It's near the end of the school year, I imagine she is busy finishing up with school. Studying for tests and what not. I'm sure there will be a bunch of updates over the summer.
okay, sorry but you're right i'm trying to keep track of school as well anyway for updates i'm still trying to mess around with my headlight motors...grrrr. they are quite a pain believe me. and since both my Dad and I have been really busy recently we haven't had much time to do much else....*sigh* Thank you though everyone for all the great feed back and support I love hearing from all of you and I've learned quite alot just from the Forum!! Also I think I'm hearing mostly Makers Faire, in Detroit right? any other imputs anyone wants to say? and are there any more suggestions to help me conquer the evil headlight motors?...lol. Thanks again every body, and sorry for not posting recently. But thank you everyone, both those who have been here all the way since day one, and those who have only recently joined!! thanks! -kathryn
Kathryn, if you'll send your headlight motors to me, I'll put them in operating condition. Free. All you need do is pay shipping and put your nose into your school work. Your dad may still have my email address, or PM me for shipping instructions.
Kathryn Your school work is the number 1 thing you need to worry about. I was just bumping the forum to keep it at the top of the recent forums on the site.
------------------ Here to support Kathryn's Fiero, You inspire us all
Dad's over in the UK right now as well, so I'm sure that isn't helping...but will be back in another week so that work can resume. Thanks for the offer FieroFool, the motors are pretty hashed. We may have some exciting news to report in the next few days as well. We'll be keeping everyone in the loop of course.
Originally posted by michhiker28: We may have some exciting news to report in the next few days as well. We'll be keeping everyone in the loop of course.
Thank you for all the support and wonderful offers!!! I'm sure that my progress will pick up once school ends, and my Dad get's back from the UK for now though, I don't really have much to do, because I can not easily access my car with my younger siblings to take care of, and school work ect. Thanks again for staying on and keeping track, thank you for the offers for the Headlight Motors It's very kind and generous of you!! -kathryn
I am now back from Europe and with in the next little bit we will probably be out looking for an engine. I think that Kathryn has settled on the 3.4pr. Anyone have any good leads to one in the Mid-Michigan area? Anything in particular we should be looking for?
I've bought 2 used ones that were supposedly low mileage but were a piece of junk. If you buy used, be sure you can see the odometer on the car, start it and let it get to operating temp and by all means put a mechanical oil pressure gauge on it before buying. If you buy, it'd be a good idea to replace cam bearings and rod and main bearings along with the rear crankshaft seal. They tend to leak after 80,000 or so.
This is one of the best Fiero stories I've ever heard. Nice to know there's a young girl out there who loves Fieros instead of VW Cabrios or Honda Civics or whatever.
I am now back from Europe and with in the next little bit we will probably be out looking for an engine. I think that Kathryn has settled on the 3.4pr. Anyone have any good leads to one in the Mid-Michigan area? Anything in particular we should be looking for?
-MH
might i suggest an "updated" 3.4pr? use the block from a 00+ 3400, new 3.4l pistons, your 2.8 heads, intakes, exahust mani's, timing covers etc... and you could go rollercam in that settup... just alittle extra work, but the diffrence in the bottomends is huge. im sure dad wants to keep the HP down a bit, but the 3400 engines are a very easy install, and offer a better powerband, with the ability of significant upgrades later. (3400 you can keep the fiero wiring for the most part, just need to convert it to the 7730 DIS ecu, very well documented and done many times, or just get a compleated obd2 harbess from phonedawgs(sp))
just my opionions, the 2.8 and 3.4pr engines are hard to find in good condition, and are very outdated when it comes to power/fuel econ.
We would like very much to do an interview with your Family. Please contact us so we can arrange this. We would also like to do a follow-up interview when Kathryn's car and drivers license are both ready to go for their first spin together along with her at the helm.
The inspiration from this story is off the charts.
Respectfully Giuseppe Maestro Colato President and CEO Dirty South TV (404) 759-0046
Kathryn, curious if accepted the Invitation to be a Presenter at the Henry Ford Maker Faire, if you did, post a few details - as I'm pretty sure no one here has been to that event.
Dirty South TV, big thumbs up to you !
[This message has been edited by California Kid (edited 06-03-2012).]
California Kid: Kathryn, curious if accepted the Invitation to be a Presenter at the Henry Ford Maker Faire--We are curious as well. The Ford opportunity would be our advice as well. Truly once in a lifetime possibly.
California Kid: Dirty South TV, big thumbs up to you ! Thank you, but this for us, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. What Kathryn and her Family are doing is not only rare, it's a special as it can get. This Family is literally one in a million. It is in our humble opinion that Kathryn's Father should get a Father of the Year Award. Not to mention her Mother and sibling/s. They all are living this project, and to support Kathryn the way they do--is amazing and very inspiring. I wish all Families were as close and supportive as this Family is. I cannot imagine coming home from school one day and explaining to Pop (My Grandfather) that I was going to quit Track, Cross-Country and Football because I wanted to build a car. I applaud her Father, Mother and Sister for understanding her wishes, dreams and her drive--please pardon the pun. I hope that Kathryn understands how lucky she is.
It is very rare that I read a story about someone and say "I've gotta check this out." Well, that happened twice with Kathryn, and once I started reading all 15 pages of this Forum, I was repeatedly brought to tears (good ones). She is so inspiring to me--there are no English words to accurately describe how inspiring she is. Kathryn is living most boys dreams, and her Father hit the jackpot of 100 lifetimes with Mom and both daughters (Kathryn's sister plays a very important role on her soccer team).
And, of course we will never forget Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Bob! Three more absolutely wonderful people. I mean, how rare is it that a Grandfather takes his Granddaughter to the store for her very own welding helmet/mask? And Uncle Bob dedicating his garage, tools, knowledge and support like he is FOR ALL THIS TIME?
And while we're at it, we've seen positive Forums before, and great people supporting one another and their loves/projects--but this Forum on 'Pennock's Fiero Forum' takes the ALL TIME cake. These are the most wonderful, positive, supportive group of strangers-(to begin with) that I have ever personally witnessed, and I'm not that young. I truly hope that every single one of us gets to meet this whole Family, AND watch Kathryn drive her car, and show us under the hood, and all of the yellow accents that she painted etc. It really is a dream of mine. I also hope to meet all of the fantastic members in this thread too. This whole story is just too special for words.
"Lifetime should make a movie of this story, and if they don't--we will highly consider it (we would need outside funding for a feature length film--like everyone else does/would). Let me put it to all of you like this: Oprah quit too early, this story would have been the very best last show of a career in TV history." This is a four-year story.
One Love, Giuseppe Maestro Colato President and CEO Dirty South TV (404) 759-0046
GMC: Thank you for the response and the link, your platform looks amazing and very interesting, well done!
You pretty much summed up my own feelings concerning this family, this girl and this project. I would also like to see this documented in the way you have suggested, it's not only inspiring, but just a genuinely warm human interest story, that I believe would be of interest to a large, varied audience. I hope things in the future can progress to that level and that the family has time and the inclination to "let it be". Thanks again for the upfront response, now let's let these folks take back over the thread and get back to what they started!
A short update.. Kathryn has had a difficult decision to make. She has been weighing the option of attending either the Maker's Faire in Detroit, or the Tyler show in MN. She has really been torn since she sees the Shipman Show as something central to this community. At the same time she saw the Maker's Faire as a once in a lifetime opportunity. Soooo, after a lot of thought she has decided to head to Detroit on July 28th and 29th for the Maker's Faire. She will be working on some parts of the projects there. If anyone is in the area and would like to stop by and say hey, please feel free to do so. I think we are heading to MN next summer :-)
Also, Kathryn owes a few individuals on here some phone calls, she will try to get those in tonight. Tomorrow evening we are pulling the back clip and the rockers....that should be fun....I'm sure we will get to see even more rust! Yippee! I'm sure she will have something to say about that.
In some other recent news Kathryn had the opportunity to talk with a number of representatives from 3M. They were wonderful with her and have offered to help out with her project. She is meeting with them again later this week to show them how far she is in the project and what still needs down. They have some ideas on how some of their products might be beneficial to the rebuild so she is very excited to have them as a partner in her dream. Thank you 3M for your wonderful offer to assist!
We would like very much to do an interview with your Family. Please contact us so we can arrange this. We would also like to do a follow-up interview when Kathryn's car and drivers license are both ready to go for their first spin together along with her at the helm.
The inspiration from this story is off the charts.
Respectfully Giuseppe Maestro Colato President and CEO Dirty South TV (404) 759-0046
Guiseppe, Just saw your posts, I'll get Kathryn to take a look this evening, once she is home from school, and then we will be in touch. Thanks so much,
-MH aka Jerry aka Kathryn's Dad (It seems like more and more this is how I am known)
th8is is one of the most amazing threads I've ever read. You guys are fantastic!!!! Good luck Kathryn. I've only just joined Pennocks and playing catch up on all of these awesome threads!
In some other recent news Kathryn had the opportunity to talk with a number of representatives from 3M. They were wonderful with her and have offered to help out with her project. She is meeting with them again later this week to show them how far she is in the project and what still needs down. They have some ideas on how some of their products might be beneficial to the rebuild so she is very excited to have them as a partner in her dream. Thank you 3M for your wonderful offer to assist!
--MH
I firmly believe that Kathryn made the right choice with the Maker's Faire in Detroit. A once in a lifetime opportunity like that is going to be a special memory for her. The Tyler Show will be here next year, and we'll all gladly welcome the entire family with open arms.
As for 3M. That is phenomenal news. I contracted for 3M for five years, and found it to be a great company to work for. I have since parted ways with them and moved on to other pastures, but I have nothing bad to say about them from both a consumer standpoint and as a former 3M "insider".
A huge thumbs up to a very large company looking at the "small" picture, so to speak...
One other quick update. Kathryn's Birthday will be coming up this Sunday. Happy 14 kiddo. Someone thinks she might have some fun and exciting pictures to post after that.............
Thank you very much for writing back so quickly, and for the updates! We love to read updates, it literally makes our day. :-) This is quite a journey for all of us.
We're all looking forward to speaking to you, Kathryn and Uncle Bob. I'm sure Kathryn will be deluged with happy birthday wishes from people from all over the World.
Sage: You're welcome, and thank you very much. The reason we're so behind right now is due to a behind the scenes rebuild that will make us better than ever.
Synthesis: We agree with you 100%.
Kathryn: We were quietly hoping to be up late the night before your birthday to be near the front of the Happy Birthday line--but we have a funny feeling that thousands of others were thinking the same thing.
Looking forward to progress on all fronts, Giuseppe
P.S. Jerry: When you have a sec, please call us so we can ask one important question in private. It pertains to a yearly occurrence...
OK, Kathryn might just kill me for this one, but a number of people have sent emails etc. requesting information on donating to Kathryn's project so if you use this email address with paypal you can donate to her project.
okay hi everyone, i haven't come on....because no updates so i just saw the offer for the interview, will be contacting soon promise also some of you will be getting phone calls tonight...sorry again for the delay i have been preparing for exams uggg. anyway as Dad (Jerry) said i will be pulling the back clip off and if i find any more rust i am suing Michigan Weather! And then from there guess what, MORE SANDING!! (kill me now..lol) I was trying to convince my shop teacher actually to just use my car for my final project...sadly he didn't go for it. Thanks everyone, and Dad really you had to give them that email.? i guess there's no stopping you guys now is there. Thanks though everyone sorry for the delay although it seems you can keep it running pretty well with out me Updates promised at least on wednesday! as i said before thank you, i don't think i will ever be able to repay you all!! and be ready for phone calls! -kathryn
So this evening we were able to get a few things done on Kathryn's project. I'm sure she will update you shortly as well. We took the back deck back down to rejoin the rest of the car and picked up the hood ready to come home to be sanded. I"m sure she will be loving that! The main goal for the evening was to remove the back clip so that we could see just how much cutting and welding she would have to do (a lot) and also to make getting to all the engine components etc., so much easier as the cradle will be coming out soon as well. More on this in the next couple of days. Seeing as I had a couple of projects to work on for her we let her get started on removing all the bolts, and screws preparatory to removing the rear clip. Low and behold what happens, the student becomes the teacher...either that or there is a little Tom Sawyer in her....or perhaps Fieros are just fun to work on because when I turned my back she got her cousin involved in helping her out.
Of course when the going gets tough you need to be a bit bigger of a girl perhaps to get some of the tricky pieces out
And the it really sucks when you break off the head of a bolt because it was a bit rusty AND get the head stuck in the socket...so over to the vise to try to pry it out...then success (and yes, she did have the glasses on while prying)
Now once you get through all of that fun THEN you are ready for the scary part. Actually removing the clip. The hard part of this of course (and what freaks you out a bit if you are Kathryn) is the reports of some others cracking the roof at the join if this isn't done carefully....so, ever so carefully we lift the clip.
TA DA!
Now we can see what we have to work with....clearly, some work ahead, but nothing she doesn't think she can fix.
More updates soon, and again....thanks so much to everyone for your support, help, advice, and encouragement.
Any progress is good progress, and I'm glad to see it! This project is so inspiring to me and makes me itch to work on my car more. There's always something to do!!
I am excited that Kathryn chose to attend the Maker's Faire in Detroit. It sounds like a phenomenal experience and learning opportunity. I look forward to meeting you both (and the rest of the family?!) at Tyler Shipman next year, or maybe even sooner!
Friday morning Kathryn has an interview with national NPR for All Things Considered. It is supposed to air on Father's Day. Wish her luck, I'm sure she is a bit nervous for this interview.
Man, my Dad must have this pulled up all the time he updates so quickly it's hard to keep up!! Anyway as Dad said I pulled my back clip on Tuesday, and I now have real reasons to sue Michigan Weather. But all in all it went okay I mean only a few rusty bolts broke so that's not too bad compared to the alternative. And to put a word in about my cousin i think we have some of the same blood in us, because when i allowed her to help with something, that was not going to harm her in any way, afterwards she said " Now my dream has come true, I have gotten to work on a car." So it was fun to teach her how to undo bolts and stuff, she loved it!! And so NPR interview on Friday, only this time i get to wear the headset and everything. cool. -kathryn
First off, this is awesome!! Dad, you should be (and I can tell you are) so very proud of her! Second; pardon my ignorance but, what is "npr""? and where can i listen or watch?
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