Fiero Factory in AL Moving (Page 1/2)
Dennis LaGrua JUL 31, 12:31 PM
Just noticed that the Fiero Factory of Toney Al is in the process of being moved to Colorado. The parts business was purchased a while ago but the service business might still be there. Not sure if they still do repair work or or even if Jeremy is still in the auto repair business. The Fiero Factory used to be a great place for parts, service and swaps but when Ed Parks (RIP) retired and sold out, things have never been the same. We have good memories of going to the open house held yearly there years back. Many of us were young back then and remember those great times but all things change. Carlisle now remains the go to spot for many of us.

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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, 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 "

82-T/A [At Work] AUG 01, 12:40 PM

quote
Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:

Just noticed that the Fiero Factory of Toney Al is in the process of being moved to Colorado. The parts business was purchased a while ago but the service business might still be there. Not sure if they still do repair work or or even if Jeremy is still in the auto repair business. The Fiero Factory used to be a great place for parts, service and swaps but when Ed Parks (RIP) retired and sold out, things have never been the same. We have good memories of going to the open house held yearly there years back. Many of us were young back then and remember those great times but all things change. Carlisle now remains the go to spot for many of us.





Yeah, I don't want to talk bad about it, but there have been many parts I've desperately needed, and emailed them a bunch of times. Sometimes I get a response, but there's never any follow-through. The most promising thing I got was a promise to follow-up with me (whomever it was) because they were busy. I followed up with them like 4 more times, but then kind of got the hint. I was ready to buy a lot of parts... some things I still need. Kind of bummed... but it's what it is I guess.

EDIT: But back when Ed Parks had it, I used to call him all the time. I bought so much from him, and I helped him save a few Fieros. He'd come down to the local junkyard and I'd "flag" cars for him. He saved a few 88s because of that... including a yellow 88 GT with TTOPs... though it had a little bit of forklift damage.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 08-01-2024).]

Dennis LaGrua AUG 01, 01:18 PM
I believe that the Fiero Factory parts business may now be owned by Mike Valentine who is Colorado based, hence the move there. As for Jeremy Biggs, the former owner of the business that took over the repair business and renamed it TFF Automotive, that may no longer be doing Fiero work.

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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, 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 "

[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 08-01-2024).]

mrfiero AUG 02, 08:02 PM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
Yeah, I don't want to talk bad about it, but there have been many parts I've desperately needed, and emailed them a bunch of times. Sometimes I get a response, but there's never any follow-through. The most promising thing I got was a promise to follow-up with me (whomever it was) because they were busy. I followed up with them like 4 more times, but then kind of got the hint. I was ready to buy a lot of parts... some things I still need. Kind of bummed... but it's what it is I guess.

EDIT: But back when Ed Parks had it, I used to call him all the time. I bought so much from him, and I helped him save a few Fieros. He'd come down to the local junkyard and I'd "flag" cars for him. He saved a few 88s because of that... including a yellow 88 GT with TTOPs... though it had a little bit of forklift damage.



Answering the phones and emails is enough to fill up an enitre day. It's never-ending and it's relentless. If I don't answer the phone right away I get multiple calls in a row by that person and rarely a message to call back. Same with emails. I just can't answer emails on a daily basis and when I do reply the next day or a couple of days later I get hit with "oh...I bought that somewhere else". I can't win.

All Ed had to do was answer the phones and emails and haul parts cars around. He had several employees (myself included back in the late 90's) to do everything else. Imagine if he did everything that he did PLUS stripped the parts, boxed the parts and all the other stuff it takes to run a small business. He would have failed.

As for my lack of follow through....I'll own that. Unlike previous owners or other people in the parts business I want to get my hands on the exact part you want before saying that I absolutely have one and it's spectacular. Everyone else tells you this first then they collect your money and try to find something that'll work. Maybe that's my mistake, because sometimes it takes me a few days to find a nice part. I don't sell anything I wouldn't use on my own car so I tend to nit-pick and then I get sidetracked by other orders or life events, etc. I also occasionally "lose" the conversation. I get personal emails and personal DM's through Facebook or text messages on my phone (on top of business emails, phone messages, DM's etc) and I simply can't find who I was talking with or where I was talking to them.

The other issue is sort of how you started things.....you desperately needed something. Everyone is seemingly desperate for something when they call me. Multiply that out by dozens of people every week who desperately need something, but doesn't want to wait.....they want that part now! I've taken orders on a Friday afternoon and gotten called first thing Monday morning asking where their part was. Hint: it's still attached to the car!

I suppose if this venture was actually making money I could accept working 18 hour days (including weekends) and having no life of my own, but that's not how it is. There is little to no money to be made selling used Fiero parts on a large scale. It's counter intuitive, to a degree, but it's true. Oh I can sell the "hot" parts right away, but what about the other 95% of the car? It sits and sits and sits and costs me money to store for very little return.

Maybe it's the concierge nature of this business that is frustrating. People call me up cold and ask for a random part and I need to figure out right then and there if I have one and how much to charge. I have been toying with the idea of a true online store.....much like the Fiero Store or Rodney's website. Basically, it'll be a "here's what I have and how much it is....do you want one?" sort of thing and not what I'm doing right now, which is clearly not working.

Dang! I didn't want this to read like a whine-fest, but it seems I failed at that too.
mrfiero AUG 02, 08:16 PM
FYI to everyone.....Ed Parks created the Fiero Factory back in the mid 1990's. It included the junkyard as well as a repair shop (they also did engine swaps). Jeremy Biggs bought the Fiero Factory from Ed in 2010 (I believe) and soon after re-branded it as TFF Auto Center. He did this because he found out a 100% Fiero only business was not sustainable. He now works on all makes and models of cars as well as Fieros. In 2019, I bought the Fiero Factory from Jeremy and this is where the confusion starts. He still owns and operates TFF Auto Center in Toneyt, AL....all I did was buy the Fiero business from him that he largely shelved and ignored.

I worked out of that same Toney, AL space for several years, but I still lived in Colorado, so it made sense to me to move the business up here to Denver. I have been slowly doing that for the past 2 years. For all intents & purposes, the Fiero Factory has been in Colorado for the past 2 years, but there are still a lot of cars & parts in Alabama that I am dealing with.

So.....to clarify: Jeremy Biggs still owns and operates TFF Auto Center at the site of the original Fiero Factory in Toney, AL. He owns that property and he will be there until he decides to retire.

Mike Valentine (me!) owns The Fiero Factory and has moved the base of operations to Denver, CO.

To clarify even further.....TFF Auto Center used to be the Fiero Factory, but is now its own entity, The Fiero Facvtory was spun off/broken away from TFF Auto Center in 2019 and the two are now separate businesses owned and run by 2 different people in 2 different states.

If you drive by the location in Alabama you will still see a sign that says "The Fiero Factory" and you will still see the remains of 100+ Fieros, but trust me.....The Fiero Factory doesn't live there anymore.
ceverhart AUG 02, 08:44 PM
I received a 88 fiero cradle in my drive way in the middle of no-where KS from the current owner of the Fiero Factory. He gave me tons of pictures of the 2 cradles he could provide for me and let me choose. He was on his way down south to pick up another car and altered course to deliver to my house....I have no complaints and would happily reach out if I needed more parts.
olejoedad AUG 04, 12:38 PM
I have done a lot of business with the new owner of The Fiero Factory.
I have sold him parts, and he has sold me parts.
He's a good guy and very conscientious.
I enjoy any interaction that I have with him.
Stop by anytime Mike!
82-T/A [At Work] AUG 04, 02:11 PM

quote
Originally posted by mrfiero:

As for my lack of follow through....I'll own that.

The other issue is sort of how you started things.....you desperately needed something. Everyone is seemingly desperate for something when they call me. Multiply that out by dozens of people every week who desperately need something, but doesn't want to wait.....they want that part now! I've taken orders on a Friday afternoon and gotten called first thing Monday morning asking where their part was. Hint: it's still attached to the car!

Dang! I didn't want this to read like a whine-fest, but it seems I failed at that too.




I don't want to come off negative, I never intended to do that when I made my first response, but I did want to address this, because I think you're misrepresenting my communication with you. I needed the parts desperately, but I didn't convey that at all in my e-mails to you. I'd simply made a list of about 12 parts that I needed for restoration (this was last year in June of 2023). You'd responded the first time telling me you were on a road trip getting a new parts car and would be busy and get back to me, to which I said "Hi, no rush at all, thank you very much!!!" I followed up again in July, August, and again in September, each time saying... "No rush, but definitely still interested." I never heard back from you again.

Believe me... I totally understand how hard all of this is to manage, and I appreciate what you're doing regardless. But I ended up buying all of these things from other places, realistically because I came to the conclusion that I was either being ghosted, or that you just weren't selling parts anymore.



quote
Originally posted by mrfiero:

If you drive by the location in Alabama you will still see a sign that says "The Fiero Factory" and you will still see the remains of 100+ Fieros, but trust me.....The Fiero Factory doesn't live there anymore.



Are those cars still yours, or are they just abandoned? I'd hate to think all of those cars are just rotting away... or is that where your parts are coming from?
bergertime AUG 05, 09:12 PM
Mike has always done me right, it may take a bit, but he did hand deliver some stuff to me in BFE Arkansas and we talked a bit before he hit the road. These were larger pieces that would have cost a ton in shipping. He's a great resouces, just be aware. I love your videos TA, but they are a little slow coming out too.
mrfiero AUG 06, 03:06 AM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:

I don't want to come off negative, I never intended to do that when I made my first response, but I did want to address this, because I think you're misrepresenting my communication with you. I needed the parts desperately, but I didn't convey that at all in my e-mails to you. I'd simply made a list of about 12 parts that I needed for restoration (this was last year in June of 2023). You'd responded the first time telling me you were on a road trip getting a new parts car and would be busy and get back to me, to which I said "Hi, no rush at all, thank you very much!!!" I followed up again in July, August, and again in September, each time saying... "No rush, but definitely still interested." I never heard back from you again.

Believe me... I totally understand how hard all of this is to manage, and I appreciate what you're doing regardless. But I ended up buying all of these things from other places, realistically because I came to the conclusion that I was either being ghosted, or that you just weren't selling parts anymore.




I didn't take it that way, but your reply could have been written by any number of people over the past year or 2 that I seemingly ghosted so it's something I needed to address. Believe me....it was not intentional. It's just that I nearly lost my mind last year with constant trips back & forth. It's right at 1300 miles each way, so not a quick trip. I was making 2 and sometimes 3 trips a month while trying to keep up with orders and emails. I was down there so much that the staff at the Best Western still knows me by name.

I honestly don't know what happened with you and your emails, but I imagine you were one of many people that I never got back to because it was easier to ignore than make continuous apologies. Sad, but true and for that I am truly sorry.

quote

Are those cars still yours, or are they just abandoned? I'd hate to think all of those cars are just rotting away... or is that where your parts are coming from?




No, they are not abandoned. It's complicated, but I own the parts and Jeremy owns the cars. I made a deal with him awhile ago for him to buy whatever I couldn't bring back to Colorado. When I go down there I strip parts to bring back to Colorado and haul back whatever whole car that makes sense to bring back. Also, most of those cars have been rotting there since Ed owned the place, so don't feel bad for them. At least 1/3 should have been crushed a decade ago.

I plan on making some trips this fall (when it's cooler down there) to pull cradles, suspension parts, etc. The plan is for me to be finished with the Alabama location by the end of the year. After that I imagine Jeremy will start crushing what's left.