Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own over 120 Fieros at one time? Our Meet A Member, Todd Weikal, certainly knows! Here is Todd’s Fiero story.

 I first became interested in the Fiero in the late 1980’s because a good friend of mine owned a black ‘86 GT. I admired it and was given the opportunity to drive it once in a while; however, I didn't get the "sickness" (aka “Fiero bug”) until I bought my own in 2000. I purchased that first one, an ‘86 SE, for a commuter car since my drive to work was about 45 miles. It worked out perfectly since I was alone for most of my road time. Over time I dismantled it, put it back together, and was hooked! Until then I never realized how much they were like a life-size model car. By the end of that year, I owned twenty-one Fieros and had bought and sold at least a dozen more.

 So my collection officially started in 2000 and I called it the “Fiero Farm.” Three years later, I had over 120 Fieros in inventory at any given time. I shipped parts all over the world. I remember shipping GT drip rails to a customer in Japan. Believe it or not, they made it to him in great condition. In order to display the car’s construction, I removed all of the body panels from a rust free ‘87 Coupe and called it the “Skeleton”. It was driven year round and made at least one appearance at Fierorama. I also took one we called the “Buggy” to the Dells Run once. It had an exoskeleton that had been built by an engineer in St Louis, MO.

 I can't begin to count the number of miles I’ve spent driving a Fiero. I think the bigger surprise would be the miles traveled to pick them up. For example, I once drove from Missouri to New Mexico to pick up a black ‘85 that had been converted to electric. At least two weekends a month I would make a road trip to pick up one or more Fieros.

One of my fondest Fiero memories is taking my daughter to the Dells Run a few years ago and sitting at the table with V8 Archie and Chuck Itzenthaler while at the awards banquet. Fun was had by all of us; you won't find a better bunch of guys.

The other memory that comes to mind is Fiero night at the Kansas City International Raceway dragstrip. I was the only 3800SC Fiero there and they lined me up next to a very nice early 1980’s Corvette. I was listening to the announcer through my car radio and when we staged he said, “This is probably the fastest one of these Fieros here, but I don’t think it stands a chance against this Corvette”. About half way down the quarter-mile track he said, “Wait a minute, I stand corrected”. I don’t remember that time I pulled, just that it was obviously better than that beautiful Corvette. After the race, the Corvette drove through the pits and left. He didn’t even hang around to see why he just got beat by a Fiero. The funny thing was to hear the club members tell this story at every car show and probably every other meeting thereafter.

 As far as changes or modifications go, there aren't many I haven't performed on my own cars, or for someone else’s car. My favorite "mod" is the 3800SC swap. I like to make it as “factory-looking” as possible. In my opinion, it’s creating the car Pontiac should have produced. Over the years I have not experienced any unusual problems with any of my Fieros; just the usual vacuum and distributor issues and what not. I did chase a bad ground to the coil for a while in my orange 3800SC Formula that I owned for most of the time I had the Fiero Farm.

 In 2010 I sold all of my Fiero stuff, including my orange 3800SC Formula, to Chris Coulter, but not before building my daughter a 60,000 mile, orange ‘88 GT from all of my best parts. Chris took over The Fiero Farm in 2010 and is currently President of the Kansas City Fiero Owners Group. He also has a shop in Independence, MO where he does very unique engine swaps on all types of cars but specializes in 3800SC swaps in Fieros. Later that year I moved to South Carolina, Fiero-less. My daughter then sold her car in 2011. I thought I had gotten over my “sickness” and didn’t own a Fiero for three years. But in 2013, I bought my orange Formula as a rolling chassis back from Chris. I had big plans to install another 3800SC in it, but sold it to a guy in Folly Beach, SC who put it back on the road with a 2.8L and 5-speed transmission. No Fiero - again! Fast forward to 2014 when I got a message from the guy that bought my daughter’s car asking if I was interested in buying it back with a bad engine. Of course I was! I bought it back and went through the engine and put it back on the road. The strange thing was that the only thing he changed was the radio. Other than the aftermarket radio, it was just as I had built it for my daughter. I drove it for a year or so and then installed a 4T60 overdrive transmission, which made it even better. I recently sold that car again to raise the funds to finish my latest project – a rust-free ‘88 Formula, bright yellow, with a 3800SC.

 My current transportation/project car started as an ‘88 metallic white Formula that I purchased at a junk yard for $500. It was listed as not having a title, but when I arrived to purchase the car, it turns out they had located it - and it was valid. I had previously purchased a freshly painted, bright yellow Formula body from a fellow Fiero enthusiast in Florida. He was converting one to a GT. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at the time, but once I saw how nice the junk yard chassis was, it became crystal clear. I found a new water pump still in the box inside the car and discovered someone had broken one of the water pump bolts off in the block. This one bolt was the cause of this car spending the last 10 years broken down, without a sunroof in it, and being watered like a plant every time it rained. I sprinkled some magic dust on the broken bolt and Ta-Da, it came out! After installing the new water pump and a fuel pump/tank, I discovered the timing cover was leaking coolant. At this point I decided that if the 2.8L had to come out, then why not install the 3800SC I had been working on in my spare time? I purchased that 3800SC off Craigslist and wasn't sure if it was any good. When I arrived to pick it up, I was led out behind a barn only to find it resting on an overturned hood. It looked as if it had been there for a while but I chose to take the gamble and bought it.

About a month after discovering the broken water pump bolt in the 2.8L, I had installed and tried starting the 3800SC for the first time. The gamble paid off. The engine and transmission both turned out to be good. My 10 year old twins have been helping me put the finishing touches on it now that it’s on the road. It is technically “complete”, but as with all of the cars we love, "the project is never finished."

 It seems that I will always have the Fiero sickness. I enjoy them too much to not own at least one or two, or three… I now run an auto service center, Hill Tire Center, in North Charleston, SC. Since 2014, I have owned 12 Fieros and currently have six - including one Indy Pace Car, the seventh I’ve owned, and one that has been named “Buggy 2.0.”

The moral of the story is - the Fiero bug cannot be kicked. Just when you think you are past it, you fall off the wagon and BAM, the back yard and driveway are running over with Fieros again. I also have a ‘55 two-door Handyman Chevy Wagon riding on 33 inch tires and 16.5 inch wagon wheels with a 454/400 turbo drivetrain, and a Ford Excursion (for towing more Fieros home). The wagon was my Dad’s, which he owned and drag raced in the late 1960's. It had a 6-cylinder with a three-speed on the tree.

 I can’t remember what year I initially joined NIFE, but it’s been all I ever hoped it would be. I encourage everyone I meet that is even a little bit interested in Fieros to join NIFE. I still get a smile on my face when I come back from the mailbox with the latest issue of Fiero Focus! As a former President of the Kansas City Fiero Owners Group, I know what goes into running a successful car club. So I think a big “thank you” is in order to everyone involved in NIFE for the enormous amount of effort that goes into keeping the club going this long and strong. Great job and keep up the good work!