The Journey Begins | 1985 Fiero 2M4 Revival - Part 1 

You just took a squirrels home. Damn bro.

You sir made me tear up a bit. My dad was one of the original designers of the Fiero. He spent years trying to make it like it was originally intended not like what it became. He drove the first one off the line. Me and my family were all there for it. We had brown shirts with gold Fiero logo saying Proud Member of the Fiero Family. He owned around 10 at one time. I’m immensely impressed. I sent it to my dad to watch. I can’t wait for his reaction!

Well, he didn't lie. It was literally the first thing he ever said in the entire series.

Back here after watching series finale. 😭

A quick message from the future... If you are here just starting to watch this series for the first time... you lucky sob ....stick with it, it is immense. Congrats Ronnie Finger on a great project and a great series, f**king amazing dude.

It is refreshing to see a car restoration without 20 minutes of fake drama and guys with tattoos arguing like middle school girls.

My man said, "there was so much jacking, holy crap, you would think this was a middle school's boy bedroom" 😎

11:40 "I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel" Me, two years later: "dude"

Ive owned 3 different red '85 Fieros in my life, all 3 didn't run when I bought them, and all 3 didn't run when I sold them lol

52 year old male viewer....stumbled across this post this morning. It brought back a wave of memories from 34 years ago, when I attended university. My friend, Marshall, you two look uncannily similar, owned a brand new Fiero..base model, red, same rims, but only option is he went with the automatic. Legal age of drinking is 19...we would go out to the bars..I would be the DD and we would still fit 3, sometimes four people in that damn car...we would race around the residence parking lot, pulling the e-brake, etc. Smart, no....responsible, no....selfish, yes.....FUN, HELL YA. I can still see Marshall laughing and smiling..he loved that car. He worked very hard over high school, at a grocery store, and paid cash for that car. I admire the optimism of your youth. Enjoy the experience and the memories this car will make, enjoy your time with your brother as he helps you out. Thank you from a Northern Neighbour and bringing back memories from my Glory Days. I look forward to the end result.

My dad owned 4 of them. From base to gt. He used to brag about the lady's and how they loved it too. Lol. Love you pop and miss you like crazy. Rip and happy father's day...

"Only mid-engined car mass produced in America, and likely ever will be" *laughs in Corvette C8*

How does a person dislike this? It's a story about a person with sentimental drive and will do what needs to be done to complete the job. Good luck in everything that needs done!

I’m two minutes in and I had to pause just to comment this. You are such a good story teller. Please never stop making videos. You have me so hype about a car I’ve never even heard of and I can’t wait to watch more. RU-vid videos, documentaries, movies. Do them all please!!

1:49 c8 Corvette has entered the chat

"Next few months" Oh boy, are you in for a treat

Maybe it's just me, but I find it very pleasing to the eye - not a lot of unnecessary "stuff", just clean elegant lines. I wish you well with your project!

This is so awesome. I’m 16 and my first car was a fiero. And I now have two... these cars have taught me everything I know about cars and I love how they look. Great video

My neighbor drove this car, same color, in high school. A few years later my sister bought the Toyota MR 2. It brings back good memories!

Seeing this video for a second time, I feel inspired to eventually have a project like this with a 69 Firebird. Thank you Ronald for sharing your passion for mechanics.

My mother bought one of these. Specifically a 1985 Fiero 2M4. She still drives it. It is in pampered condition, garaged, dusted after every drive and any repair needed done properly (I myself repaired the passenger light drive). It's 2019, and her car has been kept in the most pristine driving condition conceivable even to this day. It is still in the family- a one owner car.

You got balls man to even tackle that, good luck and I'll follow!

One year ago I said “I’ll come back in a couple months to this channel to see how it’s doing”...one year later I found this channel again and I’m not disappointed about how it’s progressed. SUBBED

“The only mass-produced mid-engine car in America” Chevy: hold my nuts and bolts I forgot to put in

It's refreshing to see a guy in his early 20's to actually have some smarts. I am amazed that you know how to use a floor jack, jack stands, the blocks of wood under the car, and how to use all of that safely. I am going to follow the journey and I hope you can get that Fiero up and running. Best of luck!!

This is inspiring, I'm 17 and I'm working on a project car myself. A 1973 Datsun 240z. Although mine was in better condition. It's hard for me because I still attend highschool and I can only get $250-$300 every two weeks. The engine rebuild kit is 400 and the carburetor rebuild kit is 200-300. Not only that but I need to get and entire exaust system and tires. I hope to lower and get fender flares and maybe one day a body kit, but it's taken alot to get me where I am now. I'm still working on the car and I got it in January.

rewatching this as the series is about to end!

That does happen sometime as a kid. When you're around the car for so long, you fall in love with it.

For anyone working on interior that's moldy like this I've cleaned several this bad by using white vinegar, poured on a shop rag straight from the jug and start wiping and it'll come off while killing the mold. May have to do it a couple of times to make sure you've got it all. Works great.

If you restore this thing, you are a legend.

I have a love for fieros.. I currently own 3 and have owned 5 in total. I was spoiled with a 86 fieros v6 5 speed because my mechanic was ok with working on it. But after a spark plug and wire replacement he told me I'm d need to find someone that was wanting to tackle the fieros issues. So after it jumped timing it was retired. Until I bought a 84 v4 manual which I did all the work and had to replace everything from the clutch pedal on, in order to finally get it started. You have to have a love for the Fiero to tackle/consider it as a complete project car. Thank you for the time you took making this series.

The fiero’s home for the next “few months”

Awesome video! Couple things here, 1. Congratulations! You've figured out the magic formula for getting RU-vid views!! Its Revivals and washing moldy abandoned cars!! Buckle your seabelts. 2. Excellent excellent editing and narration!! I dare say it outdoes mine by a mile. 3. Im reallllyyy hoping you guys did a first start on this thing!! (Thats the other big seller for video views) Keep it up gents!

a middle school boy's bedroom.... LOL Love this video

This is how I feel about the Porsche 924. It was my first car. Pop up headlights. First water-cooled Porsche. You just gave me a whole different perspective on these Pontiac Fieros. This was a really great video man.

I drooled over these cars when they came out. I was 16 in 1984 and each year they got better. I had a used 1978 Oldsmobile Omega instead with a Buick 231 V6. If I were to buy one or the other today and fix it up, I'm not sure which one I would prefer.

You earned a sub! Bought a Volvo that sat for 35 years so I feel your pain!

I finally gave in and clicked on the video. Wasn't disappointed :)

You did a fantastic job on this Pontiac!! You have inspired thousands of people to fix/restore their cars too.

Ronnie: "It's just cosmetic :D" 10 episodes later...

The most underrated underappreciated car ever made... liked my 2m4 but loved my gt... keep up the videos great watch

I will definetly follow your series on this one. Mostly because you are a "happy amateur" in the sense that you say yourself that you haven't got much experience in renovating cars, and then the fact that it's a 1985 Fiero. A car i have personally never seen with my own eyes, and more importantly a nice break from everyone renovating super-rare '50s sports cars or exclusive '60s luxury cars. A nice, normal dude working on a normal car. Very interesting!

Thanks for the explanation. I was a younger man when this car came out, and I knew two young ladies who had the engine fire within three months of each other. You know the old saying about "first impression," well unfortunately the engine fires and mediocre performance didn't help matters much. I watched your videos and I'm completely blown away at your energy, patience and mechanical ability. Thanks for sharing your passion and knowledge with the rest of us "wanna be" tinkerers! Loved watching you bring back to life the Kawa GPz 1000, I raced one very briefly and seeing your video brought back a lot of great memories. Love your channel Ronald...keep em coming!

I was gonna do your current bike build but I saw the fiero playlist and it called to me. Got me through some bad days. Thanks, dude.

Good job finding a diamond in the rough. Really rough! But that is where treasures are found. Also, I am very impressed with the work you have done so far. It isn't easy getting seized brakes to come loose... especially after years of rust built up. You will be a car resto expert before you know it! Keep it up!

"What makes you happy will never be wrong." Well said. Love the project and I understand completely, there's no rational reason for why we want the things we want!! lol

I just discovered your videos and will watch the whole series. I love the Fiero. Surprise in 2020 we have the mid-engine Corvette.

I had an 85 GT. I was the third owner. Bought it for $1500 in 1995. It has 113,000 miles on it. It spun a rod bearing two months after I bought it. "Get rid of it and swallow the loss, or fix it?"... I rented a garage and started the long process of bring her back to life. Freezing cold in the winter, sweltering heat and humidity in Missouri in summer. What I thought would take a couple of months took 14 months in total. Working on it after my day job, weekends. A couple coworkers and two of my brothers helped occasionally. Eventually I rebuilt the engine, new pistons, rings, crankshaft, everything. Fired it up and after adjustments, she purred like a kitten. Had it painted because of course the clear-coat had been damaged and there was exposed body. Discovered something though,.The 6 cylinder was not a big improvement over the 4. Friends had told me to put a turbo in it. Were they going to pay for that? No. Eventually the car became a bit of a "garage queen". I never knew what would break on it next. So I sold it for $2000 in early 1999. More than I paid for it, but of course the cost of parts and purchasing tools was more than that. Good thing I worked at an auto-parts store. A year and a half ago, I bought a 1999 Mazda Miata for $2000. It had 67,000 miles. I've put an additional 30,000 on it since. Other than replacing the tires after a year of "fun" and oil changes, I have had no problems with this 20 year old car. It is a great car! When the American designers of the Miata presented their concept for a British inspired sports car to Mazda, the heads of the company decided that a inter-company competition would best determine the future of a small convertible they would produce. The American team's design was of course a front engine, rear drive 2 seat convertible. Two competing Japanese design departments went completely different routes. One had a front wheel drive 2-seater, and the other had a mid engine design that looks suspiciously like an abandoned American sports car from Pontiac. Mazda chose the initial American design thankfully. I do have a soft spot for Fiero's and its connection with the later Saturn brand. I just wish that they hadn't been built as a compromise. They could have been great. But honestly, they are junk.

pennock's fiero forum, best place i have found for information and help with the fiero.

Really respect what you said about pursuing a project because it’s what you’re passionate about, and not because of what other people think.

5:00 Uplifting music, wonderfully nostalgic voice-over... And a Fiero digging two WWI trenches through some dude's yard because the rear wheels locked up but it's being dragged by a tractor. Beautiful.

Honestly speaking it's a great hobby restoring a classic car. Takes you way back to the 80s. NICE!!!

I graduated from high school in 1988. for my graduation present my grandparents bought me a slightly used 1985 Pontiac fiero. in the first year that I owned it I put 75,000 miles on it.(I live in New Jersey. I drove all the way down to Florida, and headed straight out to California, up to Washington State, then I went South through North Dakota South Dakota Utah in the Wyoming and Yellowstone national Park, then I drove from there straight to Buffalo New York. then I drove to Niagara falls, and then I drove back down through New York City and then came back to New Jersey and this whole trip took about three months in a Pontiac fiero made in 1985 I absolutely was in love with that car.

Bought a 84 Fiero new, special ordered it with the suspension package. I loved to take it on twisty mountain roads. It was a typical car of the age, if that iron duke lasted 100,000 you got out and patted it on the back and said "you were a good one". the alternator crapped out at 30k, it always tossed belts leaving me on the side of the road, blown head gasket etc. Overall it was a fun car

My dad bought a 1984 fiero a few years ago, in pretty rough shape. The original engine was completely seized and isn’t worth fixing, so an identical replacement engine was being put it, but abandoned about halfway through, I’m from Canada so the frame is completely rusted out. Since he’s bought it it’s sat in a shed forgotten about, I think this video has inspired me to go make that my project car.

9:25 Thank you for ending this "jack" rant with the middle school joke. I thought I was being immature all by myself. "side jacking position" is where I lost it.

Now to binge all over again....love this series

Didn't expect my boy Ronald to be rocking the Rich Piana wristband there.

ron i got to tell ya, i have got mad respect for you. i love that you dont half ass anything. i would let you work on my cars in a min, and mind you i dont let anybody touch my cars ! you done a great job on that old torn up pontiac. keep up the good work, your a good wrench ! cant wait to see what you do next.

thanks for saving a Fiero. an underappreciated nimble little sports-car.

I just found this series and I'm hooked... Subscribed!

As an student 1995, I Journeyed to Canada. I was 22 and bought a red Fiero for 1200 Canadian dollar. I drove the whole Ontario with that. I wish You the best.

If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand.

I just stumbled across your videos today. My wife and I attended the Chicago Auto Show in 1984 and saw the demonstration of a mechanical arm that pulled a bowling ball slung on a steel cable out about 3 feet from the door of a Fiero, removed from the car and mounted on a sturdy stand. Thousands of auto attendees pressed a button, the mechanical arm pulled back the bowling ball and released it, so that it swung and slammed into the center of the door panel. All it did to the door despite what must have been thousands of wallops was leave what looked like a nickle-sized grease spot on the door where the ball hit. The demo sold us on the spot, so to speak. We bought the car, and 1984, about a month later. It was a red 2M4 with a luggage rack and spoiler on the trunk lid, just like your 1985. We had it recalled after the fire scare and they installed a heat shield between the rubber coolant hose and the engine and eventually changed the struts and brakes a couple of time, but otherwise ran that care for more than 100,000 miles before we traded it in. Then, 10 years later, my Realtor wife saw a 1987 GT with 6 cylinder engine parked in the garage of a house she listed. Knowing how much I loved the first one, she bought it for me on the spot. I drove that for about a year or two and gave it away to my son's girlfriend whose car had conked out on her. Last spring, I was up late at night wandering around on Cars.com and saw a 1984 with about 30,000 miles on it for sale for $3,400. I called, told him I was coming out from Northwest Indiana, rode about 30 hours via Amtrak to Charlotte, N.C., took an Uber to his house in the suburbs, bought it and drove it home. As you said, "What makes you happy will never be wrong."

Ronnie u brilliant son of a gun. Took me a while to finally sit down and watch it but now I’m HOOKED! Way to go man so proud of ya!

My first car was a '84 Fiero & I saved & paid for it myself, along with insurance when I was 15. Naturally the kids at high school I went to looked down on it & me & was constantly keyed, let air out of tires, & graffiti over and over(most of kids had parents that bought them Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc etc....). Kids can be so cruel! When I bought this for $200 it had no calipers or breaks & engine issues. Like you, was bought as a project car for my dad & me to work on. We had everything "mostly" completed in 3 mos & ready for me to drive to school so long ago! This brings back memories & my car was red as well. Had 12 speakers inside this little car, lol. After driving it for 2 yrs I had to sell it because wasn't possible to drive in the winters in northern USA & needed a daily😞. I do so miss that little red car, was so fun to drive & mess around with👍🏻 Thx for the vid & memories. Cheers☺️

I'm not a big car guy, but I always love watching people restore old vehicles. This is an awesome pickup and an awesome restore!!

When I was growing up my grandmother had a Fiero and I always loved the thing. My first car was also a Fiero and it made me a huge fan of all things Pontiac. Thank you for this video!

OK fine RU-vid recommend I'll watch it

I admire your passion for classic cars, and your taste. I've always liked the Fiero too. Thanks for sharing.

Finally someone who cleans the car before start to work on it!

anyone else click on part 1 after watching the time lapse video? I've seen these all before, but they never get old....so well done.

2.37 Million views! I remember seeing this at 220,000 views on Jan. 21st. Way to go Ron! Wish you all the best and many happy miles on your Fiero!

I'm not a big fan of the Fiero, but it makes me really happy to see someone bring a car back to life instead of leaving it to rot! Can't wait to watch the rest of the series keep it up! 👍

The first video I saw of yours was the start of the GPZ restoration. After that first episode, I started to watch your beginning to end highlight video for this (the upload before the bike). I put it on pause, saying I'd watch the whole series one day, and here I am, over 2 years later, finally. Better late than never, I guess 😅

I just got an 86 Fiero unexpectedly over the winter (Thanks Dad!) and as I've been watching your channel since well before that, I can hardly keep in my excitement. I love what you did with this series and can't wait to start my own journey with my 86! Love all of your content, Keep them coming!

I love the Fiero's styling and I can appreciate someone who has taken on sort of a role of appreciating the cars that aren't very appreciated or are somewhat disliked, I'm that way with the Edsel models and the AMC Gremlin and Pacer

Your narration:great Your look on cars:beautiful, Your channel; amazing

Re-watching as I'm ordering the last parts for my rebuild. Hope I'm not the only one.

As I say "Aw yeah" to myself the car just bricks off the trailer and smacks into it on the way down. Fabulous start, boys, keep her going!

Great video documentation. I was thinking of the Fiero today actually and this video, out of the blue, came up in my recommended videos. Bravo.

I always wanted a Pontiac Fiero. Definitely the last year GT Model you spoke of with the V6 and the better-late-than-never suspension upgrades. If this video had been about let's say a mid 80s Mustang I would have skipped right over it. But it piqued my interest and I'm actually glad I watched it. When I was in my late teens bought a car for $300 and it was a very similar situation to this. It was a great experience for me and now looking back 20 years a very happy memory. Good luck on this and hope to see part 2.

I had 2 Fieros in high school. An 86 coupe and an 87 coupe. The 87 had close to 200,000 miles and the odometer stopped by ran fairly well. The 86 had overheating issues so I parted with them after high school. Bought another one seven years ago and sold it again. Now I'm wanting another one and feel like I have the same novice mechanical abilities you discussed in this video. Can't wait to see your grand finale.

I recently fell in love with the fiero because it's a wedge with pop up headlights. You don't see those anymore. Would love to own one someday.

this is the start of something beautiful

I don't like cars, but you narrate so well. It's so enjoyable to watch.

"I had a Fiero shaped hole in my heart" ... man I hear ya. I learned to drive in an '88

This is such a cool project. My mom had a 1985 Fiero GT that she bought new. I was too young but she let me drive it sometimes around backstreets with her in the passenger seat (it was the 80s and safety hadn’t been invented yet). I’ll be very excited to see how you get on.

I like this because you're doing it for you. Your editing is pretty darn good too.

Good God... Reflecting on your project... It's amazing to see how far you've come! Serious props ronald. You got this man!

One of the neatest 80's cars ever being showcased on one of the best revival/restoration vids I've ever seen. I can still remember the hottest girl in our high school driving a 86' Fiero and snubbing her nose at everyone else. 10 years after high school I saw her at a Godfather's Pizza and said "hi". She weighed an easy 200lbs, had three dirty, obnoxious kids with no father to be seen and she hilariously bragged about working her way up to assistant manager at Blockbuster. You gotta love Karma and you gotta love the Fiero.

The Fiero actually is a very beautiful car

Ultimate respect for this young man, true car enthusiast🤗

Wow, just washing it raised it's value from $100 to that initial $400 the guy wanted for it!

We need way more young and responsible persons like you in this country, excellent idea and good work, thanks for outstanding video.

Glad you get to work on and restore a car that means so much to you. My father owned at 2000 Toyota Tacoma when I was younger and I fell in love with the car, he sold it a number of years ago but recently we came into the possession of a 2001 model. The inside had been stuffed to the brim with wet papers and cat feces/urine, and rotten food had been stuffed in the back. Luckily the engine ran fine and surprisingly it only had 33k miles on it. Unfortunately, we don't have the space you guys do to work on it so we had to let it go, but maybe in the future, I'll be able to pick one up and fix it up like you've done.

Screw all the mistakes made and negativity surrounding the early Fiero`s back in the day. And yes the break thru`s in innovation were underappreciated. But like all vintage sports car`s, the Fiero has come full circle. It is a very cool, fun and rare American Sports Car! It screams 1980`s and EVERYONE loves the 1980`s! Great job Ronald!

I was just telling my daughter the other day that this was my dream car as a kid.... Thanks for posting, and good luck on finishing everything!!

I've got a 1987 Firebird GTA that I plan to restore starting this year and this video series has really inspired me to do so. Good stuff, man!

We waited 3 years to watch start to finish 💪🏾 Well done Ronnie, well done indeed. Shaht aht to everyone who was here from the start. 🌟🌟