Sum ting wong

[GTRS Fiero]

This doesn't look like an '88

The wheels are wrong, there are logos on the door pockets and glove box, and the seats are just completely wrong.  What am I missing?

[GTRS Fiero]

From the ad:

I have up for sale my 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT. It is a rust free chassis with several modifications.

The Good
- 4.9 Cadillac V8 from a 1993 Deville (motor has approx 50k miles on it)
- Reman GM 4T60e (approx 30k miles on trans)
- swap was professionally done by the Fiero Factory
- Full custom paint job professionally done in a custom mix white pearl metallic
- Fiero Fiberglass F355 front bumper
- power windows, locks, and mirrors
- new black carpet
- Pioneer head unit with aftermarket speakers all around
- new brake lines, master cylinder, rear calipers, and proportioning valve
- custom exhaust for the V8 swap
- new fuel pump (installed last month)
- Tires have around 90% tread

The Bad
- Both seats have some tears in them
- Windshield is cracked
- There are a few chips in the front bumper and hood (car has been regularly driven)

I'm looking to get $4500 OBO. I don't drive the car anymore and I'm tired of seeing it sit. NO TRADES

If your interested or would like more information please call or text, If you call please leave a voicemail and I will get back with you as soon as possible. Text is preferred.

More pictures can be provided by request

[Raydar]

It looks like an 88 to me. Zoom in on the pic of the engine, that includes the shock towers. Pre-88s don't use the rings at the tops of the struts. They use oval-shaped concave washers. 
The wheels are wrong. It's why they stick out so far in the front. The Ferrari nose tends to disguise them a bit, but if you look at the second pic, you can see it from the rear angle.
The interior is more plush than than the typical 88. Looks like an earlier GT interior was swapped in, pretty much in its entirety. Seats, trim, and silver dash bezels, instead of the dot matrix.
The paint is very nice. At least in the pics. (White pearl is one of my weaknesses.)

The asking price is probably in line if it runs well, and there is no rust. (Ferrari noses do nothing for me, however. I would personally prefer the stocker.)

[GTRS Fiero]

Pics, for when the ad vanishes:
























My question is, why would anyone swap out an '88 interior for a previous year interior?  The original interior must've been trashed.

[GTRS Fiero]

I figured someone would be able to tell on the shock towers.  I'd need the decklid vents off to tell.

[TopNotch]

The deck lid is not an 88. It has the metal anti-static plate in the middle. 88 deck lids have an internal conductive layer, and so don't need the anti-static plate. The car could be a Franken-Fiero.

[GTRS Fiero]

Someone had a Project Franken

[GTRS Fiero]

Should the front tires on a Fiero stick out this far?

[TopNotch]

Wrong wheel offset.

[Raydar]

Wrong wheel offset.

Exactly. And, due to the revised front suspension, the 88 front hubs stick out further than the earlier years, which tends to exaggerate that effect. On an 84-87, you can pretty much get away with using the same wheels front and rear. On an 88, it can be done, but requires some judicious "sleight of hand", and offset selection, to make it work correctly. (Pat has done it successfully with "buzz".) 

[GTRS Fiero]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I had thought that the exterior dimensions of the 2.8 and 3.4 were the same.

This ad says that the battery was relocated to the front, due to the larger 3.4 engine.  Looking at the unentraved intake plenum and the unique dog bone, I have to wonder if this decal-less Fiero started life as a 2.5.  Still, there should have been room for the battery.  Unfortunately, the spark plug wires were run under the snout, by the EGR tube, rather than over the snout.

Oddly, it does have the AUX gauges.

[Raydar]

Which car are you talking about?
The only engine pics I see are the ones for the white car. It's got a 4.9.
The battery doesn't have to be moved to the front, but it makes things a whole lot easier. Trust me.

[GTRS Fiero]

This is not a 4.9:




From the ad:

This is a completely restored Fiero inside and out. It has a custom hood, engine is a rebuild bored 3.4 liter. The battery has been relocated to the front because of the bigger engine. It is road ready.

[GTRS Fiero]

Not sure about the plate:

[Raydar]

This is not a 4.9:




From the ad:

This is a completely restored Fiero inside and out. It has a custom hood, engine is a rebuild bored 3.4 liter. The battery has been relocated to the front because of the bigger engine. It is road ready.

Got it. Missed the link. (This forum hides links nicely.)

Yeah. A 3.4 is externally, nearly identical to a 2.8. No need to move the battery to the front. Although I like having mine there.