This 1984 Pontiac Fiero SE is powered by a 4.6 L Cadillac Northstar V8. The motor runs on four Dellorto carburetors and an Electromotive HPV-1 ignition system. Behind the V8 is a Porsche 901 five-speed manual transaxle. The chassis needed to be stretched 12 inches to accommodate the powertrain’s longitudinal layout. The builder installed a Corvette C5 rear suspension and Corvette disc brakes. The exterior features custom bodywork in charcoal paint, third-generation Pontiac Firebird hatch, and Corvette wheels.
I always loved the car too, seems like it should have been very popular but wasnt I suppose. Issues aside, it seems ahead of its time and could have been a very special car if more effort was put into the design.
I always loved the body, but as everyone knows the car was pure shit. This though is the sharpest and most solid looking Fiero I've ever seen.. Holy shit what a great job
Agreed. Northstar's are shit motors too even though they make decent power. But the concept and execution here are on point. I bet it's fun to drive and a nightmare to work on.
Not to mention, this motor has probably been stripped down and rebuilt/upgraded. This is probably an example of what the 4.6 could have been if it had been good.
The GT ones with the kinda fake fastback are such great looking cars.
My best friend had a base model one in the ‘90’s. Was a blast as a teen. We went everywhere together. One day I had to work or something so I wasn’t with him. He caught a snow rut and it turned him sideways and he got t boned on the passenger side. Nothing fast, it was a residential road. The passenger door almost touched the console. I for sure would have been dead. Haven’t sat in one since!
It was. Normally I would have been in that car. He even stopped by my house first to pick me up. (This was long before cell phones were common)
We kind of went our separate ways in life but still kept in touch when we could. He is gone now but this car reminded me of all the fun we had back then and how much I miss the occasional calls we would have.
These aren’t even that coveted; as converted V8’s. Saw one go for around 10k on auction. Same fast back, only metallic purple and not stretched to my knowledge. Was not a Northstar V8, but still. An assload of work, sold for relatively cheap.
Well their little 2.8L engine used to generate enough heat back there to cause fires. I'm hoping they paid extra attention to the engine bay cooling with that big v8 Caddy engine back there
For 2 years I worked for a company that made clutch and flywheel parts for just about every single Fiero swap imaginable. It didn't matter how much additional power you added to these things, they still handled awful and were death missiles.
From the UK and always liked the outside of the Fiero and this is one of the best condition ones that I have seen (I only see the beaten up or heavily modified ones on here). It reminds me a mid-point between the boxy Toyota MR2 and the following much more rounded model (not the horrible frog-eyed one).
Oh it’s far from perfect. But even with an ill-fitting and cut up interior, it’s leagues better than the stock fiero’s. And a full interior swap isn’t easy to do. That’s why the “tell” for so many fiero based kit cars is the craptastic original interior. Getting rid of the pop-ups is the real travesty here. Still great build.
Northstars are actually decent engines once you put a proper head stud kit in it. They’re not really any more complex than a Coyote or most other DOHC engines iirc
Usually when somebody picks a specific engine to go into a modification it's because of a lot of factors, size, will it bolt into the existing engine mounts with minimal modifications etc.
I agree they could have picked a hell of a lot better engine than that but I suspect this one went in without a lot of hard modifications on it.
Still it should be a blast to drive as long as you can keep it running! 🤣
Once upon a time I was a car salesman at a Hyundai dealership. One of my coworkers took in a Fiero on trade. It also had a NorthStar V8. That swap was about as shadetree as they come. Dude essentially just bolted it up to the factory 4 speed and cobbled together the WORST homemade engine mounts I’ve ever seen. The engine tried to eject itself from the vehicle if you got anywhere close to 2000 rpm. The GM gave him $1000 towards his new Tiburon.
This is the kind of mods I live for…take a sports car that under delivered and turn it into what it could’ve been (or more!). The Pontiac Solstice or the Chrysler Crossfire are a couple of others I’d love to see get majorly upgraded.
It sounds cool on paper to put a massive engine in a car too small but I just keep thinking about traction. How is a small light car with all that power supposed to hold the road. Maybe I’m wrong and it’s great but to an uneducated mind like mine it just seems highly dangerous.
Definitely an enthusiast thing. There are a bunch of Miatas running around with turbo LS engines of unusable power. But they bring them out and do highway roll racing and put bus lengths on motorbikes. Def a niche… but def there.
The description says the gearbox is a 901 Porsche unit. There are a few companies that make adapter plates, like renegade hybrids, as the 914 folks are big into engine conversions.
Definitely my first thought. Made to be put in front of a revvy 2.0L without much torque. I'm very curious what they did with the internals to make this survive a launch
Awesome. I remember as a teenager riding in a Cadillac with the 32v Northstar. Thing ripped ☠️ Was not expecting it. Grandpa sent it before purchasing it for a friend 🤣
Every time I see a fiero that doesn't have an awful body kit on it I'm confused why everyone puts awful body kits on them. They look good as is if you like late 80s cars. I don't really like 80s cars but it's still a fun looking car
This build gets a hard "YES". The best custom work is when it's so subtle that it looks OEM or part of a production run that never happened. It's fun to see an automotive enthusiast have to make double-take and really try to figure out what they are looking at.
This 1984 Pontiac Fiero SE is powered by a 4.6 L Cadillac Northstar V8. The motor runs on four Dellorto carburetors and an Electromotive HPV-1 ignition system. Behind the V8 is a Porsche 901 five-speed manual transaxle. The chassis needed to be stretched 12 inches to accommodate the powertrain’s longitudinal layout. The builder installed a Corvette C5 rear suspension and Corvette disc brakes. The exterior features custom bodywork in charcoal paint, third-generation Pontiac Firebird hatch, and Corvette wheels.
more info here
Fiero of Theseus!
So I read Micky 7 recently. Since then I have herd/read more and more ship of Theseus references then I have in my whole 43 years life.
Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
Like the pineapple?
*confirmation bias
Negative, it's the frequency illusion, aka B-M
I've not read that recently, but I've been seeing a lot of Theseus references the last few months too.
Ha! I got that reference.
Even without the V8 that makes this car look awesome!
Then again ive always been a fan of Fieros, even if they burst into flame.
The fire is part of the fun
Just keep going fast, all your problems are behind you.
I tried that, I shut down a section of I-35 for the day
LMAO I just noticed your username.
Perfect.
I always loved the car too, seems like it should have been very popular but wasnt I suppose. Issues aside, it seems ahead of its time and could have been a very special car if more effort was put into the design.
This thing would be so fun to troll Porsches and BMWs with at the track.
If you like it, find a spare Northstar engine, and rebuild it with the stud kit, to eliminate the weak head-gasket bolts.
One of the most awesome car mods I've seen to date. Thanks for this.
Stretched wheelbase and custom rear deck lid do A LOT for this car. Larger side air intake is pretty sick too. I hate the steering wheel
It's a shame it's using the Porsche 901 and not a G50. The 901 shifts terribly.
In. Sane. 🔥
I always loved the body, but as everyone knows the car was pure shit. This though is the sharpest and most solid looking Fiero I've ever seen.. Holy shit what a great job
Agreed. Northstar's are shit motors too even though they make decent power. But the concept and execution here are on point. I bet it's fun to drive and a nightmare to work on.
The later 4.6 Northstar, with the fixed head stud issue, is a fairly solid engine. The supercharged 4.4 Northstar is a fantastic engine
Not to mention, this motor has probably been stripped down and rebuilt/upgraded. This is probably an example of what the 4.6 could have been if it had been good.
GM messed up so badly with the Northstar. As soon as they fixed all the issues they discontinued it
"As soon as they fixed all the issues they discontinued it."
... Which is the story of a vast, vast number of GM products, my god ...
They get bored easily lol
Dad used to have an 07 STS, 6sp auto. It was a riot. Never understood northstar hate bc of that one.
The GT ones with the kinda fake fastback are such great looking cars.
My best friend had a base model one in the ‘90’s. Was a blast as a teen. We went everywhere together. One day I had to work or something so I wasn’t with him. He caught a snow rut and it turned him sideways and he got t boned on the passenger side. Nothing fast, it was a residential road. The passenger door almost touched the console. I for sure would have been dead. Haven’t sat in one since!
Thats some divine intervention stuff right there!
Glad you are ok.
It was. Normally I would have been in that car. He even stopped by my house first to pick me up. (This was long before cell phones were common)
We kind of went our separate ways in life but still kept in touch when we could. He is gone now but this car reminded me of all the fun we had back then and how much I miss the occasional calls we would have.
These aren’t even that coveted; as converted V8’s. Saw one go for around 10k on auction. Same fast back, only metallic purple and not stretched to my knowledge. Was not a Northstar V8, but still. An assload of work, sold for relatively cheap.
Well their little 2.8L engine used to generate enough heat back there to cause fires. I'm hoping they paid extra attention to the engine bay cooling with that big v8 Caddy engine back there
For 2 years I worked for a company that made clutch and flywheel parts for just about every single Fiero swap imaginable. It didn't matter how much additional power you added to these things, they still handled awful and were death missiles.
From the UK and always liked the outside of the Fiero and this is one of the best condition ones that I have seen (I only see the beaten up or heavily modified ones on here). It reminds me a mid-point between the boxy Toyota MR2 and the following much more rounded model (not the horrible frog-eyed one).
That hatch, body stretch and interior are the real stars here. It looks incredible.
Look closer at the interior it's a mess. Really neat build though
Oh it’s far from perfect. But even with an ill-fitting and cut up interior, it’s leagues better than the stock fiero’s. And a full interior swap isn’t easy to do. That’s why the “tell” for so many fiero based kit cars is the craptastic original interior. Getting rid of the pop-ups is the real travesty here. Still great build.
Looking closely, all that it seems to need are some trim pieces to meet the A pillar and a different shift boot.
Didn't notice that. Is it even secured? Looks like they just kinda sat it down there.
It looks stoned. Overall, I love the look but the headlights look dopey.
It’s all off a 93-97 firebird (dash/console)
Then you pop the hatch and see someone left a giant stinking shit in the engine compartment.
Ah yes, an MR2 with an American accent.
We’d be doing a disservice to not state that THIS Pontiac Fiero is listed for sale live on CARS & BIDS!!!
But first I’ll show you all of its interesting quirks and features, then I’ll get it out on the road and give it a DougScore.
🤣😂🤣
Currently sitting at $4,500!
What
Great you just made it so I won’t get a good deal thanks
Very kool, thanks!
I bet that thing is super fun but also twitchy as hell!!
I have a soft spot for the northstar engine for some reason. fuckers would run forever as long as had oil, and they leaked like a sieve.
GM knew the Northstar was a pice of shit so they engineered it to keep running no matter how much was wrong with it /s
8 missing pistons, transfers all power to Starter.
Northstar was just soooo unreliable though. I hated them, back in the day.
Of all the engines you could have put in it....why put the worst one in there? Why make it less reliable and more complex than it already was?
Northstars are actually decent engines once you put a proper head stud kit in it. They’re not really any more complex than a Coyote or most other DOHC engines iirc
Usually when somebody picks a specific engine to go into a modification it's because of a lot of factors, size, will it bolt into the existing engine mounts with minimal modifications etc.
I agree they could have picked a hell of a lot better engine than that but I suspect this one went in without a lot of hard modifications on it.
Still it should be a blast to drive as long as you can keep it running! 🤣
I would slap a set of 5th Gen viper acr wheels on it. It looks good otherwise
So it can blow a head gasket and then catch fire? Interesting choice.
Can't be any worse than the iron duke
ME CUM
No no, you come.
Never seen one with that Camaro style hatch before. That must be custom?
This stretch and rear hatch looks so natural on it. This is the way they always should have been. Love it
Holy incompatibility batman
wonder how many head gaskets it comes with. definitely cool though.
Once upon a time I was a car salesman at a Hyundai dealership. One of my coworkers took in a Fiero on trade. It also had a NorthStar V8. That swap was about as shadetree as they come. Dude essentially just bolted it up to the factory 4 speed and cobbled together the WORST homemade engine mounts I’ve ever seen. The engine tried to eject itself from the vehicle if you got anywhere close to 2000 rpm. The GM gave him $1000 towards his new Tiburon.
Ok. This is badass.
This is the kind of mods I live for…take a sports car that under delivered and turn it into what it could’ve been (or more!). The Pontiac Solstice or the Chrysler Crossfire are a couple of others I’d love to see get majorly upgraded.
So, how does it handle?
It sounds cool on paper to put a massive engine in a car too small but I just keep thinking about traction. How is a small light car with all that power supposed to hold the road. Maybe I’m wrong and it’s great but to an uneducated mind like mine it just seems highly dangerous.
It is highly dangerous 😈
Definitely an enthusiast thing. There are a bunch of Miatas running around with turbo LS engines of unusable power. But they bring them out and do highway roll racing and put bus lengths on motorbikes. Def a niche… but def there.
Of all the possible engine swaps, they went with a fucking NORTHSTAR?!? This makes me unreasonably upset
the new corvair:
Unsafe at any speed? 😁
yup!
Out of all of the v8 engines….
Surprising to see they didn't use the transverse Northstar and transaxle from the Olds Aurora
Or the STS, DTS, etc ..
STD….
Or an LS4.
Was the Olds Aurora a manual transmission?
Now 50% more reliable but less so than a modern Kia. ;)
Not bad but I still prefer the 86 "fastback" body.
hell yeah!
What’s the interior?
Looks like a firebird dash. Shift surround kinda looks like from either a Viper or Audi TT
Audi TT shifter for sure
The ass end reminds me of a FC RX7
You did what GM (Pontiac) should have done in the first place. Love it!!!!
Hmm, the 901 gearbox was used in 1970s 911s and 914s and isn't great at handling the torque of big V8s, especially 1st gear.
Cool execution regardless
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The description says the gearbox is a 901 Porsche unit. There are a few companies that make adapter plates, like renegade hybrids, as the 914 folks are big into engine conversions.
Definitely my first thought. Made to be put in front of a revvy 2.0L without much torque. I'm very curious what they did with the internals to make this survive a launch
One of my favorite videos on the internet is this Fiero with a 500 c.i. Caddy shoehorned in it. Absolutely ridiculous, and absolutely nasty
American MR-2
That looks nice. Love the intakes too.
Last year I saw an unmolested, bone stock Fiero. I stood there in shocked awe.
Awesome. I remember as a teenager riding in a Cadillac with the 32v Northstar. Thing ripped ☠️ Was not expecting it. Grandpa sent it before purchasing it for a friend 🤣
So bad it’s actually good
The Fiero was vastly underdeveloped. GM bungled it; only enthusiasts could release the potential it held.
Thanks for sharing this. You've made my day.
This is absolutely fantastic
Kudos to an awesome build.
Umm…wow. Damn, I bet it’s fun as hell to drive!
You’re calling it a Fiero but is it really a Fiero?
Looks much easier to work on now that its in the back of a Fiero.
As a mid engine enjoyer myself, I think I can accurately assess that vehicle is NOT SAFE to drive hard on public roads lol
“How can we make a Fiero less reliable?”
-this guy, probably
Every time I see a fiero that doesn't have an awful body kit on it I'm confused why everyone puts awful body kits on them. They look good as is if you like late 80s cars. I don't really like 80s cars but it's still a fun looking car
Ouuuf this is sexy 🔥
wait until the head studs pull out of the block.
Oh my God, it's so good.
And C5 Corvette rims.
Oh my goooooooodnessss. What a fkkn beaut. 😍😲👌🔥
God I bet this thing can hydroplane in the desert.
Well done.
...is it just me or does it almost look like an NSX now?
I remember in school my auto teacher had a Fiero with a Grand National motor in it. He said it felt like it would try to fly away once it hit 80mpg.
Look! Its a body swapped rear engined audi TT !!
What are those headlights? They are super unique and, just plain gorgeous.
Looks like an Acura NSX if I squint.
This build gets a hard "YES". The best custom work is when it's so subtle that it looks OEM or part of a production run that never happened. It's fun to see an automotive enthusiast have to make double-take and really try to figure out what they are looking at.
Have mercy 🙌🏻
Not knocking it, but why a Northstar?
What car did the dash and center console come from?
Audi TT shifter
Kick ass
As a former GT owner, I approve! This must be a blast to drive (and hear!)… Nice work!
When you have to stretch the whole car by a foot to fit the engine that’s one wild project
People stick northstars in these without a stretch. This one is very unique.
I love it