Me · Sterling · Fiero(355) · Fiero(GT) · The House · Other Projects · Disclaimer
Interior
Chassis
Drivetrain
Body
Wheels
Tools Used
FAQ
Links
Project blog
Build Pictures
Pictures:
Donor (before)
Carcass (naked)
Rough Fit
Painted
Finished (done)
Phase 1 Plan
Phase 2 Exterior
Phase 3 Interior
Phase 4 Power
1. Why a Fiero?
A. The more I play with the Fiero, the more I respect it. For a reliable mid-engine car, nothing beats the price of a Fiero.
2. Why a kit car?
A. Because they are fun. I enjoy the build and driving something that I put together. I respect people who have the time, money and patience to build one-off custom cars. I will never be that person. But with a little talent and a little money, I still can be a little different and build my own car.
3. Is that a fake car?
A. No, it is a real car.
4. Would you want to own a real Ferrari?
A. Sure I would like to own a real Ferrari, but the reality is that my income does not allow it. I also do not think that they are worth the money to buy or maintain. For less than twenty grand, I can have a car that looks like an Italian exotic, but with American power and maintenance. Besides, look at the Ferrari 355 - it looks like a Fiero with body panels.
5. Would you recomend building a kit car?
A. No, I would not. A hot rod would be a lot easier to build and find parts for.
6. What is it like to build a kit car?
A. OK, this is going to be fun. Find a couple of pictures of the Ferrari F1 car. Then goto a toy store and by the Lego Ferrari F1 car and any other Lego car you can find. First build the other car. Now, open the Ferrari F1 box. Do not even look at the pictures on the box or instructions. Just throw them away. Now, throw away all of the parts that are not red. Hell, throw away some of the red parts too. Using the picture of the real F1 car, start to assemble on the top of the other car. When you get stuck, find some Legos from other packages and/or a Dremel tool and make the parts you are missing.
7. Why don't you slap a "insert big horse power engine here" in it?
A. This is one of my favorite questions. Sure, I would love to have more power, but this car build went way over budget. I want to get the car on the road and drive it for a couple of years before I think about upgrading the engine. Plus, I would rater have a stock Fiero engine in the car and have it drivable, then to have a project in the garage for years.
8. Do you lie and tell people that it is a real?
A. I do not feel that I need to lie. I am approached by three types of people; The know it all a-hole, car ignorant people who think that it is real, and the car enthusiasts who has questions about the build. For the people who think that the car is real, I explain that it is really a Fiero with body panels. For the car enthusiasts, I spend time explaining how much the car cost, how fast it really goes and why I have not "slapped" in a V8. As for the know-it-all a-hole that wants to tell me about my car, I usually walk away. If they are really persistent, I will ask questions of their general knowable and about automobile building expertise and wait for them to give contradicting answers. Once they contradict their owen answers, I will point it out till they look dumb. It is evil, but about the only way to get them away from me.
9. Do you talk Italian or English to the car?
A. The first car I worked on was a 1976 Alpha Romero Alfta. I spent two summers wrenching on the car only to get is started the day before my father sold it. I learned a couple of skills working on that car that I have carried forward. I learned to yell at the car instead of violence (yelling does not lead to more work fixing the screw drive hole in the fender), patience, and the importance of reading the manuals. I ended up learning some harsh Italian slang just so the car would understand that I was not happy with her. For this project, I have stuck with English for all cursing.