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1985 Fiero build

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  • dang, you bounce all over... sucks about the motor, but cool there's upgrades
    Doing it all wrong since 1966

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    • Welcome to the Carolinas. I'm not far from SC being about 60 miles north of Myrtle Beach. So are we neighbors now?

      Dan

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      • Originally posted by SuperBuickGuy View Post
        dang, you bounce all over... sucks about the motor, but cool there's upgrades
        it was quite a bummer, but eventually, this car will be reliable enough to enjoy it, and maybe take it on drag week.

        Originally posted by DanStokes View Post
        Welcome to the Carolinas. I'm not far from SC being about 60 miles north of Myrtle Beach. So are we neighbors now?

        Dan
        I guess we are! I'm down in Aiken, near Augusta Georgia, so probably about 5 hours from you if I had to guess.
        "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

        1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
        1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
        2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

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        • So Dan is north, a piece, from you.
          Doing it all wrong since 1966

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          • Originally posted by ejs262 View Post

            it was quite a bummer, but eventually, this car will be reliable enough to enjoy it, and maybe take it on drag week.



            I guess we are! I'm down in Aiken, near Augusta Georgia, so probably about 5 hours from you if I had to guess.
            We'll figure out some time to get together. Always fun to meet BS folks.

            Dan

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            • Originally posted by DanStokes View Post

              We'll figure out some time to get together. Always fun to meet BS folks.

              Dan
              Sounds like a good time, I need to head north in the Pig to visit my sister who lives way up north, and I know this car will need to go on a grand tour once it's proven even remotely reliable.

              New crossmember is complete. I really wish my TIG welder hadn't died on me, my MIG welder is a giant POS, I suck at MIG welding, compound that with the wire feed being consistent/predictable as the lottery numbers, it made for some messy/ugly welds.



              The crossmember was much trickier than it appears, the old crossmember is perpendicular to the centerline of the car, however, it's not plumb, The new crossmember had to bend in two planes to meet the old.

              This notch allows the transmission case to clear the crossmember





              This corner was carefully cut, then folded over to splice the two crossmembers together.



              crappy paint drawing may explain that better:





              I did a "test fit" by holding the intercooler in the area it needs to go, I should have plenty of room now, over the next few days, i hope to get the powertrain back on the cradle, and I'll mock up some kind of mount for the intercooler, and start on a new charge pipe, or at least get the old one cut up to be a closer fit with the intercooler.

              The fuel tank in the car leaks badly from the sending unit O ring, when I drove it in Washington, I stopped to fill up the tank, and it spilled gas everywhere, it's been on my to do list, I also need to hook up the expansion tank, and some kind of vent filter. I have an OEM fuel filter bracket that I may also try and install on the car again, the fuel lines aren't routed in a way I like, and it's way easier to mess with that kind of stuff with the engine out.

              The transmission was also leaking, I'm 99% sure I know the leak point, it's either the shaft cover plate on the end of the transmission, or the shift tower, I am going to reseal both while I have the transmission out using anaerobic sealant.
              "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

              1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
              1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
              2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

              Comment


              • That's gonna be one cool Fiero! .........I don't think I've ever said that before HaHaHa

                I was stationed in Augusta twice, I don't remember any place to park a sub

                Thanks for posting your projects.
                A.K.A. Brian
                Jack of many trades-master of none

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                • Originally posted by DirtyWhiteBoy View Post
                  That's gonna be one cool Fiero! .........I don't think I've ever said that before HaHaHa

                  I was stationed in Augusta twice, I don't remember any place to park a sub

                  Thanks for posting your projects.
                  Thanks! lol, yeah, I don't think one would park well on the Savannah river... I got out of the Navy back in May!
                  "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

                  1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
                  1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
                  2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by DirtyWhiteBoy View Post
                    That's gonna be one cool Fiero! .........I don't think I've ever said that before HaHaHa

                    I was stationed in Augusta twice, I don't remember any place to park a sub

                    Thanks for posting your projects.
                    Fallon Naval Airstation is on the border of Nevada/Utah. I just figure they know California is going to drop off and Fallon will be a bay (again).... maybe same thing here?
                    Doing it all wrong since 1966

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                    • Originally posted by ejs262 View Post

                      Thanks! lol, yeah, I don't think one would park well on the Savannah river... I got out of the Navy back in May!
                      I missed that if it was posted, but I was guessing you had ETS'ed. Congratulations! and wrench on!



                      Originally posted by SuperBuickGuy View Post

                      Fallon Naval Airstation is on the border of Nevada/Utah. I just figure they know California is going to drop off and Fallon will be a bay (again).... maybe same thing here?

                      I've seen enough of Cali, so it can drop as far as I'm concerned. We may do another stint in GA one day, so I hope it stays a while

                      A.K.A. Brian
                      Jack of many trades-master of none

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by DirtyWhiteBoy View Post

                        I missed that if it was posted, but I was guessing you had ETS'ed. Congratulations! and wrench on!
                        Thanks, it feels great to be out! cali has some really pretty parts here and there, but I'm glad to be back on this side of the mississippi.

                        I had a hunch that the bearing cover on the driver's side of the transmission was leaking, I took it off and found this



                        I resealed it with Loctite 518, all the way around, including each bolt hole, and the underside of the bolt heads.

                        in other news, I got all of the rockers, pushrods, and rocker shims installed, as well as the valve covers. I'm reverting the fuel lines to a more stock layout and remounting the flexfuel sensor to down by the fuel filter. this will make for more room near the fuel pressure regulator and clean things up a bit more.

                        My buddy Chris mentioned to me that the fuel pump connector on the 87+ fuel tanks (maybe early tanks too) had grossly undersized pins. this is the connector that goes through the top of the sending unit.



                        My tank has a leak from the top, I assume from the sending unit o ring based on the volume that came out when I filled it up last... so I got my 87+sending unit out, took the electrical connector out, and made a bushing out of UHMW polyethylene. from what I read, UHMW is very similar to HDPE, and will work find for this application. the top part fits snugly through the hole, and a ring goes around the bottom. the bushing will get epoxied and clamped into place.





                        The wires pass through holes that are just barely large enough, and they will also be sealed with epoxy. the new fuel pump wire is tinned 16 ga. I will also be installing a new level sending unit on the existing hanger.
                        "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

                        1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
                        1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
                        2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

                        Comment


                        • I bought a new TIG welder a few weeks ago, and finally used it for the first time today, it's a Primeweld TIG 225, it puts my old miller diversion to shame, and for way less than 1/3 of the price. I highly recommend it.



                          I got an intercooler mount, and new charge pipes made. I had to hack up the intercooler I had with a sawzall to make it work.





                          it replaces the old charge pipe, the whole assembly only has two hoses, one at the turbo, one at the throttle.



                          of course, the only readily visible weld is butt ugly... if I was patient and waited for a new flange, or ground more of the metal off the old one, it probably would have looked much better.
                          "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

                          1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
                          1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
                          2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

                          Comment


                          • Last night I put the engine back in the car, I knew the intercooler would be tight to the firewall, and eyeballing it, I thought it would just clear... Thought... it didn't, it hit the hump where the fuel filler goes, I took it back out, welded a new mount on the side, cut the mount in half, and put a shmedium notch in the outlet plenum. now it fits like a glove. I don't have pictures of the notch, maybe I can get some tomorrow.

                            I did have another problem I should have anticipated, the blow off valve hit the decklid hinge, I chopped the tube off, clocked it towards the engine, and now all is good there.





                            here's a shot of the intercooler out of the car. there's not much of it that hasn't been modified yet, I plan to pressure test it prior to final install, it will be devastating if it leaks internally.



                            I threw together a PTFE clutch line, this replaces the modified stock line, and routes the line under the intercooler where it's out of the way.



                            Kinda hard to see, being a gray hose over gray concrete and transmission



                            bleeding the clutch will be easiest to do with the intercooler out, but not impossible with it installed. starting to look like 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag...

                            "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

                            1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
                            1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
                            2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

                            Comment


                            • the engine package is mostly installed now. I have a bunch of little things, and a few big things to take care of before I fire it up. tonight, I spent a ton of time working on the exhaust, I wanted the car to have a muffler of some kind. a long while back, I bought a used catback off of an Evo X, today I hacked it up.

                              I used the floor jack to hold the muffler about where I wanted it. I used a replacement Evo hanger, and a universal hanger to fabricate something to hold it up, and then replicated this on the other side.



                              with both mufflers hanging, I started work on the down pipe.



                              after several hours of fighting it, I have this monstrosity tacked together. I still need to do the final welds, I'll work on them when I get off work tomorrow morning.

                              "I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."

                              1985 Pontiac Fiero, 3.5 V6 turbo, 5 speed
                              1988 Suburban, 350 TBI 700r4, 4x4
                              2006 2500 HD 6.0 4x4

                              Comment


                              • That looks excellent - better than store bought. You nailed it!

                                Dan

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