Topics

1

General Discussion / New forum Theme

« on: March 29, 2014, 08:23:24 pm »

I made some changes to the forum theme.  I feel it blends with the rest of the site better, and specifically makes it easier to get to other sections of the site from the forums.  The one drawback I can see is that it could cause problems for people with narrow monitor resolution.

I can flip it back to the old version in a matter of seconds.  Let me know if you feel it should go back.

2

General Fiero Discussion / Colin's Car

« on: October 15, 2013, 08:27:27 pm »

It was the pickup coil.  Completely rebuilt the distributor and we are happy.

3

General Fiero Discussion / Mile High Fiero Club calendar

« on: October 15, 2013, 12:50:18 am »

The 2014 calendars are out...and the Georgia Fiero Club has it covered any way you look at it.
http://www.zazzle.com/2014_fiero_calendar_mhfc-158977331551075917

4

The Market / 3800 stuff for sale

« on: June 24, 2013, 02:43:39 am »

I have some performance 3800 stuff that I want to sell.  I was planning to bring them to the 30th with me, but figured I would give the NC & GA crews a shot at preventing that (or getting first dibs once we get there).  I will be pulling them out of the garage tomorrow and can get pics if needed.  I also need advice on what this stuff is worth.  I know what I paid for it...but we all know that doesn't always translate to what it is worth.  Parts are used, but in great shape unless stated otherwise.  I am selling because I decided to go a different route.

Ported supercharger...series 2/Gen 3.  Ported by Triple Edge.  Has the ZZP MPS on it with two pullies (3.2 and 3.0 if I remember correctly, will verify tomorrow).  The snout is not cut down for the smaller pullies.

Ported intake...matches the supercharger.

Intercooler.  ZZP short stack with pump, heat exchanger, and lines...already set up for front mounting in a Fiero.

Heads...ported, no springs/retainers...but does include SS valve set.  VERY clean.

Comp Cams OE-R lifters...NIB

Full gasket set...Fel-Pro...NIB

Northstar throttle body....stock, no adapter...1999....does not include MAF.

I also have a complete L67 from a 99 Regal that is torn down right now...53k miles.  I am uncomfortable saying I will sell this at the moment because I can't point to all the parts right now.  But if you are interested in this or parts of it, we can talk (this is not going to the 30th).


Have some other parts as well...but we will have see what comes out of the garage.  I know I have a set of GT taillights I am interested in selling...good, not great condition...I think they would make nice candidates for a refurb.  Again, if you interested, I will get you pics.

5

The Market / Need an 85-86 Duke coil bracket

« on: May 02, 2013, 10:07:22 pm »

Need to replace the coil on the convertible...plan to upgrade to the later style. Need a bracket for it. Shoot me a price shipped to 28651. I will sandblast and powdercoat it...so it just needs to be straight and solid.

6

General Fiero Discussion / 30th Anniversary caravanning

« on: April 19, 2013, 01:43:22 am »

I know it is a little early to plan...but...

Sharon and I will be driving up on Thursday morning, and coming back Sunday evening.  We will be towing the convertible, which means the trailer can be used as an emergency backup plan should anyone else have car problems.  Colin will most likely be traveling with us.

If others are going the same days, I would be happy to join up/split off in Knoxville.  What route are you guys going to be taking?  75 to 24 to 65 or 75 to 74?  Or will you guys be running up through Nashville?

7

General Fiero Discussion / Fieros on the Diamondback

« on: March 15, 2013, 10:33:43 pm »

Thought you might enjoy the video.

8

The Market / Free transport of items from the north...

« on: December 20, 2012, 09:52:12 pm »

Just thought I would throw this out in case it helped anyone.  I will be in Michigan through the 1st of January, and will be traveling back with a mostly empty truck.  If there were any larger items you were looking to purchase up this way, I could deliver them at the January meeting.  One example...I see InTheLead is selling several large items over at PFF including 3800 stuff and Mr Mikes seats...and he is just down the road from where I will be staying.

On the 1st, I will be traveling south on I-75 to Cincinnati where I will stay the night...then on the 2nd I will cut over to Charleston, WV and take I-77 south from there.  I will be traveling during daytime hours, so picking something up along the way could be arranged as well (always nice to break up a long trip).

9

General Fiero Discussion / VIR - Holiday Laps - Nov 9th

« on: October 13, 2012, 11:08:47 pm »

Who? You
What? Holiday Laps 2012
When? Friday, November 9th
Where? VIRginia International Raceway, Danville, VA
Why? Because it's fun
How? Well...that part is up to you

Basically, you donate $25 to charity (Salvation Army), and you get to run the track for 20-25 minutes.  They are paced laps, but they do set a pretty good pace (I broke 100mph in the convertible last year).  If one round isn't enough, donate another $25 and take a second round.  If you get there early, you will have time to take about 6 rounds.  They also offer rides in an Ariel Atom for a small donation (I think it was $10, but don't quote me on that)...and they do push it to it's limit on those rides.

You are officially invited to join us.  This will be the fourth year for Sharon and I.  We usually run about 4 times.   We will be there in the convertible again this year, Colin will be there with his 85 GT, and Larry (the guy that puked in Colin's car on one of the scouting runs) will be there with his BMW 318 (with an M3 engine swapped in).

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a web page on this year's Holiday Laps...but the information will be the same as last years other than the date.
http://virnow.com/2011/10/26/annual-holiday-laps/

10

Tech Tips, Tech Questions / Tip of the Day - Replace your PCV valve.

« on: August 26, 2012, 12:10:00 am »

The convertible has been running worse and worse lately.  Nothing severe...nothing to make me question it's reliability...just not "right".  Basically, not bad enough to spend time or money trying to track it down, but enough not to be happy with it.  Then I removed the air filter cover for some reason (don't even remember why), and I noticed a bit of oil around the base of the air filter.  I put it back on thinking "that's odd, I should look into that one".  Knowing that this translates to too much pressure in the crankcase, I picked up a new PCV valve figuring it must be bad.  When I got home, I pulled the old one, and was shocked to hear the standard rattle that indicates they are good.  Well...I already had it out...and I am not going to waste my time to return a $2.99 part...so I put the new one in anyway.

Wow...what a difference.  It runs like a 65k motor should now.  I still find it hard to believe that a simple PCV valve (that "tested" good) could cause the car to do that many things wrong.  The big thing it resolved is the high idle.  It used to idle around 2700 until it warmed up, then hold around 1300 until put into gear, then idle correctly.  After driving it, when you would pull it out of gear it would jump up to about 2000-2200 and hold that until it was shut off.  After restarting it, it was back to 1300 rpm.  There were other "eccentricities" in the way it couldn't seem to decide what the right RPM was as well.  Now...after warm, it idles perfectly steady at about 950-1000 rpm in neutral.  After driving, you pull it out of gear, and it does the same thing....perfectly steady around 950-1000.  It drops about 150 rpm when you put it in gear.

The other thing it seems to have resolved is the high RPM power loss.  I know a duke is not a high RPM motor, but when you only have three gears to work with, some of these hills around here require revving out one gear before grabbing the next.  With the old PCV, it used to hesitate a bit over about 3800rpm...and I couldn't get it past 4500.  Now...it pulls smoothly all the way to 4800 (haven't ventured further yet).

Wonder what this will do for my fuel mileage...

11

Tech Tips, Tech Questions / Automatic gear indicator restoration

« on: August 11, 2012, 12:48:01 am »

No matter how nice of condition your center console is in, they all seem to have that faded white spot on the gear indicator...you know, the one that used to be orange, but years of sun faded just the spot that is visible when it is in park...so not it looks goofy when you are in gear.  That's right....THIS spot:


Anyway...that just won't do in the convertible with the new dash, new center console, new door panels, power windows, auto-dimming mirror, new steering column (with working delay wipers), etc, etc.  Ok, OK...these parts obviously aren't new...but they are in really nice condition and they all match.  No point in doing a half-assed job installing them.  So...I pulled out the 2000 grit, and cleaned it up nice and fresh:


Now the question is...what do I use to re-paint that orange part?  Just regular paint?  Does it need to be translucent, or will the light shine through normal paint properly to indicate the gear?  What won't fade in the sun (the convertible gets it's fair share of that)?  Where are my photography experts, i need to know what the light will do through different filters.  I feel foolish asking such a simple question...but you know how it is.  And I really hate re-doing things.

12

General Fiero Discussion / Found a good deal on Dynamat (and other items)...

« on: August 01, 2012, 12:27:14 am »

I usually avoid cross-posting between Pennocks and here, but I thought a pleasant surprise and good review of a potential new supplier was worth it.

I wanted to use the Dynamat Hoodliner kit for firewall insulation on Fierfly (and wanted a proper rubber roller for installation)...so I started shopping around for the best price. I checked Summit, and total price for what I wanted was $195.58 shipped. Jegs was $203.96 shipped. Then I ran across http://www.streetsideauto.com . Their price for two of the hoodliners and the roller was $99.97 shipped (free shipping over $50). The price seemed too good to be true (you know the old saying...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is). But...I took a chance since I was able to pay with paypal (buyer protection to back me up should the worst happen), and I have time to go to a backup plan.

Next morning, I had three tracking numbers in my email. Odd to ship each item separately from the same location...but since the shipping was free, that makes no difference to me. This morning (Tuesday), I awoke to find two hoodliner kits and a roller, all new in sealed packages, on my front porch (I ordered Thursday evening). Considering the price was half what I could get it for elsewhere...I thought it was worth mentioning.

Oh...and the hoodliner is the perfect size to use with the fierosails firewall pattern.

13

Tech Tips, Tech Questions / Stupidity SHOULD be painful, right?

« on: July 29, 2012, 07:07:26 pm »

From here on, we will not discuss the stupidity of my actions.  I admit it was stupid...no need to accentuate it.

So...I am pulling the rear cradle bolts out of a parts car to recover the aluminum cradle bushings.  My thoughts on leverage...the weight of the car is pushing down on the cradle, and the rear suspension pushes up on the cradle...therefore, in idle position, the cradle is being forced against the car....right?  So...while it is sitting on the ground, I can pull the rear cradle bolts, then jack up the car to remove the upper parts of the aluminum bushings.

DON"T DO THIS.  The logic is wrong.  The suspension pushes up on the SPRINGS, not the cradle.  As soon as you pull that second rear cradle bushing, you will have the weight of the drivetrain crushing your hand between the ground and the impact wrench.  It will hurt...very bad.

Fortunately, I wasn't alone.  Larry was here to point and laugh...then use the jack to lift it back off my hand.  Also, very fortunately, nothing is broken...just bruised all to hell.  So...in the end...we can all laugh at my stupidity.  Regardless...we have a little delay in the Fierfly project.

14

General Fiero Discussion / Is there somewhere on the GFC site to store this?

« on: July 25, 2012, 02:21:59 am »

http://24.182.73.46/fiero/CowsPatoots_84_Wiring_Harness.jpg

Hate linking to my personal web server...if the general public is anything like me, they assume the worst when they see the IP address.

15

Tech Tips, Tech Questions / 84 windshield wiper issues...delay vs non-delay wiring

« on: July 18, 2012, 09:38:57 pm »

The situation...
The convertible is blowing fuses on the windshield wipers. I have tracked the problem down to a short in a wire in the steering column. This is my opportunity to fix multiple issues at once by swapping the column from a parts car. It will give me an auto column like it should have, it will fix my horn issue, and it will fix the wiper issue. The problem is, the parts car has delay wipers (which I wouldn't mind adding to the convertible). I can see the wiper motor wiring is the same, but haven't had a chance to climb under the column of the parts car yet (gotta fog it for spiders first...lot of black widows around here).

Here is a portion of the only wiring diagram I can find for it...


The blue is the non-delay wiper switch, the red is the delay wiper switch, the purple is the module in question.  Where is this located?  Logic would dictate that it is under the dash somewhere near the base of the steering column, but GM never was known for using logic in their designs.  Am I correct in assuming this swap will be as simple as taking that module along with the steering column?