1986 GT, need help with my first fiero.

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shadowVOLPE

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1986 GT
V6 4 speed manual
'88 GT suspension upgrade.
83000 miles, and only 8000 added in the past 11 years.
Originally from texas, is completely rust free.
Borla exhaust
Custom paint, looks brand new for being done over 12 years ago
225 front tires
245 rear tires.
new headliner

Alright guys so that's the low down. I want to start doing work on this car right away but have no idea where to start.

cons:
speedo isn't working.
The heater core has been by-passed
The A/C needs to be recharged.
sun visors have been removed.
The interior is an ugly brown color.
the passenger side subwoofer has been removed.

Where can i find the visors? would prefer not to raid a junkyard, but need mounting hardware as well.

Where can I find the rear window sails? the glass is fine but I've seen scoops and aftermarket vent panels to help channel air into the engine.

I was told there is a kit to give the car a true ram air intake, an intake scoop on both sides of the car rather than just the driver side. Is there any benefit to this and where can I find it?
 
Speedo is probably the VSS sensor. It is mounted on the transmission.
Heater core probably leaks. Entire dash needs to come out to change it. Not bad to do just time consuming.
Sun visors and hardware can be found at The Fiero Factory ( http://www.thefierofactory.com/ )

They can also help you if you want to switch out the interior to gray, and help locate the subwoofer parts.

For the sail panel scoops visit The Fiero Store ( www.fierostore.com ) and look under exterior and scoops

For the side intake scoops see The Fiero Warehouse (www.fierowarehouse.com ) The make many body parts for the Fiero up to and including complete IMSA racecar body kits. These folks do excellent work and the parts fit perfectly. There is a benefit in that at highway speeds throttle response is crisper and the passenger side scoop aids in cooling down the engine compartment.
 
thanks! forgot I even posted that, school had me super busy but now I have the next month off so it's time to do work.

I found the speedo gear I needed, it's been sitting on my tool box for about a month now. But now I've finally started taking things apart.

The trunk carpet and rubber weather seal are coming out first. The seal was all torn up so I just ripped it off. The carpet is stained, but I don't want to break the holding it in. Is there a trick to taking them out, or should I just snap 'em and order new ones?
 
*break the plastic screws holding*
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if you have side cutter or (dikes) slip them behind the large circle and pull on the screw part. needle nose pliers will work also.
 
shadowVOLPE said:
1986 GT
V6 4 speed manual
'88 GT suspension upgrade.
83000 miles, and only 8000 added in the past 11 years.
Originally from texas, is completely rust free.
Borla exhaust
Custom paint, looks brand new for being done over 12 years ago
225 front tires
245 rear tires.
new headliner

Alright guys so that's the low down. I want to start doing work on this car right away but have no idea where to start.

cons:
speedo isn't working.
The heater core has been by-passed
The A/C needs to be recharged.
sun visors have been removed.
The interior is an ugly brown color.
the passenger side subwoofer has been removed.

Where can i find the visors? would prefer not to raid a junkyard, but need mounting hardware as well.

Where can I find the rear window sails? the glass is fine but I've seen scoops and aftermarket vent panels to help channel air into the engine.

I was told there is a kit to give the car a true ram air intake, an intake scoop on both sides of the car rather than just the driver side. Is there any benefit to this and where can I find it?
Click to expand...

I've gotten quite a few parts from EBay. You have to weed through a few sellers who overprice their parts, but you can find good deals. I just scored an OEM sunroof seal for $26 shipped. TFS sells an aftermarket one for $90 plus shipping and it's not a very good seal at that.
 
wish I had a sunroof. lol. Any idea's on what a chop top would run me? haha.

TFS is a little over priced on some things, but I've ordered through them and wouldn't mind paying a little extra to get exactly what I'm looking for. Ebay has screwed me in the past.
 
Both seats and trunk carpet are out. Does anyone know where I can get the right tool to remove the seatbelt buttons? (that star-shaped thing)

Tonight the interior panels and rest of the carpeting are on their way out. Hopefully wont damage any of it. Suggestions on this step, much appreciated.
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TFS prices may be a little high on some things, But they do have the correct parts and do ship quickly. If you sign up for thier mailing list or follow them on FaceBook they usually have specials. Just last week it they had a 15% off day.

The plastic caps can be pulled out using a forked tool (side cutters, siscors, needle nose pliers, two flat blade screwdrivers, etc) They are similar to the door panel pins as well. The Fiero Store trunk carpets fit very well. I have one in mine.

For the seatbelts (and quite a few other parts on the Fiero) you will need to get a Torx socket set. I don't remember but I think the seatbelt is a T20 or T30. You will need a smaller one for the dash panels and the center console lighter plate. They were used on the waterpump bolts on a V-6 as well. So a set should cover you for all sizes needed.

If you really want a sunroof, A factory sunroof can be swapped on. The frame already has the hole and mounts for the sunroof. You just need the roof panel, headliner, sunroof hinges and latch and the sunroof glass. Although since you have custom paint, that would mean the new roof panel will need to be painted to match.

Chop Top conversions are done by V8 Archie who is in Rockford IL. He charges about $4500 to do it. Here is a link to his website: http://www.v8archie.com/v8Archie/Prod1.htm
He can also put on a sunroof top when he does it so you can get two things done at once.
 
Since many of the dash pieces are out, I'm curious as to what you guys have done, in terms of painting or replacing the interior plastics. I really want to update and modernize the interior with a black/brown color scheme, while holding onto some value as far as original pieces.
Should I paint the dash or buy desired pieces in a pre-made color?

I'm dieing to see over 300hp in this car, so unless thats possible with modifying the 2.8L, I don't think much of the car will be original when I'm done with it anyway. Should I save the original pieces because their original, or paint over them because it's the cheap way out?
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Has anyone had experience with the brake kits from TFS? i'm debating on the upgraded vented front conversion but don't know if thats still compatible with the factory rear, or what to do there.
 
shadowVOLPE said:
Since many of the dash pieces are out, I'm curious as to what you guys have done, in terms of painting or replacing the interior plastics. I really want to update and modernize the interior with a black/brown color scheme, while holding onto some value as far as original pieces.
Should I paint the dash or buy desired pieces in a pre-made color?

I'm dieing to see over 300hp in this car, so unless thats possible with modifying the 2.8L, I don't think much of the car will be original when I'm done with it anyway. Should I save the original pieces because their original, or paint over them because it's the cheap way out?
Click to expand...


I painted just about every piece of my interior black. I did scuff the moldings up with some fine grit sandpaper first.
 
How does it look? Has it cracked or worn off over time? Last time I painted an interior it turned out really shitty. Just need a few pointers from somebody whose done it before.

Is there a how-to video about the interior panels? dang things are so stubborn.
 
shadowVOLPE said:
How does it look? Has it cracked or worn off over time? Last time I painted an interior it turned out really shitty. Just need a few pointers from somebody whose done it before.

Is there a how-to video about the interior panels? dang things are so stubborn.
Click to expand...

Looks great. No cracks or wear spots yet, but it was only done about 6 months ago. I took my time prepping each and every piece. I thoroughly cleaned each part (simple green) and lightly scuffed them(220 grit paper). I used a flat interior paint (pep-boys) as I find that the flat paint applies with fewer "runs" compared with a semi-gloss or high gloss paint. Not sure about a how-to video but anything can be found on the internet.
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sounds like it turned out great. pics? and ill be doing mine soon(after i finnish the motor swap)
 
I tried getting pics up but they're too big and I don't have any editing software. Not sure if there's another way to resize them.

Landed some new 3 ton jack for my birthday, so tomorrow I'l be placing my second order with the fiero store. Black Carpet, STI red wires, Distributor cap, Battery box, and the squeal-eliminating pulley and belt.
 
yeah i know that now. I'm going to get everything else working good and looking nice, then do a 3800 swap.
 
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