Ok, I'll give you a brief (a la coles-notes) history lesson on this car. I bought it back in April 2000 (it was my first car) and I've had it ever since. It is a 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE, with the Iron Dukie - 198,000kms on the odometer, and it looks like it only has 10,000kms. Really great condition. So I've had it almost 9 years now, ...wow. It shows you how obsessed we get about these cars. Anyways:
2000-2002 -- Pictures after a couple of months of owning it. I was a complete ass, and "riced-it-up" with a stupid rear wing and dual-fart-cans on the back. It sounded ok, but it looked like I was ready to take off down the tarmack:
2003-2005 -- I came SO close to selling it, because I was starting college, and I needed some money. Plus the fact I had a two-seater made it impractical. But I decided to keep it (thank god) and get another car. I even went a step further and wanted to upgrade the Fiero. So I had a local shop (who took entirely too long to complete it, 1.5 years :S) install a 3.4L push rod back in 2003. I went even further, and had the entire back end restored, painted, welded, rails-strengthen, etc. etc. etc. It turned out well (these are just a small percentage of the pics I took, more are on my blog):
2005-Present -- Once everything was done, the car came home. I did some stuff to it, like removing that monstrosity of a wing, and the fart-cans were disposed of with the 3.4L upgrade. Then a lot of things happened in my life - graduated college, got my career started, met a girl, got married, got a house, sold our house, moved out to temporary location, bought our new house, moved from the temporary location into it, etc. etc. etc. So the car got neglected and pushed aside. This is how she looks right now:
Now that we've moved into our "we-live-here-until-we-retire-and-the-kids-are-out-of-the-house" house, I want to be 100% focused working on this Fiero - for once and for all I have a bigger garage too, so I've got no excuse not to work on it.
In the next post I'll show you what I have planned for it. ------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca"Our brains are geared up to recognise patterns, and we do it better than computers. This is a new way of working for scientists, but as long as they learn how to trust games developers to do what they do best – make great games – then they can have thousands of people from all around the world working on their data." Erinma Ochu, neuroscientist ,University of Manchester,
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Last April (2007) I bought a parts car, stripped it, and towed it away. I got a lot of parts from it:
I purchased the PISA rap-around dash, black carpet(not shown) from the Fiero Store, Fiber-glass headliner, and the Euro Pisa door skins for the interior:
Last August (2007) I purchased a whole bunch of goodies from Rodney Dickman:
Also in August (2007), Mr. Mike Leatherette seat covers arrived. Amazing quality I might add:
In November 2008 I got some parts to do the fastback conversion I've always wanted to do:
And then a couple of weeks ago I got some more exterior goodies for the Fiero, from JimmyS and a local guy:
And these, courtesy of Kenneth Hines, should be here shortly:
So I have all this stuff now, and I need to get in gear and install it
Stay tuned, I'll be posting more as things start to arrive, and as I get more time to work on them. I'm sure people will want to know about the installation of the dash. I did some searching on the forum, and I couldn't find anything that goes into details and/or pictures on this install. The dash, from what I have been told, is a total P.I.T.A. to do because of all the custom fabrication. ------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Oh, I also picked up these from Princess Auto for $14.99.
Since I’m installing the 4″ LED tail light conversion on the Fiero, I will be losing the reverse lights.
They also come with a remote control switch, but I won’t be using it because the lights are wired in directly to the reverse switch. I imagine I will find another use for the remote switch though.
I test fitted them, and they should work great in the rear bumper.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Wow, this one's going to be good... To me, there's no worse feeling than having a pile of new parts you've collected, and no time to install them! Can't wait to see the progression... Looks like you lowered it a bit too...? Any major mods in the schedule, like chop or scissor doors? Good luck with the build!
Wow, this one's going to be good... To me, there's no worse feeling than having a pile of new parts you've collected, and no time to install them! Can't wait to see the progression... Looks like you lowered it a bit too...? Any major mods in the schedule, like chop or scissor doors? Good luck with the build!
Yep, the previous owner had it lowered. I think they are eibach springs, and I'm pretty sure they are 1" drop in the front, and 1.5" in the rear. Those rims are only 16", but they fit the wheel wells very nicely. ------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 12-18-2008).]
Gets you kinda itchy wanting to put everything on in one day. Good luck with her. Sweet ride. Like your direction. Thank you for taking the wing off. The mufflers are bareable. The wing, whew! Makes me think of the kid trying to make his 1990 Celica faster by throwing on an air blocker. My friend the county officer would say "JDLR." Just doesn't look right.
That was "back-in-the-day" when I bought lots of cheap crap to throw on the Fiero. Now with experience, QUALITY is better than QUANTITY.
I've come to the conclusion that I should spend my money on the right mods, rather that spend my money on many useless mods.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
I spent over an hour cleaning up the fastback clip on the outside, and inside. It was dirty, but it was just dust. It is clean now. I pulled off all the metal parts. These will be sandblasted and repainted in a few days.
If I get some time this weekend, I may do the fastback conversion. Our 99 Saturn is hogging up half the garage because the transmission valve body needs replacing. The part for it came in this afternoon, so once I get it all fixed up this weekend, it goes out, then the fiero goes in the middle of the garage for more room to begin the transformation
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Very Nice! I have also have a gold 86 SE, except its bone stock. I think its going to stay that way, too. I'll leave my super modding for another fiero
Nothing major to report, other than the fact that I moved the Saturn out, and placed the Fiero at the centre of the garage.
I now have room to work around the car. This will make the fastback conversion easier.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
It's nice to see Patrick's car went to a good home. I swapped him that clean decklid that I bought at a local yard for his, so that I could carry my slicks to/from competitions and I wouldn't need to paint the decklid to match my Gold SE.
It's nice to see Patrick's car went to a good home.
Daveg
Yep. I forgot who that guy's name was when I bought it off of him almost 9 years ago. ------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 12-22-2008).]
I finally got to work on the interior. I spent about 5 hours tearing down the interior. There were A LOT of redundant wires in there from various electronic installations.
Hopefully tomorrow I can start the fastback conversion.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I removed the notchback clip, and the rear bumper today. I started around 12 p.m. and it only took about 2 hours to do.
Now with everything off, I can start cleaning. You can see a lot of dust in the pictures. It's not bad, but I'm going to wipe it down so it is nice and clean. I plan on taking off the rear bumper (metal bumper) and grinding/sanding it down, followed by a fresh coat of paint.
There are also a few other small areas that I would like to touch up before I put the fastback clip on.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I took a little extra time today to sandblast the metal fastback parts from the rear clip.
Once that was done, I painted them with 4 thin coats of primer. Tomorrow I will give them two coats of high gloss black paint and let them dry for 24 hours. So the conversion will have to wait until then because I’m not going to rush putting them back on.
But I should be able to do some more work on the interior tomorrow.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I just put the last coat on the rear clip parts this morning, and they look great. I’m going to let them dry for another 24 hours before I put them back on the rear clip.
Hopefully I can get to some cleaning this afternoon.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
These just came in. They are TERRIFIC quality - far beyond what I expected. The gel coat is the best I have ever seen on aftermarket fiberglass. I did not realize how BIG the 4″ LED lights were - these things are MASSIVE! I can’t wait to install these after I put the rear fastback clip on.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
On the lower driver’s side door there was a small rusted out hole. Very weird place to get this, because the rest of the door is in terrific shape. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is accidentally grazing the door with your hand when you apply the parking brake - the constant motion of engaging the lever might have resulted in a small scratch, which would eventually grow into rust. The car is in terrific condition overall, but this is just one of those "blips" in the radar.
I used a cut-off disc to cut out the rust spot, and then I used a grinder to expose the bare metal below. I just need to tack weld in a new piece of metal, put on two coats of rust converter/primer, and paint everything so it is protected. I'm going to take off the outer door skin to do it right too, so I can get two angles at repainting the problem spot.
So much for just a quick interior swap out, and then starting to fabricate the new pisa interior. One thing leads to another.
Oh well, I like to do things right, so there is no sense in just covering this up with the interior door panel and forgetting about it. Patience is what I have learned over the years - especially with Fieros
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I took the outer door panel off to do a proper restoration of that rust hole I discovered.
I should have lots of space to grind out any rust, and paint.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Last night I made a cardboard mock-up to get the generic shape. I then transferred the shape to 18 gauge sheet metal, cut it out, and then I welded it into place.
I need to do a little more grinding and then it will be ready. I think I may use some fiberglass and/or bondo to really smooth things out. Even though you won’t even see this (which means I could just paint it and leave it rough), I’d rather make it look right. Personal preference I guess.
However, whatever I choose to do, the problem is solved.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Dang, you have come along way on this. Car looks great, especially what you had done to the engine bay and engine.
Thanks man
I would have got a lot more done this weekend if I didn't have to do two oil changes, and fix an exhaust shield on the Saturn's. Also the fact that I spent a good chunk of Sunday shoveling snow didn't help either.
Stay tuned, there will be more to come. When I start with the interior, that is when things should get interesting, .....and frustrating
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
I almost had a heart-attack because these were looking like they were lost in the mail.
DIY_Stu got on USPS's butt to track them down, and they finally arrived. Great build quality BTW.
Now I just have to save up another $250 for the 90mm Hellas and the connectors.
Edit: For the people that don't know what these are, they are low profile headlight buckets. Take a look in the mall, I believe there are around 6-7 sets left.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I bought these from Princess Auto. They are really easy to setup. I have been looking around for a set for a long time - most places charge far to much. Princess Auto had them on sale for $59.99 per set - really good price.
Moving the Fiero around is a breeze, and it allows me to get into tight areas easily - as opposed to starting the Fiero up, backing it out, moving it back in at a different position, etc. etc.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I bought this stuff called Plastic Metal, made by Bondo. Basically it is liquid metal and epoxy mixed together - it seems to be far stronger than regular body filler.
It works great, dries fast, and it is easy to work with. I used it to smooth out any imperfections from welding in the new plate. 4 thin coats, with sanding in between each coat, did the job
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I have finished the door repair on the Fiero, and I have the outer door skin back on. Feels good to accomplish that, because it seemed like it was taking forever to get that little side job done.
Next step, touch up any areas on the rear chassis, and install the rear fastback clip
Those wheel rollers are coming in handy ------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
It was a BIG day yesterday. I put all the fastback components on the Fiero - didn’t take long either, maybe an hour of work.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
Very nice thread, i love watching people work on their car almost as much as i enjoy working on mine. Its good to see it done right.
Thanks man
A couple of more pics for the afternoon. The rear deck-lid is as dirty as sh!t, and needs a good cleaning.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
No work has been done as of late. I was on vacation in Florida from the 6th to the 14th of Feb., and that kind of put a hamper on any further work as of late.
We only saw one Fiero when I was down in Florida. We got tickets for the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tamp Bay lighting game in Tampa Bay on the 12th - on the way down there from Orlando, I saw a really clean '84 Fiero in white. Looked good driving by us.
Hopefully this week I can get some wrench-time in.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
It was a BIG day yesterday. I put all the fastback components on the Fiero - didn’t take long either, maybe an hour of work.
fast back clips arnt that hard to do. mine was over a cource of 3 days between working in the rain a business trip to ny and a few other variables but nice job dude looks like your doing very well on the car.
fast back clips arnt that hard to do. mine was over a cource of 3 days between working in the rain a business trip to ny and a few other variables but nice job dude looks like your doing very well on the car.
Thanks
Yeah, you are right, it doesn't take much to do the conversion. The hardest part is when you are putting the fastback clip back onto the chassis, and trying to line up the three bolts that hook into the roof. I needed my wife's help to balance the clip while I lined them up. After that's done, it's just the opposite of tear-down. A few bolts here and there and you're done in 20 mins.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
I recognize your car from car domain, and from seeing it in person at Hi-Tech when my car was getting done there as well. Right now I'm at school in Oshawa but I don't have my fiero at school with me. Maybe I'll see you around some time at some local shows when you finish it!
Excellent! Good work! If you are ever down Woodstock way, towards London, I would love to see it.
For sure. I was thinking about joining the SOFA too.
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
I recognize your car from car domain, and from seeing it in person at Hi-Tech when my car was getting done there as well. Right now I'm at school in Oshawa but I don't have my fiero at school with me. Maybe I'll see you around some time at some local shows when you finish it!
Yep, that was my car. I remember seeing yours there too.
Once I get this thing painted, I'll be taking it to local shows
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been really busy with video/web freelance work at the moment. That’s bad for getting work done, …but good for extra money to buy fiero goodies
I did, however, buy a GT bumper for the GT conversion I am doing. This should officially make it a proper fastback conversion, rather than using the notchback bumper and doing it half-arsed.
…now i just have to find some time to install it
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
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Look what the UPS guy dropped off today! Amazing fiberglass work - this is the Fiero Warehouse bumper from DOUG007. I'm doing my part to stimulate the economy
I know some people like this bumper, while others don't and say it is too "droopy" and prefer Amida's. I guess it's personal preference. All I can say, ...from looking at this bumper in person, ...the quality is TERRIFIC and the fiberglass is thick and well formed. I've spent my money well. Doug even cut out the front/marker/fog holes for me
Once again, ...I have to find some time to install it in the coming months
------------------ 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 3.4L | The Fiero Blog (Since April 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------- My Portfolio site | JustinChristie.ca
[This message has been edited by justinchristie (edited 03-18-2015).]
I have a bigger garage too, so I've got no excuse not to work on it.
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