I have the radio surround, and the dash cluster surround that i nabbed out of an 88 Fiero in the junkyard recently and im wondering what all the hype is about? I think they look cool so that is why i grabbed them but after talking to some Fiero owners about my day in the yard they say they are worth some money and since they are not cracked etc worth even more.

They were only available for the '88 model Fieros. Due to the low production numbers of '88's, in addition to the common problems with the trim panels such as the HVAC/radio surround frequently bending and breaking and the shifter surround receiving scratches and blemishes, very good conditioned DOT matrix panels are sought after by those wanting to keep their '88's looking good and fetch higher prices than the standard trim pieces.

I believe 88 was the only year the dot matrix trim was offered.
Edit:FieroFreak beat me to it

[This message has been edited by NCTyphoonKid (edited 11-09-2010).]

As stated before, its an 88 only thing.

Anything that sells here / there / anywhere that deals w/ being an / off an 88 usually will have what I lovingly refer to as the "88-tax" associated with it. Low production numbers, single car years, and 2o+ years on the road means a lot of the 88 specific stuff is getting kinda hard to find.

As per the Dot Matrix - their just that cool.

--Allen

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Is this where I insert something witty?

quote Originally posted by mcaanda: As stated before, its an 88 only thing. Anything that sells here / there / anywhere that deals w/ being an / off an 88 usually will have what I lovingly refer to as the "88-tax" associated with it. Low production numbers, single car years, and 2o+ years on the road means a lot of the 88 specific stuff is getting kinda hard to find. As per the Dot Matrix - their just that cool. --Allen I think that says it all! Well said :-)

I don't like them. Mine are getting painted satin black. *shrug*

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'10 Camaro LT/RS, 312hp V6 6-speed
'88 Fiero GT - coming soon! - Project MIDTRBO

The rest of my cars are for sale
There's no replacement for turbo placement

quote Originally posted by ALLTRBO: I don't like them. Mine are getting painted satin black. *shrug*

Why not sell them and pick up cheap non-88 pieces to paint?

Because it isn't worth my limited time, unless someone wanted to come do a trade in person, in which case I would trade straight across. It's never a bad thing to meet new nice people.

[This message has been edited by ALLTRBO (edited 11-09-2010).]

I had perfect sets in my 88 coupe.

I spray painted them all white.

oops

quote Originally posted by Adam1988: I had perfect sets in my 88 coupe. I spray painted them all white. oops

You're helping preserve them for the future with that beautiful coat of white protectent.

i have three spare gauge cluster bezels sitting in the garage lol i take them off every 88 in the pick n pulls

I have a tan interior and love woodgrain. If i had a grey interior i would use di-noc carbon fiber.

heck at this point I am interiorless except for seats, door panels. Not even carpet...

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Steve
-- aka. SmoothGT
CURRENT BUILD:
" SmoothGT-'w8nc' "
1987 Fiero V8/hybrid
1999 Lexus SC-400
V8

I will take Dot Matrix ones from you if you are going to paint them...of course before you do that (LOL). I can get you a set of regular ones to paint.

I like the Dot matrix in my 88.. But,I dont and cant find a Dot matrix cover for the aux gauges that Im adding
So I am putting them on the side until I find one And I now have a set out of a 87

Shannon
88 Fiero"Valhalla"

quote Originally posted by shawnk: i have three spare gauge cluster bezels sitting in the garage lol i take them off every 88 in the pick n pulls

Them are the easy ones to find in good condition. The shift console seems to be the tricky one to find in perfect condition, next would be the radio surround (most are warped or the corners are cracked)...

I often wonder if the 19 people who crushed thier 88 fieros under the "cash for clunker" program knew what they were doing. (edit - all 19 were either GT's or Formulas). I wonder if they stripped any of the parts before letting them go? 19 less "88s" on the street makes all the other parts that much more expensive. Good if your the seller of rare parts, bad if you need them. I have friends who are 84-87 Fiero only because they don't want to deal with the "88 - Tax".

Rob

[This message has been edited by qwikgta (edited 11-10-2010).]

I never really liked the dot matrix that much on my 88 GT with gray interior. I think the silver would have looked better. It does look good on my currrent 88 with beechwood interior because of the contrast.

Not to sound like an moron but what is a dot matrix? And does anyone have a picture of one?

quote Originally posted by kkavmann69: Not to sound like an moron but what is a dot matrix? And does anyone have a picture of one?

Its a matrix based printed looking overlay that is more or less a hole bunch of really little squares that dont photograph well. Here's a pic of it on my 88GT - the best pic I could find off hand:

[This message has been edited by mcaanda (edited 11-10-2010).]

The pre-88 fieros had a 'brushed' metal look and textrure on all the trim plates in the dash and center console... the dot matrix screen printed trim is a freakin joke whose only value comes from low numbers.. This is just one of the examples of how the Fiero interior was neutered in the 88 model year... we got the suspension, sure... but the interior was devalued. Next time you are at a car show take a look in a stock 88 GT and compare it to a stock 87 interior... its just the little things but they are definitely missing. The highest grade by detail were the light gray interiors in the 84-85 cars... they were actually tri-toned. Light gray, dark gray and charcoal... very nice. Check out the 85GT for a good example.

Thanks mcaanda I appreciate the pic.

Heck, they even went as far as to make the brushed metal silver in the gray interiors and bronze in the tan interiors.

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