Good evening ya’ll,

After much searching locally for “just the right Firebird”, I picked up a beautifully cared for 1987 2.8L V6 Firebird with less than 58,000 miles on it. It is entirely stock - from the floor mats to the cassette deck, and according to the former owner (who was religious about it’s condition) it has only been driven 12,000 miles in the past 10 years.

Now, we bought it yesterday afternoon and drove it 150 miles home without issue. We stopped for gas, had shut it down briefly for a quick bath, and it started both times no problem. We were told the battery (manufactured in 2013) was weak and should be replaced asap. I bought a new battery this morning, and was going to take her to the shop for an oil change and inspection, but she wouldnt start. I assumed the battery was the issue, and changed it out. Same problem, the dash lights up, but no crank. Now, I did notice the negative battery cable has an additional green ground wire, and it should be connected somewhere?? The ground wire on this car terminated in a broken and corroded ring or spade type terminal. My question is, Where is this ground cable to be connected? I have googled and youtubed the question, and searched the Forum, but can’t find an answer. Would it make sense that this missing ground connection is the problem? Where can I reconnect it?

...I am trickle charging the new battery (2 amps) overnight, just in case. According to it’s manufacturing decal, it was made in November 2018 and was just “on the shelf” at the local auto parts store.

PS: If you can take a picture of where this grounding wire connects, it would be much appreciated!

Ray

It is my first actually - I created the profile intending fully to buy the ‘90 the next day. I had plenty of converations with it’s owner and drove four hours north to the middle of nowhere and down several miles of gravel to buy it. He had demanded cash (understandable) and I agreed to pay the full asking price if the car was as advertized. He assured me it was and I wouldnt be disappointed. He lied, and I was.

It looked great in pics; you couldn’t see peeling paint or rusted rockers. He advertised it as a 130,000 km car. It had 249,830 km on the odometer. Door and window and T top gaskets were rotted out. The low profile tires it had been adulterated with were almost thread bare. The aftermarket sound system he advertized so predominantly in his ad “never did work”; neither did the aftermarket security system (which he never played with because he was worried he’d shut down the car and never get it to start again). The electrical gremlins extended to the high beams. Once turned on they could only be turned off by reaching into the broken plastic shrouding the steering column and jiggling the wires and the steering wheel.
The engine, however, was as advertized.

I politely walked away. On the plus side, it was a scenic drive. The wife and I saw no less than six moose crossing the highway during the last hour (not all together).

We had also been looking at this car (the ‘87 2.8L), because it looked so mint. The wife really wanted T-Tops, so do I - but I couldnt pass this car by. She really has been kept up immaculately.

Growing up, this was the car the cool kids had. I was never a cool kid; but I loved their cars. I have always bought “practical” vehicles, making my decisions based on black book prices and available finances. This car wasnt bought for those reasons... it is a connection to simpler times. Better times. I look forward to learning more about it; and taking her out on some adventures!

....I will change my profile info tomorrow, and include pics of this car in my avatar.