The car looks great ! I feel like a kid at x-mas all over again.
This forum is incredible. Whenever someone is in need, there is someone always willing to step to the forefront and help out !
Rick, Dan, Duncan, Steve, and anybody else who worked on the project, you guys are all grade A gentlemen, and i am definatly proud to call you guys friends.
In case you don't understand i was in a pickle needing to get the panels on the car before i ship it to Archie's for some work, and a trip to Michigan was not an option,..so i asked a few guys to help out, they rounded up some others, and they knocked this project out in one day !
They even contributed some minor parts that were missing, from some of their parts cars !
Pennocks Fiero Forum is awesome ! Steve please post the screen names of all who helped out so that we may recognize them with pluses !
Not to be overlooked are Rob (MinnGreenGT) and Kevin, who transported a GT fastback clip for me all the way from Minnesota to Archie's shop in Illinios.
These guys deserve recognition too.
Minnesota and Michigan fiero guys, i thank you all !
Sorry I didn't get more photos but my camera went dead and I needed to get busy working on the car. I know Steve has alot more pictures. Had a great time and learned a few things that I will use to work on my two babys. I hope to make it back to finish a couple of thing off.
WOW!!!!! Is really all I can say. When you told me about your pickle I really didn't think things would work out for you. But to see these guys do this for you really restores my faith in humanity. I hate to sound so negative but wow!!! You guys in Michigan and the Minnesota bunch really deserve kudos!!!! Its good to see people helping each other like that. Congratulations Tony I can't wait to see the car at a future meeting!!!!!
I love the choptop threads, always makes the favorties list. But one question what are those wheels off of , they look like our lace wheels but more modern, Beretta? (This is refereing to the fastback choptop not the notchie one above)
I love the choptop threads, always makes the favorties list. But one question what are those wheels off of , they look like our lace wheels but more modern, Beretta? (This is refereing to the fastback choptop not the notchie one above)
Actually it's the same car thru out this thread. The pics I posted are from when we originally built the car in 1998. The wheels are Beretta as I recall.
Not to be overlooked are Rob (MinnGreenGT) and Kevin, who transported a GT fastback clip for me all the way from Minnesota to Archie's shop in Illinios.
Minnesota and Michigan fiero guys, i thank you all !
Glad to have been of assistance Tony! I also like to be able to point at a car (like some of Madcurl's and soon to be yours) and say "I used to own a part that's on that car"
huh, what did I miss here?? This is an "archie's CT #4" ??? or just your # 4 for you exoticse???? What happened to the car in the first place? <<<the history. Sorry for not paying attention
Here's the V8 Archie choptop list:
1. Purple Pavement Eater....................... 1998 Rich Warber 2. Great Blue Choptop ....................Aug 1998 3. 246 Dino Replica for a guy in Indiana.............. 11-13-98 4. PFF ChopTop ..................................... 11-20-98 (new owner Exoticse 2005)
huh, what did I miss here?? This is an "archie's CT #4" ??? or just your # 4 for you exoticse????
What happened to the car in the first place? <<<the history.
Sorry for not paying attention
Yes as Curly stated it is an original V-8 Archie Choptop. It was only the 4th one ever completed at the time.
The original owner was Daniel Johnson (ChopTop on Pennocks) of Michigan. Dan had the car chopped in 1998, but barely drove it a dozen times i think over the years he told me.
He had stripped the car of all it's panels in anticipation of paint, but he just never got around to it and the car just sat and sat. Many times over the past year and a half i had inquired about buying the car, but each time while not motivated to finish it, Dan was still unsure if he wanted to let his baby go, and i can't blame him.
Finally this past fall i gave it one last try and finally dan was ready to sell. Thanks dan for helping me to fulfill my dream and hopefully live up to your expectations.
The car is an 85 SE with round molding, GT nose, rear bumper and ground fx. Future plans include adding a modified (choptop style) GT fastback clip.
Tony I’m glad things are working out for you. For the folks who wondered why I never completed finishing this chop…I don’t have a good excuse. I had big plans for it, but never carried through with them. I’m glad I managed to find someone who will give this car the attention it deserves, and I know Tony is going to do an outstanding job. And yes those are old Chevy Beretta wheels. We still have my wife’s 85GT that I’ve advertised for sale (post: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/028818.html But please don’t ask if its for sale, she’s unsure if she wants to sell it (again). She told me the other day one reason she wants to keep it is because she doesn’t see them around anymore. So another chop isn’t out of the question, but if I did have it chopped I'd only want it chopped two inches, so I still think about owning another one. Though it has t-tops and I know Archie doesn’t do chops on those. So I’m not out of the Fiero hobby altogether, plus I’ll be selling some parts I’ve accumulated over the years in the mall section. It will be bittersweet to watch this thread, but I know Tony is going to have a lot of fun designing and building this car, and that’s the type of person who should own it. Congrats and good luck Tony. Dan
[This message has been edited by ChopTop (edited 01-31-2006).]
Duncan here. I had a good time putting your car back together (except for a few choice cuss words). I learned sone things too. I replaced panels I have never taken off before. When it comes time to tear mine completly apart, I wont have any problems now. I had a good time hang'in with the fellas. That was my first time being at a Fiero gathering.
I loved chop tops when I first saw a pic of one many years ago and fell in love all over again when we had yours together. I live that 3/4 front view of it in Steve's shop.
Glad to hear and see everything worked out! I spoke with Rick's wife Vicki at our meeting last night about the panel "party." I never did get to talk with Rick as by time I got around to seek him out he had left. Great job Rick and the rest of the crew!
Dan,
I received your voice mail about your 85. If you have a party that is going to purchase the car then I'll let it be. If the situation changes you can always reach me here.
Exoticse, hey this is Dan (blakc sweatshirt in the pics) Your cars gonna be awesome! I enjoyed working on it and along with Duncan was a first fiero 'gathering' of mine. I'd love to see the car down the road when its finished! Its really sweet. Good luck with it.
Duncan, Mark, all you guys thanks a bunch. Can't say enough about Michigan Fiero folks. Outstanding people.
BTW do any of you guys know of someone who has a " good " GT decklid and decklid vent covers. I need to buy some for my fastback conversion.
Archie do you have any in your field of dreams ??
Sorry, as I told you several weeks ago, I don't have any GT parts left anymore. I've given most of them to customers who didn't have all the little pcs. for us to put their cars together. You wouldn't believe how many peopleshow up with a rear clip & a decklid & think they have it all covered. All you have here are the rear clip & the inner window panels.
At a minumum, you don't have the following parts: Decklid with latch the 2 little plastic clips that attach the trailing edge of the inner window panels to the rear clip Engine covers engine cover mounting brackets Moldings Side markers tail lights tail light screws GT Trunk area end covers Trunk seal Wheel well liners Fasteners for all the above. & more
It takes a lot of looking to get all that stuff from different places. It's a lot more than a rear clip & a decklid.
No worries i will get it all. In fact i have the GT tail light assembly, temporary covers (eventually going to order new ones from FS), and GT wiring harness already in the works and soon to be in route to you. The round GT moldings i already have on the car.
The rest i am sure i can get in short order, I just inquired again to see if anything had fallen into your lap since the last time i had talked to you. You never know.
[This message has been edited by exoticse (edited 02-02-2006).]
Yeah a bit. Michigan fiero guys finishing up a few tidbits for me this past weekend, led by FieroMojo (Steve). The rear wheel wells getting swapped out from the notchback to the GT ones.
** Note to Archie ** Watch your mail !! A tail light wiring harness, hardware , and temporary lens covers on the way thanks to fking74, who snagged them off a Boneyard GT for me !
I say temporary because i plan to shortly replace the lens covers with ones from the FIero Store. I believe one of the covers fking74 found was damaged anyway, so it would be necessery to do so.
He also was able to grab the rear sidemarkers along with it's screws. The tail light screws were missing so my search will continue for those.
[This message has been edited by exoticse (edited 02-13-2006).]
Exoticse, when you get your car back to winter park, i'd love to see it. If not, I suppose I couldn't miss it at Daytona next month. Either way, nice to see the progress.. can't wait to see one of these choptops in person.
No sweat you are more than welcome to come check it out when i get it down here. Unfortunatly it won't be here for Daytona as i decided not to rush things and get a few more minor things done at Archie's that i wanted finished.
Archie's Choptop conversion #11, #15, Redux & # 20
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