Congrats Archie ! Your a Legend in the Fiero and your cars and contributions have made you immortal in this world. Thanks for all and Enjoy YOUR time for all your hard work.
Congrats, Archie, it was a pleasure meeting you last year at Fierorama. You inspired many other younger people such as myself to follow in your footsteps of work ethic and quality of products and services, alongwith always trying innovate new things for the Fiero community. Have a happy retirement.
Congratulations on your retirement and I know you will enjoy living in Las Vegas. You're a huge asset for the Fiero community and your contributions have been great and you will be missed. Have fun in the Sun and enjoy not having to blow snow!!
Arch, knew this day was coming, but that still does not make reading this any easier. Good luck to you both, I hope the dry Vegas climate does you both some good. I'm sure you'll be so much more happy getting out of the snow/cold.
Thank you for all you have done for me, and the Fiero Community. You will be missed. Your legacy will live on in each car that you and your shop have touched, either directly or through your kits. Just this weekend, I was talking about you and your shop to a Fiero owner, who made a comment that "he was planning on an LS swap this year". I hope he's on the ball and gets a kit soon.
Hi Archie, I just heard about this today! I have considered you a friend for many years, and as others may or may not know, your LS1 swap in my GT was the 3rd V8 Fiero you did for me. Started with a 350 instal in a pretty used 88 Formula 5-speed, and then to a 350 V8 in my Formula T-Top which was a show stopper for many years. (I recall you called my swap a " Paulv" swap for many years.) Then in 1996 you did the LS1 in my 88GT T-top which still brings oohs and ahhs whenever I show it. Always professionally done. Unlike many of the other posters here, our wives met several times and enjoyed the comradiere and social aspects of our friendship. While I am sorry to see you give up the majority of your business, it looks like you will probably continue to be in the V8 Fiero business. You have made many friends over the years, I am proud to say I consider myself as 1 of that group!! Hope everything goes well for you and Karen!!
Wow! Congrats on your retirement, and thanks for your contribution to the Fiero community. I have only one complaint, you retired before I could get my V-8 swap.
I was a customer "by proxy" who bought your kits for a local shop to install. The quality of the kit was amazing, but even more so was your continued willingness to provide advice and answers to my questions and questions from the shop that was doing the install. You were, are and always will be a true professional and the Fiero Community was made better by your involvement. Good Luck to you and the misses in Nevada and I hope Kris and Rob are also able to transition to a shop that continues your example.
My dreams came true the day I found out you had bought the molds from Candy Apple cars. My Finale has been on the road for 8 yrs now and still looks great in this modern world. Thank you so much for all your Fiero efforts, the Muira is a particular favorite of mine. May I recommend the Hope & Anchor on Tropicana for a drink and a good "English" breakfast.... Enjoy!!!!!
So you are going to trade in the snowblower for bottles of sun screen, good for you. I will miss visiting your shop and seeing al the neat projects that were going on.
Does anybody know how to convince a wife to use her inheritance to buy a reputable, established, custom V-8 Fiero shop? I'm not serious, but geez I wish I was.
Archie, is that clutch going to stay on the wall, or are you taking it with you?
Arch, I am both sad and glad that you are retiring. Sad in that the Fiero community will be losing the most continuously creative shop we have known. Thank you for providing the inspiration and facility for the talents of you, Rob and Kris to be shown on our Fieros. Thank you for your talent and passion to start and keep your business going for these many years, not a small feat in today's business world. Without you the Fiero hobby would not be the same. I am glad in that you and Karen will get some well deserved time together without you having to split up your day with work. And I am glad that I was able to know you not as just a name on the internet or in a catalog but as the kind and caring gentleman that you are. I will miss my visits to your shop and your interesting conversation. You can see by the other comments being left here by others that you have earned a permanent honored place in Fiero history. Goodbye and good wishes to you and Karen. - -Ray Dyreson
I wish you a fruitful semi-retirement, and quality family time. I'd just like to thank you for your quotes, time and chats. Eventually a choptop w/ glass windows will pop up (hoping sooner than later). Thanks for the $1320 glass refund to make that happen. You are a Fiero guru, and your work ethic has been top notch. It's been a pleasure talking with you, and your patience during my poor colledge years and shipper fiascos (will not ever go though a broker again). You definitely deserve a vendor MVP trophy, or something. Thanks again, and I wish your family the best!
I'm fairly new to the community, and only started my first build 2 years ago. And although I never got the chance to meet you, I am pretty sure I have read EVERY post on the forum started by, commented on, or even mentioning you. In fact, anytime I was reading a thread, and saw a comment from you, it was like seeing a celebrity in public. "Oh WOW, Archie commented on this guys post. Lucky dog!" I had really hoped to visit your shop, and possibly even purchase some of your products.
Now, I feel as if I arrived late to the party. The host has already left. It kind of feels as if the heart is being ripped out of this tight-knit little community.
That being sad, I wish you all the best. Enjoy what seems like a well deserved retirement in a place much nicer than this shitty midwestern climate.
I thought you might enjoy seeing what you financed for the best of show award at Daytona this year. I felt it was most appropriate. Bob Holtz of Capital City Fieros won it.
[This message has been edited by rpro (edited 04-13-2014).]
just doing the occasional visit and saw this. hope your retirement is good, and long also.
------------------ Phil T.
start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. arthur ashe
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "otherwise you wouldn't have come here."
Wow, 27 YEARS.......Well, you were a great innovator that made us all proud of our domestic mid-engine gems, V8 Archie -- So best regards to you and yours in whatever you wish to do going forward!
Many young people who were not even born when you started doing Big Things with these little cars, and even more older folks too (especially seeing as a lot of 'specialists' have come and gone in that time), will *always* regard you as the Carroll Shelby of the Fiero world!
Salute and Cheers.
[This message has been edited by I FAR I (edited 04-16-2014).]
Archie. You have done much for the Fiero hobby and are probably one of the longest lasting vendors and custom shops in the business. Your longevity is testament to the innovation, quality of work that you have done and the niche that you have filled for the Fiero owner. As we get older, we all come to realize that nothing is forever. People come and people go but your run speaks for itself and is one that may never be equaled. Absolute best wishes in your "semi-retirement" and relocation. Your full time presence will be missed but please be sure to remain a part of this forum and keep in touch with the community.. Your insight, experience and knowledge has and always will be asset to this hobby. You've made and won over many friends over the years and things would never be the same without you. Thank you for your years of service to the Fiero hobbyist.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Powerlog manifold, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Flotech Afterburner Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Good luck in retirement Archie and best wishes for your wife's health. My sister lives out there and I plan to move out there myself. I hope our paths may cross out there too!
quote
Originally posted by Archie:
I'm going to sell off all the body kit molds & tooling that I can't handle myself & also that can help to make the the move easier. I'm not planning to sell my ChopTop Fiero but everything else is for sale.
I as everyone else are shuddering at the uncertainty of the widebody kits. Are you saying you're not selling the molds for the widebody kits?
------------------ Project Genisis Lo Budget 3800SC swap 12.840@104.8 MPH Intense-Racing 1.9 rockers, 3" exhaust, 3.4 pulley, ZZP tune and 18 year old tires.
I want to thank everybody of the kind comments & I feel the same way about you guys.
I feel I've made a bunch of lifetime friends out of many of my customers & non-customers.
I'm not leaving Fieros & I'm not leaving the Forum. I'm just taking a step back & reducing my responsibilities.
Yes, the entire operation is for sale for a fair price but it's not a Fire Sale. (If you want a Fire Sale price, wait 'til I croak & call my wife)
I'd be more than happy to continue to carry & sell the mechanical stuff & the smaller fiberglass parts made from the molds that can be handled by one man.
The only things I'm hoping to sell before I move are the larger molds & tooling that are too heavy for a one old man operation. Like the Fino & Finale molds. I'm not planning to hire a new crew out in LV because there is just no way that I'd ever be able to replace Rob & Kris. They are the reason we've got the reputation for quality & timely builds. They just can't be replaced & I don't have another 10 years to teach new guys how to do what those 2 can do.
One reasonthat I'd consider selling the whole operation is that it might give Rob & Kris the opportunity to continue building the best Fieros in the world.
If I was to sell the whole operation, it would have to be to someone who would continue it & even grow it. It would need to be to someone that was already know to love Fieros & someone with a good reputation in this community.
If the right person steps up, then I can help them learn the products, people & vendors to help him make the business his own ASAP. Then, I can have a reliable guy to buy parts from as I continue to fiddle around with Fieros.
Some have asked about the MadArch WideBody kits. Yes, those molds can be handled by one man. The WideBody, headliners, Battery boxes & Warber hood scoops are very popular & we sell a lot of them. Yes, they will continue to be available. Either I will make them or I'll sell the tooling to someone known by the Fiero community, who has a reputation to run that business as good or better than what we've done.
So as the next several months go on, I see me in LV, with maybe a small one man shop. Selling the same products that we've sold for a long time. And maybe building 1 or 2 V-8 cars a year.
Thanks
Archie
------------------ need someone to make me a new sig.
Archie, you have inspired so many Fiero fanatics to go beyond a stock Fiero. I remember many years ago dreaming of a V-8 Archie Fiero after seeing your ad in the back of a magazine. Then later when I saw your first choptop I knew I had to have one. Unfortunately I put my money and trust into the biggest scammer that has ever infected the Fiero world. Now that I have recovered from that whole mess I’m moving forward with my plans to complete my choptop. I’m so glad I had the foresight to order two sets of your choptop windows which I might add came in the best shipping create I have ever received parts in.
Thank you for all the inspiration and fantastic builds you have brought to the fiero community over the years. Enjoy your retirement in Vegas!
It takes more to run a successful business than the ability to build cool cars. While Chris and Rob are great car builders, Archie is the business man who knows how to keep the doors open. Look what happened to Dean.... Great car builder, but a terrible business owner. This is just my opinion.
Archie, No matter what anyone's opinion about you is, no one can deny you've made an impact on the fiero world and will always be a part of its story. When I take a fiero to cruises, inevitably one of the first comments I get when talking to random people is "I knew a guy who had one of these, he put a v8 in it and loved it". Though I've not been a customer of yours, I've enjoyed watching the build threads and seeing the evolution of your product line over time. If at some point in the future our paths cross, I'd be happy to buy you a beer in exchange for some stories Enjoy semi-retirement!
Originally posted by mkiker2089: I've just got to ask, why aren't your two employees buying you out? It seems the logical move to me.
quote
Originally posted by Deabionni: I was wondering the same thing.
As a business owner, you sometimes find yourself not doing the work you got into it for. You deal with complaining customers, filing taxes, making payroll, city bs. Not everyone is ready to jump up to that roll. It takes extreme desire & commitment, & a little bit of insanity. One slip & you not only lose your own job, but everyone else too.
I would never question why someone wouldn't take on that responsibility. If they did, awesome! If not, I am sure they are more than qualified to continue within their line of work.
Just my opinion, nothing more
[This message has been edited by no2pencil (edited 04-25-2014).]
Archie, Congratulations on your planned retirement. Although I have not have had the pleasure of meeting you, I've followed your activities through the years. Your excellent work on Fieros is second to none. I'm very happy that you've chosen to move to Vegas. I too am tired of snow blowing and cold winters and will be moving to Vegas... We just bought a house there and will be moving as soon as our NY house sells. I look forward to meeting you there in the very near future. I'm sure you will be an invaluable asset to the Las Vegas Fiero community. Best of luck!
Wow, bought my V8 kit in 2000 and just this month talked to Archie when I purchased a battery box...didnt know then he was retiring, no wonder he said he had a "one or two of those left" lol Thanks for the kit Archie and stay hydrated, its a dry heat but its effen hot nonetheless
[IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/francis4
