quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: Dave has loads of time, many custom fabricated parts, lots or re-engineering and if I'm guessing correctly big bucks in his car. While some of his ideas are certainly duplicable they won't come cheap. Rather than trying to copy Skitimes car, it may be preferable to do your own custom build.

Dennis, I feel you have the wrong impression of my car. The car was a rough inexpensive GT when I bought it. Yes, I did spend a ton of time of my car engineering and re engineering the modifications. Yes, I did lots of custom fabricated parts. But I feel I did it all at very little expense and certainly not big bucks. How? Do everything yourself. The only thing that was not done in my little garage was fabrication of the exhaust which I had already designed with a muffler I had modified and I did not paint the car. I did all the body work myself but I am not setup to spray cars. I did all the mechanical and engine work myself. The new crate engine cost $1400 and the West Coast Fiero headers were graciously donated by West Coast Fieros. After selling my old 2.8 engine and automatic trans, I was only out about $600. I bought a junkyard 2.8 engine and Getrag and complete wiring harness for $200. Kept the Getrag setup and sold the engine for something like $600 so at that point out about $400 for the 3800 swap. I constantly bought and sold parts along the way to keep my expenses very low. (At the time, I was recently divorced and had two daughters in college) A few years latter I did add the inter cooler for somewhere near an additional $1000. All in all I feel I have one of the least expensive 3800SC Fieros out there. Now I would agree the cost to reproduce this GT by having a shop build it with all the unique modifications would be major big bucks but it did not cost me much compared to most Fieros I see out there including your sweet Fiero. Course, if I would sell it I would expect to make a profit ;-)

[This message has been edited by skitime (edited 02-09-2009).]