I have yet to find a suitable donor for the S-10 brake assembly. You would think living in the south there would be one in ever other back yard. I have located a Ciera, now to confirm Dave it is the knuckle assembly that I will be using off of it correct? This one is not a 89 though. Will do research tonight to see what years are the same as the '89. Any additional advise would be welcome. Don how exact would the control be in measurement? I can build them but if we are talking about within a few thousands of an inch I wouldn't want to risk it. What type of exact fit am I looking for?
michael
Maybe this will make things clearer.
Axles, Brakes and Rear Suspension
I had to make my axles longer due to the 355 Ferrari rebody I completed on my car. The axles are 3 inches wider on each side. I used a PST (precision Shaft Technologies), Clearwater, Florida, 727-XXX-XXXX to cut, lengthen and rebuild my axles. I beefed up my hubs to handle a larger bolt pattern (5/120) and larger spline by using a set of 1989 Chevy S-10 4X4 front hubs mounted to 1989 Olds Cutlass Ciera uprights. I had to use the hub side CV joints and 1999 Buick Park Avenue axles mated to Fiero axles (same spline as the S-10 hub). The Ciera uprights are stronger castings than Fiero and can take the stresses of the 3800 conversion and larger diameter brakes. In 2000, the set up was topped of with 12 inch Wilwood brakes, Ryane Motor Sport lower swing arms and coil over shocks, 350# springs and a 1.25” anti sway bar from Dave Held in 2001. My theory is that if you are going to go fast, shift hard and corner correctly. I thought it best if I could stop on a dime and not have a car that desired to swap ends, as in the case with the OEM suspension. The Wilwood brake set up was used as a replacement for Chevy S-10 front disk brakes from the 4 X 4 that supplied the donor hubs for the project. These might be the same as a Camero, not sure on that fact.
Bill of Materials
89 Cutlass Ciera Upright Assembly (beefed up casting for larger bearings that will handle more Horse Power) used on rear Fiero suspension build up.
88 – 89 Chevy S-10 Front Spindles and CV Joint Assembly for
Front Wheel drive. (Bigger bearing, heavy-duty splines, larger CV joints)
Ciera Upright Assembly machined (drill out bolt holes) to fit S-10 Parts into Cutlass Ciera Casting. (Ciera upright castings $10.00 each side)
S-10 Spindles and brakes $25.00 each side 4.75 bolt circle.
99 Buick Park Avenue Axles, for used with 3800 transmission
Custom axles, PST Engineering $400.00 Pair
Braking System 12” Wilwood Disk Brake Package $2,855.00
2 - 4.75 / 120mm Bolt Circle Aluminum Hats Rear
2 – 108MM and 4.75 Bolt Circle Aluminum Hats Front
4 - 12 Inch Vented Rotors
2 - Caliper Bracketing Rear
4 - 4 Piston Wilwood Calipers
Two – Manual Piston Emergency Brake Calipers
Semi-Metallic Brake Pads, Rear
High Friction Racing Pads, Front
Stainless Steel Braided Lines to Match Wide Track Options
High Volume GM Truck Master Cylinder (Chevy Pick Up Truck)
Wilwood Proportioning Valve, Front Suspension and Brakes
Rear Suspension
Once the parts were installed on the rear of the car, I sorted out the suspension by swapping springs and shock dampening. I wound up with #350 springs and the car lowered 3 inches. I also added a 1.25 inch anti-sway bar to the set up to keep the car as flat as I could. In 2003 “Anti-Bump Steer Correction from Held Motor Sports” were added to replace the widened Ryane Motor Sports rear suspension. It seemed to me that the car had a tendency to switch ends in the middle of a high speed turn and I really didn’t like that feeling. The way the car is set up today, the rear suspension has no “Bump Steer Effect” and tracks nicely in the corners. The suspension settings are now set as the OEM 355 not a Fiero. The difference is remarkable. All other hubs and uprights are in use as previously installed.
Front Slalom Suspension
This fully self contained front suspension system for the '84-'87 Fiero comprises a replacement fabricated front cross member with tubular upper and lower control arms manufactured by Ryane Motor Sports. The spindles are fabricated uprights with bolt-in bearing/hub assemblies out of a Corvette (rear hubs). The upright design resembles those found on some formula type racecars, being very strong and light, they allow a reduction in un-sprung weight and thereby improve handling. The 325# springs and HAL shocks are of the coil-over variety, with a large assortment of spring rates available and while the standard shock is a three way internally adjustable unit, there are other shock options including externally adjustable units. The standard Fiero steering rack is retained and the package is designed for use with Fiero replacement or standard sway bars (not included). I purchased an anti sway bar from Held Motor Sports in a 1 ¼ inch configuration in March of 2001 after using the stock 86 Fiero unit for 1 year. Control arm bushings are polyurethane and grease fittings are installed at all pivot points for easy lubrication, eliminating the annoying squeak normally found in urethane bushed suspensions.
The system features purpose built geometry with excellent roll center and camber characteristics. I had mine manufactured to a width of +5 inches wider than stock to fit the 355 body conversion and 355 OEM Ferrari wheels. I liked the front Slalom design because it incorporates anti-dive and is bump steer corrected. Ride comfort was preserved or improved, or full race handling is achieved with the correct shock dampening and 325# spring rates seem to suit my driving style. Of course changing ride height and or weight jacking (or transferring) is a snap with the coil-over system. I lowered my car 3 inches with the set up mentioned
Lateral acceleration figures in excess of one 'G' have been recorded with this system, using Falcon street tires 245/17 X 8.5 on Momo rims and the 325# spring rates. I don’t think Wilwood system will work with the standard Fiero brake spindles, the 12" Super Duty Wilwood brake system used would twist off the suspension on a stock Fiero under high braking loads. For looks I used a high quality black powder coat finish on all fabricated parts in this package. To me this is the ultimate Fiero front suspension system.
Additional Parts: Installation of above suspension components
by a guy form, Sun Coast Fieros, $1,000.00
As of 2005, my car is now a 355 Spider Design so I added a center “X” frame to stiffen chassis between the wheels under cockpit, $550.00 for parts, $150.00 for shop to weld it in place. The only thing I dislike about the “X” brace is the loss of 2 inches of ground clearance. I have removed the Fiero trunk and added polished aluminum Honda Civic strut tower braces in an “X” pattern to stiffen up the chassis.
If you need additional information of photos, please contact me at
newmdav@ispwest.com.
Dave
Note:
You can use 84-86 Corvette Rotors with late model Camero Calipers and a bracket made from 3/8 in steel plate. These parts are readily available for those who do not want to use Wilwood brakes on their cars.
