1987 Zimmer Quicksilver

[Jcurtin]

Hello everyone. Let me 1st say I have always been a pontiac guy since my grandfather bought his Fiero(yeah no "my dad had a gto" stories here). Seeing that Pontiac light up the rear as a kid the fiero was my favorite car. I moved on to firebirds...blahblah. on to the car.

My grandfather wanted something different, so in 87 he saw the Zimmer on the lot and bought it. Well what is it right? Zimmer did alot of conversion vans back in the day, they also produced a "neo modern classic" called the golden spirit. I think back then they used the cougar/tbird as a platform. Well they wanted to make a smaller car so they took a fiero, stretched it 16in(i think) in the fron and like 8 in the rear. Added a new fiberglass body, chrome front and rear bumpers and pimped out the interior. The made 170 Quicksilvers then went belly up.

Pop always said the car was mine whenever I wanted it. So...this year I got rid of my 02 Collectors Edition Ws6(drag week guys might remember it) got my wife a Yukon, then went right to alabama that weekend, 1000+ miles picked up the car and turned right back around headed back to nebraska.

At 1st I planned on puttin a 3800sc in it, then I thought, man there are only 170 of these things in the world, I have only seen one other one in person that wasnt at a dealership back in 87, so I'm going to just restore it. A hotrod no not really, ugly to some yeah, but no matter where we went in this car everyone wanted to know what is was, who made it and how much. How much? In 1987 this thing was over $50k. :o


Anyway, here are some pics. Pay no attention to the giant emblem, someone stole the original way back when, as you guessed it there are no replacement parts for these suckers, so its just coming off.


Picking it up
http://a44.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/29/l_566382a7b8d85ad05925bde9efc1dc23.jpg
clean up begins
http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/08/008/7F/FD/E4/9A/s7kCUQnM++-5YxrU9-AEE0lb8tLMsWRD0300.jpg
http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/09/002/0F/FF/8B/DA/EHXeImj3hikJriQGnKOTL7QrJQ4qTtgC0300.jpg
http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/004/79/D9/16/A9/Gnf0trvqOjx7PyP0RfXg5vzKz+2bBgHN0300.jpg
http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/09/001/71/7D/9E/4B/UQH-X01KQf4UVLJYl4FpLmn2ieDeEX4z0300.jpg
http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/006/7D/7F/32/F3/EHfDH90l0s5vxdiEx39S-cDHvMb++GCK0300.jpg

A little elbow grease, ok alot of elbow grease
http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/09/002/79/FF/78/C5/aobKtZ4uDeTxC0wu8o1gK5ci9Kf+BRqO0300.jpg
http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/08/005/65/67/BA/42/pJE8zm-0mHAEm-BYtip5ewaLt7VmY5lF0300.jpg
http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/008/7B/37/9E/05/wvdG8vTS0Qn1CKbLL8KLbs0tHHwLOeme0300.jpg
http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/006/37/FF/40/2E/LdEMWeMPQezGapWPTjTOJ3esSAp9FLpx0300.jpg
hey I finally did something, fuel was pretty nasty as you can imagine
http://a182.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/6/l_435e67fe0e3c63bd0ac2443c0a189cdd.jpg

Had to move it when I moved to a new house. GET THE TOW ROPE. And my wife thought I bought that Yukon to haul kids around. ;D Figured I might as well get some rolling shots.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jaydafresh1/cars/DSC04343.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jaydafresh1/cars/DSC04345.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jaydafresh1/cars/DSC04346.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jaydafresh1/cars/DSC04356.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/jaydafresh1/cars/DSC04358.jpg


I just returned from a deployment last week, so I havent done much recently, I did aquire all new poly mounts, injectors,manifold,. The ass end is about 3 feet in the air, everything is disconnected, so hopefully I can make some progress and drop the motor. My goal is to have it moving on its own power before spring. I mean I have to get it out of the garage so I can shoot down to alabma and pick up my 97 firebird(1st car) before the tree its been sitting in front of since 98 falls on it. Hopefully I can get it into "dare to be different".

[BluLightning]

Wild looking car. Almost looks like the offspring of a Cougar and Buick getting it on! ;D It's nice to have something that no one else has.

[DanStokes]

The only really BAD piece on the car is the flying chicken on the grille. Other than that, it looks '80s odd - not necessarily bad. Remember, this is the era of the Stutz comeback, that thing on the 'Vette chassis (can't remember what it was supposed to be) with sidepipes, and the Duesenberg w/Chrysler power. And it is definitely D2BD!

Have Fun
Dan

[1968w427gte]

I'm thinking you could lose the bird on front, paint it black, then use black chrome on all the brightwork.

Install a 540 cube all aluminum rat motor with a Dominator and a couple stages of funny gas. It could be a real surprise if it was fast.

[Tommygun]

http://www.americandreamcars.com/1987zimmerquicksilver0605.jpg

cant say that I have ever seen one.....very futuristic for its time

[purplecobra]

Jay, wow that is way out there!! I vote for the blower 3.8

[Jcurtin]

I'm thinking you could lose the bird on front, paint it black, then use black chrome on all the brightwork.

Install a 540 cube all aluminum rat motor with a Dominator and a couple stages of funny gas. It could be a real surprise if it was fast.

The birds coming off, its not orginal, the pic that Tommy posted is what the emblem is supposed to be.
It could be a real suprise if it was fast, but it wont ever be fast lol. I just want it to be something that I pull out on the weekends to cruise with.

The 3.8 would definitely make it fun, there are plenty of fiero guys running 12s with a 3.8sc.
The 2.8 is getting redone, or a 3.4 is going in since I can bolt everything off the 2.8 right to the 3.4, just have to switch the starter around. I need to make progress on it, so I can seriously start on something fast.
To go from racing for a few years now, and events, to nothing....well that sucks!

[DanStokes]

I think the fork from my wife's serving set (used only at Thanksgiving) would make a pretty good copy of the original hood decoration. Try <replacementsunlimited.com>!

Now that I've harassed you - best of luck and have fun
Dan

[studemax]

that thing on the 'Vette chassis (can't remember what it was supposed to be)

Hard to believe it's built on a Fiero chassis!

[DanStokes]

Yeah, I know this one is, but somebody made something on a 'Vette chassis - maybe THAT was the Stutz? You used to see them on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Stupid". They had wing fenders and sidepipes like a Deusenberg. Some truly bad cars as a result of advancing fiberglass molding technology.

Later
Dan

[studemax]

but somebody made something on a 'Vette chassis - maybe THAT was the Stutz?

The only Stutz name I am aware of was the famed builder of road cars & racers before WWII. They were awesome machines, with winners at the Indy 500.

[Scott Liggett]

I still see those Zimmers now and again running around LA. Never realized they were set up like a Fiero, engine and trans. Maybe GM would still be making Fieros if they looked like that thing.