Lucky's POS

[lucky]

Keep making random posts; figured it's time to start a build thread. I know it's not anything impressive, I don't have nearly the technical know-how of some of you guys, I just want to start keeping all the stuff about the car in one place.

More recent pics to follow. Exterior hasn't changed since that pic last summer.

As things sit now: car is originally 86GT 4spd, no wing no sunroof. I swapped in a 70k mile junkyard motor out of an 85 Fiero when I bought it (engine had two rods through the block when I got the car), and swapped in an 87 MG2 5spd about 18 months ago.

Mods at this point are mostly bolt-on goodies: Cloyes Tru-Billet double roller timing chain, Ram Billet steel flywheel, Mallory ignition module, MSD for the rest of the ignition system, 6054 to H4 conversion headlights with Silverstars, 90 chevy P30 alt, Dodgerunner's belt tensioner, TFS short shifter, etc. Newest additions are the Falconer heads and Darrel's LIM I got of coinage for a song. The Truleo isn't on yet (I needed to pass inspection, and didn't have time/money to do the 7730 swap and have the egr code eliminated), but now that I have a sticker I've already made a blockoff plate, and as soon as I get a day off it's going on, and I'll deal with the SES light for a bit.

I'm a little A.D.D. - I have a big issue keeping patient and interested while I work on a project, so I usually have 9 or 10 going and bounce between them; car-wise on the drawing board, or in the parts collections stages, are: custom side scoops (been practicing my glassing) using a spare set of rockers I have, 7730 swap (just need a knock sensor and some time), and of course the 3400 block I have in storage (I'm shooting for a turboed 3500/3400 hybrid bolted to my spare 4spd, built out of the car on a spare cradle I've yet to acquire), and I've got a better front bumper to swap on (one of these days).

It did piss me off a little today; either something else is going on, or it ate another backup light switch. This one was a brand new aftermarket designed for the 287 5spd (i spliced a new pigtail on it, threads and protrusion were identical to the 282 switch), it only lasted for 6 days of actual driving; my Y pipe is heat wrapped, think it could be the RedLine I'm running in the trans?

[The Dark Side of Will]

No, transmission fluid is not conductive. I'd guess at a wiring fault. Do your back up lights actually work? Do you have higher wattage than stock bulbs? Short anywhere? How many times were you in reverse in those 6 days?

[coinage]

How are those heads? noticeable difference?

[lucky]

I haven't done any troubleshooting on the lack of backup lights yet; they just wouldn't work last night when I was leaving work, and don't work today either. The last 3 switches (all junkyard pulls) worked fine when I installed them, but after awhile stopped making a completed circuit (even out of the car pressing the ball in). Bulbs are stock. I am aware that tranny fluid is non-conductive, I dissected the last switch that failed, and the plastic had melted over the internal contacts (whether from heat or chemical interaction with the fluid I don't know).

As far as the heads- the car is most definitely in need of a proper tune, I replaced the lifters while everything was apart, used the massive pushrods you sent me, but I've not really been pushing it yet. Once I swap on the truleo and better exhaust manifolds I'll put some effort into tuning (so far it's just been getting it to run without damaging anything). I ended up going back to a spare set of stock exhaust manifolds to quiet my exhaust enough to pass inspection, the ones I ported when I did the trans swap were so cracked I didn't wanna bother salvaging them (I picked up a lightly used set off Aa-ron, I'm trying to get a buddy of mine who used to weld for a living to reinforce them before I port them).

Found this pic of almost everything assembled today. The tig I paid to have done on the stock valve covers is functional if not pretty, again, when I have time and attention they need to be ground down and painted or polished. While I had everything apart I eliminated the wiring for the cold start, shaved the tb cooling lines off my t-stat housing, and replaced a bunch of broken wiring connectors. I ended up picking up that starter I had my eye on, the pm-9100, got it for $80 when my buddy Sergio closed up his speed shop and moved to Florida. I guess the early fwd blocks have a different bolt center; the starter mounting bolt closest to the block puts the gear at an identical location as the stock fiero starter (I don't have a flywheel lying around to be 100% certain of this fact, but back to back install on the 3400 in the garage and cursory measurements make me 98.75% positive). It really seems less than 1/4" difference, maybe the guy who made it was hung over, who knows. The outer bolt is an extremely tight fit for the hole in the mounting block, I think I'll be able to have it ovaled a bit with a drill press and not be to worried about it. For what I paid for it it was still a steal, and its 13lbs lighter than stock, I'll make it work eventually.

[CincinnatiFiero]

A friend of mine out here just did an 88 cradle swap so there is an 86 or 87 stripped cradle just laying in his garage, if Ohio's not too far.

Are the falconer heads aluminum?

Good to see fast 60*'s, 60*'s sound really cool, I just never could make my 2.8 worth a shit.

[lucky]

No, they're still iron heads. I'm in RI now, but as of yesterday I'm apparently moving back to Mass; I've got feelers out locally for a cradle, but anyone have a weight off hand for a shipping estimate?

I've got 3 hours before work now, gonna try to see what's up with the back up lights.

[lucky]

No luck on the lights that day; found out the hard way that night that the radiator fan wasn't turning on. Car started overheating in line at the taco smell drive-in. Dead fan switch. Fixed that this morning; tonight my back-up lights work, it was dry today, wet yesterday, switch tests fine, I have a short or bad ground, hopefully track down the problem tomorrow. Also planned for tomorrow are the egr delete, trueleo install and maybe painting of the valve covers- trying to decide on new colors, tired of black and red...

[lucky]

Truleo's on. Holy crap what a difference in throttle response. Pics tomorrow, gotta clean up some stuff anyway.

[CincinnatiFiero]

I drove a 3.4L Trueleo the other day, absolutely buttraped my stock 2.8. Truleos are pretty damn nice.

[lucky]

Couple pics of my engine compartment. Still trying to figure out a cleaner way to run my wires, haven't found any hold downs I like yet. The truleo swap was done with the hose barbs that coinage had sent me with the rest of the stuff, I've got part #'s for some nice chrome ones and plan on running silicone hose when I get the time and money to redo everything.

[p8ntman442]

The only good way to clean up those wires is to go DIS. Which would make the setup look so much better.

[Aaron]

Truleos are pretty damn nice.

Truleo's fucking suck. But they're better than anything else commonly available, unless you can make a starship enterprise.

The only good way to clean up those wires is to go DIS. Which would make the setup look so much better.

Not just look better. 7730 for the fucking win.

[coinage]

Looks good man... Id love to see what kind of numbers are put down with the heads/intakes. You have a different cam in the motor?

[lucky]

No, it's still the stock cam. 7730 swap is next on the to do list, and I thought I couldn't go DIS (not easily anyway) cause my block doesn't have a crank trigger.
The wires could be neater, I've got some separators (I'm not to crazy about em, but they were cheap). I wanna cut the wires down a bit and mount them all nice.

I had a vacuum issue last couple days, kept chasin hoses; I ended up picking up a 12mm crowfoot wrench and re-torquing all the manifold bolts, problem solved. I've got the idle back down to about 950rpm.

Heh,I like to get it dyno'd, but it's not high on my priority list, it is still just a boat anchor after all.

[CincinnatiFiero]

Truleos are pretty damn nice.

Truleo's fucking suck. But they're better than anything else commonly available, unless you can make a starship enterprise.

The only good way to clean up those wires is to go DIS. Which would make the setup look so much better.

Not just look better. 7730 for the fucking win.

That was uninformed and redundant as hell. They suck but better than whatever else is available. So that would make them the best on the market. No one else offers anything and a major weak point in the Fiero 2.8 is the shittily flowing intake. It solves a major problem, not afford ably, but it does help solve the problem. Have you ever driven a Truleo'd 60*? The difference is very noticeable. I would ask you to produce a better intake for under $500, but I know you wouldn't and I wouldn't buy it because we both see the early 60* as a dead end.

7730 for the fucking win... yes. I guess. Way better than the OBD0 stock ecm but If I were to go 3400/3500 I would look into OBD2, but that is just me, I believe Ryan can now do OBD2 stick 3800s, so the OBD2 stick 60*'s could be possible, you'd have to talk to Ryan.

[p8ntman442]

you can get a reluctor and external trigger from 60*v6.com cant you? Then all you have to do is block off the distributor.

[CincinnatiFiero]

Maybe it is me that is misinformed.

Come to think of it, my info came off of Old Europe 2 years ago. Yeah, I was wrong lol. Editing my post....

[Aaron]

That was uninformed and redundant as hell. They suck but better than whatever else is available. So that would make them the best on the market. No one else offers anything and a major weak point in the Fiero 2.8 is the shittily flowing intake. It solves a major problem, not afford ably, but it does help solve the problem. Have you ever driven a Truleo'd 60*? The difference is very noticeable. I would ask you to produce a better intake for under $500, but I know you wouldn't and I wouldn't buy it because we both see the early 60* as a dead end.

As I said, and I'll quote, "But they're better than anything else commonly available, unless you can make a starship enterprise." Best on the market? Woohoo! I've got syphilis, the best of the sexually transmitted diseases! The best of something terrible doesn't make it good. And I have actually. Then I put car lengths on it with my stock 3.4 DOHC.

You don't think I'd build one? You do realize that I build my own headers, my own intake adapters, my own charge piping, my own engine mounts, and my own fuel lines. Why would an intake manifold scare me? Also, why limit it to $500, the cheapest trujishit you can get is $615. So how's this. I guarantee, for $615, the intake I build will look better, perform better, and weigh significantly less than half of his.

7730 for the fucking win... yes. I guess. Way better than the OBD0 stock ecm but If I were to go 3400/3500 I would look into OBD2, but that is just me, I believe Ryan can now do OBD2 stick 3800s, so the OBD2 stick 60*'s could be possible, you'd have to talk to Ryan.

We aren't talking about 3400s or 3500s, we're talking about 2.8ls, which can't exactly use OBD2, unless you plan on welding on a camshaft position sensor and an extra crankshaft position sensor. No biggy, I'll do that with my eyes closed.

Maybe it is me that is misinformed.

Come to think of it, my info came off of Old Europe 2 years ago. Yeah, I was wrong lol. Editing my post....

Yah, it is you.

[p8ntman442]

god your annoying.

[lucky]

Aaron, I don't muck up your threads; I'll ask you once kindly to show me the same courtesy.

That being said. I'm not going OBDII because I don't really wanna get that involved in wiring. What I've been doing on this car is pushing the limits of my knowledge and experience; a lot of what I've done has been beyond anything I've ever done: a year ago I'd never picked up a welder, last month I shaved the coolant lines off my t-stat housing- I've got a pinhole I've gotta take care of, but mostly a successful job. The 7730 swap seems more than a reasonable option for me, I don't think I'll have a problem following the re-pin instructions from sinister, I can keep my dizzy for now, and once I'm ready to put the other motor in I'll take advantage of the crank trigger and go DIS.

And as far as the truleo, no I wouldn't have spent $600 plus on it, but for what I got the whole pallet of stuff from coinage for, it's a welcome performance upgrade, and part of a big bargain.