 Andy
Bujtas
Here Im test fitting the 406 CID engine with IFGs engine cradle. After
the fit, it was determined that the motor mounts had to be removed and
switched in order to allow the engine with the low-mounted A/C and Alternator
to fit properly.
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This is another view of the engine cradle after I removed it from the
chassis. Upon closer inspection, I found some problems with it which required
repairs or modifications. For example, there seemed to be a problem with
the action (movement) of the rear control arms. Also, the attachment point
for the control arm did not appear strong enough.
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 It
is obvious that the quality of the workmanship was not very good. Not only
were the bushing tubes ground to practically nothing, but they are not even
aligned with each other thus, the problem with their action. My control
arms are currently at the weld shop for repairs. New tubes will be added
and the welds refurbished - mainly the burning-out of the voids and porosity.
Nit-picky you say? There is always the question of safety to be considered.
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 The
rear upper control arms are a real problem. The design, as received, allows
the pivot motion and suspension load to be placed on the retaining bolt
threads.
I redeigned the arm to use a bushing tube and a threaded rod to slide
through this tube. Motion and friction is on the rod, not a bolt. In addition,
the shock bracket had to be fixed as well. And as with the lower control
arms, the welds had to be repaired. |
 Rear
Engine Cradle Tab - (Inside of chassis area facing outward)
I reinforced the rear engine cradle tab by welding the back side. As received,
the tabs were only welded on 3 sides. I added a forth and cleaned and
blended the weld so that it appears as part of the frame.
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 Engine
Cradle Forward Attachment Point
This will be my "Before" picture of the engine cradle forward
attachment point. This is where the engine cradle links up with the old
Fiero cradle mounts. This may be adequate for 300 HP 350 TPI engines,
but for motors with 450+ HP, I think it needs some more meet on it.
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 Modified
Engine Cradle Mounting point
I beefed-up the engine cradle mounting point to the chassis. Flanges were
fabricated and welded to the forward cradle attachment point.
It is now a solid piece of steel.
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 Engine
Cradle Work
This is a view of one of the working positions when welding/modifying
the cradle. Note in the background my welding unit and rolling tool box.
The welder is a Clarke 100E. Not a bad unit for $300 - does a nice job.
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 Engine
Cradle Torque Bar Bracket
The tube chassis comes with torque bars that (probably) help prevent
the Fiero cradle mounts from being ripped-off the Fiero frame. However,
the bar is attached to only 1 flange. I decided to add another flange
to strengthen the torque bar assembly. The torque bars, themselves, were
also capped at the ends so that they look nicer.
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Torque Bar Bracket and Coil Mount
This is another view of the new torque bar bracket flanges. I also welded
a piece of angle iron that will serve as a mounting point for my ignition
coil mounting plate. The plate is a 14-gauge flat plate with the holes
drilled for a Mallory PROMASTER coil and Ballast Resistor. The plate
will be welded on the rear flat-side of this angle piece. A drawing
of this plate is provided for downloading as a jpg
file or bmp file.
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Final Engine Cradle Torque Bars
With the cradle back in place, I installed the torque bars to see how
they fit - perfect! As seen, the torque bar ends were capped and ground
smooth.
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