2003 Pontiac IMSA Fiero
(Home built tube chassis racecar)
The latest update is on page 10.
NEW AUTOCROSS VIDEO HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE MIDDLE OF PAGE 5!
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Again, THANK YOU for all of your comments and support! I wish I had time to respond to all of them.... :(
Before........
After.........
Autocross Video from 2004 (recently uploaded - click on picture):
INDEX:
Page 1 = Overview, Vehicle Summary, History
Page 2 = 2001 - The Dream
Page 3 = 2002 - Getting Going
Page 4 = 2003 - It's ALIVE!
Page 5 = 2004 - Making Improvements
Page 6 = 2005 - Here's to a better year...
Page 7 = 2006 - The Story Continues...
Page 8 = 2007 - Wider is Better ; )
Page 9 = 2008 - Wider is Better - TAKE TWO ; ) Page 10 = 2009 - Details... Details... Details...
The Fiero "SS" Project Overview
When I thought about writing a project overview for the race car I was building, the first thought I had was “how do you summarize a dream?” Every car enthusiast has their own dream. Each is perfect because it satisfies that individual dreamer. Some enjoy modifying their cars for speed; some for handling; some mild; some wild; and some love to show off their car in the perfect manner, stock. Me, my dream is aggressive. With that in mind, I would like to present my vision of the perfect performance car; The Fiero SS Project.
I set some goals before choosing the components of the car. I intended to build a car that could accelerate from zero to 100 in under 6 seconds and stop in about half the time. All of this power is simply to get it to the next turn. The main purpose of this car is to corner like it’s on rails. This vehicle is being built as a “hot lap” car that basically is a race car, but does not follow the rules of any particular class. The closest category it would fall into is Super Production Class (one level above GT 1). I intend to race in both SCCA SOLO I (where possible) and SOLO II, but I am not concerned with the class I am placed in. The purpose is to go fast. I have no need for any luxuries. No radio, no A/C, not even a heater. Headlamps and windows are too much weight. To obtain these numbers, one has to get serious about every pound and squeeze out the horsepower from a reasonably sized engine. As you know, the more weight the car has the more inertia there is and hence, the harder it is to turn.
My car employs a tube chassis as the rigid, yet light, platform in which this handling monster is based. Next, I will add a suspension designed specifically for my chassis and engine combination by one of the original builders of the IMSA cars. Drop in a big horsepower motor (645 hp 412 ci SBC) for some GO and 1-¾” four piston calipers on 12.72” vaned rotors for the WHOA and this machine is ready for business. Of course, the power has to get to the ground. To do this, a Porsche 930 drivetrain will be used to drive 12” wide Hoosier racing slicks. Last but not least, the body. For the body I was very lucky to find an original DGP (Deversified Glass Products) tube chassis fiberglass body. Of even more interest is the fact that has been confirmed as a Pontiac prototype race body.
As you may be able to guess from my post, I am very excited about this project. The "completion" date (Drivable) was July 9 2003, but as with all projects, this one will never be done. So, here we go. We start with an old tube chassis in a grassy field. A highly modified IMSA car, The Fiero SS Project. (Go to page 2 to see the start of the build) (This intro was written in August of 2003)
Here are a few of the questions I have been asked:
1. Q: Why are you calling this a 2003?
A: This car never was a Fiero. It has no VIN number as production cars do. The frame is a tube chassis made from scratch basically following the IMSA Fiero blueprints. It was first running and driveable in July of 2003. Hence the car is truely a 2003 Pontiac Fiero Racecar.
2. Q: Do you race it much? If so, where?
A: I do now and again run the car on track days, budget and time permiting. Autocross is more frequent. Car shows are even more frequent than that. Typically I go to a combination of the above about 3 to 4 times per year. I want to increase this but there always seems to be an emergency else where than needs tending to.
3. Q: How fast have you driven it?
A: I have had the car up to about 5500 in 4th gear which is about 150 to 160 mph. There is no speedometer so this is based on gear ratio and tire size, etc. Any 3/8 mile straight is sufficent. Even from a stop.
4. Q: Why did you choose a Fiero?
A: I have been a Pontiac nut since long ago. (read that as Smokey and the Bandit) I have always believed that the best conventional setup (ie no active suspension, traction control, etc.) is mid-engine. I am also an American! I do believe in American cars and know-how dispite what others say or buy. Don't get me wrong, I appriciate a good car no matter who designed it or where it came from, but I play for the home team. Much can be learned from analyization of foreign cars. Having said that, I do run a Porsche 930 transaxle. This is the unfortunate part of limited funds. I cannot afford an American build race box. Okay back to the question. The only mid-engine american car build in mass quantity is the Pontiac Fiero. Good thing I was already a Pontiac fan!
5. Q: What does it run in the 1/4 mile?
A: A pointless question for this car, but okay. The car is designed for road racing / trackdays. Not the drag strip. Drag cars use weight transfer, and other items that are NOT desireable on a track car. I could never hook up like a drag car. Having said that, the one time I did take it down the strip, with a failing clutch that slipped 4 times down the track, I ran a 12.2 at 112 mph. This is a very poor time for this car. Compaired to track days, I felt like I could get out an push the car faster than a 12.2 sec run.
6. Q: (more of a statement) You should make this car street legal!
A: Not on your life! This car is so raw that 10 laps will wear you out. No kidding. When I hear the talking begin at a show about "how I should make it a street car" I usually (if they can fit) ask them to get in the car. Before the steering wheel makes it on to the column (removal required to get in the car) they start to get the point. Much too difficult to get in and out of. Then I ask them to turn the wheel. Manual quick ratio steering with 10" stickys and positive caster make turning the wheel actually pick up the front end of the car. Very difficult. Next I tell them to push the brakes. The response is "holy crap!" because the manual dual piston brakes are stiff at best. Then I point to the brake pressure gages and tell them that to stop they need to easily hit 600 to 800 psi. The initial attempt of the participant is usually about 300 to 400 psi. Not pushing hard enough puts you through a tire (or worse yet concrete) wall at the track. Now try the clutch! Stop and go traffic on a regular basis would make you able to try out for the olympic cycling team in short order (at least with your left leg). That is usually enough to get someone to agree with me. However, what most people don't know is that amount of debris that comes in the car on a clean, dry asphalt road. It is brutal and will quickly wear away paint on the body if not protected. Long answer to a short question.
7. Q: Wow that car must be expensive. How much do you have in it?
A: In my opinion, people who ask that question are kind'a missing the point. Sure I have spent a lot of money in parts for this car, but to me the real point of the car is the design, detail, and hours spent to make it right. I don't want this to sound like I am patting myself on the back, but frankly when I look back on the build and look at the completed car, I have a hard time believing that I built it. Put another way... Climbing a mountain, that seems impossible! But that first rock doesn't look at far away, I bet I can make it there. One step at a time. In the famous words of Yoda... Do or do not. There is no "try". I agree. If you "try", in the back of your mind, you have already accepted that you can fail and it is acceptable.
This car is NOT street legal. (nor will it ever be)
VEHICLE SUMMARY:
Performance:
- VanDerLey 412 ci SBC with prototype Pontiac 867 heads. (1983 vintage)
- 645 hp at 6700 rpm 577 lb.-ft. torque at 5300 rpm 13.9:1 compression
- Holly 850 carb custom tuned and jetted by VanDerLey Engines (930 cfm)
- Callies Crank
- Comp Cam
- Solid 1.6 TD Rockers
- JE Pistons
- Carella Rods
- Dry sump oiling system with 3 gal. reservoir
- Accusump system (3 qt.)
- 1986 Porsche 930 4 speed transmission
- KEP 800 lb.-ft. clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate
- Renegade Hybrids custom fabricated shift linkage (and then modified)
- Custom fabricated headers and exhaust (1-3/4")
- Dual Borla XR1 mufflers
- Porsche 930 axles
- Fuel Safe custom fuel cell (15 gal.)
- MSD Box, coil, and distributor
- AFCO Radiator (custom)
- Fluidyne heat exchanger
- Dual Fuel Filters
- Ram Air Brake Ducts (front)
- VP C12 Race Fuel
- Functional RAM AIR Roof Scoop Air Intake (inlet to outlet ratio = 2:1)
Control:
- 23.5x10.0R16 GOODYEAR G19 race slicks (front)
- 25.5x14.0R16 GOODYEAR G19 race slicks (rear)
- Wilwood Superlite 2A 1.75 bore four piston calipers on 12.72"x1.25" 48 vane rotors (front)
- Porsche 930 4 piston calipers on 12.19" cross drilled rotors. (rear)
- Dual 7/8" / 3/4" master cylinders with brake bias control and gages.
- Appleton 2.0 rack and pinion
- Suspension custom fabricated by E.J. Trivette (one of the 2 original IMSA Fiero fabricators)
- Removable steering wheel
- Speedway Engineering front hubs
- Speedway Engineering 1" hollow swaybars
- Porsche 930 Rear hubs
- 4" "Chin" air splitter to add nose down force
Safety:
- 6 point harness with cam-loc and 3" wide belts (driver and passenger)
- Kill switch (internal and external)
- Onboard 10 lb. fire system.
- Inertia fuel switch
- Window net
- Polycarbonate front (1/4") and rear (1/8") windshields
- Sparco Pro 2000 Seats
Other:
- Corvette Millennium Yellow Paint
- Wide body rear quarters
- Cockpit adjustable throttle linkage
- Auto Meter Gages
- Functional fiberglass door (DS)
- Custom interior sheet metal
- Custom front and rear clip fabrication
- Custom rear engine mounting (longitudinal)
- Passenger Seat (too much fun for one person to have :) )
- G-Tech Pro
- Optima Red Battery
- Factory gearshift knob (1 of 2 factory items)
- Factory tail lights (2 of 2 factory items)
Body:
-Original Pontiac IMSA/Drag Car Prototype Body.
-“0001” prototype code verified by John Callies.
- 2008 = Widebody IMSA Race Shell replaced the back half of the car to improve performance. Back half is not prototype however all panels have been stored correctly.
Performance:
- ¼ mile: 10.5 sec at 137 mph (est.)
- 0 to 100 mph: 5.2 sec. (est.)
- Top Speed: 212 mph (est.)
- Weight to HP Ratio with driver and without Ram Air: 3.6 lb./HP
Conservative numbers using "Car Test" software.
Longitudinally mounted SBC engine on Porsche transaxle. (it has highly modified Pontiac 867 heads so it really is not a SBC but a Pontiac powered vehicle)
Brief History:
Although this is not an original IMSA SD4 car, pieces have been fabricated and assembled by members of the original Pontiac race group. I consulted with John Callies (former head of Pontiac Motorsports and father of the racing Fiero) during the project for engineering input. E.J. Trivette (original IMSA Fiero suspension fabricator) built the suspension from scratch himself to his own specifications given the physical constraints of the body and chassis. Paul VanderLey (original IMSA SD4 builder) build the 412ci SBC engine. Originally, this was his personal motor for Bonneville Salt Flat competition. Paul has broken speed records with his 34 coupe, and won many championships over his 50 year carrier. A road-racing cam was installed per Paul's recommendation combined with the 13.9 to 1 compression ratio and the use of VP C12 race fuel. The body is one of the (if not the last remaining) prototype fiberglass shells used to give John and his group ideas of how the body would work aerodynamically during wind tunnel testing. Almost certainly the last prototype shell that was unpainted and un worked. The “0001” on every panel designates that each is a prototype piece. The fact that the body has not been painted in the last 20 years is unusual if not unique. Only 15 original Huffaker IMSA Fieros were built.
The body is a prototype of the IMSA race body. It is a "one off" from Pontiac clay model "splash". The rear quarters (seen in the pictures before the widebody conversion) are actually drag racing quarters (axle moved forward and narrow body), that are also prototype. It is thought that this may have been the first attempt at the drag race shell since all of the other panels are the same as the IMSA road race body.
I have often wondered, "How did a prototype body get out of the hands of GM?" Usually these pieces are destroyed. In a discussion with various owners of other prototype parts, I think I have a substantial theory. Often GM gives parts to schools for training with the agreement that the parts are not to be sold and must be destroyed if the school no longer wants them. I learned that two owners before me, the body was in the posession of a vocational school. Apparently the original frame was also built by the school. My guess is that the body and a set of plans were given to the school for them to build as a project. I was lucky that they never finished it.
Front end with the fiberglass shell removed.
My "While E." riding a rocket sticker with the phrase "Life begins at 210 mph..." 
The interior: The seats are very comfortable and the gages are well laid out. This is a necessity as ones body gets thrown around pretty hard during a track day.
View at Gateway International Raceway during a track day 11/15/2003. Captured from video at 125 mph +. The 500 hp Cobra is easy pray... : )
INDEX:
Page 1 = Overview, Vehicle Summary, History
Page 2 = 2001 - The Dream
Page 3 = 2002 - Getting Going
Page 4 = 2003 - It's ALIVE!
Page 5 = 2004 - Making Improvements
Page 6 = 2005 - Here's to a better year...
Page 7 = 2006 - The Story Continues...
Page 8 = 2007 - Wider is Better ; )
Page 9 = 2008 - Wider is Better - TAKE TWO ; )
Page 10 = 2009 - Details... Details... Details...
GO TO THE NEXT PAGE TO SEE THE STEP BY STEP FABRICATION THIS CAR ----->
For more detailed info contact:
rrunner@egyptian.net
