I've now named my cars, it's easier to tell them apart that way. This one was named after the Naboo starfighters (because of the color it has now) from the new Star Wars Episode I.

This car was my third acquisition (August '96), it started out as a bright red 85GT automatic. In case you're wondering, the 85GT is the one on the left. The paint was not that great, but since it had a slight transmission problem, I got a really great deal. That problem turned out to be the usual stuck TCC solenoid, and that one's been fixed now. But since the car drove fine with the TCC connector disconnected, it took me a while before I saw the need to actually fix it.

As you can see from the picture, the car had been messed with. A lot. The GT front fascia had been replaced with a base coupe nose, probably because the parking lights were easier to integrate into the coupe's bumper pads. Those parking lights looked like the glove compartment lights from some other vehicle. The front side turn signals were rewired as parking lights and the front turn signals/parking lights were turn signals only. These new parking lights were turned on via a green switch that had been added under the instrument panel. The wiring was done with speaker wire that ran around the entire front compartment! What a mess! Also, the left GT window had been replaced with a SE window.

In October '97 the car was converted to a fastback! We changed over the necessary parts (the big thank you goes to Reinhold for countless parts and lots of help), and not counting breaks and idle time it took us an afternoon/evening. Since the body panels came off of different cars, the car looked pretty strange (see picture to the left).

I also completely rebuilt/replaced the rear brakes, including the cables. When I was done I just had to take this picture...

As far as the interior was concerned, both power door switches were rubbed off, the ash trays were totally rusty, the shifter console was broken, the shifter looked poor, the interior was very dirty. I have since rewired the lights to stock and installed white/amber parking/turnsignal lights (from a Nissan Micra, they look and fit great!) and I also added Canadian km/h backlit gauges and the V6 extra gauge package. I also changed the headlight system from the 85 to the newer system used on the 87/88 Fieros (a big thank you goes to Jukka Alve who found the complete system from an 88 as well as a rear bumper support on a Dallas junkyard).

I have changed the interior over to the darker grey found on the later years (Code 82), repainted the dash, put a leftover shifter and console from the tranny conversion on my 87 GT in, installed new switches, ashtrays and a radio & CD changer, plus a thorough cleanup. With the Fiero Store floor mats and leather seats from Mr. Mike's (see picture to the left) the car truly is a beauty now.

This is a picture of the 85's engine compartment after I was done with it. It features an 88 intake plenum (thanks to Dan Schooler), red distributor cap (thanks to Jeremy Hodge), red ignition wires and the "ultimate" dogbone bushings (both from the Fiero Store). I also rebuilt the distributor as described by Joe Wynman in the FOCOA newsletter. I did everything as described and didn't replace the ignition module, because it was GM and the car ran fine. Well, no 6 months later the module suddendly died withouth warning and left me stranded about a mile from work. I put in my spare module and got the car home, but let this be a lesson to you: Replace this module (yes, I know it's expensive!) every couple of years, or always carry a spare. And go with GM, aftermarket modules can't stand the extreme heat of the Fiero, and even the Hi-Temp or Heavy-Duty units fail. BTW, The flash makes the crossover heat shields look worse on the picture than they actually look. When we took the roof section off for painting we cracked the windshield, which threw things off schedule. We had to get a new windshield, install it, etc. When all the body panels were off, I used the opportunity to look for rust (surprisingly little), stopped the beginnings I found and repainted the sections in question. I also installed the third brake light, recovered the headliner and cleaned pretty much every bit of the car I could get my hands on. I even polished the exhaust tips and bumper heat shields. They now look shiny and new again.

But the result was worth all the blood, sweat and tears (literally): The car looks brand new now. This is the car as it looked after painting it factory 88 yellow (WA 8908, U53U). I thought, "hey, what's the rarest Fiero color ever produced?" Factory yellow GT of course, only 253 made. After I had seen one for real, I was hooked. I'm sure that after over 10 years, even fewer Talbot yellow Fieros are on this world, and I made it one more. My final major task on this car was the addition to 15 inch diamond spoke wheels which I painted black as they were on the original 88GT's.

BTW,The pictures don't do the car credit. It looks really gorgeous. I can only recommend to remove the body panels before painting any Fiero. It really makes a difference.

I have finally installed a DashScan II into the car, but I still have to install the control switch, so for now it is only a glorified speedometer. Oh well. I just don't have enough time...

There are still a few small things to do, but nothing major anymore:

• Fix the wiper module or switch that causes a single wipe on every startup
• Install the level sensor for the "Low Coolant" warning light.
• Increase the tension on the trunk springs (they are getting weak)

And in case you are wondering: the paint formula for Talbot Yellow using ICI Autocolor 2K system:

Mixing Color	Name	1 quart	2 quart
P 425-900	Super White	449.0g	897.9g
P 420-904	Transparent Black	480.0g	961.5g
P 420-926	Super Red	504.9g	1009.8g
P 420-928	Sun Yellow	757.2	1514.4
P 192-474	Basecoat Control	1122.4	2244.9

Thanks to Bill and Earl Sessions for this information!

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