ConvertiblesDiscussed here are problems and solutions to convertible specific questions, including difficult to find part numbers and other convertible tech help.
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testing:
BTW: Everyone I know says it could cost me $10,000 or more to properly restore my car. I'm not sure about that as I could find good sheet metal to bolt on in areas but want to know about the rear flanks bodywork. Is someone making replacement ASC stuff? My friend says 'yes', but I don't believe it. I figure partial welding may be needed
Bill
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Last edited by Bill Speed; 11-15-2004 at 06:47 AM.
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Hi
Been awhile but I had my original negs put to disc form so I could show you guys and gals my former glory. It's in sad state of neglect and winter abuse now... but I never plan to sell anytime in the forseeable future as I have spent $8,600 since I bought it with 44K and it now has 122+K miles
My price is the purchase price and it hasn't had much upgrades outside of standard replacements. Now the cooling system is suspect and the radiator no longer holds any fluid...after finally getting the fuel pump dealt with...cutting a hole in the trunk instead of dropping the tank. It required electrical retrofitting due to the pump not quite right for a match... more fun.Sorry for the post mixup, I was surprised it even showed up. Having problems again posting to boards.. dialup hell! ugh
I had to cut and shrink my pics still, but one shot is just too big right now. That's front left view with hood open.
These shots were 1997 I think
The current condition is too sad to show. I need inspiration, but repair est. hardly do the trick :hail:
Admin: I was intending to add this in the convertibles thread...messed up I guess. My stats are listed there
-Bill
Hi there.
I only see a URL hyperlinked right now, but last night, the pics worked.
I had mentioned the Firebird someone bought from a boneyard and restored. My friend who does mech work for me at substantial savings says, he probably put $20,000 into it. I'd like to know actually what types of cost effective things people have employed.. Are most doing this fully equipped and experienced?
Shops here tend to discourage old car repairs because buying a complete working one is in the same ballpark typically. I know late 90s Cadillacs sell for what I bought my bird for a coupla years back. They're hard to pass by in such nice shape...and formerly costing $30,00 or more new.
Bill
Can the decklid and rear quarters be replaced with aftermarket that sticks to the ASC/GM design? I had asked this I think, but haven't researched it. My rear lid got hit, front and rear bumpers too, over the last 4+ years...though the front is of real concern.. The left front quarter was also hit while parked in the last year. I've had a bad year needless to say... the car has been sitting until the fuel pump was addressed and not drivable. It now overheats of course.
-B
Congrats on buying a BEAUTIFUL car! 24000 mi? My question is: Now that you have it are you going to park it and look at it or will you DRIVE it?
Speedy
__________________ Speedgraphic
'90 RS Vert
New Paint, Top, Interior, Rims, Tires. IROC Swaybars, Alston SFC's, Billet Aluminum LCA's, Panhard rod and STB by Edelbrok. Hedman headers, Carsound CAT and Banks Catback. Restored close to stock. Installing XM Radio was one of the best things I ever did!
"It's hard to slow down, when you were born to run."
There is a tremendous amount of value in both. This is my fourth Firebird and fifth Pontiac.
Here is a breakdown.
Car 1: 1983 Trans Am Daytona Edition...DRIVEN, I was 16.
Car 2: 1987 Fiero, with a reworked 4 cylinder (roughly 200 horse)...That too was DRIVEN.
Car 3: 1989 Formula 305 5-Speed....DRIVEN
Car 4: 1994 Firehawk 6-Speed....DRIVEN
Car 5: the 1989 Convertible Formula....It will be driven. I will have fun with the vehicle but plan on only driving 2,000 to 5,000 miles per year.
I want to keep the car original, I may make some "soft" mods, like adding 91 front and rear bumpers, as well as fabricating a way for the 91 Formula spoiler to be added to the car. I just recently purchased the RONAL Firehawk wheels. I also plan on adding Trans Am style Heat extractors to my Formula hood.
Guess I'm not too surprised. I was surfing eBay while the 1988 and 1989 Formulas were up for auction, however, at asking prices around $8000+/- USD, I figured most people would pass them by. Congrats on the purchase.
I would ask that you NOT change particulars on that car as it's one of the rarest 3rd gens in original condition (research my particular history here and you see most seem to think it's 1 of 50 with the factory L98 350!)... BUT unlike mine, there's visual differences. Like the obvious pinstripping. How about those black wheel-well trim pieces? I hadn't seen it before...doesn't look factory. I had to buy the traditionally offered '350 Formula' side stickers off eBay. Got a good deal, but waiting for good sheet metal to apply them. Any advice on these I welcome!
Mine also has no third brake light mounted under the wing. There was an electric lid motor that stopped working for no known reason. I hope to address even minor details like this but money is the major factor in any repair, outside of tools, weather...etc.
I have to work outdoors, having no garage for my baby
Bill S.
>Below are pics of the ones mentioned above I rescaled and cropped>>
I do have yet another unanswered question...How many Firebirds in 1989 or 1988, for that matter, were produced in factory red? I find it funny that most I've seen that were drop tops turned out to be red...it's a bit scary as well. GTAs also fall into that. I have spotted one that was white like mine.
As an another example. I came across the Firebird Gallery.Com in my various searches. This turned up yet another red 1989 Formula convertible. Sadly, I had no contact with the guy who put it up on the board... he figured it for a custom 1989 Bird like I did going in.
The Internet allows fans the world over to pool their findings to sort thru the myths and get some truth. Thanks to the members here from me personally! Keep the site going!!
While I cropped the rear view shot of the car above, I felt it's still online at the gallery site, or should be, but mine I have to upload from my drive, so here's mine showing the factory power plant that is typically not showed off. My 350 requires work now, so I'm contemplating a Paxton TPI supercharger, but upon mention, my buddy says at that point, new internals, and perhaps suspension, need to be acquired to compliment the increased demand. I may leave that for farther down the road but look to revamp the exhaust with stainless steel perhaps. (a bit cost prohibitive, but then again... )
__________________ Speedgraphic
'90 RS Vert
New Paint, Top, Interior, Rims, Tires. IROC Swaybars, Alston SFC's, Billet Aluminum LCA's, Panhard rod and STB by Edelbrok. Hedman headers, Carsound CAT and Banks Catback. Restored close to stock. Installing XM Radio was one of the best things I ever did!
"It's hard to slow down, when you were born to run."
"Cadillac",
Looking at that rear view shot again, it seems your rear 'vert window is suffering from shrinking syndrome like mine and a few others. Did you replace that or patch it since?
Bill
The 88 TPI vert is still on the sale block. Problem selling it is that I have not had anyone come out to see it. Hard to appreciate when you don't see it in person.
ANy tips on selling and what would you ask for it if it was your's?
__________________ 88 Formula Convertible 1 of 104
Hey, Anthony
I knew buying mine, convertibles were, and typically are pricey, but it wasn't easy getting a loan either as I used Edmunds as a basis to judge the loan value in my case.
The lack of coupe interest is why GM killed it's two door segment to concentrate on 4 door sportys. Following other's leads as with the Escalade Cadillac ...based on a Chevy with slight modding, The reality is 2 door sport coupes are still not all that in demand. There is always a small market though, me thinks.
Selling it on line, use key factors that make the car unique, and in one example, the bad parts of the car were highlighted first, which strikes me as a tricky way to sell, but gives the on line seller cred. It's easy to miss something in a hurry too. I bought two cars off eBay. First one was a miss, the second, the white 88 Deville was a hit, I feel. Needs a tranny and should be all ready for a few years of trouble free use.
I didn't realize how quick rust gets worse. Pre-care is always best...but I digress.
Cars do sell on line, but it's a tough thing to put a finger on...who's willing and for what reasons. There are people who obviously want to see and touch before buying, understandably.
Also in my case, as I shopped for particular cars, I made note of specific problem areas to ask about. This comes up alot. Also in my case, I bought my last car, prior to the 89 Firebird, a 1984 Eldorado Biarritz... I was not allowed to drive it even though I was at the guy's house! I still didn't need much convincing...it was in fine shape, though not mint.
The guy was most likely just leery of road accidents or more mileage, which was near 100K IIRC. Either way, look for a gullible buyer with more money then sense hehe sorry, good luck though!
The 88 TPI vert is still on the sale block. Problem selling it is that I have not had anyone come out to see it. Hard to appreciate when you don't see it in person.
ANy tips on selling and what would you ask for it if it was your's?
Im sure you don't want to wait till Aug 05 but the TA Nationals in Dayton is a great place to sale a rare poncho. The people there will know what the car is and it value.
If you have no luck and can wait till Aug, (Plus you not that far away) you may want to try to sale it at the TA Nats. I have often thought when the time comes to sale either of my TA's I would do it in Dayton at the TA Nats.
Best Wishes,
John
__________________ John K
80 Indy Turbo Pace Car TA
92 TA Convertible, Jamacian Yellow (1 of 35)
96 TA WS.6 (450HP+) Sold
2006 Monte Carlo SS (LS4/303HP)
"Its stupid to work hard and you'll work harder if your stupid" ....John Wayne
Nice one. I've seen a small handful, virtually all Camaros floating around my area, but the Birds are certainly tougher to spot. My car never got a detail, and my former Caddy did. Hopefully I get to that stage again..gotta lotta work. Needs new seats, for one thing.....
;:~)
Bill
Hey, it seems as if you have done some research on Firebird production numbers. I am trying to do some research about the 89 verts. I know that there were 50 L98 equipped Firebird Verts produced in 89, where should I go to see how many were Formulas verse TA's? I also am curious as to the color options. Any tips on research will be great. I want to go to some shows next year, and want to have the documentation all ready for it.
Per your request to keep the bird stock, I promise that it will remain mostly stock. Here are the mods currently in progress.
I just purchased Firehawk rims (I'll hold onto the originals). I also recently added a three point stut tower bar. That is it. Everything works on the car. I do need to have my power hatch release switch repaired (the motor works fine), and the cruise control does not work. I may add some SLP components under the hood (runners, port the plenum, and add a cold air intake) but it is not too important. I will send new pictures when I get the wheels on the car.
GO HERE
for the information you are seeking regarding build numbers...
Speedy
__________________ Speedgraphic
'90 RS Vert
New Paint, Top, Interior, Rims, Tires. IROC Swaybars, Alston SFC's, Billet Aluminum LCA's, Panhard rod and STB by Edelbrok. Hedman headers, Carsound CAT and Banks Catback. Restored close to stock. Installing XM Radio was one of the best things I ever did!
"It's hard to slow down, when you were born to run."
Cool, Mine will be lightly modded, and I got the door stickers when the time comes to add them. I'm going on to the radiator problem in the month ahead and can't recall the old data they gave me, but I may have bookmarked links to my initial posts and legwork hehe
I've only seen red and white [mine]of the 89s, mostly, I do think black and possibly yellow? Just not too sure. Blue is one of my favorite colors and blue with white always looks good!
Waiting to see a blue one. I recommend painting the wing, but then again, mine might not stand out as much...it is custom black accents. Imagine the wing and beltline molding in white on red...instead of black.
Fellas, I just got my Firehawk rims put on the convertible. They look great. I will send in pics once they are ready. As far as customizing, I think I have finalized my plans.
Strut brace (done)
Rims (done)
removal of the side bump strip, pin strip, decals and door and wheel well moldings.
Repaint, most likely the same red, or a slightly lighter / brighter color red.
Brakes (a long ways off)
Subframe connectors
Accel Supperram intake, and runners
26 or 28# injectors.
SLP cold air intake
Heavy duty starter
Originally posted by Bill Speed "Cadillac",
Looking at that rear view shot again, it seems your rear 'vert window is suffering from shrinking syndrome like mine and a few others. Did you replace that or patch it since?
Bill
Me?
My rear window is sunburned pretty badly. Fixing just that is the same cost as replacing the entire top (minus installation). Still looking into it though.
Originally posted by Hogge just love this Ram Air SS hood on my Norwegian Brothers Drop Top!
Thanks for the kind words man! Great to see another scandinavian ragtop owner on the boards. These cars are pretty rare in our neck of the woods - at least in Norway, Im guessing there might be a few more of them in Sweden.
Originally posted by ChevyKen Thanks for the kind words man! Great to see another scandinavian ragtop owner on the boards. These cars are pretty rare in our neck of the woods - at least in Norway, Im guessing there might be a few more of them in Sweden.
Ken
Hei Ken!
I checked out ya Web site and find out that ya have lower ya Drop Top Iroc with a set of Jamex Coils!. That is exactly like a have done to lower my ride!. I also saw that ya had rebuilt your 305 mini mouse with new aftermarket cylinderheads! Was there any improvments in HP and Torque???
Here is the car I bought for my son last summer. It needs some work. I love the body style with the convertible. The body is great but the paint suck. We are going to paint it black. I want to leave off the wing and put a small fin deal, like on the Camaros, or the first pic of a firebird in this post. I think the lines are much cleaner. My 17 year old son, of course wants to put a wing on there. I might have to pull rank thouhg, none of these verts have wings, I think it would look better without.
this car was done by Straham in Newport Beach California. Has a wood overly in the dash, kind of cool
Originally posted by Larry Dunlap Here is the car I bought for my son last summer. I want to leave off the wing ... My 17 year old son, of course wants to put a wing on there. I might have to pull rank...
Larry,
If you do have to pull rank remind him that he is lucky to have an old man who would buy him a car like that in the first place...
Speedy
__________________ Speedgraphic
'90 RS Vert
New Paint, Top, Interior, Rims, Tires. IROC Swaybars, Alston SFC's, Billet Aluminum LCA's, Panhard rod and STB by Edelbrok. Hedman headers, Carsound CAT and Banks Catback. Restored close to stock. Installing XM Radio was one of the best things I ever did!
"It's hard to slow down, when you were born to run."
I checked out ya Web site and find out that ya have lower ya Drop Top Iroc with a set of Jamex Coils!. That is exactly like a have done to lower my ride!. I also saw that ya had rebuilt your 305 mini mouse with new aftermarket cylinderheads! Was there any improvments in HP and Torque???
Hare så Länge!!
Hogge
Hei Hogge,
Well, I added the heads, headers, cam, exhaust, SLP runners etc. - all at the same time, so I couldn't tell ya' what made the biggest difference. But, the whole combo definitely made a large improvement over stock - that's for sure
Guess we got some lines crossed with an alternate universe or something. You make a good point about who is paying for stuff on my son's car. I want him to like the car, but I just think that it looks a lot better without the wing
I was just being funny while at the same time remembering that my dad would never have even considered buying me anything that resembled a sports car...
Speedy
__________________ Speedgraphic
'90 RS Vert
New Paint, Top, Interior, Rims, Tires. IROC Swaybars, Alston SFC's, Billet Aluminum LCA's, Panhard rod and STB by Edelbrok. Hedman headers, Carsound CAT and Banks Catback. Restored close to stock. Installing XM Radio was one of the best things I ever did!
"It's hard to slow down, when you were born to run."
I understood completely what you were saying. I was just saying HUH? because there was a message that had nothing to do with this thread, from a guy in Norway or something. Did you see that message? Wierd
Oh, I didnt see the other post. Yeah, I was thinking 17" rims, Im not a big fan of big rims but I think it would look good on that type of car, a cruiser you know. I put 15" rims on my formula, but its IM shooting for more of a muscle type car, besides I have a lot more tire choices for the strip. I run low 13s with it. The idea for this car is to put some nice 17 " rims, a nice black paint job, then a light tan or cream interior. Someday
If you like, or care for, my eye for what is fantastic about these cars, I think wings and front spoilers are cool, but that comes from a firm history of American hot-rodding growing up and not some 80s born Japanese car fixation that afflicts the youth of today. When I play devils' advocate and look unbiased at Fords or the import scene, I tend to appreciate what works well and just comes together for it's intended purpose, but the Japanese don't have that history of hot-rodding like Americans do. I think the base cars need dressing, I love hood scoops, flares... on some, etc. The old days of engines that were blown, and some with hi-rise manifolds, coming through the actual hood still have inherant cool. I think the spoiler looks OK, not an eye sore like some. Ya gotta love the American cars in Sweden, BTW!
Bill
Here's my '91 T/A. I ordered it new and right now it has 14,000+ miles on it. Pretty much loaded, manual trans, WS6, posi rear etc. Still has the original tires. All original except for the luggage rack.
Originally posted by Trans It Here's my '91 T/A. I ordered it new and right now it has 14,000+ miles on it. Pretty much loaded, manual trans, WS6, posi rear etc. Still has the original tires. All original except for the luggage rack.
Originally posted by Cadillac I want your tail lights. BADLY!!!
Nice car.
Thanks. You can't tell it from the picture, but there's red-pinstriping on the vertical recesses that divide the tail lights. A very subtle mod. I wish it had 15" wheels so I could go w/some white letters like yours, or maybe even a set of red or gold stripe tires. Not much choice out there for 16" except blackwalls. Here's a side shot (hopefully, I can barely get this page to load with my POS dial-up con)
A luggage rack is something I am sorta in favor of, but ulitmately would pass up I think as it makes cleaning harder and I like the clean lines w/o them as well. Thought it a funny moment to mention having my convertible REALLY helped me get my last TV, 1997 era Toshiba 32" home (bought from a pawn shop some year back for $500! Now they've dropped considerably, almost time to upgrade again. The flat panel should fit much better, and weigh less!
hehe
Those last gen taillights look good, but I still prefer having the lock without the split mid-section
-B
Originally posted by Trans It Thanks. You can't tell it from the picture, but there's red-pinstriping on the vertical recesses that divide the tail lights. A very subtle mod. I wish it had 15" wheels so I could go w/some white letters like yours, or maybe even a set of red or gold stripe tires. Not much choice out there for 16" except blackwalls. Here's a side shot (hopefully, I can barely get this page to load with my POS dial-up con)
Want to trade wheels? I'm serious. No rash at all on mine, brand new rubber. Drop me a PM if you are at all interested.
:hail:
) 
