Reverse Fiero kit/ replica car (making a fake Fiero) (Page 1/1)
dizzie JUN 26, 11:12 AM
I know this weird question will probably be seen as a dumb/ asinine/ sacrilegious question that could maybe even get me banned here on a bad day, but I'm just curious:

Has anyone ever tried to take a more modern car and attach Fiero body panels to it in order to make a replica/ kit/ fake Fiero? Would it be incredibly hard to do in theory? Also, would you have to use a mid-engine car? Or could you use something like a fwd Pontiac Sunfire/ Chevy Cavalier, Chevy Aveo, Ford Focus, or <gasp> Honda Civic?

The thought came to mind because, while I love the styling of a Fiero, I do get worried reading about the trials and tribulations or owners trying to maintain them and keep them running. I know that's all part of the deal, though 😉.

Who knows, maybe some day down the road, replica Fieros could become a thing? I've been told that a lot of the old hotrods are essentially replicas with prefabricated fiberglass shells.
Mickey_Moose JUN 26, 03:26 PM
There is no way that the body panels would fit a FWD car.

I doubt you could get any of the panels to fit any other car without heavy modification to the car - even if you find one with the same wheel base/dimensions.
Patrick JUN 26, 04:51 PM

quote
Originally posted by dizzie:

Has anyone ever tried to take a more modern car and attach Fiero body panels to it in order to make a replica/ kit/ fake Fiero?



There you go... a frame perfect for your endeavor!
82-T/A [At Work] JUN 26, 05:12 PM

quote
Originally posted by dizzie:

I know this weird question will probably be seen as a dumb/ asinine/ sacrilegious question that could maybe even get me banned here on a bad day, but I'm just curious:

Has anyone ever tried to take a more modern car and attach Fiero body panels to it in order to make a replica/ kit/ fake Fiero? Would it be incredibly hard to do in theory? Also, would you have to use a mid-engine car? Or could you use something like a fwd Pontiac Sunfire/ Chevy Cavalier, Chevy Aveo, Ford Focus, or <gasp> Honda Civic?

The thought came to mind because, while I love the styling of a Fiero, I do get worried reading about the trials and tribulations or owners trying to maintain them and keep them running. I know that's all part of the deal, though 😉.

Who knows, maybe some day down the road, replica Fieros could become a thing? I've been told that a lot of the old hotrods are essentially replicas with prefabricated fiberglass shells.




Replica hot-rods are usually from a company that is reproducing the original molds. For example, you can buy a brand new 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, or a 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback, all from Goodmark Industries. They basically remake the entire tub. The only thing missing is the frame. You can buy that too... but it won't come with a vin, so you have to register it as a kit car.

The long and short though, there's no real benefit to doing what you're suggesting. Maintaining a Fiero is the same as maintaining any old car. After a certain point, the car gets so old and so tired that everything is more or less shot. At that point, you go through rebuilding everything and replacing worn parts, and the car basically becomes NEW again. My daughter is doing this with her car at relatively great expense... but it will be a "new" Fiero in that every part on it will have been completely refurbished.

That's an educational experience more than anything else... so it's not financially wise unless you're wanting to learn how to do everything. Generally, just buy the best Fiero you can afford, and replace things as they're needed. If you don't want an old engine... you can basically drop in a modern V6/60 motor and transmission from like a newer ~2007-2010 Pontiac and have all the awesomeness of a new drivetrain (e.g., the 3500 or 3900 series motors).
fieroguru JUN 26, 05:25 PM
It has been done a few times with all the tube chassis race cars. Fiero based panels on a non-Fiero chassis.
dizzie JUN 28, 07:31 PM
Lot's of good insight, advice, humor, and surprising facts in this thread - thanks everyone!
Dennis LaGrua JUN 29, 12:27 PM
Eric Schneck of Boomtastic Racing built a nice race car that used a special frame with a front mounted SBC engine, transmission and differential. From the outside the Fiero looks like it has a stock body. The car was at Carlisle 2024 a couple of weeks ago.

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dizzie JUL 01, 01:08 PM

quote
Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:

Eric Schneck of Boomtastic Racing built a nice race car that used a special frame with a front mounted SBC engine, transmission and differential. From the outside the Fiero looks like it has a stock body. The car was at Carlisle 2024 a couple of weeks ago.




Ok, very interesting. This is the type of thing I was wondering about. Your comment and the prior one above show that, while it may be difficult, it's possible.