Real Fiero Tech

Curious if anyone has done this, I don't think there is another front suspension on any vehicle that has more options for aftermarket knuckles at different levels of drop and geometry, brakes, and control arms and shocks than the SN95 Mustangs, and all for decent prices. Way stouter bearings too. Curious if anyone has adapted these to the front end of a Fiero and what challenges it would pose. I imagine the greatest may be steering rack placement as I am not sure if the steering arm planes are similar between Fiero and Mustang. I imagine that the hubs could be redrilled/machined for the Fiero centerbore and bolt pattern if desired, but tons of options for Mustang wheels.

zok15 wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 3:13 pm I imagine that the hubs could be redrilled/machined for the Fiero centerbore and bolt pattern if desired, but tons of options for Mustang wheels.

Here you hit upon the balance of adaptation.
Many things are very nice when used in their original use case... Ref all the Old Europe denizens fawning on the "newest project" stretched Fiero with Corvette suspension. However, while the Corvette suspension was well optimized in the Corvette, how well optimized actually is it in a Fiero?

I find most of the time that when I think about adapting some "nice" part, the work involved in adapting it to a sub-optimal result is in the same ball park as the work involved in just designing and building an optimized part to begin with.

SN95 has MacPherson strut front suspension. They are nothing like the Fiero front. Are you thinking of the Mustang II?

Series8217 wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 1:57 am SN95 has MacPherson strut front suspension. They are nothing like the Fiero front. Are you thinking of the Mustang II?

This too... Adapting a strut knuckle to SLA requires figuring out upper ball joint mounting, which is likely to involve non-optimal compromises.

Ditto on maybe Mustang II. I was interested in that option when I first got into Fieros and didn't know as much about optimizing suspension as I do now.

I think there are several double wishbone front suspension conversion kits for the SN95s and the knuckles are available in various levels of drop and geometry that utilize stock bearings and brakes. I would only be utilizing the knuckles and bearings and some aftermarket brakes for it and make or modify tubular control arms. There is a ridiculous amount of aftermarket for them which is why I was considering it. But maybe it just makes sense to use Corvette spindles, brakes, and bearings with custom control arms. All the Corvette stuff seems more expensive though. Or Solstice. I know there are plenty of threads on here discussing other options but was curious about this particular application.

The Mustang II stuff looks promising too, lots of aftermarket for that also.

Something like this might work but you need to make a new lower ball joint boss and steering arm. Also the front sway bar end link on the 88 Fiero will interfere with the steering arm. After you solve those issues will the geometry be right? They aren't cheap parts to begin with so what are you saving vs designing the right part from the ground up?

https://www.cortexracing.com/shop/rds-3 ... 0135#attr=

For this sort of thing, I like to walk row-by-row in junkyards.

Sometimes, you can find what you need without the part coming from a "fancy name" car.

I don't think that price/reputation of the donor car correlates to suitability of the part when used in one's project. All cars are constructed from more or less the same building blocks.

The original application for my Fiero's rubber exhaust hangers is a Ford Freestar minivan; I found these hangers searching in a junkyard. Who'da thunk it?