The starting point was a 4 cylinder 1984 Fiero. Modifications include:
Small block Chevy engine from a 1970 Vette; 350 cid L82, 4 bolt mains
Dual exhaust using 2 "turbo" mufflers and 2½" diameter pipe and stainless steel Corvette tips
4 speed overdrive automatic transmission from a GM 3.8L supercharged car (4T65E-HD)
CompuShift transmission controller
Electronic gear shift indication
FiTech fuel injection system
Aluminum radiator and electric water pump
Battery relocated to trunk
Corvette rear view mirrors
Replica Ferrari Dino body with several modifications to give a more modern look:
- Vents in hood filled in
- Parking lights moved from upper front clip to below headlights (VW Beetle lights used)
- Front of door curved inwards to make brake vents
- Door handles removed and door "poppers" installed
- B-pillar vents removed and mold lines removed and filled in
- Rear fender lip extended 2" to fill in gap above wheels
- Some vents removed from trunk lid
- Trunk lid cut in half to make a trunk lid and an engine lid; electric poppers on both
- License plate area recessed for a more modern look
- Lip spoiler added to rear of trunk
Custom tail lights fabricated with the look of the originals but with LEDs
Miata dash and center console adapted
Custom shifter plate and shift knob fabricated (to simulate a manual tranny shifter)
Miata interior door handles adapted
Instruments from Speed Hut
MrMikes seat upholstery
New headliner
Front and rear adjustable coilover suspension
Wheel spacers front and rear to fill fender width
New brake master cylinder, wheel cylinders, disks, booster, lines
New wheel bearings, shocks, springs
3D printed badges
Additional details and information:
The Miata dash was reworked to fit along the windshield line and also at the sides. The glove compartment works and is fully usable, as are the center console compartments. The power windows work with the Miata center console switches, which also have a one-touch-down feature for the driver's window.
The rear compartment in the center console contains the electronic controls for the fuel injection system and the transmission controller. The fuel injection controller can be used to fine tune any of the settings and also display a "dashboard" of all the engine/fuel system parameters while driving.
The transmission controller also displays many parameters including the actual gear the transmission is in and the fluid temperature. It also allows changing the settings for things like the shift point RPM, shift firmness, torque converter lockup, and many others. While the car is an automatic, I made the shifter look like a gated arrangement from manual shift. The shift knob is pushed down to change gears and the gear selected is shown in the digital display above the steering wheel. That display also shows the turn signals, high beam indication, and the parking brake activation.
The battery has been relocated from the front to the rear. A "PriorityStart" unit was added that protects the battery from discharging beyond 11.7 volts. At that voltage the battery disconnects from the car to prevent further discharge (if a light is left on for example). It automatically reconnects to allow starting the engine.
The car is wrapped with 3M 1080 series film. The paint under the wrap was not very good so I had the car wrapped rather than repainted. The wrap is good for at least 7 years if looked after and is certainly one of the best products for car wrapping.
The tires are Falken Ziex, 205/55R16 in the front and 235/55R16 in the rear. I went with 55 series, rather than a lower profile one, to give a more vintage look to the car.
All the instruments work, everything functions perfectly. The radio does not work. It is a hands-free Bluetooth enabled unit, but I think the problem might be one of the door speaker connections shorting out. It worked before I put the door panels on for the last time and I haven't dug into it to see what the issue is. There is a microphone run up to the light unit on the headliner, so that is ready to go for the hands-free function.
The car has all the parts for air conditioning from the original Fiero, but I have not completed it. I have a set of lines that connect to the compressor and another set that connect to the lines in the car. These 2 sets of lines would need to be cut and connected together (any hydraulic line shop can do this). At that point the system would need whatever maintenance an older Fiero air conditioning system would require to work; orifice and dryer replacement I think but haven't really looked into it. The ventilation system with the Miata dash is hooked up and provides very good ventilation air flow. The heater of course works.
For some reason the Ownership (what the Vehicle Title is called in Ontario, Canada) says "reassembledâ€. This in NOT a salvage title. It refers to a vehicle that uses the body of one car with the chassis frame of another. This is not actually correct for this vehicle and it should not be titled as such. I talked to people at the registration office and they agreed, but said once something like that is in place it is near impossible to have it reversed. The previous owner of the re-bodied car I started with did not remember it being "Reassembledâ€. Anyways, it is currently registered as a "fit" vehicle. Also, the "Used Information Package" (for those familiar with it) states "Brand: None" which is what applies for vehicles with no issues.....so it is all very inconsistent and confusing, but should not be an issue.
I don't remember what the original mileage of the car was, but virtually everything has been replaced so I don't think that is important. The speedometer is new so it shows only a few hundred miles on it; that is how much the car has been driven since being finished.
I will of course help arrange shipping, but the buyer is responsible for all fees associated with the shipping of the vehicle.
If I have forgotten something that you would like to know, just ask.
Walk-around video:
IMG 5508 - YouTube
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