I'm diggin the intake manifold. I like the font. Keep up the good work, It has to feel good having so much progress made especially with the winter we have had.
Hey everyone, I'm sorry but Michigan keeps getting hit hard by all this crazy winter weather and I'm attempting to set everything up so I can duel enroll or something at CMU next fall so that I can get some of my basic stuff out of the way.... unfortunately this means I have to take the ACT early... and with all our snow days all my teachers are going crazy with the amounts of homework they give out. I hope to pick up working on it again soon... Thank you all for your continued support, and welcome to those who have just joined the chaos....lol Good luck on all your projects, I hope to have proper updates soon. -kathryn
Hey there Kathryn, It takes work to succeed and you seem well equiped to succeed. Keep on keeping on and you will reap the rewards of your work. Update us when you can.
You haven't lost faith and I know we won't either. Life is good, but life with a Fiero is more interesting. ~Zep
Getting an education is very important today! I wished I had went on and pursued the Engineering degree that I had planned. Now close to retirement age and cant find a decent paying job even with a Bachelors. My son now realizes how he should have spent more time studying when he as in college. He did graduated with an Engineering degree but his GPA was just under the cutoff for many companies like Chrysler, GM, Ford etc. He is now going after a Masters so that he can get into the field that he wanted to.
So dont worry about the people here on the forum bugging you about pictures or whatever. That can wait. If they cant wait to bad! SPEND your time studying now , get the degree and a good GPA, which gets you a better paying job, so later in life you will have the luxury of doing what you want.
Okay everyone, First off an apology, I'm sorry for not coming on like at all recently, I've been neglecting my job of keeping you all updated. I'm sorry for that. Now updates: I have decided to vinyl wrap the fiero rather than paint it... which I have to admit I'm a little... well really nervous about. But I already have the vinyl I needed thanks to 3M and I went out and bought a few other things today with my Dad. Unfortunately today I have also found out that a few of my pieces like my hood and back clip have gotten frozen in the ground... which is slightly frustrating because I've heard that it's best to first learn how to wrap using your hood or back deck. On the bright side of things I got to go to the Detroit 2014 Autorama. Which was a lot of fun and I was pleasantly surprised when we saw a Fiero there. Many thanks to Tom! Again sorry everyone, and thank you all for the continued support and interest! I wish you all the best of luck with your projects! Also I haven't taken the ACT yet... I'm taking it April 12. I took a practice one though and got a 28 so I'm not too worried about it, just slightly nervous. -kathryn
[This message has been edited by kathryn (edited 03-21-2014).]
Kathryn i think its awesome you have decided to wrap your Fiero! I am a vinyl wrap installer by trade and i know 3M products very well (they make the very best wrap material available). I wish i was closer, i would love to help and teach you how to install vinyl. When you get going let me know if you have any questions, i would like to help any way i can!
What vinyl did you choose?
Blake
[This message has been edited by 85sliverGT (edited 03-21-2014).]
Hey again, So yesterday my Dad and I got into a working mood or something. Seeing as how the easiest pieces to wrap were either frozen in my backyard or at my Uncle's, we decided to try wrapping the passengers side door. It took us about 2 hours and it was pretty difficult. I might end up redoing that door once we get better at working with the vinyl. We're using 3M's 1080 gloss black vinyl. And yeah... I wish you were closer too so we could learn how to do this faster.. lol Wishing you all the best -kathryn
[This message has been edited by kathryn (edited 03-22-2014).]
Kathryn asked that i post a photo of her first attempt. We found wrapping is a bit harder than it looks if you are thinking about doing it. The prep is every bit as important as that for paint, you see anything underneath it that you missed. Still, from a short distance away it looks pretty good, probably as good as she could have done with paint, maybe a bit better. Tomorrow I think we are going to try the engine bay lid and deck. Wish us luck!!!
Kathryn, MANY thanks for the little "Welder Man" that you donated for a door prize at the Daytona Show this year. I can not believe the detail, and the intricate welding that you do to make these! I wanted to take it home myself, but for some reason that did not go over too well
Anyhow, here is the little welder man, with his new owner:
Kathryn, I think it is sooo cool that you are going to wrap the car. I think you will find yourself happier with the results. Way to go with new technologies and I think painting has a huge learning curve to learn to make it almost perfect.
Glad to hear you did well on the practice ACT.
Keep up the good work. Looking foryour updates as you post them. thanks! ~mwzephyr
As both of you already know by now, Black is the most difficult color to get a glass finish with, doesn't matter if it's paint, vinyl, or any other material. You should also try to make sure that it is placed on panels in same roll direction of the material if possible, as the surface may have an effect on the way light hits it.
I've always admired Gloss Black Show Cars that were "Pristine", because it is extremely difficult to get them that way. Believe it or not, Black is also the hardest color to match when making repairs.
Be extremely patient, and I'm hoping that you'll be very pleased with the effort.
Spring Break is finally here!!!! My grandparents came up for a few days and I don't have to go to school until next Monday. And yet another good thing is that it got up to like 55 degrees in Mount Pleasant MI on Monday! Unfortunately I haven't worked on anything since vinyl wrapping my first two pieces (thank you for the tips by the way, i need all the help i can get) But i can assure you all that i will get something done at some point this week thanks for all the continued support!! wishing you all the best -kathryn
Hey everyone, it's now April! Craziness! Just a few things to report. I've got 1 and 1/2 of my fenders cleaned up ready for vinyl...and the 1/2 is because some of the masking tape I put on the one decided to cement itself to my part. (why can't anything do what it's supposed to?!?) But anyway I just need to figure out how i'm going to soak that part to get that annoying tape off. The second thing I want to put out there is again that it is April, and it came to my attention I have like 60 days til my "sweet" 16. From where I'm standing right now, while it is possible for my car to be finished, it won't be finished well. And I want this project to end on a good note, I want this to end as it started. A project between me and my dad where at the end of it I can proudly say that I built that car. And even if it means I can't say that I built that car "by the time I was 16", I want it to be done right. I don't want it to be rushed just because of me trying to meet a deadline. So I'm going to keep at it, and see how well I can build it; rather than how quickly I can build it. Thank you all so much, for everything. It means much more than you know. -kathryn
Ah don't worry about the speed on getting it done, you are right, do it right not fast.
P.S. this might make you laugh, but it made me cry, you have tape to deal with, well my wife decided to help me clean up, and moved an oily piece of cardboard, OVER MY BLACK PRIMER CAR, GOT OIL ON THE HOOD, AND DRIZZELED ALL DOWN THE FENDER, PASSANGER DOOR and REAR QUARTER. She had picked it up on the ground near the front of the car, and walked between my car and our truck. It was soaked in oil as I had been combining oil jugs on the ground using the cardboard to make sure I did not get any on the ground. Needless to say, motor oil on primer, means I am going to have to re-sand 1/2 of the car, then re-shoot the primer. Hopefully the oil does not soak into the panel and ruin the panels. UGH.....
------------------ 857GT Part 85GT Part 87GT Part Caddy, 93 Eldorado 4.9, 5spd Dual O2 Custom Chip, Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything Now with Nitrous. Capt Fiero --- My Over View Cadero Pics For Sale $4000, Yellow 88GT 5spd Full Poly Suspension, Lowered 1/2" in front, Corner Carver.
Hey everyone, it's now April! Craziness! Just a few things to report. I've got 1 and 1/2 of my fenders cleaned up ready for vinyl...and the 1/2 is because some of the masking tape I put on the one decided to cement itself to my part. (why can't anything do what it's supposed to?!?) But anyway I just need to figure out how i'm going to soak that part to get that annoying tape off. The second thing I want to put out there is again that it is April, and it came to my attention I have like 60 days til my "sweet" 16. From where I'm standing right now, while it is possible for my car to be finished, it won't be finished well. And I want this project to end on a good note, I want this to end as it started. A project between me and my dad where at the end of it I can proudly say that I built that car. And even if it means I can't say that I built that car "by the time I was 16", I want it to be done right. I don't want it to be rushed just because of me trying to meet a deadline. So I'm going to keep at it, and see how well I can build it; rather than how quickly I can build it. Thank you all so much, for everything. It means much more than you know. -kathryn
might be a good thing, get some practice in before taking the car you put tons into out, less chance for "newbie mistakes".
Originally posted by kathryn: I want it to be done right. I don't want it to be rushed just because of me trying to meet a deadline. So I'm going to keep at it, and see how well I can build it; rather than how quickly I can build it. -kathryn
Definitely. The old saying: You can get it done quickly, you can get it done well, you can get it done cheaply. Pick two.
Kathryn, I kinda thought that your birthday wasn't far away, and I was trying to figure out how you'd get it done right the first time. Not that I doubted you could do it , but rather how you could do it and not have to do it over again. What you have been accomplishing is a once in a lifetime thing for a normal guy/girl. I'd expect you'll want to keep this car till you are quite a bit older. Boy o boy won't you have stories to tell. Don't sweat the deadline you set at first... Just change your mind and set it back or better yet just make a schedule of when you can work on it and stick to it. The final results will come and you will have the best Fiero in Mt. Pleasent, and maybe even in Michigan. Enjoy the ride, but enjoy the journey you have made to build the ride. Memories, Memories, Memories..... Those are things you can't buy.
We all are proud of you and the work you have been doing on your car and at school. You may have just had good luck with both, but I'd argue that some people make their good luck and I think you have done just that!
Post news when you can and get your dad to take some pictures, he has a job to do with that. thanks for the updates and making our otherwise daily grind more interesting. Thanks, Good Luck! ~Zep
Originally posted by kathryn: The second thing I want to put out there is again that it is April, and it came to my attention I have like 60 days til my "sweet" 16. From where I'm standing right now, while it is possible for my car to be finished, it won't be finished well. And I want this project to end on a good note, I want this to end as it started. A project between me and my dad where at the end of it I can proudly say that I built that car. And even if it means I can't say that I built that car "by the time I was 16", I want it to be done right. I don't want it to be rushed just because of me trying to meet a deadline. So I'm going to keep at it, and see how well I can build it; rather than how quickly I can build it. Thank you all so much, for everything. It means much more than you know. -kathryn
You've just learned an invaluable engineering lesson.
In any project, you have this choice: (pick any two) Good Fast Cheap
Kathryn, Not sure if I told you this but guess what finally showed up at the house? The goal you had made for my daughter! I wonder what countries it travelled through for the past year. I am amazed it actually found its way back. I doesn't look like it was ever touched. It makes me think about those postmen that hoard stuff and never deliver it. Then the company finds the stash and delivers it all. Weird to say the least. Anyhow, she got it and loves it. I will take a picture and post it up!
Hey again, Thank you all for the support! And yeah....you can't manage to get it done quickly and cheaply and well....for some reason the just doesn't work. (I wish it did) lol And I'm sooo sorry! If someone told me I had to redo half the car....especially resand half my car I might just break down and cry. So updates: I have just finished putting the vinyl on the hood...we're getting faster it only took us about 2 and 1/2 hours this time... soo quick right? But yup. Thank you all again!! -kathryn
"Goo Gone" available at your local hardware/building materials store should remove the tape by softening the adhesive. By the way, I too will say "Good job" and just stick with it and soon you will be driving YOUR car!
Kathryn asked that i post a photo of her first attempt. We found wrapping is a bit harder than it looks if you are thinking about doing it.
-MH
I have to second that. It is definitely harder than it looks. I had been planning to wrap my car, and someone told me that was the route you were taking as well. I started my project this past weekend. It is very slow and tedious. I am actually considering throwing in the towel on it because I think at this point I need to order more vinyl to be able to finish my project. I originally ordered 45 feet, but after some trial and error ended up throwing some away. So far I have my hood and front fenders done, but had to redo the hood due to the temp dropping and material getting really brittle and tearing too easy, lesson learned there, I didn't realize it had gotten that cold. I have Amida's 512 bumper on my car, and so far I have not been able to successfully wrap that. The first time went ok until I tried to stretch the material into the openings, found out its limits there and realized I needed to inlay pieces in the recessed areas first. Second time there was a flaw in the material, little cuts that went all the way through, that I found after almost finishing the bumper, needless to say I was not to happy there.
How much vinyl do you have to do the job? Keep us posted on your progress.
Hey everyone, Sorry for abandoning all of you lately. But I do have updates yay! So I have gotten quite a bit of my interior back in....it's starting to look like a car again!!!!! The seats, dash, main gauges, carpet, and part of the center console are back where they belong... oh and the firewall too. The front speakers are in and the rear speakers are kinda in. Today the back deck and the hood got put back on because they're finished...they don't look amazing but they're pretty good. Using vynil is HARD btw. Don't believe people when they say it's simple! They are lying to you! Lol But not on the car front I got a 29 on my ACT so I improved from my practice test. And I am officially registered for college classes in the fall. I'll be taking a freshman english class.... and fencing just for the heck of it. It sounded fun so why not? Plus my mom's going to take it with me My dad says he'll post pics soon. -kathryn
2 things: 1. If you can get 30 or higher on your ACT, you can get a bright flight scholarship ($1,000 per semester if I recall correctly)...or could 20 years ago. May or may not be helpful. 32 usually gets a few more scholarships. 34 with a good SAT scores gets a full scholarship to a lot of schools. 2. FYI, fencing is hard on the knees. It is fun, but requires balance, focus, determination, and dexterity. You obviously have focus and determination in spades. Oh, and it helps if you can fence left-handed--particularly against lefties.
So Kathryn asked me to post up some photos of the most recent work.
So as you can probably tell from Kathryn's comments above, it is always exciting to actually see it go back together. I've been surprised at how it looks to be honest. Better than I thought when she was first working on it, so that is a pleasant surprise.
Since the interior was some of the first stuff to come out, she thought it should be some of the first stuff to go back in. Let me just say here that if you have a choice between fitted carpet and non-fitted carpet and money isn't important...go with the fitted carpet! Since $$ is important when you are 15, we didn't. Hmmmm. Anyway, it all went in eventually, then for the trip strips to keep it all down.
And of course sit the seats on top of it all and bolt it down.
don't you just love that bright yellow firewall?!?!?
You all probably remember the fun of completing the map pocket and Kathryn's sewing skills...lol
And then you need to tarp it all up when you go home for the night...don't want any dust in it now!
Now for some reason we had an absolute ^&*^% of a time getting the dash out. So we were NOT looking forward to putting it back in...surprisingly...putting it back in isn't a problem...who knew?
With MOST of the interior in, mom begged Kathryn to get some of the bigger pieces out of the family room.
Don't look now folks...it's starting to look like a Fiero again!
Folks I ain't seen a teenager smile like that in a long time! She must be happy! Kudos Mom, Dad and Kathryn on a super good job. I can almost hear the motor running now...........
(OOPS! there are more at home waiting in line Mom and Dad for their dream car to build... Hold on to your hats folks. The precedents have been set, no partiality!!! )
[This message has been edited by mwzephyr (edited 05-15-2014).]
This is an amazing thread, my girlfriend and I have really been enjoying reading it along with the occasional video/article. Would love to get one of my 3 daughters interested in restoring their own car, but atlas so far a father can only dream! Have to say the Bumble Bee is really starting to come together, the Vinyl wrap actually looks a lot better than I thought it would! Great Job!!! Hey I have to ask, I have been wondering what the name of the 3M "Dragon Skin" product you pictured is called, I've looked high and low with no luck.
(OOPS! there are more at home waiting in line Mom and Dad for their dream car to build... Hold on to your hats folks. The precedents have been set, no partiality!!! )
What makes Kathryn's story so compelling is that she never waited in line. She decided what she wanted to do, did her research on her own and then presented what she wanted to do to her parents. She took the initiative rather than wait for Mom & Dad.
That's a trait that will serve her well throughout life.
She is an extremely rare individual. A great many of her generation are completely consumed by the "digital bubble universe" and demonstrate no initiative at all unless it involves the internet/social media. I don't think her parents are too worried about her still living at home when she is 30 years old
Hey guys and girls, Thank you for all of your wonderful comments, suggestions, and questions! I'll try to look up what that "dragon skin" product was, it might take me a while but hopefully I'll find it eventually... In terms of updates my next goal to accomplish is that back clip needs vinyled... I'm dreading it....have you seen how many curves/how big that thing is?!?! Oh well, I'll manage....hopefully. I'll keep you all updated, and even though I probably won't finish by my original end date, this project has still been so amazing in so many ways. Part of it was because of how awesome all of you are here on the forum. So thank you all, for everything. And there are so many things you've all done it would take me years to list it. -kathryn
Your so amazing, I admire everything you are doing and your determination. I myself am a 16 year old and I really wanted to rebuild an old mustang with my Dad, but he just never had time. your amazing keep up the good work. wrapping a car is difficult and takes skill and time, but you can do it I am thinking about getting my Mercedes C300 wrapped, but i might just try to learn how to do it myself because its so much cheaper.
Starting to look like a car again. I bet you're getting excited to be driving it. I know I would be if I was you. So far the progress is impressive, probably better than I could do. Keep it up can't wait to see that thing on the road where it belongs.
Hello again, I have a minor update. I've got about 1/2 of the hack clip vinyled which is really exciting. It's taken me most of the afternoon. I hope to have it finished tonight. Thank you all for everything! -kathryn
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and I went out and bought a few other things today with my Dad.
But i can assure you all that i will get something done at some point this week 
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