quote Originally posted by Archie: ROFLMAO Some of you people are crazy, the rest of you are just nuts.

funny, my doctor said the same thing.

quote Originally posted by Archie: Earlier in the week we had done some planning on what we would be needing to do to the decklid area in regards to the headrests & the top of the decklid. If you compare these pics to the PS showing the decklid to the actual decklid, you'll see that the PS has the surface of the decklid lower than it is in the actual car. The actual decklid is almost as high as the stock Fiero seats are & we'll have to lower the decklid as much as we can to get some definition in the headrest extensions. I had an old Instrument panel surround from a dash I designed years ago & it had the outside shape I had in mind for the headrest extensions. But I also wanted it to taper back into the decklid a lot farther than it does in this picture. ..............

Hi all,

In tha last pic of a photoshopped finished speedster....What is that interior, are you planning on making it??

Time to bump this to the top.

step step step step...... oh why hello.... have we all been good little boys and girls? ...... bump .....

Bump

Another up-date please.

Anything new?

I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be hearing something about this VERY Soon.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by jstricker: I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be hearing something about this VERY Soon. John Stricker

....riiiighhhhttt... out with it!

quote Originally posted by jstricker: I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be hearing something about this VERY Soon. John Stricker

Wow, How did He know that?!?!?!?

We finally have the deck lid finished and the rear clip done. Here are some pics of it right after we sprayed the 1st layer of DuraTech. Three layers of this stuff with sanding in between & we can start building up the molds.

Archie

Archie you have to keep those wheels on it!!! I love those, hahaha I know I know there move around wheels. ITS A JOKE!!!
I was hoping you were going to get this done for the World Of Wheel!?!?!?!

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Bobby from NW Indiana
93 Northstar and 5 speed Getrag
219customs@verizon.net
My 86 GT build thread
MY 88 Northstar build thread

Archie,

You were right, I like the decklid a lot. It's going to work well with the idea I have in mind for venting, I think. I'll see if Chris can photoshop something up this weekend and send it to you. Looks like I might get to see Chicago in sunny early February.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by Archie: Wow, How did He know that?!?!?!? We finally have the deck lid finished and the rear clip done. Here are some pics of it right after we sprayed the 1st layer of DuraTech. Three layers of this stuff with sanding in between & we can start building up the molds. Archie

I really like the shape of that decklid!

That would push me over the edge regarding buying a Finale Kit for my fiero... What have you worked out (if anything) for a top for it?

Can't speak for Archie, but for me the car will be a roadster in the truest sense of the word. No top, soft or hard, is planned. Treat it like a motorcycle, drive it on nice days and have a good cover in the boot for when you run into unexpected inclement weather.

Interiors will dry out if they get wet.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by Synthetic: I really like the shape of that decklid! That would push me over the edge regarding buying a Finale Kit for my fiero... What have you worked out (if anything) for a top for it?

quote Originally posted by Synthetic: a top for it?

There will be no top, I will have a place to stick your Rain Gear in.

Archie

Not having a top will not dissuade me from the build - I am looking forward to this rebody... How long until you can bring the decklid into production?

quote Originally posted by Synthetic: Not having a top will not dissuade me from the build - I am looking forward to this rebody... How long until you can bring the decklid into production?

We are making 3 major molds.

1) The top of the new decklid.
2) The top of the new rear clip configuration.
3) The underside of the new Decklid.

The goal is to pull the 1st parts out of the molds by Feb. 1st. & We should be able to produce a complete body every 10 to 12 days. The 1st few bodies should come very quickly because we are curently working to build up inventory of the unchanged parts of the complete kit. The 1st 3 sets of roadster parts are already spoken for. So you can expect to be able to get the complete kit by the end of Feb.

Archie

Hey Arch, I seem to remember that the british roadsters had a cover that went across the passengers side of the car, leaving only the driver exposed. Is "tonnau cover" the right term ? How about something like that ? You could keep stuff dry on the passenger's seat or floor because they would be under the cover. Maybe you could make your molds to accommodate a slot or snaps to attach the cover from the passenger's door to the console and dash to the rear bulkhead. There would be no attachment at the console because it would be open at shoulder level and the driver's shifter hand would be under the cover.

[This message has been edited by PaulJK (edited 01-16-2005).]

it shouldn't be that hard to add some snaps yourself and crerate such a cover using a tonoeu cover for any small pickup an elecric drill and a sewing machine. any upolstry shop ought to be able to rig something up...

Here is a web site that kinda tells you how to make a toneau cover. http://rawilson.net/cobra/images/kit/accessories/toneau/index.html

If I get wet too many times, I might have one made for my car eventually, but right now it's not the focus of my attention.

Archie

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I am sooooo looking forward to seeing this thing ready to go. It's just too cool.

[This message has been edited by Firefox (edited 01-16-2005).]

Archie

Are you bringing the finished roadster to Daytona ??

quote Originally posted by exoticse: Archie Are you bringing the finished roadster to Daytona ??

I don't think it'll be done by then.

Archie

any updates... new pics?

A little update.

We have the molds off of the new decklid & the new upper rear clip. In fact those molds already have fiberglass laid up in them.

The mold for the underside of the new decklid is being made right now.

I know everyone want to see pics & I'll try to get some in the morning.

We should have at least one set of panels out of the molds by the end of next week & then the big drain in the bottom of my checking account will be sealed off again.

Archie

quote Originally posted by Archie: A little update. We have the molds off of the new decklid & the new upper rear clip. In fact those molds already have fiberglass laid up in them. The mold for the underside of the new decklid is being made right now. I know everyone want to see pics & I'll try to get some in the morning. We should have at least one set of panels out of the molds by the end of next week & then the big drain in the bottom of my checking account will be sealed off again. Archie

bump

Might as well keep this thing bumped.

Today I have pics of the 1st new Roadster rear clip as it has come out of the mold. Still have to clean it up and do some trimming around the edges. Notice it has returns all around where the new decklid will lay when closed. These returns should keep the water from leaking into the trunk & make for a nice mounting to the upper frame rails just behind the rear window.

Here is the "test" pc out of the mold for the outside part of the rear decklid.

Here is the mold for the upper (outside) part of the new decklid.

And here is the mold for the lower (inside) part of the new decklid.

These molds are being waxed up right now & we'll have finished parts out of them by this weekend.

When building a Roadster version of the Fino or Finale all of the other parts including the nose, hood, door panels Rocker panels etc. remain the same & we have a bunch of those in stock already to go.

Archie

Archie,

I'll call you tomorrow. We'll set something up for the next couple of weeks. I smell a road trip to Chicago coming up.

John Stricker

If you can't get me on the800 number, call my cell phone. Going to be at the Chicago auto show tomorrow taking pictures of the Solstice.

Archie

quote Originally posted by jstricker: Archie, I'll call you tomorrow. We'll set something up for the next couple of weeks. I smell a road trip to Chicago coming up. John Stricker

Looks like it will have the same rear wing and not a spoiler like in Aus' photochop?
Either way it looks great, can't wait to see one come together.

quote Originally posted by fourpoint9: Looks like it will have the same rear wing and not a spoiler like in Aus' photochop? Either way it looks great, can't wait to see one come together.

Based on the pictures on page 6 of this thread, we decided that it would look pretty good with the low wing.

But, that doesn't keep people from fitting their own wing design into it.

Archie

[This message has been edited by Archie (edited 02-15-2005).]

So if it is ready for Carlisle and I make it over again do I get a drive?

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quote Originally posted by AusFiero: So if it is ready for Carlisle and I make it over again do I get a drive?

Sure

i will be back in crystal lake in two weeks from college for spring break. i am most deff going to stop by the shop. Also i wanted to know if you had any of your battery box relocators in stock i wanted to pick on up when i get home.

Also great work you desevre lots of respect.

this build is awsome, great work archie!

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Carbed 4.5l and 125c, made to be? And Im only 17. think about when Im 30!!

Any news on the windshield header? I need one for my roadster.

quote Originally posted by Crow: Any news on the windshield header? I need one for my roadster.

We haven't tooled a header. I plan to fabricate & weld one up (out of sheet metal) right on the car.

Archie

fourpoint - the wing allows more rear vision than the spoiler .....

quote Originally posted by Archie: Going to be at the Chicago auto show tomorrow taking pictures of the Solstice. Archie

sniff, sniff.... do i smell an LS2 Solstice