Messages

76

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: October 03, 2016, 01:05:27 pm »

Ignition module.

If the tach doesn't move while you're cranking it, then yes, it's most likely the ignition module.

It's up on jack stands now, but I may try... carefully and gingerly    ... to open the door, and turn over the engine. I don't remember either way if the tach moved when I was trying to crank.

A common Fiero problem. I had one die on me right in the middle of the Dubln GA St. Patrick's day parade (the club participated). I had one in my trunk, and managed to change it before the entire parade passed me by.

You're either really fast, or really good... even though Dublin, GA is a bustling metropolis, I can't imagine that the parade was all THAT long.  lol

77

General Discussion / Re: Australian company wants to provide "space burial" service

« on: October 03, 2016, 12:59:10 pm »

Aim it into the sun.  Better yet, just cremate here.

Just stick me in an old Ferrari 308 which hasn't had the fuel line issues fixed. Same result, but more exotic.  



News article with video - different 308

78

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: October 02, 2016, 05:51:12 pm »

Not sure if I will make it.

Took my bride out for dinner last night. One mile from home, the engine dies... no sputter, just dead. Won't restart. Thankfully, we coasted to a stop in a church parking lot, and close to home. Kenny, the next-door neighbor, and the crazy guy who went on the eight-hour road trip to look at the car, is home. He tows us back up the driveway, backwards, into the church parking lot, with his little minivan, then gives us a ride home.

Kenny said, "I never thought I'd be towing a Ferrari with my minivan." 

I said, "I never thought I'd have a Ferrari for you to tow." 

Kenny and I took my 3/4 ton Chevy 3500 van back. It will start if I spray starter fluid. The fuses are good, I think it is the fuel pump relay I hear click in the rear of the car, but no fuel pump sound. Mike stated that he replaced the fuel pump, as the car sat four years. So, either he got a bad fuel pump, or maybe a wire come loose, or something.

God is good. We were in a safe place, on a dry, cool evening, close to home. Kenny and I managed to get the two straps onto the frame without damaging the body, then I towed with the van, while Kenny steered PYT.

I need to get under it, but I can't drive it up on the wood planks like I did before, and the jack can't get under it to lift the front. I may try to lift the rear, but not sure if I can get the fuel tank out with just the rear up.

Took a while to find info on which fuse to check etc. So, I just ordered a Pontiac Fiero factory manual on CD-ROM, as I know nothing about the car, other than what I have found here, Mad Mechanics, Pennocks, etc.

79

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 30, 2016, 03:25:30 pm »

I remember hearing the name Mike Vetter, but it's been a while. You have a piece of history, there.

Mike's "kit car" website shows some of his work, current and past. He took us on a tour of his shop when we drove down. WOW!! They are doing some amazing stuff in there. I promised him I would not reveal his treasures, but he and his team are artisans.

Like I say, my car was the cheapest, junkiest looking car at his place. It's like after you have been working in your profession for a decade or two, and your mom pulls your 7th grade project out of the "memory box" in her closet... "Oh look honey, remember this?" lol

I also prefer "low key". My Fiero is painted "stealth gray", if that tells you anything.
My project is white, but I would have been happy with anything except black (too hard to keep clean) or bright (arrest me) red.

Yeah, keeping it clean is a major downer for a black car. Since I don't yet have a garage I can park in, that would have probably gotten old very fast. The red would have been ok, aside from the fact that it is so... predictable, I guess. Sports car = red, Ferrari = red, meh... I have driven the same little white Ford Escort for 18 years, and my DJ van is also white, so I didn't really want white again.

Since I saw the white one on Miami Vice back when I was about 15, the Testarossa has been my "go to" dream car. The purchase was for me to look at and my eyeballs to enjoy the lines and curves of.

I know a guy who is a multi-millionaire. He had a factory/real Diablo, and it was a greyish color. So, it wasn't until you heard the car that you really looked. Otherwise, it just of blended into the background. That was initially the plan for my car color as well. Of course, with a used car, and a limited budget, you kind of take what you can find. I have thought about painting it, but there are other things I'd rather spend money on first... like the side fins, a 5-speed manual conversion, AC repair, etc.

Although, now that I have the car, I will admit, the YELLOOOOOOW color has grown on me.  lol

Anyway, I would like to attend the October GFC meeting. I have to work my day job that morning, but I get off at noon, and could drive down before my DJ gig that night.

I need to see if I can figure out the brake lights, and go to the courthouse and get tags this coming week though. The tires were shot, so I haven't been driving the car much. Just installed the new tires yesterday afternoon in my driveway... Baby has new shoes!

80

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 30, 2016, 08:32:00 am »

Some of arrive around 12:30-1:00 and go ahead and order our food.  Meeting is supposed to start at 1:30, and might last a half hour to an hour.  Tire kicking afterwards.  Lie-telling follows tire-kicking. 

Always allow for traffic, when traveling either direction.

OK. I put it on my calendar. I'll see if my wife wants to come with me. Her dad worked for GM for many years, so they used to go to a lot of car shows.
 
The first time I visit, I'll have to listen in to the pros, so I can learn the methodology for proper automotive "lie-telling". I've never had a car nice enough to tell lies about before.

That's a nice looking car!
I've seen quite a few rebodies, but most don't go to the trouble of doing a stretch. That opens up a lot of possibilities (like yours) and really makes the proportions nice.

Thank you, Raydar. This car was built in 1994 by Mike Vetter. In the 80's and 90's, Mike built a ton of replica cars. Now, he builds a ton of completely custom cars for customers with pockets much deeper than mine. My car was definitely the cheapest, shabbiest car at his shop!  lol

He doesn't build Ferrari replicas anymore. Ferrari beat him with a stick several years ago. 

Thankfully, this car had already been delivered to the owner. The same person owned it until I bought it. He brought it back to Mike as a partial down payment on a new custom car that Mike is building for him. Since Mike had originally built the car, and knew the owner took care of it, he agreed and handled the sale. Someone listed Mike's Craigslist ad on Mad Mechanics forum, where I saw it. I contacted Mike, I googled him to make sure he wasn't a scammer, and decided to take an eight hour drive to see the car.

I'm not into racing, but if I was, it has some real possibilities. Someone upgraded the engine to a 3.1, but due to the stretch, there's all kinds of space inside the engine bay. There's probably enough room for a Northstar or other large V8, maybe even a BMW V12. It has an auto tranny... an Italian look-alike deserves a 5-speed manual, IMO.

I didn't want a red car or a white car; was actually looking for a charcoal, navy blue, or black, as that would be a little bit less ... noticeable. "Pikachu Yellow" works too, I guess. 

The side fins and the rear hatch need finishing, the entire car needs a good detailing, the lights are wonky (no brake lights, or reverse lights... fuse?), Freon leaks, and the power windows aren't much faster than my grandmother... and she's been dead ten years. 

It needs some TLC, but it's not embarrassing. The work should help keep me off the streets... instead, you can find me in junkyards, in the driveway, and in the garage.

81

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 29, 2016, 10:14:32 pm »

That's a good looking Fiero.  But it looks like you have a tire problem.  Bring it to the October meeting and let us kick the tires to be sure they're safe.😃

My initial thoughts about the headlights are:
1.  I don't think you will be able to convert to stock popups.
2.  You will probably have difficulty seeing at night because;
A.  The pan cuts off the downward beam so you can't see the roadway directly in front.
B.  The fender and hood cuts off side scatter so seeing the lines is difficult. 

Those are the reasons I converted back.  A good set of driving lights can reduce those issues, though.

Thank you for the feedback.

Speaking of the October tire-kicking session ...

That is my birthday, and it sounds like a fun thing to do. How long do the meetings usually last? I'm a mobile DJ, and have a school dance that night. I'd have to get back home to get the van (can't fit much DJ gear in the car), then head to my gig. I could probably stay an hour or two.

82

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 29, 2016, 03:51:39 pm »

I just looked at that car this past weekend, and I know that the headlight harness has already been butchered. It is not worth the trouble.

Most of the headlight system was gone and the harness had been butchred.  The headlights had been raised up and rods bolted to the sides of them to hold them open permanently.  I believe th lower ends had been welded in place.  The harness wires from the motors had been cut and spliced into another device, and the stock module was laying in the front compartment.  I surmise the other device was some kind of attempt to replace the actuator module.

There's really nothing that's useable on the headlight system.  Not worth the drive down there. 

Thank you both for saving me the drive time to the other side of ATL! Wow... welded and bolted in place... they seriously did not like popups!

My shop is at the Cherokee/forsyth county line on hwy 20. You can meet me there and I can look at your car and see if anything is really disturbing about it.

The most disturbing thing about my car is the owner.  lol

just converted mine over from the flushmounts to the popups.  I think I had the same flushmounts as you.  Couldn't see a darned thing at night. 

What body kit do you have?  Send me some pictures and I'll post them for you, if you don't have a PC. 

I haven't driven the car at night yet. I know the headlights "work", but I don't know how bright they are in "real life", driving around. I just prefer the popups because I think they look better with the body kit.

Which brings me to ... My body kit isn't the "normal" Fiero body style, if there is a "normal Fiero body kit". My car has a 3.1 V6, stretched about 7".

It is a replica of a certain Red Head from an "Italian stallion" automaker. It even has a little "horsey" emblem... a couple of years ago, my daughter would have probably named it after one of the "My Little Pony" characters. 



Here is a shot of the front lights.



I'm doing a build thread over on Mad Mechanics, a custom/replica car forum.

Anyway, under the fiberglass, it is a Fiero. It just doesn't "look like" a Fiero... I hope we can still all be friends.  lol

83

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 28, 2016, 02:50:59 pm »

Edit: Oops... I  just read the 1st post in this thread. Fierofool has the motor controller (headlight module).

Never mind about the "driver's side thinga-ma-panel" question.

84

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 28, 2016, 02:48:45 pm »

To be safe (since it is unknown what you have in your car), you should get the head light assemblies, the headlight wiring harness, and the motor controller. The motor controller is behind the driver's side fender liner. If you have all that, you should be able to restore pop-up headlights.
ps. If you do go down there, could you peel off the door handle strips for me? See this post for more info.

Thank you for the information about the other parts I'd need. When you say "driver's side fender liner", is that the flat panel inside the wheel wheels, which keeps mud/water spray from the tires inside the wheel well area? I just sprayed mine with Rustoleum Undercoating while the wheels were off at Goodyear getting new tires. lol  Anyway, I just want to be sure I'm looking behind the correct panel.

Just realized I have to work Saturday morning 10-2PM. I may try to go Sunday instead. I live north of Kennesaw, so I probably would only have an hour max by the time I got off work and drove to the yard.

I'll look for the handle strips for you.

Would anyone be willing to take a couple of photos of their Fiero front compartments, showing the lights and the area around the lights? I don't know the cars well enough to know if the builder made any structural changes, etc, in that area. All external body panels were replaced, so they may have also changed some of the structural framing needed to support the headlight mechanisms.

85

General Fiero Discussion / Re: Fiero Owner Locator Map

« on: September 28, 2016, 01:45:26 pm »

Drewbdo is now on the map

86

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 28, 2016, 01:39:19 pm »

I would be willing to drive down and try to get them, but the earliest I can do that is Saturday morning, due to my day job hours and the distance from the salvage yard. I live about 90 minutes north of the yard, and have to go right through ATL traffic. 

Just don't want to waste money buying something that possibly could not be repaired, much less retrofitted into my car. I don't know anyone else who has a Fiero, so I can't really compare the area under my front hood to the OEM Fiero.

87

General Fiero Discussion / Re: 88GT at Pull-A-Part

« on: September 28, 2016, 01:32:20 pm »

There's an 88GT in the South Yard, Henrico Road off Moreland Avenue at I-285.  Not a heck of a lot left.  Passenger seat is still there and in pretty good condition.  Headlight assemblies with motors, though at some time, the system has been butchered.  The harness has been cut with something spliced into it.  The headlights have rods bolted to the sides to hold them open. 

At the beginning of this month, I purchased an 88 Fiero with a replica body kit. Someone removed the pop-up headlights, and replaced them with 4 rectangular stationary headlights, which were probably covered with a piece of plexiglass at some previous date.

This is my first Fiero, so I know very very little about them. Do you know if it would be possible to remove the existing rectangular lights and install the pop-ups mentioned on the Pull-a-Part Fiero? I prefer the look of the popups, even though I have been told they are more trouble. lol