------------------ The Dirty Rat Chopped, dropped and just plain NASTY! Choptop Targa #1 383 Stroker MPFI with N2O 1" Drop 3" Chop 11" Brakes 19" Motegi Roja's wrapped in BFGoodrich Gforce T/A KDW-2 rubber RCC Coilover Suspension Updated Jan 21 '04 www.dirtyratracing.org
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12:07 PM
The Aura Member
Posts: 2290 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2001
This is an original Automoda Conversion Kit purchased from V8 Archie (who got it from eBay about three years ago), and installed by Rob, Kris and Archie at Archie's shop in Illinois. I wasn't fond of the Automoda underframing, so I had a custom reinforcement job done at a racing shop in Tennessee with the help of John Watson in Tennga, Georgia.
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Originally posted by The Aura: Looks as factory as it can get... a non-fiero fan would probably never know it was a conversion.
Wow... that's the highest compliment I can possibly imagine. Thank you!
I've even gone so far as to purchase required items like the third brake light and the lighted rear-view mirror from a 1988 Pontiac Sunbird convertible, since if the factory had built this Fiero this way in 1988, those are the parts that would have been available for them to use. I removed the rocker switches from the lighted rear-view mirror, filled the holes and rewired it to utilize the original Fiero maplight switches in the cut-down upper console I modified to fit. I also rewired the circuit from the four light (two dome lights and two maplights) system to a two light system (each maplight in the mirror comes on separately when the appropriate button is pressed, but when the door is opened or dashlight dimmer switch is activated, both maplights come on in conjunction with the under-dash courtesy lights).
I used hex-mesh that duplicated the look, style and size of the mesh in the dash defroster vents to fill the Automoda decklid grilles, and I created room inside the seat headrests for the 4"x6" B-pillar speakers to fit in behind the fabric. I also cross-wired the rear speakers to provide better stereo effect against the output of the front speakers. The headrests are non-perforated (but still quite adequately acoustically transparent) so they appear completely stock in appearance.
Getting it to be as '1988 Pontiac OEM Believable' as possible was always my goal - I'm thrilled that that was achieved.
[This message has been edited by LZeitgeist (edited 10-20-2004).]
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12:47 PM
intlcutlass Member
Posts: 1431 From: Cleveland,Oh.44067 Registered: Nov 2002
I'm not sure - are you on a dialup or broadband connection? (BTW, apologies to dial-up users.... I hope the pics are worth the wait time for you.)
The pics are between 75-85K each - you may have to 'right click' in the approximate area of where the top left corner of the pic would be and see if you can get them to load up individually... I'm not sure why they wouldn't be showing up. They're standard .jpg's...
SWEET !!! I thought about making a convertable, but with no roof. haha NEVER could I even come up with one so nice as that ! I think I WON"T even try now!!
Any pics of just the roof frame?
------------------ 98 3800SC, Getrag 5sp. only one around Austin Texas !
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01:18 PM
LZeitgeist Member
Posts: 5662 From: Raleigh, NC, U.S.A. Registered: Dec 2000
Looks great. I agree that this is one of the best "Factory" looking installs. Of all the converts I've seen, the automoda is the ONLY way to go. It's a shame archie didn't reverse engineer these.
Originally posted by KissMySSFiero: Looks great. I agree that this is one of the best "Factory" looking installs. Of all the converts I've seen, the automoda is the ONLY way to go. It's a shame archie didn't reverse engineer these.
Thank you, everybody... I agree about this being the 'only way to go' for me - I've felt exactly that way since 1990 when I first discovered the kits. But before I could finagle a loan to get the work done, the company had already been put out of business.
And I agree - it's a shame that Archie didn't get the chance to reproduce these. But, given the wistful look in his eye upon completion of the installation, his interest may very well have been renewed.
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11:55 PM
PFF
System Bot
Oct 21st, 2004
Archie Member
Posts: 9436 From: Las Vegas, NV Registered: Dec 1999
Originally posted by Formula88: But you coulda had a V8.
LOL! Yes, I could have, but I prefer to have my hair blown off by the wind, not the horsepower.
BTW, when you bring your car up to Archie's to get your engine, give me plenty of advance notice, 'cuz I want to get back up there and hang out for another week.
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Originally posted by Raydar: Patrick, That is, without a doubt, the most sanitary convertible installation I have ever seen. Ever. Congrats on your ride, and kudos to Archie and company. They did a great job.
Wow! Thank you - I'm definitely gonna have to put the top down tomorrow to get this swelled head in the car.
[This message has been edited by LZeitgeist (edited 10-21-2004).]
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12:40 AM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
That is, without a doubt, the most sanitary convertible installation I have ever seen. Ever.
Congrats on your ride, and kudos to Archie and company. They did a great job.
Everything I've seen Patrick do with his Formula has been based on the premise of "OEM Believability." The untrained eye should not be able to tell the factory didn't do it this way. Most of the subtle touches people would miss. The factory '88 third brake light from an '88 Sunbird convertible (see above), the lighted power window switches, even the OEM CD radio from an early 90's car so it better matches the rest of the interior.
Pontiac would have had a hard time delivering a convertible Fiero as well thought out.
And as for Archie's work.... all I can say is after seeing this car in person and riding in it, I would have no qualms letting Archie do anything to my Fiero.
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12:45 AM
moto838 Member
Posts: 139 From: Edgewater Co. Jeferson Registered: Mar 2004
Thanks again, everybody... I'm glad to have finally found sometime to get some of the pics I have 'presentable' and upload them for posting.
Now I just need to find the time to do the same with the rest of the pics to create a 'build thread'.
The wind noise isn't bad at all - the roof panels are actually aluminum/steel (covered with fabric to match the soft parts of the top), and with the general shape of the design, there's no 'windtunnel' effect pulling/bulging/flapping the fabric like is sometimes seen lifting the roof fabric on some other types of convertibles. Even driving it in 'targa mode' at highway speeds isn't a problem. It's been difficult to get an air-tight seal along the rearmost edges of the door glass, though - the rubber strip has to be soft enough to give to provide a seal, but firm/smooth enough to not hinder the movement of the glass when rolling up the windows with the doors shut. Still pokin' around with that, but it'll come.
It's taken me some time, trial and error to locate and reduce various slight rattles/squeaks in the top mechanism, but it's pretty darn quiet now.
My GT is the original car Onfrio Scaddutto made into a convertible in 1988 for Pontiac for the 1988 GM auto show in Anaheim, CA. The convertible was supposed to be a factory option by 1990. Of course this never happened! He made about 15 kits which were sold through the Automoda name brand. Your car looks beautiful. Kinda reminds me of mine! Mine was also braced with steel tubing while the body was completely off the car, unlike the very poor automoda bracing that came with the kit. Love the pics!
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02:55 PM
California Kid Member
Posts: 9541 From: Metro Detroit Area, Michigan Registered: Jul 2001
The funny thing is that if you're used to a normal Fiero, you're used to a certain duck-n-twist to quickly get into or out of the car. It just comes naturally to Fiero owners. Yet when you start driving the convertible a lot, you start getting out of practice and take for granted the fact that you can skip the duck and only do the twist. I swear someday I'm going to bash my face into the roof when I have it up!
The only thing that would be hard to reproduce on the Automoda kit would be the main arch. They were made by a steel forging company-- they took a piece of thick angle iron, heated it up a whole lot, and pulled it down across a template. They hated doing it because it was always in small batches. I think it could be faked with a torch, but it would add a lot of pain-in-the-ass to the process of reproducing the kit. -- which makes me think... the patent on that kit is probably expired ;o)
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87 Quad 4 HO convertible
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10:44 PM
Nov 7th, 2004
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
Originally posted by Automoda: I think it could be faked with a torch, but it would add a lot of pain-in-the-ass to the process of reproducing the kit. -- which makes me think... the patent on that kit is probably expired ;o)
Yeah, but who's got an Automoda kit to tear apart to reverse-engineer?
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12:13 AM
Mar 9th, 2005
LZeitgeist Member
Posts: 5662 From: Raleigh, NC, U.S.A. Registered: Dec 2000
