ok i need some clarification. i bought a 92 pontiac "firebird" a one owner car from north carolina ( origanally sold in AL) and brought it home to NY. while the car is mint in every aspect from paint and interior to drivetrain one thing is driving me crazy. the title says fbrd/form. the carfax says fbrd/form my insurance cards say fbrd/form. i have the origanal window sticker which says it's a firebird with the sport apperance package. the sport apperance package consits of trans am front and rear facias, trans am side modlings. and T/A wire mesh wheels. however the rear spoiler is not the wraparound kind that comes up the sides of the hatch like the T/A or the formula. and the hood is clerly a firebird one because it dosen't have the T/A vents or the formula's offcenter scoop. it has a 305 TBI and a 4 spd auto and the plain old firebird tailights. if i ever sell it someone is going to ask me about the "fbrd/form" and i would like to be able to explain why the title says that, (plus not for nothing i'd like to know why it says that too). so what do i have a firebird or a formula?

 

If you have the "raingutter" ground effects, its a Firebird. Formulas do not have ground effects. From the spoiler description, it sounds like a Firebird. There is nothing in the VIN to distinguish a Firebird from a Formula (unless its a TPI engine) so the powers that be call it both.

 

do you have the RPO sticker that is located in this lockable rear LH box in the trunk? i think this could help - formula would be W66 if i am not mistaken (please confirm somebody)
besides, imho the formulas did all have a cowl hood (though not functional). so it might be a firebird with the SAP.

let me know about the rpo sticker ^^

@Kevin91Z, the tpi was n/a on firebirds right?
and yes, there is no difference in the VIN..

greetings
ownor

 

Unless someone's changed nearly all of the body panels on your car, which is not likely to have happened, everything you've said about it indicates Firebird, not Formula.

Going by the VIN only, the Formula IS a Firebird, so both share code FS. The only other code they can possibly share is code E for the TBI engine(standard for the Formula, optional for the Firebird).

So maybe with both codes, FS and E, the programs used by carfax, insurance companies, VIN decoders, etc., 'know' they can't distinguish between the two models. But I suspect it's prolly just easier to keep their programs simple by indicating both, Firebird/Formula, when FS is seen.

 

that is fantastic info thank you... now can someone explain what the rpo code is and where is it on that sticker in rear storage compartment

 

All those 3-digit letter/number combinations are RPO codes. Every standard or optional item used in the assembly of the car has a code, and they're all listed on that label... prolly 70, 80(or more) of them.

The code for the "Formula Option" is W66, but I wouldn't expect to find it on yours.

 

my title says trans am. it is a formula.... they can put whatever they want on the title.

 

the RPO code on the sticker in my hatch is W68. I assume this is the one for a firebird

 

W68 is the option code for the "Sport Appearance Package"(the Trans Am ground effects package), which was definitely available for Firebirds.

There was no specific RPO code for Firebird. On the dealer's "Pontiac Firebird Car Order Worksheet," he'd order either code S87H(for a "Firebird") or W87H(for a "Firebird Trans Am"). So all the cars began as either Firebirds(that came with VINs beginning with 1G2FS) or as Trans Ams(that came with VINs beginning with 1G2FW).

To get a Formula, a Firebird was ordered with RPO option W66. And to get a GTA, a Trans Am was ordered with RPO option Y84.

So there ya go... if your car's VIN begins 1G2FS, but there is no RPO code W66, it is a Firebird only. But it sounds like a nicely-optioned, nicely-kept one and a nice car.

 

The reason why your title states fbrd/form is you have a V8. THe LO3 to be exact. This Engine, the LO3 was the base engine for the Formula, If the dealer did not specify another engine, like the LB9 or L98 which were TPI then it automatically got the LO3.

Since both the Firebird and the Formula were available with the LO3, the VIN would not distinguish between the two cars, and in many cases, the title, Insurance, Carfax etc would read Firebird/Formu... or some combination thereof... My 91 FORMULA when I got the title from the Lot stated "Firebird" When I got it back it stated Firebird/Formu, My Title for my 91 Firebird I recently purchased states "Firebird" It may have to do with the person inputing the information into the computer that day... the "/" indicates "OR"

As a point of interest, Both my 87 Formulas state "Firebird" My 89 Convertible does not state Firebird, just Pontiac, then Convertible... go fig.
John

 

Yep you just have a basic firebird. Even mine with the LHO (V6) is listed as Firebird/formula on isurance, etc as well. Most 91-92 base Firebirds came with the "Sport appearance package" Trans Am ground effects. Everything you described sounds like a base model Firebird.

 

I'd like to thank you all for the info i've gotten off this thread and the site in general. it has been very helpful and informative

 

just another 2 cents worth.... I have a trans am with the ws6 package....an 89 to be exact and the title says trans am/GTA so there you have it they arent differentiated very well on titles.....

 

Glad I found this. I have a 91 Firebird Convertible that was listed as a Formula when I bought it. But the 305 it had at the time didn't really seem like something a Formula would have. Thankfully I have a 350 in it now. But yeah, I'm sure it's not a Formula, but I'm going to check for those codes.

 

The last year you could get a Formula Convertible was 1989.