Just a thought...A Fiero Calendar has been done, but due to limited space maney cars are left out. So what are your thoughts about a Fiero Book, should help raise funds for the forum too....
Yeah, that's a good book, a great gift idea for any Fiero owner!
Good book but very incomplete and very GM Censored. Keep in mind Gary was an GM employee as was his wife and as he became a writer he would get a lot of good info but often was only permitted by GM to say so much and keep it positive. He has books on the Trans Am, Solstice and many other GM cars too.
I wish we could put together a book that covered the whole history of the car the good and the bad and get the truth out on many things that people have been mislead on or just flat did not know.
I know a group that have the info and documents but we need the time and the backing of a publisher to pull it off. It is tough to make money with a book but in this case I would love to get it out just to get the whole truth out there before it is lost.
I would love to get all the truth of the inspiration of the car out there as well as some other things like the whole truth to the death and dispel the myths.
Case in point the 88 Fiero as we all know was a GM Suspension and not tuned by Lotus. But did you know that the 88 did have geometry work done by Porsche Engineering done on the front Suspension. Yes this is true as per Goad the Pontiac Engineer. He said Pontiac designed it but Porsche tweaked it. This is why the Porsche Killer Fiero Tail lamps vanished back in the say. (they lighted up to say Porsche Killer when the lights were on the 2.9 Turbo prototypes.)
If we could not do a book I would love to put together a lot of info into short stories on a web site. We have several people here with a lot of information and knowledge that could contribute to this not mentioning names Fred. LOL!
I always though a story on the Fiero would play well too as it really was a case study of how GM was failing in what and how they did things. The fight between Pontiac and Chevy and the deal gone sour with Pontiac, the UAW and GM. The threats from GM in showing the 1990 Prototype till leaked by John Schinella at the FIero Nationals etc.
The real history that the roots of a Mid Engine V6 were started way back as a Corvette prototype idea by GM engineering and rejected by Chevy and the Corvette team and what was left was offered to Hulki when he was looking to lower the cowl of the Fiero. Plastic wheels on a Fiero. Yes they had made plastic wheels for the Fiero and tested them with Motor Wheel and Goodyear in 1984-85, The wheels can be seen on the 1990 prototype in some photos. They are the non laced wheels.
We have already lost a lot of info and still have a lot that could be saved if we work now.
This to me would be worth much more to the Fiero community than a picture book. Just my two cents. Yes even one chapter could be dedicated to customs as it was part of the heritage.
By the way if you get Garys book get the second edition as it is more complete. The first edition is good too but lacks the 88 and prototypes for 90.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 11-03-2015).]
If we could not do a book I would love to put together a lot of info into short stories on a web site. We have several people here with a lot of information and knowledge that could contribute to this not mentioning names Fred. LOL!
And I could do the page lay outs and photo editing .... if ya need ... we could also go e-book on Apple Store ... I have an Apple developer license ... maybe qet infinitewill involved with his photoshop/adobe skills
Originally posted by Danyel: And I could do the page lay outs and photo editing .... if ya need ... we could also go e-book on Apple Store ... I have an Apple developer license ... maybe qet infinitewill involved with his photoshop/adobe skills Danyel
An e-book would be a good idea, that would keep cost low.
I would like to do this. It would take some time but I think it would be the best thing for the car as to set the record straight and document the history as it really was not how it was told at times or interpreted.
I think documenting this info to be one of the most important things that could be done for the Fiero.
Note it would be written as it was no just the good stuff only. This would be a document covering the good as well as the bad and no glossing over with a lot of GM PR stuff.
I would like to talk to some of the folks still left and get them to recover some of the information again just to clean it up or get their own perspective to add to this. Many are very old now as the car happened 30 years ago and many of these guys were not young then. We lose them we lose the history. Also keep in mind some of this stuff they will not remember as well as some folks here. To them it was just their job. How many here can remember what you did at work 30 years ago?
Note Don Keefe is releasing a book this spring on Pontiac Prototypes and Show Cars. He did the Project X stories in High Performance Pontiac and is the best writer of Pontiac history. I spoke to him last August and he told me the info he has was too large for one book so he said they will do two books. The first one is 1939 to 1980 so we will have to wait for the second book for anything Fiero.
He did tell me the 1990 emblem story will be in the book when they do the second one. I hope it does not get cut. I would love to see the story in print in a book.
I think this is a good idea. We must move fast before we lose more people with info and docs .... we will need a central point to collect and catalogue information and pics. I do have a couple of FTP servers where a collaborative crew could share and update in real time .... Anyways I am willing to help in any way possible.
I think this is a good idea. We must move fast before we lose more people with info and docs .... we will need a central point to collect and catalogue information and pics. I do have a couple of FTP servers where a collaborative crew could share and update in real time .... Anyways I am willing to help in any way possible.
regards Danyel
Well it comes down time and coordination. I know Fred likes the idea but he is a very busy guy. As are some of the others with much of the knowledge base and documents. It is tough enough to do a book on your own and even with a group effort for info it can be even more difficult as we all have jobs.
That has been the hold up.
I am sure we will get to it at some point. I need to talk to him anyways as it has been a while. Maybe we can kick the idea around again.
Fred you have my cell call me when you have time.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 11-07-2015).]
Well maybe we could do a colaborative file and see where it leads us .... The first thing we would need is a list (ie chapters) index and what needs to be said... I did contact Kenneth to ask permission for use of his fiero art ''The first and last fiero" no problem. Anyways any contributors want to join in them PM me ... This book is NOT to make money its to preserve our cars history... price will be set accordingly. I am in touch with a publishing house here (ie my cousin's company) Will try to be a hard cover ... all pics and texts can be submitted to me via my email. All suggestions and any other pertaining info accepted. Before publishing a select few will approuve before it goes to print.
regards Danyel
Edit: I've corrected the pic with TXOPIE's suggestion
[This message has been edited by Danyel (edited 11-07-2015).]
What we need to do is get the folks who have the documented info which for the most part is a small group and get them to pool the info and then one person really needs to get a draft hammered out and then let the others edit it for accuracy.
This is not something a large group effort could do easily or accurately.
The key to doing a book and doing the car justice is to be as accurate as possible and then documenting where the info came from. Most good books list sources and bibliographies and the like.
There has only been one book with many authors that amounted to much and that was the Bible and even then it took a editor from above to get it all put together.
See the key here is this is a book not just for Fiero people but for anyone who wants to read it. It has to be creditable and beyond challenge.
My thought is this. We could pool the info that can be documented and I know a small group that could provide a lot of documented info. We could hammer it out into an outline. Then I would like to see if we could get someone like Don Keefe and see if he would be interested into taking this and putting it into a very good and readable document. He also has many people he can also talk to and gain even more info since he has many inside GM contacts.
That is what I would like to see attempted. Could it happen yes but it is still a long shot. I may call him or e mail him something if I can put together some kind of a plan to get this rolling and see if he would be interested. He is no longer with POCI so he has more time now I suspect since he finally got his book done.
The bottom line is this book has to go beyond reproach stand up to any challenge. Too many cars have had bad books written and they often to more damage than good and seldom is there a second book to correct the other.
What we need to do is get the folks who have the documented info which for the most part is a small group and get them to pool the info and then one person really needs to get a draft hammered out and then let the others edit it for accuracy.
This is not something a large group effort could do easily or accurately.
The key to doing a book and doing the car justice is to be as accurate as possible and then documenting where the info came from. Most good books list sources and bibliographies and the like.
There has only been one book with many authors that amounted to much and that was the Bible and even then it took a editor from above to get it all put together.
See the key here is this is a book not just for Fiero people but for anyone who wants to read it. It has to be creditable and beyond challenge.
My thought is this. We could pool the info that can be documented and I know a small group that could provide a lot of documented info. We could hammer it out into an outline. Then I would like to see if we could get someone like Don Keefe and see if he would be interested into taking this and putting it into a very good and readable document. He also has many people he can also talk to and gain even more info since he has many inside GM contacts.
That is what I would like to see attempted. Could it happen yes but it is still a long shot. I may call him or e mail him something if I can put together some kind of a plan to get this rolling and see if he would be interested. He is no longer with POCI so he has more time now I suspect since he finally got his book done.
The bottom line is this book has to go beyond reproach stand up to any challenge. Too many cars have had bad books written and they often to more damage than good and seldom is there a second book to correct the other.
If this gets done it has to be done right.
I fully agree with you. Lets shake the coconut tree an see what drops ..... heads up !!
