Lately Ive been doing a lot of browsing at newer vehicle dashes as well as other members custom dash swaps and interior upgrades. RickAddys (spelling) malibu dash and there is a pretty cool Miata dash swap ive found so far that are very very impressive. It got me wondering about updating my own, (down the road) but Id rather do something custom, a sort of educated guess on what a 2010 Fiero dash would look like. Personally Id probably bet a melding of the GTO and Solstice and this is probably the direction I would take it, but I would stay true to the very isolated pod, even going so far as to have it as a separate entity from the rest of the dash, and also keep the passenger side dash pocket (its unique) but update that as well. Just curious if any of you have done this, or more in general, what would you do to bring the Fiero dash and interior into the 21st century, while staying true to the overall styling cues?
I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before.
[This message has been edited by JLudewig85 (edited 06-08-2010).]
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10:42 PM
PFF
System Bot
donnie072003 Member
Posts: 1956 From: LaSalle, IL. Registered: Feb 2010
You metioned the GTO dash. I asked about the cluster a month or so ago. I love the look of it. But, the consensus says it will not work with the current setup of how a fiero speedo works. I'd love to be able to work one into a fiero.
------------------ Sad to say this is the best looking part of the car so far!
Yeah the cluster in the 04-06 goats looks fantastic the way its color matched to the rest of the interior. Just a thought, could the Fiero cluster be reworked to configure the gauges, at the very least tach and speedo, so that a person could use the GTO guage faces and needles? I realize they wouldn't be calibrated properly, but maybe with photoshop and some sort of material the Fiero number scale could be adapted onto a face cover that could be stuck over the original GTOs? So in the end you'd have the shape and style of the GTO, over the stock Fiero gauge.
I was skeptical at first when you mentioned the Fiesta dash but after I saw it, WOW. It definetely has a hybrid of 60's classic large round gauges and agressive styling.
As a side note, dash and interior styling has really come a long way the last 5 or so years. The colors and materials are a vast improvement over the dull monotone colors of the 90's. IMO
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01:01 AM
Carcenomy Member
Posts: 1109 From: Invercargill, New Zealand Registered: Jan 2009
GTO cluster would be a right mongrel to do, but not impossible. You'd be needing a lot of donor electronics, and it'd depend on engine choice I guess. The GTO in its original format came with the 3800 V6, so if you used its electronics, you could be onto a winner...
TBH the most 'at home' looking dashboard conversion I've seen in a Fiero was a Holden Commodore VN dashboard. A firm in Australia was doing them along with 3800 conversions. Don't know if they're still in business, but the page is http://www.workin4u.com/fiero/enter.htm for those interested.
If I was doing dash from anything I liked, it'd probably be Mazda MX-6 first generation dash. Not too modern, 80s enough looking, but a little sleeker... dimensions are probably pretty darn close too.
The GTO in American export trim never got the six, its Australian counterpart (and its four door brethren) however did. Although the 3800SC model was outsold 10:1 by the LS1 powered version. Funny that
The VY Commodore would be the best choice to raid for parts. 3800 based and uses the same cluster. Could be tricky to get in the States of course... but if it's been done at factory, there's surely going to be wiring diagrams somewhere that could help with conversions I guess.
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08:36 AM
Bump Member
Posts: 450 From: Bismarck, ND Registered: Mar 2010
Although just upgrading the dash without changing the door panels and center console, doesn't give a unified look, so wouldn't look like anything that might come out of GM in 2010.
That's really weird you mentioned a 3800SC in a GTO because me and my brother were discussing why the goat failed, I strongly believe its because there wasn't a cheaper version with a V6. Of course purists wouldn't except a V6 GTO even if it was supercharged, but why not call it a Tempest then? Water over the fam anyway.
Anyway I still say itd be easier to adapt the physical appearance of the GTO cluster to the factory Fiero gauges and create a Fiero like gauge pod to hold it all.
Originally posted by JLudewig85: That's really weird you mentioned a 3800SC in a GTO because me and my brother were discussing why the goat failed, I strongly believe its because there wasn't a cheaper version with a V6. Of course purists wouldn't except a V6 GTO even if it was supercharged, but why not call it a Tempest then? Water over the fam anyway.
Anyway I still say itd be easier to adapt the physical appearance of the GTO cluster to the factory Fiero gauges and create a Fiero like gauge pod to hold it all.
The GTO didn't fail. What failed was GM. Pontiac was dying, and the new GTO wasn't meant to be a long-term commitment. Of course, they realized that people actually liked the GTO after they dropped the line, and brought out the G8 GXP. If they'd dropped the silly GNumber naming, and brought back good Pontiac names, they might have been salvageable. But alas, you see what happened with them.
It would not be hard at all to get the GTO gauges working in the Fiero. Less so if they aren't the GM-LAN gauges like all the new cars have. Given the model years of the GTO, it might still have the older signalling method, although I am not sure what the laws were in AU at the time of the GTO. Of course, if you want to use the GTO gauges, and keep a V6, I'd just go ahead and do the 3800 swap also. No point looking fast and going slow.
The GTO cluster will take ordinary tach and speedo signals, but fuel level and temp are done over class 2 serial. All of the indicator lites are separate inputs as well. Certain errors can be toggled on and off, depending on the programming in the cluster. You can clear the errors at every start, but what's the point if half of the gauges are dead.
Should be a pretty straightforward setup if you're running an OBDII 3800SC. I'm actually planning on doing this, as i've been fooling around with GTO cluster programming lately. The programmable shift light built in is a nice touch as well.
Sucks that you can only do the custom start messages under an HSV or Chevrolet Special Vehicles logo though.
That has to be a G8 dash am i right? Anyway thats interesting to know about the GTO cluster. A 3800 swap is waaaaay down the road for me but its definitely good to know. How do you plan to mold it into the dash then? Create a custom pod or are you going with a full dash swap, if you dont mind me asking?
I was thinking a nice touch to a custom 2010 Fiero would be to redesign and update the shift plates, radio stack, and guage pods, smooth them out, give them some curved shape and include the torx screws. That to me is pretty unique to the Fiero.
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11:17 PM
Jun 10th, 2010
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 22749 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
Lately Ive been doing a lot of browsing at newer vehicle dashes as well as other members custom dash swaps and interior upgrades. RickAddys (spelling) malibu dash and there is a pretty cool Miata dash swap ive found so far that are very very impressive. It got me wondering about updating my own, (down the road) but Id rather do something custom, a sort of educated guess on what a 2010 Fiero dash would look like. Personally Id probably bet a melding of the GTO and Solstice and this is probably the direction I would take it, but I would stay true to the very isolated pod, even going so far as to have it as a separate entity from the rest of the dash, and also keep the passenger side dash pocket (its unique) but update that as well. Just curious if any of you have done this, or more in general, what would you do to bring the Fiero dash and interior into the 21st century, while staying true to the overall styling cues?
I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before.
For the longest time, the Pontiac Fiero had sort of a "time-less" look to it. It will always be timeless I think... but until recently, the Fiero still looked like a Fairly modern car.
In 2000, the Fiero still looked like a car that COULD have still been in production as perhaps an exotic or something. With the styling changes in the past few years, the Fiero is absolutely now a dated looking vehicle. It's still georgeous looking (in my opinion) so it's dated. With that, I personally think installing a modern dash is kind of pointless because it's not going to really make the car look any newer, it's just going to look out of place.
I'm not saying this to suggest your opinion is wrong, or that you shouldn't do it... I'm just stating it's not what I would do. I'm sure it would look good either way though.
I think if I personally was to do something with the interior, it would be to enhance and acccentuate the look and feel the car already posesses. For example... here's a picture of the center console on a 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS.
Where the Fiero can benefit in this respect is... especially if you have an older messed up dash, you could have it recovered in stitched leather. It'll give it a much more exotic and expensive look to it, but still maintain the style of the Fiero.
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: For the longest time, the Pontiac Fiero had sort of a "time-less" look to it. It will always be timeless I think... but until recently, the Fiero still looked like a Fairly modern car.
In 2000, the Fiero still looked like a car that COULD have still been in production as perhaps an exotic or something. With the styling changes in the past few years, the Fiero is absolutely now a dated looking vehicle. It's still georgeous looking (in my opinion) so it's dated. With that, I personally think installing a modern dash is kind of pointless because it's not going to really make the car look any newer, it's just going to look out of place.
I'm not saying this to suggest your opinion is wrong, or that you shouldn't do it... I'm just stating it's not what I would do. I'm sure it would look good either way though.
I think if I personally was to do something with the interior, it would be to enhance and acccentuate the look and feel the car already posesses. For example... here's a picture of the center console on a 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS.
Where the Fiero can benefit in this respect is... especially if you have an older messed up dash, you could have it recovered in stitched leather. It'll give it a much more exotic and expensive look to it, but still maintain the style of the Fiero.
Just my thoughts...
For me, i don't care what others think of the car, its what I like.. I have *never* liked the 80's pod dashboards, and since the dash is what we look at more then anything else ( unless we don't drive the car and just show it ) then it should be functional and be what we like to see day in and day out. ( myself i like the older 'overhang' style like on a late 60's roadrunner, but with a wraparound extension to the doors, like in a late 90's Riviera )
When i redo my dash it will be just beacuse i like looking at what it becomes and to make it easier to get in and out of without kicking it in the process.
For me, i don't care what others think of the car, its what I like.. I have *never* liked the 80's pod dashboards, and since the dash is what we look at more then anything else ( unless we don't drive the car and just show it ) then it should be functional and be what we like to see day in and day out. ( myself i like the older 'overhang' style like on a late 60's roadrunner, but with a wraparound extension to the doors, like in a late 90's Riviera )
When i redo my dash it will be just beacuse i like looking at what it becomes and to make it easier to get in and out of without kicking it in the process.
Well, just to clarify... it's not that I care what people think about the car in hopes of it making me look cool... I'm concerned with the look of the car (for me personally) as it's a representation of the time, and the car itself. I realize we're just talking about a Fiero here... but I feel like a steward of the car so to speak... a caretaker of a timeless piece of art.
Hahah... again, I realize we're talking about a Fiero here... but it's for the same reason why I keep my 73 VW Bus totally stock looking, rather than have it slammed with rims and a surfboard on it.
Thats a fantastic idea 82-T/A, i hadnt really considered how much of a difference putting some sort of leather or leatherette wrap on the dash would make.
It screams 80s, and thats not a bad thing, for sure I give it another 5-10 years and itll become much more classic and appealing to peaple, its just not really appealing to me. To me, for one, its the part of the car i interact with the most and as a result of that, Id like it to match my taste a little more. And for two, as a Fiero enthusiast I think that the Fiero is by far the coolest car (from an engineering standpoint) that GM has produced in the last 25 years or so. It was a complete departure from what theyve done before or since. Having said that, not many people see it for the amazing technological advancement (for its time) that i do, and this really includes those close to me. Id like them to enjoy riding in it as much as i enjoy driving and servicing it, and by updating the interior, making it more in line with the current standards, I think that it would be more appealing to others.
Again though, the biggest reason, is my personal taste, I just dont think it has aged as well as other vehicles, even my 85 Monte.
I look at it like this: there were so many of the Fieros produced, mines a 2M4 SE so nothing rare here, I dont think theres any harm in altering the interior a little. Its similar to owning a home, you can still be crazy about the exterior of the house, styling there tends to be timeless, but I would bet that youd be hard pressed to find a house with green shag carpet, and a yellow velour couch.
And its not that I want to totally throw away the Fiero design completely, I dont, Id just like to update it a bit, make it unique but instantly recognizable as Fiero. Sorta what they did with the Camaro, it screams 1st gen camaro, but as a modern interpretation.
