Colinb17's Little Red Rocket Build: 1988 Fiero

I was originally thinking it would be fun to match the speedway blue of the truck, but then without any kind of prompt, my wife said she really likes the red. I try to make a point of recognizing any interest she shows in any of my hobbies, so red it is!

 

The cube has 6 different prong layouts, so there are at least 6 vehicles that have something similar.

 

I think it is going to be a fantastic go-kart of a car once you get to drive it again. Does she know how to drive a manual?

 

Just don't start antiquing for antique clocks... oh wait

The cars looking good, when's the turbo go on?

 

GM was real good about using the screw style pistons on the rear calipers on their pontiacs. Idk why they chose that make in particular. I learned the hard way haha. Car was apart, needed the tool, didn't have another car, put it all back together to go get it, come back and did it all over. '99 Grand Am GT...

 

really looking forward to it. she does not know how to drive one. she doesn't seem to have a desire to learn, which with this car is fine. it is not a safe car, so if she wants to learn stick, I'd rather teach her in less of a death trap.

shhhhhhh can't be a badass all the time. gotta have at least one lame hobby

yeah, the alternative ways to spin the piston back in without the tool really suck. best $10 i've ever spent on a tool.

 

Hit a big milestone in the build yesterday. The old girl saw sunlight, outside of the garage for the first time in almost exactly a year. she's on all 4 tires right now. in theory, if I installed the battery, she'd be drivable right now. I still have to install the front suspension and front brakes. to be mechanically complete. that's why the front end is sitting a little high in the photos.

the exhaust install went OK this weekend. it needed some trimming here and there to fit, but nothing that required welding. what will require welding however, is that one of the exhaust tips they sent me is too short, and does not project out under the bumper far enough. if is was a single exit exhaust, it would be perfectly fine, but with duals, it looks pretty dumb with the sides being uneven. easy fix though. single cut, and then two welds to put in a longer piece of pipe (about 1.5'') will have the exhaust complete.

first time I've been able to stand back from the car with the new wheels and see how they look. you know it's a tiny car when a 15'' wheel fills the fender relatively well. you also know its a small car when a Honda Fit looks like a large vehicle in comparison.

 

Good lord the Fit looks like a Suburban in front of it haha.

Awesome work man, always a good feeling to hit this point.

Something I wanted to ask, how tall are you and how well do you fit in the car?

 

it was so crowded in a single car garage that I forgot how truly tiny it is compared to other vehicles.

I'm 5' 9'' and 190-195 lbs depending on the size and number of poos on any particular day.

with the car lowered, and on close to stock height tires, the roofline of the car is around my bellybutton.

I fit very well in the car now, but anyone over 5' 10'' will start to have problems. however, the seats I put in sit a little higher than the stock ones. if you keep the stock seats, you'd be able to fit someone up to 6'. over 6' and you'll be miserable. with the engine behind you, leg room is not an issue. it's head room.

 

I guess I can't convince you to take me for a ride and woo me then being 6'2" 255lbs.

 

I can sure try! you'd fit in the passenger seat no problem, it's the drivers seat that might give you issues. there;s like 5 feet of leg room on the passenger side, so if you've got a taller passenger, sliding the seat forward and reclining it gives you a bunch of space. problem doing that on the drivers side is getting too close to the steering wheel and pedals.

 

I expect to be treated like a queen and don't think you are sleeping with me on our first date you slut.

 

come home with me and there won't be any sleeping

 

Haha, perfect.

 

Hey!! I tried that and all I got was a shock collar, and a gag ball

 

that's only because you said the welder shocked too hard....

 

Well I wasn't expecting it and I flinched

 

Good and bad things last night. the good is that after I reconnected all of the electronics and put the battery back in, she fired up on the first try, after sitting for a year. the bad.....the oil pressure it low. at idle, it's at about 20 PSI, and while at driving RPM, it goes to about 30. desirable on this engine is 40+

I have not settled on the oil pump being the problem just yet. even though the oil is in beautiful shape, that doesn't mean that a bunch of shit hasn't clogged up the oil pickup or the filter, or that the pressure sender isn't going bad. other possibilities are that there is a bubble somewhere in there.

with 30 PSI driving, it is enough pressure to take a stroll around the neighborhood, so I'm going to try to take it for a spin and see if shaking things up changes anything. a new oil filter will be the next step. if it's not better after that, i'll drop the pan and check things out. changing the oil pump is not a big deal from what I've read, but getting a new pump vs a reman one is much harder. edit: just found a new one for $170. just have to narrow down the issue before buying it.

pressure at idle. not in the red, but pretty darn close.



On another note, some parts I had custom made a while back are finally coming in. had a new shifter boot made up. black, carbon fiber, and red stitching have been the interior theme so far, so I had the boot made to match. I also have the same company making a much more involved piece for the center console. it's an armrest piece that has some cup holders built into it, since 80s cars don't come with cup holders. that should be in within the next week or so.

the holes are for little pins that secure it to the console around the shifter.

 

did a bunch more research, and learned that the sending units and even the gauge itself can be very finiky on the fieros. there are a couple of other things to do before resorting to the $170 new pump.

1: apparently, the needle on the dash itself has a tendency to wiggle loose from the spindle and drop, bringing the zero point below zero. i need to check where the needle reads with the car off, but key in the on position. if it's below the zero point, i could have an actual reading up to 20 psi higher than what the gauge shows. the solution here is to pop the gauge cover off and re-zero the needle.

2: I'm going to see if the autoparts store has a mechanical pressure gauge on the way home tonight. if the sender or dash gauge are bad, the mechanical gauge that threads into where the sender goes will clear that up. if the dash gauge or sender are proven bad by this method, it may be both cheaper and more reliable to just plumb the mechanical gauge all of the way up to the dash and no longer pay attention to the factory gauge.

fingers crossed it's just a gauge issue, and not the pump. not so much because to the price, but because it would save a lot of time and effort.

 

Keep us posted