August 2013 Don`t forget the Swap Meet at The Fiero Store on

August 2013
Random Thoughts
Submitted by Gwen Randolph
Don't forget the Swap Meet at The
Fiero Store on August 3. Check out the
flier on Page 5.
●
● The NEFA picnic was great fun with good food & great
company. What more could you want. With everything
indoors, except the cooking, the occasional sprinkle of
rain was no bother. Phil Randolph wasn't taking any
chances with the weather, though, so put up our 10'x10'
pop-up tent on our deck to cover the grill & prep station
table, which was good thinking. A few members even
took to the pool for a refreshing dip. Check out the
pictures taken that day on this page & on Page 6.
● The Fiero Store is looking for entries for their 2014
calendar. All entries must be received by August 10,
2013. Please read the 2014 Calendar Rules page.
Submissions must be in TIFF, PSD or BMP format &
accompanied by a signed Submission Form.
Continued on Page 6
Like Music to My Ears
By Jerry Antunes
I don’t know about you, but when I’m riding I enjoy
two sounds. I enjoy the sound of a strong V-8 engine
& the sound of a good stereo system. Now, since
none of my Fieros have a V-8 engine, I’ll focus on the
sound system.
As we all know, the Fiero was never known for its
sound system. Even if you consider the upgrade $529, UT4, ETR AM/FM stereo with 5 band EQ and
Cassette system, with the UQ6, $150 “sub-woofer.” It
was better, but hardly compares to the systems today.
Four speakers did help, but there were no speakers
that truly helped the quality & depth of the meager
sound that those systems had.
I am frequently asked what kind of system I have in
my 1986 SE. Truth be told, I really didn’t spend very
much on the whole system, but did a lot of homework before I started the installation. It’s no secret so
I will share it with you just in case you don’t have a
V-8 in your Fiero either.
The first thing to do is throw away all the factory
speakers. They were not so good then & by now have
dried out anyway. Even the factory radio will sound
much better with a good set of speakers.
If you have ever tried to buy 4”x10” speakers, you
know that they are not easy to find. The speaker I
found to give the best sound is the Pioneer TS-A4103.
It is a 2-way, 4 ohm speaker that can handle up to
120 watts. These speakers have a frequency
response of 38-23,000 Hz & have a sensitivity rating
of 91dB. They are available on line & will cost
approximately $99.00.
Next is to tackle the rear speakers. These are
mounted in the B-pillars & are a lot more work to
remove. The speakers I found that will fit & sound
Continued on Page 3
Advertise your sale items........Fieros or Fiero related. Send your sale item information to
Gwen at [email protected]. The NEFA eNews goes out to a wide audience.
Classifieds
Fiero Toys and Collectibles: Are you interested in Fiero collectibles? Ray Paulk, Fiero Toy Box,
as over 500 unique Fiero toys in his personal collection and tons of toys in inventory, but don't expect cut rate
prices as most Fiero toys are rare and hard to find. If you are interested you can contact Ray at
[email protected]
Repair/Painting:
This is a company owned and operated by Andrew Virzi, NEFA's
Treasurer.
Do you have something Fiero related to
sell or have a Fiero related service you
want to advertise? This is the place.
Send your contact information to Gwen
at: [email protected].
NEFA Happenings - 2013
August 11, 2013 – 8th Annual Putnam, CT Main Street Cruise. Rain date 8/18. Join
the fun! A wonderful day checking out hundreds of autos that park on the streets.
Restaurants, antique shows & burnout pits. Shouldn’t miss this one. There’s a good chance
you’ll see someone you know.
September 29, 2013 – 30th Annual All Pontiac & Oakland Fall Car Show – Wallingford, CT. Rain date
October 6. Sponsored by the Nutmeg Chapter P.O.C.I. & Barberino Nissan.
September 29, 2013 – Fort Adams Car Show – Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI. Fantastic location
overlooking Newport Harbor. Check out the flier at: http://cruisinbruce.com/CarShowFlyers.html.
October 2013 – NEFA’s Annual Leaf Peeper Tour. Route & date will coincide with the changing of the
foliage. A wonderful day cruising in the fall with other car enthusiasts. Always a fun event.
November 10, 2013 – NEFA Holiday Party and Annual Meeting. More information to come.
September 19-21, 2014 – Pontiac Celebration show weekend. Warwick, RI. Great show! Great weekend!
turnout at the 2012 show. Pass the word. Let's have even more Fieros on the show field for the 2014 show.
Great location! Raising money for two great charities is the icing on the cake. Mark your calendars.
Page 2
Continued from Page 1..............Like Music to My Ears
the best are the Boston Acoustics, FX-7. They are a 2way, 4”x6” speaker that will handle up to 160 watts,
has a frequency response of 70-20,000 Hz & the
sensitivity rating is 92dB. These are a very close match
to the Pioneers up front. They will cost about $45.00.
Now if you want even better sound without spending
big money, here’s what I did. I went to a local towing
garage. They usually get cars that were in accidents &
they don’t charge as much as the local salvage yards
for used parts. I was able to locate an AM/FM/CD
player from a 1998 Chevy Cavalier. It is the same size
as the Fiero radio & when installed looks like a factory
installation. With the stronger amp, separate bass,
treble, balance & fade controls, the unit has much
better sound quality. This is a great low cost sound
improvement. If you can find one of these radios from
a Pontiac Sunfire, it will have the red back lights for the
total Pontiac experience. Be sure to get the plug with
the radio. With any luck they will let you pull the unit
out yourself so bring some tools just in case.
Page 2
I found that all the wires for the Fiero are the same as
those on the Cavalier radio so connection was easy. If
you still have the original Fiero plug you can pick up an
adapter. You will also need an antenna adapter since
the newer radio has a smaller antenna plug.
Now, if you still want more sound, keep an eye on the
Fiero Store catalog. They have a neat new speaker
enclosure that fits behind the seats. I got a sneak
peek, looks good! See pictures and diagrams on this
page & on page 4.
The NEFA eNews is the official newsletter of the
New England Fiero Association
All past issues can be viewed on the NEFA website.
http://fieropride.com
Family membership is $10.00 by check or $10.65 by
Paypal at http://fieropride.com/indexnefa.php or
Mail your check, made payable to:
New England Fiero Association
Ray Paulk, 19 Bens Way, Hopedale, MA 01747
Contact Ray at: [email protected] if you have any
questions.
Ray Paulk, NEFA President and Membership Director
Page 3
Fiero Radio Wiring
Page 4
Page 5
Continued from Page 1.........Random Thoughts
● Phil & Gwen Randolph, Jerry Antunes & his wife
and Greg & Turid Murad represented NEFA at the 30th
Anniversary of the Fiero held last weekend in June. It
was a fun few days enjoying the company of friends –
some you see often & unfortunately some you only
see maybe every five years at the anniversary shows.
It's also great meeting new people who you'll look
forward to seeing at the next anniversary show. The
Fiero community is a really great group of car
enthusiasts.
I understand that 264 Fieros were on the show field &
judged by teams of independent judges, each group
with a Fiero technical person there to answer any
questions the judges might have. Apparently 264
Fieros is more than at the 25th show, which is a good
thing.
L to R: Phil, Bill & Trish and Eileen
Friday was track day at the Indianapolis Speedway &
over 100 Fieros drove the track. It was quite the site
to see all those Fieros cruising around the track, led
by one of the original Fiero Pace Cars.
Saturday was show day and Phil & I had volunteered
to help tally votes so after the judges left my T-top it
was off to catch up with Phil & the rest of the team.
Satruday night was Fiero Historical Night with guest
speaker John Callies, head of Pontiac Racing for many
years. He was quite interesting. Part of his talk was
telling everyone what it was like dealing with the
small Pontiac budget given him compared to the
larger budgets that other racing groups within GM
were lucky to work with. Phil & I also had a nice
conversation with him on Sunday morning out in the
parking lot when he was outside checking out the
Fieros before the breakfast awards ceremony.
Bill, Paul, Bill, Jerry, Ray, Fred & Eileen
The Murad's were recipients of several raffle prizes.
One was a shirt donated by Fiero club members who
came all the way from Germany. The emcee
suggested that the Murads might want to wash the
shirt as the club shirt had been proudly worn quite a
bit since arriving in the US & it could use a good
washing. Greg also won a 30th Anniversary coffee cup
and a trunk & doorlock replacement kit to fit fast back
Fiero GT's. Greg was also awarded a plaque for the
Fiero with the most milage (442,900.2 miles).
My T-top Coupe was lucky to win a 2nd place in Daily
Driver. Phil & I had a great time during the show
week & winning a trophy was just icing on the cake.
With the awards breakfast over, everyone said their
goodbyes. Hugs & handshakes, Fieros loaded &
everyone headed home. It was announced at the
show that there will be a 35th Anniversary show. See
pictures from the 30th on Page 7.
L to R: Turid Murad & Fred Clarke
Page 6
Lining up to cruise the track. Photo courtesy of Gerg Murad
If you are a fan of the Fiero Indy you weren't disappointed
We've always been told that Indy Pace car #1 is housed in the
Indianapolis Speedway's museum – notice the hole in the right rear tail
light for the race camera. Photo courtesy of Jerry Antunes
Just some of the Fieros in the Hall of Champions
Fieros cruising the Indianapolis Speedway track
This Indy is a tribute to f Rick Meras who won the 1984 Indianapolis
500 race. Rick Mears signed the hood for the owners.
Page 7
Phil & Jerry with one of the six original PPG Race Fieros
Just one of many interesting Fieros at the 30th