> How was it different from the others? Just curious...we used to run an
> Iron Duke in an oval track midget and we got a good 250HP out of it (that
> was on Hilborn injected methanol of course :)
>
> CTP
>
>
>
> > Well, if we're going to talk about the WORST engine GM ever made,
> >how about the version of the "Iron Duke" 4-cylinder that went into
> >the 1984 Fieros?
>
>
If I remember correctly, there wasn't anything intrinsically wrong
with the engine that caused the failures. I think it was something
to do with the oiling system GM used when they decided to install it
as a rear engine in the Fiero. Whatever it was, a recall fixed it,
so it couldn't have been too complicated.
The Fiero gets a lot of bad press, but I always kind of liked them.
Now it seems that the Fiero has become the chassis of choice for
building kit cars, almost replacing the venerable VW bug chassis.
Many of the Ferrari and Lamborghini kits involve using a Fiero
chassis that has been stretched five inches.
I don't know if this last part is true, but I've also heard that GM
discontinued the Fiero because the performance was getting high
enough to challenge the Corvette, at about half the price. Kind of
like the turbocharged Buick Grand National that was only available
for a year or two. More power than the Vette, from a V-6 no less,
and at a fraction of the price. I've seen Fieros with GM 5.0L V-8s
in them, and I've been told this was a dealer option during the last
year or two of production. (I can't remember if the dealer would
actually install the engine, or if they just sold the conversion kit.
If this is true, the Fiero may have been killed to protect the other
American sports car, the Corvette.
Scott
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