Post by: Fiero GTB on November 12, 2011, 09:54:41 pm
Sounds like you already know a lot about the Fiero, and the Fiero owners/parts community, etc. but if there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask!
(Thanks for your help with my cable-lock, too!)
Don't forget to e-mail me a high-res copy of a photo of your car for our 2012 club calendar if you would like it included. The calendars will be sold to members, and most likely to non-members as well. This is the first year we've done it, so I don't know the exact price, extent of outside sales yet.
I plan on using only Screen names for any attribution on the calendar, so that some nefarious types can't take the calendar and use it as a shopping list ala Gone in 60 Seconds. ;- )
Best,
Fiero GTB
Post by: Raydar on November 13, 2011, 02:07:18 pm
Post by: Donster on November 13, 2011, 03:16:36 pm
Who is "TB" ???
\D
Post by: Fierofool on November 13, 2011, 04:59:47 pm
Post by: redraif on November 14, 2011, 11:30:18 pm
Well I got to tell a few of you a bit of my Indy's story... For the rest of you.... Here is the crash course. Get some popcorn.... Its a long story.
I got #770 in May of 2005 as an INOP. The car was left out in a field to rot. I was told it was a simple clutch rod arm failure at the slave, and the car had been sitting for 3 years and only had 77774 miles. Owner wanted $600.00 I talked him down to $500.00. Later I found out the odometer was unhooked and the car had been sitting longer then he said.
Well let's say the car was beyond rough. The drivers door lock was broken. The paint had been redone in spray paint. The sliver painted black. There were runs and flexed paint was painted right over. But even that paint job was now stained and growing black and green mold. The car had only the nose emblem and the Indy graphics had been removed or never installed. The rear spoiler was split at the seam and leaking water into the trunk. The ground effects had been crushed by jacks and one of the rear quarters was broke loose from the body. The other rear quarter has the side molding mounting point broken completely loose. The driver side side mirror was smashed and the glass.... Well someone glued a mirror onto the guts of the crushed one. The wheels were correct, but the center caps were either missing or the white was near gone. The finish was dull, chipped up and stained from neglect.
Then the interior.... Well everything was correct except the shift knob. It was correct but practically ruined. The seats had cracked ripped leather with burns in the red bottom cushions. The arm rests and steering wheel leather were showing the undyed hide beneath. The dash was cracked and the speaker covers were a horrid faded blue. The black switch housings and switches were all faded to a light grey. The center console and radio console were curling and pulling from the plastic beneath and the owner filled the large gap with silicone. The light grey plastic and rubber were stained with grease. The headliner and visors were broken stained and hanging, showing the signs of a serious sunroof leak. The carpet had some burns and a hole was cut and the floor drilled to evacuate the water that pooled from the sunroof leak. There were wires run from the fuse box. The radio was dead and the wires hacked.
The engine... A total mess. There was a good 20 feet of generic red wire run haphazardly through the bay. There was black tape wrapped all about around the c500 wiring
, which was hanging loose on the drivers side. The relays were all detached from the firewall. Little did I know all fusible links were removed and the c500 was spliced jn with butt connectors, very poorly. The valve cover was leaky mess, the firewall carpet was torn to shreds an doused in oil spray. The plastic tabs that hold the ecm wires in the firewall we missing. The battery tray was rusted out. The alternator hold bolt was rigged poorly.
The trunk was full of water and the carpet ruined. In the front, the spare tire was missing along with the jack and sun roof insert. It was also full of water stains.
And that was the visual. After the usual tune up parts: belts, hoses, fluids, filters, plugs, wires, distributor cap. Then a new starter... The exhaust was drowned in water. The brakes were locked up and we ended up replacing the stock brake components. New calipers, parking brake cables, master cylinder, prop valve and lines. The clutch system was as bad. I needed new master, slave, line, petal, and after a five mile drive, a new clutch... The water pump, fuel pump, ecm and coil all died one by one. The fan did not work, so I hot wired it. My gauges were a mess so aux ones were added. The driver side axle was shot and the boot on the passenger side was shot. We replaced the shocks and struts.
So $2000 later it sort of ran... Now 2006... It idled super high and had a slight buck to it. Then I had a spark plug blow out of the head. I heilacoiled it and the compression was good. I fixed valve cover leak with a new cover and load spreaders. The idle was finally found to be the ecm coolant sensor. Firewall carpet was removed before it started a fire. Whew....
Now the clean up... I replaced the broken cowl piece, and repaired the sunroof leak. Added the ecm firewall clips. Found a spare and jack. Got a new side mirror. Got a cover for the spare, found a sunroof panel and bag. As the body was already spray painted... I redid it... Left it black as the replacement spoiler was black. Figured I would fix it all with the new paint job further on down the road, when I was ready for the full restoration. I repainted the bay satin black, as well as the underbody and fender wells. As I want to go to white moldings like the real Indy, but wanted to keep the stockers original, I decided to swap to smooth moldings. Stock pieces were removed and saved for an easy reversal. Dew wipes were replaced and windows tinted.
The interior was a chore with many junkyard runs. I removed the bad stock pieces and bought good junkyard replacements. I found the best pieces I could find and repaired others. I cleaned the carpet and soundproofed beneath. I did the same for the doors. I cleaned and regreased the moving parts. I repaired the broken door lock rod. Then I thought about it. I had a long road ahead to get this car right. So I decided to have some fun with the car till I had gathered all restoration pieces. I took the nasty faded pieces and painted them white. I got carbon fiber overlays. Made a white shift boot to match the knob. Covered some spare speaker covers with red grille cloth. I swapped the refreshed pieces in and stored the good ones. The seats I pulled and threw in another project's seats.
Now I could drive it with a bit of pride and comfort.
2007. The car mostly became a weekend driver. The tires were dry rot. It was eating batteries like candy. As an assembly, I removed the inop headlights. I added stationary lights instead. I made my own exhaust system from my cast off 2.8 f-body exhaust.
2008. Then the car developed an intermittent start. I replaced the starter again, all grounds, the battery, but it was still there. the previous owner bypassed the clutch switch. I adjusted it and hooked it back up. Then I replaced the ignition switch. Still start issues persisted. Then the alternator started to over charge. At the smell of charred wiring, I parked it to invest in an alternator.
Then I was laid off. So I saved for my 140 amp alternator. I knew it needed a rewire to deal with the new alternator... So it sat during my temp jobs.
2011. I had a steady job finally. We got our finances back in order and it was time to get the car in order. August and I got the new alternator in. I researched and got my new fusible links. I decided to add a distribution block like the newer fields. As the job progressed I found the previous owners c500 failed swap. I soldered things back. Butted in my new links. Beefed up all the grounds again. Swapped to 2 gauge battery cables. Added a larger alternator charge line. Added new looms since I had none, moved the c500 behind the battery to protect it. Then came a starter blanket and heatshield for the starter wires. Fired it up and it purred... No more start issues or battery drain.
Now it was time for new bushings. I wanted to lower the car and add larger rims while I kept the Indy rims safe. So I made it a project. All urethane bushings a coil over conversion, and the front lowered. This uncovered blown motor and tranny mounts. Also replaced the rear tierods when mine refused to come loose w/o busting.
This brings me too the present. I have a reversibly modified Indy. Bit but bit I will continue to gather Indy parts till I can make it a real replica again. Till then I will enjoy it in its modified form. Honestly, I now have more money then I could ever get back out of it, so the little guy is a permanent fixture. :)
Tomorrow I will add some stock pics!
Post by: Donster on November 15, 2011, 07:01:26 am
That is a labour intensive/ meticoulous process you've described here and I have to say: Respect.
Seems like I'll be asking you for advice on the 84 4 cylinder in the future
Glad to have you in the club
\D
Post by: redraif on November 15, 2011, 09:44:01 am
outside
Close ups...
the driver mirror... note how far the glass sticks out as it was glued to the broken one beneath... LOL!
driver quarters... something happened on the drivers side...
GFX falling off
check out the pretty dew wipes:
These prime pieces are stored in the attic...
taillights....
Spoiler split in the back...
split in the front too...
Even the emblem was beat up...
But hey its got its wheels...
Post by: redraif on November 15, 2011, 09:55:48 am
Busted gauge pod back!
its the right steering wheel, but the leather is pitted... ugh!
All that discoloration would not come off... I had to get a junkyard one!
the right seats...
but needing a refresh!
The ONE thing that is ok! Thank goodness!
here are the drivers burns...
and passenger...
this is never a good sign...
I have more shots of the carnage, but don't have the pics hosted as of yet...
Post by: TopNotch on November 15, 2011, 09:58:02 am
Post by: redraif on November 15, 2011, 10:18:35 am
Here is the engine bay...
did not seem to horrible at first glance...
Under the covers...
Some rust...
I know what I'm doing if the motor ever come out... PAINT! PAINT! PAINT!
Evidence of the oil leak
mmm... check that water... ugh!
Oh and notice the previous owners welding attempt to fix the clutch rod and arm that snapped... wow!
Now my wiring mess that we uncovered...
When all else fails, just wrap it around the tranny mount... LOL!
WOW!
YEEHHAW... and I though spagetti junction was a mess...
Here was all the extra I removed the FIRST time I worked on the electrical
I already told you what was under that!
But here is a link to the whole insane mess....
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118300.html (http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118300.html)
You have to see it to believe it. I'm not sure how the car even lasted as long as it did w/o a serious electrical melt down...
Post by: Tha Driver on November 15, 2011, 02:45:37 pm
You can email me at ImThaDriver at yahoo.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"
Custom Fiberglass Parts (http://angelonearth.net/customfiberglass/)
Post by: Fierofool on November 15, 2011, 06:03:55 pm
Post by: Raydar on November 15, 2011, 06:46:22 pm
...
But here is a link to the whole insane mess....
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118300.html (http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118300.html)
You have to see it to believe it. I'm not sure how the car even lasted as long as it did w/o a serious electrical melt down...
I told you before that your car looks great.
After seeing where you started, it just looks amazing!
You rescued a car that many people would have parted out, or worse.
Nice job!
Post by: Duchess on November 15, 2011, 08:27:32 pm
I told you before that your car looks great.Damn Girl, you did a hell of a job especially seeing what your car looked like before.
After seeing where you started, it just looks amazing!
You rescued a car that many people would have parted out, or worse.
Nice job!
I do love my Fiero BUT I wouldn't have rescued a car like this. My option would have been "the worse part".
Glad you joined our crazy group ;)
Anne
Post by: redraif on November 16, 2011, 01:40:26 pm
For the life of me, after reading and looking at this, I can't understand why you came to this forum looking for help. I think you should have come here to offer help and advice. Having seen the car in its current condition, I'd say you can teach us a lot. Great job!
LOL! Thank you for saying that. I don't feel like I know that much though.
I can't say that bringing the Fiero to life was all me... In the begining the hard stuff was a joint effort from me and my x-best friend. He is the reason I know what I know about cars. We built my Firebird from stock to a winning show car and I learned alot that way. Then he and I got all the hard stuff done to get the Fiero running the first time. However, he is also the reason my firebird has been sitting in a million piece since 2006. So he was a blessing and a curse!
The Fiero's 2006 and on progress... well that was me solo with lots of help from Pennocks DIY articles, searches and "help me" threads.
My dad helped me to be mechanically inclined and I just try to take projects in pieces. Kept me from being so afraid of trying things. As long as I can "see" how to do it I'm usually good. Give me a book w/o pictures and we are in trouble... LOL! After getting VERY frustrated with the standard "tech articles" way of writing you through the process with a few pics. More or less telling you what was done, not showing you. I have written a few tech DIYs for the Mustang and they are always picture heavy. That is just how I am. Show me how, not tell me. If anyone has seen my DIY thread on rear-coil overs for my fiero on Pennocks...
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118751.html (http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118751.html) prime example... though I did not write as much on that one... I have a CarDomain site that is long overdue for an update on the Fiero. I will be posting all kinds of stuff there in time. Any project I do now I take pics like its going to be a DIY article... LOL!
Post by: redraif on November 16, 2011, 01:50:21 pm
...
But here is a link to the whole insane mess....
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118300.html (http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118300.html)
You have to see it to believe it. I'm not sure how the car even lasted as long as it did w/o a serious electrical melt down...
I told you before that your car looks great.
After seeing where you started, it just looks amazing!
You rescued a car that many people would have parted out, or worse.
Nice job!
Thank you! It means so much to me how complimentary you are of my little guy. I'm just glutton for punishment is all... LOL! No, I have quite a few strays at home that were headed for the crusher that I saved, literally... granted they still need resuscitation, but they are not dead! I'm not sure what would have happened to #770 w/o my naive self. I'm not sure there was one INDY specific part that was not ruined in some way by the PO. And I know any other "normal" fiero would have been parted out at this point as bad as things were.
But for me... I'll take him regardless and try to make something positive out of it, even if it never becomes a true restoration. At least it was not a perfect Indy that I modified. :)
Post by: redraif on November 16, 2011, 01:51:46 pm
;D
What Raydar said with 5 STARS!!!
Incredible work!
When does the book come out?
Welcome again to you both!
;D
LOL thank you! I about wrote a book... LOL! I can't write anything short, so I about could fill a book.
Post by: redraif on November 16, 2011, 01:53:41 pm
I told you before that your car looks great.Damn Girl, you did a hell of a job especially seeing what your car looked like before.
After seeing where you started, it just looks amazing!
You rescued a car that many people would have parted out, or worse.
Nice job!
I do love my Fiero BUT I wouldn't have rescued a car like this. My option would have been "the worse part".
Glad you joined our crazy group ;)
Anne
LOL... thank you. See and you were worried I would see you all as crazy. I think I'm the CRAZY one! Especially after I wrote that all and looked at those pics. I was like OMG...
Post by: redraif on November 16, 2011, 02:40:01 pm
Interior:
Trunks:
rear
front
New rear suspension
Front makeover not hosted just yet...
Post by: Fierofool on November 16, 2011, 06:40:35 pm
Post by: TopNotch on November 16, 2011, 09:18:49 pm
http://gafieroclub.org/files/iview430_setup.exe (http://gafieroclub.org/files/iview430_setup.exe)
Use it to re-size pictures or do other alterations before uploading them with PIP. You can use it to adjust colors, take out red-eye, etc. It has a lot of built-in help for those not familiar with such programs.
Post by: redraif on November 16, 2011, 11:52:32 pm