My buddy has a 1986 Pontiac fiero,4cylinder,Auto for $900 obo,he says the heater core is no good and I found 1 at local scrap yard for $20.
I was just looking for someone who has had or has a fiero and can help me know if its a bad deal or not?

also I know that there is allot of stuff that can be done to these cars from putting a 350 to Ferrari kits but is it a pain in the a$$ to swap in a 5-speed,like "are all of the bolt holes there?"


Thank you for your help

I'd get it in a heartbeat. It shouldn't be hard at all considering that 5sp were an option.

$900 isn't bad at all. If the 2.5 Iron Duke is still turning and the block is solid, there's no reason to swap it unless you're looking to boost HP.

The 5 spd (I seem to remember it as being a 4 spd, but I may be remembering wrong since I switched to huffing liquid wrench) is a good option, but I don't know how much you'd be looking at to replace it of if there are differences in the chassis.

Either way... I'd get it if it passes a mechanical inspection. If you plan to change out the engine, go with an ecotec, 3800 S/C, or a Northstar (and invest in a good anti-roll bar for the rear), the V8 archie swaps are fun, but they overpower the car from what I've heard.

Best of luck!

the problem with a manual swap is getting all the parts to do the swap , since the car hasnt been made in such a long time , new parts are gonna be very slim and hard to get or expensive

best hope is finding 1 in a junk yard and getting everything it and hoping everything is good

i think the early models of 4cyl only had a 4spd also , i think the V6 is the 1 with a 5spd

What kinda shape is the paint in? I paid $650 for my 85 SE V6, i think you can talk him down a little.


<~~~~PWN3D!!

get it! i've always wanted one of those. and if you do an engine swap, do a 3800 s/c. even stock ones rip in a fiero


Andy

it's not how fast you go, it's how you get there that counts.
ZZP XP cam, 1.6 rockers, 105# springs, speedbuilt FWI, 3.3" modular pulley, TOG headers,
3" exhaust, flomatched injectors
'97 GTP 14.06@100.6mph pre cam w/ 3.5" pulley, I/E

How is the aesthetic condition of the car, meaning paint, urethane/fiberglass, interior cloth, etc? Does it have any creature comforts, power windows, locks, mirrors, hatch release, defroster, etc? Spoiler or no? Size of wheels?

In the scope of all cars, yes, Fieros are unusual. However, in the realm of Fieros, an '86 I4 auto is beyond common. It's the 2.2L automatic Cavalier sedan of the Fiero world. If it's in excellent condition paint/interior wise, $900 would be fair. If it's not, offer $500, as I can guarantee you that you can find I4 base coupes or SEs for that.

Auto to manual swap? I've done one (car is in my registry) but nabbed the entire cradle/engine/trans/driveline/brakes/suspension from an '88 when I did it. Didn't even disconnect the engine or tranny from the subframe, so I don't know about compatibility when it comes to mount or bracket locations. The biggest PITA is running the clutch line from the master cylinder back to the transmission. If you want to keep it in the OEM location, you have to drop the entire front subframe.

Quote:

The 5 spd (I seem to remember it as being a 4 spd, but I may be remembering wrong since I switched to huffing liquid wrench) is a good option, but I don't know how much you'd be looking at to replace it of if there are differences in the chassis.

Quote:

i think the early models of 4cyl only had a 4spd also , i think the V6 is the 1 with a 5spd

1986 was a split year for the 4M vs 5M transmissions. Early models only had the 4 speed Muncie for both the I4 and V6. In late 1985, GM began using the HM282 in the V6 applications, while the I4 kept the 4M. In '86, V6s were all 5 speeds, and the I4 began the transition to the 76mm Isuzu transmission from the Muncie 4 speed. '87 and '88 were all 5 speeds, V6s getting the HM282 and I4s the Isuzu. The bolt pattern should interchange from the HM282 to the Iron Duke, if this is the route you'd like to go.

Quote:

new parts are gonna be very slim and hard to get or expensive

Actually, not as hard as you think. With as large of a cult following as these cars have, there are 2 or 3 specialty places that specialize in producing new items for Fieros. That and the only items (aside from '88 suspension/brake items) that are "Fiero exclusive" are body and trim items. Much of the mechanical and suspension items were taken from other models.

Fieros are kings of the engine swap world. The SBC V8 swap from V8Archie is all but bolt-in easy, thanks to the sheer number of times its been done. SC3800s are also popular, as are HT Cadillac V8s (4.5/4.9) and Northstar V8s. I've also seen HO Quad 4s, Ecotecs, DOHC 3.4s, and don't forget that aftermarkets exist for both the Iron Duke and the 60 Degree V6, which are both viable performance builds.




1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more

i was kinda going by the fact i rarely see 1 in the junk yard , when i do they are seriously farked up , or striped

and i rarely see them on the road anymore , although coming back from cali 1 weekend , ran into a guy at a mcd's that had just bought a super clean 1 , and was pisses cause some lady hit him cause she wasnt paying attention

Fieros have a pretty bad rep for engine fires. However, if it hasn't happened yet, you're probably okay



fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.

Only '84s had the engine fire issue, and a large proportion of them were recalled.

That didn't stop me from peeling the recall tag (GM made it out of friggin aluminum!) off of a boneyard one and sticking it on mine, just for @!#$s and giggles.




1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more

Only the 84, and 100% of the recalls for that year and model (I believe it was only the I4, but I may be wrong) were completed. It wasn't the engine, it was a signal or brake light that was too close to the exhaust, heated up and the insulation burned... foil heat-reflective tape did the trick.

It was the rear engine harness, controlled a crapton of things. And '84s only had the I4, V6s weren't introduced until '85.




1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more

The car is red no clear but im going to paint it black.

He wants my cavy so im thinking $550ish&the fiero for my car+taking over payments i owe $1,500
6 months left on power train warrant ,


ENGINE FIRE:

Total production of the Pontiac Fiero over all 5 years was 370,168 (Corbin 1996). Regarding the number of cars which suffered an engine fire, we have the following two references, one from NHTSA and one from Pontiac Division.

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...said it has received 148 complaints regarding [Pontiac Fieros catching fire] including reports of six injuries...Low levels of engine oil may cause a connecting rod to break; allowing oil to escape and come into contact with engine parts. The oil would catch on fire when it contacted the exhaust manifold or hot exhaust components...David Hudgens, a GM spokesman in Detroit... said, 'If you ran out of oil, and then that coupled with some aggressive driving perhaps, and maybe not changing the oil very often, you end up with a broken rod, and that's where the connecting rod came in, it is still the owners responsibility to check the oil.' " (Associated Press 1989)

"GM tests have shown that running these [1984] cars with low engine oil level can cause connecting rod failure which may lead to an engine compartment fire...Pontiac is aware of 260 fires attributable to the condition, along with ten reported minor injuries." (Pontiac Division 1987)

The larger of the two reported numbers of cars with fires (260), amounts to 0.07% of Fieros produced. The fires affected almost exclusively the 2.5 L engine, and mostly 1984 models. (Note that there may have been additional occurrences after the above reports were published.) The primary cause of engine fires was a batch of poorly cast connecting rods which failed when the oil level became too low. The faulty connecting rods were produced in GM's Saginaw plant. The theory is that the sports car styling attracted buyers who would drive the car hard, most notedly over-revving the engine. Another factor was the three quart oil capacity, and perhaps a leaky valve cover gasket which would allow the oil level to decline over time to a dangerously low level. If the proper oil level was not maintained, the bearings could seize, snapping the porous castings of the connecting rods resulting in punched holes in the engine block, thus spraying oil onto hot exhaust components where it could ignite.

Most vehicles existing today have been serviced by GM during one of the safety recalls on the car. On the fire-related recall, shields and drip-trays were added to prevent leaking fluids from contacting hot surfaces. The presence of drip shields between the engine block and the exhaust manifold are a good clue that the car was retrofitted. The addition of the longer AC Delco PF51 oil filter and a recalibrated dipstick added extra oil capacity to the oiling system, and enabled running 4 qts of oil in the crankcase instead of 3 qts to help prevent oil starvation to the rods. Certain vehicles had their connecting rods or entire block replaced.

Another theory is that some fires may have been due to the engine wiring harness being located in the center of the engine bay above the exhaust manifold, where the heat could theoretically melt and ignite the wiring. Also, the 1984 model had a magnesium grille over this area. In later models, this was improved to some degree with much better heat shielding wrapped around the wiring harness.

All this I found on Wikipedia.

Oh, and one more piece of advise from someone who's been there: a Fiero WILL nickle and dime you to death with little problems. Remember, they are 20 years old. I'd suggest having another car you can beg/borrow/steal for WHEN (not if) it's down.




1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more

I got a 02 Toyota solara&a 70 ford ranchero I can drive.I plan on a rebuild so I can turbo it or ill save a little more and get a nicer GT.
Also 2 of the 4 junk yards in town have more than 1 fiero.

Ive got an 86Gt, DD, VERY well taken care of....ive spent WAY less money on this 21 yr old care than the 97 cav i had. I love it. 3800sc FTMFW


Hey, it fit inside the green box.

a guy that auto x ed with us put a 3800 Supercharged in his, sounded good.