Fiero Tid-Bit: Body Panels

Even though we all know the Fiero is made of plastic panels, are you aware that there are several different kinds of plastic that make up the complete set of body panels? I ran across a picture on page 159 of the  Fiero Press Guide by Thomas Bonsall that can shed some light on all of this.

Along with the several different varieties of plastics used, there were several different manufacturers of these panels. According to the picture, the 1984 Fiero body panels were made by the following facilities:

The hood was made by General Tire and Rubber, the rear shell and trunk were made by Budd, the roof was made by Premix, the front bumper cover by GM in Canada, the front and rear fenders and the doors by Oldsmobile, the rear bumper cover was made by  Guide Division, the headlight doors were made by G.T.R., and the rocker panels by G.P. Plastics.

I think it would be safe to assume other body panel components were 'farmed-out’ to even more companies as the Fiero evolved.  I have been told on numerous occasions that Pontiac never made the rear spoiler (fin), but bought it from a third party who continued to make it after the production of the Fiero was stopped.

I would also suspect this was why some body parts seem to be unavailable and then suddenly could be ordered later on.  The original producer can still make them and will supply GM parts with replacement products when the demand requires it and the order is large enough.

Randy Agee - taken off the Internet

ragee@pen.k12.va.us