I have an 89 Formula 350 and there is no engine size decal on the hood scoop.

My old 88 Formula 305 had one.

I have seen Formula 350 with and without the hood scoop decal but

which is correct for 1989?

 

Formula Hood Decals
1987
LG4 - 5.0 Liter
LB9 - 5.0 Liter F.I. (Also had Fuel Injection on Door handles)
L98 - Nothing (Also had Fuel Injection on Door handles)

1988 - 1990
L03 - 5.0 Liter F.I.
LB9 - 5.0 Liter F.I.
L98 - Nothing

1991 - 1992
L03 - 5.0 Liter
LB9 - 5.0 Liter F.I.
L98 - 5.7 Liter F.I.

The reason for this is actually simple, when the Formula 350 was introduced in 1987, the Doors have "Formula 350" on them. The LB9 & LG4/L03 had just Formula on the doors. However starting in 1991, all cars got just "Formula" on the doors, regardless of 350 or not, therefore to set them apart and to have an engine identifier, they put the 5.7 Liter F.I. on the hood.

Technically speaking, the 91-92 Formulas with the 5.7L engine should not be called a "Formula 350" However it is common to call them as such and it is not "wrong" it is just no where on the car does it say "Formula 350." Like the 4th Gens, there is no longer a Formula 350, even though all Formulas were technically Formula 350s. Those were called a Formula V8, which the V8 part was eventually dropped and they simply became Formula.

But to answer your question, 1987-1990 Formula 350 cars did not have a Hood decal.

John

 

Well then, I guess the 5.7 Stickers I ordered will have to find some place in the garage to stick onto!!!

Thanks!

I guess the few I have seen were added after the factory...

 

I assume you got a Phoenix Graphics kit... or some other aftermarket kit. I am not sure why they offer the stickers for the early cars... it is no big deal, most people just think they belong, but they do not.

 

[QUOTE=okfoz;5794456]I assume you got a Phoenix Graphics kit... or some other aftermarket kit. I am not sure why they offer the stickers for the early cars... it is no big deal, most people just think they belong, but they do not.[/QUOT


You got it.

The cah is all original except for the repaint so I want it accurate as possible.

Love my Formy 350.

Now just need a '92 convertivle t/a to go with it.

 

Naaaw, you need a Formula 350 Convertible

 

There has been one for sale on ebay.

VERY tempting. Very. 1 of 42 the seller claims.

And, thanks for the info everyone. Love this site.

 

I have a few formulas myself

 

The 42 was an old number it is now thought to be 43.

It is my research. I happen to have a copy of the ASC Dealer order list for all of the 1989 Pontiac Firebirds & Trans Ams that were converted

 

Can I ask you a question?

What years were convertible a factory option (I only care about 88-92) and if it wasn't a factory convertible, how stock is a car considered to be if the convertible was done as a dealer installed option? What is the difference if I bring my t-top 89 to ASC now and have it converted?

PS - Had the Formula out last night with the t tops off so my hair could blow...

 

I don't think they do "old cars", only when they were new.

 

When I got my 89 Formy 350, a Phoenix Graphix decal kit came with it as an extra. I think when you order a complete kit, they bundle all the graphics together for the different years. You can order decals individually, but the "complete" set gives you the 5.7 l decals also.

I thought the same thing-I needed to put the 5.7l on the hood scoop, but found that was not stock for the 89. Glad I asked beforehand.

 

To answer your question, it would really depend on the person purchasing the car.

For starters, ASC made all of the "factory" convertibles for Chevrolet Corvette, Camaro, Cavalier, and the Pontiac Firebird & Sunbird for this era. There are some differences however from line to line. The Corvette, and I believe the sunfire/cavalier, the cars were pulled off to the side and converted at the assembly plant. However for all of the 1987-1992 Camaros and Firebirds the cars were made at the assembly plant and then shipped to ASC to be converted.

Now herein-lies the interesting quandary that I have... If you have two cars, both are Camaros, both are ASC convertibles, one has a VIN of 3 (for convertible) the other a VIN of 2 (for coupe) but otherwise identical, what really is the difference? Technically it is a stamping, the quality of the car is the same, it was made by the same machines, same people, same plant, probably even was converted prior to the dealership taking delivery...

With the Firebird convertible, it was not offered until 1991 as an RPO for the simple reason the Trans Am (or GTA) would have been too heavy and the fuel economy would have been below the magic number of average 22.5. The reason I know this is in 1987 as an example, you could not get a GTA with the 350 and the rear shade, T-tops, or the subwoofer option... T-tops has always been wrongly attributed to the idea that the 350 had too much torque (which is really quite a horribly wrong assumption). It had to do with too much weight. I have a dealer distribution bulletin that states as much that the rear shade on I believe it was the S/E was not available with a particular engine because of weight...

So this left Pontiac with an easy decision. 1) do we offer the Trans Am convertible with only the LG4 or L03? OR 2) Do we not offer a Trans Am convertible at all? 3) Do we forgo the convertible altogether and let ASC make them as a Dealer option? Obviously 3 was the answer.

Ultimately on the one hand, all ASC convertibles are "factory" As they were all made with GM labeled parts, they had the crash tests, made at the same facilities, at the same time side by side. On the other hand the ASC convertibles with a 2 instead of a 3 are conversions...

What I like about them is the pieces and parts are all GM, I needed clips for the lower trim piece and I was able to go to a Pontiac dealership and get a bag of them. The trunk has a GM part number, the Spoiler is a modified base firebird wing. There are 3 parts that are unique, the rear center tail light as are the rear quarter caps, Both of those if damaged could be replaced by a Camaro if you had to... But beyond that everything is identical to the Camaro. You can simply purchase a convertible top for a 1989 Camaro, and it fits on.

The thing that most people shy away from a conversion is finding replacement parts when something breaks. Fortunately finding parts is tough for any 3rd gen Camaro, but with the exception of the 3 pieces mentioned above, it is not any harder than finding anything for a factory car.

That is how I feel about that.

John

 

So technically your Formula Convertible is a conversion?

and to follow, if I want a factory convertible ( a 3 not a 2 as you say) then I would have to only buy a 91 or 92 Trans am?

And I take it such was never made with a 350?

I suppose the Dealer added option still makes it original to a point as it was bought this was - kind of like a Carroll 350.... so there is still value there.

Thanks for the sharing of your knowledge. Your next drink is on me when we meet.

 

Same here... almost messed up. BTW, saw your White Formula in another thread. Great clean up!

 

Technically all 3rd Gen convertibles are "Conversions" by the purest sense of the term. The only difference between an 87-89 and a 91-92 is the paper trail.

Usually we think of a convertible like the 1st gen that was designed specifically as a Convertible, there were special stampings to make the car and assemble them along with the coupe. I should highlight that no third gen Camaro or Firebird convertible was made at the assembly plant They were all modified at ASC. The 4th Gens were essentially the same thing, BUT they were converted at the assy plant before they shipped them out.

From what I can tell from articles from the day, GM and ASC actually worked together on the convertible 3rd gen F-body project.

If you look at any of the other "conversions," whether it was Greenwood, Matrix3, Hi-Line, Autoform, etc, those cars would be the quintessential conversion cars by definition as GM had nothing to do with them.

John