Hey there!

So yesterday I picked up my first Firebird, the 1989 base model with a 2.8 V6. I am excited to start working on this car and restoring. Although my knowledge on older cars is limited. So when I picked the car up, the guy told me he tried replacing the alternator but gave up, but it seems a lot more was taken off.

I need help being pointed in the general direction of where to start or what to get. A brief list would be great.

Thanks!

 

look for any broken studs or stripped out Torx bolt heads or anything else that may have caused the P.O. to "give up" on an easy alternator replacement...Is running condition of the engine known ?

 

So after looking it all over, the bracket has taken some abuse. Along with that I now realize I am missing damn near all the bolts to mount it back on. P.O. said it ran in 2016, been sitting ever since.

 

hopefully someone will have a spare bracket and bolts you can get.If the gas has gone rancid enough,the fuel pump(mounted in the gas tank)will be ruined and need replaced. If there is stale gas in the tank,siphon out as much as you can,replace with fresh gas and if fuel system is intact,see if the pump will run for a few seconds when the ignition is switched on (insulate the disconnected alternator wires before hooking up a battery) there are some other checks that need done before trying to start the engine for a short test fire

 

Thank you for all the advice, greatly appreciated!

 

Did the PO say WHY he took it apart ? From the hackjob I see there, my guess is that the alternator went bad, and when the large bolt wouldn't come out, he went all psycho on it with the power tools to cut the head off the bolt(A useless effort since the threaded end is not where it gets stuck) and then ended up breaking the bracket in the process of perhaps trying to beat it apart with more use of hammer than brains. The place where it gets stuck is not the threads on the back, it's the steel bolt itself "dissimilar metals corroding" itself into the aluminum alternator. Anyway, the damage is done and yes you do need a new bracket & alternator + all of the missing bolts to put it back together.

Now, fortunately, since V6 thirdgens are usually V8 swapped in a few different variants, there are usually at least a few people in the "for sale / wanted" section of the forum selling leftovers from these swaps. In fact, when I needed an aluminum power steering bracket I don't think my search got past page 2 before I found someone selling the part I needed. I think your best bet would be to put a wanted ad up asking for the brackets & bolts and see what turns up. Remember, if you do try to go native on the smaller bolts at the local hardware store they are metric (and not SAE) thread, and the large bolt is metric too, I just doubt the average hardware store would have one of the right length and thread to shank ratio.

Oh, and last thought, if this has sat 6 or so years, then just as 8t2 z-chev said, you've got some fuel issues starting at the fuel tank and ending at the injectors to deal with once you get the front of the engine back together. And yes, when all is said and done and you finally DO get to drive it, it'll all be worth the effort

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

Oh, the PO took it all off to replace the alternator. Now I won't say that he didn't do any research before hand but.. yeah.

 

**UPDATE:

So far I managed to find the parts I needed by a sheer stroke of luck. I was cruising on some county roads when I saw a beat down Firebird in a field. Simply knocked on the farmers door and asked if I could pull some parts. Now I have everything mounted besides one bracket. I also replaced all the fluids in the car yesterday. So today I will see if she starts.

 

Expect the transmission(if automatic) to be low on fluid-the fluid level should be checked with engine running.If you have the 5-speed stick,congrats!

 

**UPDATE

Well finally got her running! I had to do a fuel pump replacement on it... what a bitch.. but overall besides for some part swaps and fluid replacements, she runs great.

Next step is fixing up the cosmetics. Anyone have any tips and tricks?

Thanks for all the help everyone!