc. etc. I did manage to get all the mounts done and the motor is now sitting on the cradle - secured! Tomorrow I will pull the motor back off the cradle and finish the welding, cleaning and give the cradle a coat of paint. Hopefully I'll have the motor back on and bolted down for the last time. I did not get as far as I wanted to. I was also hoping to get the pulleys and belt finsihed this weekend too. Next weekend I guess.
Once I got the motor sitting square and somewhat level, I noticed that there was not much clearance for the tripod. I was a little worried till I stuffed the Silhouette axle in the trans. The tripod on those are a bit smaller than the Caddy's. I setup the front mounts so that I can shim them if I need to bring the nose up some.
One side coming together. I could not find any 3" angle anywhere so I am using 2". It sets a little high on the cradle but I will put some gussets on the back side. And set in place with a few welds - will have to pull the motor off to finish a few gussets and weld.
I have read all the threads and seen several different versions of mounts for this side. I decided to use part of the stock Caddy mount bracket and fab up the rest. In the end, I am pretty happy with the results. I now have very solid mounts on all 4 corners. I don't think I'll need a torque strut. Building it up:
Sitting on it's mounts, bolted down:
All that cutting, grinding and welding and not one fire was started........... More later.
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 02-26-2010).]
I pulled the motor off the cradle this morning and got all the final welding done on the cradle, blsated it and then gave it a few coats of Rustoleum. It's amazing how good these cradles look when they are clean and fresh. While I was welding on the cradle, the Compliance Nazi stopped by to tell me that a neighbor was complaining about me working on my car in the driveway. I hag them beat this time. The motor was hanging from the hoist sitting in the driveway and I was welding in the garage. The Nazi said there was nothing wrong with the notor sitting in the driveway but if I had been working on it, he could have fined me? This makes no sense to me at all. You can stack all the junk cars and parts you want in your driveway, just can;t work on them?
Anyway, then he said that where I had the XTC parked was against code - the front tires were in the rocks in my front yard and the back tires were in the driveway. No parking in the rocks? He started to get snotty with me and was going to write me a citation. I suggested that he get his pen warmed up cause from where I was standing, I could see 13 more cars parked in the rocks in front yards on my street. Plus the broke down suburban parked facing the wrong way sitting on a jack in the street. He backed off and thanked me for my calm demeaner in the matter.
10 minutes later, a Traffic Officer showed up down the street looking at the Suburban. Next thing I know he is walking down the street towards my house. I had my Durango and the boys Mustang parked in the street - nose in toward the driveway. He wlks up to me in the garage and proceeds to tell me that he is going around the neighborhood giving warnings to everyone that is parked illegally on the street and in the rocks in the front yard. He just walked past 9 cars sitting in the rocks? Then he tells me that the Durango and the Mustang are parked illegally - they must be paralell to the curb. Hmm... I can see 4 other cars on the street parked the same way. I made it a point to "point" all of them out and asked if he was going to be fair and give every car on the street a warning? He said that I had benn warned and if he had to come back, he would write citations. I then watched him walk back down the street past all the toher illegally parked cars, get in his cruiser and drive away. No get this. The next door neighbor has his big 4X4 truck parked in the rocks between my house and his. - He's a cop? It's ok for him but not for me? I thought we lived in the land of the free? So I spent the day getting my cars moved around and parked legally, Made room in the garage to be able to do some work in there and then started calling the Compliance Nazi's to "complain" about all the other illegaly parked cars on the street. If they can take the time to beat on my door, they can take the time to beat on everyone elses door. Fair is fair! Ok, Rant Off!
On with the pics......
Welded, Cleaned and ready for the motor:
Setting it back on the cradle:
All bolted down for the last time:
I spent some time taking off the un needed water lines and the Caddy tensioner pulley. Looks like I am going to have to lease a shop and move some of the projects so I can work on them. Just more time and money...... More later.
Yes we will do a quick swab of the engine - not too crazy but we will clean it up a bit. I will put on valve cover gaskets, pan gaskets, front seal and new H20 Pump before we stuff it in the car. Ordered the Fuel Injector service kit today. I need to make one more trip to the mega pull to get a few AC compressor brackets we are missing then I can setup the tensioner and install the belt. Over the next few days, I will be putting the front suspension back under my Monte so I can move it out of the garage - got to make room for the XTC so the compliance Nazis will leave me alone. Should be full speed ahead starting this weekend. I really need to get this done.
Well I know this is not exactly Fiero related but I have to get this done so I can get the XTC in the garage and start the swap. I got the front suspension back under the Monte and will be moving it out of the garage in the AM. I needed to get something done on the Monte anyway so the XTC swap and the El Paso Code Compliance Nazi's forced me to get some work done on the Monte.
Now don't flame me for sticking the old rusty springs in there - it's temporary. The plan is for some Hotchkiss resto rod lowering springs - this is just to be able to move it into the back yard.
More tomorrow!
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 02-26-2010).]
Got a lot done today - even after taking a few hours to meet up with the El Paso Fiero nuts for lunch. I got all the suspension and steering parts installed in the Monte and got it out of the garage - Yay!
Then we cleaned out the garage and moved the XTC in.
Now I have to say that I am feeing pretty lucky. Before we moved the XTC, I asked my 16 year old - "did you put the axle nuts back on before you put the tires/wheels back on"? He says "yep - sure did". So we get ready to move the car and I ask home again - again he says yes. And away we go. Pushed it out in the street, turned it around and shoved her up in the garage. All is good! When I jack up the car to put the stands under it - guess what happens?
The passenger side is just about ready to fall off! Lesson learned? Check to make sure the axle nuts are on myself! I sure am glad the hub did not come of out in the middle of the street! Could have been ugly. Will be pulling the Duke tomorrow!
Dan (Frizlefrak) and Jeff stopped by this afternoon after we spent most the day driving from El Paso to Mesilla for a lunch run. I must have missed the memo about "Fiero's Optional". Everyone else drove a Vette. I was the only Fiero in the bunch - so I had to lead them up there....lol.
Anyway, with the help of Dan and Jeff, we got the duke dropped out and sitting on the floor. We'll drag it out from under the car in the am and get it out of the way. Going to strip down the Duke as it has a lot of new parts on it. The trans was working great too so we'll take it to our favorite trans shop and donate it for some goodwill. I'll be keeping the 88 cradle and I plan on using it in the V8 Coupe when I swap in the 383 and 6 speed - it will be great to get the rear suspension upgraded at the same time.
Not too many pics today - once we got started, I forgot about the camera. I'll get a bunch tomorrow.
Photo op on our Fiero run today - note all the beater Vettes?
Got a lot done today. We got the Duke drug out and stripped down. I forgot how many new parts I had installed on the old girl. I'll be posting a bunch up in the Mall in a week or so. After we stripped the motor and removed it from the cradle, we tossed it in the trailer and hauled it off to the junkyard - even tossed out an old 2.8 that has been in my way since the "Ol Yeller" days. I just wanted to drop em off but I ended up getting 150.00 in credit at the Mega Pull. That will help with some more odds and ends that we will need to finish the swap.
Stripping off all the goodies:
Engine/trans off the cradle:
I now have a 88 cradle to swap into my V8 Coupe:
Stripped and ready for the junk yard:
I put a breaker bar with socket on the crank bolt and then a long pipe and tried to turn the motor - I ended up rolling over on the bench - she is seized up tight.
New - rebuilt V5 AC compressor with new Hi and Low pressure switches and the R13 control valve has about 1000k on it:
New - rebuilt AZ lifetime warranty alternator and starter with 1000K on them:
88 2.5 complete wiring harness:
I'll put these up in the mall next weekend. If someone reading this thread want s something, leave me a PM. I'll be out of town all next week. Make me an offer! More next weekend.
Dan (Frizlefrak) and Jeff stopped by this afternoon after we spent most the day driving from El Paso to Mesilla for a lunch run. I must have missed the memo about "Fiero's Optional". Everyone else drove a Vette. I was the only Fiero in the bunch - so I had to lead them up there....lol.
Pat, I can take care of that "Fiero's Optional" problem you have! By the way that Vette next to your car looks pretty good!
Anyway, with the help of Dan and Jeff, we got the duke dropped out and sitting on the floor. We'll drag it out from under the car in the am and get it out of the way. Going to strip down the Duke as it has a lot of new parts on it. The trans was working great too so we'll take it to our favorite trans shop and donate it for some goodwill. I'll be keeping the 88 cradle and I plan on using it in the V8 Coupe when I swap in the 383 and 6 speed - it will be great to get the rear suspension upgraded at the same time.
Not too many pics today - once we got started, I forgot about the camera. I'll get a bunch tomorrow.
Photo op on our Fiero run today - note all the beater Vettes?
Well after a dreery week in Houston, I made it home around 12:00 noon today and was able to tinker with the 4.9 some. I pulled the injectors so I can send them in for some cleaning and service. I was planning on doing this myslef but I just do not have the time right now - got to get this done. Anyway, I also pulled the TB for some cleaning and removed the valve covers to replace the gaskets and install one with an oil fill on the back side/front side? I was pretty happy with how clean the valve train is. Looks like this motor was well cared for.
I was going to try and adapt the 4 cyl AC pump to the 4.9 but have decided that I will just get a stock Caddy AC pump and be done with it. Again, time is critical now. Tomorrow I have to go to the Mega Pull and get the rear AC pump mounting bracket and we can get the tensioner pully and belt all finished up. I am hoping I can stuff it in the car tomorrow afternoon for a test fit.
When I pulled the TB, I noticed that there is some crud built up inside these "tubes" in the intake - not a clue what they are? Maybe part of the EGR setup - looks like EGR gunk. I'll see if I can clean them out some.
Clean valve train!
Injectors out:
Got to replace this valve cover with one that has an oil fill hole:
First thing this AM, we went to the mega pull for some Caddy AC pump brackets...... After roaming around, we found a good donor and got what we needed. I will buy a new pump but we picked up one from that yard for now - to get all the pulleys setup and the belt on. We got out of the junk yard for 25.00.
I ran all over town looking for the 3.4 Camaro tensioner and the idler pulley. I had to ride my motorcylce cause it was so nice outside here today. It really was hard on me!
Fun in the junk yard:
Fabbed up the idler mount:
All the brackets fabbed up and the belt is in place: Only issue is that I have the wrong belt - it's too long. I'll get the right one in the AM.
Sent the injectors off to Mr Injector for cleaning and service yesterday. I picked up another belt - ended up with the AZ 798K6. It was a tight fit but it does fit. I handed the boy a wire brush and instructed hm to clean all the rust off the pulleys. He was still out there in the garage at 11:00 last night. He got a wild hair and went to cleaning the motor. He did a great job of cleaning the motor and making a huge mess in the garage. I do not think the stains will ever come out of the concrete...... Gives me a good excuse to go buy that pressure washer I have been wanting.
You tell the boy he did FANTASTIC job on the engine. When they get that "wild hair" it's best if you just "ride it out". Again, the engine is looking really nice!
You tell the boy he did FANTASTIC job on the engine. When they get that "wild hair" it's best if you just "ride it out". Again, the engine is looking really nice!
I'm learning to just let him run with things. I can always clean up the mess later. It's getting fun to watch him work on this car.
OK so if you have not already read my posts in chat and tech, I sent my injectors to Mr. Injector for cleaning and service on Monday. I got an email today from Bill at MI informing me that he received the box but there were no injectors inside. Looks like the box got crushed, the injectors fell out and someone along the way taped the box back up. I filed a claim with UPS and they had a declared value of 250.00 so hoefully I'll recover some of the costs to replace them.
Bill at MI was very helpful and is a great guy to deal with. He told me that the OEM 4.9 injectors are prone to problems with the windings and he suggested that I replace them with some OEM Ford 4.6, 5.0 and 5.4 injectors. I did some searching and found that this is a common replacement for many GM 19 lb injectors and the Bosch injectors are more efficient. I went to the Mega Pull this afternoon to recon some Ford injectors and found a rather large supply of them for fairly cheap. I alos found refurbished ones on E Bay for 100 plus shipping - this is a pretty good deal as it will cost 130 plus shipping to get the stock ones cleaned and serviced. Just beofre I pushed the "buy it now" button, I checked my email again and had another form Bill at MI. He said that he would sell me a set of the Bosch for 225.00 but he did nothave any at this time. I sent him one back telling him that I had a source for cores and then he sent one back telling me that if I send him 3 sets, he will send me back one set refurbished - I just pay for shipping to and from. Sounds like a good deal to me so tomorrow I will be knee deep in the Ford section at the Mega Pull gathering up injectors.
For future reference, here are some part numbers for the Ford OEM 19lb High Impedence injectors:
OEM Part Nmuber: 028150943. These are made by Bosch for Ford and are the Series type 2. They have a yellow top and if you look closely at the pintle end, you will see 4 small holes. These are the prefered injectors.
Some more info:
Other OEM partnumbers that cross with the above: 028150939, 766 and 788. The Bosch aftermarket replacement part number is: 0280150973
Here's a pic of the injecor I picked today for reference:
Did not get as much done today as I wanted but we did make some progress. The Fiero guys talked me into a run for lunch so that took up half the day - it was fun though and worth it.
Went to the Mega Pull and picked up 3 sets of the Bosch injectors to send off for cleaning and service. It took all of 45 minutes to pull 3 sets. Cost me 10 bucks! So after shipping to and from Mr. Injector, I'll have about 50.00 in a set of refurbished Bosch series 2 injectors! I had pretty much talked myself into just ordering a set of the 100.00 ones from E Bay but decided to go get the used ones and get them serviced - saved me 60.00.
My buddy Jeff gave me a brand new V6 fuel pump today - Thanks Jeff......CJ will have to wash and wax your Fiero one of these weekends.
Forgot to add that I took the TB apart so I could give it a good cleaning. I need to search for a TB Seal kit - there's really only one seal but it was brittle and disintegrated when I removed the butterfly shaft. I'll have to do some diggin to find one. Hope they are available - maybe through GM only?
It's was sitting under a tarp with the air box on it but it still got a lot of junk in it:
Pretty good carbon and gunk build up underneath too:
I'll let her soak in Berryman's overnight then reassemble tomorrow - if I can find the shaft seal. I need to go back to the Mega Pull and hunt up some new rubber connectors as all of these are brittle and cracked. It never ends. All the little odds and ends a starting to add up.
I went with some of the Fiero guys for a Lunch run today. It was a great day for some pics so I cleaned up the Formula and took advantage of the sunny day.
The Texas Sun is taking it's toll on old Red:
I'll have to see if I can get this fixed up before the Round Up!
Only 3 of us on the run today plus our reliable chase vehicle guy Reggie! We seriously got to get him into a Fiero. Anyway, we ran up to La Mesa, NM to a little bar and grill called "Chopes". Good food - Good Rita's and plenty of spice!
Chasing Jeff's elusive 4.9 GT! The standard rearview shot! Those 4.9 cars are hard to keep up with! The Maroon one is a "Stealth Fiero" - it sports the 4.9 too!
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 03-20-2010).]
Today's project was to drain the fuel tank, drop it and change out the 4 cyl pump for the new 6 cyl pump. Fortunately, about 6 months or so ago, I pulled the tank to fix a leaking top seal and replace the pump. At that thime I alos replaced all the fule lines and fill hoses. I hot wired the pump and drained the tank. It was on the gorund in about 10 minutes, took 15 to change the pump out and another 15 to install. I hooked up some power and the new pump works.
Out wih the old 4 cyl pump - it's really only about 6 months old!
In with the new: Thanks again to my buddy Jeff for donating this new V6 pump to the build.
Buttoned up and ready to install:
All done:
Getting closer - more later
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 03-21-2010).]
Another trip to the Mega Pull - it's really the only excersize I get - roaming the yard looking for goodies. I try to go every Sunday am to beat the crowds. For the last 3 months, I have had my personal stash of 13 - 84 and 85 Fiero's that were clear in the back of the lot. They were a great source of lots of little parts like screws, headlight motors, etc. Today I was going to get one rolled over so I could get the coolant tubes out of it and a few other little odds and ends. After walking clear out there, they were all gone - crushed!
I also needed some rubber vac fittings for the 4.9 so I headed back to the GM section. After getting the vac line, I wandered through the GM section from the back to the front - about 50 rows of cars - 20 to a row. What did I find in the middle of the section - a poor looking 87 GT. Missing the fastback, deck lid, tail lights and roof. Other than that it's pretty much complete. I think I'll go back next weekend and get the 5 speed out of it. The V6 looks complete but it's been sitting out in the weather for awhile.
While I was wandering I also found a few poor sad looking N*'s.
I soaked the TB in Berryman's for a day and finished cleaning it up this evening. I'll probably end up sleeping on the couch but I needed to wash of the Berryman's with hot water!
Hot soapy water:
A clear rinse:
Blow it out wih air and reassemble:
Finally got the belt put on - looking better all the time:
If you spy the top of the above pic, you will see the aftermarket mechanical OP gauge I picked up. My next step is to pull the dizzy, hook up the gauge and the oil cooler then spin the Oil Pump with a drill. This motor has been sitting for awhile and although it was sealed up very well, I want to get some fresh oil to the bearings before I turn the motor much. I may also pull the plugs and get some cylinder fog and spray it in the cylinders. I have a bore scope that I will use to take a peek into each cylinder to look for rust or foriegn material too. Also ordered new rear hubs yesterday. Getting closer to the stuff date.
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 03-22-2010).]
So again, I laid the two wiring harnesses out on the floor and started looking it over. I have a pile of paper I have printed out with every wiring diagram, hints, info, etc. etc.
I think I figured it out - it does not look to tough at all and I should be able to get it done in 2 weeks. It's easy - I just picked up the phone and ordered a complete 4.9 swap harness from Jeremy at the Fiero Factory. I know, I know......... I just do not have the time or skill to do the wiring harness. For those that have done thier own, my hat is off to you. More to come.
I know, I know......... I just do not have the time or skill to do the wiring harness. For those that have done thier own, my hat is off to you. More to come.
Pat
I agree. Sometimes the path of least resistance is the better way to move forward
Worked on getting some oil pumped through the motor this afternoon. I was going to have some oil cooler lines made up but it turned out that we had all the tools, fittings and hose at work in the hydraulic shop. I hinted to one of the road mechanics that I needed some hoses made and when I came back from lunch, my new hoses were laying on my desk. This afternoon, I took a couple of stock Caddy oil cooler hose ends and made a "loop" so I could spin up the oil pump and not have to worry about hooking up the oil cooler. Then I hooked up a manual gauge, setup the drill motor and went to spinning. I could get 50 psi with the drill motor. I ran it for about 30 seconds, then rotated the crank about 1/4 turn, spun it another 30 seconds, rotated the crank 1/4 and so on. I'll do this one more time just before I put the motor in the car? I may try and run the motor out of the car once I get the injectors and harness back.
My new oil cooler lines:
Oil cooler bypass loop thingie:
Drill setup and ready to go:
50 plus psi:
Also got another care package in the mail today:
More to come
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 03-25-2010).]
Not much to report this today. Waiting for he Injectors to come back from Mr Injector and the wiring harness from the Fiero Factory. Spent a few hours in the junk yard today helping Frizlefrak get some much needed items for his GT and his 2M8. Had a blast and picked apart a 87 GT before it heads of to the crusher.
Tomorrow I will work on the engine compartment to clean it up some. I have to work on the coolant tubes too. Both have a slight crush to them and I think I will cut out the bad spot and put a hose in place to splice them back together. I will also pick up an oil cooler and build a mount for it in the side scoop on the left side.
Just got into town and was expecting to have a box of injectors and a wiring harness but nooooooooo! Not yet. I did have a box from the company I bought the rear hubs from. I had ordered a set of rear hubs and when they arrived, they were supposed to have the seals and a new axle nut for each. All I got were the hubs. I sent an email to them explaining the problem and I got a quick reply apologizing and to let me know that the missing parts would be shipped ASAP. I opened the box and what did I get? Another rear hub - at least this one had the seals and the new axle nut. I guess I will send them another email and see what they send this time? Anyone need a rear hub?
I was also hoping for a set of dew wipes for the Formula as I was planning on rebuilding the door hinges and intsalling dew wipes this weekend. I failed to give Stu my shipping address so he will send them off tomorrow. My bad! I guess I'll just goof off this weekend.
The mail man brought me a present today. The injectors showed up from Mr. Injector. I am very impressed and would like to put a shameless plug out there for Bill Johnson and Mr. Injector. He has been a great help and does excellent work. If you need injector work, give him a call.
8 reconditioned Bosch type 2 injectors with new o rings and filter baskets:
Included is the "test" sheet and flow numbers:
How to contact Bill and Mr. Injector:
Now to the garage for an injector installation!
Pat
[This message has been edited by katatak (edited 04-03-2010).]
Spent some time getting the injectors installed this afternoon. Learned a new trick too. I cleaned the fuel rails and the wiring harness plus cleaned the intake manifold and installed the TB.
Here's the trick I learned. The injector has 2 grooves in the body on the fuel rail side. I was thinking that I had to seat the injector deep enough so that the retaining clip would sit in the lower groove. I installed all 8 injectors this way and then set it in place on the manifold. There was no way I could get the injectors to seat in the manifold. I had to move each clip to the top groove and then when I set it back on the manifold, everything lined up perfect.
The Injector:
Incorrect installation:
Correct installation:
Let the install begin - cleaning everything first is important:
Thought I was really doing good here - until I discovered I had it together wrong:
Nice job so far, just wondering why you did not go with a carb instead?
Thanks for kind words Quad. The main reason I stuck with the TB/injection is that this car is my 16 year olds daily driver. I want it to be as "trouble free" as can be. If it were for me, I would most likely go with a carb - call me old school but I like tinkering and tuning with a screw driver versus a laptop!
Been a little quiet in this thread the last few days. Not much to update but I did talk to the Fiero Factory today and the harness is on it's way. Looks like we will be installing the motor this weekend. More later.
The Mail Man stopped by today and dropped off this:
I went out and started the process of trying to figure out what goes where. The injectors were easy. I think I have half of the ends figured out but I'll have to buy some beer and get my Fiero buddies over here to figure it out completely.
The Harness is just laying on top the motor ill I get everything figured out - then I'll work on making it pretty:
Not sure about these plugs:
I'm thinking this is the pass key and the speedo fix thingie:
I know one of these plugs into the trans:
ECM & interior goodies:
I have to say that after messing with trying to build my own harness (and 90% of it was already stripped and labled), I am very glad that Dan and Jeff talked me into buying a harness. Even with a complete harness, my head hurts looking at it. I hate wiring!
Well it's back to work on the XTC/4.9 swap. The goal is to have it installed tomorrow. I spent most the morning getting a bunch of little things buttoned up. I had to realign the tensioner pulley to get it to run square and true. Once I had it where I wanted it, I found that the valve cover would not fit. I had to make a choice. Start over on the tensioner or do some "clearance" adjustemnt to the valve cover. Call me lazy but it was a lot easier to make the valve cover fit. I have all but 3 connectors on the harness figured out. I am waiting on a response form the Fiero Factory for where the 3 go. I am pretty sure that one is for the alternator and that I am missing a pigtail harness for the alternator. I think one is for the EGR or MAP? and the 3rd I have no clue. Jeremy will be able to guide me in the right direction. I will also have 2 4.9 Fiero's in my driveway in the AM that I can use for a guide. I went over the entire engine and made sure all the bolts were tight and everything was fitted correctly. I think I'm ready to stuff her in the car. I have to pick up a new T Stat for it this afternoon and figure out a few vac lines and thats pretty much it.
Making the valve coover fit:
I had to do some adjustment on the valve cover bolt too:
A few questionable connectors: Pretty sure this for the alternator
