Hi im the owner of 89 firebird formula(according to vin) but the twist is it has t/a ground effects and the notchback rear hatch, the only documentation i could find out about notchbacks is they were only produced in 88 i think if memory recalls about 1500 of them were built just wandering if anyone has any idea if this is factory or not , however the car has none of its rpo codes posted anywhere in the car(trust me ive looked) sorry for long post any help would be appreciated. thomas

 

The Notch hatch was put on it after the fact but as far as what it really is, your best bet is to send the VIN to PHS to find out then there is no question.

BTW, 624 were made in 88 and it was a GTA only option...

 

In 1988, Pontiac offered the notchback as a factory option on the GTA. There were 718 produced. The notchback is a fiberglass piece that bolts on in place of the regular glass hatch (with the exception of a few differences). It has a small back window which comes directly down behind the rear seats (at a 75 degree angle). Then a flat area (like a trunk lid) extends to the rear of the car with a ridge running down the center. It has a spoiler, but not like the standard wrap around one. While aftermarket reproductions are found all around, an option code of AA8 was used for the factory notchback along with the 10th character of the VIN being a 'K'.
according to this the vin matches but if it was a 88 gta option only what do i have?
just found that post maybe we can work together to figure this out thanx. thomas

 

Your said you have K in your VIN but you didn't say that you have AA8...

 

...if your VIN has a "K" in the 10th character from the left then its a 1989 model year vehicle. All notchbacks had the letter "J" in the 10th character. That letter "J" signifies the car was a 1988 model year vehicle. The info you have is incorrect. I own and have owned a couple of 89 GTA's. All ofcourse had the letter "K" in the 10th character and ofcourse none were notchbacks. If you have verified the VIN is correct for the vehicle then you have a notchback thats either from a 1988 GTA that someone added on or more likely an aftermarket reporduction.....

 

As 92GTA and razor stated, the Notchback was an option on GTA models only....



The 718 figure has been bandied about for years, but the only "hard" figure that I have ever seen is the 624 built for 1988, and the PMD records show 1 Notchback was built as a 1989 model.

The 10th digit of the VIN would have no relationship as to whether or not the car was an original Notchback. This digit is used to show the model year: K = 1989. The "1" shows up in the '89 GTA production records for the AA8 option, but not in any other Firebird line. If the car in question was a GTA, then things would be getting VERY interesting....

 

i guess im gonna have to tear my car apart looking for the rpo codes just so i know for a fact what i have imagine the possibilities if i found aa8 on something WOW !!!! well anyways thanx for the help its been greatly appreciated. thomas

 

Where in tupelo are you?I come out to barnes crossing all the time.I am in columbus and would love to take a look at your car.Anyway good luck finding out what you have.

 

On a side note, your initial post in this thread notes that you determined you had a Formula based on the VIN. Pontiac only gave the f-body 2 different letter codes in the VIN, 1 for Firebird and 1 for Trans Am.

The RPO codes y82, w66 or ws9 indicate a Formula conversion. Nothing else. You can look in your center console or in your locking rear compartment for the SPID sheet that has your RPO codes. Without any of those codes you have a Firebird, not a Formula.

Many insurance agents and dealers will incorrectly id a Firebird with a v-8 as a Formula because there is no VIN difference. The down side is the person gets charged a higher rate for insurance.

If you cannot find your SPID you *may* be able to pay PHS to send you what they have.

GL!

 

Just wondering what the 5th digit of your vin is? (either an "S" or a "W"). Also what is the eight digit of the Vin? (F,8, E,7). These may help you figure the car out a bit better.

 

first of all 350 tpi im about 10-15 minutesfrom the mall at barnes crossing im putting my engine back together this weekend and getting it going again, second of all im going to finish the engine tonight and i will look in said places for my "SPID" sheet ? that has the rpo codesto get a better description of what i have. third the 5th # is S and the 8th is a E any imfo on this would be nice. thanx again for the help. thomas

 

If the eighth digit is an E,that means a 305 tbi.

 

1989, I don't believe that any Formulas were offered with the L03, (305TB).
If that's what your vin says "E" for the 8th digit, then you probably have a Firebird that someone just really hacked into. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Seeing that there is no telling how far this car got messed with, any questions I might ask would yield no conclusive proof. You need your SPID. Tell you what, a friend of mine got a 2000 WS6 and the SPID stickers go on the doors on 4th Gens, on the assembly line he got the SPID from the car one serial number before him, so he had no RPO codes that applied to his car. He went to the local Pontiac dealer and they said there's no way to reproduce an actual SPID, [b]BUT[\b] they gave him a printout of his RPO codes based on his VIN. I believe that they might still be able to do this for you.
Try that and let us know what the story is and if the dealer was able to help. If not, let me know and I might be able to check through some friends I have at my dealer and see if they can do something.
Hope this helps.
Mark

 

On 4th Gen's they go on the inside of the glove box door...

 

I beg to differ Alex, at least LS1 cars are on the driver's side door jamb.
Maybe LT1 cars are in the glovebox.
Mark

 

I looked at a black 98 LS1 Trans Am not more than a week ago that had it on the inside of the glove box door. Maybe it changed in 99 or something, no big deal...

 

Probably, might have carried over from '97, early model.
I just spent a few more mins on your Firehawk site, just to clear some things up as far as originality goes, very useful pics there, as always.

 

What do you mean? Originality of what?

 

Comparing my car vs a car that is known to be 100% original, to check on my car's originality.

What'd you think I was questioning the originality of the Firehawk???

 

No I figured that mabye somoene you knew had a Firehawk or something and that you were comparing mine to it and if so I wanted to know

 

89 IROC-Z
Formula
Trans Am M5,A4 LO3 V8 9.3:1 5.0 (305) 170@4400 255@2400 TBI 3.08 ---- 2.73 the lo3 was optional on the firebird and formulas for 89 plus i had another 89 formula which also had a lo3 in it i know for a fact it was a formula also. also unfortunately i couldnt find any of my rpo codes tonight but i havent been able to look under my back seat where i was told they could be also. thomas

 

From 1989 until 1992 I believe the following is true
Firebird - "S" V6 (Standard) & "E" L03 (optional)
Fomula - "E" L03 (S) & "F" LB9, "8" L98 (O)
Trans AM - "F" LB9 (S) & "8" L98 (O)
GTA - "8" L98 (S) & "F" LB9 (O)
SOME of the firehawks actually got a "7" much like the 89 TTA for the 8th Didget.

My Point, The Formula base engine was the L03 from 88-92.

hope that helps

John

 

Where did you hear that? All "real" 92 Firehawks with B4U were "8", L98 cars. All the others that were taken off the dealer lots to be converted were either "F" or an "8". However I do not have all of the VIN's but I would like to know where you heard that?

 

Firehawk #26 which had the 383 Aluminum Block & Aluminum Hood at SLP in Troy MI had a "7" as the 8th didget, trust me I checked it twice to make sure. Firehawk #1 had an "8" for the 8th didget tho. When I was new to Firebirds back in 1999 I went to see them...

At first I thought the "7" was for a 305, but after some research I quickly found out that an "F" was for the 305 TPI.

John

 

Ok, but did you catch my post that you could go to the dealer and they might be able to give you a printout?

"Tell you what, a friend of mine got a 2000 WS6 and the SPID stickers go on the doors on 4th Gens, on the assembly line he got the SPID from the car one serial number before him, so he had no RPO codes that applied to his car. He went to the local Pontiac dealer and they said there's no way to reproduce an actual SPID, [b]BUT[b\] they gave him a printout of his RPO codes based on his VIN. I believe that they might still be able to do this for you.
Try that and let us know what the story is and if the dealer was able to help. If not, let me know and I might be able to check through some friends I have at my dealer and see if they can do something. "

 

#026 is owned by a very good friend of mine Mike W. Both of our Firehawks are stored at the same place. I can tell you with 100% positively that his car started out from the factory as a non-1LE LB9/5-spd car and I have his SPI sheet to proove it. His VIN does in fact have an "F".

 

Just a quick note about the 4th gen RPO locations. My 99 T/A has them listed on the drivers side door. My 94's have them on the glove compartment door. Hope that helps

 

my bag then, I thought for sure it was a 7, but maybe I got confused by a TTA I was looking at...

This is the dark green car correct???

John

 

Kinda, it's EXACT same color as my GTA

Bruces #024 is the dark green one...

 

Did it ever get the T-ram setup? When I looked at it, the car only had a stock looking TPI with runners... Honestly that was the only reason I would have preferred the #1 car. If my memory serves, #26 had lots of goodies, like a CD player, Aluminum Block 383, Aluminum hood, & such. But no rear defog (The missing rear defog might have been #1). Mike Dumays or Mark Shickell (I forget which) showed #1 & #26 to me and said #26 was originally owned by someone in HI.

Thats about all I remember about it.

John

 

http://www.transamgta.com/Firehawk/026.html

 

Yup, that was the car, the only thing I notice is that the door stickers were not on it when I looked at it, and I swear it had a TPI setup on it too, thanks...

can I use some of those pix for my Formula Web site?

thanks again...

John

 

here is how I saw it:

John

 

If your interested, I have pictures of some of the ones that you do not I have found around the web...

like #003, & #021 & some others I think...

John

 

Yes please hook me up with the pics! I own #003 so I'm very interested in those. Also I only have a few pics of #021, I'll take all I can get!

Thanks!

Alex

 

what does the fifth digit of the vin stand for? mine is a S

 

you can look this stuff up...

http://www.f-body.org/oldfaq/html/vins/3genvins.html (not perfect but close enough)

1 - USA
G - GM

the third diget is the division
1 = Chevrolet
2 = pontiac

the Fourth didget is the body line
F = Thus "F-Body"

the fifth didget is the modle in the body line
Camaro
P = SC, RS & Z28
S = Berlinetta

Firebird
S = Firebird (base) could be Formula also,
W= Trans AM
X = ??? S/E Special Edition