I have an opportunity to trade my '98 Suzuki RM250 for an '87 Formula 350.

I've had five 3rdgen Camaros up to this point, but this would be my first 3rdgen 'Bird. I've been looking for a GTA, but haven't found the right one to trade for.

Here are some pics of the Formula. It apparently has a "really bad miss" and will need to be towed. Looks like its been sitting a while. Can any of the 'Bird aficionados gauge from the pics whether this car looks like a good one? All I really know at this point is its a 350 TPI, with posi disc brake rear.

 

IMO i would go for it, it has the 350 tpi posi and rear disc brakes, if there is mo rust on it that would be my selling point. i tune up may solve the problem of the miss but you never know.

 

that thing looks like junk man...

honestly, id keep lookin...unless your lookin for an all out project.

 

...which I'm not... I'm looking for something I can put a small amount of $ into and maybe paint and then drive, and hopefully resell.

 

if i were you id pass...

no idea what your bikes worth...

but, that formula wouldnt be worth more then 500/750 at most...

with a non driveable motor, you have no way to test ANYTHING...theres a reason why its been parked for awhile it looks like, being a 700r4...it could be fried...rearend could be toast...all sorts of things..

looks like a decent car for a project, but i think in your circumstances...wouldnt fit the bill.

sucks too, cuz formula's are SEXY as hell when their clean

heres a few shots of mine for reference..and im a pic *****! haha

 

Wow... Well, first that looks like surface rust about 4" up from the bottom behind the rear wheels. That area is really prone to rust, so I wouldn't be shocked to find the spare tire well rusted out. It's an 87, and those are the wrong wheels. 87 had the domed 16's like the 85-86 Trans Am. The concave 16's were new for 88. Everything under the hood looks like some imbecile had it apart and didn't put anything back together right. A "really bad miss" sounds like catastrophic failure to me. The paint is trashed, the body is rough, the interior is worn and faded, and the drivetrain is a huge ?. It's a basket case.

Now to be honest, that's not the end of the world. It could be patched together and turned into a fun beater or a project, but if you're looking for something to turn into a real eye popping thirdgen I'd keep looking. $200-800 would probably be alright for that car, but I wouldn't give more then a thousand under any circumstance.

 

my thoughts exactly, i just didnt wanna type that much...

we're right in line in price too haha.

 

I love the coil bolted to the runners. LOL And why does it look like they were hauling hay bales in the trunk? Rode hard and put away wet...

 

lmao...i know a guy who used to haul a lawmower in the back hatch of his 85 t/a...pissed me off cuz it was clean when i sold it to him.

that said, id love to know where the car is...i wouldnt mind fixin it up for a "stock" driver.

 

I appreciate the info, guys. Its always hard trading... My bike runs and looks excellent for the year and trading for a possible problem laden car isn't what I'm looking for. I know the seller personally, as I rode atvs/bikes up in the mtns with him and a buddy one time; I asked him about rust and he said there wasn't any to speak of.

Is it possible that this car could be an '88 with those wheels? Just curious if maybe the seller is wrong on the year.

What's the deal on the hood? Are the power bulge hoods worth anything?

 

88 would have serpentine belts, and a different aircleaner setup. That accessory setup with the late CS alternator, and the V/Serpentine belts is one year only, 1987.

The hood... Well I've got one sitting out back. It's been on Craigslist since May with a $250 price tag and I haven't gotten more then a few emails about it and no one serious. It'd probably be easy to sell for $100-150.

 

Here are some things I noticed about the pix...
1) as mentioned by Drew... the wheels are from an 88-92 Formula
2) The Steering wheel is 88-89
3) The Firebird emblem on the fender... thats an interesting item. I really believe that in early 1987 Formulas got these emblems, and early year they were dropped from the Formula. I would not be surprised if it is one of the first 10,000 cars made in 1987.
4) The miss is more than likely a bad injector or more than one.
5) What is up with the alligator clip on the brake booster???
6) A Basic Formula 350... Power Windows (can tell if it has power locks) and AC... no rear defog, but it does have the hatch release...
7) The spoiler is not salvageable...

If you like the car, then do what you want, but I think it would be a fine parts car... If you can pick it up for >1000, then I say go for it. There were 2,384 Formula 350's in 1987...

I will mention that I just bought a pretty nice Yellow 1987 Formula LB9/M5 with a hard top for $3600... its not perfect, but its rust free, an older repaint, but a really nice driver...

Good luck.

john

 

Anything can be fixed with enough time and money...the question is, do you have enough of both to make this deal worthwhile?

 

I'm pretty much decided against it. I'm thinking of it more as a parts car, and short of a 350 and a disc brake rear, there's not much for me to personally use. I need a Firebird hood to make some fiberglass molds off of, but trading my dirtbike that's got over $3500 invested just doesn't seem like a smart move on my part.

If I had the land to store 'em, I'd just go out and start a 3rdgen boneyard. But - I don't.