PEGASUS PAGES

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 1
P E G A SU S
PAG E S
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008
2007 SHOW RECAPS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
FROM THE
3
PRESIDENT
REPORT: MFF
4
SUMMER SIZZLE
REPORT:
5
A
A V
V 88 SS W
WA
AP
P SS TT O
OR
R YY
DELLS RUN ‘07
A SWAP STORY
6
REMEMBERING
12
DIANNE HOBERG
UPCOMING
EVENTS
13
CLASSIFIEDS
14
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Page 2
MINNESOTA FIEROS FOREVER
“IN SUPPORT OF PONTIAC PLASTIC”
Formed in 1990 to perpetuate and enhance interest
in the only USA built mid-engine sports car.
Officers
President:
Kevin Lindeman
612-396-6209
[email protected]
Vice President
Rob Bartlett
612-414-6629
[email protected]
Treasurer:
Randy Jarboe
763-434-3667
WWW.FIERO.MN.ORG
[email protected]
Secretary:
Pete Grosz
651-462-9411
[email protected]
Events Coordinators:
John Olson
Newsletter Staff
Editor:
Rob Bartlett
715-646-9348
[email protected]
612-414-6629
[email protected]
Assistant:
Kevin Lindeman
Brian McCutcheon
952-935-2054
612-396-6209
[email protected]
[email protected]
Club Merchandise
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The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those
of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of
MFF, or it's officers.
Disclaimer: Use of information of advice contained in
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Pegasus Pages is currently published 6 times per calendar year
when content is submitted!
Monthly Meeting Location
When: 3rd Monday of
Each Month
Reminder: Deadline for submission
of ads, articles, photos and other
info is the 25th of month. - We
need your submissions!
Where: Walser Pontiac
4401 West 80th St.
Bloomington
MN 55437
952-888-9800
Please Park in lot
across the street
VOLUME 19, ISSUE 1
Page 3
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Welcome all to the first newsletter
of 2008 !!
First off, I would like to apologize
for last year’s lack of a newsletter.
There are only a few people that
work on this newsletter and we all
had a very busy and rough year in
our own ways. So the newsletter
fell by the wayside and never got
finished. The club is alive and well,
with many great ideas for club
activities and events this year!
I'm glad it's 2008 and spring is
just around the corner! I can't wait
to get the Fiero out of the "small"
Garage at my place… LOL. Yet I
still need to finished many of my
planned upgrades, most of which I
have laying all around the house including a new engine &
transmission swap. There is a
running bet within the club that I
won't have the car ready for the
Dell's Run at the end of May. It will
be there. Running. Not trailered
without motor.
This year we have moved our
annual car show up to June 28th,
as this is the year of the 25th
Anniversary Show in Pontiac
Michigan - July 24th through
27th. Our own show will be held at
Wagner's Drive-in in Brooklyn Park,
a 50's style drive-in diner, much like
an old A&W stand. We think this
will be a great location for the show
and maybe for the future, and they
welcome groups like us with open
arms! If you happen to see or talk
with Shawn Yoraway, please give
him your "thanks" for finding the
location for both our show and the
hotel. Thanks again Shawn!!
This year we, as a club, will start
hitting a car show once a month to
help get the word out that the club
is this around, and to show off the
nice variety of cars we have in the
club! I hope you will all think about
coming out and making at least one
of them this summer. It's great fun,
and when we show up in numbers
we definitely get noticed!
If you have any questions please
feel free to call or email me
anytime! (contact info for all club officers
is located on the page opposite this!)
Thanks,
“Da Mafia" Prezzzz
“It’s great fun,
and when we
show up in
numbers we definitely
get noticed!”
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DELLS RUN 2007
STATISTICS
VOLUME 19, ISSUE 1
Page 5
MFF SUMMER SIZZLE 2007
STATISTICS
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO A V8 SWAP?
BY BYRON BRATON
I’ve always been a fan of
mid-engine cars. My
appreciation ranges from
Fiat X1/9 to Porsche
Carrera GT on the street,
and race cars such as
Porsche 917, Ford GT40
and of course Formula 1.
My chance to own a very fun
mid-engine sports car is to
install a V8 in my Fiero. It
seems so easy, Find a V8,
Buy an adapter kit and a
week later you’re burning
rubber. Well, it’s not quite
that easy. Here is my story…
be more efficient and not
need adjustments whenever
I wanted to drive it. That
would mean a more
elaborate install. That’s the
down side. I made up my
mind; the engine will be an
LT1. Now, how about the
transmission? I have an
automatic but I wasn’t sure
it was the best choice. Back
to my nephew, he
recommended a 4T60 it’s a
4 speed automatic.
FINDING THE
COMPONENTS:
the iron heads off his
engine. The next challenge
is how to get it from his
I asked an automotive
house to mine. He lives in
instructor at Hennepin
Chandler, AZ, I live in
Technical College where I
Minnesota. It just so
should look for my
happens that I needed to
transmission. He
replace a car at the same
recommended a shop. I
time. He found a rust free
called them and they had 3
1994 Buick Roadmaster for
rebuilt 4T60’s. Each had a
a very reasonable price. He
different output gear ratio. I
took some measurements a
bought the one with the
found that the LT1 without
lowest ratio (3.33). I figured
the heads would just fit in
that would make 0-60 runs
the trunk. So in March 2006
more fun. I purchased it in
I flew to Arizona with a
December 2005.
friend, bought the LT1 and
the Roadmaster (which also
has an LT1). We set off for
ENGINE
Minnesota with an engine at
each end of the car!
About a month later I
received a call from my
nephew. He found an LT1
for me. It was in a cop car
HEADS
I talked with my nephew; I he just bought, and said it
My neighbor had moved to
respect his advice a great
was a sweet running engine.
a different part of
deal. He said that I should
After doing some research
Minnesota while I was
install an LT1. That way I will about the LT1 I decided I
acquiring the new engine
get an engine with a lot of
would prefer Aluminum
and tranny. I told him of my
torque and because it is
heads instead of the cast
purchase and he said he
computer controlled I
iron ones. The biggest
would find Aluminum heads
wouldn’t need to tweak it
reason being weight saving.
for it and he would like to do
every so often. That
The aluminum heads make
the swap. I called a couple
sounded good to me. A
the engine 50lbs lighter. My
of
weeks later to see if he
more modern engine would nephew said he would take
bought the heads. The
I own an ’87 GT. My
neighbor and I talked about
how fun the Fiero is but the
V6 is a bit weak. It would be
fun if it had a V8. After
thinking about this for a day
or two the neighbor thought
a 327 would be a great
engine for the Fiero. As a
teenager he had done
swaps with that engine and
also 350’s. He liked the fact
that it would have a carb so
it wouldn’t need a
computer. That would
simplify things. I looked for
a 327. I found a pickup that
had a 327 installed. It was a
sloppy looking install and
the pickup was a rusty piece
of junk. I passed on that
one.
TRANSMISSION
person he knows that has 2
pairs of heads is out of town
for another week. I called 2
weeks later and was told
that both sets of heads
were cracked. I’d have to
find them somewhere else.
That is what ebay is good
for. I found a pair of
Aluminum heads from a 97
Corvette. They had 50 miles
on them. They have been
sitting on a mechanics shelf
ever since then. Buying
them sight unseen takes
some trust but I did it.
Whenever I would call my
former neighbor to see if I
could drop off the engine he
would always have a reason
why he couldn’t take it in
the upcoming weekend.
After a few of those calls I
realized he didn’t want to do
it anymore. Since this
engine project was falling in
my lap I thought I better buy
a reference book. Sure
enough Amazon had a book
called “Rebuilding an LT1”.
Perfect. That book gave me
lots of information about my
new engine. Now I needed
to buy a gasket set for the
engine and a set of head
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bolts. I went to my local
NAPA store to buy them. Of
course, both items were
special order. The gaskets
came and I checked them to
make sure they were
correct. They needed to
have holes for the coolant
passages that aren’t in the
typical Chevy Small Block.
The Gaskets looked good.
The head bolts were a
different story. The book
said there are 17 bolts on
each head. The kit I
received had 15. The NAPA
guy was pretty sure I didn’t
need 17 head bolts per
head. Another Napa guy was
listening in and suggested
we look in a different area
of their parts catalog. Sure
enough, there was the
correct set. Armed with the
book I set off to install the
new parts. I put the gaskets
in place and then the heads
on top of them. There are 2
important techniques to
think about at this time, the
order in which you tighten
the bolts and how to torque
them. The order was easy; it
was in my book and on a
slip of paper in the box of
head bolts. The Torqueing
technique was more
complicated. I discovered 3
different ways to properly
torque the head bolts. None
of them suggested just
putting the bolt in the hole
and tightening them with a
torque wrench to 65lbs. I
combined 2 of the
techniques. I tightened
them all to 50lbs then
backed them out and then
tightened them to 65lbs (in
the correct order of course).
Page 7
ROCKER ARMS
My nephew sent me an
item listing number from
ebay, a set of Aluminum
Roller Rocker arms. They
were 1.6 ratio instead of the
factory 1.5 ratio. I was told it
would have an effect similar
to putting in a hotter cam. I
ordered the set and it
arrived a couple of weeks
later. After making a phone
call to find out the correct
way to attach them, I set
about replacing all the
rocker arms. That step was
easy enough but they have
to be adjusted properly. I
gave it a try but I wasn’t
sure how tight to make
them. My nephew was
coming to Minnesota in July
for a vacation. I had him
check my rocker arm
installation. Several of them
were too tight. He didn’t
think the engine would run
with them at that setting. He
correctly set each one.
During the summer, I met
a young man that
refurbishes Fiero’s and has
done 2 V8 swaps. I told him
about my project and asked
if he would be willing to do
my swap. He said he would
be. He has a company
called “Boys and their Toys”.
He lives in Moorhead, I live
in Osseo. That’s about 220
miles away, oh well.
INTAKE
MANIFOLD
I have seen several Fieros
with LT1’s installed. Some
of them leave the intake
manifold, some reverse the
manifold. With the manifold
reversed the air intake
system has a lot more room.
The air flow can be straight
into the throttle body. I
decided to take the
manifold to V8 Archie. I
dropped it off on Sept 10th.
That was Archie’s open
house, the day before
Fierorama. Archie told me it
would take 2 – 3 weeks. It
has to be cut, welded then
powder
coated. That
meant I
should get it
back the first
week of
October.
When I got
home from
Fierorama I
ordered the
Master Build
Kit. Since the
manifold
would be
returned
soon I
thought I
should have
the whole kit.
I called the
guy that is
going to do my swap. I
asked him if he could take
on my project the first
weekend of November. That
was fine with him.
A few days before the first
weekend I hadn’t received
the entire Master Build Kit
or the Intake manifold. I
called Archie. He had many
reasons why the kit wasn’t
ready and why the manifold
wasn’t done. I called my
swap guy and asked if we
could move the date back a
month to the first weekend
of December. That was fine
with him. A few days before
that deadline I still hadn’t
received the entire Master
Build Kit and there was no
sign of the manifold. At that
point I would call Archie
every 2 weeks. It’s amazing
the excuses I would hear.
Often, the latest excuse
didn’t make sense
compared with the previous
excuse. By late December I
received the entire kit. I
didn’t receive the manifold
until mid-February. That’s
not exactly 2 or 3 weeks,
that was 5 months! What
makes the story more
interesting is that the day I
received the manifold, I
received an email from my
installer. He was getting
cold feet. He had never
done a fuel injected engine.
Now is not the time to bring
that up. I told him about the
step-by-step instructions,
the video from archie, and
the articles I printed. I also
told him that I am in no
hurry. He can take his time
and when he finishes it will
look great on his webpage.
He agreed to continue.
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MACHINING
I test fitted the Intake
Manifold. It was a great fit. I
laid a bead of gasket goo on
each end and bolted the
manifold in place. I’ve
decide to eliminate the EGR
system. That will make a
cleaner looking install.
There still were a couple of
vacuum lines to attach.
Finally, the last piece; the oil
pressure sending unit. I
checked a picture on line
and saw were it belongs. I
looked at the engine and
there was no mounting hole.
My reversed manifold had a
lip that was covering up the
hole. I wanted to keep it in
the stock position which
meant I needed to remove
some material. I work at
Hennepin Technical College
where we have a Precision
Machining program and one
of the instructors is a motor
head! I told him about my
problem and he said he
would take a look at it. I
brought the engine to
school, he looked at it, took
some measurements and
said he could fix it. He also
made two plates to cover
the EGR holes in the Intake
Manifold.
DYNO
I asked one of the
Automotive instructors
where I should take the
engine to test it before
installing it. He
recommended TPIS in
Chaska. The company’s
founder is a former HTC
instructor. I brought the
engine there Friday, March
9. It was about a 2 hour
process to prepare the
engine for the Dyno. During
this process the technician
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said we would have to rereverse the intake manifold.
His equipment wouldn’t
work with the manifold
backwards. I didn’t know if
the newly machined area
would cause a problem. We
removed the bolts, popped
it off it turned it around. It fit
like a champ. When
everything was connected I
became very nervous. The
They smoothly brought it up
to that speed and about 2
seconds later brought it
back to just above idle
speed. The factory rating for
Horsepower is 260. I was
hoping for 280. It turned out
to be 338. The factory
Torque rating is 330 ft-lb, I
was hoping to see 350, it
produced 393 ft-lb. I
couldn’t be more excited!
engine hadn’t run in 13
months. I put on the heads
and intake manifold. Was it
going to leak oil or coolant?
Was it going to run at all?
The technician turned and
asked “Ready?” I said to go
ahead. He pushed the start
button, after about 2
seconds if came to life.
There was a noise they
didn’t like. They went into
the room with the engine to
hear it close up. After about
a minute it cleared up. It
must have been the
hydraulic lifters that needed
to be pumped up. The
engine was running very
smoothly with no leaks! I
was very relieved. When the
engine came up to
operating temperature, it
was time to measure the
power. They set the Dyno to
a maximum RPM of 5100.
That should be plenty to
keep up with traffic.
THE SWAP
The man in Moorhead
wasn’t ready to do the swap
in February. So I decided to
store the car, engine and
the adapter kit at my
brothers’ farm. He lives 20
miles from Moorhead. That
way, if the weather was
questionable when it came
time to haul it to Moorhead,
I would have a much shorter
trip. One Sunday night in
Mid-March I received an email from my installer. I
hoped he was telling me it
was time to bring everything
in. Instead he was telling me
he wanted out of the
project. He had read the
instructions and watched
the video. He was no longer
interested in doing the
project. Now what am I
going to do? The next night
was a Fieros Forever
meeting. Near the end of
the evening I told my sad
story. Thank goodness for
Eric Hinnenkamp! He said
he had some time on his
hands and would be willing
to take on my project. Tim
Cebulla also said he could
help out if needed. That is
one of the great reasons to
be a member of Minnesota
Fieros Forever. The following
weekend I picked up the
car, engine, tranny and the
rest of the swap kit and
hauled it to Integrity Auto
Service. Eric dug into the
project by removing the
existing drive train. He also
removed the insulation that
lines the engine
compartment. The next step
was to attach the engine to
the transmission and bolt it
to the cradle. All went well
until the first test fitting.
Instead of a distributor at
the top of the engine, the
LT1 has an Optispark
module that is attached to
the front of the engine. The
water pump is mounted in
front of the Optispark
“pancake” which creates
even more length. The
frame needed to be notched
to make room. The water
pump had to go. It made the
engine too long to fit. That
meant buying an electric
water pump that can be
mounted nearby. That was
an added expense I wasn’t
planning for but I can’t stop
now. There are 2 benefits to
adding an electric water
pump. 1) It can be wired to
run whenever the engine is
running. That means
coolant is being circulated
at the normal rate even in
stop and go driving. 2) Less
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parasitic horsepower loss.
According to one website I
read, it can mean a 10HP
gain at higher RPM. I’m in
favor of both of those! The
electric pump doesn’t come
with adapters to attach the
hoses to the engine block.
That had to come from a
machinist in Iowa. Since
there is not a big call for LT1
water pump hose adapters,
they make them on request.
Remember “Economy of
Scale”? That really shows
here. I would expect to pay
about $30 for the adapters.
It was way more than that.
Oh well, I can’t quit now!
With the water pump issue
resolved and Eric nudging
the Engine/Transmission to
the left a little more, we now
had enough room. Eric
vowed never to do another
LT1 swap. Any other V8 or
V6 is fine. The next step is
the wiring harness. When I
bought the engine, the
original wiring harness was
included. I hoped we could
use that. Do to age and
heat, the factory wiring
harness was not up to the
task. Insulation was starting
to crack and break off at the
connector. Several
connectors where broken as
well. That means a custom
Page 9
made wiring harness. They
are not cheap either. Oh
well, I can’t stop now! Eric
had the harness made at
TPIS, the same place that
did the Dyno testing of the
engine. He could tell them
exactly what was needed
and what not to include in
the wiring harness. In the
process so far it seemed
like one piece of
disappointing news after
another. There was one
bright spot that Eric
discovered. The exhaust tips
that are included in the kit
are painted on the inside.
They are painted yellow,
almost identical to the
yellow of the cars body. It
looks like it was done
intentionally.
TIME FOR A
CHANGE
Eric took a job in Fargo, ND.
That put him to far away to
work on my car with any
regularity. Tim Cebulla said
he would take on the
project. Thank goodness for
Tim Cebulla! Shawn
Yoraway hauled the car to
Tims place on his flatbed.
Tim gave me a parts list of
things he would need. After
2 weeks I delivered many of
the parts. I had the option of
changing the rear
suspension. I decided to go
with the coil-over
suspension instead of the
factory springs. That will
give me more clearance in
the wheel well if I should
choose to go with a wider
tire in the future. A friend of
mine went with me to see
this project. After looking at
the empty engine bay and
the drive train sitting on the
floor, he noticed grime that
had accumulated over the
last few months. He decided
we should come back the
following Saturday and
clean everything. It’s a lot
easier to clean it now than
wait until the engine is
installed.
Tim is an amazing guy. He
works on my car on the
weekends. Every time I stop
in with more parts I can see
the progress that has been
made. He has the ability to
fabricate parts that aren’t
available elsewhere yet
make everything look like a
factory install. He has reenforced the engine cradle
and the area around the
engine compartment. He
welds in pieces of steel,
grinds the welds so they are
smooth then paints them.
When he is finished, you
can’t tell anything has been
done.
It is fun to see the install
coming close to being done.
Now instead of buying
motor mounts I’m buying
things like an air cleaner
and fuel rail covers.
The computer is mounted
on the firewall in the engine
compartment. Another
change is the water pump.
The decision was made to
go back to the mechanical
water pump. Because the
engine/transmission was
repositioned in the cradle,
there is now room for it. The
speedometer and tach
needed to be re-calibrated
to match the V-8 engine.
That is done electronically
by modifying the circuits
that feed information to the
gauges. With many new
parts going in, it makes
some of the original ones
look shabby. For example,
the Cruise Control Vacuum
Canister looked like it is
getting rusty. I ordered a
new one just to prevent
cruise control problems
down the road. I bought a
pair of fuel rail covers on
eBay. They were described
as being in perfect
condition. I bid them up to
$30 and won the bidding.
They arrived a few days
later. I opened the package
and looked at my new
covers. They looked very
nice from the top. When I
flipped them over I noticed
they where each missing a
mounting pin. The covers
have 2 pins and 2
receptacles that grab pins
that are mounted on the
engine. These covers only
have 3 mounting points
instead of 4. I emailed the
seller and attached pictures
showing the broken pins.
Luckily, he was an honest
man and claimed he didn’t
notice the broken pins and
he refunded half the
amount. The covers are
mounted and they look
good, they just aren’t quite
as solid as they should be.
WAITING FOR
ARCHIE AGAIN
Tim called Archie to see
what measurements were
required for the axles. After
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Page 10
shifted into all 4 gears.
Finally, after 6 months of
being disabled the Fiero
was moving under its own
power. Tim said he needed
2 more weekends to finish
up the wiring and install the
exhaust tips. Its still not
perfect. The idle is rough
and the speedometer
doesn’t work. Both of those
problems can be computer
related. I made an
appointment with TPIS to
analyze what is going on.
They were confident that
they can fix it. I decided to
quit calling Archie about the
axles. Now that we have a
working pair I don’t care
when Archie’s get here.
They will be a spare set
when they arrive.
taking the measurements
Tim called Archie back and
gave him all the necessary
information. After 3 weeks I
called Archie to see how the
axles were coming. He said
they should be shipped out
next week. After that week
came and went, I called
Archie to see how the axles
were coming. Apparently, he
outsourced the axles for
building. He said he forgot
to call about the axles last
week. He was going to call
them that day and tell them
to get them done.
I was able to sit in the
drivers’ seat and start the
engine. That was Sept. 30.
The last time I started the
engine in the Fiero was the
previous April. It’s been a
long 5 months. There is an
issue with the engine and
computer. After a few
seconds the check engine
light comes on. It will only
idle for about 30 seconds
and then it will die. I called
TPIS and they said they will
hook up a scanner while
driving the car and they will
find and fix the problem.
I’ve been calling Archie
once per week. It has now
been 2 months since Tim
gave Archie the dimensions.
This call, Archie said that
the people making the axles
ran into some sort of
problem. He will call them
tomorrow and see what the
problem is.
CAN’T WAIT ANY
LONGER...
Tim got tired of waiting for
Archie and told me he was
going to the u-pull-it yard
Saturday, October 20 and
find axles that will work.
Jerry Vincent and I went with
Tim that morning and
browsed this automotive
supermarket. It was
interesting to see the variety
of axles in the front wheel
drive GM cars. The driver
side and passenger side
use different connectors to
attach to the transmission.
They are also different
lengths. The passenger side
axle is about 4” longer than
the drivers’ side. We found
and purchased the axles we
needed and went back to
Tim’s place. The passenger
side axle went in with no
problem. The drivers’ side
had the wrong diameter
connector. It was too small
to slip over the
transmissions splined shaft.
At mid-afternoon Jerry and I
went home, Tim and Bill
went back to the u-pull-it. I
called Tim that night to see
if he any luck. They did find
the correct size axle and
they installed it when they
got back to the shop. He
took it for a test drive and it
THE BIG DAY
ARRIVES!
Sunday, Nov 4, Tim called
to say my car is ready. My
son, Ben, gave me a ride to
Tim’s place. We left Tim’s
place and got about 7 or 8
miles down the road when
the Fiero sputtered then
died. It completely died
meaning there were no
dash lights or anything. I
coasted to the shoulder and
called Tim. Tim arrived with
Bill and they started
diagnosing the problem.
They noticed the battery
was really hot. Tim checked
under the car and
discovered the positive
battery cable came in
contact with the exhaust
manifold. He made a
roadside repair and we all
went back to Tim’s. After a
short time a permanent
repair was made. And I was
back on the road. I arrived
home with no problems and
called a couple friends over.
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When I re-started it I heard
a whistling sound and the
idle was fast. That indicates
a vacuum leak. I checked a
large vacuum hose that
goes from the firewall to the
intake manifold. It is a long
cable so it can be routed
under the fuel rail cover. Its
length allowed it to sag just
enough to touch the
exhaust manifold. The hose
melted where it touched,
causing the leak. I got
another length a hose and
re-routed it so it wouldn’t be
as close to the manifold.
Monday morning I drove
the car to work. There are
several people where I work
that are interested in this
project. I started it up
several times during the
day. I noticed the starter
was turning over more
slowly each time. That night
I was making sure that the
iPod adapter and GPS was
working properly. I had the
key turned to the “on”
position for a while and
after a few minutes the
radio quit. I checked the
fuse, it was OK. I then
checked the voltage, it read
10 volts. I put a battery
charger on the battery and it
pegged the gauge. The
battery fried when it had the
dead short on the way
home. I replaced the battery
and everything went back to
normal.
TIME TO PUT IT
AWAY
My parents have an extra
garage space so the plan is
to store the Fiero there for
the Winter. Unfortunately,
they live in Barnesville,
Minnesota. That is about
200 miles from my house. I
had the car 1 week now I’m
Page 11
putting it away for 5
months. Oh, well. I decided
to stop for gas at about the
150 mile mark. I had to
make a sharp turn top get to
the gas station. When I
straightened out the wheel I
heard a screeching sound. I
thought maybe I picked up
something from the road
and it was rubbing on the
wheel or brake caliper. After
I got gas the screech went
away. I didn’t think any
more of it until I got it within
a couple of miles to its
winter home. It started
screeching again. You’d
think I would have
engine/transmission
trouble, but no, it is the
front wheel. An area we
didn’t touch throughout this
whole process.
A LATE ARRIVAL
My axles arrived Nov. 16,
2007- 2 weeks after getting
the car on the road. Tim
gave Archie the dimensions
in mid-August. It took 3
months to get the axles,
which seems to be typical
Archie.
Would I recommend him?
Not if you are depending on
his kit to provide all the
necessary parts for the
swap. Not if you are in a
hurry. Yes, if you buy only
the basic kit and are in no
hurry to do the swap, as you
will need to fabricate many
parts yourself.
Was it worth it? Of course,
it’s fun to show the car to
people. When they ask if it
was difficult to put that
engine in that car, I can just
say “Not really” Of course
I’m not going to tell them
the whole story!
SOME THOUGHTS ON DOING A
V8 SWAP IN A FIERO
• Find a competent installer/fabricator (if your not doing it
yourself).
• Add up the amount of money you
think it will take, now double it.
• Do not be in a hurry. There are
more things that need to be done than
you think.
• Do what you can yourself. That way,
you will have some pride in the project.
• Some of the parts will come from a
junk yard, some from a GM dealer...
The GM dealer charges a lot more
money for their parts.
SOME THOUGHTS ON ARCHIE
• He is a nice guy when you meet him
in person.
• He very generously sponsors a pizza
buffet during Fierorama.
• His “Master Build Kit” does NOT include everything you need to do a
swap.
• Many of the pieces in his kit are either inferior quality or they don’t fit
• He is extremely slow in shipping out
parts
• He relies heavily on outsourcing;
Archie has many excuses why it’s taking so long
• His excuses don’t make sense when
you call him every week
• “2-3 weeks” = 5 months
• “ship next week” = 2 months
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Page 12
DIA NNE MARI E (PARSON) HOBERG
SEPTEMBER 18, 1966 TO DECEMBER 17, 2007
On April 2nd, 2002 Dianne was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Dianne continued working and enjoying life through numerous
surgeries and treatments. After a courageous 5-1/2 year battle
she passed away quietly at home at the age of 41.
Dianne was born at the Braham Community Hospital. She was
the daughter of Marjorie (Dahlquist) Parson and the late Merwyn
Parson. She was baptized at Hope Lutheran Church of Grasston
and confirmed at Braham Ev. Lutheran Church. Dianne graduated
from Braham High School in 1985. While working at the Holiday
Inn Duluth she attended UMD and studied accounting. She later
moved to Anoka and worked for the law firm of Head, Seifert &
Vander Weide.
In 1997 Dianne met Steven Hoberg and they made their home in
Mora in 1999. On February 29th, 2000 Dianne and Steven were
united in marriage at Grace Lutheran Church of Mora.
Dianne was hired and worked full-time for Lares Corp in
Cambridge, MN after her diagnosis and continued there until
December of 2006.
Dianne enjoyed gardening, cooking and caring for a variety of
animals. She had two horses, several cats and chickens and three
dogs. She and her sister Kathleen attended many horse events
and she helped Kathleen show paint horses at many APHA horse
shows in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa. She also enjoyed
attending Fiero car shows and Minnesota Fieros Forever car club
events with her husband Steven.
Dianne is survived by her husband Steven Hoberg; mother
Marjorie Parson, sister and brother-in-law Kathleen & Daniel
Eklund, father and mother-in-law Stanley & Shirley Hoberg, sisterin-law Sheila Sutherland, brother and sister-in-law Scott and
Michelle Hoberg and a large extended family and many friends.
Memorials preferred to:
The American Brain Tumor Association
2720 River Road, Suite 146
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
www.abta.org
Dianne was preceded in death by her father Merwyn Parson, her
grandparents Oscar & Gertrude Dahlquist and Karl & Laura Parson
and her aunt Jane Dahlquist.
A NOTE FROM STEVE TO MFF...
To all our friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks
for the support and caring you have offered and shown to
both me and Dianne for the past 5-1/2 years.
There were many members who were able to attend
Dianne’s funeral in spite of the weather and the closeness
to the holiday season, which just shows how close this Fiero
Family is.
This thanks extends beyond just the Minnesota club and
really goes almost nation wide when the Fiero enthusiasts
from all over the U.S. that we have met are taken into
account.
To those special individuals who deserve more than just a
thanks, and you know who you are, I will be able to do so
personally this year as I see you at club meetings or car
shows.
I would like to offer a special thanks to the Minnesota
Fieros Forever car club for their Memorial donation in
Dianne’s name to the American Brian Tumor Association.
Many thanks,
Steve (fierohoho) Hoberg
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Page 13
UPCOMING
EVENTS
‘08
EVENT NAME & INFO
EVENT DATE
MFF Monthly Meeting
7pm @ Walser Pontiac in Bloomington (see pg.2)
Monday March 17th, 2008
MFF Monthly Meeting
7pm @ Walser Pontiac in Bloomington (see pg.2)
Monday April 21st, 2008
St Louis - Gateway Fieros
Host Hotel - Comfort Inn
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
www.gatewayfieroclub.com
Greenberg Memorial Day Car Show & Swap Meet
8am-3pm @ Isanti Co. Fairground, Cambridge, MN
Monday May 26th, 2008
The Dells Run 2008 - Chula Vista Resort
Wisconsin Dells, WI - www.fierofanatics.com
May 29th-June 1st, 2008
Kansas City Fiero Owners Group
10am to 2 pm at the City Market in downtown KC
Sunday June 8th 2008
Nick “Carbon” Laffen - a
“dealer” at MFF’s Parking Lot
Poker - Dells Run 2007
Contact Todd Weikal for details:
[email protected],
816-690-6155
Hot Rod Magazine’s “Power Tour 2008”!!
Rochester, MN (Community & Tech College)
Thursday June 12th, 2008
Early Registration ends May 28th @ Hotrod.com
(MFF) “Minnesota Summer Drive In” 2008
Wagner’s Drive-In (Brooklyn Park)
Saturday June 28th, 2008
Host Hotel: Ramada/Grand Rios ($79/night)
MFC’s 25th Fiero Anniversary Show & Event
Host Hotel: DetroitMarriott (Pontiac, MI)
July 24th—27th, 2008
www.michiganfieroclub.com/25th.htm
Heartland Fiero Club 2008 Show
Carshow & BBQ (Davenport, Iowa)
www.heartlandfieros.com
August 9th or 16th, 2008
TBD
2008 Midwest Fieros Show & Drags
POA show at Nebraska Crossing, Gretna, NE
August 23rd-24th, 2008
NIFE’s Fierorama 2008
Car Show, V8Archie Open House, etc (Chicago-Area)
Watch www.fierofocus.com for details!
September 6th-7th, 2008
Tim “FieroSTS” Cebulla
Detailing his Car During
Dells Run 2007
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Page 14
CLASSIFIEDS
One of a kind 1985 Pontiac Fiero
runs and drives great it has 350
motor with a 350 turbo tranny 1
ton rear and 3/4 front axel almost new 40 inch swampers and
really nice chrome rims! (Mora,
MN) via craigslist
[email protected]
1988 Fiero GT—41k
miles,
GT
pristine condition, immaculate interior, runs great!
$6500 612-282-7534
1985 Fiero with 1993 Buick
park ave 3800 V6/Auto Car
has 146k—engine/tranny have
56k. Car runs great needs nothing mechanical, great interior
other than headliner. Could use
paint. Speedometer and Tach
have not been hooked up, and
the AC has been removed, it
currently has an aftermarket
temp gauge installed and operating. (Prinsburg, MN)
[email protected]
Did you miss the MFF 2007
Holiday Party?
Don’t miss the next event!
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Page 15
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR
PEGASUS PAGES SPONSORS!
Please contact the Newsletter Staff (page 2) for details on advertising
Pontiac - Buick - GMC
8188 Brooklyn Blvd.
4401 West 80th Street
Bloomington, MN 55437
888888-857857-0369
Visit us on the Web at:
www.Walser.com
(MFF Member
Member Discount
& Meeting Location Host)
Integrity Auto
Service & Sales
PUTTING QUALITY BACK
INTO AUTO SERVICE
612-845-8445
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
763763-561561-8161
Visit us on the Web at:
www.LutherAuto.com
(25(25-30% MFF Member Discount)
Sky Point
Communications
Premier
Upholstery, Inc.
www.skypoint.com
Web Hosting Solutions
www.premieruph.com
10700 W. Hwy 55, Ste 225
Plymouth, MN 55441
Your Local Fiero Specialist!
Computerized Custom
Embroidery &
Suite 101
763-424-4693
Cars U Like
Embroidery
Kay
20998 134th Avenue N.
Rogers, MN 55374
763-548-2618
Designs
Brian Thompson - Owner
Place Your
Ad Here!
Sublimination Printing.
Any Design. Any Garment.
Wholesale & Retail
R.M. Ulvestad
5465 260th St
Wyoming, MN 55092
708 8th Ave SE
Rochester MN 55904
507507-281281-0766
[email protected]
Space Available
612612-710710-2199
[email protected]
MINNESOTA FIEROS FOREVER
8691 Eden Prairie Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55347
VISIT US ON THE WEB!
WWW.FIERO.MN.ORG