Real Fiero Tech

if there's one thing that makes me uncomfortable about driving a fiero, it's the thought of a flywheel deciding to let go. especially when it's mounted a foot behind my right shoulder, and there's only a bit of 18 ga sheet metal, and some cast aluminum to separate me and it... anyone ever try and make an external scattershield to protect yourself?

I haven't specifically tried, but it wouldn't be too hard. It wouldn't need to encircle the flywheel... just protect you.

What flywheel are you using?
How fast will you be turning it?

GM used the Quad 4 flywheel up to 7400 RPM in the LGO cars--Berettas and Achievas. I have not been able to verify that it is the same casting used for the Fiero flywheel. (I think it is). If GM's willing to put a warranty on it while turning it to 7400 RPM, I think it's pretty reliable at that speed.

The Dark Side of Will wrote:I haven't specifically tried, but it wouldn't be too hard. It wouldn't need to encircle the flywheel... just protect you.

What flywheel are you using?
How fast will you be turning it?

GM used the Quad 4 flywheel up to 7400 RPM in the LGO cars--Berettas and Achievas. I have not been able to verify that it is the same casting used for the Fiero flywheel. (I think it is). If GM's willing to put a warranty on it while turning it to 7400 RPM, I think it's pretty reliable at that speed.

88 fiero replacement flywheel, probably made in china somewhere... I can't imagine I would be spinning too much faster than that, it just depends on where it stops making power when I put it on the dyno. (after I fix the oil line...)

Eric,

It's good you're thinking about these things, because it lends to the "big picture". But, your axles are going to snap a LONG time before your flywheel explodes at higher RPM. Same with your header design. Good for you to think about every horsepower, but your F23 axles will snap at 500 torque and nothing but aftermarket axles will change that. So, stop critiquing so much, and blow some axles. Then worry about slinging the flywheel.

Emc209i wrote:Eric,

It's good you're thinking about these things, because it lends to the "big picture". But, your axles are going to snap a LONG time before your flywheel explodes. Same with your header design. Good for you to think about every horsepower, but your F23 axles will snap at 500 and nothing but aftermarket axles will change that. So, stop critiquing so much, and blow some axles. Then worry about the stronger components.

I've got an 88 cradle I'm putting in the car, which will require at a minimum, re-working my engine mounts, so I would prefer to kill two birds with one stone. the plan right now was to integrate the shield into the front trans mount.

I guess you could just say I have respect for how much energy 15 pounds(or w/e it weighs) of cast iron can store...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NYZVLNOXvs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84T-PIQKSbE (clutch failure)

The neon comes with beefy turbo axles and the Trans Am is RWD. You will NEVER experience either failure as long as you have stock axles.

And I could link you to a video but I don't need to.

ericjon262 wrote:

Emc209i wrote:Eric,

It's good you're thinking about these things, because it lends to the "big picture". But, your axles are going to snap a LONG time before your flywheel explodes. Same with your header design. Good for you to think about every horsepower, but your F23 axles will snap at 500 and nothing but aftermarket axles will change that. So, stop critiquing so much, and blow some axles. Then worry about the stronger components.

I've got an 88 cradle I'm putting in the car, which will require at a minimum, re-working my engine mounts, so I would prefer to kill two birds with one stone. the plan right now was to integrate the shield into the front trans mount.

I guess you could just say I have respect for how much energy 15 pounds(or w/e it weighs) of cast iron can store...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NYZVLNOXvs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84T-PIQKSbE (clutch failure)

Neon: It's hard to tell from the chunk, but is that a factory flywheel? Aftermarket? Lightened stock unit (the worst)? How fast was he spinning it? How much heat did he dump into it in the launch? There are a lot of factors that bear on flywheel explosions. Within their RPM limits, OE flywheels are probably the safest, as the OEM's have done *FAR* more validation testing than anyone else.

TA: Dude got super lucky... but we don't know what clutch he was running. The flywheel stayed together, despite having been hit with the same amount of heat as the pressure plate.

Emc209i wrote:The neon comes with beefy turbo axles and the Trans Am is RWD. You will NEVER experience either failure as long as you have stock axles.

And I could link you to a video but I don't need to.

well, I don't plan on running stock axles forever if I have problems breaking them. either way I'm going to build a shield, when the cradle swap takes place.

The Dark Side of Will wrote: Neon: It's hard to tell from the chunk, but is that a factory flywheel? Aftermarket? Lightened stock unit (the worst)? How fast was he spinning it? How much heat did he dump into it in the launch? There are a lot of factors that bear on flywheel explosions. Within their RPM limits, OE flywheels are probably the safest, as the OEM's have done *FAR* more validation testing than anyone else.

TA: Dude got super lucky... but we don't know what clutch he was running. The flywheel stayed together, despite having been hit with the same amount of heat as the pressure plate.

I don't know the specs on the neon or the t/a, but either way, I don't like the idea of that happening behind my right shoulder... the guy in the t/a is lucky he didn't lose his foot, if that were to happen in a fiero, they would be lucky to live...

The flywheel lines up on my right shoulder... not that losing an arm to a flywheel explosion is consolation relative to not dying.

I approach the use of aftermarket flywheels very circumspectly because of this possibility. I'm going to have to expend some serious thought on safety when I switch to the Tilton clutch.

The Dark Side of Will wrote:The flywheel lines up on my right shoulder... not that losing an arm to a flywheel explosion is consolation relative to not dying.

I approach the use of aftermarket flywheels very circumspectly because of this possibility. I'm going to have to expend some serious thought on safety when I switch to the Tilton clutch.

you could lose quite a bit of blood in pretty short order with a chunk of cast iron flying through your right shoulder...

bringing this back from the dead, I picked up a second F23 for mock up on an 88 cradle, and started some half assed work on a shield, I'll post some pictures here in a bit, but it's really nothing special ATM. how thick do you guys think a shield needs to be to be effective?

I'd go with 1/4" steel, but I really don't know.

Lay out the arc you actually have to protect, in order to keep yourself safe. It's actually not very much of the circumference of the flywheel. A scatter shield that would keep you safe would only weigh a few pounds.

Anyone standing behind you at the line deserves what they get

The Dark Side of Will wrote:I'd go with 1/4" steel, but I really don't know.

Lay out the arc you actually have to protect, in order to keep yourself safe. It's actually not very much of the circumference of the flywheel. A scatter shield that would keep you safe would only weigh a few pounds.

Anyone standing behind you at the line deserves what they get

lol, thats kinda where I'm at. anyone behind me has lots of more protecting them than I do (without the shield), the downpipe, both sides of the trunk sheetmetal and bracing, shift linkages ect. all I have is a trans mount, a seat, and a firewall. I'm planning on making the shield cover the front of the trans from the starter pocket on the bell, to the top near the oil fill. using every mounting point I have available. main mounts will be the bellhousing bolts, with a couple of mounts on the front of the case. it's gonna suck cutting all this steel with a cut-off wheel...

Scatter shields exist for Hondas.
SFI reqiurments are pretty basic. If I recall its a minimum material and thickness.
https://www.dpraceparts.com/products/ho ... ter-shield
Pretty easy, draw one up and I can plasma it out and bend it up for you in a weekend.