Hmmm........I've been tring to get in touch with XS Customs for the past two months. Recently, the phone number is off he hook and the web page is down too. I've talked to Frank and he too is puzzled as to their wherea bouts? Have they suffered from "Ian-itis"? Or is it from the chapters of our IRS (chp. 7, 11, or 13) or worse ?

If this is true, darn it! I'll have to start all over again for VDC kits. Floridians please look into this.

Thanks. madcurl

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[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 02-22-2005).]

Where were they located Madcurl ? Tampa ?

I am sure we have some PFF members there that can check it out ??

Web site is back up. http://www.xs-customs.com/

Tried the phone, still busy, even at 7AM

Sent an email message , let you know if I get a reply.

For those that are close, here's a mapquest page showing their location.
XS Customs
1125 Starkey Rd
Largo, FL 33771

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=5WVioOp_0To3FQgZJajmUPECp0IbPX do&csz=33771&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=

[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 01-18-2005).]

Thanks Cool Blue for checking in on them. If I'd known what I know now....I should have gotten two made and be done with it. I just hope it's a minor set-back with chp. 7.13.17?

From what I understand, and this is just what was told to me, that Florida laws (and Conneticut) are VERY passive when it comes to fly by night companies. That would explain why you see a lot of companies in these two states, and not much is done by the local autorities if you get screwed by someone who takes a hundred orders and large amounts of cash from customers then vanishes from the face of the earth. I could be wrong, but like I said it would explain alot.

madcurl,

Here's a listing for a Jerry Myers, not sure if it's the same guy that runs XS Customs

Jerry Myers - (813) 251-8211 - 155 E Davis Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606

Worth a shot. Good luck

HOLY S**T......i live on starkey.......i'll check them out tomorrow! i've never heard of them though. they must be north from me, which i don't go very often but i will now.

edit to add: they are only 3.96 miles from me. why have i never heard of them?? weird. i'll check it out tomorrow for sure.

[This message has been edited by shawnkfl (edited 01-18-2005).]

quote Originally posted by shawnkfl: HOLY S**T......i live on starkey.......i'll check them out tomorrow! i've never heard of them though. they must be north from me, which i don't go very often but i will now. edit to add: they are only 3.96 miles from me. why have i never heard of them?? weird. i'll check it out tomorrow for sure.

Hehehehe small world huh ?!

I knew PFF members would come thru !

well, i didn't have time to really search for this place. i drove that way during lunch to see if i could find it. i didn't. i didn't have time to search for the stret number though. there are a bunch of lillt shops all joined together so i'm sure it must be in one of them. i was looking for a sign with the name on it but didn't see anything. i'm going to go searching this weekend though. if i can sneak out a little early tomorrow i'll see if i can find them. i know they're on starkey, between ulmerton and east bay so it's only about four or five blocks in between somewhere. there are alot of little shops through there, set up in rows of of storage like buildings. it has to be in one of those. all i can do is pull into them and find the street number. i'll keep you posted.......camera will be in hand....

Okay I got in touch with someone who does work for XS Custom. The shop is still in business and the phone number has changed. I'll post the # Monday.

Location: The shop is a bout two blocks down from Wing House restaurant and not past the AutoZone stores. There is or was a towing business behind the business. Across the street is a chiro med building I think. He was to display some of the cars out front until some idiots tried to steal a stereo out of the car in front of them. Can you belive it?

Well I finally reached someone with a voice instead of a busy line. I got the number from a local upholstery shop. I'm expecting a call today.

Update: No call back from Jerry yet. I did get through and left a message on their phone.

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 01-26-2005).]

Shawnkfl,

Did you ever find this place in your travels ??

Would be interesting to know what is going on ?

quote Originally posted by shawnkfl: well, i didn't have time to really search for this place. i drove that way during lunch to see if i could find it. i didn't. i didn't have time to search for the stret number though. there are a bunch of lillt shops all joined together so i'm sure it must be in one of them. i was looking for a sign with the name on it but didn't see anything. i'm going to go searching this weekend though. if i can sneak out a little early tomorrow i'll see if i can find them. i know they're on starkey, between ulmerton and east bay so it's only about four or five blocks in between somewhere. there are alot of little shops through there, set up in rows of of storage like buildings. it has to be in one of those. all i can do is pull into them and find the street number. i'll keep you posted.......camera will be in hand....

It's set back from the road with a chain link fence / gate in front of it. It is just a little bit far away for me to drift over and check out from the east coast

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Frank

1986 GT - & - 1987 5 Speed Lowered
Signiture By Reality

1988 GT - T-Top
87 Coupe - Tilt Front End in Progress
2005 Dodge Magnum R/T

I've been recieving more inquires concerning these VDC kits for the Fiero. On a adverage of 4-6 per week. It seem some Fiero owners are not awhere of Pennocks and it's members valuable talent. Most are inquiring about VDC kits and Archie's choptops.

Also I recieve questions regarding wing stands and moving the stock GT wing back a few inches. It's sad that I can't get in-touch with XS Customs. There lossing out on valuable business. On the other hand, Archie's phone should be ringing off the hook for choptops. It would be nice if those could recieve the VDC kits from Archie. We would then know the quality would be there and in supply?

Okay end of rant.

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 01-27-2005).]

yeah thats sad becasue the hoildays are over now im in the market for a set of them myself

Up date: I just got off the phone with a friend that owns a sup'd up Mustang who is getting his car worked on in the shop. According to Sam, the shop is still in operation but is in-business with a Corvette shop in the back. Anyway, I told Sam to let Jerry know that I wanted to get in-touch with him. Somehow, the phone is screwed-up? Go figure! I'm not laying any monies on the table but, I would like it to be made before I arrive in FL. We shall see if he returns my call Monday?

Okay, End of Rant.

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Archie's Choptop conversion #11

quote Originally posted by madcurl: It would be nice if those could recieve the VDC kits from Archie. We would then know the quality would be there and in supply? Okay end of rant.

Yeah, you might have a good point there.

A couple of days after you & I went thru the SEMA show, I went back and spent the whole day there. I found a VDC company I'd never heard of before. I liked the way they worked & talked at length to the guy who designed that kit.

We never discussed price but we discussed the operation of the doors quite a bit. I'm gonna have to find his card & give him a call.

Archie

Yeah Archie you should definatly jump on this and fill a much needed void.

Choptops and VDCs are a perfect match and you could offer package deals if people get both.

With all of the emails I'm getting about the VDC kit.....it's alot of choptop/VDC combo revenue flying out of the window. And this is from people who do not know about Pennock's!

I re-direct them to Pennnock's. You can tell from the "hits" on various threads that people are veiwing the "Vertical door galloria." There are a number of Pennock members who want them NOW! but are worried about shady companies in Florida. If every email I recieved turned into a deal.....that's 3-5 deals per week! Too bad that it's a "void" for now?

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 01-31-2005).]

Hello,

This is the shop everyone is concerened about. Yes we are still open and customizing all types of cars. We had trouble with our phones, please call 727-397-7924, or live chat line on our web site. Which is www.xs-customs.com. Or e-mail me at xs-customs@algxmail.com. All three of these options I just wrote about are on our web site. I e-mailed shawnkfl and asked him or her to stop by and give you guys the proof you need about our shop. I also spoke to Curley and he is coming to our shop in March to install the kit in his Red Fiero. Sorry about all the confusion, but as most of you know we had a bad experience with someone we thought we knew. Ian is gone and is doing others wrong. He will be paying for his actions some day! Some say Florida is a bad place to do business, but I can tell you the guy (Ian) who did people wrong is from Canada. I was born in Florida and Jerry has been here since 1970. Jerry is the owner of XS CUSTOMS and the corvette shop is just a renter we have in the building. They are separate from each other. If you have any other concerns or questions, please feel free to e-mail me, call me or get on the live chat line on our site.

Sincerely,
Kelly & Jerry
XS CUSTOMS

I was fooling around at work today and almost finished my 3d drawing of the vdc hinges I have been working on.

They are pretty much copies of how I think the Decah ones work. Since I have never seen one in person, all sizing is pretty much speculatory. I did size the side of the hinge that attaches to the car with a scaled picture of my parts car, so I know that will work.

I also still need to take some measurements of the door and where the hinges will attach and finish drawing that side.

If anyone who has a set of these can tell me the dia size of the adjustment set screw that lets you aline the door, that would really help me determine the sizes of other things. I have been guessing it's somewhere around 1/4" or 3/8".

The drawings are in Autocad now, but when I get them done, I'll import them into Solidworks or Inventor and make sure everything will clear the way it is supposed to when it is made. Not real proficient in those two programs yet, but I think I'll be able to get it to do that by using constraints on each part.

Sorry, i guess this doesn't have anything to do with the company still being in business.

Just thought I'd mention I was building my own set.

[This message has been edited by slickrick2000 (edited 02-01-2005).]

Just a heads up. I went by Gary's Customs here in Newport News, and he apparantly has closed up. The garage is now a transmission place. He used to sell Finale kits and did Fiero conversions. Beat me to a couple cheap Fieros including a $200 Indy that ran. The guy was starting it up in the background while I was on the phone with him...

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John DuRette
***Custom 85 under construction, 87 Coupe in the driveway. The fun never ends!***

quote Originally posted by xs-customs: I also spoke to Curley and he is coming to our shop in March to install the kit in his Red Fiero. Sincerely, Kelly & Jerry XS CUSTOMS

Can we say, "I'm ready to roll." I wish Jerry hurry up and finish the hydo VDC before I arrive.

#15 is at XS Customs. I forgot to take a pic.

just saw this thread again. i did find the shop. the gates were closed when i went looking but now i know where it is. i'll put my camera in my car tonight and see if i can swing by during lunch tomorrow. i didn't get the email he sent for some reason. damn knology! i really want to see their work! from some of the pics i've seen they do awesome stuff there. i love knowing that they're right down the street! i'll ask if i can take some pics and post some eye candy for you guys. somebody keep this thread at the top...i suck at using search.

ok. my cameras batteries were dead so i didn't take it but......i did go there today. i taled with jerry for about an hour and got to see some pretty cool cars. he does a really good install of lambo doors. plus, after they get installed, he keeps the car for a few days and everytime he or one of his guys walk past it, they open and close the doors a few time just to test them and break them in. that's awesome. the best part of my trip? i saw, for the first time in my life, a fiero chop top. up close and personal. i must say, i'm hooked now. this one was madcurls car. curly....AWESOME mods to that thing. your car is resting nicely in it's stall ready to go under the knife. i think when i get my car further along, it will end up there getting the same treatment. but that's a long way off.i just want to sat, if anybody has any doubts about the craftsmanship at that place.....relax. he does great work and is a stickler to details. very friendly and easy to talk to. he invited me to stop by anytime i like. not many shops do that.

quote Originally posted by shawnkfl: ok. my cameras batteries were dead so i didn't take it but......i did go there today. i taled with jerry for about an hour and got to see some pretty cool cars. he does a really good install of lambo doors. plus, after they get installed, he keeps the car for a few days and everytime he or one of his guys walk past it, they open and close the doors a few time just to test them and break them in. that's awesome. the best part of my trip? i saw, for the first time in my life, a fiero chop top. up close and personal. i must say, i'm hooked now. this one was madcurls car. curly....AWESOME mods to that thing. your car is resting nicely in it's stall ready to go under the knife. i think when i get my car further along, it will end up there getting the same treatment. but that's a long way off.i just want to sat, if anybody has any doubts about the craftsmanship at that place.....relax. he does great work and is a stickler to details. very friendly and easy to talk to. he invited me to stop by anytime i like. not many shops do that.

Yeah, Jerry is a very nice guy who loves the details. It's much, much better since the "Ian-itis scandel and business is nearly back to normal. Too bad you didn't take any pics. I'm starting to miss #15. Oh well, back to my other projects.

my camera is all set now. i'm heading back next week for some pics.....and i will post them here. permission to post yours to madcurl?

quote Originally posted by shawnkfl: my camera is all set now. i'm heading back next week for some pics.....and i will post them here. permission to post yours to madcurl?

Permission granted. For a moment, I thought I was sounding like the "Duke." Hehehehe.

thank you sir. i didn't want to post pics without the "go-ahead" first.

...stay tuned

I talked to Jerry at XS Custom on the cell today. They haven't started on the VDC kit but are focusing on the dash. Everything sems to be on schedule...I hope.

What are they doing with the dash? Replacing with something else?

------------------
Regards SHARKMAN
86 GT, 3.4 Camaro engine,
choptop # 1 in Europe/Sweden

quote Originally posted by Sharkman: What are they doing with the dash? Replacing with something else?

Yep, with Dakota Digital gauges and things.

UPDATE:

I talked to Jerry last Friday. He said the dash and VDC's iare on "track." Dash will be a bit different on #15. I think Jerry and company is having more fun with this modification then me. 8-more days to go.

Oh yeah, bump for all of the emails regarding the VDC kit. It's amazing that many don't know about Pennock's?

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 04-17-2005).]

i can't wait to see this car. i thought you were only getting vertical door lifts installed. man am i in for a treat!

Okay folks. My back is up against the wall (again) and I have really no choice. I'm going out to FL and get my car. The doors are finished and VDC kit is painted. However, the dash isn't yet finished. Hopefully the dash will be done before I get there. Don't worry, the car is insured up to 30g's (I'm not crazy)

Due to the circumstances...I have no choice or I'll ? I'll list the details once I arrive in FL. Just hang on, please.

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 05-18-2005).]

Good luck Curly i hope you get it worked out ?

Let me know when you know for sure when u are coming down.

What’s up with #15? From what Shawn told me, the VDC kit is finished. That was the main reason for having the #15 at the shop and it’s a kit that is hard to fabricate to the Fiero. As some know, the dash is maybe 50-60% finished. So with that information alone, I’m somewhat pleased. On the other hand I'm uneasy with cops being involved. I wish I had an "easy" button from Stables and make it all go away, hehehe.

Shawn will take a few picks of the progress later today. I'm sorry for those over-seas who wanted the VDC kit for their Fieros. It seem we may need to do business elsewhere. I'll pick up my car next week!

Tune in at 6 for the latest turn of events on Pennock's, hehe.

Edit: XS Customs web site is down too.

madcurl.

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 05-18-2005).]