Convertable Wanted
88 or 89 Firebird, Formula, TA or GTA.
Must be 350 TPI.
It will need to be pretty much stock as I need to register it in the Peoples Rebublic of California. Zero tolorance on smog equipment.

 

Convertibles came with a 305 only.

 

Wrong.

My son has one with the 350 numbers correct.

 

Post the VIN.

 

Go to the convertable section hes madmax

I can tfind the paper but I believe the engine code for a 305 is a letter and 350 is a number and his is the 350 code.

 

Umm... 88-89 #'s matching bird will be hard to come by. since the pre 91 vert birds were custom jobs done by serveral different companies. and yes its true the birds that were engineered from GM to be convertables were 305's. otherwise it is a swap just like mine.

and there would be an 8 in the 8th digit on the vin for a 350

 

correct thats where it is.

And yes, technically GM did not build a conv they were built by ASC under contract to GM. Even yours was farmed out.

If you dont believe me come to our meeting at R&R and read for yourself.
Or send a PM to Madmax

 

For what its worth:

 

Both Injdinjn and Madmax are correct.
I myself have seen a fair number of 350 powered GTAs and Trans Ams converted. Not 305 swaps. From 1987 to 1990.

George

 

The keyword was engineered not assembled. When they designed the car the engineers did not think about the possibilty they would be made into convertables. At least until the 91 model year.

 

All 'factory' thirdgen convertibles were made the same and by the same outside company, ASC. There wasnt any added 'engineering' in 1991. Dont forget those same people that were doing the 'official' Firebird convertibles 1991-1992 are the same people that were doing the Camaro convertibles since 1987.

 

so i suppose it was just random the 91-92 convertables didn't have a 350.

i hope you get the point that I'm not talking about the 82-90 verts. Those were done by many different compainies, but the cost of the conversion could not be rolled into the financed purchase price of the vehical. although some were dealer sponsored it had to be a cash purchase so who knows what engines those had. 91-92 the conversion was part of the MSRP and so had to meet crash test and insurance company regulations.

 

doesnt 91 and 92 convertibles have the huge frame connector box next to the rocker that only convertibles have??
know they were a T top car, but the "added engineering" is what Im talking about.

 

What??? Man do some research. Here's a word for you: CAMARO. Look it up. ASC was converting those for GM since 1987, through 1992, in the same manner, factory authorized, financed, and 'crash test' approved. What is it you dont understand about that?

 

You mean these:

 

but the original question that started this topic was for a firebird so i was offering information on a firebird. And i believe my original reply reflected I was talking about a firebird

 

i look this up in my dealership book that i got at a swap met a few years back. It was possible to get a 350 from the factory but it was a special order and factory was against it as a 350 with stock equipment will torque the subframes on the car. If you went to a dealership most of them on the lot were 305.

 

This is the original post


85 droptopta; is your memory really that short?
printed out this thread is less than 24 inches long.

 

Yeah those!!!n

 

dude thats the question I answered for you. Never said you couldn't get a 350 from 88-89. Just 91-92

but anyway nothing like a good debate to keep your wanted ad to the top

 

Thats true.

 

I need to make one quick correction to my previouse statement. There was a 91-92 convertable firebird built with a motor bigger than a 305. It was the one and only Firehawk Trans Am and also the Only Firehawk convertable. It came with a 375 hp 366-ci aluminum block V8. I believe Milton Robson the car collector currently owns it.

 

Still looking

 

I don't know if you have seen this one or not Tom... Here is the link.

AutoTrader.com - Cars For Sale: Car Details

 

That one looks nice!

George

 

Thanks, had not seen it listed.

I looked at that one last year. Its got over 200k miles on it and the top is broken, missing rivets? in two places and the trim over the whindshield was missing (the owner might have the pieces).
He was asking a lot more before. Said if it didnt sell in a week he was gonna restore it. Guess he changed his mind.
Oh yea, a pretty good dent in the left rear 1/4 panel.
Interior is shot.

 

How about mine?

I just bought Firehawk #026 (seriously). I need to sell my 1989 Formula 350, red, black top, grey interior. Everything works but the ac. Even the power antennae works. The car has less than 35,000 miles on it. I am asking $10,000.00. It is one of 50 350 equipped pontiac verts from 1989. Let me know.

send me an e-mail if you want to see pics.

sam.chontos@verizonbusiness.com

thanks,

Sam