v-8 archie at carlisle (Page 1/12)
wiccantoy JUN 05, 11:11 AM
did anyone see v8 archies yellow fiero at carlisle? i was such a fan of this mans work untill i saw that piece of crap. ok the man can put a big motor in a little car . i looked at the work done to the chop top, christ finish sanding and rounding the edges on the roof and where you cut to make it a chop top . lol if that is how much attn he pays to detail . his motor kit must suck too. i started to talk to him he seemed to be spaced out in a different world . 1st question i asked what trans would be the best ? answer i dont know i have used the 5 speed and 4 speed ? what an idiot!!!!! i had asked him 4 questions. after that i wanted nothing to do with this mans work . im sorry but i have worked on hot rods and show cars in a custom body shop for 7 years . if that car left my shop looking like that i would be shot on sight. and if its not archie that did the body work, fine . than the guys in his shop who did it need to be shot and archie wounded for letting it leave like that .

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go fast or go home
or just drive it like you stole it

White88cpe JUN 05, 11:12 AM
I'll say this as nicely as I can.. no wait, there is no nice way to say it so i'll only say this!

Larf nimrod

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Ray - rturner@fierosite.com - Fierosite.com - StangSearch.com
1988 Stage 2 Aero Coupe - 1985 Mustang 3.8 Convertable

MinnGreenGT JUN 05, 11:30 AM
OK... so the Stinger may not have appeared as the most "finished" piece of work. But did you see it built? Do you really know how much work went into it? Do you know how long it took Archie to get the Stinger to Carlisle... and what weather they had to battle?

I think you may be too quick to judge. Archie isn't usually one for giving a definitive answer on common questions- if for no reason other than people can sometimes take what he says to be "the only answer". A question like "Which Tranny is the best?" must be asked a thousand times! And he has proved, through numerous vehicles, that you can use any tranny you like- it all really depends on what you want from the car!

Just for your info... the LT1 stinger was built in 22 days for the WOW show in Chicago- he photographed and posted his process along the way for our education/entertainment, check it out here: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/013402.html Think about it... 22 days!

And what exactly is your purpose in posting this here? Hundreds- if not thousands of us have already seen the Stinger 1st hand- an it truly is a beautiful piece of engineering work... although admittadly some details still remain.

Maybe you should read this thread too: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/017972.html it may enlighten you a bit more.

Still... I wonder what the point of your thread is anyway!?

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Looking for Fiero posters?

Jaygee79 JUN 05, 12:00 PM
I do believe that Archie had said that there were still some small things that needed to be done to it when he had time. It would be a good idea if you did a little research before you posted something like that about someone. Makes you look like a twit.
Tcat55371 JUN 05, 12:09 PM
Well, I have never met him in person but he has always helped me on the phone. I bought his cheap V/8 kit and did it all myself and I'm not a mechanic. A few items were missed on the tape and I did afew mistakes myself but I think Archie did a really good job for us backyard mechanics to put some muscle in our Fieros. I haven't seen the Stinger in person but I watched the pictures as they were posted. Everyone can speak their mind here but until you walk in the mans shoes or can post some of your own work, costs and time frame then maybe you shouldn't flame someone else. In other words, if you don't like it, don't look.
wiccantoy JUN 05, 12:19 PM
no if your gonna take a car into a show that represents you and your products it should be mint . i was going to buy the v8 kit in 3 weeks from now but the man is too vague on the questions. i had numerous things i wante dto know . and there is no better time to ask than when he is in front of you and when the same car that you are going to do is right there. think about it . if your a car maker are you going to bring your new concept car to show that isnt complete? NO you would be laughed out .
KissMySSFiero JUN 05, 12:35 PM
ok since your so smart, which SBC is the best? Gee, kinda depends on what you want. Same with the tranny. Hes been doing SBC swaps for 15+years. He has used each trans. If you want 1/4 mile, daily Driver, highway cruiser, ect. Your tranny choice will be different. If you want a highway cruiser you wont want an 84 4.10 tranny, but if you want a 1/4 mile racer you probably want an auto. Its preference. Now if your such a GREAT hot rod guy thats been doing it for 7 years, then design your own kit. And by all means dont come on here and Start flaming a well respected member of our Community. Your post was only intended to put down Archie. Now unless you have something you can contribute to everyone else, Just go away.

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JOEJOE Aol:SSFiero
Two 88FORMULAS Red & Yellow
SSFiero@Aol.com

MinnGreenGT JUN 05, 12:36 PM
So I shouldn't bring an unfinished product to a show? Not even to show the possilbity of things to come? BullSh!t. I've always brought partially completed projects to shows... even just to show people what I've got in mind- and people love it (ask anyone who saw my car at this year's Dells Run, MFF Spring KickOff, or even last year's Fierorama)!

Archie is the engineer and manufacturer of aftermarket car parts/kits. He in no way should/can be compared to GM or any other multi-billion dollar conglomerate corperations who have hundreds (if not thousands) of people working to complete concept cars for shows. And if you honestly think that prototype/concept cars are finished vehicles- think again. Most of the cars have 100% tinted windows so that you can't see what has been glued/taped together. Ever wonder why most car magazines aren't allowed to drive many concept cars (the Chevy SST comes to mind)? Because they incomplete running gear and are often only built to be rolled on and off an enclosed trailer for shows. I personally saw Archie take many people for rides in the Stinger- as well as letting anyone who wanted to, sit in it to see "how it feels".

If you were going to buy Archie's V8 kit (in 3 weeks? who cares)... but don't want to because he didn't feel like answering your specific questions at a car show after a long drive- and you don't want to take the time/effort to call him personally and ask the questions you need answered (but wait a week or 2- cause he's on vacation). Why don't you go out and buy a Zumalt-based kit... hell, if you get ahold of Gary Zumalt at all I'd be far more impressed than you could ever imagine. There is a reason Archie is still around and Gary isn't... Darwinian theory: only the strong survive.

If you want a Zumalt kit, Read this: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/019134.html or this: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/020378.html (they're basically the same, just the 2nd was consolidated).

On/off topic- have you seen the movie "The Rock"? The yellow Ferrari F355 Sypder/Fiero Conversions used in that movie were made up from a damaged real F355 body in approximately 3 weeks. Most of the bodies were large single pieces- and the bodylines were actually black pinstriping tape. Yeah- that's another perfect show car (which has been shown in museums/auctions).

California Kid JUN 05, 12:43 PM
I shouldn't really make a comment because I haven't seen the car personally, have seen photos though and it doesn't look that poorly finished. You don't seem to understand the Archie really pushed this project fast to be able to make it to the first show he wanted to hit. Mainly he put the car on display due to the numerous requests from Forum members who wanted to see the car. It takes consideable time to finish a project car to "show winning" condition. At least I noted by Archies posts that he/his shop people had many irons in the fire as far as customer work was concerned, and that the fine details of the Stinger would have to wait.

As far as your transmission question, there has always been debates on which is better. My gut feeling is that it's a toss up between the Getrag 4 spd or 5 spd.

By the way, I've never bought anything from Archie and his kit isn't in my car, so I'm not speaking from a customer loyality point of view just in case you were wondering.

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Click to Listen!

[This message has been edited by California Kid (edited 06-05-2002).]

MinnGreenGT JUN 05, 12:45 PM

quote
Originally posted by California Kid:
At least I noted by Archies posts that he/his shop people had many irons in the fire as far as customer work was concerned, and that the fine details of the Stinger would have to wait.

As of this past Sunday when I last spoke to Archie in person- he has 5 of his own project cars in the works, in addition to current customer project cars (which get most of the immediate attention- as they should).

[This message has been edited by MinnGreenGT (edited 06-05-2002).]