Factory Five Daytona Coupe! Friend of mine has been building it in my shop.
Factory Five Daytona Coupe! Friend of mine has been building it in my shop.
Need to do some rust repair on the engine cradle.
I wonderw what happened there? The rest of the subframe particularly the part that is open forwards on the car to collect salt/water doesn't look that bad. But maybe it's horrible and it just doesn't show in the picture.
How does the battery tray area look? That's the Right side of the subframe and connected to the chassis below the battery.
*looks at Mini*
Well, I'm a piker. 
Definitely something funny in the water in NE Ohio..
In reply to nocones :
The battery tray was gone! But I'm moving the battery to the front. I put a panel in its place. The whole passengers side of the cradle is pretty crispy. But the rest is pretty good. I'm replacing as much metal as I can, if I'm not happy when I'm done, I'll try to find a replacement.
How did I not see this earlier?
It did allow for a complete rollercoaster reading of the thread though :)
- Yeah, Sofa King's other Europa looked awesome, but with a Fiero as a base the dimensions are going to look soooo off
- Wow! That is going to look great. And a 'Europa' with some actual crash safety!
- He... he... he cut the roof. Why did he cut the roof? And it was going so well...
- Ro...roadster Europa? That looks amazing!
- Why did I doubt him again? Hadn't I gone through the same thing with the LS Europa?
In reply to Piguin :
Feels the same way for me! It might work... it's not going to work ... it could work...
Progress on the engine cradle. Still needs the surface rust ground off and paint, but it's solid.
Here is the rest of the Daytona Coupe!
In reply to Sofa King :
Wow!
Back from vacation ... got a little more done on the engine cradle.
Trying to eliminate the dreaded Fiero rear bump steer. Could be overkill as I have never experienced it but... what the heck, here goes.
Awesome!
Rear A arms and spindles almost ready to go back in!
Rear control arms and spindles finally done!
In reply to Sofa King :
Those look nice!
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks. I'm going to assemble the rear suspension without springs and cycle it plus and minus 2" to see if there is any residual rear steer, but I don't expect any.
It is my understanding that you do want a small amount of toe-in in bump, this provides roll understeer for a more progressive feel.
This is where the suspension geometry theory nerds like me would make things like that adjustable...
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I do have some adjustability available. How would you adjust this concept to achieve "bump toe"?
How would you adjust this concept to achieve "bump toe"?
Run the suspension up to about 1" above normal ride. See if it toes in or out.
In most cases you never want toe out in the rear. (maybe in drifting)
It is not unusual for many to try for toe-in during bump in the front.
YMMV
I don't understand the radical angle you put on your device to lock in the steering on the rear. Looks like beefy tires will hit it.
In reply to Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) :
The angle is necessary for the heim joint pivot point to match the pivot point of the ball joint. My goal is to turn the "a" arm into an "H" arm. The rear steer problem in the early Fiero's is a result of the location and geometry of the rear tie Rod. I'm not worried that the wheel will hit the arm, but the brake rotor could be an issue. I think it will clear, if not I'll make adjustments.
In reply to Sofa King :
Got it. 
Love this project, almost makes me want to learn fiberglass, almost..
thanks for taking the time to share your adventure
Finally got around to mocking up the rear bump steer "eliminator" brackets. Hot weather has made it miserable to spend much time in the shop, and the call of the golf course has been more appealing than the call of the garage!
The brackets easily clear all obstacles (including the wheels) and I was able to set the toe at ride height and then measure it at up 2" and down 2", and there was zero change! I'm calling that good!
it's hard to get a photo with it on the car but here is the best I have!
Also got the new rear struts and modified them to work with some coilovers perches that I had lying around.
You'll need to log in to post.
