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The following is a basic recap of the build - granted it will not include every single nut and bolt - but we wanted to give everyone and idea of the journey that the cars took to end up back in one piece. The project unofficially began two weeks ago when Colin's car was picked up in Norristown, PA and delivered to the "Funny Farm" in Oley, PA - home of the family of the late Jim Gilbert, a longtime Fiero enthusiast and individual who helped many a Fiero owner through the years.
Thursday, October 29
The weekend started officially on Thursday night, when Jen & Matt Goss arrived from Virginia, making a last-minute stop to purchase some parts that would come in handy for the build. Jamie & Billy Kulp and Matt M. had already broken down most of the donor car with only a few parts remaining to be removed when Jen & Matt arrived. Following the coupe's dismantling and Gary's arrival from Maryland, and Greg's arrival from Michigan the team broke Colin's 88GT down to the bare frame and set about on the tough task of removing the roof section which contained a sunroof as the donor frame did not possess this feature. Work went well into the night but the team felt good about the progress made at this point. Matt made sure "Jim" was on hand to watch over the build.
Friday, October 30
Friday began bright and early with the arrival of Craig Kunz from New Jersey who helped the team finish dismantling Colin's car. Throughout the day, other volunteers began to arrive and played a crucial role in breaking down engine cradle and suspension. "Fiero Jon" and his assistant, John, led the crew in a rebuild of the 2.8L engine and preparation of the automatic transmission, donated by Joel Stup, receiving valuable assistance from Fiero Brian, Greg, and Alan. The parts donated by Jeff Donnelly and Scarlett Pryor were a huge help in the rebuild. Alan and Debbie were also key leads in prepping the interior pieces for paint while Craig began his work on the car's seats which needed repair and then the installation of the new C8 covers made and donated by Russ Wormuth of Fiero Interiors. The main goal of the day was to get the donor car ready for the installation of the new windshield, donated and installed by B & G Glass of Reading, PA. Gary and Matt also began to paint the interior pieces keeping with Colin's theme of a largely black interior aesthetic. By the evening, the build team grew with the arrival of Jestin, Buddy and Mark Clay who all filled in wherever they could to assist in the car's reconstruction.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday brought the build an influx of even more volunteers from Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware joining the previous crew. Tami and Wes worked hard to hand finish body panels that Chris B. prepped with the DA. Later in the day, Cody took over for Chris and finished the larger pieces while Emily & Debbie dyed the carpets. Throughout the day, the interior components crew of Alan, Craig and Debbie continued to prepare pieces for paint. Supplies donated by Wes, Tami and John S. were a huge help in this portion of the process. Alan also coordinated the mounting and balancing of the tires (donated by the Kunz's and Gerhard's) with Rob Dotterer of Dotterer Automotive. The engine cradle assembly group composed of Greg, Buddy, Brian, Matt M., and Vin worked hard to finalize this portion of the build so the engine could be reinstalled later that evening.
The front and rear suspensions were also reconstructed and included many upgrades including lowering springs and KYB struts donated by Chris B. Gary & Jestin worked hard to continue crucial frame work on the donor frame, along with the installation of the new battery tray (donated by the FieroStore with a component from Spade Customs). Pieces were touched up courtesy of Eastwood paint donated by Rocco Biscieglia. Matt G. and Jen continued to float between groups to provided needed guidance and critical supplies. Later in the afternoon, Greg & Buddy turned their attention to the wiring. That night, the engine was re-installed and started with assistance from a new Odyssey Battery (courtesy of Alan), while team members also began to prepare re-installed body panels for the painting that would take place in the AM.
Sunday, November 1
The big day for the reveal finally arrived; however, the car was not yet at the point in the timeline that the team had hoped for - this was largely due to an injury received by the original paint and body guy who was unable to participate in the build. As a result, resources and manpower were relegated to complete the paint project including Cody who stayed up all night to ensure that the painting process could take place Sunday morning. While Cody and Matt G. tackled the task of laying paint, other team members under Gary's guidance inventoried major pieces and hardware and sorted them into groups for installation.
As soon as the paint was stable, members of the build team began to reinstall the upgraded interior and trim including Fiero Interiors' tunnel covers and door panels donated by Greg and a new e-brake boot, shift book and sun visors donated by Russ with sunvisor brackets from Tom Derr. Gary oversaw the hooking up and final pieces of the cooling system while Greg and Buddy continued to work on the electrical system hook up and check out. The team also installed the suspension and installed the wing painted by Bob Folk. Fiero Jon rejoined the crew mid-day and brought with some additional needed parts.
Colin arrived at 3:30 courtesy of the chauffer services of Tiff Manger. He was overwhelmed at how far his car had come and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the entire team. He visited with various members through the evening and was enjoyed another wonderful meal provided by Cyndi who was on top of hospitality throughout the weekend with assistance from Kathy Benson and Tracey Miller. Colin also received a great swag bag with items in it from Odyssey Battery, Vin O'Mara, Beth Cox and other generous donors.
After Colin's departure, the core team tested out the transmission on the list, topped off the oil and closed out the night with some headlight wiring and interior wiring repair.
Monday, November 2
Monday's initial focus was to be clean-up by the core team and a return home; however, much still needed to be done to complete the project. Craig made the journey back from NJ and Debbie and Alan also returned with Cody showing up after a good night's sleep and a day at work. The team was able to install the decklid, fastback trim pieces, and trunk lock. The new GT steering wheel finally arrived after a beautiful recovery by Alex Babineau (with thanks to Joe A for the donation and Wes for the funding and coordination and the Fiero Factory for the horn button). The back end shined with the donation of Keith Goodyear tailights from Kevin and Lisa Lindeman.
The team also worked on horn repair and finished the installation of all interior pieces, as well as installing the new sunroof seal (also donated by the Fiero Factory) and sunroof. A new trunk gasket, donated by Mark E., was also installed as were drip rails donated by Mark H.. Gary adjusted the rear suspension, and worked with Matt and Craig to adjust the driver and passenger door panel lines. Additional alignment to the front end nose cover alignment, hood and fenders occurred before a late night commenced to repair and repaint hood front edge damage. Jen added custom door tabs and new door lock/unlock stickers courtesy of Rodney Dickman. Another highlight of the evening was watching Matt M test drive the car after the transmission fluid from Armen Badeer was added. Although the car has a bad IAC, it otherwise felt good. All other systems were serviced and completed including the a/c thanks to Matt G. The antenna donated by NIFE was added and is one of Colin's favorite features of the rebuild.
Tuesday, November 3
After a few hours of sleep, Matt, Jen, Gary & Matt re-installed the hood, adjusted the nose a little more, and called it largely complete. Cody & Les came by to help with the clean-up and Matt M., Brian and Jamie devised a plan to finalize the loose ends on the car including and alignment and inspection. Although the total hours of sleep throughout the build for minimal, everyone left feeling excited about what had been accomplished.
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