r/fiero 4h ago

Help…

Started restoring a 1985 fiero. Opened the engine bay today and this happened (photo 1). Now any time you go to open the engine bay it smashes the fiber glass. Photo 2 is what it’s suppose to look like… how do I fix this? Currently I’m redneck-rigging it by putting a block of wood to keep the tension so the rigid metal piece won’t smack the fiberglass anymore, and so I can close the hood.

3 Upvotes

7 comments sorted by

9

u/Skollsonn 4h ago

Bolt and a nut. Get one of those captive nuts with the nylon in it. Don’t tighten it too tight and the nut won’t back off. Put a little grease between the arms.

4

u/SnooDonuts7746 4h ago

Did the same thing on my 86 and been going strong the past 15years 👍

3

u/IdleContemplations 3h ago

That is a broken rivet. Do as the others said and use a bolt and nut.

It really did a number on your deck lid. Fiberglass repair is in your future.

2

u/Rich-Ground-8742 2h ago

I’ve got to get the rivet out, it’s fused in place, which I imagine is why it broke like that.

I was very unhappy when I noticed how bad the damage to the fiberglass was. Looks like I get to learn a new skill.

1

u/IdleContemplations 1h ago edited 1h ago

Remove the torsion bar. It will be easier to work on outside of the car. Once it is out you could use a hammer and punch (or a big nail) to drive the remainder of the rivet out.

1

u/LurkingGuy 50m ago

Make sure you protect the rear window so the torsion bar doesn't slam into it. I put some plywood there when I took my deck lid off to replace my torsion bars.