Quite frankly I have never seen a Fiero Metric Speedometer but they may be common in Canada and Europe. My friend Chet has one and is just holding onto it as a curio right now. We don't see these NOS spare parts in the USA very often so they are rare over this way. Chet might be willing to sell but it may be at a price that he can't refuse and then be faced with international shipping cost. Is there demand for such an item? If so what is a brand new one worth.? ------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 01-24-2020).]
If the US ever decides to leave the stone age and go metric , those Fiero Metric Speedometers will really be in demand down there!
Exactly... the imperial system is archaic and illogical. I can't for the life of me figure out why it is still in use. ounces? gallons? feet? miles? inches? pounds? yards? Maybe we should add "thumbs",
Exactly... the imperial system is archaic and illogical. I can't for the life of me figure out why it is still in use. ounces? gallons? feet? miles? inches? pounds? yards? Maybe we should add "thumbs",
Don't forget that here in the US we also have 'Football Fields' where distances are measured in multiples of a football field's length, which is great if you know how long a football fields is but not all of us do!. Seems to be in pretty common use, even on the news!
------------------ Anything I might say is probably worth what you paid for it, so treat it accordingly!
If the US ever decides to leave the stone age and go metric , those Fiero Metric Speedometers will really be in demand down there!
The US system of measurement is a combination of Metric and English units. Half of my tools are metric and most autos built there days use metric fasteners. . As for weights and measures in general, I would say that most Americans feel more comfortable with the English system. As for the 7 Canadian cars at Carlisle, I don't usually check out the instruments that carefully but would assume that since the temp gauge reads *C and the oil pressure (kp) , the speedometers would be in KM units. As for new metric speedometers being rare, of the 370,000 Fieros manufactured I find a statistic that 26.330 Fieros were sold in Canada. If Canadian Fieros only represent 7% of the total Fieros built then both the car and the speedometers would technically be rare. As for what my friends new metric speedometer is worth; I guess it is worth what a buyer would pay for it.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
The Canadian system of weights and measurement has evolved in to a mash up of Metric, Imperial and US measurements. We buy gas by the litre, speed is KMH but when you buy a gallon of paint it comes in a 3.78 L can. That is a nice round metric # isn't it? An Imperial gallon (used in Canada before metrification) is 4.55 litres. 3.78 L is a US gallon. When we got rid of the old Imperial gallon paint cans the only readily available cans were in US gallons, so the 3.78L pail became the norm. Once it became clear to everyone that metrification of everything was not going to work (and was costing billions), the commision in charge of metric changeover was disbanded and the whole thing became a free for all. If you want to work in imperial, US measurement or metric go ahead. But things like speed limits and weather measurements that had already been changed over stayed. For somethings, metric is much preferable. Like a 500 ml tall boy can of beer from Germany. A Canadian made tall boy is a nice round 473ml and costs more than a German tall boy.
------------------ 86 GT built 2.2 ecotec turbo rear SLA suspension QA1 coilovers on tube arms
The Canadian system of weights and measurement has evolved in to a mash up of Metric, Imperial and US measurements.
I suppose so, but part of the problem is that a lot of the older population was brought up and schooled using Imperial measurements. I was already 20 years old in 1975 when the changeover to Metric was supposed to occur. To this day, I give my height and weight in feet, inches and pounds. I have no idea what 6'3" and 190 ibs is in metres and kilograms. However, I much prefer Metric nuts, bolts and wrenches. It's such a simpler system than trying to figure out what fraction is between this and that fraction when choosing which US/Imperial wrench to use!
Originally posted by David Hambleton: I see there's no MPH scale in your pic. I wonder what that's about... My Canadian dealer sold cars all have MPH scales as shown below.
That's the cluster of my 85 SE.
My first Fiero was an 85 GT, and it had the same instrument cluster without any MPH markings. The rare times I drove to the United States, I just did some mental math to convert the speed limits.
I suppose the 85 V6 (with RPO Z49) cars were simply made that way.
quote
Originally posted by wftb: when you buy a gallon of paint it comes in a 3.78 L can. That is a nice round metric # isn't it?
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Originally posted by wftb: 3.78 L is a US gallon.
Pretending to be metric in that way is dumb; it just makes bastard numbers. It's best to always use the native units of whatever we're using.
I like how tire sizes mix both systems together.
[This message has been edited by pmbrunelle (edited 01-26-2020).]
I suppose so, but part of the problem is that a lot of the older population was brought up and schooled using Imperial measurements. I was already 20 years old in 1975 when the changeover to Metric was supposed to occur. To this day, I give my height and weight in feet, inches and pounds. I have no idea what 6'3" and 190 ibs is in metres and kilograms. However, I much prefer Metric nuts, bolts and wrenches. It's such a simpler system than trying to figure out what fraction is between this and that fraction when choosing which US/Imperial wrench to use!
People are fairly malleable... the real resistance to change I think comes from our existing formats of hardware, merchandise, raw materials, tools, and buildings.
If I'm going to build a house, am I going to use 3/4" plywood (19.05 mm) for the floor, or am I going to procure some custom-made 20 mm unobtainium plywood? No thanks, I'll stick with what's available.
There's no real benefit to changing to metric, so we don't do it. It would cost a lot of real money, for nothing.
If I'm going to build a house, am I going to use 3/4" plywood (19.05 mm) for the floor, or am I going to procure some custom-made 20 mm unobtainium plywood? No thanks, I'll stick with what's available.
Thinking along those lines... have you measured a 2x4 ?
Yes, Canada is stuck in a mish mash of both systems... really annoying. We are officially metric, but we are the mouse next to the Elephant that refuses to recognize the logic of the metric system, so we are having to juggle both. Since the US market is so much bigger than the Canadian market, it is totally understandable that the construction industry and many others would continue to standardize using imperial measurements for building materials. Good luck selling 19mm plywood to a good ole' boy building a shed in Georgia!!
So we are stuck with both systems here, just to confuse things
Originally posted by pmbrunelle: That's the cluster of my 85 SE.
My first Fiero was an 85 GT, and it had the same instrument cluster without any MPH markings. The rare times I drove to the United States, I just did some mental math to convert the speed limits.
I suppose the 85 V6 (with RPO Z49) cars were simply made that way.
My 3 cars (speedos shown in the pics above) all display RPO Z49 Canadian Equipment.
Interestingly enough, they don't display RPO U18 Speedometer, Kilometers.
I wonder how many different speedo faces were made? Do you have U18 on your RPO tag?
[This message has been edited by David Hambleton (edited 01-26-2020).]
What we did find out in this thread was that two speedometer faces were used for Canadian Fieros. One has just Km and the other has Km and Mph in small orange numbers . That's strange. Was there a reason for this? Could it be the dual marked speedos were sent to cities on the border like Hamilton, Toronto and Vancouver. This way if you traveled regularly to the USA for business or recreation you could navigate more easily. I've also seen dual marked speedos on USA vehicles. For instance for people in the Detroit area that go over to Hamilton for the night life activities this would seem to make sense. The way I see things the systems that we have will stay in place for quite a while to come. I understand both so its no big deal.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
What we did find out in this thread was that two speedometer faces were used for Canadian Fieros. One has just Km and the other has Km and Mph in small orange numbers .
Three, actually: The '84 & '86 140 kph, the '88 180 kph and pmbrunelle's '85 140 kph with no MPH. Maybe there are more?
I suspect that it is a cluster from a 1985 V6 model. All 1986 and up V6 cars had the aux gage cluster, and back-lit gages.
It is as that is the stock speedo that was in mine till the dealer changed it when I bought my car.
My local dealer brought 50 Fieros in in 1985 from Canada due to truck GP strike. Mine came from Rumble Pontiac in Toronto. But I Bought it new in Medina Ohio.
, those Fiero Metric Speedometers will really be in demand down there!
