OK, I took out the 3.5 V6 Short Star to put in a 5.3 LS4 V8.








This V6 swap was smog legal in CA so the plan is to do the V8 smog legal using the same stratagy. Basically, I will just put everything from the donor car in the Fiero.


I will not repaint the car.


But I will change out the entire interior.


The new interior will not look like a Fiero at all.


I got a dash from a 08 Malibu. But will not use any of the electronics or switches from it. Well, I will use the adjustable electric pedals.


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.


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[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-11-2009).]

Can't wait to see the progress on this. The detail on that V6 was amazing and the build enjoyable to follow.

I have read some of your prior posts concerning this car. Your work is spectacular. This will be a thread to watch people. Good luck with her.

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Thank you,
I wanted to get close to driving the car before the thread. Now that the car runs and the intirior is looking better, I decided to start the thread.

quote Originally posted by Rickady88GT: ... I will use ALL of the electronics to run the drivetrain. I just need to adapt them into the Malibu dash.

PCM, BCM, gauges... What else?

quote Originally posted by Raydar: PCM, BCM, gauges... What else?

I will also use the ALBCM, HVAC, antitheft system. I have the Sat and OnStar sysem instaled too.

The malibu dash is VERY nice. Where do you keep getting this stuff? The SRT-4 seats, now the malibu dash....
The short star is pretty cool, what are you plans with it?

I'm gonna have to come see when you're done!

Before I could start the engine I had to fix the broken anti theft system. It got damaged in the crash.


With out the stock donor key and pick up the engine would not run.

After I got it fixed I put it back into the Monte Carlo steering columb and adaped the system into the Malibu dash.

WOW Rick... Had the smog legal 3.5 now you've one upped us again.... STOP!

[This message has been edited by unboundmo (edited 06-10-2009).]

I had to use the SRT4 seat belts for the seat swap. The reciver is bolted to the seat on the SRT4 seats, not like the Fiero that are bolted to the space frame.






I had to take the belt out of the mechenisms and switch them left to right to get them to fit the Fiero.

I looked at getting a gauge over lay? I like it but not sure yet?


I do want to get a set of gauges to put on top of the dash.


I want to put this set o gauges in the center pod.




The Malibu has a glove box in the top/center of the dash. I plan to make a twin gauge pod for the set of scan gauges.

[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-11-2009).]

Nice build
D.

I love the 'factory' look and feel you give to your car. I'm looking forward to updates.

Oh yeah, you can pick up Evo Brembos (same front calipers as the V, two piston in the rear) for cheap. I picked up a set of four for my Talon for $450.

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My Build Thread

[This message has been edited by Unsafe At Any Speed (edited 06-11-2009).]

Very nice Rick. Can't wait to see the finished product..... By the way, what are your plans for that "short star"?

Pat

Next time I get down to Fresno I have to stop by and see this! Way cool.

Thanks for the comments.

To get the steering wheel controles to work I had to do some surgery. NOT FUN

The stock Mote steering wheel has 11 functions but the Malibu has 10 not counting the tap shift. The extra function is the cruse cancel. I can live without it.


This is the tap shift and right control.


GM uses resistors to very the volts when the buttons are pressed. Basicaly the BCM is an OHM meter and will perform diferent functions when it sees the values it has in its memory. The problem is that the Malibu has much diferent resistance values than the Monte has. So the steering wheel is not a direct swap for the Monte BCM.
I had to remove all of the resistors from the Monte and Malibu controles and put the proper resistors from the Monte into the Malibu steering wheel. The problem is that this is MUCH easier said than done.
This is one of the two controls from the Malibu. BTW the HUGE black resistors are NOT the ones I need to mess with. The Blue ones are the ones I need to change


This is one of the 13 or so resistors needed to run the steering wheel functions.

[This message has been edited by Rickady88GT (edited 06-13-2009).]

Shaking my head in awe!

I cant tell you how many times I shook my head, but not from awe Thanks.

This how the new beam looks.




but to get it to this point, many sleepless nights

Rick,
Will you be at WestFest? I can't wait to see your work---real close. I appreciate your attention to detail

Cordially,
Kevin

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?

A round of applause!!!



At first I wasn't sure about the suede, but when you finished it up I was sold.
And the steering wheel...

Been waiting till you put a build thread together. My super secrete squirrel photo folder was getting pretty full!

Looks good buddy...

WOW,...just WOW !!

I do believe the hvac unit was harder than the engine swap, but in the end it will be a very cool or toasty warm Fiero!

Rick didn't mention that we did a lot of cutting and using hvac ducting from 3 different systems to make this custom one. We had hoped that we could use the Malibu's hvac since it already fit in the dash, but again the electronics in that unit would not work with the Monte and we even tried putting the motors from the Monte onto the Malibu hvac, that was a no go too.

So we trimmed the Monte hvac to fit and then plastic welded ducting to make everything line up on the dash. We used Monte hvac, ducting from the Malibu and Monte and Fiero ducting for the defrost vent. Here are a few pics, we didn't get many pictures as it was just very tedious work and not exciting.

Malibu and Monte hvac


Sizing up the Monte hvac in Malibu dash


Welding the plastic ducting together


Underneath view of ducting


Backside, showing defrost vent


Test fit in car..


After all that it is still not done, we still need to show how we did the fresh air intake and how we handled the panel between the spare tire area and passenger compartment. I'll let Rick discuss that!

quote Originally posted by Rickady88GT: This is one of the two controls from the Malibu. BTW the HUGE black resistors are NOT the ones I need to mess with. The Blue ones are the ones I need to change This is one of the 13 or so resistors needed to run the steering wheel functions.

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!