AS some of you know, I had a thread going on how to build the Fino. https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/014855.html That thread was going pretty well (60+ posts) when it was highjacked by a small group of PESTS from WCF including Eric Nelson and Craig (Sleeper) Poeske.
I've started this new thread to try to bring the fun back into this build up.
If those guys decide to try to highjack this thread, I pray that we all find the strength to ignore them.
May the Force be with us to have a clean thread.
I'll try to re-post my beginning from the other thread and many of you had good input and questions..... I would ask you to repost those here when appropriate.
So hang on while I repost my 1st. post from the other thread.
Archie
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04:26 PM
PFF
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Archie Member
Posts: 9436 From: Las Vegas, NV Registered: Dec 1999
This is a repost from another thread and was originally posted 02-21-02 6:53pm.
The build-up of the LT1 Stinger will continue to be an ongoing thread. However, we have moved on to our next major project and have started on a Fino buildup on a V-8 Fiero chassis that already has the V-8 engine in it.
With the success of our build-up of the LT1 Stinger, I thought you all would like to follow along with us in the building of a Fino.
In my original plans for going to the Daytona Show, I was going to take the LT1 Stinger and My Red V-8 powered Finale. However, I have this thing where I don't like taking the same car to the same show 2 years in a row. The Red Finale was at the Daytona show last year. So we decided that we should take my "T" top V-8 5 speed car and put a Fino body on it & try to get it done in time to go to the Daytona show. That means we would have 5 weeks to get it ready to go. I know it only takes a week to mount the body and the car already has a V-8 in it & the interior is in pretty good shape, so this should be a lot easier than it was to build the LT1 Stinger in 8 weeks.
Anyway, is anyone here interested in following this project here on PFF?
Archie
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04:35 PM
Archie Member
Posts: 9436 From: Las Vegas, NV Registered: Dec 1999
This is a repost of a message posted originally on 02-21-02 at 9:23pm.
That says it all...... let's get it on!
The victim, you most resently saw this car for sale in the Mall. It is the car I took to the Dell's last year after the little mishap with my Finale & Fino (let's not get into that here).
Right after lunch today at 12:05 it looked like this:
At 2:46 pm we had the body off of it and it looked like this:
And at 5:24 pm we had already test fitted the rear clip.
Now I have told people that we can mount one of these bodies, hinged, latched and lighted in 4 normal days. Well with telephone calls, visiters, customers & their cars, I'm going to keep track of the number of hours we spend on this project. As I look at it now, 5 weeks would be plenty of time to get it ready for Daytona. However late next week we have a customer V-8 & chop top car to start on & another V-8 & Chop top car coming in 2 weeks after that along with a commitment to finish up an F-40 for a customer that we've been working on. So you can bet 5 weeks will go by very fast indeed. However, we have enough time before the next V-8 swap to follow through on mounting this body up to where it is ready to prep & paint. We are also doing a Video Instruction tape on the Fino/Finale body installation on this car and Mr. Blake from Kit Car has asked for still photos for a magazine article. So just about everything that can delay this project will be in play as we work on this thing. I've already shot some 30 minutes of the Video Instruction tape and as you would guess, my guys can't work on the car while the video is being shot.
Today, in 5 hours 24 minutes we completely reduced a nice drivable V-8 "T" top Fiero into a bare chassis. WE trial fitted the Fino rear clip and we shot 30 minutes of video and I took 23 still pictures of it all.
A good day.
Archie
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04:40 PM
Don_Chi_Chi Member
Posts: 1371 From: Medicine Hat, Alberta, CANADUH Registered: Sep 2001
WOW, this is going to be great for me, because I have never seen one started from scratch. I have a few questions for Archie, if you get time to answer them: What kind of budget to you give yourself for something like this? All of the body parts just clip right on the old Fiero body? Does the whole car get new body parts or do you use some of the old Fiero parts? This really isn't about the project, but about your business: Do you do the 3.1 engines also, and do you install them into the car?
If you don't have time to answer these, I will understand, sounds like you are very busy. Thanks Archie, good luck!
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04:58 PM
Archie Member
Posts: 9436 From: Las Vegas, NV Registered: Dec 1999
I am also completing a Fino project myself (that I bought from Archie). www.edstephens.net I have had all sorts of problems with having to replace all the brake lines and suspension that I just can't get time to finishing the Fino body yet. I would like to complete my project by the end of May so I can go to the Indy show.
One again, It's called "Viper Steel Grey" and it's a 2000 color for sure.
Here is why this Fino needs it!
Best! Ben
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Ben Cannon 88 Formula, T-top, Metalic Red. "Every Man Dies, not every man really Lives" 88 Formula, Northstar, Silver, In-Progreess. -Mel Gibson, "Braveheart"
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08:20 PM
GTFiero1 Member
Posts: 6508 From: Camden County NJ Registered: Sep 2001
we've already seen a Fino in Silver. how about... Polo Green and later on add a tan interior, if i ever built a Fino thats the colors i would choose. You know that part that goes around the tail lights that you usually paint black and it raps around the sides? how about you do the car a polo green or some darkish metallic green and get a custom piece of brushed aluminum to fit that part. it would look so bad-ass.
BTW: i say at least go with a custom dash and door panes, the fiero interior looks really out-dated in a fino/finale.
------------------ Adam J. B. The search for a GT will never end! IM AOL: GTFiero & Rumpdetective (dont ask)
Grey never stands out at shows. I'd say go blue. Make sure whatever you choose shows compliments the Stinger because I'll assume they'll be next to each other quite a bit
I say you go w/ Viper Steel Grey w/ a milk chocolate color interior (with your $700.00 interior kit). I plan on getting that kit when I get around to my interior. It would be great to see it in a car.
lil' Ro
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01:50 AM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
[I say you go w/ Viper Steel Grey w/ a milk chocolate color interior
i may be a bit of a joker but wouldnt the milk chocolate interior melt in the heat hehe (sorry i couldnt resist)-i am going to paint my next custom paint job the viper steel grey i love it (i saw it here first)
[/B][/QUOTE]
------------------ 86 gt v8 Speed and Looks Chop Shop Customs
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12:11 PM
malacite Member
Posts: 2213 From: Casselberry Fl 32707 Registered: Oct 2001
Well it's time to try to bring you all up to date.
As you know we started on this car last Thursday afternoon. We reported to you thursday evening on the progress we made in just over 5 hours. The we worked on the car for about 6 hours on Friday. By the time I would have been reporting on that days' progress our thread was heading off topic real fast. Over the weekend we didn't work on the car & ,even though I was on the computer quite a bit, I wasn't in the mood to spend the time to write a report on our progress Friday. We worked on the car again today and I'd say that after you subtract out the time I was rolling video tape & taking still pics. We put in about 5 hours on it today. I fact the guys are getting a bit mad at me because I keep interrupting them to take video (for the new Video Instruction tape) and Still pics. Several times now, I've actually had them remove a part they had already put on so that I could take video of them actually setting the parts on the car. A couple of times today, while video taping the phone would ring & I'd make those guys wait until I was off the phone so I could finish whatever I was taping.
By the time you are done reading my posts tonight you're going to see that we are done with all the trial fitting & ready to final mount the body.
There is a good thing about this that makes the guys very happy. I'm going to be out of town most of the day tomorrow and these guys will be able to "have their way" with this car tomorrow. The good thing is that all the stuff they will be doing tomorrow is stuff I can video & photo after the fact and still report to you again about the progress that will take place tomorrow.
On the color issue..... I know I told you I was going to retain the stock Gray interior and that we needed a paint color that would go with it. I was seriously considering Silver or Gray but as someone said, I already had done one in Silver. Anyway, we decided today that if we needed to we change out the interior with an other color if we needed to do it to accommodate the paint chioce.
The Fino (& Finale) were designed in England by Peter Ashdown I bought the whole business from him more than 2 years ago. Back in '58, '59, '60 & '61 Peter won the British Sports Car Racing Championship. From what I understand this is the equivalent, stature wise, to winning the NASCAR title in the States. During Peter's racing career he drove for Colin Chapman at Lotus and was the 1st. Lola works driver. I think it's easy to see the design elements of the Lotus and Lola in the lines of the Fino.
Now that I've told you the history of the design and designer, I'd like to open this up to PFF..... This time I'm not asking you to name the car, I'm asking you to paint the car. So, I'm gonna have you all pick the color. Only 2 colors will not be considered Black and White are off the table. So let's open this up to a Vote starting right now.
What color do you want????? & If I paint it the PFF color will you vote for it at the shows this year?
I'll be back to post some more in a couple of hours.... I have some 45 pics to go thru to write todays report on progress.
Originally posted by Archie: I'll be back to post some more in a couple of hours.... I have some 45 pics to go thru to write todays report on progress.
Archie
Archie, Thanks for the extra effort needed to get us this information. As you can tell by the Stinger thread and the majority of your first thread for this build-up, The majority of us out here really love seeing the car come together. Thanks again, Vince
The color that i would pic for the car is the green color off of MINNGREENGT's car, i think it would look nice, either that or a nice bright mettalic blue.
Randy
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Rally car, full roll cage, skid plates, light bars, scs suspension, koni adjusters
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09:16 PM
GTFiero1 Member
Posts: 6508 From: Camden County NJ Registered: Sep 2001
I vote for like a Polo Green with a tan interior. Up in Maine I saw a 1993 Cadillac Allante with that color combo and it was absolutley stunning, then add the brushed aluminum pnael around the tail lighs that you usually paint black like i suggested earlier
What about that burnt orange metalic thats on the new Pontiac Vibe and Sunfire at the auto shows. The Saleen S7 was running somethin like that too. Its neat.
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09:40 PM
PFF
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gangrenefiero Member
Posts: 283 From: Aiken, South Carolina USA Registered: Aug 2001
Originally posted by 85 gt fiero: The color that i would pic for the car is the green color off of MINNGREENGT's car, i think it would look nice, either that or a nice bright mettalic blue.
Well Randy, you managed to pick two of my favorite colors. The Green (obviously) and Metallic Blue (actually Dodge has a nice form of this- highly metallic). That'll be my next project color (if I ever finish this one ).
Personally I think you should avoid the Medium Metallic Green (that was the base color used in my car)... we don't want too many of these Green-machines running around (and we are in pretty close proximity ). Actually I'm going to need a repaint (probably next year) after a handful of body mods- and I'm going to go to a slightly greener-green (Toyota has a nice one on the new Tacomas). My car is too often mistaken for black in low/dark lighting.
I have a couple of real thoughts on color... the orange that is shown above- would be awsome! It is a very exotic-looking color and will stand out above all others. Mitsubishi did a cool orange on their 2000 eclipse prototype showcar. The car was originally painted siver, then coated with 18(?) coats of orange-tinted Clearcoat. It made for an extremely "deep" color.
Second on my list: Peter Ashdown (who I almost visited back in '97 while on "holiday" in Britian) had originally named his business "candy apple cars" (I happen to have his original Finale brochure with attached 4x6 35mm printed photo). So why not a really slick "Candy Apple Red"?
Lastly- since the design is originally British (and Lotus-influenced) why not go with the traditional BRG (British Racing Green). It would still keep it in the greens, but not necessary the same as mine ( )
Basically I think it boils down to how you want to present the car. As an exotic- go orange. As a British influenced design- go BRG. Or as an American built Hot Rod- go Candy Apple Red.
then again these are just my opinions... and if the Forum votes for Medium Metallic Green- or anything else I'd be just as happy (actually I'd be a bit flattered that people like my Green Car).
Oh yeah- one last thing. Gold wheels make the Green/Tan combo perfect... keep that in mind when looking through aftermarket wheels!
Let me try to bring up to date on the progress of our Fino project car.
In the last 2 days, I figure we have put in about 11 or 12 hours and along with the 1st day of this project we are now at a total time invested of like 17 hours & the car is basically roughed in and has all been trial fitted.
The following text and pictures are meant as an outline of the work performed, the Video instruction tape will give the exact details of the installation.
At the beginning of the day Friday this is what we started with.
We dismounted the from "Z" beam, removed the headlight assemblies & the inner wheel wells.
Because the Fino and Finale bodies are more rounded on the corners than the stock Fiero is, we have to "round-off the corners of the Fiero chassis. To do this we have to cut out the sheetmetal that forms the Fiero headlight bucket. To build this car, there is very little cutting you have to do to the stock Chassis and NO Welding.
On the rear of the car, we have removed the "Z" beam rear bumper. In this case we are leaving both "Z" beams off of the car but you can actually put them back on after you've trimmed off the ends of them. If you just trims off the end of the rear "Z" beam, that's all you have to do to "round off" the Fiero Chassis for the rear clip. The rear of the body we are about to install has to have a mounting point. To mount the rear we use these 2 Triangle supports (included with the kit) They just bolt down and stick up like this, we will show you more on this as we mount the body.
Now we start mounting the body. It might surprise you to know that the best way to mount the body in the correct position is to mount the Door panels 1st. In this picture you see us marking the door panel for the door panel fasteners (included with the kit). These fasteners will be mounted loosely so that we can move the door panel around a little bit as we try to line it up with the rear clip.