June 2010 Issue - New England Fiero Association

Joint Publication by Mid-Atlantic Fiero Owner’s Association &
New England Fiero Association & New York Fiero Owners Club
Earl Sessions
Custom 1985 Fiero

MAFOA BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Robb Leppo
President
Westminster, MD
(410) 848-3674
robb.leppo@mafoa.com
Michael Mayer
Vice President
Lancaster, PA
(717) 519-0791
michael.mayer@mafoa.com
Chuck Leppo
Newsletter Director
Westminster, MD
chuck.leppo@mafoa.com
Corey Leppo
Activities Director
Westminster, MD
corey.leppo@mafoa.com
Jenn Hahn
Assistant Activities Director
East Berlin, PA
(717) 476-5925
jenn.hahn@mafoa.com
Bruce Homeyard
Treasurer, Membership &
Merchandising Director
Gilbertsville, PA
(610) 326-7975
bruce.homeyard
@mafoa.com
Tom Derr
Activities Board Consultant
Mechanicsburg, PA
(717) 763-5748
tom.derr@mafoa.com
Vin Latus
Webmaster
Raleigh, NC
(919) 249-7611
vin.latus@mafoa.com
Website
http://www.mafoa.com
2010 is halfway thru, and we have enjoyed many activities so far. Watkins Glen was a
two-day track event where you could run many laps, more than I have ever experienced.
I did have the honor of running my pace car around the track even though I kept it under
65 just to be modest and not take any chances of something happening. If you have not
been to Watkins, the experience alone is well worth it, and the NYFOC boys put on a
great time! Our second venture turned out to be very successful as we combined with
the P.O.C.I. boys for a show a Freysinger Buick\GMC. It went well for us as we won
the Freysinger Challenge and brought home the gold. There were many members who
took part in this show and our host Garry Freysinger enjoyed our company along with
the P.O.C.I. guys. There are already plans for another show for next year. June brought
our biggest event of the season at the GM Nationals in Carlisle PA. Again, many people
came to take part in our biggest show of the season. We captured another participation
award again making it two years in a row now, wow! Maybe we are starting something
here. Carlisle Events now knows that the Fiero is alive and kicking and enhances the
show as well. Many great looking cars attended the show, the only drawback was that
some people did not take advantage of early registration and had to pay full price. The
club will now continue to give members a discount as long as the treasury is able to
withstand the cost, beside there is no better way than to give back to its members.
I do want to touch on a small mistake that I stated in the last newsletter, The Fiero Store
has been a long time supporter of our club and I stated that they would be giving a 5%
discount on all orders. This was incorrect as they will only give a 5% discount on
selected merchandise that they carry. Let’s face it time are getting tough, but there is no
other place that stocks such a large selection of parts for our cars.
That brings me to sponsors, and I want to thank all of our sponsors this year who have
helped us along. Without their help we would not be able to have these fine activities
that we put on year after year. I would also like to thank our board members who have
done a fantastic job this year, please continue to support our club to make it strong.
Anyone who knows of a new Fiero owner, please send them in our direction so they do
not miss all of the activities that we provide. One final note of good news is that the
New England club has a new President and they have big plans to revamp their club
including adding members and other activities so keep a watch on them for the future.
On a personal note our Fiero collection grew by one since the last news letter as I have
taken procession of an 1988 Formula that only has 90 thousand on it with a 5 speed
trans. I plan to redo this car as an everyday driver for me. Who knows you may see me
in it at a show or just driving around, who knows what we will be doing with our cars,
but remember “keep the mid engine madness alive”. This year has been very
rewarding!

The warm and sunny weather is finally here!
In April 2010, I took on the Presidency of NEFA. I’ve been very busy learning the
ropes and keeping things moving. We had a late start this year on membership
renewals, so people are still continually joining. Next year, I plan to stay on top if
things and get the membership renewals out in December to start the New Year “2011”
off right.
It’s our 10 th Anniversary this year. I cannot believe how the time flies. When the club
was founded, I was the Treasurer. In 2 years, I resigned as Treasurer, met David, and
we spent our time over the next few years motorcycling the East Coast, Canada, and a
trip out west to the 4 corners region. I did hang on to some of the Fieros during that
time. I was not going to trade my Fieros in for a Motorcycle so easily!
We had a great turnout for the Barbarino Spring Show in May. In June we went up to
the Tully Show in New Hampshire, unfortunately the weather was terrible. Despite the
weather, we had fun looking at the few Buicks/Pontiacs that were there. We really enjoyed
the free tour of the brewery and seeing the Clydesdales. Matt Turner
mentioned that they will try to reschedule something in the Fall. I will keep you posted.
For the 10 th Anniversary, we are planning a picnic/pool party on July 24. Bill & Eileen
Dorosz offered to do this at their home in East Hartford, CT. NEFA will be doing our
Annual Swap Meet this year at Kick Hill Farm in August. The Pontiac Celebration is a
fun event for a good cause. Help out the Tomorrow Fund and Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Don’t miss the Pontiac Celebration in September! Enjoy the summer!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE 2 PIT STOP
PAGE 3 CRUISIN’
PAGE 4 2010 CALENDAR
PAGE 5 NEFA AT EVELYN’S
PAGE 6-7 FREYSINGER CUP
PAGE 8-9 MEET A MEMBER WITH MICHAEL MAYER
PAGE 10 REVEREND’S REVIEW: PLASTIC BONDS
PAGE 11 BARBARINO SPRING SHOW 2010
PAGE 12-15 GM NATIONALS 2010
PAGE 16-17 FIERO TOY WATCH
PAGE 18-19 CHECK DIGIT COMPUTATIONS
PAGE 20-23 CLASSIFIEDS
PAGE 24 MICHAEL MAYER CAR PHOTOS
NEFA BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Michele Ruscoe
President, Newsletter
Danbury,CT
mishlee@comcast.net
Les Sandy
Vice President, Activities
Chesire, CT
les@fieropride.com
Andrew Virzi
Treasurer
Milford, NH
andy@fieropride.com
Ray Paulk
Membership
Hopedale, MA
raypaulk@fieropride.com
Jerry Antunes
Activities
New Haven, CT
gma4real@yahoo.com
Robert Aceto
Activities
Wallingford, CT
robert@fieropride.com
Gwen Randolph
Activities
Coventry, RI
pran@cox.net
Brian Smith
Webmaster
Warrenton, VA
brian@fieropride.com
Marc & Dyana Tessier
Merchandising
E.Falmouth, MA
Marcanddyana
@fieropride.com
Website
http://www.fieropride.com/

Other Summer Shows:
These shows will have more
information in a later issue.
Reese Fire Company Show
August 21st, 2010
Westminster, MD
Car & Truck show starting at 8am
and ending around 3pm. Top 25
vehicles will be awarded. Plaques
awarded to best paint, interior,
engine, most potential, and fire
department choice. Registration
is $15 at the door.
If you have any questions, contact
carshow@reesevfc.org or visit
http://www.reesevfc.org/
Westminster VFW Weeklies
Every Friday during the summer
NEFA Swap Meet
August 21st, 2010
Kick Hill Farm, Lebanon, CT
Bob Parker has disassembled and
stored hundreds of fieros! If you
need a part, He’s sure to have it!
You can check back at
www.fieropride.com under NEFA
Activities.
Susquehanna Valley GTO &
Jones Family Dealerships 3rd
Annual All Pontiac Show
August 21st, 2010
9am-3am
Amos Herr Park, Landisville, PA
$10 Pre-Registration
$15 Day of Show
NYFOC 1st Annual Beach
Cruise, Show & Drag
August 21st & 22nd
Two day event highlighted with a
trip to Sylvan Beach Amusement
Park on Saturday and Car Show
on Sunday. A lot more activities
including a cookout and a trip to
the drag strip.
http://www.nyfoc.com/
Pontiac Celebration Weekend
September 17 – 19, 2010:
A Pontiac Celebration Weekend,
Crowne Plaza, Warwick, RI
Mark your calendars and make
plans to be in RI in September.
All proceeds benefit The
Tomorrow Fun and Alex’s
Lemonade Stand, two children’s
Cancer charities. Come for a
weekend of family fun. Great
room rates for the weekend.
Friday night cruise w/DJ in
the parking lot, Saturday morning
Teddy Bear Cruise to Hasbro
Children’s Hospital, car show
Saturday afternoon and Saturday
night BBQ party. More
information to come. If you have
any questions, contact Gwen
Randolph, pran@cox.net.
Lancaster Northeast Rotary's
9th Annual Neffitsville Car
Show
September 18th, 2010
9am-4pm
$15 Pre-Registration
$20 Day of Show
(Includes Lunch)
Live music & door prizes
This not a trophy show.
neffscarshow@gmail.com
717-538-3188
POCI All Pontiac & Oakland
Fall Show
September 26, 2010
Wallingford, CT
The POCI’s Nutmeg Chapter’s
27th Annual All Pontiac &
Oakland Fall Car Show at Barberino,
on Route 5 in Wallingford
(Rain Date October 3, 2010)
MAFOA Dutch Classic
Lititz, PA
October 2010
This annual event is a day of fun,
food, and good times. Keep your
eyes on www.mafoa.com for the
upcoming details. Registration is
at the event, and the annual fall
meeting for MAFOA members
takes place after the show.
If you have any information on
upcoming shows that you would
like to feature in the newsletter,
please contact Chuck Leppo by
email with the information.

It was a hot summer day for the
NEFA gathering at Evelyn’s
Drive In. Evelyn’s overlooks the
Nanaquaket Pond in Tiverton RI.
Evelyn’s Drive In is definitely a
great place, it was worth the trip.
It was featured on Diners, Drive-
In’s, and Dives with Guy Fieri.
We met up with Les Sandy in
Cheshire around 10, to cruise up
to Evelyn’s. I was expecting to
see a Fiero at the commuter
parking area, instead Les decided
to take his Buick Reatta, lovingly
called the “Luxury Fiero”. It had
air conditioning, something my
Fiero no longer has and it was
definitely a day for the A/C.
Everyone arrived at Evelyn’s
around 1:00 with Russ & Lynn
Salter from the Cape, Gwen &
Phil Randolph from Coventry RI,
Ray & Janet Paulk from
Hopedale, MA, Les Sandy from
Cheshire, CT, and me with David
from Danbury.
We had a great lunch, friendly
service, and such a great view!
After lunch we took a short cruise
over to Grays Ice Cream. Terrific
Ice Cream! Grays has been
around since 1923 and is well
known for their Ice Cream. You
can check out these places at
www.graysicecream.com and
www.evelynsdrivein.com. It was
a great day, just to sit back and
get together with other club
members!

MAFOA’s first event of the 2010
season was the Freysinger Cup
Challenge held on May 15 th at
Fregysinger Buick / GMC Inc. in
Mechanicsburg. What a glorious
day it was, one could ask for
nothing more.
Freysingers once again proved to
be the perfect host supplying
trophies, prizes, t-shirts, drinks /
pastries, tech session, test drives
at all three of their dealerships
(Buick /GMC, Mazda, Hyundai),
and a perfect show field location.
Special thanks go out to Garry
Freysinger (our main man),
brother Tom Freysinger (who was
in charge of weather – and did a
splendid job), Ron Barrick (dealer
coordinator), Brad Strine (tech
session), and Richard Murray (test
drives). Our hosts could be seen
throughout the day helping
MAFOA and the Keystone State
Chapter of POCI in organizing the
show field, stocking drinks,
providing test drives and just
generally taking in the 50 show
cars present.
There were 28 Fieros registered
for the six classes. Oddly, there
was only one modified car in the
group. Almost two-thirds of the
cars entered were stock. The
trophies were unique in that they
were not the usual trophy or
plaque usually presented. Instead,
the trophies were parts packages.
First place winners received a
wiper blade set / battery terminal
bolt set / radiator cap / thermostat.
This parts package has a $41
value at the parts counter. Second
place winners got the same less
the thermostat, and third place
winners got that less the radiator
cap. Class winners as tallied by
our registration table / results
compilers Mike and Nancy Mayer
are as follows:
Stock Notchback:
1 st – Wesley Derr, black ’87 SE
2 nd – A. C. Dobson II, yellow ’88
Formula (tie)
2 nd – Pete Bransky, red ’84 Sport
(tie)
3 rd – Hugh Sinn, black ’84 SE
Stock Fastback:
1 st – Tom Derr, white 88 GT
2 nd – Tom Derr, maroon 86 GT
3 rd – Mike Mayer, maroon 87 GT
Custom Notchback:
1 st – Jason Crego, red 86 SE
2 nd – Josh Weilert, white 84 SE
Custom Fastback:
1 st – Corey Leppo, blue 87 GT
2 nd – Salena Derr, teal 87 GT
3 rd – Irvin Green, red 87 GT
Modified Fastback:
1 st – Rich Sabulsky, orange 86 GT
The Best of Show awards are at
the heart of the Freysinger Cup
Challenge. The MAFOA
participant cross-club selection of
“Best of Show - Keystone State
Chapter Pontiacs” was a “topdrawer”
total frame-off
restoration of a black 1962 Grand
Prix owned by AJ and Carol
Koszi. The Keystone State
Chapter cross-club selection of
“Best of Show – MAFOA” was
the orange modified ’86 GT of
Rich Sabulsky. The Dealer’s
Choice of “Best of Show” from
both show fields was also the
Koszi’s black 1962 Grand Prix.

As such this car was photographed
with a framed and
labeled picture to be hung in the
Freysinger Buick / GMC
dealership showroom for a year,
with a copy going to the Koszi’s.
The tech session, presented by
Freysinger ace technician, Brad
Strine, was on “AC Recharging
and Problem Diagnosis”. Winner
of the free session, which ended
up being an R134a conversion,
was a red custom ’86 SE owned
by Jason Crego…who was just
thrilled to have his AC
operational again.
Ah, yes, and the Freysinger Cup
itself was presented by Tom
Freysinger and Rich Murray to
the club that had the most registered
cars. Winning that club face
-off was MAFOA with 28 cars to
POCI’s 22.
Other things going on included
Prize Raffle which emptied the
well stocked prize table of front
and rear brake pad sets, upper and
lower radiator hoses, thermostats,
radiator caps, fuel filters, oil
filters, PCV valves, spark plug
set, distributor cap and rotor,
ignition module, ignition coil, and
a $25 Rock Auto gift certificate.
Free Meguiars Detail Mist was
also passed out by the Leppo’s.
Tom Derr had his parts ‘n
collectibles stand set up which
was frequented by many happy
customers.
Freysinger Buick / GMC Inc.,
MAFOA and Keystone POCI
Officers and show participants
were all pleased with this show
and look forward to next year’s
Second Annual Freysinger Cup
Challenge.

Before I tell you how I became
interested in Fieros I think I
should tell you a little about my
background. Married to Nancy
since????? three daughters and 4
grand daughters. With this male
to female ratio in this family I
don’t win to many arguments. I
am an Accounting Supervisor for
Tyco Electronics, previous AMP
Inc, in Harrisburg. This company
is the largest manufacturer of
electrical connectors in the world.
Your Fiero has Tyco/AMP
connectors.
Ever since grade school I was a
nut for hot rods, especially the
1932 Ford 5 window coupes
chopped and channeled, small and
low to the ground. Being a
teenager in the 60’s you could not
help being exposed to the muscle
cars of that era, Mustangs,
Camaros, & GTO’s etc. The
problem with these cars was they
were fast in a straight line and that
was about the extent of their
performance and this was just not
85 GT in its Current State
my cup of tea.
That is when I found the
European sports cars, MGs, Fiats,
Alfa Romeos, and Porsches.
They were small 4 cylinder cars
not fast in straight line speed, but
very fast in the corners. Naturally
when you buy a small foreign
sports car the next step is to get
interested in road racing, so I then
became a spectator to Watkins
Glen Formula 1 Grand Prix racing
and the SCCA CAM AM series. I
am one of the few people my age
that does not claim to have
attended Woodstock, because I
was at the Glen that weekend
watching a race.
This led to some participation in
competition in a SCCA driver
school at Marlboro Race Track
Maryland, auto-crossing and PHA
hill-climbing with an MG Midget.
Needless to say I was not very
competitive and did not quit my
daytime job to pursue a fulltime
career in Formula 1 Grand Prix
racing. But then, if I would have
been successful I would not have
met Nancy who has a love of road
racing as much as I. I am lucky to
have a wife that enjoys road
racing and car shows as much as
me. We have had many enjoyable
weekends and vacations to
various car shows and road course
races in the US, such as Watkins
Glen, Mid-Ohio, Lime Rock,
Summit Point, Poconos and the24
Hrs. of Daytona.
So how did I end up in Fieros? It
is simple I needed a car. I was in
the market for a daily driver and
my criteria was a four cylinder
economical car for my basic
commute to work, which at the
time was less than five miles, but
I wanted something that was
sporty and fun to drive for
weekend trips. I looked at the
Mazda RX7 and really liked the
torque the rotary produced, but I
was concerned because I didn’t
feel comfortable with the rotary
engine and the styling was great
but it just didn’t match the Fiero’s
styling, also the Fiero was
American made and the engine
being the iron duke four cylinder
it should be very reliable. So I
ended up purchasing the Fiero in
July 1984, a loaded Red SE. I
really liked the design but was a
little disappointed with the 4
cylinder performance, but this
was a commuter not a race car.
This first Fiero ended up
providing me with transportation
until 1996. My commute turned
into a fifty mile each way
commute to southern York
County to Glenn Rock, Pa. The
car really serviced me well getting
me through many snow storms
and with only one breakdown of
a timing gear in 120K miles of
travel, but in the long run it

ecame probably the most
expensive car I ever owned. I
eventually purchased a Neon
Sport Coupe and retired the Fiero
parking it in my one car garage
and only driven to be inspected .
In 2000 I noticed an ad for an 87
GT Fiero at a reasonable price. I
always wanted the GT Fastback
model and decided to look at the
car. It was very nice with low
miles, so I decided I would
purchase the car and use it for
auto-crossing. Shortly after that I
was at a restaurant wearing my
Fiero jacket when Denny
Lambret and his wife saw me
and introduced themselves as
fellow Fiero owners and invited
me to check out the MAFOA club
activities listed on line. I did and
saw an ad for the Zinn’s Dutch
Classic. I joined the club and I
took my 87 GT to the show and
got my clocks cleaned. What I
thought was a decent Fiero turned
out to be a last place entry. That
settled it, me being a competitive
person I started to work on
bringing the car up to show
standards. The car was too nice
to auto-cross, so it was an all out
effort to bring it up to show
standards. Paint touch up and
wheel cleaning was started, but
most of my time was spent
cleaning the engine. I have a
hang up when I see a really nice
car and look at the engine and it is
a mess. This must come from my
love of Hot Rods with all of the
chrome engines. All of my hard
work paid off and now my car is
usually a contender in its class.
So why did my 84 be the most
expensive car I ever owned. I
have a hang up about getting rid
of things, especially cars. For
some reason I just can’t part with
them, so when I bought the 87 it
replaced the 84 in the one car
garage and the 84 went to the
yard. It didn’t take long for
Nancy to start complaining about
it being there, so I decided it was
time to build a garage to store the
car. Well the two car garage
turned out to be a three car garage
with the 84 in a corner; Nancy’s
van on one side and the
reacquired MG Midget I raced in
the late 60’s in rebuild progress
on the other side. If I could get
her van out of the garage I could
buy another Fiero!
Do I have regrets spending the
money for the garage to store a
high mileage beat up Fiero, NO, I
hope to do something with the 84
when I get the MG done. Fieros
have provided me with many
hours of entertainment and being
a part of MAFOA has added to
the enjoyment. Nancy and I
normally work the registration for
85 GT at the Beginning
all of the shows and at the next
one stop by and say Hello.
P.S. Fieros do burn, I had the 84
on fire twice, not due to anything
mechanically, but leaves and pine
needles got down between the
back window and deck lid to the
exhaust manifold. I had flames
coming up though the gap between
the deck and rear window
while driving to work.
So keep those Fiero engines
clean!

When I’m not out in
my .FieroWorks shop busily
working on a customer’s Fiero, or
another non-Fiero, I fill my shop
time restoring old classic, antique
motorcycles and ATV’s for a
customer-friend who has me
beautify them for sale on EBay.
I find that a lot of these ATV’s
that arrive in the shop have
damage to the plastic fenders and
other plastic parts. After many
attempts at using common
household glues and some higher
tech adhesives and sealers I found
at different retailers, I found that
they generally disappointed me
with their performance. After
doing some research
I found that one of my favorite
chemical and paint companies,
SEM product company, makes
two ideal automotive adhesive
products that fill my needs
perfectly.
The first product is called
Insta-Bond. It’s a two part
cyanoacrylate Formula. When
they say instant, they mean it.
There is no time to read just the
piece before it’s bonded tightly
together, so you have to be sure
that the item you are repairing is
precisely where you want it
before you put the two pieces
together. Apply the cyanoacrylate
to the area in need of repair. It is a
very sticky clear substance and
really doesn’t do much by itself.
Once you apply the second part,
the spray accelerator, the
chemical bond takes place and the
reaction of the chemicals acts
quickly.
As always read the directions
thoroughly and follow them to the
letter. This product is pretty
amazing and has proven itself to
work well on all types of plastic.
It’s also good on glass, metal,
rubber and that special Fiero
‘plastic,’ SMC. (Sheet molded
compound) If I had to point out
one negative and annoying thing
about this product it would be
this: After using the cyanoacrylate
for the first time, when you go to
use it at a later date, the bottle tip,
clogs and you have to reopen it
with a small sharp pin type
instrument. I have found this to be
true of most adhesives of this
type, so why should this one be
any different? Overall, it’s still a
fine product.
The second SEM product is called
problem plastic repair and is a
flexible sandable filler adhesive.
As the name implies, it’s for those
problem plastics that just can’t
seem to be repaired with any
other product. It works well on
the more flexible soft parts like
the RIM (reaction injected
molded) urethane of the front and
rear bumper covers of the Fiero as
well as the lower rocker and
ground effects moldings. Mixing
equal parts of the two tubes,
mixing up just enough for your
needs, results in a fast drying
flexible strong sandable repair
surface that can be top coated
with plastic body filler, sanded,
primed and painted. As with any
good product, these are not cheap.
The two kits I’ve reviewed here
cost about $75.
If your Fiero doesn’t need any of
these special products, chances
are you might find something
around the house or garage that
hasn’t taken well to a repair with
other products. These might be
the cure all you’ve been looking
for.

On Sunday, May 16 th , the Nutmeg
Chapter of the POCI held their
Annual Spring Show & Swap
Meet at Barberino Nissan in
Wallingford, CT.
It was the first event of the year
for NEFA. I was glad to see everyone,
we had Les Sandy and his
Red 88 Custom, Bill & Eileen
Dorosz in their 87 Blue
Convertible, Bob Aceto’s Purple
87 and Bill & Trish Wysocki in
their 87 Black GT. Kent Adams
had the White 88 Formula and
Jerry Antunes came in his 86
Gold SE. I had my Silver 87
Coupe.
A few club members stopped by
to visit us at the show, even
though they had other obligations
that day, it was great to see them.
We also have a new member
David Whitney for MA in his
1984 Indy Pace Car.
There was no Fiero class at the
show; we were mixed in with all
other Pontiac years 1977 – 2010.
There were so many cars that
people had parked along and
behind the building. We will
organize a Fiero Class for their
Fall Show on September 27 th .
I thought to myself what a great
day, but couldn’t help but notice
those few dark clouds that kept
Bill & Eileen Dorosz with their
blue convertible looking to the
sky!

The Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners
Association celebrated their
second year to attend the GM
Nationals. Again this proved to be
another great show. The show
field was divided into 8 car
classes which drew a lot of
attention from Fiero owners.
During the morning of the show
there was activity all over as Fiero
owners spent time to shine and
polish their cherished processions
to try to grab an award. The show
field drew close to sixty cars with
varieties from a chop top v-8 car
to a four wheel drive Fiero that
was powered by an International
drive train.
The show crowd enjoyed great
looking cars as well as good food
and two of our close supporting
sponsors selling parts for the
Fiero owner’s favorite ride. There
was plenty to do on the show field
including a burnout contest and
even a bikini contest that the
ladies could enter in.
The judging was again done by
Carlisle Events who did a fine job
the previous year. The hint here is
to park you car then shine it up
and completely open it up for the
world to see. Judging was done on
a 100 point scale for each car. The
best chance to score high was to
open all compartments to collect
the best score. There was some
confusion as to when the judging
was completed but the MAFOA
Earl Sessions Custom 1985 GT—Board of Directors Award
staff made sure that every car was
judged. Next year Carlisle Events
plans to make a few changes to
make it easier for the car owner to
understand the process.
MAFOA had their usual tent in
the middle of the show field that
had its own attractions from a
Chinese auction, to selling a few
parts, to even selling 50/50 tickets
to the crowd, it even served as a
cool shelter for Amanda and Fiero
Jon’s newest arrival that came to
join in on the fun. There were 10
specialty awards that were given
out to various categories from
best interiors to custom wheels.
The Chinese auction had many
items that were donated from our
sponsors like the Fiero Jon, The
Fiero Store, Paul McKibben,
Freysinger Buick GMC, Rodney
Dickman, Fiero Warehouse, and
Mr. Mikes. For the first time we
had a live auction for a set of dew
wipes and had overwhelming
response to repeat it for next year.
The club reached another
achievement this year as we
captured the club participation
award for a second year in a row
slightly edged out by the GTO
and Impala clubs.
The show ended on Saturday and
everyone was waiting for the list
of winners that Carlisle Events
announces for their Sunday
presentation. Several people again
showed up on Sunday to collect
their awards and get pictures
taken receiving them. MAFOA
would like to thank every one for
their participation in coming to
the show and supporting the

club’s efforts. The big thanks
goes out to all of our sponsors that
supported this show as without
them we could not support doing
this year after year.
We proudly present the following
sponsors for the event:
Fiero Jon
The Fiero Store
Maguire’s
Fiero Warehouse
Rodney Dickman
Paul McKibben
Freysinger Buick GMC
Bean’s Automotive

Speaking of awards the “Board of
Directors Award” was selected by
the board members from MAFOA
and it is my pleasure to announce
that the 2010 winner of this award
is Earl Sessions bringing a
beautiful Red 1985 modified 3800
super charged Fiero. Earl will
have the honor of having his car
on next years Carlisle event shirt.
The 2009 winner Dave Fanning
enjoyed having his car on this
year’s shirt which was given out
with your registration. This
combined effort of the event shirts
could not be made possible
without the continued support of
our number one sponsor Fiero
Jon.
My personal thanks goes out to
the hard work performed by my
staff on the day of the event.
Corey Leppo (MAFOA Activities
Director)-heading up this show
and setting up the show field
along with parking the cars, Mike
and Nancy Mayer for their
continued hard work running the
tent. Tom Derr collecting
sponsors and helping with the
Chinese auction, Bruce Homeyard
and Vin Latus for helping on the
open show field with organizing.
Jenn Hahn for selling raffle
tickets and helping under the tent,
and I cannot forget my wife
Bertha Leppo for helping to run
the tent and helping with raffle
tickets. Even Corey’s girl friend
Britney Yingling donated time to
organize around the tent and
helped loading all the goody bags
that were donated by Maguire’s.
I want to thank everyone who
came to this event as you all are
the real hero’s here because with-
out the people we would not have
a show.

R130 ‐ FIERO ‐ STOCK NOTCHBACK
332 DERR, TOM 1987 PONTIAC FIERO CLASS WINNER
333 CARLSON, ROBERT 1988 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
334 BOND, CHARLIE 1988 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
R131 ‐ FIERO ‐ STOCK FASTBACK
335 DERR, TOM 1988 PONTIAC FIERO CLASS WINNER
336 MAYER, MICHAEL 1987 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
337 SWISTAK, VINCE 1988 PONTIAC FIERO GT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
R132 ‐ FIERO ‐ FACTORY STOCK
338 DEDAY, JEFFREY 1988 PONTIAC FIERO GT CLASS WINNER
340 LEPPO,ROBB 1984 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
339 LAUDIG, PERRY 1987 PONTIAC FIERO GT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
R133 ‐ FIERO ‐ CUSTOM NOTCHBACK
341 RUGGIERO, STEVEN 1986 PONTIAC FIERO CLASS WINNER
342 CREGO, JASON 1986 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
* Celebrity Pick Chosen By: Rob Leppo Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners Association
R134 ‐ FIERO ‐ CUSTOM FASTBACK
343 HAMILTON, DUANE 1988 PONTIAC FIERO CLASS WINNER
344 PISHOCK, STEPHEN 1986 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
345 LEPPO, COREY 1987 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
R135 ‐ FIERO ‐ MODIFIED NOTCHBACK
346 SESSIONS, EARL 1985 PONTIAC FIERO CLASS WINNER
347 FANNING, DAVID 1986 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
348 RACICOT, THOMAS 1988 PONTIAC FIERO FORMULA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
349 MILLER, JOHN 1988 PONTIAC FIERO *SPECIAL AWARD*
* Celebrity Pick Chosen By: Corey Leppo Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners Association
R136 ‐ FIERO ‐ MODIFIED FASTBACK
350 MILLER, JON 1986 PONTIAC FIERO GT CLASS WINNER
351 SABULSKY, RICHARD 1986 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
352 SHAWN, MCANDREW 1986 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
R137 ‐ FIERO ‐ STREET/DAILY DRIVER
353 AMMONS, PHIL 1986 PONTIAC FIERO CLASS WINNER
354 MILLER, JON 1986 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
355 JAVAN, REIGNER 1987 PONTIAC FIERO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

It’s been 23 years since the last
Fiero rolled off the line and yet it
is still being used as the basis for
new toys. A couple years ago,
Mattel released the 40th
Anniversary of Hot Wheels where
1984 was represented as a special
issue of the Fiero 2M4. That
model was rust red over a black
lower body. Normally the model
had gold basic wheels, but a few
got out with 5 spoke chrome
wheels. This gave us 2 variations
to add to our collections. The
entire set was supposed to be sold
exclusively in WalMart for
$89.95, limited to 5 sets per store.
I checked about 10 WalMarts and
found nothing. I even asked the
managers, most of who didn’t
know anything about it. I’m
suspecting that all of the sets got
scoffed up before they reached the
shelves. I wound up getting my
set through eBay (where else).
Interestingly, many sets were
broken up so you could get the
single cars pretty easily.
Around the same time frame, the
first MotorMax release of a Fiero
hit the market. Initially they came
out in the “Fresh Cherries” series
in blue and yellow. Interestingly
these were identified as 1984
Fieros, but to us Fiero people, it
was obviously and ’85. Then
came the “American Graffiti”
series with the then designated
1985 Fiero in black and red. An
interesting addition to the model
was the “American Graffiti” logo
printed, in silver, on the left rear
fender. Last year came the
diorama series from MotorMax
where the model cars are mounted
in a shop setting. The Fiero came
with the 2 nd release, in a Tire

Shop diorama. These Fieros came
in blue and yellow, like the Fresh
Cherries, but have the American
Graffiti logo on the left rear
fender. That makes 6 variations
from MotorMax.
This year we have another new
release from Mattel. It’s a new
version of the “Sting Rod”, which
is an armored personnel carrier
with rockets and machine guns.
But to the Fiero aficionado, we
can see our Fiero GT fastback
under all that guise. Personally, I
think this is the car made for
Boston driving.
This year I “discovered” this new
variation in an email from Eric
Schneck, who was telling me of
his finds at a flea market. He was
casually going through the models
and mentioned a Sting Rod in
green and yellow. I jumped all
over that, and Eric sent me a
photo. Cool, a new model. Of
course I went directly to eBay and
sure enough, they were there. But,
(I said to myself) why bother with
eBay when I can probably find it
at Wal-Mart. My first Wal-Mart,
and sure enough, I found one. In
my real estate business, I drive all
over the place, so I started searching
for WalMart stores close to
my routes. After 10 Wal-Marts, 2
KMarts and 2 Toys-R-Us, I had
found a total of 3 Sting Rods.
Pretty expensive toys going this
route.
I then started studying the Sting
Rods being offered on eBay. For
the true Fiero toy collector, we
have some interesting variations.
A major variation is with the
wheels. The first release came
with off road tires on gold, 5-wide
spoke wheels (Designation:
OR5SPg). More recently a
variation with large gold wheels
with 5 very narrow spokes and
very thin profile tires
(Designation: OH5SPg). For the
more intense toy collector, the
main body comes in light and
dark green… light green is rare.
To me, it looks like the dark green
models have a clear coat, which
darkens the model. If you only
have one model, you won’t know
if it’s dark or light. But once
you’ve seen the light, you will
know. But if you are a casual
collector, don’t bother with this
variation; it is subtle.
There is also a variation in the
card the models are mounted on.
The American release is part of
the “Race World – Battle ’10”
series. The international release is
part of the “Race World - Earth
‘10” series. This international
card has text in several languages.
The Difference Between Men and
Boys is the Price of their Toys

The 9 th digit in the Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN) is
called a “check digit”. For
instance, the VIN for my ’88 GT
is 1G2PG119XJP224967; the “X”
is the check digit. It’s that elusive
digit or character which there
seems to be no logic to its value.
I’ve been told that the purpose of
the check digit is intended to
prevent “new” cars to be made
from stolen ones. Every other
digit in the VIN has a logical,
determinable source, which is
well documented and easily
determined.
The secrecy of the check digit
came home for me when I started
working on the Pontiac Fiero
T-Top Registry. I had a list of all
the serial numbers of the T-Top
S5. Check Digit
cars from Cars & Concepts, but
unfortunately, they didn’t record
the rest of the VIN or the model.
Since I considered my
documentation of the T-Tops as a
service to, not only the Fiero
community, but also Pontiac, I
asked the Pontiac Historical
Service if they could help me fill
in the rest of the VIN. Well, that
door got slammed really fast as
they refused based on the car
cloning possibility.
Being an Engineer, and a numbers
guy, I figured that there must be
logic to it… they can’t just be
random… there has to be some
way to confirm a valid VIN. I
tried but couldn’t seem to break
the code. Eventually the solution
appeared on the Internet
(naturally) presumable sourced
from an internal GM or Federal
document. The important part is
that it Works!
I wound up using this formula to
determine the 3 possible VINs for
each T-Top serial number. I then
signed up for CarFax and started
searching for the VINs. Amazingly
I was able determine the
complete VIN for 1160 of the
1252 official factory T-Tops.
Where there’s a will, there’s a
way!
S5.1 A check digit shall be provided with each vehicle identification number. The check digit
shall immediately follow the fifth character of the second section and appear with the vehicle
and on any transfer documents containing the vehicle identification number and prepared
by the manufacturer to be given to the first owner for purposes other than resale.
S5.2 The check digit is determined by carrying out the mathematical computation specified in
S5.2.1-S5.2.4.
S5.2.1 Assign to each number in the vehicle identification number its actual mathematical value
and assign to each letter the value specified for it in Table IV.
S5.2.2 Multiply the assigned value for each character in the vehicle identification number by the
weight factor specified for it in Table V. Multiply the check digit by “0”. Add the resulting
products and divide by “11”.

TABLE II
Year: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
Code: A B C D E F G H J K L M
Year: 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Code: N P R S T V W X Y 1 2 3
Year: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Code: 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
TABLE III
Characters Used:
Numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0
Letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
All spaces provided for in the vehicle identification number must be occupied by a character specified in Table III.
Table IV
Letter: A B C D E F G H J K L M N P R S T U V W X Y Z
= : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 7 9 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Table V
Character: 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th 10 th 11 th 12 th 13 th 14 th 15 th 16 th 17 th
Weight: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Note: 9 th digit is the Check Digit. Character weight is “0”
EXAMPLE:
Vehicle Identification Number: 1G4AH59H45G118341
VIN: 1 G 4 A H 5 9 H 4 5 G 1 1 8 3 4 1
Value: 1 7 4 1 8 5 9 8 4 5 7 1 1 8 3 4 1
Weight: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 - 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Product: 8 49 24 5 32 15 18 80 - 45 56 7 6 40 12 12 2
Sum of Products = 411; then Divide by 11: 411/11 = 37 with a remainder of 4.
Therefore, Check Digit is “4”. This compares to the number 4 in the 9 th position of this VIN.

1985 FIERO GT REBODY -
1966 FORD GT40 MKII
One of the MAFOA founding
members (Ken Evanson, member
number 103) is selling his 1985
GT outfitted with a 1966 Ford
GT40 MKII body. The GT40
body kit was ordered in 1989, and
was the 8th kit produced by NAF,
later known as ASPP. This car
was part of the ASPP display for a
couple years at Carlisle. The car is
currently in a state of partial disassembly.
A Northstar engine
with 4T80E transaxle has been
installed, but nothing else has
been connected ... no axle shafts,
exhaust, coolant, wiring, etc. The
build-up and installation of the
Northstar has been documented at
the PFF online forum.
E-mail: hoowasat@cox.net
MIRROR CONTROL REPAIR
PLATE
Reinforcement backing plate
repairs broken-out remote control
bezel on driver's door mirror. Kit
includes easy to follow
instructions, plate, extra bezel
nuts, and two extra door panel
clips.... just in case you break one.
$9.00 covers the kit and shipping.
Contact Tom Derr at
(717) 763-5748 or
tom6derr@yahoo.com
1988 WHITE FIERO GT T-TOP
VIN 1G2PG1190JP219311 -
Mileage 64K. Gray Interior,
Automatic, Rear Spoiler, Air
Conditioning, Leather Seats,
Floor Mats, Tilt Wheel, Cruise
Control, Delay Wipers, Power
Windows, Power Mirrors,
Equalizer Cassette FM Stereo
plus AM “Stereo” Radio, Performance
Sound, New Pioneer
Speakers to replace dried up
GM’s, Power Trunk, Leather
Visors, Vanity Mirror, Trunk
Light, T-top Storage Bags, New
Battery, Black Lace Wheels,
Alarm / Remote Start System
(Disconnected). Car has never
been a daily driver. Never seen
snow, salt or sand. Car is stored
every winter. Always covered
with three covers to protect from
rain, UV and dust. (Hate
re-detailing for shows.) This car is
very clean and in very good
condition. No accidents or rust!
Oil changed every two thousand
miles. Major service was done at
60K. Tires are in good condition.
Everything is in good working
order. Asking $10K. I will
entertain offers, but I will not lose
money on this car. Photos are
available via email.
Contact Dana Junkins
Kittery, Maine
Fieromaineac@aol.com
GOLD GT FASTBACK CLIP
Includes: GT fastback panel, sail
panels (one average condition,
one cracked), inside sail panels,
rain channels, trunk lid and wing,
trunk lid gasket (functional but
with the usual wear along engine
bay), tail lights / screws / plastic
plugs, rear side lights, vents and
supports, lockset housing, gas cap
assembly and cable. Not included:
wiring harness (notchback may be
adapted), truck latch (can use the
notchback latch), keyed lockset
( would want to switch from your
current car). $590 and must be
picked up from Harrisburg, PA;
will not ship.
Contact Tom Derr at
(717) 763-5748 or
tom6derr@yahoo.com.
FIERO LITERATURE,
COLLECTIBLES & PARTS
Over 2,000 items cataloged.
Dealer Brochures, Owner's Manuals,
Workshop Manuals,
Magazines, Pamplets, etc.;
Models, Die Cast, Pull-back
Fieros, Slot Cars, Matchbox, Hot
Wheels, etc.; Body parts, wheels,
sunroofs, ash tray covers, many
steering wheels, consoles, etc.;
Contact Tom Derr at
(717) 763-5748 or
tom6derr@yahoo.com.

FOR SALE 1984 INDY
Automatic, nice interior and reasonable
paint for a driver. I have
owned this car for 10 years, The
engine stopped 3 years ago and
has been sitting under a car cover
since. Wife says it is time to
sell. Can email detail photos.
Asking $1,200.00
Marvin Thomas
Monrovia, Maryland
1-301-865-3660
FIERO DIECAST MODELS
New Fiero diecast models from
Motormax, '85 GT, 1/64th scale -
"Fresh Cherries" series in blue or
yellow $7.00 ea, "American
Graffiti" series in black or red -
$17 ea. Initially released in the
Fresh Cherries series, it was
marked as an '84 Fiero. In the
American Graffiti series it's
correctly marked as an '85 GT.
They might be found at
Wal-Mart, but having hit several
stores, I've only found a few Fresh
Cherries and no American Graffiti
ones. I made a special purchase
from the Motormax US
distributor to get the AG ones.
"The Fiero Toy Box"
Ray Paulk, cell: 508-922-1961,
Ray@RaytheRealtor.com.
Cash, check or Pay pal.
(add $1.00 for Paypal).
SELLING TWO 88 GT’S.
Both cars are outstanding daily
drivers. #1 Bright Red, Clean
Beechwood interior with factory
leather seats, Gold wheels,
Pontiac CD radio, new subwoofer,
Cold AC, Good tires.
Automatic with 85,000 miles.
Everything works.
(1G2PG1193JP225622) #2 Dark
Red Metallic with clean Beechwood
interior. Lumbar driver's
seat. Gold wheels, Pontiac CD
radio, new subwoffer, Cold AC,
Good tires. Automatic with
83,500 miles.
(1G2PG1190JP220734) $ 5,000
each or $ 9,500 for both. If buyer
takes both, I will include one extra
set of black wheels, extra set
of Beechwood seat skins, clean
Pontiac repair manual and other
small parts. Cars are located in
Western Maryland about half way
between DC and Pittsburgh.
Email for recent pictures.
egeorge88fiero@verizon.net
Editor’s Note
1987 CUSTOM FIERO GT.
Automatic with 163k. Full service
records, well kept, many trophies.
Metallic blue exterior.
Gray interior with Mr. Mike's
seats, Kenwood CD Player with
USB hookup. Inspected and mechanically
excellent. Custom
features include 6" wing stands
(cost $250), turbo scoop sail panels
($230), V8 Archie Integrated
Rocker Panels ($500), Norm's
Fiberglass GT40 style front end
clip ($2,500), 35% Tinted Windows
- lifetime warranty ($150),
Borla Exhaust ($479), exhaust
headers were ported and cat converter
was "cored", rear sway bar.
Had a 4-wheel alignment done in
mid-July '10. Female owned and
proudly and sensibly driven.
Now the warts ... AC needs recharged,
paint peeling in the front,
and the headlights are finniky.
For more information and pictures
call Salena Derr (or my dad, Tom)
at 717-763-5748, or email me at
scuttle_6@yahoo.com.
Price is $2,700.
There was an error made in the Spring 2010 issue, and Fiero
Pride would like to issue the following amendment:
All references to “Gary Freysinger” should be corrected as
“Garry Freysinger”
All references to “Freysinger Pontiac/Buick/GMC” should be
corrected as “Freysinger Buick/GMC”

1988 SUPER DUTY FIERO
Engine is a 3.0 liter Super duty (5
main SD block, new) with SD
steel crank. JE flat top pistons,
MSD ignition, Ultradyne roller
cam, Edelbrock 4 bbl intake with
650 cmf Holly, Aluminum head,
Del West Titanium valves and
keepers, Jessell roller rockers,
Isky roller lifters, Manley connecting
rods, Super Trapp exhaust
(4 exiting center rear) etc. Very
streetable. GM electronic V-8
distributor(every other hole
plugged off) Super duty
clutch,Motor mounts are from V6,
Etc. This car has never been
abused.Too much money involved.
But I will tell you it is
very fast. I built and installed the
engine in a salvage title car before
the car was finished. (It was hit in
the Driver's door) After I installed
the engine I was told that the
body was the best that could be
done. Door fits well, closes tight,
but there is an imperfection where
the body molding fits at the windshield
near the top drivers corner.
The door window doesn't seal
perfectly at the top. Otherwise
body is in great condition. Car
has a GT front nose with spoiler,
Rare Mecham racing ground effects
kit. (Probably the only one
left in existence) Rear (over the
car) scoop. Holly side scoops on
both sides. I can sell the engine
and part out the car or sell it all as
a package. The car is absolutely
beautiful. (I really don't feel like
putting it on eBay).
Jim
(St. Louis, MO)
sd4fiero@yahoo.com