That's a good question. The path that the air would take from the side scoop is partly blocked by the "C" clip that was welded in around the door. Given the 328 rebody, the cone air filter is sitting directly beneath the engine vents. I might try to rig up something that forces the air to flow into the filter exclusively from above, and try to keep it from breathing hot engine compartment air. Of course, this could be a problem in the rain.
I love this angle: after it warms back up I'll take a similar photo with the deck lid down (btw, I wish I had hidden the crap in the trunk for this shot. Oh well).
And here is where I am most Saturday nights during the summer. The Manassas Burger King sponsors a car show every Saturday night, from 4 PM - ??, from April to November. This show has a great mix of vehicles, from turbo Vipers to T buckets. Very few (i.e. NO) Fieros however... so stop by and help change that!!
The comment I like to hear the most from spectators: "Why'd you put a Corvette engine in a Ferrari?"
The BK is located at the intersection of rte 234 (NOT 234 business) and hy 28. From I-66, from either direction, take the exit for 234 south (it's just west of Manassas) Go about 5 miles south on 234 until you see Hy 28 or Nokesville Rd. Take a right (west) on it, but squeeze left quick. Take the first left into the BK.
Stop by and if you're interested I'll tell you a few stories that I forgot to put in this thread! John
[This message has been edited by Doc John (edited 01-07-2008).]
What a great read ... and awesome Fiero history lesson. So were the pictures of the red car the same car, or was this one white it's whole life?? Couldn't quite follow that part.
So were the pictures of the red car the same car, or was this one white it's whole life?? Couldn't quite follow that part.
Rich
The red 328 belonged to one of the guys at IRM, Earl Barnes. His was the second 328 conversion that IRM did, mine was the third.
My car was silver when it left the factory, then I had it painted white when I did the rebody. Since almost every Ferrari replica gets painted red, I opted for something different.
So YOU'RE the guy with the beautiful 308. I've seen some pictures of your car, absolutely love it. Your car is pretty high up there on my list. Congratulations man, great thread, great car.
BTW, its also interesting to see how your personal look changes along with the car, gotta love aviators.
I have a pretty good idea that you and Hugh would get along great. He chose to just stay with the T-Tops though.
He does not have a ton posted on his build thread right now, but you can see from the pics, his final product is going to be something pretty similar to yours.
Good question! Here is a list of all of the major suppliers to the car, and their current status:
. Rebody from Fejer ======> Out of business
Bell tech Spindles =======> Product discontinued
Rear Lowering springs ====> different brand still available from Fiero store
Miller-Woods Turbo ======> Out of business, but turbo production was picked up by Design 1 Systems
Design 1 Systems Turbo ===> Still in business but tough to get ahold of
Corson Targa top =======> Out of business
RCC suspension/brakes ==> STILL IN BUSINESS!
IRM ================> Out of business, but some products still available through Fiero Warehouse
Darrell Morse ==========> Gone dark, presumably out of the Fiero business
PISA (interior)==========> STILL IN BUSINESS! but you can no longer buy the product upholstered
Twin Lakes (Fiero Bob)====> Out of business
V8 Archie=============> STILL IN BUSINESS!
Does anyone else notice a pattern here? Most of the original suppliers are gone. Pisa, Archie, and RCC are still players. Fiero Store makes an equivalent product. D1S might still be available. Fiero Warehouse and Sage continue to produce some of IRM's fiberglass parts. The rest are (Fiero) history.
It could be a LOT worse, however! The fact that there are still several major vendors TWENTY YEARS after production ceased is a testimonial as to how much fun these little plastic Pontiacs are!
[This message has been edited by Doc John (edited 01-08-2008).]
it seems to not have enough "purchase" on the ac compressor pulley of course I could be wrong lol
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87 Fiero GT 5sp with Vortec L35 4300 Turbocharged V6 Bully Stage 2 clutch Syclone intake manifold and engine management with Moates adapter and chip burner Air/water intercooler and Devil's Own progressive water/alky injection 50lb injectors, 3 bar map sensor, Walboro fuel pump and Jabasco Intercooler pump LM1 wideband on custom manifolds and 3" stainless exhaust system T31/T04B S4 turbo with a Super T61 in the box S10 caliper conversion. Murphy's Constant Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value Murphy's Law of Thermodynamics Things get worse under pressure. Arthur C. Clarke "Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
That's a Vintage Air control panel. My car didn't leave the factory with A/C, so I've been adding that as well. Hope to finish it in a few weeks, maybe that can be Phase VI of the build?
Adding A/C is a real pain, now I wish I had purchased the other Fiero that the dealer had in stock back in 1985 - that one had A/C. Live and learn!
it seems to not have enough "purchase" on the ac compressor pulley of course I could be wrong lol
So far I have not had any trouble with the belt slipping. One time I hit a puddle and I heard it squeal, but only for a couple seconds. All quiet since.
A very nice write-up and a history lesson to boot.
Question; are those two strut braces? I'm assuming it for preventing flex inside the engine compartment.
Those are braces for the rear deck lid hinges. The deck lid sits quite a bit higher in the Mera/308/328 cars. Without some sort of bracing there is a tendancy for the hinges to "slump" backwards, screwing up deck lid alignment. Some of the 308/328 kits came with them, but most of them didn't. JIm Sutter made these so you could easily adjust the length to account for minor differences between kits.
Great right up! We all appreciate the pix, since this helps us understand better how things (obstacles) are done. There is one thing you left out: Give everyone a descriptiopn on how it drives? Any amusing or interesting stories?
Thanks, Kevin p.s. You must have a great wife! My wife would have put a stop to this "insanity" a long time ago. Perhaps, the day I brought the Fiero home from the dealership.
[This message has been edited by kevin (edited 01-19-2008).]
You must have a great wife! My wife would have put a stop to this "insanity" a long time ago. Perhaps, the day I brought the Fiero home from the dealership.
Yes, I do gave a great wife! I am very fortunate. She stopped buying the "Oh, this is the last thing I'm going to change on the car" line a loooooong time ago. Now she just rolls her eyes.
Of course, the old fashioned barter system comes into play here. Did you know that if you have a new engine installed you also need to buy your wife a hot tub? The logic was explained in great detail to me by my wife.
There is one thing you left out: Give everyone a descriptiopn on how it drives? Any amusing or interesting stories?
Thanks, Kevin
Good point. I've driven the car with three distinctly different drivetrains: 2.8 + 4 speed n/a, 2.8 + 4 speed turbo, and LS2 + 6 speed. We all know how the stock 2.8 feels, ok off the line, fair midrange, and out of breath fairly early. It wanted to bog on my car, doubtlessly because of the large (265/50R15) rear tires. Lets all remember, however, that back in '85 and '86 the V6 Fiero was one of the fastest cars on the market - certainly in the top 10 of American cars. It's interesting to see how far the technology has come in the past 20 years - pretty much any new V6 car is faster than any stock Fiero and gets better mileage, too.
The turbo motor was interesting, once you got it to 2500+ RPM it really pulled nicely, esp in second and third gears. It still bogged a little due to the tire size. Putting the Darrell Morse TB and manifolds on it seemed to help the throttle response. I wish I had tried the Trueleo intake on the turbo motor - that might have woken it up even more.
The LS2/F40 6 speed is nothing short of astounding. I'm 46 and I guarantee that I would have killed myself within 6 months if I had a car like this when I was in my 20's. On those occasions when you're not pushing the car, it is incredibly smooth and tractable. No surprises, no headaches. When you punch it, however, it changes personality (think David Banner and the Hulk). It pulls like you wouldn't believe in second, third, and fourth gears. First gear is almost useless, when you're moving you only use it to get the thing rolling and then grab second. It even has some pull left in 5th and 6th.
I've driven real 308's and 328's, their power delivery is totally different. They (esp the pre-QV GTBi and GTSi) are actually pretty slow until you get above 5000 RPM. The LS2 has power to spare RIGHT NOW, it doesn't care if you are at 1800 RPM or 4800 RPM. It feels a lot like a 60's muscle car. Some people won't like that feeling for a Fiero, but for me, it's juuuuuust right.
You paint a very nice performance picture! What are your thoughts on the too-tall 2nd gear in the F40 that everyone complains (myself included) about? It sounds like it doesn't bother you one bit, being that the engine is so readily willing to pull at any RPM. I think it would be a bigger issue with a powerplant that likes to stay upstairs all the time. My AWD Talon had that problem, but it was cured with a slightly taller 1st to match.
You make a good point about the gearing on the F40. The LS2 will happily mask the drop from 1st to 2nd, but there is no denying that you are going from a 3.77 1st gear to a 2.04 2nd. This ratio is the same in both 2006 and 2007 F40s. An engine with less torque (I'm thinking of something like a Quad 4) will not be happy with these ratios.
I can reach 60 MPH in second, although the RPMs are getting up there. A full throttle second gear blast with this drivetrain could replace Prozac AND Viagra - if it doesn't put a smile on your face you might be dead.
Regarding weight, I'm sure it's pushing 3000 lbs. Not so much from the added weight of the LS2, but from the steel subframes to reinforce the frame that went on as part of the targa.
Sweet. I could probably deal with the 6-speed ratios if I wanted to put a transverse V8 in my Fiero, but I'll save that cylinder count for the TT IROC-Z with the T56 6-speed for now. It sure doesn't hook like yours, though!
Even if it's around 3k lbs, it's still lighter than the Corvette that engine was designed for. As a matter of fact, I think you're updated to that level on many other counts too, other than the suspension ('88 suspension for Phase VI? ). Better than that, there's nothing else around here like the Fierrivette, that's for sure! (Excuse the cheesy portmanteau. I just had to, heh)
Phase VI is gonna be getting the AC up and running. Sitting in this thing at a stoplight is hot in the summer! The LS2 block throws a LOT more heat than the 2.8 turbo ever did. It never goes much over 215 on the coolant temp gauge, however. The OBD II has control over turning the fan off and on; it usually turns it off while cruising at highway speeds.
Bump. Any updates? Get the A/C working for the summertime?
Sad to say, there has not been too much progress this season. I've been gettining slammed with work related matters this year, including foreign travel (first to Morocco, then Israel, managed to skip the UAE, but will likely be going to either the UK or Luxemburg by February. Morocco was cool aside from the three week diarrhea (the gift that kept on giving and giving and giving..... ) So, my work hours are up to about 65hrs/week. I've been spending my weekends training for the Marine Corps Marathon: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum6/HTML/069402.html It wasn't pretty, but I DID finish it. Just for fun, scroll up and look at some pix of me earlier, and then compare then with my pix from the marathon -- that's what 40 lbs (lost) looks like.
Looks like I may have a few slow months ahead of me, so the beast, aka "Moneypit," may not get to slumber peacefully through the winter. A dyno tune is on the list of "gotta-does," as is the AC. The AC parts are all there, compressor, condensor, proper sized tubing, evaporator, etc. It SHOULD be a simple matter of evacuating the system and refilliong it with R 134A. We'll see. The car also has developed a couple of idiosyncracies that need to be worked out, but I'm on them. Just gotta line up 3 days in a row.
More updates, folks ..... I Promise!!!
Docjohn
[This message has been edited by Doc John (edited 12-02-2009).]
i am not a ferrari fan at all, but i have to say yours is the best ive seen. its not flashy, but still catches the eye. nice work man. and that interior? top drawer sir, top drawer -its a "that 70's show" reference for those who dont know-
gives hope for us second generation fiero lovers some of which who are just begining our "build stories" i pray mine lasts nearly as long as yours or looks half as good. Ryan
gives hope for us second generation fiero lovers some of which who are just begining our "build stories" i pray mine lasts nearly as long as yours or looks half as good. Ryan
And hopefully it won't take you 19 years to (almost) finish like it's taken me!
Every important name like IRM, George Fejer, Jim Sutter, Miller-Woods, Randy Corson, RCC, PISA, & more have some history in this car.
Archie
There is also a West Coast Fiero part on this car ... and at one time I had something from Pegasus Engineering on it as well. I also replaced the original roof spoiler that came with the kit with one that Pat Kalsmith (Fibersmith) made. The Fejer spoiler was waaaaay too thick, the roof spoiler should look like a blade, not a blue whale.
yeah, thanks for this little time caspule. this read was very entertaining.... the pictures from the 80's are the best. such a fun time to be alive. The early/middle 80's Also, from the looks of them pics, a great location with good company for reference, this is my Mera. MERA X so long, Dan
[This message has been edited by batousai666 (edited 02-18-2010).]
Can you duct cold air from the sail panel?
-its a "that 70's show" reference for those who dont know-
