THE ORIGIN
01 // THE GREEN MACHINE & THE CARLISLE SWAP MEET (2004–2005)
The obsession started at 15 years old as a surprise Christmas present from my dad. It was a dirty, green-and-black 1984 Pontiac Fiero sporting a 2.5L Iron Duke and a 4-speed manual. I didn't even have my license yet, but I was hooked.
The catch? It had suffered through brutal northern winters, and the rear subframe was structurally rusted through. My dad and I pulled the drivetrain to assess the damage and realized we needed a donor frame. In 2005, our family of five crammed into our truck, drove down to the GM Nationals at the Carlisle, PA swap meet, and found our replacement frame. We all slept in that truck - it sucked, but looking back, it was an incredible trip. I still have the official Jeff Gordon driver's jacket I bought on that trip.
02 // THE $400 EBAY GAMBLE & THE STICK-SHIFT TEST (2007)
Because of rough school grades and my dad traveling extensively to rebuild infrastructure after Hurricane Katrina, the project sat stalled in the yard for a couple of years. Then in 2007, I found a mostly working, silver 1984 Fiero on eBay with a "Buy It Now" price of $400. It was fully loaded - power windows, locks, and functioning A/C. The only thing it needed was a subframe.
I bought it sight unseen, had it delivered, and within a few weeks, I successfully swapped my Carlisle subframe into it. It was alive. When I brought it home registered, my mom told me I couldn't drive it to college because I had never driven a manual transmission in my life. I challenged her: If I can successfully drive you to work right now with no issues, I drive the car. She accepted. It was my first time ever operating a clutch, and I nailed it.
03 // STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE & THE 2:00 AM DOWNGRADE (2008–2009)
I daily-drove that silver Fiero for a year before disaster struck. The unibody framework right behind the passenger door suffered a catastrophic stress crack, causing the entire chassis to physically bend and separate. At 19, I had no way to fix structural frame geometry.
Determined to stay on the road, I pulled the entire drivetrain out of the bent silver car and jammed it into my original manual-everything, no-A/C green chassis sitting in the backyard. It was a massive downgrade, but it rolled. A year later, the engine dropped a valve. At 20 years old, exhausted by the lack of power, tired of the endless driveway maintenance, and lacking the knowledge to fix it, I sold it.
But as the flatbed towed it away, I made a strict promise to myself: If I ever get my hands on a 1988 model with a 5-speed, I'm buying it.
04 // THE APEX: FIXED NOT FINISHED (PRESENT DAY)
Fast forward to today. The oath has been fulfilled. The car sitting in the driveway right now is the legendary 1988 model - the final and best year of production, featuring the one-year-only bespoke factory suspension geometry.
We aren't 20 anymore, and we aren't running away from dropped valves. We are currently driving the stock 2.8L V6 to events while completely re-engineering the interior center console using custom CAD software. Waiting on the stand is a supercharged 2.0L LSJ Ecotec engine getting prepped for a full E85 conversion, complete with a lightweight flywheel and an upgraded fuel system.
Broke Not Broken isn’t a financial state; it’s a refusal to let the garage floor beat you. Every sticker, shirt, and hoodie sold in this shop goes directly into the parts funding pool to finish what we started over twenty years ago. Welcome to the crew.