1984 Pontiac Fiero Project
The begining and the End As they say every good thing has a end . Well its time for the end . Thanks to everyone who has followed the progress of this little car. It has amazed me the number of visits to this site. I hate to stop when I have so little to finish but I don't see the money in the forseeable future to finish. I have enjoyed restoring and driving her. I want to thank Pennock's Fiero Forum. For all the help both in articles and members. A 16 year old guy bought her the first day of the ad and took her to Indianapolis. First day the ad ran I had over 20 calls and after canceling the ad I received calls for weeks. Make no mistake there is still a market for the Fiero!
UPDATE Dec 2015 : I am actively looking for another Fiero. So stay turned Fiero Project Take 3 coming to Indiana Spring 2016.
Doesnt look bad for a free car
* Discliamer *
If your looking for a site that will update daily or weekly your going to be disappointed This is more of a story of my attempt at rebuilding this vehicle
I will update this as I make progress
If your looking for a site that will update daily or weekly your going to be disappointed This is more of a story of my attempt at rebuilding this vehicle
I will update this as I make progress
A Little Pontiac Fiero History
The Pontiac Fiero was produced for only a short time, lasting from 1984 through 1988. It was based on the Pontiac Banshee Concept inspired by John DeLorean. The design was courtesy of Hulki Aldikacti, from an
outside firm called Entech, who created a small, two-door coupe with a mid-engine layout. It was dubbed the 'Fiero' which is an Italian word meaning 'proud'. This name was chosen because it was one of the first
mid-engine production vehicle to be produced by Detroit's big-three. An example of an earlier attempt was the Chevrolet Corvair.
The mid-engine design is always a radical and exotic configuration; it was given this setup to improve the vehicles aerodynamics and give it proper weight distribution. The results were impressive, with the car
having excellent handing and performance. Mounted transversely in the engine bay was a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine which provided fuel economy that could rival other cars of its day. With the proper setup and four-speed manual gearbox, the car could achieve 40 mpg on the highway. With the 3-speed THM-125 automatic gearbox the MPG dropped to 32, which is still very impressive. The vehicles weighed just under 2600 pounds and had a wheelbase that measured a short 93.4 inches. Length was just 160.3-inches, meaning there was little room for cargo. It was a sports car that had performance characteristics, impressive fuel economy, and styling that resembled other exotic sports cars of the day, all at
a fraction of the cost.
outside firm called Entech, who created a small, two-door coupe with a mid-engine layout. It was dubbed the 'Fiero' which is an Italian word meaning 'proud'. This name was chosen because it was one of the first
mid-engine production vehicle to be produced by Detroit's big-three. An example of an earlier attempt was the Chevrolet Corvair.
The mid-engine design is always a radical and exotic configuration; it was given this setup to improve the vehicles aerodynamics and give it proper weight distribution. The results were impressive, with the car
having excellent handing and performance. Mounted transversely in the engine bay was a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine which provided fuel economy that could rival other cars of its day. With the proper setup and four-speed manual gearbox, the car could achieve 40 mpg on the highway. With the 3-speed THM-125 automatic gearbox the MPG dropped to 32, which is still very impressive. The vehicles weighed just under 2600 pounds and had a wheelbase that measured a short 93.4 inches. Length was just 160.3-inches, meaning there was little room for cargo. It was a sports car that had performance characteristics, impressive fuel economy, and styling that resembled other exotic sports cars of the day, all at
a fraction of the cost.
1984 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car
Much of the vehicles suspension, powertrain, and
drivetrain were shared with other GM production vehicles, such as the
Citation and Chevette. The chassis was a space-frame setup with Chevrolet
Chevette steering, suspension and brakes. The body was created from
Enduraflex plastic body panels with only four paint colors offered at any
one time.In 1984, the Fiero was given the honor of
Pacing the Indy 500.
Engine Location Mid
Drive Type Rear Wheel
Body ChassisUnitary construction
Production Years for Series 1984 - 1988
Price $8,950-$12,880
Weight 2485 lbs | 1127.177 kg
Performance Top Speed 180 km/h | 111.87 mph
During the five-years of production, 370,168 Were Produced
.
drivetrain were shared with other GM production vehicles, such as the
Citation and Chevette. The chassis was a space-frame setup with Chevrolet
Chevette steering, suspension and brakes. The body was created from
Enduraflex plastic body panels with only four paint colors offered at any
one time.In 1984, the Fiero was given the honor of
Pacing the Indy 500.
Engine Location Mid
Drive Type Rear Wheel
Body ChassisUnitary construction
Production Years for Series 1984 - 1988
Price $8,950-$12,880
Weight 2485 lbs | 1127.177 kg
Performance Top Speed 180 km/h | 111.87 mph
During the five-years of production, 370,168 Were Produced
.
Hall and Oats
Hall and Oats in case no one is old enought to remember them
See the Fiero was very cool for it's time. Maybe bad timing for a sports car made by Pontiac
By using components from other production vehicles, it could be produced more efficiently and at a lower cost. It also meant that its performance was only slightly better than other GM cars. Enthusiasts expected more, due to its
mid-engine layout and exotic styling. As requests for an improved version of the Fiero began pouring in, and the oil embargo was a thing of the past, GM granted their request by introduced the GT model in 1985. It was a vastly
improved vehicle, with a port-injected V6 engine and nearly 45 more horsepower, an increase of over 50-percent, than its four-cylinder counterpart. In the proceeding years, other aspects of the Fiero GT were upgraded, including the
suspension and brakes in 1988, and the addition of a rear spoiler and ground affects.
When production ended after 1988, sales were still strong. GM was worried about sales declining sharply in the years to come and the
mid-engined, two-seater sports car market to come to a close, so production ceased. During the five-years of production, 370,168 Fiero's were produced.
See the Fiero was very cool for it's time. Maybe bad timing for a sports car made by Pontiac
By using components from other production vehicles, it could be produced more efficiently and at a lower cost. It also meant that its performance was only slightly better than other GM cars. Enthusiasts expected more, due to its
mid-engine layout and exotic styling. As requests for an improved version of the Fiero began pouring in, and the oil embargo was a thing of the past, GM granted their request by introduced the GT model in 1985. It was a vastly
improved vehicle, with a port-injected V6 engine and nearly 45 more horsepower, an increase of over 50-percent, than its four-cylinder counterpart. In the proceeding years, other aspects of the Fiero GT were upgraded, including the
suspension and brakes in 1988, and the addition of a rear spoiler and ground affects.
When production ended after 1988, sales were still strong. GM was worried about sales declining sharply in the years to come and the
mid-engined, two-seater sports car market to come to a close, so production ceased. During the five-years of production, 370,168 Fiero's were produced.
Engine Fire Reputation
Of the total production of the Pontiac Fiero of 370,168,only
260 (0.07%) of them were reported to have had engine fires of some type,
depending on the source used.
The engine fires almost exclusively pertained to the 1984 model year. Later
model years were produced with upgraded equipment, and frequency of engine fire
was significantly reduced.
The Associated Press quoted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as saying it had "...received 148 complaints regarding Pontiac Fieros catching fire including reports of six injuries.... Low levels of engine oil may cause a connecting rod to break, allowing oil to escape and come into contact with engine parts. The oil would catch fire when it contacted the exhaust manifold or hot exhaust components.... David Hudgens, a GM spokesman in Detroit... said, 'If you ran out of oil, and then that coupled with some aggressive driving, perhaps, and maybe not changing the oil very often, you end up with a broken rod, and that's where the connecting
rod came in; it is still the owner's responsibility to check the oil.' The Pontiac division claimed in a 1988 press release that "GM tests have shown that running these 1984 cars with low engine oil level can cause connecting rod failure which may lead to an engine compartment fire.... Pontiac is aware of 260 fires attributable to the condition, along with ten reported minor injuries."
The larger of the two reported numbers of cars with fires (260) amounts to 0.07% of Fiero models produced. The fires affected the 2.5 L engine almost
exclusively, and mostly 1984 models (although there may have been additional occurrences after the above reports were published).
There are several possible contributors to Fiero engines catching fire. The primary cause is thought to be a batch of poorly cast connecting rods, produced
in GM's Saginaw plant, which failed when the oil level became too low. One theory is that the sports car styling attracted buyers who
would drive the car hard, most notably by excessively revving the engine. Another factor was the incorrectly listed three-quart oil capacity; the actual
oil capacity is 4.5 quarts, but a misprint on the dipstick and in the owner's manual resulted in owners using only three quarts, any leakage or consumption would allow the oil level to decline over time to a dangerously low level. If the proper oil level was not maintained, the bearings could seize, snapping the porous castings of
the connecting rods. This could result in a hole being punched in the engine block, allowing oil to spray onto hot exhaust components where it could ignite.
Alternatively, some fires may have been due to the engine wiring harness bulkhead connector (C500) being located in the center of the engine bay above
the exhaust manifold, where the heat could possibly melt and ignite the wiring. The 1984 model had a magnesium grille over this area. In later models, the main
engine harness connector (C500) was moved to the battery area, and was improved to some degree with better heat shielding wrapped around the wiring harness.
A third cause might be cracks in the engine block from over-tightening the head bolts. Some engines developed cracks in the block that would leak coolant
and/or oil, sometimes accompanied by broken head bolts directly above the crack. The leak would spray coolant or oil, the latter resulting in fire if sprayed
onto the hot catalytic converter or exhaust manifold at the front of the engine compartment.
Most vehicles existing today have been serviced by GM during one of the safety recalls on the car. For the fire-related recall, shields and drip-trays were added to prevent leaking fluids from contacting hot surfaces. The presence of drip shields between the engine block and the exhaust manifold are a clue that the car has been retrofitted. The addition of the longer AC Delco PF51 oil filter and a re-calibrated dipstick added extra oil capacity to the oiling system, and enabled running four quarts of oil in the crankcase instead of three, to help prevent oil starvation to the rods. Certain vehicles also had their connecting rods or entire block replaced.
Any fires that happen today would most likely not be caused by the aforementioned causes, but instead due to faulty repairs and failure of engine
components, wiring, etc. due to age.
260 (0.07%) of them were reported to have had engine fires of some type,
depending on the source used.
The engine fires almost exclusively pertained to the 1984 model year. Later
model years were produced with upgraded equipment, and frequency of engine fire
was significantly reduced.
The Associated Press quoted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as saying it had "...received 148 complaints regarding Pontiac Fieros catching fire including reports of six injuries.... Low levels of engine oil may cause a connecting rod to break, allowing oil to escape and come into contact with engine parts. The oil would catch fire when it contacted the exhaust manifold or hot exhaust components.... David Hudgens, a GM spokesman in Detroit... said, 'If you ran out of oil, and then that coupled with some aggressive driving, perhaps, and maybe not changing the oil very often, you end up with a broken rod, and that's where the connecting
rod came in; it is still the owner's responsibility to check the oil.' The Pontiac division claimed in a 1988 press release that "GM tests have shown that running these 1984 cars with low engine oil level can cause connecting rod failure which may lead to an engine compartment fire.... Pontiac is aware of 260 fires attributable to the condition, along with ten reported minor injuries."
The larger of the two reported numbers of cars with fires (260) amounts to 0.07% of Fiero models produced. The fires affected the 2.5 L engine almost
exclusively, and mostly 1984 models (although there may have been additional occurrences after the above reports were published).
There are several possible contributors to Fiero engines catching fire. The primary cause is thought to be a batch of poorly cast connecting rods, produced
in GM's Saginaw plant, which failed when the oil level became too low. One theory is that the sports car styling attracted buyers who
would drive the car hard, most notably by excessively revving the engine. Another factor was the incorrectly listed three-quart oil capacity; the actual
oil capacity is 4.5 quarts, but a misprint on the dipstick and in the owner's manual resulted in owners using only three quarts, any leakage or consumption would allow the oil level to decline over time to a dangerously low level. If the proper oil level was not maintained, the bearings could seize, snapping the porous castings of
the connecting rods. This could result in a hole being punched in the engine block, allowing oil to spray onto hot exhaust components where it could ignite.
Alternatively, some fires may have been due to the engine wiring harness bulkhead connector (C500) being located in the center of the engine bay above
the exhaust manifold, where the heat could possibly melt and ignite the wiring. The 1984 model had a magnesium grille over this area. In later models, the main
engine harness connector (C500) was moved to the battery area, and was improved to some degree with better heat shielding wrapped around the wiring harness.
A third cause might be cracks in the engine block from over-tightening the head bolts. Some engines developed cracks in the block that would leak coolant
and/or oil, sometimes accompanied by broken head bolts directly above the crack. The leak would spray coolant or oil, the latter resulting in fire if sprayed
onto the hot catalytic converter or exhaust manifold at the front of the engine compartment.
Most vehicles existing today have been serviced by GM during one of the safety recalls on the car. For the fire-related recall, shields and drip-trays were added to prevent leaking fluids from contacting hot surfaces. The presence of drip shields between the engine block and the exhaust manifold are a clue that the car has been retrofitted. The addition of the longer AC Delco PF51 oil filter and a re-calibrated dipstick added extra oil capacity to the oiling system, and enabled running four quarts of oil in the crankcase instead of three, to help prevent oil starvation to the rods. Certain vehicles also had their connecting rods or entire block replaced.
Any fires that happen today would most likely not be caused by the aforementioned causes, but instead due to faulty repairs and failure of engine
components, wiring, etc. due to age.
The Fiero Plant 17
The Fiero Plant Pictures
The Fiero plant was located in Pontiac Michigan . It operated from 1983 though 1988 . Fiero sold extremely well and Pontiac operated three shifts at the factory during 1984, and could not keep up with initial demand. in 1988 the Fiero production was cancelled offically because of the bad press from the engine fires but even with the bad press over 26,000 Fiero's were built and sold. A protype Fiero was developed in 1990 but never made it to production. Below are some pictures found on the Web of the Fiero production Pontiac Michigan Plant 17
The Fiero plant was located in Pontiac Michigan . It operated from 1983 though 1988 . Fiero sold extremely well and Pontiac operated three shifts at the factory during 1984, and could not keep up with initial demand. in 1988 the Fiero production was cancelled offically because of the bad press from the engine fires but even with the bad press over 26,000 Fiero's were built and sold. A protype Fiero was developed in 1990 but never made it to production. Below are some pictures found on the Web of the Fiero production Pontiac Michigan Plant 17