quote Originally posted by weaselbeak: If you are serious about a V-8, figure out your preferred parts list and start writing checks......to Archie.

Thanks for the reference. I had heard some bad things, but I think it's really just one guy that (for some reason or another--I don't really care) hates Archie. I don't think there is anything substantial in that guy's complaints, but I can tell by listening to you guys that Archie's a good man. I'll definitely have to get in contact with him in the future. Especially because I can't do the work myself.

My job requires me to travel around the globe for months at a time, so I won't have any time to have a project. Definitely going to have to find someone else to do it for me and just pay for labor (eek... labor costs!). Like someone posted earlier, Archie's still around. So he's doing something right.

quote Originally posted by Hulki U. My-BFF: Holy **** , it's a cross between Paul Walker and Shaun Hammit.

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SMTHGT.....
Aka. "SmoothGT"
1987 GT 4.9L~V8~4T60E
(Un.Su.)

quote Originally posted by Hulki U. My-BFF: Holy **** , it's a cross between Paul Walker and Shaun Hammit.

I don't get it, lol. Like I said I'm new to the forum... Haha!

quote Originally posted by theBDub: I had heard some bad things, but I think it's really just one guy that (for some reason or another--I don't really care) hates Archie. I don't think there is anything substantial in that guy's complaints, I'll definitely have to get in contact with him in the future. Like someone posted earlier, Archie's still around. So he's doing something right.

DUB.... Well, first off I am not going to jump on the "CLETUS BANDWAGON"... There are DOZENS of shops and MORE PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS working on Fiero doing the SAME things that he does... INCLUDING CHOPTOPS.... I am not bashing Archie, just stating facts. I understand that he has done alot for Fiero performance and styling (choptpps/bodykits) ... BUT, He wasnt even the first to do either... Now this is just one persons opinion, not everyones just to be clear.... YES, I will get some negatives for this from the "CLETUS CLAN" But, thats ok... someone had to say it. +'s are welcome too...

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SMTHGT.....
Aka. "SmoothGT"
1987 GT 4.9L~V8~4T60E
(Un.Su.)

quote Originally posted by SMTHGT: DUB.... Well, first off I am not going to jump on the "CLETUS BANDWAGON"... There are DOZENS of shops and MORE PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS working on Fiero doing the SAME things that he does... INCLUDING CHOPTOPS.... I am not bashing Archie, just stating facts. I understand that he has done alot for Fiero performance and styling (choptpps/bodykits) ... BUT, He wasnt even the first to do either... Now this is just one persons opinion, not everyones just to be clear.... YES, I will get some negatives for this from the "CLETUS CLAN" But, thats ok... someone had to say it. +'s are welcome too...

I gave you a +. You gave me an honest opinion even though you were probably going to get some -'s from it. I appreciate that a lot. Thank you. I understand exactly what you are saying. And I knew who Paul Walker was... just not the other guy. HA. Is he a guy on this forum?

quote Originally posted by theBDub: I gave you a +. You gave me an honest opinion even though you were probably going to get some -'s from it. I appreciate that a lot. Thank you. I understand exactly what you are saying. And I knew who Paul Walker was... just not the other guy. HA. Is he a guy on this forum?

I thought you needed more than 18 post to rate someone..........you must be special

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: I never asked you to believe me.

No you did not ask me to believe you (which I don't). You made a statement of fact. When questioned about that statement you offered a "bench racer" response.

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: I really have no idea what you are talking about here. I screwed up a bit when I said "normal" and "performance" in the same sentence, but what I had meant was they were nothing that joe blow's trans shop wouldnt do in a "normal performance rebuild", plus hardparts. Both the transmission in my grand prix, and the one in the TTGT were built by the same person using the same parts... It is a normal trans that can be purchased for a moderate cost, and daily driven.

Why do you keep changing the story. Originally it was you are in the low 11's/10s with a "bone stock" transaxle. They you stated:

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: The twinturbo (aka TTGT) car that runs mid 8's has THE SAME trans that is sitting in my grand prix in the front yard.

Why do we care what's in your GP or the TTGT?
It's the one in your Fiero that is "running low 11s/10s" and it's bone stock right???
Aren't we discussing what the strength of a stock transxle and how well they hold up to a 10 second Fiero is?
You keep mentioning GP's but that is a whole different chassis with different loading properties. We don't care about what they have done to get
their GP's to hook and run. The set-up for a mid-engine chassis is different and that is what Fiero folks are looking at.
How are the GP folks going to provide any insight into how a mid-engine chassis loads up off the line?????
You've stated more than once we need to talk to the GP folks. Why?? The only help they could offer is how to get more power out of the 3800 series engines (SC, turbo, NA, etc.)
When it comes to transaxles and the chassis loading characteristics, we as a Fiero group need to see what works and what doesn't ourselves.
A transaxle set-up for a 3500 lbs FWD chassis is going to be different than a 2800-3000lbs mid-engine chassis.

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: The one that was broke, was driver error (clearly said why in both this and the other thread), and it was a older transmission with many miles on it (also said that in this thread). The tides have changed in the last 1.5+ years sense that thread anyway. I also did not build the one that was broken. Things were changed to my specifications AFTER the first getrag was broken, and who knew it woulda worked even with 2x the horsepower going to it.

As i said: A getrag 282 isn't "known to handle 500 + whp". Some have built some and cryo'd them to handle higher power, But they are not "known" to handle that power.
Seems you just contradicted yourself yet again by what you just posted: who knew it woulda worked even with 2x the horsepower going to it. implying that nobody would have known it would have worked. But everyone should have known had the statement "known to handle 500 + whp" been a true statement. right?

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: Way to take it out of context... I clearly said "add horsepower", after explaining how to make the transmissions work.

Backpeddle all you want, your statement was:

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: The fiero is a natrual born dragster... Just add some horsepower, and ALL of the stock parts down to the stock wheels even, are good for 9 second 1/4 miles with a mildly built transmission and some horsepower (easy to find in the world of forced induction and fuel injection)

See the bold? That means if you have all stock parts in front of you and you add forced induction to get the power required and a "normal performance rebuild" you should be able to run 9's right?

then you state:

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: never once said that all stock parts will run 9's. I have without a doubt proven all stock parts + turbo on 93 octane gets you mid 11's easily (with VERY little test and tune at the track I might add). I have done, but not yet proven high 10 seconds on all stock parts.

Now you state that it's not 9's but 11's that you have proven and that you are in the process of proving 10's. This is a contradiction in your previous statement about all stock parts for 9s.

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: In terms of chassis, you are pretty much set up to go pretty fast on a stock body, simple as that. The "ability to make a fiero a dragster" is relitive to the fact that I never consider any car I build to be a "drag only" car. I daily drive every one of my cars to and from work every day... and a fiero can easily and cheaply hook up a great percentage of the max power I can make. I dont know many cars that can run low 11's one day, then still hook on the way home on the same set of cheap worn out drag radials. .

There are many street cars that can do that. The point is a mid-engine chassis with a transverse mounted drive train is NOT a "natrual born dragster" While the "ability" to make a Fiero a dragster is true, it is not "naturally designed" for it.

[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 05-14-2010).]

I never said anything bad about CLETUS... I JUST SAID HE was not the first to do it all, and there are lots of people working on Fieros that are MORE PROFESSIONAL... I have talked to hom a few time on the phone and he was smug. really a a$$hole. I have talked to others on the phone and not gotten "THE ATTITUDE".... thats all aLI am saying..

quote Originally posted by SMTHGT: I never said anything bad about CLETUS... I JUST SAID HE was not the first to do it all, and there are lots of people working on Fieros that are MORE PROFESSIONAL... I have talked to hom a few time on the phone and he was smug. really a a$$hole. I have talked to others on the phone and not gotten "THE ATTITUDE".... thats all aLI am saying..

I never accused you of saying anything bad about anyone.
I was just curious on what you based your opinion of Archie on and what other shops are available for those looking for similar work to be done on their Fiero's.
So your opinion of him is based on your personal experience in talking with him. That's good to know.
Now, what other shops do the same work?

quote When it comes to transaxles and the chassis loading characteristics, we as a Fiero group need to see what works and what doesn't ourselves. A transaxle set-up for a 3500 lbs FWD chassis is going to be different than a 2800-3000lbs mid-engine chassis.

Uhh how so? if a GTP breaks a inputshaft making 300whp, running high 12s... and a fiero breaks it at 400whp, running low 11's.. you can see that the requirements are pretty much similar when the MATH behind it shows up. Without shock loading taken into play, your power handling is a simple calculation of weight vs engine torque. The fact that you sit in front of the motor vs behind it has no bearing on anything.

"loading" has nothing to do with the trans.. it has everything to do with tires, suspension, and weight distribution.. but the wheel turning is not effected by anything other than the traction available.... which a fiero can spin just as easily as a wbody.

DH, you definitely know your stuff and have researched a lot. Why do you tend to have so many people disagree with you? I've seen countless threads with you on it that sooner or later turned into a "debate" of sorts. I'm NOT getting on you about this, or accusing you of anything. LOL I'm the last person that has a right to do that, just joined the other day and know close to nothing. I'm just wondering why it happens so often.

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: Uhh how so? if a GTP breaks a inputshaft making 300whp, running high 12s... and a fiero breaks it at 400whp, running low 11's.. you can see that the requirements are pretty much similar when the MATH behind it shows up. Without shock loading taken into play, your power handling is a simple calculation of weight vs engine torque. The fact that you sit in front of the motor vs behind it has no bearing on anything. "loading" has nothing to do with the trans.. it has everything to do with tires, suspension, and weight distribution.. but the wheel turning is not effected by anything other than the traction available.... which a fiero can spin just as easily as a wbody.

What?!?!?!? I guess you really do have no clue do you.
Oh well, good luck with your 9s all stock parts quest.

quote Originally posted by theBDub: DH, you definitely know your stuff and have researched a lot. Why do you tend to have so many people disagree with you?

HaHaHaHa, OK now I know that you are not very serious. You just came on here to "troll" around.
Good Luck with that.

It's been fun but now that I know this isn't a serious thread, enjoy.

[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 05-14-2010).]

quote Originally posted by theBDub: . I've heard from a few people that Cletus doesn't really know what he's doing... That he's been doing the same thing for 25 years but isn't adapting to the times. Is this true? What is your take?

quote I have been hearing it all from just a couple guys

quote Yes, I've gotten all of that "Archie builds junk" info from just one man.

change your story much...........what's your RFT screen name........

quote Originally posted by theBDub: DH, you definitely know your stuff and have researched a lot.

I think you should send DH a really big check and have him build you a car !!!

quote Originally posted by DL10: change your story much...........what's your RFT screen name........

Idk what an RFT is. Well here's what it is, I originally was looking at videos on YouTube and talking to these guys with the screen names "Cletusbuildsjunk", "Archiebuildscrap" and like two others with a little more unique names, but I can't remember. I thought it was more than one guy, but then I realized after a little bit that it was really just one guy that has made multiple accounts.

My post to DH was sincere. I want to know why everyone disagrees with him if he thinks he knows so much. It's obvious that he knows about cars, read his posts, but so do a lot of people that disagree with him. It doesn't make much sense to me how two people with a lot of knowledge on the same subject disagree so much.

I don't understand why you guys think I'm a joke... really. I've been respectful to everyone's posts and appreciative. Yes, it appeared that I changed my story but I am clearing that up right now. I'm not trying to make enemies, that would be idiotic of me. You are all cool guys that I really need to be in touch with if/when I pursue my dream Fiero.

quote Originally posted by theBDub: Idk what an RFT is. Well here's what it is, I originally was looking at videos on YouTube and talking to these guys with the screen names "Cletusbuildsjunk", "Archiebuildscrap" and like two others with a little more unique names, but I can't remember. I thought it was more than one guy, but then I realized after a little bit that it was really just one guy that has made multiple accounts. My post to DH was sincere. I want to know why everyone disagrees with him if he thinks he knows so much. It's obvious that he knows about cars, read his posts, but so do a lot of people that disagree with him. It doesn't make much sense to me how two people with a lot of knowledge on the same subject disagree so much. I don't understand why you guys think I'm a joke... really. I've been respectful to everyone's posts and appreciative. Yes, it appeared that I changed my story but I am clearing that up right now. I'm not trying to make enemies, that would be idiotic of me. You are all cool guys that I really need to be in touch with if/when I pursue my dream Fiero.

Yes all those names on youtube are the same person. That person has a grudge with Archie and has dedicated his life since 2002 to do nothing but harass Archie and every one of his customers. If you happen to install a SBC V-8 in your Fiero and use Archies kit or any part of his kit, You to will become a target and harassed by him.

As for disagreeing with darkhorizon, it is because he doesn't always know what he's talking about and he's good at spewing inaccurate information. While he does have some knowledge on certain aspects, his "research" on transaxles is incorrect. Many here know that he is incorrect. Being that you are new here and suddenly agreeing with him (despite all his contradicting posts) it leads many of us to believe that you are only here to "stir the pot" rather than actually learn about Fiero's and swaps.

quote Originally posted by Oreif: Yes all those names on youtube are the same person. That person has a grudge with Archie and has dedicated his life since 2002 to do nothing but harass Archie and every one of his customers. If you happen to install a SBC V-8 in your Fiero and use Archies kit or any part of his kit, You to will become a target and harassed by him.

Thank you for clearing that up. I'll just ignore him, then.

quote Originally posted by Oreif: As for disagreeing with darkhorizon, it is because he doesn't always know what he's talking about and he's good at spewing inaccurate information. While he does have some knowledge on certain aspects, his "research" on transaxles is incorrect. Many here know that he is incorrect. Being that you are new here and suddenly agreeing with him (despite all his contradicting posts) it leads many of us to believe that you are only here to "stir the pot" rather than actually learn about Fiero's and swaps.

Well, I couldn't understand everything being posted. I know a LOT less than you guys, so I was confused. To me, he sounds legit. It's like, I'm really good at math. If I talked to a middle school student about my classes, he would have no idea if I was right or wrong, but I'd sound really smart anyways. It's like that with you guys. All of you sound like you know your stuff. I'll really try and dissect more and figure out what to listen to and what to ignore. But also to clear it up... I wasn't necessarily agreeing with him, just acknowledging that he sounds like he knows his stuff, then asking why everyone disagrees with him. I was trying to bring it back down to my level, so I could understand a little more of what was going on. I'm sorry for the confusion, guys. I really am NOT trying to get on anyone's bad side, including DH.

Save youself all the work and who knows how much time - some conversions take a year or years- and buy a V8 Fiero. It likely won't cost all that much more.

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[IMG]




trueleo.com
RSpiderII@aol.com

quote Originally posted by Francis T: Save youself all the work and who knows how much time - some conversions take a year or years- and buy a V8 Fiero. It likely won't cost all that much more.

Well, I would like to know exactly what I'm putting in, and for it to me MY vision. Ya know?

quote Originally posted by theBDub: Well, I would like to know exactly what I'm putting in, and for it to me MY vision. Ya know?

OK, then I would suggest doing a search on V8 conversions and read up on a bunch to get feel for what's involved. Good luck.

quote Originally posted by theBDub: Well, I would like to know exactly what I'm putting in, and for it to me MY vision. Ya know?

But you don't really have a vision. What's your goal...... if you have very little mechanical knowledge as you say and money is no object and your goal is to have the fastest Fiero out there......... then I would go to the guy with the fastest Fiero... FieroX...and I would have him build me one that's faster. To go to anyone else you are just guessing.
If you want a V-8 there are a few guys who might be able to with enough money and that goal......none of them have done it but Archie's record for happy customers is 2nd to none.

This thread reaks of Hammitt. It's a shame that somebody devotes their life to bashing a person who wouldn't hire you.

Thanks for the advice guys I appreciate it.

theBDub,

If you are serious, you need to decide exactly what you want to do with the car. For example an all out drag car, won't make down a mountain pass faster than a 1960's VW Beetle. Or, if you make an all out track car it will suck to drive it on the street. Show car, well they look good, but even when they are high HP they are nothing but compromises. So unless you decide exactly what you want there is a good chance you will end up with nothing but an expensive turd that you are not happy with.

Please don't take this a some sort of bashing. Pie in the sky dreaming is a great way to hash out ideas. But, if you try to build anything to do everything you will fail.

Boy you people really know how to side track a thread( D.H and Oreif) The search function is a great
feature on this sight. When you ask a question such as you have you are going to the he said she said pissing
match fairly quick as you can see. If you search you will find multiple threads on this subject with the
same bull but at least you will have hundreds of post and if you read carefully you can pull out the little
bit of usefull info from the many bullsh@t bickering.

A 10 second car fiero or other wise is not an easily obtainable feat. A v8 fiero could run 10's it needs to be built
to rev high, bring the power band in late so not to shock load the tranny, auto tranny (and I believe it needs to be carburated).
406 sbc on some juice would get you on the right track. V8's like too breath 1 3/4" primary headers are usually a must for big power
and well they don't make them off the shelf that fit the fiero. Upgrade ignition, get the motor dyno tuned before it goes in the car
it is easier to make the changes then. I've seen alot of power found on a dyno tune. This is all my 2 cents worth, Ray

quote Originally posted by theBDub: And yeah, I wouldn't be happy with a V6. But I do want the fastest. I know FieroX has a V6, but I don't understand why a V8 wouldn't be faster.

Don't knock the v-6. I have two Grand Nationals that weigh another 1300 pounds over any Fiero and am running high tens with one and high twelves stock with the other. One guy in our club is running eights with a daily driver. He has been in several GM High Performance magazines, his name is Cal Hartline out of Orlando, Fl. Think force induction, turbo or supercharged, you can't go wrong. Like alot of folks here say, 3800 is a good start. And an auot is the way to go. Here in Fl. the state trooper cars were 5 speed mustangs, but the impala ss cars were faster because of being autos even though they were alot bigger car. One of many reasons the state got rid of the mustangs.

this thread is awesome! lol @ manuals not being able to withstand 500hp. unfortunately dh actually said true things in this thread that are just going to be overlooked and ignored. Sift through the bs and you will actually find good information in some of his posts.

quote Originally posted by Jncomutt: unfortunately dh actually said true things in this thread that are just going to be overlooked and ignored. Sift through the bs and you will actually find good information in some of his posts.

My point exactly, he and others do have good points but you do need to sift through the ego maniacal b.s

By the way jncomutt I love that you beat that five speed of yours and getting impressive numbers. I agree if driven right
the standards will hold and the saying has always been "if you want to play you got to pay" so sometimes going fast means
replacing sh@t lol. Ray

the funny thing is that I'm running a stock junkyard block and the same junkyard trans for over 2 years now with no issues.

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| 1984 3800 Turbo / 5speed | 518hp on a Dyno-dynamics | 11.8 @ 129mph |

quote Originally posted by California Kid: I think you should send DH a really big check and have him build you a car !!!

I rarely even get paid for the fieros I do work on... Its more about the love of building things than the money.... My desk job makes me plenty, I just ask that the work I do for others gets rolled back into my cars to the best of the customers ability.

quote Being that you are new here and suddenly agreeing with him (despite all his contradicting posts) it leads many of us to believe that you are only here to "stir the pot" rather than actually learn about Fiero's and swaps.

It appears you are the one that has the v8 archie edition aviators in this thread. I have tried to be as logical and objective as I could be in this thread, only to have you take things out of context, jumble it around, and say how stupid I am at trying to form a post.

quote If you are serious, you need to decide exactly what you want to do with the car. For example an all out drag car, won't make down a mountain pass faster than a 1960's VW Beetle. Or, if you make an all out track car it will suck to drive it on the street. Show car, well they look good, but even when they are high HP they are nothing but compromises. So unless you decide exactly what you want there is a good chance you will end up with nothing but an expensive turd that you are not happy with.

40 years ago, I would consider that a valid post... In today's age of boost, fuel injection, suspension technologies, tire technology, and the natural weight balance of a fiero being mid engine.... You can have your cake and eat it too. There is obviously going to be a balancing act between handling, and drag... but you can go up in both directions very far over stock and end up with something that can do it all. A prime example of this is in the very new cars coming out with 500+hp... they have suspension that lets them hook up, and they handle amazingly.

Listening to people say things are "not practical" and "you could never street drive it" is just a defeatist attitude, and it is helping nobody. The simple fact is wither people choose to believe it or not, is that with some very cheap and readily available parts from other GM cars, you should have no problems building a car that has performance similar to that of a brand new sports car.

I am just thinking that oreif is getting a bit jealous of us kids that barely spent 10 times less on motors/transmissions than he did, that let us beat on them every day while getting 30+mpg, be reliable enough to be their primary car (I know for jconomutt and I, our 500+hp fieros are our only cars), and run significantly faster than a $5000 SBC motor in a fiero..

Hey guys,

Thank you SOOOOO much for bringing this back to my topic. I felt like I was having to protect myself a little bit too much to ask for us to go back. Again, this is the feedback I was hoping for. Actually, this exceeds my expectations.

Primaris: I want a street racer. Something that can definitely race in a straight line on highways, but it needs to be practical too. I love taking corners and actually feeling like I'm one with the car. The reason I said "10 second car" is because that is an easy indicator of "that's a fast car". It's an easy thing I can throw out to show and prove that my car is fast. You see where I'm coming from? So, what I want is a freakishly fast, but fun, car. Doesn't need to be the best in drag, doesn't need to be the best in rally, but it needs to be best overall

Ray: I appreciate the input. Where exactly do I find the search feature? Looked for it, but I guess I wasn't looking hard enough.

Turbowedge: I don't mean to knock the V6 necessarily, but I wouldn't be as happy. I just have to have that V8 raw power under my hood... or trunk. Even if it wasn't the fastest, I love the sound and feel of a V8. It gives me goosebumps.

Jncomutt: I plan on looking at other threads when I have time, and learning a little more so I actually have the knowledge to be able to sift through B.S. As of right now, a lot of it looks like mumbo jumbo. Just something I'd copy paste and send to the mechanic!

DH: Thanks for taking the time to be looking at this forum and helping me out. I appreciate it.

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon: It appears you are the one that has the v8 archie edition aviators in this thread. I have tried to be as logical and objective as I could be in this thread, only to have you take things out of context, jumble it around, and say how stupid I am at trying to form a post.

Whatever.

theDBub ~ Good luck with your build.

My V8 fiero was built using used parts. I purchased a fiero that already had an Archie kit installed. I pulled the motor and kit. After cleaning everything up I installed it in my GT. I reused 90% of the parts from the parts car. I took lots of pictures before I removed it then lots of pictures when I did the install. I paid $1000 for the Fiero including the engine. I got such a good deal because the car had sit out side during some pretty bad storms.
The carburator had water sitting in it. But when I pulled the engine apart it looked great inside just had to clean it up and put it back together.
I have had the car on the road for a couple of years and have been driving it to work every day. I even take it out of town every now and then.

It all depends on what you want out of the project. At the end of the day I wanted to drive a car I put on the road.

But if I had the money I would have Archie build me the car. I would have a crate 383 dropped off at his door and have him mate it to a new 6 speed. I love the Norms flipper hood, I have one on my GT so I would probably have him install one and mate it to a wide body kit. I would have a custom cradle made to make it wider while using the stock size control arms. I would have the rear frame rails moved to give more room and the strut towers replaced with smaller ones. Coil over conversions would give me control over ride height and let me use the smaller strut towers. Cutting down the strut towers and moving the frame rails out 2 inches each side will give more room for the engine and transmission. I would then like to use a better accessory system that more room would allow. I would probably upgrade to an 88 suspension at that time to take advantage of the better handling. Tube control arms or even upgrade to the Corvette arms like Bubba Joe did if possible. For the front I would want to install power steering and widen the track the same way I did for the rear. That would also give me room to run a larger radiator. I wouldn’t widen it a full 4 inches in the front probably just 2 inches as I wouldnt need the wider stance with Flipper hood but would want to fill out the wheel wells a little better. Brakes would have to be replaced but there are plenty to choose from and I would just use what ever Archie has been installing for years as they are already engineered. Then I would have him cut the top off and throw it away. Install the fish plates to the center tunnel and out side frame rails to tie everything together and install a heavy roll bar behind my head. I would have a custom hard top created so it would look like a Notch back when installed. It wouldn’t be structural so it could be made light so two people could install it in a few minutes. I would retain the rear window with the top removed to keep the engine heat separated as much as possible. I would also want a larger fuel tank. That would require some modifications to the tunnel as well as creating an over flow area in the front to give me 10 more gallons of fuel. I think this could be done by removing the taper in the tank. You would have to shrink the passenger side foot room but it wouldn’t be as bad as you think.

Now once the car has been put together I would find a speed shop that has a lot of references and have them tweak the stand alone electronic fuel system installed at Archie’s shop. The car would have to breath at higher RPMs as that’s where it will live with the trans we have to choose from. But I wouldn’t want to loose too much low end TQ. The exhaust would be up have to match the engine, kind of hard to do with the limited room so there goes the trunk bottom. That will give me room to install two full sized mufflers and cats without having them in a tight location. True duels are nice but a small balance tube would help with performance.

Once the body and power plant are done its time for the inside. I would have a custom rear cover made and covered in leather. This would match the seats I would cover with the same color leather.
For the dash I would contact Amida and have him build me one. The gauges would be custom but not digital, I like the sweep of an analog dash but I would have an onboard computer system to monitor everything as well as the gauges. That would let me adjust the tune and trouble shoot performance issues.

The sound system would have to fit without being in your face. I think a sub box in the front with a tubes behind the dash to get the sound inside the car.
I’m just too tall for it to go behind the seats and I cant stand the seats not being adjusted in the same place. Plus I would custom mount the seats so they only fit me and were lower to give me more head room so I don’t brain myself on the roll bar. I would have to have a navigation system as well as WIFI to get updates and post pictures to make all of you jealous.
DVR would capture front and back views so I know who to kill if someone hits me.

I would go with rims just large enough to accommodate the brakes and I wouldn’t get the rubber band tires everyone likes. I would want some side wall as this will be a cruiser not a show car.

Lights would use LEDs as much as possible and used to highlight the body work where possible. But not over the top where it looks like a UFO.

For color I would go with a pearl caramel. I don’t see that color going down the road and I think it would be nice.

Then I would drive the crap out of it until I couldn’t afford to put gas in it.

Did I break your bank yet?

Again, I was not bashing Archie... Now, I am not sure that everyone on my list is still doing things or not(ive been gone 5yrs remember) IL. V8 ARCHIE (800)891~3608 FL. KITCARMAN (352)362~8025 AL. FIERO FACTORY (256)420~5391 PA. FASTFIEROS (610)792~0886 FL. BV MOTORSPORTS (850)896~5527 WI. FIERODAVE (715)893~6738 CA. WEST COAST FIERO (310)305~4111 OH. DANS AUTOMOTIVE (614)206~8157 MN. DRIVEN VISIONS (218)628~3748 OK. DESIGN1 SYSTEMS (405)733~5505 ONT. CANADA HTD ELIMINATOR (905)670~7337 MOORES PERFORMANCE (260)492~6482 I would also add other that I dont have contact info., etc. WHODEANIE, 355SPYDER, ETC.

quote Originally posted by SMTHGT: Again, I was not bashing Archie... Now, I am not sure that everyone on my list is still doing things or not(ive been gone 5yrs remember) IL. V8 ARCHIE (800)891~3608 FL. KITCARMAN (352)362~8025 AL. FIERO FACTORY (256)420~5391 PA. FASTFIEROS (610)792~0886 FL. BV MOTORSPORTS (850)896~5527 WI. FIERODAVE (715)893~6738 CA. WEST COAST FIERO (310)305~4111 OH. DANS AUTOMOTIVE (614)206~8157 MN. DRIVEN VISIONS (218)628~3748 OK. DESIGN1 SYSTEMS (405)733~5505 ONT. CANADA HTD ELIMINATOR (905)670~7337 MOORES PERFORMANCE (260)492~6482 I would also add other that I dont have contact info., etc. WHODEANIE, 355SPYDER, ETC.

5 years is a long time to be out of the Fiero game. I have several parts on my car made by Archie and he has helped me several times with issues on my kit that I didn't directly buy from him. He has taken time to post on here and has been keeping a running post on what he is doing in his shop. Over and over he has included PFF in his builds. When he built the stinger I was so inspired that I went to my bank and found out about what I would have to do to buy the car. Too bad it sold before I could make an offer. Reguardless of what you may think about him his shop does good work.
Anyone that builds a car has to shop around. I wouldn't go to Archie to build an engine, I wouldn't ask him to build tube control arms, I wouldn't ask him to cover my dash with leather and if you read his posts he isn't offering those options at his shop. I would go to those that have done that before. Its my money and I would choose who is best to do the job.

But I am sure if the time and money was right he would take on all of those tasks. I would trust him with my car to do the body modifications and to install an engine and transmission. For tuning and engine choice I would make sure he could handle my install but I would choose the engine of my choice based on what I wanted and I would have it tuned by someone that does that all the time.


IF money was no object and I had the time I wouldn't let anyone touch my car, I would build it all myself. I love learning new things and I know how to work with my hands if I have the tools to do the job. I installed my V8 on my carport with two sides open to the Florida weather.

"Florida weather."....


Geez, it's a bit tough to feel sorry for you on that one. In Iowa we have "weather".