The following information was writen by Endre (Andy) Bujtas and was sent to Rick Page.

Rick had asked Andy to take a look at his subframe and Fiero cradle to determine what needed to be further done to the cradle to make it work properly.

Rick Page

I thought it would be helpful to see the finished modified longitudinal mount cradle for those interested in doing it that way.

In reviewing your situation I've come to the following conclusions:

1. The subframe was basically designed for a transverse-mounted engine/transmission combination. This is obvious by the fact that the subframe has moved the cradle mount 11 inches back and has provisions to mount the rear Fiero cradle to the subframe. In addition, the subframe is designed and built with a strut tower to assemble the rear suspension like the original Fiero.

 2. An aftermarket cradle, such as Ryane's, will not work. A Ryane cradle is designed to be installed on the original Fiero cradle mounting point. If this cradle were installed on this subframe, everything would be moved 11 inches to the rear. In addition, the Ryane cradle is complete with its own rear suspension. As such:

• The rear wheels would be 11 inches too far back, increasing the wheelbase from 104 to 115 inches - the wheels would not be in the wheel wells. This would require extensive modifications to an already expensive cradle.
• The suspension components of the Ryane cradle will not work since the lower box girder of the subframe will interfere with the operation of the Ryane upper control arm.

3. The subframe will not accommodate any other suspension than a McPhearson or Chapman strut setup. Again, this is due to how the subframe was constructed. My original thought of a 3-point system will not work because the lower box girder is too low and too wide. As it is now (based upon your pictures), the lower box girder is quite close to the rear coil-over strut assembly. There is NO way that ANY upper control arm of ANY design could be employed on this subframe. Any upper control arm attached to this girder would be too short and sit too high or too low relative to the upright.

4. It is possible to make a longitudinally mounted engine/transmission unit using the current Fiero cradle. After examining the pictures and analyzing the setup, I've come to the conclusion that it is possible to convert your project into a longitudinal engine arrangement. There are 2 ways this can be performed.

• Build your own cradle, which I believe is not an option, or
• Modify the current Fiero cradle and make it longitudinal.

In any case, it is best to have some form of cradle to allow the (relatively) easy installation/removal of the engine/transmission/suspension combination. The following section will give you an idea on how this could be accomplished.

In viewing your pictures, I can see that the original Fiero cradle could be modified to allow a longitudinal engine/transmission setup. This will allow you to keep the present rear suspension arrangement that you probably spent a pretty penny on. It also will prevent you from purchasing something that costs a lot of money and won't fit anyway.   Motor Mounts First, I believe the Total Performance engine mount will work on the Fiero cradle. The tube diameter of the crossmember is 1.75 inches and costs only $60. Check this with the dimension of the cradle thickness. The crossmember is designed for a small-block Chevy (SBC) engine. I don't have a picture of it that I can put in this document, but below is an illustration on what it basically looks like.       This crossmember allows you to use either solid or rubber motor mounts, but I recommend using rubber (in steel) to minimize engine noise to the chassis.   Cradle Crossmember The Fiero engine cradle has a crossmember (see picture), which was for the original engine mounts. This member will most likely have to be removed because: a.      It sits up too high and will interfere with the SBC oil pan, and b.      It is not necessary with the Total Performance (TP) crossmember. In effect, the TP crossmember would replace this member.

Should the SBC motor mount location extend forward of the cradle mount, then an extension piece may be needed. This can be done like this:

Transmission Mount

A mount will also be required to support whatever Porsche transaxle you will use. The Total Performance (TP) transmission mount could be modified to support a Porsche transaxle. Creating a mount for the trans is not difficult. I made one for my trans, which was made from a ¼" plate.

However, there is a possibility that the Fiero cradle rear member may need to have a section cut out in order to fit the Porsche trans, even with the shortened G50. However, this is something that will require closer examination - once you get your new engine and transaxle.

In addition, the lower box girder may also interfere with the location of the transaxle. Therefore, a section may have to be removed and a "bridge" section added as illustrated below:

Doing this should not cause a problem since the rear member is not really a load-bearing structure, but mainly used to "square" the frame. To maintain the distance, you would design and build the "bridge" first. Then weld it to the box and finally, cutout the section and cap the cut ends. This way the dimensions have not changed merely the shape. This will require the following tools:

• A 14 inch chop saw to cut square tubing stock to size.
• A welding unit (obviously).
• A reciprocating saw (which I believe you have).
• An angle grinder to clean the cuts and/or welds.

The reason for the cuts can be seen in the picture below. Note the distance from the center of the wheel-bearing hub to the end of the cradle. There is no transaxle short enough where the rear crossmember will not (or may not) interfere, except for a transverse mounted one. And having a short transaxle will only prevent the trans from sticking-out in the rear too much. Even with my relatively long 915 trans, only the shift selector bar extends beyond the chassis. And the rear bumper will hide most of what protrudes. As long as the body of the transmission does not extend beyond the frame, it should not touch the lower portion of the body.