G.T. Fieros

miss my fiero life...

To those wondering, the 88 fuel tank physically fits into the 84 chassis with ease. Since I didn't want to mess around with old, rusty fuel tank straps, I went and picked up some really long ones. These are made by Spectra and the part number is: ST125 as seen.


While they are too long, they required some modifications. Here are the results.




Of course some black paint was in order.




After the cutting, grinding and painting of the straps, I then installed the fuel tank. I also added some thin rubber between the straps and the tank in order to reduce creaking and general noise.
The next step will be to clean and install the filler tube.

Now that the fuel tank is in for the last time, I had to install the filler tube. It was in nice shape but I decided to paint it black.


I also decided to install new rubber elbows as mine were old and weathered.


As you can see, the 1.5" ID hose comes longer and must be trimmed to fit.
The copper plumbing elbow was used to enlarge the ID on the smaller hose as it was very tight on the plastic 90 that I had.
PS-These are proper "fuel rated" hoses.


After trimming.


Installed on the filler tube.




The filler tube was then wiggled into place and secured to the car. For the smaller hose, I simply cut it in half, installed the fuel rated plastic 90 and trimmed to fit. I'm glad that's done.

I worked on my wiring harness and got a lot of it run in the interior of the car, also started test fitting the aftermarket gauges and full seating position.

That Nissan 240 dash is a decent fit in the Fiero and looks quite nice when finished

When I started this swap, I didn't have an 88 cradle. Not knowing if I'd be able to find one, I built a cradle with square tubing. While there is nothing wrong my square tube cradle, I've chosen to put it aside for now. After stumbling onto an 88 cradle from a local member, I decided to mount the Ecotec and F23 onto it instead.
Knowing the benefits of using jigs, I decided to make a cradle jig using material that I had on-hand. This will accurately index all the suspension mounting points and other critical mounting locations that I need. This will also hold the side rails in place while I make and modify 2"x3" tubing for the cross members. It will also get some legs so I can work at a more suitable height. With this jig, I will then be able to place the entire engine and trans combo right on top of it. This will allow me to position the drive train wherever I want more easily.

Here's a few pic's of the jig.


















The green tape, with the blue line, is the axle centerline.


I held the camera a little sideways. This jig is actually square.


Here is the Ecotec and F23 sitting roughly in place.


From this angle, you can see the diagonal down tubes. These double as supports to hold the axles. This is beneficial for measuring purposes.


From there, I started on the rear 2"x3" cross member. I chose to place it just under the rear sway bar. There is clearance for the bar to move and if I need more, I can slightly raise the sway bar.
I used thin cardboard, from a cereal box, and wrapped it around the tube. Then, I taped it together and trimmed to fit the contours as required.








Using a paint marker, I traced the outline required. The yellow stands out nicely on the steel. I still chose to use a black Sharpie and retrace on top of the yellow. Using a thin cut-off wheel, I removed the material not required.
















I will tack this in then start on the front cross member.

After cutting and fitting the front crossmember, it was time to weld it in fully. I had to think ahead before committing to a full weld though. In this case, I can say with certainty, I will have to slightly notch the front crossmember to clear the AC compressor bolt. No biggie and it'll happen the next time I get the welder out. If I used a 2"x2" tube, this wouldn't have been an issue. I'm very happy with the results and clearance of these 2"x3" crossmembers. I have excellent clearance around key components and the benefit of added stiffness. The worst part of this ordeal was removing the cradle from the jig to weld the bottom. The channels had enough room to get in there to tack the crossmembers in place, but not enough room for a full weld due to the stand the jig is sitting on.
Here are some pictures of today's progress.
















Instead of cutting a small piece of steel to fill this void, I just cut a small slot in the corner and hammered it down. A little bead of weld did the rest.






Here is the cradle as it sits right now. I've placed it back on the jig and set the driveline back in place. After I locate the final position, I will start on the mounts.

I finally got my hobby workshop up and running fully. Now to just finish that engine in the back of the shop and get it into the car!

SWEET !!!

I am soooooo jealous!

_________________
Brian
88 GT - 'Ol Blu

With having the driveline in place, I needed to come up with a way to mount it. I've chosen to use a three point mounting system with a dog bone like anchor on the far right side of the engine. (Not shown.)
After a few minutes, I came up with the templates.


Which lead to.






The result are these pieces.


Lets set them in place and see how they fit.
















Now I will tack them in place and put the entire assembly back into the car and check for any issues that might arise.
I think I'll be good though.

The eco tech bell housing has that one really nice mounting point that is not there on the non eco tech one unfortunately. Is the area you bolted to for the rear mount strong enough I have found a few non eco tech trannies where the threads are not strong enough there to use. For the F40 I do a similar mounting system with the poly that does work quite nice but that area is stronger on the 6 speed. As usual your work is looking top notch

Dan,
On the Grand Am, powered by the Ecotec/F23 combo, GM decided to use larger diameter, longer bolts to hold their mounts in place. I'm just using what the General provided. It will work well for my application.

My goal, for the weekend, was to get the Ecotec and F23 sitting in place. Well, that task has now been completed.
I need a mount in this area.


By modifying the factory bracket, I bolted my poly mount there.


I then made a little shelf for this mount to sit on.


A few pictures to show the general idea.






The mount sits flat when the Ecotec is sitting in the Cavaliers and Sunfires due to the tilt of the engine. I my application, the engine is mounted straight up. I chose to leave the mount tilted since there isn't a lot of room due to the slope of the oil pan.


Here are some pictures of the other brackets.
Note: I pulled these apart slightly to ease the installation of the trans.








Success. The engine and trans are sitting happily on the 88 cradle.




There is plenty of clearance here. This is where I will mount the dog bone in time.




The transaxle is really close to touching the frame rail. I will clearance this in time.


While I have the stock exhaust manifold in place, I will review my options. I don't like the angle but I think I can work with it.

Getting close to putting the engine back in the car