More front end work continues. The front bearings felt good so I cleaned them up with a wire wheel. Removed as much of the original grease and repacked.
Added some anti-seize to the body and threads and reinstalled.
Caliper spacer bracket installed.
Nylon concentric ring installed.
Having done various big brake upgrades on other vehicles in the past, I too wanted to enjoy the benefits on this car. It's quite simple really. Find a suitable rotor, make an adapter for the stock calipers and enjoy.
Tap two holes on each bracket and apply some paint.
Same brackets for the rear.
Cheap rotor for testing/fitting purposes.
A quick visit to Canada Brakes landed competitive pricing, no tax and free delivery to my door. Oh, despite having "Canada" in their name, they've moved to California. So I ordered a set of drilled, slotted and zinc plated rotors for both my Fiero and my LS1 powered Formula Firebird.
I made a jig to ease the drilling of the 5 on 100 bolt pattern that must be done to the rotors.
Install the new rotors.
I picked up the wheels from the powder coater. They're semi-gloss black with UV protection.
Then I installed some 225/45/ZR18 Continental tires all around.
On the front, they do clear the battery box despite the angle of the photo.
[This message has been edited by Lunatic (edited 09-27-2015).]
More front end work continues. The front bearings felt good so I cleaned them up with a wire wheel. Removed as much of the original grease and repacked.
WAAAAYYYYYY too much grease. You'll pop the dust covers off the first time those get warm.
Another productive day on the car. I chose to remove the original seam sealer and reapply new sealer for piece of mind.
Followed by new weather stripping around the perimeter.
Now, back to the repairs on the sheet metal.
More primer and seam sealer.
Good quality paint to protect the primer.
Followed by gravel guard as an added layer of protection.
Expansion tank also got some paint.
With having real nice frame rails on this car, I also chose "Krown" rust protection spray to thoroughly get inside the frame rails. Piece of mind is well worth it.
Plastic plugs reinstalled.
I chose to install some weather stripping under the end caps to help keep out water.
End caps in place.
With all this complete, I was able to set the fastback in place. It's starting to look like a car again!
I need to paint two brackets before I continue. But that's enough for today. I did obtain an 88 master cylinder, thanks to cam-a-lot on the forum. I was surprised to see the weight of this thing. It has a cast iron body versus the aluminum bodied 84 unit.
Then apply paint to protect the cast iron and it looks good.
While I had difficulty finding new, proper fitting heater core hoses locally, Rodney Dickman was the solution. Some zero-lash sway bar end links were also ordered at the same time.
On a side note. I installed a 60mm shorter swing arm on my GSXR 1100. Sadly, it never came with a chain guard. So I made one. It looks long in the photo but it actually fits nicely. Polished mirror stainless steel too.
WAAAAYYYYYY too much grease. You'll pop the dust covers off the first time those get warm.
quote
Originally posted by Will:
Just check the dust covers on your hubs. Thermal expansion of that grease will pop them off... and they're hard to replace.
That was the very first photo of the grease being applied to the bearing. I managed to get good coverage in between the bearings themselves. I then rotated the bearing assembly several times to get the grease spread around. The excess was removed and this is what they looked like.
quote
Originally posted by Quad Raider:
Man, you do great work. What brake rotors are you using?
Thanks Quad Raider. Sorry, but I don't want to disclose the rotor information.
I slipped into the garage for a few hours and got a few more things done. I reinstalled the nylon honey comb style impact strip to the rear bumper.
I had to remove the rear bumper upper mounting strip so that the wiring could be reinstalled.
Tail light wiring installed.
To aid in the holding of the wiring, I chose these zip ties made by Grote. They have a barbed end that fits into a hole, thus making them the ideal solution to replace the brittle and old factory clips.
I decided it was time to tighten down the fastback screws. This is self explanatory but I noticed one gap that I thought was too large. I didn't want to risk breaking the fiberglass and installed a spacer.
After that, the rear bumper cover went on.
A bit of work up front included installing the zero lash sway bar end links.
I wanted piece of mind knowing the heater core was in good shape. If it wasn't, a new one would be ordered. Well, the old one was removed for inspection. It looked to be in great shape with no visual defects. The "green stuff" is not corrosion but marking paint. A thorough flushing while it was off followed by a little compressed air, and it's ready to go back in.
Along with new hoses of course.
While at the front of the car, the clutch master went in. Here' s the orientation that's recommended. Banjo faces this way.
Brake master temporarily set in place. I need to run the brake lines first, then reinstall the spare tire tub. I have to get some "P" clips first. But that's for another day.
[This message has been edited by Lunatic (edited 07-02-2015).]
This was a good day as I got a few things done. I set the engine and trans back in place. This was the first time after having installed the shock towers and sheet metal. I have ample clearance around everything!
Even though I mounted the engine "straight up", I have room for the stock exhaust manifold. I will have to add the rear sway bar and see where it has clearance issues, if any. I will probably just make a header once I get to that point.
The oil pan is level with the bottom of the cradle.
Lots of room. I still have a few Northstar engine's here...
I also managed to get most of the brake and clutch lines run. Again, that sucked in the heat.
Since my battery is now under the right front headlight, I need to get power to the back of the car. So, I used some number 2 welding cable for this. It's very flexible too.
I chose to route the positive cable through the inside of the car. Beside the vacuum line was an ideal entry point. This wasn't a lot of fun on a hot day.
It's only resting in place right now. I'll make a distribution block to hold the heavy wire. I will also use this point to pull power for the rest of the car since it's so close to the C500.
Don't mind the crusty looking engine and starter, they'll be cleaned up in time. Here you can see the main starter wire in place and how it's routed. On all positive leads, I applied a red piece of shrink tube.
Since the battery is somewhat difficult to get to, I chose to also install a main disconnect switch while I was at it.
I used this tool to crimp all my ends on the battery leads.
Oh, I finally got around to cutting the aluminum for the fuel tank too!
[This message has been edited by Lunatic (edited 07-26-2015).]
And the fun continues. I hate the look of the factory antenna on the car. So, I removed it and filled the hole.
While that only took a few minutes, the wiring would not. I chose to mount the PCM on the rear trunk wall. The location is ideal as it's out of the way, hardly noticeable and easy to get to. You'll also notice the routing of the wires. I like this and after some new loom, it's there to stay.
A rat's nest that's being tidied up.
I added a new hole in this location. Using a grommet, I passed the wiring into the cabin.
On the inside, I chose to leave the C203 as-is since it's small.
Here's the start of the marriage of the Fiero harness to the Ecotec harness.
Because the C500 was rather large and bulky, I've chosen to just cut the wire off the connector and attach as needed.
I will however use wire labels to indicate the circuits.
I used a thick piece of lexan to make a simple mounting surface. This now holds a lug for the main power. As well as the BCM, fuel and A/C relays.
I've also joined the fastback tail light harness to the 84 harness. Despite not being plug and play, this was very easy to do. I removed and discarded the 84 turn/stop relays and used the proper colour wires for the left and right turn signals. These wires are hot and will keep the turn signal bulbs illuminated at all times! This is solved by cutting the white feed wire on the brake switch. This cut separates the feed to the turn signal/hazard circuit that caused the turn signals to stay hot. After the cut, the signal lights work like normal. I then ran a light blue wire from the brake switch to the tail light harness so that I could have working brake lights.
Since I was there, I added the back up light circuit from the F23 trans to the tail lights.
Here's my pile of excess wire so far.
While visiting my friend, I obtained these seats. I think these will find their way into my VW. Thanks Joe.
Since we had a long weekend here, I took a few hours and built an aluminum bumper for the front of the car. To match the rear bumper of course. As with all things I do, a simple model was created. Yes I know, it's upside down in this photo.
Here's the Mitsubishi CNC laser cutter at work.
The CNC press brake is a necessity for great looking bends.
Here's some of the parts required to build the front bumper.
Clamped and ready to weld.
Since the Fiero bumper is slightly curved, I too chose to mimic the bend. A one inch spacer in the middle is all that's required.
Side by side photo.
Some gravel guard in behind the bumper to keep it nice.
Voila! Front bumper installed.
The turn signal brackets got the black paint treatment as well.
Honey comb energy absorber installed and fits nicely. This is the one for the GT style nose.
And lastly, the bumper cover went on.
It was very hot here and I didn't want to start adjusting body gaps. That can wait for another cooler day.
Ah, a weights and measures question. Indeed I did weigh them. The stock front bumper, which is made of 20 gauge steel, weighed in at 11.8 lbs. My 1/8" (11 gauge) aluminum unit came in at 12.96 lbs.
A minor update. As you know, this was a notchback car under going a fastback conversion. When looking down the side of the car at the belt line, the line itself didn't seem straight, like it should. This is not right and I didn't want to live with ugly body panel gaps. I had to see what was not quite right and the cause of this dilemma. I seen two issues that would easily fix this.
One, after I installed the T-top H frame, the drip rail was sitting a little too low. This was interfering and causing the fastback to not sit low enough at that point. The front did indeed have to come down a little.
While not easy to see, here I massaged the drip rails and hammered them up to fit in the pocket of the fastback.
A little spray paint as required.
The result is a better fitting fastback. It now sits lower in the front, where it should, and it lines up a lot better.
The second part to address was raising the rear of the fastback slightly to level everything out. Several well placed laser cut aluminum washers did the trick.
Voila, a straight body line.
I'll have to raise the rear bumper as well, just not today. On another note, the wiring has been coming along nicely. This was very easy to wire up and interface with the Fiero harness. Now it's not all done, but it's close. I'm not too worried about adding all the BCM functions at this point, but rather focus on engine management. In reality, if I was to install the fuel tank, it would start.
Here's the ODB2 diagnostic port in the stock location.
I'd like to thank WFTB for taking the time out of his busy day to drive over and assist me. I'm one step closer thanks to him!
Since I had to raise the fast back up some 6 millimeters, I ended up with a gap between the bottom of the tail lights and bumper. So off came the bumper and I raised the upper mounting pad. This was easy since the holes were slotted in my favour. I know, I'll have to recondition the tail lights.
While the bumper cover was off, I also trimmed the aluminum bumper mount a little for clearance.
I chose to repair the corner of the trunk since everything was exposed.
I decided to drop the cradle in order to make room to work. I never liked the look of the stock hinge boxes and they've already been removed. I was thinking of bullet hinges at first but why not use what's already there? A couple pieces of 1/4" steel, and re-purposing the original hinge, you can end up with something nice. Kudo's to Fieroguru for this tip.
Take the original hinge, and cut it off at the bend.
Tack weld the two parts together.
Lay down some welds.
Grind both sides smooth.
Drill some holes through the spreader plate.
3/8"-16 nuts on the backside.
Tacked in place and you end up with assembly.
Place weights on the decklid to keep it in place.
Add spacers as required to keep the decklid centered. 1/8" was a perfect gap.
Note: I added an 11 gauge reinforcing plate earlier on as an added precaution. (I thought the factory sheet metal in that area was too thin).
From the bottom, you can see how this is going to fit. If you look closely, you can see that I have to taper the end to match the contour of the firewall.
This is the spreader plate. There are two rectangular slots under the rear window ledge and these just slide into place. I chose to silicone the spreader plate in place. Just in case I need to remove the hinges, the plate will stay put.
While the silicone was curing, I wanted to temporarily bolt it down.
Here's the new passenger side hinge, painted of course.
I can't leave the driver's side out.
The firewall looks way nicer without the ugly, stock hinge boxes.
Decklid closes well without binding.
The louvered vents fit well and the gap is nice. I still need to install the hold down bracket though.
It was fun to see all the work you have done , everything looks great ! I see you could use some of Rodneys decklid struts .Next time you are up this way , let me know and I can give you my set up .I don't need it since i traded my spoiler away ....
It was fun to see all the work you have done , everything looks great ! I see you could use some of Rodneys decklid struts .Next time you are up this way , let me know and I can give you my set up .I don't need it since i traded my spoiler away ....
Thanks Steve. I just might take you up on that deck lid strut offer!
I've been occupied with some other Fiero related stuff (Northstar and F23) and haven't really touched my car lately. So here's a little progress report. I installed polyurethane bushings into the rear control arms. Here's a simple tool to pull the old rubber bushing out.
Bushings installed and control arms painted black.
At this point, I'd like to give a big "thank you" to Pete, aka cam-a-lot. He found a fuel tank from an 88 and let me know about it. I just had to go for a drive and check it out. It was very solid and complete too. What a score! All I really had to do was hit it with a wire brush and give it a few coats of Tremclad rattle can paint. Since I have the sending unit out, I decided to check the resistance of the fuel level sender. Of course it's old and not accurate any more. I'll need to address this before I reinstall it. Oh, and a more suitable fuel pump is in order too. That's all for now, the paint fumes have gotten to me! Note: For those following, yes I laser cut the material to build an aluminum fuel tank. This will still happen but for now, I'll use the 88 tank.
As mentioned earlier, I knew I needed to address the Fieros original fuel sending unit. Lets face it, I'm working on an older car here and parts deteriorate over time. I had options though. 1) Use the original sending unit. There was no way I was going to just clean the original rheostat and hope for the best results. 2) Buy a new sending unit. That's a viable option. 3) Get creative and make something newer, and better, fit.
I chose option 3 of course.
Here's the stock Fiero sending unit sans fuel pump.
Remove all the old parts as most won't be reused. I will however keep the float arm and float though.
Here's the bare fuel return line. Yes, I removed the original Fiero sending unit bracket as I'll use one from another GM vehicle.
One the left, the Fiero. On the right, 1989 C1500 Suburban.
Then TIG welded it onto the Fiero sending unit fuel line.
Onto the other modifications required to make this work. The Fiero float arm needs some minor grinding.
This clearance is needed to fit the Fiero float arm into the C1500 plastic pivot.
Here's a close up of the upgraded design.
I had to slightly enlarge the inner diameter to allow the Fiero float arm to fit.
Factory float installed.
Now lets assemble this Frankenstein.
Onto the fuel pump now. Walbro GSS341 to the rescue. This is a high output pump that will flow 255 litres per hour and utilizes a proven gerotor design.
In today's episode, I'll hack up a new set of rear struts to make a pair of coilovers.
Monroe strut in it's virgin form.
This end cap is too large in OD and must be removed. Note: I kept the strut shaft in the retracted position in order to avoid damage.
Using a zip wheel, score the offending material. Don't go too deep!
A little difficult to see but use Vice Grip locking pliers and fatigue the metal by rocking it back and forth.
When done correctly, you'll end up with four little stubs.
Just grind those off flush.
Onto the spring perch. Lightly score the perimeter, just above the weld.
1) Using a hammer, give the spring perch a whack. It'll come off quite easily. 2) You can see the parts that have been removed from the strut. 3) My struts were powder coated. Despite the fact that the outer diameter was smaller then the threaded sleeve that I plan on using, I still had to strip the paint. Using a sanding disk, this made my job easy.
Here's one threaded sleeve installed. These are 2" ID x 5" long. I have many of these laying around but you can find them at your local speed shop. Remember some struts are thicker, Koni perhaps, and might require a different inner diameter.
I also have several adjuster's here as well. I'm not liking the fit of the gold one. It's a little too loose for my liking.
The small threaded holes are there to keep the sleeve secure to the strut and keep the sleeve from turning. Short set screws will find their way into there.
The two piece silver adjuster's fit way nicer and I think I'll use them.
Strut bodies painted.
The springs are used and they'll need to get sand blasted and painted. They are 300 lbs, 12" long and have an ID of 2.560". The poly ring fits into the top of the spring to avoid squeaking.
To those swapping an 88 cradle into an 84-87 chassis, this is for you. As you may or may not know, the 88's have the strut towers closer together. When installing the 88 cradle into the 84-87 cars, one should position the struts to match the location of the 88. Since these measurements may be difficult to obtain, I mapped them out for you.
Note: I measured a friend's 88 to get my measurements.
When looking "DOWN" from the top of the 84-87 engine bay, (and standing behind the rear of the car facing forward), the new 88 strut shaft location will be:
These measurements are "per strut". You'll have to move both struts!
With this information, I drilled holes in their respective locations.
Knowing the dimensions, I also made a pair of these.
The small ring will secure the upper strut bushing. The larger ring will locate the spring and keep it from moving. These need to be welded but first I'm opting to install the cradle and make sure everything lines up as intended.
The red bushing is the one I need, four actually. Since I didn't have four good ones, I went to Napa and got a set of poly end link bushings. They're almost the perfect outer diameter. The inner diameter is too small and will be opened up with a drill.
To end my day, I'm now going to sandblast the rear coil springs and get them ready for powder coat.
After getting my rear strut angles finalized, I knew there was no way I'd leave the old hole exposed. It just looked unfinished and ugly.
I had a plan though. Grind the hole flush with the body leaves a bigger hole.
Laser cut two 18 gauge fillers.
Tack in place.
I fully welded the circumference and ground flush. It's difficult to snap a clean shot of a surface that has been ground. This will look good once I get some filler, primer and paint on it.
I had a clutch master from Rodney. This was for the old setup with the larger hole to fit the earlier cars. Since my clutch pedal was bent, I swapped to the newer setup that I had. This created a problem. The new style arm has a smaller pin. We can't have that. A new brass bushing was made, simple. Problem solved.
Here, a new clutch is waiting to be installed.
The flywheel was in great shape and as seen here, torqued to spec with a drop of Loctite on the threads. 1st pass, 39 lb-ft 2nd pass, 25°
Kevlar impregnated clutch disk installed. Here you can see the centering tool in place.
Followed by the pressure plate torqued to 18 lb-ft.
Of course, a new concentric slave cylinder had to go in.
From here, I will verify the clutch depth and measure the throw out bearing range. It's always good to be sure.
I picked up an 88 cradle from a member on here.
This obviously won't work for my needs, so it too will get modified. Sorry guys, turn away if your squeamish about hacking up a perfectly good 88 cradle. I cut the front and rear sections out as all I wanted are the side rails. PS-This will be used for a future project.
I then spent some time removing all the offending areas and excess brackets/mounts. I will be making something that fits my needs and wants. Before you ask, I did make a fixture/jig that will allow me index the key points. This will also hold the rails in the factory position for when I weld in the new rectangular tubing. I'll post pictures when it's done.
In time, I'd like to modernize the lighting on the car. This is the start. A set of LED side marker lights.
These are sold by member Danyel and can be seen here -> https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/066792.html. These were very nicely made and packaged with clear instructions too! Very professional and I recommend dealing with the guy.
Thank you Danyel for an awesome product.
[This message has been edited by Lunatic (edited 04-03-2016).]
There are so many, but this one is right up there with the best of them.
Thanks for taking the time to document and explain things in the detail you do, I'm sure I'm not the only one that uses your text and pics for reference.
Keep up the good work, looking forward to future progress/posts, especially as the weather improves.
Hope things have settled down enough on the home front to allow you more time on your projects.
There are so many, but this one is right up there with the best of them.
Thanks for taking the time to document and explain things in the detail you do, I'm sure I'm not the only one that uses your text and pics for reference.
Keep up the good work, looking forward to future progress/posts, especially as the weather improves.
Hope things have settled down enough on the home front to allow you more time on your projects.
Great work Shayne!
HAGO!
quote
Originally posted by RCR:
I'll second Sage. It's been a while since I've checked in. Great stuff that covers all gambits of the Fiero.
Awesome work and thanks for sharing.
Bob
Thank you sirs for the kind words. This is my first ever build thread and I'm trying to make an effort to make it thorough and detailed. I know I bounce around a little but I work with the weather and time as they allow. Now that the warmer weather is here, I hope I can make more progress.
Well, I got a few more things done. I took the Ecotec starter apart and cleaned it in the solvent tank.
Once clean, I put fresh grease on the moving parts, installed a new solenoid, painted the body and installed it back onto the Ecotec.
I had previously installed the clutch so what better time than now to install the transaxle? A little supplied grease on the input shaft and it's ready to go.
The two are now married again. I will pressure wash the components before installation.
These ugly shock towers in their naked form.
I picked up some supplies for the occasion.
Shock towers and aluminum diamond plate now blackened.
Towers seam sealed. I know, the sealer is a little ugly at this point. It will all be covered soon.
I like the black textured look. That's what I was going for.
Even the trunk got a vacuuming, seam sealer treatment and a coat of gravel guard.
Then I chose to clean the dirty trunk carpet. Before:
After:
I swapped the truck lock assembly over onto the the better deck lid. I managed to free up the key as well.
Next up, I will verify the fuel gauge is in the same operating range as the sender and install the 88 fuel tank.
The solution is quite simple. Use a spare computer power supply and hook the assembly up and see what happens. Here is the gauge that I'm using. Equus 8000 series.
PC power supply.
Jump the two terminals as shown to "turn on" the power supply.
If you probe the yellow and black pins, you can see 12 volts is present.
With this simple circuit wired up, here is my progress. Fuel sender in the "empty" position.
Fuel sender in the "half" position.
Fuel sender in the "full" position.
Here's a little video to show the smoothness of my hybrid sending unit in action.
Now that I'm certain it works, I put it back inside the fuel tank.
[This message has been edited by Lunatic (edited 07-13-2016).]
To those wondering, the 88 fuel tank physically fits into the 84 chassis with ease. Since I didn't want to mess around with old, rusty fuel tank straps, I went and picked up some really long ones. These are made by Spectra and the part number is: ST125 as seen.
While they are too long, they required some modifications. Chop, cut, rebuild. Here are the results.
Of course some black paint was in order.
After the cutting, grinding and painting of the straps, I then installed the fuel tank. I also added some thin rubber between the straps and the tank in order to reduce creaking and general noise. The next step will be to clean and install the filler tube.
Now that the fuel tank is in for the last time, I had to install the filler tube. It was in nice shape but I decided to paint it black.
I also decided to install new rubber elbows as mine were old and weathered.
As you can see, the 1.5" ID hose comes longer and must be trimmed to fit. The copper plumbing elbow was used to enlarge the ID on the smaller hose as it was very tight on the plastic 90 that I had. PS-These are proper "fuel rated" hoses.
After trimming.
Installed on the filler tube.
The filler tube was then wiggled into place and secured to the car. For the smaller hose, I simply cut it in half, installed the fuel rated plastic 90 and trimmed to fit. I'm glad that's done.
When I started this swap, I didn't have an 88 cradle. Not knowing if I'd be able to find one, I built a cradle with square tubing. While there is nothing wrong my square tube cradle, I've chosen to put it aside for now. After stumbling onto an 88 cradle from a local member, I decided to mount the Ecotec and F23 onto it instead. Knowing the benefits of using jigs, I decided to make a cradle jig using material that I had on-hand. This will accurately index all the suspension mounting points and other critical mounting locations that I need. This will also hold the side rails in place while I make and modify 2"x3" tubing for the cross members. It will also get some legs so I can work at a more suitable height. With this jig, I will then be able to place the entire engine and trans combo right on top of it. This will allow me to position the drive train wherever I want more easily.
Here's a few pic's of the jig.
The green tape, with the blue line, is the axle centerline.
I held the camera a little sideways. This jig is actually square.
Here is the Ecotec and F23 sitting roughly in place.
From this angle, you can see the diagonal down tubes. These double as supports to hold the axles. This is beneficial for measuring purposes.
From there, I started on the rear 2"x3" cross member. I chose to place it just under the rear sway bar. There is clearance for the bar to move and if I need more, I can slightly raise the sway bar. I used thin cardboard, from a cereal box, and wrapped it around the tube. Then, I taped it together and trimmed to fit the contours as required.
Using a paint marker, I traced the outline required. The yellow stands out nicely on the steel. I still chose to use a black Sharpie and retrace on top of the yellow. Using a thin cut-off wheel, I removed the material not required.
I will tack this in then start on the front cross member.
[This message has been edited by Lunatic (edited 07-08-2016).]
I really enjoy reading fab intensive threads and this one has a few sections that bring back memories my prior swaps.
A couple of suggestions on the cradle fixture: 1. I would suggest you treat the axle center-line as a fluid dimension. It will change as the relative output locations on every transmission are different in relation to the crankshaft center-line (some more than others). If you lock down the axle center-line location, then the engine placement would shift slightly and change the mount dimensions based on transmission application. Additionally, When you deal with the physically larger engines (mostly V8s) or engines with the 4T65E-HD they have much less available space to move the engine/transmission combo to line up with the factory axle center-line. Besides, you want the axles to have some angle to them to keep all the balls and rollers moving around in the grease.
2. You might want to incorporate a method of raising all the cradle and suspension mount locations. There are several reasons you might want to do this. 1. The bottoms of the 88 cradle are not real precise and I have seen some that a welded section sticks down about 1/8" further than normal so it wouldn't directly fit the fixture. 2. You never know when you might want to build a cradle that has a lower base to allow lowering the engine placement and still keep everything protected, or raised suspension attachment locations to improve geometry on a lowered vehicle. 3. It more closely replicates the loading of the cradle as installed in the chassis - with the cradle only supported by the front and rear bolts.
I really enjoy reading fab intensive threads and this one has a few sections that bring back memories my prior swaps.
A couple of suggestions on the cradle fixture: 1. I would suggest you treat the axle center-line as a fluid dimension. It will change as the relative output locations on every transmission are different in relation to the crankshaft center-line (some more than others). If you lock down the axle center-line location, then the engine placement would shift slightly and change the mount dimensions based on transmission application. Additionally, When you deal with the physically larger engines (mostly V8s) or engines with the 4T65E-HD they have much less available space to move the engine/transmission combo to line up with the factory axle center-line. Besides, you want the axles to have some angle to them to keep all the balls and rollers moving around in the grease.
2. You might want to incorporate a method of raising all the cradle and suspension mount locations. There are several reasons you might want to do this. 1. The bottoms of the 88 cradle are not real precise and I have seen some that a welded section sticks down about 1/8" further than normal so it wouldn't directly fit the fixture. 2. You never know when you might want to build a cradle that has a lower base to allow lowering the engine placement and still keep everything protected, or raised suspension attachment locations to improve geometry on a lowered vehicle. 3. It more closely replicates the loading of the cradle as installed in the chassis - with the cradle only supported by the front and rear bolts.
Keep up the good work!
Hey Paul, Thanks for the excellent tips and information. I have two 88 cradles here and while these were similar in build, they both fit into this jig. I did see some variances between the two however. It seems as though GM was liberal in their tolerances on the cradles.
After cutting and fitting the front crossmember, it was time to weld it in fully. I had to think ahead before committing to a full weld though. In this case, I can say with certainty, I will have to slightly notch the front crossmember to clear the AC compressor bolt. No biggie and it'll happen the next time I get the welder out. If I used a 2"x2" tube, this wouldn't have been an issue. I'm very happy with the results and clearance of these 2"x3" crossmembers. I have excellent clearance around key components and the benefit of added stiffness. The worst part of this ordeal was removing the cradle from the jig to weld the bottom. The channels had enough room to get in there to tack the crossmembers in place, but not enough room for a full weld due to the stand the jig is sitting on. Here are some pictures of today's progress.
Instead of cutting a small piece of steel to fill this void, I just cut a small slot in the corner and hammered it down. A little bead of weld did the rest.
Here is the cradle as it sits right now. I've placed it back on the jig and set the driveline back in place. After I locate the final position, I will start on the mounts.
Lots of great work going on here .I noticed you have your fuel pump assembly ready to go .Did happen to measure the assembly from top to bottom ? I need a ball park measurement so I can assemble my unit before I drop the tank .Or if you happen to know the distance from the hole in the tank down to the bottom will work as well .Thanks a lot . Steve
Lots of great work going on here .I noticed you have your fuel pump assembly ready to go .Did happen to measure the assembly from top to bottom ? I need a ball park measurement so I can assemble my unit before I drop the tank .Or if you happen to know the distance from the hole in the tank down to the bottom will work as well .Thanks a lot . Steve
Hey Steve. It seems as though we're both heavily involved in our projects. As for the measurement you require, sadly, I cannot assist you. I just cleaned up all the loose papers that I had on my desk last week. In that pile were the measurements that I had written down. I think you're on your own. Sorry bud.
No problem , I will just leave the rubber tube off until I get the tank out .The assembly accordians up and down to fit a variety of GM cars , but the tube that flexes with it can't come off without ruining it .
With having the driveline in place, I needed to come up with a way to mount it. I've chosen to use a three point mounting system (engine mount not shown) with a dog bone like anchor on the far right side of the engine. (Not shown.) After a few minutes, I came up with the templates.
Which lead to.
The result are these pieces.
Lets set them in place and see how they fit.
Now I will tack them in place and put the entire assembly back into the car and check for any issues that might arise. I think I'll be good though.
My goal, for the weekend, was to get the Ecotec and F23 sitting in place. Well, that task has now been completed. I need a mount in this area.
By modifying the factory bracket, I bolted my poly mount there.
I then made a little shelf for this mount to sit on.
A few pictures to show the general idea.
The mount sits flat when the Ecotec is sitting in the Cavaliers and Sunfires due to the tilt of the engine. I my application, the engine is mounted straight up. I chose to leave the mount tilted since there isn't a lot of room due to the slope of the oil pan.
Here are some pictures of the other brackets. Note: I pulled these apart slightly to ease the installation of the trans.
Success. The engine and trans are sitting happily on the 88 cradle.
There is plenty of clearance here. This is where I will mount the dog bone in time.
The transaxle is really close to touching the frame rail. I will clearance this in time.
While I have the stock exhaust manifold in place, I will review my options. I don't like the angle but I think I can work with it.
