I guess I should have made this thread a loooong time ago. I've had the car since summer 2006. I bought it as part of a package deal for a complete Falconer intake for iron heads. $900 for everything
In addition to
The Mule, I also have a Formula 5 speed. It's white. Since it's white, covered in plastic and from the '80's, a friend called it the Storm Trooper and the name stuck.
It has beechwood interior and the only options are cruise and A/C. It has a craptastic aftermarket sunroof which leaks; I sealed it up with silicone caulk and don't bother opening it. EGR has been blocked off.
A PPO had a "shunt" which damaged the right front suspension and bent the right rear wheel. As a result it has three black wheels (and fortunately the correct '88 fronts) with one gray rear wheel. The crossmember was bent in the accident. A friend of my dad's who has a frame machine straightened it to some extent, but it's not perfect... The right side can't get to spec caster, for example. The car came with a straight crossmember and LCA's, but I've been hanging onto them to have them dip stripped and e-coated.
Basically, I'm keeping it as a stock beater/runabout/backup car. I've had to do water pump and clutch, and maybe alternator, but not any other major maintenance. It gets 28-29 mpg on the highway and hardly uses any oil. I turn it to 5500+ every time I drive it and it just won't die. 160k+ miles right now.
Mods, aside from EGR blockoff are rod end rear lateral links, Rodney's spherical bearing sway bar end links and Konis all around. It has Rodney's urethane engine and trans mounts and his heavy duty trans brackets as well. I installed Rodney's aluminum slave cylinder replacement as well. It still has the Grant wood steering wheel it had when I bought it. Oh yeah, it has an "off road pipe" because the cat disintegrated. I also replaced the parking brake cables and adjuster and have Rodney's alternator bracket reinforcement.
Recently, it sprung a leak in the coolant crossover tube. The tube had rusted through at the bracket where it bolts to the transmission. Sigh. The Fiero Store lists replacement tubes for '85-'87 V6 auto, '85-'87 V6 manual and '88 V6 auto, but not '88 V6 manual. Sigh. I bought the '88 V6 auto tube in plain stainless. I just cut the trans bracket off tonight and I should be able to get it welded back on in position for the manual trans tomorrow. I'm using The Mule's original powertrain for the mockup.
Rodney's powertrain mounts turned what was a smooth stock replacement clutch into chattering monster, confirming my theories about transverse powertrains and relaxation oscillators. I'll need to install a rod-end dogbone to eliminate that tendency.
I'm also dealing with some
electrical gremlins prior to getting it inspected again.
Plans?
I want to transplant the sunroof from the '86 SE that I wrecked in college so I can get rid of that shitty aftermarket garbage one that's on it now.
Beyond that, I'll probable leave it stock.
I'd *like* to do a 3.6 DI + F40 swap on it, but that's going to be until after I make a lot of progress on The Mule, Bad Idea and the Eagle.