I now have a shifter to work with and have the select cable bracket already made. Hoping to get the rest done as soon as I get home as I am out of town for a close friend whose Mother passed away and was just buried this afternoon. Dan
Thank you, unfortunately cancer won out. I am now back home and back to work, shipping out some finished pieces today and focusing on shifter brackets for the F23. Dan
Thank you, unfortunately cancer won out. I am now back home and back to work, shipping out some finished pieces today and focusing on shifter brackets for the F23. Dan
Please let me know when it`s ready. Just waiting on kit to get going again on the swap.
he had told me that he had one made up, but was not satisfied with how sloppy it was. He was going to make a few changes to the design and incorporate some bushings i believe.
Dan, I have been in contact with a gentleman in MD named David who does not have access to these forums. He is interested in my built 3800SC Fiero project that I have to part with. I put a lot of time, and money, into the car, but I am 22 years old and will be father soon, so I am forced to downsize my toy collection, meaning projects first. I have had several long phone conversations with David and he sounds like a very enthusiastic person! I believe he told me he currently owns a variety of Fieros, 11 I think he said, (track cars, project cars, restored cars, etc) Along with many other projects and toys. He told me during our phone conversation tonight that he drove up to the Canadian border recently to drop off a Pontiac Transport van? that he wants you to put a G6 transmission with a 3800SC into it? Also he mentions that you requested him to purchase and bring you several other transmissions! He said that he is some what skeptical, and looks at it as basically a 'testing the waters' kind of deal. If things work out between you and him he will purchase my 3800 Fiero and have it shipped directly from here in Georgia to Canada for you to complete! I would love to have you put my project back together, and for him to own the car. That way it will be put into a collection that gets the respect it deserves! I hope that everything works out, and would love to see some pictures of his "Dust Buster" I believe he called the van project. Best Regards, Chris
Dan, I've been following your progress with getting your business off the ground, and I have to give you kudos for doing this. Selling complete swap kits that include mounts, brackets, a reprogrammed PCM, AND a harness for engines other than the 350 SBC is a great idea. The fact that you want to go beyond the 3800, and add the 3x00 engines and Ecotecs is even better. Your kits will take all the guesswork out of Fieros swaps (even though I suspect some of the swappers here actually enjoy that part, and see it as a challenge).
I have a question for you. I fully understand that you want to concentrate on the 3800, 60-degree 3x00s, and Ecotecs at first, because that's where the market is going for Fiero swaps. However, what is your policy for less conventional Fiero swaps involving older, less commonly swapped engines? I'm thinking mostly about the 4.9L Cadillac, the 3.4L Twin Dual Cam, Northstar, 3.5L Shortstar, the Quad 4, and the 2.4L Twin Cam LD9, but also about rarely swapped engines like the 2.0L OHC turbo LT3 from the Sunbird GT, and the McLaren 3.1L turbo. Would you only make a swap kit for engines like those after someone has ordered one from you for the first time? I spoke on the phone with Roger Thelin, who makes Ecotec mounts and brackets for Fieros in Florida, and he told me he could make mounts and brackets to swap anything into a Fiero, as long as the customer sent him his engine and/or transmission to work on. That customer would also have to understand that his order might take a bit more time, since the mounts and brackets would be designed from scratch, and those new mounts would then be reproduced for future orders. That got me to think that it would be neat to swap a Toyota/Yamaha 2ZZ-GE engine from a Pontiac Vibe GT (hey, technically, as long as it comes out of a Pontiac, it's still a Pontiac engine!) and its accompanying 6-speed manual into an 88 Fiero, to make a poor man's Lotus Elise.
Anyway, I'm getting beside my point here. In short, my question is, what is your policy and pricing for swaps other than 3800s, 3x00s, and Ecotecs?
[This message has been edited by Hidalgo (edited 05-24-2013).]
Unless I get into major amounts of time doing odd ball swaps I see no reason to charge any more then the 3800 swaps. As far as making kits for odd engines I would have to also have an engine/tranny to work with which does not necessarily have to be the customers as there is usually plenty of engines in wreckers that are no good to be had for cheap to use for moch ups to make harnesses and mounts from. Biggest problems with most modern swaps is the electronics, if the PCM can be programmed then it is easy but for swaps where the PCM can not be altered the need to get fancy can slow things down quite a bit and in the end it is time spent that sets the cost of most things. As for some engines like the DOHC 3.4 the injector wiring is pretty hard to remove with out dismantling the top half the engine so making a harness for this engine can be a pain. Dan
I have made two sets so far and in the process of trying to improve them in a car right now. To be honest I am not happy with them I do not like the feel of the shifts or the amount of play they add over the already not so good design that the Fiero came with. I am thinking that the way I did before with using a longer shift cable is still the better way to go but that does not mean I have given up either. Dan
From what I have found this weekend making a shifter bracket with some kind of pivot to allow the use of stock cables leaves too much play in the shifting. I had a customer bring me a Roger Thelin kit that requires a fair bit of work and even a little modifying to get to work but in the end has a much better shift action with no more play then the stock Fiero trannies. I would recommend either going with Thelin's kit or just buy the longer shifter cables and go the route others have done on here with the shift cable wrapped around the tranny to line up with the shifter arm. The longer cable will run you around $100 and Rogers kit at least twice that and require some work to instal. Dan
Biggest problems with most modern swaps is the electronics, if the PCM can be programmed then it is easy but for swaps where the PCM can not be altered the need to get fancy can slow things down quite a bit and in the end it is time spent that sets the cost of most things. Dan
Do you reprogram the PCMs yourself or do you outsource that part of the swap to a firm like Overkill?
Originally posted by FIEROFLYER: I do all my own programming. Dan
Wait a minute, are you saying that you can reprogram the stock PCM that comes with the last 3x00 "High Value" engines? Around here I keep hearing that it can't be done!?!? Or do you just tear out the stock PCM and replace it with a 7730 or a Megasquirt 3 that you programmed yourself?
[This message has been edited by Hidalgo (edited 05-29-2013).]
Wait a minute, are you saying that you can reprogram the stock PCM that comes with the last 3x00 "High Value" engines? Around here I keep hearing that it can't be done!?!? Or do you just tear out the stock PCM and replace it with a 7730 or a Megasquirt 3 that you programmed yourself?
The 3500 and 3900 VVT engines are supposed to be supported by HPTuners, but not the non-VVT LX9. So AFAIK, there is currently no way to even disable VATS in the LX9 PCM. Either use a 3400 PCM w/external trigger or just use a 7730. Either way is well documented.
ok, just sent another one. hopefully this works. if not, i need both 4t65e early style mounts, and the engine mount for a 3800. the one that uses the stock fiero/rodney mounts.
The 3500 and 3900 VVT engines are supposed to be supported by HPTuners, but not the non-VVT LX9. So AFAIK, there is currently no way to even disable VATS in the LX9 PCM. Either use a 3400 PCM w/external trigger or just use a 7730. Either way is well documented.
I also noticed that the Northstar, Aurora, and Shortstar engines are absent from HPTuners' list of applications. What do Fiero owners do about the PCM when they swap those engines into their Fieros? Megasquirt 3?
[This message has been edited by Hidalgo (edited 05-31-2013).]
Got my car back today from the F23 swap and it's a night and day difference. So much smoother and Dan did a great job with it. Just wanted to post a public thank you!
I am not going to be taking any more orders for a bit, I have been over doing it and pissed off my back and shoulder again so for a few days I will be just getting caught up. Plus I foolishly sent two packages to the wrong people which I still can't believe I did and need to correct that ASAP. I am taking it as a sign that I am over doing it to the point I need to slow down a bit. From this point on I am getting my Girlfriend to take care of the shipping portion of the business so I do not mess up any more on that. My sincerest apologies to the two, this is unacceptable and I need to make sure it does not happen again. Dan
Wow! I didn't know there was enough work in the field of Fieros to keep someone that busy. On one hand, you have my sincerest wishes to get well soon. And on the other hand, you have my congratulations and admiration for turning your passion for this car into a business that was successful enough to get you a work-related injury. Prompt rétablissement! (Get well soon!)
Wow! I didn't know there was enough work in the field of Fieros to keep someone that busy. On one hand, you have my sincerest wishes to get well soon. And on the other hand, you have my congratulations and admiration for turning your passion for this car into a business that was successful enough to get you a work-related injury. Prompt rétablissement! (Get well soon!)
Yeah... you can't see the PMs that fly around in addition to thread traffic.
I'm assuming mine is one of the wrong ones shipped to the wrong address. I've been sending you pm's about my harness. I'm sure If you told these people abou the shipping mixup they would understand. I was pretty worried about this and was contemplating a PayPal dispute because I haven't heard from you at all after a month. Hopefully your injuries subside and it all works out for you.
"My sincerest apologies to the two, this is unacceptable and I need to make sure it does not happen again. Dan"
Unfortunately I wish you would have told me that instead of leaving me in the dark. I sent you my 400 may 7th. This is rediculous I could understand an injury stopping you from completing work. But i am left guessing if i am one of the shipping mix ups. But I have not had any contact with you and I have sent you 11 Pm's with no response. The only way to seem to get your attention I posting on this thread. I am requesting my money back. I have tried to be reasonable. Given your injury. But am completely offended at the lack of communication.
All you have to do is to comment on his sloppy work in any other thread, and he will reply in 30 seconds! Funny how the "injury" doesn't prevent him from replying in my thread.. A guy I served with a long time ago lost his left leg below the knee in Afghanistan.. yet he has no problem replying to messages.
Just one week ago Fieroflyer's agonizing injuries that he suffered while making a wiring harness didn't prevent him from sending me a PM trying to pick a fight. You know... like we used to do in elementary school?
I am too injured to reply to my customers whose money I have taken, but i still want to up and get into a fight.. LOL
