The restoration of my 1985 Pontiac Fiero 2M4 is over. Thank you for following along with me. Instagram: / fingerprintsworkshop Patreon: / ronaldfinger Merch:ronald-finger.creator-spring.... Music: www.epidemicsound.com/
Thank you, everyone. Thank you for following along with me and also for being patient. With the physical car being done almost two months ago, this video should've been out much, much sooner than this. Part of the reason it took so long to make was honestly because I was so overwhelmed from worrying that the video wouldn't be perfect. With the intention that this is indeed going to be the last video, no more ever on the Fiero, I wanted to perfectly wrap this in a bow, but I was so afraid that whatever I did wouldn't be the perfect way to end it. Eventually, I found a story I was happy with, and made the video into something I'm proud of. I'll be honest, it is not some huge, cross-country, ride-off-into-the-sunset extravaganza. While I know some people might have wanted that, it is not what would be true to me. This is something straight from my heart. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for being part of this journey with me.
I am glad I got to see it on a release schedule. for the last few years I would randomly get alerts and immediately stop everything to go watch a man fix a car for half an hour. The crazy thing is I have never owned a car, I don't even like cars yet I enjoyed this so much. Great fun
Just stumbled across this whilst ill in 2024 wow what a journey thanks for sharing I’ve watched quite a few car restoration videos on RU-vid but yours has been truly unique, you put your soul into that project and watching your reaction to your mistakes and how you learnt how to improve on them showed your passion for it. Thank you
My Fiero story: At 19 yrs of age, I was stationed on Guam and had the joy to own Hondas 1st sports car, an S600. At 21, i was fortunate enough to buy my 1st new car. A 1971 Mustang fast back. A lifetime of cars and trucks brought me to 1995 when I bought my 1st Fiero. I had admired them when they first came out. In 1996, I bought my 2nd Fiero, a 1987 model with only 17,000 miles in perfect condition. It was a fantastic, fun to drive car. Now, at age 73, in an effort to once again enjoy driving for the sake of driving, I just purchased a 2023 Mazda Miata. You're correct. You have only finished the beginning. You have many years to enjoy sports cars. I was a heavy equipment mechanic, self-taught. What you have learned can be the start of a very good career. Well done!!
Ditto. Remember in the summer of '84 when we found out the Fiero was 99% Sunbird parts? Did you honestly think at that time that 37 years later, some guy would want to restore one? I didn't.
@@doktorscottdiabolical I never new where the parts came from I just remember coming down the escalator at Cherryvale Mall in Rockford, IL as a kid, seeing one on display and I was mesmerized! The 928 Porsche had me dreaming of getting my drivers license one day. The Fiero (price tag) had me thinking there was ACTUALLY a chance of looking cool when I got that license. LOL
Yep, me too (53) , what a journey, out of the hundreds of car channels I watch on youtube, yours was the one I always looked out most for a new episode, What am I gonna watch now! Haha, you are an inspiration, looking forward to your next project, whatever it may be, good on ya Ronald! and thanks for the hours of entertainment!.
Hey there Ronald, I hope this doesn't get buried too bad. But I just want to say your videos inspired me to finally work on my Fiero GT (again) thats been in my family since 1993. It was my moms car 6 years before I was born and I remember growing up riding around in it and distinctly how much I loved the car. And then a divorce happened and it sat for 15 years before I really started gaining interest in cars. I started work on "reviving" the Fiero around 2016 in our garage with little to no tools I can't believe I got done what I did. (My mother said if I could fix it I could have it). But unfortunately after driving it around it started overheating and developed a rod knock. So heartbroken I just let it sit not thinking I'd ever get around to it. But then some amount of years later I happened upon your first video of the series and I kind of gained interest in my Fiero again. Finally after seeing your videos of you painting yours and putting it together I finally drug mine out of the woods and started tearing into it. As of me posting this comment I have a new rebuilt 2.8 V6 in it and am starting my bodywork. Thank you for the inspiration to get mine back on the road.
@@hilltop1843 Lot's of things since I posted that comment. Our painter at the body shop I work at just finished painting it and today I've started assembling it. I cannot wait to get it all together and drive it down the road, show my family, and more specifically, my mother.
I just turned 70 and have been around cars my whole life. My father was a professional auto painter, so I know what it is like to take 3 years and restore a car. That being said , Ronald you leave me full of hope, you are just a great kid with all the qualities we all hope our own kids will have. I don’t know you but I am proud of what you accomplished. You will never forget these last 3 years and every time you think back about the project, I hope it’s always with a smile. Thank You❗️🇺🇸 Oh , there’s no crying in car building 😆
Ronald, I'm sure you'll never read this, and that's okay. I want to THANK YOU for giving me the opportunity to follow along on this journey. What a long fabulous trip. You made me feel like a part of your group and I was right there with you helping out. Sorry about the hole in the headliner, BTW. You and your significant other look wonderful together. Enjoy each other, enjoy the car, enjoy life. You have given a whole lot of people the courage to take on a project, such as yours has been. At 61 I've had my share, maybe more than I should have, of cars to restore and watching you made me feel like the torch has been passed. I must admit, you taking apart the radio was my favorite segment. Even I had never attempted such a repair and I thought I had done it all. Good luck I look forward to your next project. Take care,stay safe.
From a 70 year old hot rodder from the '60's, I say congratulations. Take pride in the fact that you did it 99% by yourself. Not perfect? So what. I've watched every episode. I wish I had your patience to do all the detail work you did. Excellent.
60 yrs old here, and yup, hat's off to him! One thing he learned? "might as well" ism. Welp, I'm here, it's all apart, might as well do......lol.....and that's the key. Went from a year project to "get it on the road" to doing it right. I wish I'd learned that at his age instead of in my 50's......
I just found this account in march 2024 and in the last month i would watch this series every chance i got. Man ill be honest i fore sure let out a tear or two. Youve inspired me to say the least. Thanks Ronald.
I don't know how I got into this channel, but I've been watching Fiero's restoration for 3 days, I watched all the videos. I'm going to the next restoration. The best channel I've ever seen. ✨
You absolute madman, you did it! You are right to be proud. That car is probably better than when it rolled off of the factory floor 36 years ago. No, scratch that, it's much better. It's yours. There isn't a single part of this build that wasn't impressive, but all the little things and the huge amount of effort and care that went into the detail work really shows in the finished car. But you covered that really well, and I want to thank you for all of the effort that you put into making this series. Turning a wrench is only a small fraction of the work behind each episode and you deserve praise for every minute of effort in front of the camera, behind the camera, at the computer, and creating your own community around your passion. That's what you have that everyone here wants to share with you, on this and future projects - passion. You aren't afraid to share the impact all of this has had on your life, what has gotten you through it, and your strong emotional connection with both the car and those who have helped you on it along the way. That moment you reinstalled the gauge cluster and the way you talk about Elise says it all. You're a person worth following. This chapter is over but know that you have many thousands of us eagerly awaiting the next one. But, for now, give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy this. Enjoy the car. Nothing ever ends, not really, but it seems like the right decision to put down the camera and drive. Your project was to restore the car and film the process, and you did it. You absolutely did.
This is ridiculous. It is not an exaggeration to say that you handled, refurbished, or replaced virtually every... single... component... that assembles this vehicle. There must be over two thousand parts. You pulled it to pieces. And you put it back together. I am floored, I can't even comprehend the amount of patience.
I told my wife I just finished watching a 3 year series about a guy restoring a Fiero. However, it felt like saying a permanent goodbye to an old friend.
Part 1 of this series randomly popped up in my feed today. It's now just past 2:00am and I'm finished. Smiled the entire time. I drove one of these for a while brand new when I was 16. 52 now and heading to Autotrader before bed. Many thanks for that journey. It was greatly enjoyed.
Why not. You found a beautiful car that you made better than new. You made a piece of scrap into a showroom quality car. And now you have a car that has a personal story and a nice retro futuristic personality. Drive it well. Love it, and the car will love you too. Don't sell it man. This is something you own now.
I'm a nearly 40 years old metalhead from Poland, and I'm sitting here tearing up about a car restoration vid. Ronald, you did a great thing, great restoration and amazing storytelling. We've never met, probably never will, yet somehow I feel like you're a friend of mine. Good luck, pal, good luck!
Well said Robert - I think you've said what a lot of us are feeling! Greetings from Nova Scotia, Canada! I'm hoping to import a FIAT 126p from Poland sometime in the next year or two....I love the little things and cannot WAIT to start that chapter of my own when the time is right :)
I came for the Fierro. I stayed for the sincerity, the honesty. So many would shy away from their failures, their mistakes, mask their emotions. Not you. Thank you for allowing all of us to go on this journey with you. Through the highs and the lows. Can't wait to see what happens next.
In January 1985, I sat in a Fiero for the first time. I loved the cockpit and the six-speaker sound system. I ordered a brand new 2M5, all black, and took possession in April. I also had a BMW 320i which I could not bring myself to sell, so I had both of them for several years. Tough choice to make every morning about which one to drive to work. The Fiero was great in the snow (because of the mid-engine), but not so great in the rain (because of the 60-series tires). I owned that car for 22 years, and drove it for 20. I gave it to a friend after I ran out of space in my driveway. I would love to drive one just one more time.
Don't feel bad about crying, Ron. You weren't the only one. And if cars could speak, yours would be singing your praises and thanking you as well. Thank you for having us along for the highs and the lows. :)
This project was incredible to binge. I started out just last night looking up restoration projects because I wanted to maybe own a Fiero myself. Instead I got an emotional docu-series on your journey from an abandoned mess to a beautiful functional machine, and every emotion along with it from happiness, to sadness, to disappointment, to anger, to relief. Thank you for making this.
On a site full of content that does not amount to anything past views, I was lucky enough to find a series that has genuinely touched lives. You thank us for watching, but I thank YOU for making this. I am much more interested in developing talents in the automotive field because of how you've shown its impact. YOU HAVE CHANGED LIVES. Thank you, Ronald.
Dear Ronald, I was 36 years old when I first started watching your Fiero series, after a life of being a car enthusiast and doing light work on my own cars. I used to hold the flashlight for my dad when he worked on the family cars when I was a kid in the 80s. I've always wanted to work on cars. Your videos are what drove me to finally enroll in an automotive repair class at a local community college. My dad always made sure both of his daughters could do more than just iron, cook, and change diapers. I've loved this series from start to finish! And since the 80s is my favorite period in automotive design, it made me teary a few times. You don't know me, but you've given me a lot! Thank you!
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Wait, we’re both crying. Thank you Ronald, this set of videos was absolutely beautiful. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every step of this. Cars mean a lot to me, too much probably. Seeing you take so much pride in your work, put so much passion and love into this, it really makes me happy beyond belief. So again, thank you, I sincerely look forward to your next project.
Ya know, I've watched this entire series when I was in my sophomore year of high school and now watching the end of this build with only a couple of weeks left that I leave for bootcamp, I feel complete.
This is genuinely the only RU-vid series I've ever watched where I actively anticipate the next videos and find myself watching it over and over. Great job man.
You may be done using this car as a storytelling instrument, but there is no denying that in one form or another the car you are left with is in itself now a story. I imagine that you'll get approached at random gas stations, parking lots, and any Cars and Coffee you attend by people who took the emotional ride of this build along with you. The hole in the headliner, the solvent pop, the runs, the chips... they are more than defects, they are stories and hunting for them will make seeing this car all the more fun for your fans. Your videos are fantastic and I can't wait to see what you point your camera at next! Enjoy the Fiero!
Exactly. This is the only channel I keep upload notifications on for. I love this series and it's actually part of what sold me on buying a Fiero of my own.
cried when the old owners were all over it taking pictures. Thanks man. Makes me appreciate my car a lot more. ..maybe this weekend she gets a good cleaning and polish with the DA.
I'm proud to have been one of the very few who started watching you on the very first video. I remember the day I found your first video and I found it because I was trying to find inspiration to start working on my wife's VW bug. The story of her bug is a long one but I'll make it simple. She got the VW bug it's her first car when she was in high school and she fell in love with it. She drove it all through college and tell it finally had major motor issues and died on her so she bought another car that was more reliable so she can become an active adult and such. She kept the car in her garage for many years and after her and I started dating I realized how bad she wanted it fixed. After we had dated for years and we're engaged to be married I literally stole her car and took it down to my shop. I rebuilt the motor the transaxle replaced wiring put new brake lines upgraded to disc brakes new gas tank new filler hoses and a bunch of small stuff. The only thing I didn't do on the car was the body work because I felt like it was her fingerprint having small little dents and dings because when she showed me the car she was able to tell me where each one came from. On our wedding day I brought her the car and it was a pretty special moment. So I would like to say thank you because you did inspire me to take a step forward and doing something that has been a signature on my life.. Totally not crying over here I hope you do more videos because I've enjoyed watching them. Thanks buddy and have a great one. Enjoy the fiero and enjoy the new memories.
This deserves a place on the RU-vid Hall of Fame. This articulate and brilliant young man taught us that anything is possible. Get in there. Get your hands dirty. Break a few rust bolts. Fix 'em. Just, go for it. You can do it! Live and learn. Who cares if it doesn't end up saving you money. It's all about the hobby and experience.
This is wonderful! So fitting to come right home from graduating 100 students from my day job and congratulating them for a job well done... and here's Ronald. Same day. Same time. You graduated. I see maybe one of those cars a year, but they're still here. Yours is the best one I've seen since 1991.
started watching the series at 8 am sunday morning, its now 9pm sunday evening, what a series, thanks algorithm for giving me this treat of a channel to watch
If you're new to the series and you're watching this, just know how blessed you are to binge-watch this and not have to wait the years, like most of us had to, to see this last video.
Is it weird that i literally feel in mourning after the series is finished?! I truly hope Ronald does his magic with some other treasures for us in the future.
As a man who cries really rarely, some can call me a stonehearted guy, I want to proudly say I’ve cried, man, I’ve bursted into tears Thank you That was legendary
You know... I don't know where this all comes from, and you aren't the first person to keep saying "I don't want to toot my own horn" or "I don't want to be too 'look what I did' " It's so sad to put so much work, so much learning...and to feel ashamed for feeling some pride? Bah! Bah I say! Toot your horn, sing how great of a job you did. You took a dead car, put it to life and made it look AMAZING for what you started with... and what skills and knowledge you had at the time... this is a phenomenal job. Like I mentioned in a few videos back, at 17, 17! I rebuilt an 85 Dodge Daytona with very little help. My father helped when I needed another set of hands, but he pushed me to read books and ask questions of people I could find (remember, the internet wasn't exactly like it is now back in 1999). Sing. Dance. Toot thine horn! Congrats, dude. My only sadness in this; I wasn't along for the ride.
I cried: When the plates went on, when Ronnie thanked everyone in 14, and about three times during this finale. Not ashamed, happy for the end, and sad for the end. Thank you Ronnie.
Ok, I cried. After 3 years (wow!), 2 house moves, covid, a heart stroke, lots of changes in life...This project ended. I confess I waited eagerly for each episode. I got lots of tools because of you, did a lot of repairs thinking on your fiero, admired your level of detail and dedication...And now this is over, no more fiero videos. Congratulations, you deserve each little part of that. You're a hero to me. Greetings from Brazil! =D
although i am saying this 3 years after this video was made, I recently discovered the series and your channel and it has been a real inspiration for me, and I really hope to work on cars like the fiero and go through what you did.
What an emotional rollercoaster. Now to do the same thing I always do when a new episode comes out... go back and watch the entire fiero series. Amazing job. Godspeed Spiderman
As the owner of 7 fiero notchbacks over a 27 year stretch, I have to say how proud I am to see the quality and time + dedication you put into this fiero resurrection. with so many in the junk yard now and half @ss super car conversions, It gladdens my heart to see someone like yourself with the passion and the drive to bring one of these little cherubs back to its former glory. I am sure others feel as I do as well. God bless
You chose the right car, A beloved car to so many. Watching you take this dead car, who was doomed to the crusher and resurrect it back to the prime of its life was Amazing. I think all of us Fiero owners Thank you for keeping one more alive to wave to as we meet on the road of life. Well Done. Firm Handshake.
I just found one of those deals that everyone seems to talk about...which I never imagined that I would ever find. An old couple looking to get rid of 2 (two) 85 Fiero GTs for the price of less than one. One runs and the other is...close to running. I've binged all your videos...they've been an inspiration. I can't wait to start my own journey! Thank you!
As a Combat Marine (Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, etc....) I can tell you to always show your emotions. The day the 1970 Ford F-100 that belonged to my Dad (who had passed) got sold and was driven off by strangers made me cry harder than I had in years. Well done, young man. Bravo Zulu.
I’m 13 and you inspired me to tackle a project like this. During quarentine I started detailing cars, and eventually saved enough to buy a go kart. But it wasn’t a shiny new go kart, it was one that had been sitting for 10 years and had been crudely rigged in just about every way possible. The wiring was bare in a lot of places, and it was just twisted and duct taped so the kill switch didn’t work half the time, the roll bar had neon green pool noodles taped all over it, the seatbelt was a threadbare guitar strap, the torque converter cover was a pink piece of flimsy plastic, and the carburetor linkage was a piece of paper clip. Literally every system needed to be throroughly gone through and rebuilt. I’m nearing the end of the beginning of my project, I just heard it start for the first time the other day. Thank you so much, Ronnie.
I don't think anyone who stumbles across this video series from here on will able to understand what long time viewers are going through in this video. Beautiful, sad, exciting. Waited so long to see this. The car is truly a result of your love for it. You should be very proud of it.
This series has seen me through 2 girlfriends, 3 different tattoos, literally having Rona’, moving 3 different times, and has been there when I wanted to distract myself from immeasurable lows or the best highs. Thanks for sticking to it, and putting out videos even when you didn’t feel like it. Without your dedication to make them, this serious wouldn’t have become what it is today, and I think the series ender did it justice in closing off that chapter in your life and ours. Thanks for the amazing videos so far, I look forward to the new projects you come up with!
YOU notice the mistakes because you did the work. I, as a viewer, didn't notice the cosmetic mistakes until you pointed them out. I think this looks fantastic.
I have never owned one but I recall how much I loved that little car back in the 1980s. I just never was able to afford it, as a new car, at the time. I certainly don't have the time or the money to restore one. I just lived a little vicariously watching two of your videos. Really cool.
I have re-watched the whole process 3 times... and every time I am in awe of your dedication. You did amazing work, and this is far and above better than I could have asked to watch. Thank you for taking this journey with us. Congratulations on completing something so many would have quit.
Same, watched it twice and will rewatch it in the futur. I like Ron as a friend. It feels like I was with him on the barn, feeling his struggles and moments of joy. What a journey! Unmatched quality content. Some prefer quantity, Ron made it with the heart and its worth so much more! Thanks again!
