April 2018 April www.gafiero.org “We Drive Excitement” SPECIAL EDITION Mike Swayne’s red 1986 Fiero SE, newly purchased from his brother. From this picture, it looks as if Mike is overjoyed with his new purchase. He looks a little bit possessive of it. That is one nice—albeit imperfect—Fiero! Obviously, Mike plans to enjoy his Fiero, and with a car that looks like this, who could blame him? You can read about Mike and his Fiero in the Member Spotlight section of this newsletter. This image epitomizes Fiero ownership. Official Monthly Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 4 Issue 3, Volume Newsletter Monthly Official © Copyright 2018, Georgia Fiero Club Tech Session Early on the 10th, club members Sarge, DeShoe, OldOne, MikeMac, GTXVette and Fierofool—along April Meeting Our April club meeting will be held at the Galaxy Diner on the 14th. Please do not lay an egg during the meeting! We will be dis- cussing the upcoming cruise. with 2 guests—gathered at Northlake Automotive See the web site for de- to work on the club’s fastback Formula. Everyone tails. Shakedown Coming! Not only are we holding tech sessions on the club cars, we’re getting ready for a shakedown run for Run For The Hills on May 19th. If you would like to join us for the shakedown run for fun, to help, or just learn how such events are put togeth- er, now is your chance. had their hands full working on the Fastback, and their efforts yielded the desired result: the fast- As always, see the web site for details. Upcoming Events: Monthly Club Meeting April 14th @ 1:30pm: Galaxy Diner 3320 Henderson Mill Rd Atlanta, GA 30341 Spring Break Run “The Don Hulse Memorial Cruise” Date TBD back is running! The fuel pump, sending unit, and filter were all replaced. Fiero visitors Todd and Derek from Charleston, South Carolina really RFTH Shakedown Run pitched in with the fuel pump to help make the May 19th (Continued on page 3) © Copyright 2018, Georgia Fiero Club 2 (Continued from page 2) Spring Series, Part 1 club’s efforts a success. Ah, Spring! Everything is fresh and blooming, and wet and..and..a-CHOO! Darn allergies! Yep, everything is out. The sun, the rain, the cars, and the people are all ready to dust off the Winter Blues and move on to the Spring Blues. While some of us are ready to spend time working on our cars and taking them to shows, others may not be as excited with these ventures as we are. Your significant other, for example. Although you may not realize it, both your spouse and your Fiero suffer from neglect. As you read this newsletter, be sure to thank your spouse for their forbearance. In this newsletter, we’ll cover some tips for you and your spouse to help you share your enthusi- asm, as well as some things you can do to get your Fiero in tip-top shape. This newsletter is the first in the Spring series. Over the next few months, we’ll share details from those who know to help you get the most enjoyment from your Fiero. This includes tips for preventive maintenance, as well as general maintenance, small improvements, and show prep. Todd and Derek, thanks for your help. It’s al- Our product reviews will help you choose the right ways good to be able to put names to faces. product for your Fiero, by providing you with product specifics and comparisons. Spring Maintenance Our technical articles will break things down for It’s that time of year again. The pollen and pests the do-it-yourself-er. Where possible, we will list are coming for your Fiero, to join the rust and rot. parts and any special tools needed, as well as any insights you’ll need to get the job done. To help keep your Fiero its best, you should per- form some basic maintenance: Whether you drive your Fiero throughout the 1. Clean the blower resistor and air box year, or just occasionally, we’ve compiled the tips 2. Change the oil you’ll need to keep your Fiero on the road. 3. Check ball joints 4. Check the tires 5. Check plugs/wires From the Secretary... 6. Charge/replace the battery During the March meeting, upcoming events and 7. Check/replace the fuel/air filters goals were discussed. 8. Lube the door hinges, headlight hinges, • The RFTH shakedown run was scheduled for decklid hinges, and locks 9. Check/replace the coolant Saturday, May 19th 10. Check brakes for smooth operation • The Don Hulse Memorial Cruise 11. Check the coil, distributor cap, rotor, and ICM Well, minutes were kept for the March meeting, 12. Check engine and transmission mounts but mostly, it was the tech session that hap- (Continued on page 4) pened. © Copyright 2018, Georgia Fiero Club 3 (Continued from page 3) 13. Check alternator/charging system 14. Check steering rack and tie rods 15. Check AC (if equipped) 16. Check wheel bearings 17. Check/replace belts 18. Check all lights 19. Check the suspension 20. Check vacuum hoses 21. Check fire extinguisher 22. Do a good cleaning in and out 23. Check the schedule of Fiero events 24. Participate in at least one Fiero event Living With A Fiero Enthusiast 2018 Board of Directors By Granny Linda Mike MacDonell (MikeMac), Chair Pat Swayne (TopNotch) Let me start by stating, Fieros are great little cars; Scott Brown (scottb) but be aware, it seems enthusiasts cannot own just Dewey Reeder (oldone) one. You might want to get your own hobby, be- Roger Newton (Roger) cause there will be days when he/she will be work- ing on their cars all day. There will be times when 2018 Officers you will feel like, unless you have 4 tires and a 3800 engine, you don’t exist. Then they will come Dave Tyrrell, President in, get cleaned up, and invite you to an evening Pat Swayne, Vice-President out. Linda Swayne, Secretary/Treasurer When my husband got his first Fiero, we had a talk You can reach our club officers and board about money. We decided anything over $100.00 members through the club email address: would be discussed. So far it has worked. Thank- [email protected] fully, he can do most of the work himself. We also agreed, if a new Fiero comes in, one goes out. My Newsletter Subscription suggestion is to get everything worked out before We appreciate your feedback. Like it? Want the first Fiero arrives. something changed? Not getting it? Don’t want it anymore? Let us know. In closing, keep in mind that there are a lot worse things they could be into. To unsubscribe, use the subject Opt-out. [email protected] You know you’re in trouble... • ...when you discover that your spare ICM is also Georgia Fiero Club Store bad. If you haven’t purchased your 2018 Club • ...when someone compliments you on your Membership yet, please head over to the Fiero, then tells you that Fieros came with a V8. Club Merchandise page on our web site. • ...when the State Trooper pulls you over be- cause your Ferrari (Mera) has Fiero license We are the only steady plates. source of Digital EGR • ...when the oil change tech tells you that your Adapters, made by club 88 Duke didn't have an oil filter. member Scott Brown. • ...when the oil change tech removes your radia- tor cap to check the coolant level. We accept PayPal, so order- ing today is fast and easy. Hope you enjoyed these. © Copyright 2018, Georgia Fiero Club 4 Appreciating Fieros by Paul Ackerman (pgackerman) Fiero owners have been known to complain about the lack of appreciation their clas- sic car receives: not the interest generated at car shows, but the type collected in bank accounts. Are Fieros abused in the collector car market? Would you be better off owning anoth- er model? Let’s find out. According to NADA, the MSRP of a 1984 base Fiero was $7679. This same Fiero, depending on how well it was maintained, is now worth $5674, $3273, or $1445 depending on if it is in High, Average, or Low retail condition. This works out to retaining 74%, 43%, or 19% of the original sale value. The news gets better if, according to Hagerty, this ‘84 is Concours quality. Then the value rises to $7900, or 103% of the original MSRP. What’s the moral? Keep your Fiero in top condition! Results for each year with base 4-cylinder Iron Dukes and GT’s: NADA NADA NADA Year Fiero MSRP High NADA Avg Low % High % Avg. % Poor Hagerty Concours Concours % 1984 4 Cyl $7,679 $5,674 $3,273 $1,445 74% 43% 19% $7,900 103% 1985 4 Cyl $8,495 $6,775 $3,900 $1,725 80% 46% 20% $8,000 94% 1985 GT 6 $11,795 $7,150 $4,150 $1,775 61% 35% 15% $11,900 101% 1986 4 Cyl $8,949 $7,150 $4,025 $1,775 80% 45% 20% $8,300 93% 1986 GT 6 $12,875 $7,450 $4,225 $1,800 58% 33% 14% $12,100 94% 1987 4 Cyl $8,299 $7,350 $4,225 $1,800 89% 51% 22% $8,500 102% 1987 GT 6 $13,489 $7,625 $4,425 $1,925 57% 33% 14% $13,100 97% 1988 4 Cyl $8,999 $7,600 $4,325 $1,925 84% 48% 21% $8,700 97% 1988 GT 6 $13,999 $7,900 $4,550 $2,125 56% 33% 15% $16,500 118% How does this compare to a rival from the same period such as the Corvette or Mustang? The 1984 Corvette was the first new model since 1968, and fans were more than ready to purchase a world- beater capable of close to 1g on a skidpad.