The transmission cooler is now installed, looks big enough to keep the tranny cool in Texas traffic
I think 'jstricker' is running his 4.9L WITHOUT the tranny cooler... What is your professional opinion on this Pete..?? I am asking only because I am doing this same swap in Smooth GT.
You asked Pete for his professional opinion, but let me tell you the deal with Proud-1...
I originally talked Pete out of the Aux tranny cooler, as I have the V8Archie 4-core radiator and assumed that I would have plenty of tranny cooling going on. Unfortunately the 4-core was damaged in the accident that I had back in February, and it was leaking at the upper fitting, (I'll blame the leak on the accident and not me cross threading the heck out of it to get it on )
So rather than remove the radiator and have it reworked, (again), I opted for the aux tranny cooler. In Texas it's not a bad thing to have anyway. If you are planning on running the th-125, (which I don't recommend by the way) it's probably going to need all the cooling it can get. Unless you don't care if you burn it up since you are eventually going 5-speed. Just my non-professional opinion.
Originally posted by jscott1: it was leaking at the upper fitting, (I'll blame the leak on the accident and not me cross threading the heck out of it to get it on )
LMAO.. hahaha shhhh..
quote
Originally posted by jscott1: Unless you don't care if you burn it up since you are eventually going 5-speed. Just my non-professional opinion.
Jonathan
I have decided that I am going to go ahead and go to the 5speed and not go with the 125 at all... and for a NON-Professional opinion... That sounded pretty good!
I am not sure so I am going to ask.. Do I need the tranny cooler with the Izusu 5speed..??
Originally posted by NotAFieroAnyLonger:Do I need the tranny cooler with the Izusu 5speed..??
Nope, Manual transmissions don't need cooling.
Which 5 speed are you considering? I've heard that the Isuzu is a better match for the low reving high torque 4.9. But others swear by the getrag, so I'm not sure. A lot depends on the final drive ratio; the lower, (numerically) I think the better. Or your gas mileage will suffer and your top speed will be reduced. But this is just from what I have read.
Well jscott and the chop top have now left. I always enjoy going on that first road test, and the grin from the first shot of the gas pedal. I don't think any of the people I have done swaps for know quit what to expect when its all done, and it is thier turn to drive thier car away. It was great meeting you again and I hope we will end up at the same cruise some time again soon.
Which 5 speed are you considering? I've heard that the Isuzu is a better match for the low reving high torque 4.9. But others swear by the getrag, so I'm not sure. A lot depends on the final drive ratio; the lower, (numerically) I think the better. Or your gas mileage will suffer and your top speed will be reduced. But this is just from what I have read.
I am going with the 5-Speed Isuzu.. I found a GREAT deal on EVERYTHING to swap from the current TH125 Auto to the 5-Speed Isuzu tranny. I mean everything from the slave cylinder to the cables to the tranny to the shifter to the etc... lol ALL for a GREAT price! and he is even going to help ,e do the swap.(he's in the Dallas area...) Of course when we do it it will be completed as far as the body and the chop. Then throw in the 4.9L and the 5 speed . That will be cool! It started out as a base 1986 Silver 2m6. It had sat on the side of the road in a pasture since 1995!! I got it for $200.00 and removed the engine because it had cracked the WHOLE LENGTH of the block. It literally FROZE up. I swapped in another 2.8L and started on the body work. After 3 years of messing w/ the bodywork, which was the FIRST tiime I had ever done anykind of bodywork, ever!! after I got it to a point of where I wanted it, It was my daily driver before I blew that 2.8L I put in it.(it had like 120,000 miles) when I installed it in the 2m6. I put almost 9,000 miles on i after the bodywork and have NO crack's, etc.... So far, So good!!
It is going to be like driving a totally different Fiero... Widebody, Choptop, 5 speed, and last but NOT LEAST... Cadillac 4.9L V8!! Anyways, enough rambling... Sorry! I cant wait to get our 4.9L choptop's together..
It is going to be like driving a totally different Fiero... Widebody, Choptop, 5 speed, and last but NOT LEAST... Cadillac 4.9L V8!!
That's going to be one bad asss DAILY DRIVER!! Totally worth the wait I have had to encounter for the last 3 1/2 years!! Jonathan.. Is this one going to be your daily driver for awhile..??
Not trying to hijack your thread btw... I am done.. for now anyways!
[This message has been edited by NotAFieroAnyLonger (edited 09-20-2004).]
Jonathan.. Is this one going to be your daily driver for awhile..??
I picked up the chop top today From PBJ, I had forgotten how low it is. (thanks Archie) I had hoped to get there before dark and get pictures but that didn't happen. Anyway, Pete did a wonderful job. The 4.9 at idle is music to the ears. It only gets better when you get on it. The 4.9/auto may not be the fastest 1/4 mile drag car but it sure is fun to drive!
I drove the hundred or so miles from London to Toronto and it was fun all the way. For the next 3 days all you GTA folks keep an eye out for a multicolor choppy
oh and Steve, the coupe was my daily driver for 3 years and it will be my daily driver again
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 09-21-2004).]
I picked up the chop top today From PBJ, I had forgotten how low it is. (thanks Archie) I had hoped to get there before dark and get pictures but that didn't happen. Anyway, Pete did a wonderful job. The 4.9 at idle is music to the ears. It only gets better when you get on it. The 4.9/auto may not be the fastest 1/4 mile drag car but it sure is fun to drive!
I drove the hundred or so miles from London to Toronto and it was fun all the way. For the next 3 days all you GTA folks keep an eye out for a multicolor choppy
oh and Steve, the coupe was my daily driver for 3 years and it will be my daily driver again
I picked up the chop top today From PBJ, I had forgotten how low it is. (thanks Archie) I had hoped to get there before dark and get pictures but that didn't happen. Anyway, Pete did a wonderful job. The 4.9 at idle is music to the ears. It only gets better when you get on it. The 4.9/auto may not be the fastest 1/4 mile drag car but it sure is fun to drive!
I drove the hundred or so miles from London to Toronto and it was fun all the way. For the next 3 days all you GTA folks keep an eye out for a multicolor choppy
oh and Steve, the coupe was my daily driver for 3 years and it will be my daily driver again
I'm more than halfway back to Texas!!! Laying over here in Memphis...
Comments heard so far:
1) At the Canadian Boarder after all the usual questions, "what kind of car is that?" Me, "it's a Fiero" Him, "that's a Fiero!? I don't remember Fieros looking like that. Did you do something to it?" Me, "yeah, it's been modified a little" (understatement)
2) In Ohio, Cashier at gas station, "Cool car, what kind of car is that", Me, "thanks, it's a Pontiac" Her, "Really?"
3) In Memphis, overheard husband and wife, Husband, "what kind of car is that?" Wife, after seeing tailights, "It's a Pontiac?!"
I'm seeing a theme here
I will probably be coming back on I-10 so I'm afraid I won't be seeing you Steve unless you are at the Texas Welcome Center at the Louisiana Border.
Comments heard so far: In Memphis, overheard husband and wife, Husband, "what kind of car is that?" Wife, after seeing tailights, "It's a Pontiac?!"
I'm seeing a theme here - Jonathan
Man, I like this! It's like a one man Hot Rod tour. I'd wish I had a internet hook-up while driving across the states. Question: Were and how are you hooking up for updates?
Originally posted by madcurl: I'd wish I had a internet hook-up while driving across the states. Question: Were and how are you hooking up for updates?
Curley, It seems that complementary high-speed internet has become the thing to have for hotels across the country. So I look for that when I'm on the road. Between me and my co-driver we have three computers with us...good for watching DVDs and GPS navigation too I would upload a picture of that but PIP doesn't seem to want to work on this setup though. More to come later...checking out now.
jscott1, you are one lucky man ! If you gave me the keys to this Fiero, Id drive the thing all the way to California. You should be proud you are creating a monster!!! Pontiac- we DO drive excitement !
Hey, nice to hear from you! You have travelled further than I would have thought already, Almost home I am looking forward to seeing some Pics of the trip.
Originally posted by madcurl:Okay, were are you at now?
I am home in Houston Texas, and it's hard to believe there is a V8 Chop Top in my Driveway!! Nothing like 2,000 miles of chop top driving in a week to cure the Fiero blues.
I wanted to take pictures of my car along the way passing famous landmarks, but I discovered that unless you have a film crew following you it's kind of hard... So all I have are a few lame shots during refueling.
The engine ran beautifully. I didn't have to stop too often for gas as the 4.9 was consistenly getting over 23 Miles per gallon. That's cruising at 70+ MPH and A/C on full blast. My 4 banger never got over 26 MPG so I got a hundred horsepower for 3 MPG...I'll take that trade anyday.
As for cooling, the V8Archie 4 core kept everything nice and cool. Most of the time the temp stayed two ticks above 100F; right where it stayed for the 4 banger. The oil cooler in the scoops, and the auxilary tranny cooler no doubt helps too.
I'm glad that I paid extra to keep the full sized trunk; there is no way two people could pack a weeks worth of clothes in a cut trunk.
I wanted one of me crossing the Mississippi, but again without that film crew I had to settle for one of the navigation system:
Next is to get the car to the body and paint shop as quick as possible. I'm sure everyone here is as tired as I am of the multi-colored panels.
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 09-27-2004).]
What headliner did you use? Got any pics of it inside the car? Any pics w/o the sun roof? I'm going to use the original sun roof on the next chop. I have never seen them off of the car, only flip'd up on a chop.
Would be sweet if you'd made it to the West coast run painted with the chop. Man...my digital camera would be on fire!
Thanks madcurl.
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 09-27-2004).]
Curley, Here is a shot of my friend while driving...
My headliner is the stock one cut down. Don't let anyone tell you Archie is not a great guy. He didn't like the headliner I had in the car, so he donated one from his "field of dreams" that was in a lot nicer condition. I don't have a shot with the roof out but I can take one later.
Smooth, no kills to report, but I can tell you that although the 4.9 is known for running out of breath up top, my experience with the 4t60e tells me it pulls like a train up to at least 100 mph. While cruising on the highway at 70 mph you just give it a blip of the throttle and without downshifting you are at 80 mph. If it downshifts once then you are at 90 mph. If you get two downshifts...lookout because you are headed to 100 mph with no end in sight
Pete, I think I'm going to give it a rest for a while. I'm sure that I've spent enough time with it over the last few days
I was thinking about a vented hood but with it running so cool it's really not necessary. Although I might consider it for the coolness factor alone. But I just called my body and paint guy and hopefully it's going in this week. So whatever I'm going to do it has to be decided this week. And the color I'm 90% sure but I'm not giong to say because I might change my nind at the last minute.
I got a CD with about 100 pics from PBJ (Pete)...Here is one I like, it shows the custom exhaust. Most 4.9 swaps cut the trunk and I didn't want that.
Very nice inside pic of stock sun roof. Archie mentioned that there is less head room vs. non sun roof Fieros. I got into the PPE w/sun roof and I forgot the differences.
So how many days did it take to travel 2000 miles w/two drivers? Thats great having a good friend to drive with. Is you friend a avide Fiero fan? What was he's thoughts on the chop, 4.9, and/or differences?
Did you guys switch driving at night only? Or just during the day? This is good info for others and me if anyone ever decides to drive great distances. I see from one of the pics, somebody was taking some pics as well? Did you get any pics from passer-byes while on the road and during rest stops? While in GA, LA and in FL at rest stops, I couldn't get a quickie sleep for 10 minutes w/o some approaching the the car.
Please continue to comment on you guys trips and pics too. Take your time before you paint it. A lot of ideas from others too can make this "baby" one bad choptop in TX.
IMO choptop share a common down-side when it comes to the front end.....bullet nose-itis! It has been commented by others before, due to the window being laid-back 9 degrees nearly blending-in with the front hood. Having sloped downward vents may distract the eyes for a minute. However, IMO there are only two ways out of it.
1. Adding a front nose side flare. 2. Adding upper vents that break-up the elongated hood lines.
If our front nose (car) wasn't so long but shortended like the Murcielogo it wouldn't matter.
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 09-27-2004).]
Actually my friend gives me all kinds of grief about my Fiero, (he likes German cars), but we work together and since I was in Toronto on business we acutally got paid to drive the car back. Not a bad deal Although he appreciates the chop top/4.9 as the work of two great craftsmen, (Archie and PBJ)
Our plan was to switch drivers every fuel stop which I arbitrarily decided was 200 miles. (With the mileage I was getting I could have pushed it to 250 miles but I like plenty of margin.) the passenger was also in charge of the navigation system and keeping the DVD player happy. It's not so bad being cooped up in a chop top when you are being entertained. Of course the most entertaining thing is when you give the gas a little tap and the 4.9 comes to life.
We did the main drive in basically in two days. We drove from Toronto to Rochester, (where I'm from originally) about 200 miles and then we started from there the next day and made it to Memphis, (about 1,000 miles). The second day we knocked out the remaining 600 miles. Adding in the side trip to London to pck up the car brings the total to over 2,000 miles in about 4 days.
My friend was taking pictures with his camera, that I haven't downloaded yet. I've noticed the bullet nose problem as well. I might have to add the hood vents just to break up those long lines. Any suggestions? A bolt-one Archie Warber vent, or an Aus bolt on?
- Jonathan
I think the sunroof gives you a little more room because you only have the thickness of the glass versus the roof and the headliner.
Originally posted by jscott1: I've noticed the bullet nose problem as well. I might have to add the hood vents just to break up those long lines. Any suggestions? A bolt-one Archie Warber vent, or an Aus bolt on?
Archie's or Ausie's...the problem will still exist unless additional modifications are added. Once again, it is you who will make the final steps. Just like the Redux, I allowed for additional comments and suggestions and I think it paid off. So please don't let my stupid ideas spoil your dream.
Additions: If you look on one of the threads regarding the JX220 car ( I didn't want to post it due to it's size) The company broke-up the elongated hood by adding 2-3 horizontal vents. The Enzo too has a very long nose but is broken-up by it's muscular front wheel humps plus the V-shaped hood lines. The side downward vents are not so noticable but are complimented by the V-lines.
Archie's or Weber's hood vent are very nice but maybe a lip would pull it off? Example is the 2000 Firebird hood vents. Both vents have a lip that breaks-up the long Firebird hood. Maybe something along those lines might do the trick? There is always Ski-times hood too? However , due to it's height..... additional flaring on the side bumper IMO would be needed? Ski-time has a sectioned front-end bumper.
Also you have the IRM side rocker kit to deal with. I don't know if it's lower vs. the stock ground fx? But if it is lower then the front would need to match, right? If it's any where close to the Pisa rocker kit then you might need a front flare to match the lowness of the side rocker.
The only choptop example that I could show is mine. however it seems to work just as well with other non-chopped Fiero too.
In this after pic, the front flares are 1-2" inches lower vs. the stock ground fx. The Pisa side rocker kit would be needed to even things out. Eventually I'll have to add some rear flared too.
With Pisa kit...pretty close to the same lowness as the front flare:
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 09-27-2004).]
Well as nice as the Chop Top looks without the wing, I think it looks better with one...especially when it's raised and pushed back and additional 3 inches.
Sorry for the dark pictures but it was getting dark and I couldn't wait until morning to post these new shots.
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 09-28-2004).]
Well as nice as the Chop Top looks without the wing, I think it looks better with one...especially when it's raised and pushed back and additional 3 inches.
Now that is what i am talking about !! Way to go Jscott1, love it,...the wing takes it to another level imo !
Now get that baby into the sunlight, we need to see it exposed with that wing on !
