Rick, Will you be at WestFest? I can't wait to see your work---real close. I appreciate your attention to detail
Cordially, Kevin
Yes we plan to be there with the car. I have always let people in and up close to the car. It is not a " show car" it is our car that we take to some shows.
I did not use the Fiero HVAC for several reasons, that meant that I had to modify lots of stuff. One of the things I changed was the fresh air intake. The Fiero is in the center between the wipers. The MonteCarlo has the air intake under the right side wiper. So I use a sheet of steel to plug the stock air intake and cut a new hole just under the right side wiper. But it is not visible. The most visible change is also going to get me a little extra room under the hood. This is the back side of the HVAC unit from under the hood. It does not hang out into the front trunk. So after the system was done I plugged the hole and got a little extra room.
I used a modified Fiero HVAC air intake snorkel so water does not flow into the system.
If you look close at the brake booster you will see a little "change"
[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-14-2009).]
Phhht... I work with that stuff every day... they do come smaller than that... you can still see the numbers on those I swear some look like they just came out of a pepper shaker... but that's why God invented tweezers...
Seriously awesome work!
The black one on my finger is a big one, the small blue one that the pin is pointing to is so small that the numbers can not be seen with a naked eye.
I did burn one resistor up, you would not happen to have extras would you
sorry for the language but ... f*ck off rick... What the hell.... Damn that looks good... I wasn't sure of the color orangish but now with the blue sued... Damn... And this picture below.. How do you explain yourself?
HaHaHa, itake this as " I like it "
I did not like the style/look of the stock air bag. It was just like this one from the Solstice, Corvette, G6 or Cobalt. It had a "ring" in the center with the emblem in it's center. I had the freedom to make it smooth and con caved. The airbag stood out more convexed.
I like the work that you doing here! Keep it up. That center console is going to be some fun with the dash that low. Let's see a little more on the engine. Also, is there a dogbone and are you going to use it? It looks like the engine is pretty stable without one. What mods do you have for the engine?
[This message has been edited by RumbleB (edited 06-14-2009).]
In my opinion, you have the best-looking Fiero out there. Ever since I got mine this winter, I've been looking forward to painting it. I was thinking something like the blue/white Shelby Cobra. When I saw your car, it was like you beat me to the punch, in color scheme and engine choice (V6 or V8 DOHC... I just love the sound) My dream for my Fiero is a N* with blue/white stripes or yellow/black stripes.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know how much I admire your car. Especially with these new modifications - top notch!
Hey Rick Since we are both in Cali. Do you offer a class in doing this stuff?? Man you guys kill me with what you do to these cars.
You and that other guy who lives up in Washington just work my nerves big time, I love what you do, keep it up and if you can send some knowledge this way please do!
Originally posted by RUNDLC: Hey Rick Since we are both in Cali. Do you offer a class in doing this stuff?? Man you guys kill me with what you do to these cars. You and that other guy who lives up in Washington just work my nerves big time, I love what you do, keep it up and if you can send some knowledge this way please do! Great job RUNDLC
This thread is motivating and demoralizing at the same time. At first I'm all "Nice! I need to get back to work on my Fiero!" then the reality sets in that I have not even half this skill...
Thanks for all the great comments. I really look forward to getting the car out and showing it in person.
I will try to answer some questions:
FastFieros, I first saw Orval's custom car with a 3800SC and the newer GXP dash. I did like what he had done. That got my wheels turning and wandering if I could do the Malibu dash like he had done. Turns out that they are kind of the same but not enough to use the same of mods. Or maybe the difference was our play books have different offensive style? I would LOVE to use the F40 I have for the LS4 but that cant be done smog legally. The next best thing is not smog legal either, the 6 speed auto. That seems like a GREAT choice for those that just want an auto. In the Malibu with Tap Shift you can start off in third gear if you want.
Alex4mula: you are very right. This could have been a 50+ page thread by now if I had started it when I first started the swap's. BUT I just don't stop very often to take pics. My wife does that as I work.
mtownfiero: I wish I could do this kind of thing for people and make some money, but this one is just a hobby. And NO you cant have it...
RumbleB: I don't see the center console being that hard. The reason is that I want it very small. I don't like the wide boxy beam that the stock Fiero has, but I do like the skinny tapered center tunnel under the console. So my plan is to just cover it with carpet and as little fiberglass as possible. Basically it will just be a shift surround and a plate for a few switches and a sub box between the seats. The stock Fiero has an exaggerated center tunnel, I want to do the opposite and make it as small as possible. I don't have a single wire or cable in the tunnel ( I relocated them) so it will be smaller than the stock one. I am still holding back on the engine stuff for now, I am not done with it yet and I might still change some things. I don't have a Dog Bone and I probably never will on any of my swaps. I don't like the looks of them and I think a mounting system just as good can be done from under the engine. I have run the Short Star for 5 years or so with out one and it has 5 stock GM mounts under it. This LS4 has polly. The engine will be totally stock, at least tell it get officially certified.
Triple_El: Blue and white is cool. I have always wanted stripes that you don't see that often. It kind of makes people do a double take and either say it looks crooked or looks good. Either way they still looked I stuck with two stock GM colors to keep it in the family. The Blue is indigo blue pearl metallic and is on the SUV's. The Silver is called Galaxy silver and is on the mid sized cars.
RUNDLC: I make way to many mistakes to try to show others how its done I only post pics of the stuff that worked.
Hudini: I knew I was going to do the Malibu dash when I first saw one. I knew it because I wanted it that bad. I just takes time. I don't have all that much skill, I just want it done bad enough that I keep working at it. I will admit it was more work than I thought it was going to be.
Chicken McNizzle: I REALLY like the Neon SRT4 seats from the first time I saw sspeed street ponder the idea a little wile back. I just finally got around to it. I dont plan on any other mods to the seats. I think they look cool as is, heck just seeing a black seat belt in a Fiero looks cool
HaHa, you have plenty of skill to pull this off. Most people don't have the time to invest. I am not all that original either, I just put a little spin on what I have or what I see others do. I think the combination of several spinning tops that make up this car make it "look" just a step above some others?
I thought I had some pics of the shifter? Looks I blasted thru that project with out the camera. I will try to get some pics of it soon. Let me first say that the dash now sits in the exact location that the stock Fiero shifter used to be. So I modified the shifter to be as low as possible by cutting off the the entire mount under the shifter mechanism. I also removed the tack welded shifter mount from the center tunnel. I reformed the shifter in such a way that allowed me to mount it 3-4 inches further back with out getting taller. If you look in the center tunnel where the shifter is located you will notice that it is mounted in the deepest recess in the tunnel. The further rearward you relocate it the higher it will have to be mounted. I had to move the shifter back so I could use the full range of motion. The stock Shifter would hit the HVAC controls in the "N" position. So I not only changed the shifter base plate and made a new mount but I also had to add extra range of motion for the 4 speed auto tranny. One other mod that I did was to make sure that the Front mounted LS4 still had a proper shift range after mounting in the rear of the Fiero. If I just used a Fiero cable on the Fiero shifter on the LS4, the P R N 4 3 2 1 would all be reversed to 1 2 3 4 N R P. I remedied this by using the stock LS4 shift cable (because it is very long) and moved its mounting location to the front of the shifter. The stock Fiero shifter cable is mounted on the rear of the shifter. I cut the stock cable mount off and welded it to the front of the shifter. I then ran the LS4 shifter cable thru the side of the center tunnel and under the driver seat and carpet to a thru plug on the firewall that is next to the seat belt mechanism. I had to cut off the "ball" that the cable snaps onto and re-weld it about .5" higher to retain the stock LS4 shifter geometry and shifter lockouts and detents. So as you pull the shifter back tell it stops on each detent (tooth) it coincides with the tranny shifter detents. I also had to incorporate the lockout solenoid on the shifter for the ignition key. I mounted that to the right side of the shifter. This lockout unlocks when the brake is pushed so it will not slip into gear with out you foot on the brake and it also will not send a signal the another lockout in the steering column to remove the key unless it is in "P". Bottom line here is that if my shifter does not work properly, I wont even be able to start the car or take the key out. I hope it always works The shifter shaft is about 4" shorter than stock and has a nob from an 89 Corvette. This was the smallest shifter nob I could find. I had to make a custom adaptor sleeve to mount the top two inches of the Corvette shifter shaft to the Fiero shifter shaft. Then I made a custom rod for the button on top of the nob.
So I don't have a shifter cable running down the center tunnel, I have drive by wire so I don't have a throttle cable there either. I don't have an ECM in the center between the seats and no wires down the center. And I relocated the brake booster vacuum line. There is nothing in the center tunnel but a gas tank. This allowed me to make the center console as low and narrow as possible. I like the small center tunnel and will try to keep the final console as small as I can.
If you look close you will notice that the shifter is mounted higher and further back than The Fiero shifter used to be. But the Corvette nob on top keeps the total height low.
Also notice that the carpet is right up against the center tunnel with out any plastic skeleton or those funky shields that protected the cruise brain and sub amp.
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[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-17-2009).]
------------------ 87 GT Tilt Clip-Widebody-RamAir-Fastback-GlassHatch Powered by SBC 383 6-speed w/ NOS Build Thread "Roads?...Where we're going, we don't need roads." - Emmett "Doc" Brown
One of the most unique things about this Fiero is the electric adjustable pedals. I am not sure yet if they will have any real use, but they are fun to play with. This was another part of the engine swap that took way more time than I thought it would. I actually put the adjustable pedal project down two or three times because of the many obstacles they conflict with.
Let me start with a disclaimer: I did this to my Fiero for my own reasons. Please don't rant on and on about how useless it is like the power steering comments that I get all the time. Second is that I HIGHLY modified the brake pedal assembly and brake booster mount to fit this system for the purpose of being functional for a 6'+ person with out cramping the legs. Thank You
I need to say that I think this system will be practical in this car because my wife and I both drive this car. There is about 8" height difference between us and she would have a real problem reaching the pedals now that the dash is about three inches closer to the driver. To compensate for the closer dash and steering wheel I made some extra rearward seat travel. This creates an obvious problem for the "shorter legged people". The pedals have about 4" of travel, the seats have about 5 extra inches of travel over the stock Fiero seats. So I can move the seats further back AND further forward than the Fiero seats. In addition the pedals move further forward by about an inch over stock Fiero. So I can move my seat back all the way and the pedals forward all the way and my heel cant even touch the brake. In the stock Fiero I could never stretch out my legs. So again let me say that this may not be for every one, but it should work fine for my wife and I.
This is a pic of the center tunnel mod I did for the Monte Carlo HVAC. I removed all brackets and mounts from the front bulkhead. This allowed me to move the gas pedal further forward.
This is not the final product. But it gives you an idea how the HVAC and new pedals "mesh" together. I had to "dent" the steel just under the windshield to fit the motor.
If you look close at the Booster mounts on the bulkhead you will notice that it has boxed steel spacers. This is how I was able to get the pedals to move forward an extra .75". Just in case you are wondering if the brake pedal will hit the floor before the full travel in the master cylinder is reached,? It wont. I measured several times before I did it. And again after it was done. I did not use the stock Fiero pedals I used the Monte stuff. They are MUCH different.
[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-17-2009).]
I used the Monte Carlo steering column in this swap, so I had to get the 06 Monte to mount to the 88 steering shaft that is mounted the 200 FireBird power steering rack The easyest way to do it was to just take apart the U joint of the Monte and Fiero and mix match the parts. The stock Fiero steering shaft and Monte side by side.
I took the aluminum yoke off the Monte and the cast iron yoke off the Fiero. They come apart exactly like a rear wheel drive drive shaft.
The Fiero steering shaft with the Monte aluminum yoke on it.
[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-17-2009).]
I'll be watching this one. Looks like you're doing some great work! I'm surprised at how committed you are to using the Malibu dash and the LS4 auto. I can understand the LS4 auto, for smog nazi reasons, but it looks like you must really be in love with the Malibu dash to be swapping all the Monte stuff over to that dash.
Obviously, you're fully committed at this point...but looking back, what would you say to somebody willing to use a Malibu powertrain (say an E85 3500, Ecotec, or 3600 with the 6 speed auto) with the Malibu dash, etc.? Do you think that would have simplified much with the HVAC, electrics, etc. or do you think most of the fabrication/modification would have been the same? I like the F-Body dash swap for simplicity reasons and had planned on going that route with my GT (still looks good, but a lot less work), but the Malibu dash is definitely better looking, especially if the Malibu gauges could stay intact. It's just too bad that so few GMs come with manual transmissions anymore (I'm sure you'd agree, as it would make CA emissions a lot easier for you too).
I did like the F body dash swap, but I liked this one much more. I think that this swap can be done MUCH less complicated by just using the outer shell of the dash. I chose to use the magnesium beam and HVAC for several reasons that may not be a priority to others.
I would have done the Malibu dash and 3600 6 speed auto in a heart beat if that were offered at as good of a deal as this LS4 was offered. I have the LS4 because of the price, not because I think it is the "best" engine for my Fiero. That 3600 is a GREAT engine, and the best automatic tranny I have ever driven.
I did like the F body dash swap, but I liked this one much more. I think that this swap can be done MUCH less complicated by just using the outer shell of the dash. I chose to use the magnesium beam and HVAC for several reasons that may not be a priority to others.
I would have done the Malibu dash and 3600 6 speed auto in a heart beat if that were offered at as good of a deal as this LS4 was offered. I have the LS4 because of the price, not because I think it is the "best" engine for my Fiero. That 3600 is a GREAT engine, and the best automatic tranny I have ever driven.
That's very interesting to hear. Maybe I should keep my eyes peeled for a complete, wrecked Malibu with 3600!
OK, I took out the 3.5 V6 Short Star to put in a 5.3 LS4 V8.
So the list of "options" will look like this:
1988 Fiero GT 4 speed automatic 5.3 LS4 V8 power steering (2000 Camero 2.5 turns lock to lock) 12" C4 Corvette brakes 08 Malibu dash 08 Malibu steering wheel with "tap shift" electrically adjustable pedals dual climate control A/C 6 disk in dash CD with Sat and Ipod 1000 watt10 speaker sound system Driver information center SRT4 seats Blacked out interior with blue suede Mote Carlo gauges with Malibu dash custom center console and door panels Keyless entry Keyless remote start with preheat or precool HVAC system Anti theft system drive by wire
I will edit this first post MANY times to add info.
nice! that stuff is money
[This message has been edited by stickpony (edited 06-17-2009).]
Like I said before - Great work! There is only one thing missing, that you forgot to get from the doner car. The ABS brake system. This thread is bookmark!
[This message has been edited by RumbleB (edited 06-17-2009).]
Like I said before - Great work! There is only one thing missing, that you forgot to get from the doner car. The ABS brake system. This thread is bookmark!
I installed that too I just don't have it plumed into the hydraulics, and I have not figured out the rear wheel speed sensors yet. Tell then all the sensors will be run off of the modified front wheel speed sensors. I am concerned about using the Monte Carlo ABS module because it is programed for a front wheel drive car with a bias of about 60% front 40% rear. The Fiero is almost opposite of that. If I were to use this ABS system I might have some problems? This system does not use a proportioning valve, the module pumps the rear brake as if it were the proportioning valve. I could try to use a Solstice Module? It has a 50 50 bias. Then see what happens. I cant use the vale from the Fiero with the module because it would not get even pressure on the front and rear circuit because the module moderating the front and rear pressure AND left to right could be verried as well.
HaHa, you have plenty of skill to pull this off. Most people don't have the time to invest. I am not all that original either, I just put a little spin on what I have or what I see others do. I think the combination of several spinning tops that make up this car make it "look" just a step above some others?
Oh yeah, that's probably it. And money. I guess if I wasn't dumping money into three cars it might be a little easier...
Are those flappy paddles supposed to both have +'s on them? So you can either shift up, or up?
It has the two shift up buttons on top and two down shift paddles in the back of the wheel. One finger to shift up but I can fit three fingers on the down shift. I guess it is like that because you cant see the down shift paddles, you just hit the back of the wheel and you cant miss them.
The LS4 has a returnless fuel system. It also has a tank pressure sensor and fuel pressure regulator and a roll over valve all in the sending unit. So instead of the easy way out I just dropped that sending unit in the Fiero tank.
I had to make a new tank top that would serve to mount the new sending unit. The sending unit had a HUGE locking cam like the Fiero unit did. But the cam was so big I could not even fit it in the tunnel. So I cut down the diameter of the top of the sending unit cam and drilled two holes per cam and screwed the sending unit down.
That is one badass Cherokee!! I just bought a 1998 Cherokee, but it is a pointless Cherokee (2WD, 2 Door).
Thanks, you can always convert it? I plan to do an engine swap in this one too. I am looking at an LS3 and a 6 speed auto out of an Escalade. I am thinking that I could run 5:12 or lower gears and just skip the 1st and 2nd gears on the street. Off road I could use the 1st and 2nd as "granny gears" and stack them with the low gear in the transfer case to get a crawler gear.
Originally posted by Rickady88GT: Thanks, you can always convert it? I plan to do an engine swap in this one too. I am looking at an LS3 and a 6 speed auto out of an Escalade. I am thinking that I could run 5:12 or lower gears and just skip the 1st and 2nd gears on the street. Off road I could use the 1st and 2nd as "granny gears" and stack them with the low gear in the transfer case to get a crawler gear.
I was under the Cherokee and it looks totally easy to covert to 4x4. I was toying with the idea of just buying a rolled or damaged 4x4 with good suspension and swapping it over. Then I can part out the remains of the doner Cherokee. Hmmm another project.
As you can see the top of the sending unit is higher than the stock unit was. So I cut out a section of the tunnel and replated it to clear the tank. The top of the tunnel is now to high to run shifter cables or wires. And that is actually my plan. I want to keep the size of the center console very small so I redirected all lines that used to run thru it. Even the brake booster vacuum line was moved. I used an old A/C line and run it in the stock place as the A/C lines.
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I swear some look like they just came out of a pepper shaker... but that's why God invented tweezers... 
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