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Last Saturday, I was at a cruise-in with KITT and a few rows over was this Brilliant Red Metallic 1990 Formula T-Top looking pretty sharp and it had a for sale sign in the window for $4,500.00. The odometer showed 68,950 miles and other than some minor interior/exterior cosmetics, looked like a good survivor. The owner was nowhere to be found, so I grabbed one of the business cards in the seat. I looked it over pretty good, but the hood was down and I didn't know that much about it yet. The next day on Sunday, I called the guy and went to look at it. I went over it real well. Verified the W66 and WS6 on the RPO sticker. I noticed there was no leaks in his garage or on the concrete when we pulled it out. Then, we popped the hood and there sits Tuned Port Injection. I already knew I was buying it. I took it for a test drive for about 30 minutes, came back, shook his hand and bought it. Gave the guy cash money and transferred it Monday. I just picked it up a few hours ago and took some pictures as received. She runs and drives great, shifts good, super tight feeling, no rust anywhere on this car. I can't even find any surface rust on anything. I have never owned a low-mile thirdgen, so I never realized how completely awesome that can be! I've already started making a list of things that need attention because I plan on making this car absolutely perfect!
Here are several pictures I took this evening. I haven't been this excited about a car in a long time!
Exterior:
1. The rear hatch pull down does not work and is stuck all the way down requiring slamming of the hatch. That is #1 on the list. I already did this on my 89, so off to Top-Down Solutions!
2. Mud flaps...they are kind of growing on me, but I don't know!
3. Rear spoiler has the usual problems and I'm almost positive it has been repainted. Debating on a fiberglass one.
4. The front bumper has definitely been repainted from what looks like a slight hit and someone put the Formula decal too low on it. I will either replace the bumper or have it fixed right. It's a bit warped with a tear under the passenger corner, so will most likely need to be replaced.
5. Tail light center panel has some flaking look and some kind of black tape at the top of it. I have another one of those in really good condition, so that will be replaced.
6. The rear spoiler brake light is cracked, easy replacement.
7. Window tint is junk, so that's coming off.
8. Engine bay is dirty, so I will be hand cleaning all of it.
9. Windshield wipers are ugly as sin, so will be replacing those with factory looking ones.
Interior:
1. Door panel tops rising up, will remove door panels and reattach top plates or buy new ones since some of the felt is rising up with the window on the passenger side, otherwise they look okay really.
2. Steering wheel cover has got to go. Other than usual horn button lifting, the ring looks good! Might keep something on there when it's not at shows.
3. Headliner, sun visors and speaker panels need recovered.
4. I'll be looking for some original front and rear floor mats as the "wal-mart" looking ones are not going to cut it!
5. Rest of interior just needs to be detailed.
The RPO sticker is falling off, so I will be removing to preserve it and I will post pics of it when I do so. I still need to figure out what gear ratio this car has.
The car is fully optioned and everything other than the hatch pull down works.
Pretty sure it's single. I will look tomorrow. Muffler and tips have been replaced and I'm fairly certain that the primary pipe is hanging too low, so will be looking into that as well, but it functions okay and sounds good, not overly loud, just a good rumble, but definitely not stock.
Here is the RPO label. I haven't even had time to look up any codes yet. Planning on putting some weight on this thing to flatten the corner back out and then somehow reattach it to the inside of the center console where it goes. Not sure how to do that just yet.
Pretty straight forward. GU2 is the gear ratio, 2.73. G80 posi. J41 rear drums. No N10 so it's a single cat car. WS6/FE2 suspension (standard on Formulas). UM6 Bass/Treble cassette radio. CC1 t-tops. All pretty standard.
To pep it up a bit, I'd start by either bolting on a set of HO manifolds, Y-pipe, and 3" exhaust, or headers and 3" exhaust. Right now the exhaust manifolds are the same restrictive stuff as TBI, and the entire exhaust is restrictive. Next up, I'd be looking for a 3.23 or 3.42 rear, or pick up a set of gears and a posi differential and just swap them into your housing. Those changes will bring it up to nearly the G92 specs. It'd be a difference you'd notice.
I grew up in Jersey, and I don't recall that. In fact had you asked about a Formula being that color, I might not have been sure if it was offered. I'm an Iroc guy though so who knows, lol. Of course I remember the TA's that color!...with the silver ground effects...almost bought one as my first car.
Pretty straight forward. GU2 is the gear ratio, 2.73. G80 posi. J41 rear drums. No N10 so it's a single cat car. WS6/FE2 suspension (standard on Formulas). UM6 Bass/Treble cassette radio. CC1 t-tops. All pretty standard.
To pep it up a bit, I'd start by either bolting on a set of HO manifolds, Y-pipe, and 3" exhaust, or headers and 3" exhaust. Right now the exhaust manifolds are the same restrictive stuff as TBI, and the entire exhaust is restrictive. Next up, I'd be looking for a 3.23 or 3.42 rear, or pick up a set of gears and a posi differential and just swap them into your housing. Those changes will bring it up to nearly the G92 specs. It'd be a difference you'd notice.
Had a feeling it was 2:73 by the way it drives and the RPMs being identical to my 89. It makes a little noise back there (at least I think it's the rear-end, not sure yet) so that might be an upgrade eventually. Thanks for the tips on the exhaust (pun intended).
Some more updates: Found out this car belonged to a collector here in town who I've talked to several times. He had it for 17 years and it was the first Firebird he bought. I remember seeing it about 5 years ago at a show along with several other of his Firebirds/Trans Ams, but hadn't seen it since. Apparently, he only put about 6,000 miles on it in 17 years. Turns out he thinned the collection a bit a few months back, sold the car to his friend who promised to go to shows with him. He's not happy the guy sold it and he has no idea who has it now. I told that guy not to tell him, to keep him in suspense.
Some more things that need addressing:
1. I noticed it has a noise coming from the rear that's hard to describe really. It's not the typical whine or roar sound I'm used to on these cars. Going to lift it this weekend and rotate the wheels and listen as well as check the fluid level.
2. I knew the tires had dry-rot, but I checked the date code yesterday and they are from 2005, so off those go. (That could be the noise I'm hearing). Going to try to get new tires tomorrow, if not, next Saturday.
3. The gas tank filler neck is loose (surprise*) *sarcasm, although this one doesn't seem to seep and it's looser than the one on my 89 which is strange and I'm told it has a full tank, so we'll see.
4. The gas gauge does not work (another shocker*) *sarcasm. The one in my 89 works half way (at half mark it's on fumes). This one is stuck past full, so I'll see if it moves any at all. I'll try a gauge first, but I'm sure that won't fix it because that would be too easy. It didn't fix the 89. I'm sure it's in the tank, it's always in the tank.
5. Finally, the hatch alignment is strange and I'll get some pics of it tonight because I'm baffled on that one. The gaps at the back side plate are uniform, but at the top sides, the passenger side nearly touches the body and the driver's side is about normal. Not sure how to get that out yet. It doesn't even appear possible for it to do that, but maybe I'm missing something and just need to look at it harder or take the hatch off and start over.
Last edited by kentuckyKITT; 08-03-2018 at 06:23 AM.
Okay, first up (after I mow grass), is to get the rear panel off and see what's up with the hatch pull down and tackle the hatch alignment. Here are some photos of the hatch alignment. I've never had one this far off at the sides. Clearly, the hatch has been off this car at some point, probably to repaint the spoiler. Also, the passenger side front spoiler clip (at the point) is not attached, it's just sitting there. All the other ones appear attached. What holds these on? Double sided tape?
Here is the passenger gap:
Driver's side gap:
Both my 89 and 82 have about the same gap at the top side as the driver's side of this car, which is strange to me. I'm thinking I need to remove the hatch and just start over.
Found the problem with the hatch pull down. Luckily, all of the plastic housing/gears and assembly is in great shape and not broken. The only thing wrong with it is the switch assembly for up and down. The switch tab is broke off. I have a couple of those assemblies, so this looks to be an easy fix. Someone has been rooting around in there trying to make it work including trying another relay since I found the factory relay (which still works, I might add), but they failed to notice the switch is missing the tab. It is kind of hard to see I guess. The wiring was all unhooked and they gave up!
Another weird problem I found is a missing metal tab at the rear that holds the clip for the large plastic screw at the top on the driver's side. There's no evidence that there ever was one either. The passenger side has one but it's been fashioned on there with some rivets and there's some old white chalk written below that says "missing tab" with an arrow drawn pointing to it. Factory defects? Nobody put one on the driver's side though. Guess that's up to me to do.
Update on the hatch pull down. Not fixed.lol Apparently, it has two problems. The motor is also bad. It tries to work, but it's just too weak. I have two other motors, but they are different (self-contained) style and this one falls apart when you unscrew it from the plastic housing. What a great design! Never had one like this before. So, looks like new motor/housing is in order or I might just replace the whole assembly with an early style. For now, it's adjusted so the hatch will close tight enough without having to slam it too hard.
Just a few quick updates. Ordered new tires for it that will be put on Saturday morning. Can't wait to get those dry-rotted 13 year old tires off of it. Also ordered a complete hatch pull down rebuild kit from Top-Down and once that comes in, I'll also tackle the hatch alignment since its way off. Ordered a steering column dimmer cover since I noticed it was missing and the brights don't work so will be looking into that as well. Currently, I'm looking for a 3rd brake light lens which I posted in the wanted section. This one is broke in half and cracked around the screws like someone torqued it on. Too hot to do anything right now. Hoping for a cooler weekend!
Exterior:
1. The rear hatch pull down does not work and is stuck all the way down requiring slamming of the hatch. That is #1 on the list. I already did this on my 89, so off to Top-Down Solutions!
2. Mud flaps...they are kind of growing on me, but I don't know!
3. Rear spoiler has the usual problems and I'm almost positive it has been repainted. Debating on a fiberglass one.
4. The front bumper has definitely been repainted from what looks like a slight hit and someone put the Formula decal too low on it. I will either replace the bumper or have it fixed right. It's a bit warped with a tear under the passenger corner, so will most likely need to be replaced.
5. Tail light center panel has some flaking look and some kind of black tape at the top of it. I have another one of those in really good condition, so that will be replaced.
6. The rear spoiler brake light is cracked, easy replacement.
7. Window tint is junk, so that's coming off.
8. Engine bay is dirty, so I will be hand cleaning all of it.
9. Windshield wipers are ugly as sin, so will be replacing those with factory looking ones.
Interior:
1. Door panel tops rising up, will remove door panels and reattach top plates or buy new ones since some of the felt is rising up with the window on the passenger side, otherwise they look okay really.
2. Steering wheel cover has got to go. Other than usual horn button lifting, the ring looks good! Might keep something on there when it's not at shows.
3. Headliner, sun visors and speaker panels need recovered.
4. I'll be looking for some original front and rear floor mats as the "wal-mart" looking ones are not going to cut it!
5. Rest of interior just needs to be detailed.
The RPO sticker is falling off, so I will be removing to preserve it and I will post pics of it when I do so. I still need to figure out what gear ratio this car has.
The car is fully optioned and everything other than the hatch pull down works.
Can't wait to get started on it!
Man, that's a good looking car!
Where are you going to find factory looking wipers? I think the only ones were the old trico 18-2 but I can't find those anywhere anymore!
Where are you going to find factory looking wipers? I think the only ones were the old trico 18-2 but I can't find those anywhere anymore!
I can't remember the brand, but Advance carries them and they are very similar to the Trico and don't have the huge bulky attachment on top. I plan on picking up a set one night this week and will post some pics when I do. The wipers on this car are also too long, the passenger side is touching the fender. Why do people do this?
Last edited by kentuckyKITT; 08-14-2018 at 05:42 PM.
Got new rubber on the car this past Saturday $349 mounted and balanced. It's getting really hard to find 245 50 16. I tried to get the same ones that's on my 89 (Doral), but they couldn't get them anymore, however what I got was basically the same tire with a different name on it "Sumic." Both are Sumitomo brand. Car rides much better and I don't have to worry about 13 year old tires blowing out!
Discovered the idler arm is a little worn with some up and down movement, so going to have to get that fixed!
Also, fixed the hatch pull down with a new rebuild kit from Top-Down. Waiting for cooler weather to tackle the hatch alignment and I need a buddy for that as well.
Turns out the rear-end was not making noise after all and the fluid level is fine. It's the exhaust vibrating against the body. Whoever installed the replacement muffler and tips did not use rubber hangers and opted for metal straps instead. So, that's got to be fixed along with the low hanging and horribly spliced primary pipe which is also leaking exhaust around the weld.
Last, replaced the tail light center panel with a nicer one I had that's the same style with silver bird.
I can't remember the brand, but Advance carries them and they are very similar to the Trico and don't have the huge bulky attachment on top. I plan on picking up a set one night this week and will post some pics when I do. The wipers on this car are also too long, the passenger side is touching the fender. Why do people do this?
Please do!
I'd like to find these myself! I;m retty obsessed with hacving good looking wipers for some reason....I mean, you see them 99 percent of the tie you're in the car, right?
I bet someone elongated the hinge holes on the hatch instead of re-alligning the deck lid from the struts pushing it out. I have to repair mine. I believe Drew posted the steps from GM on how to properly fix it.
I bet someone elongated the hinge holes on the hatch instead of re-alligning the deck lid from the struts pushing it out. I have to repair mine. I believe Drew posted the steps from GM on how to properly fix it.
I'm not sure what they did, but once I got the hatch pull down operating, it sucks the hatch down and pull it to toward the driver's side, opening up the gap at the back on the passenger side a lot. It looks like the hole top part of the hatch needs to shift toward the driver's side. I think when they stuck it back on when repainting the spoiler, they just bolted it wherever it would go. The outer metal glass trim nearly touches at the top which is usually a good indication that the hatch panel is not pushed out from the struts. Won't really know until I can get a cool day and buddy to work on it with me.
I'm not sure what they did, but once I got the hatch pull down operating, it sucks the hatch down and pull it to toward the driver's side, opening up the gap at the back on the passenger side a lot. It looks like the hole top part of the hatch needs to shift toward the driver's side. I think when they stuck it back on when repainting the spoiler, they just bolted it wherever it would go. The outer metal glass trim nearly touches at the top which is usually a good indication that the hatch panel is not pushed out from the struts. Won't really know until I can get a cool day and buddy to work on it with me.
Maybe the hatch pull down is pulling the hatch at an angle?
Updates! I fixed the door panels and removed the window tint. The passenger side door panel was a real pain since someone decided it was a good idea to trim the fabric at the top once the top plate started rising up. I had to get creative and release some from the L trim and stretch it up just enough to get under the top plate. Turned out good, but I barely had enough fabric left to work with. I glued it all back down on both panels. The holes in the top of the door panel were in excellent condition and not ripped out, so I reinforced the top of the panel and reinstalled the top plates with an added measure of 3" wide black gorilla tape down the length of the joint and pressed tightly around the speed nuts, followed by another run overlapping that.
For the window tint, I bought a Shark garment steamer and steamed it off the hatch which got 90% of the glue with it. You just have to take your time. Using pieces of a white tile floor scrubber pad and dawn/water mix, I scrubbed the rest of the glue off quite easily without damaging the defroster. The doors were easy, just lifted one corner, pealed the whole thing off and then used a razor blade with dawn/water mix to remove the glue.
Looks a ton better without the old purple creased tint and with fixed door panels!
Going to tackle the door edge guard eventually. Think I might try to steam it off. I've removed this before on cars by just pulling on it and it's taken the paint with it, so I'm a little reluctant to remove it, but I can't stand edge guard. I don't know how long it's been on there.
So, I was taking advantage of the cooler weather and decided to do some cleaning on the engine bay late this afternoon and discovered something fascinating. I simply never noticed before! I didn't take any pics because it got dark and I discovered right when I was finishing up for the night. Anyway, I'll repost the engine bay picture from above below:
If you look close, you can see a red hose coming off the intake and going behind the air compressor, well, that's not supposed to do that! That goes straight into the radiator. I hadn't really paid much attention to this because I haven't rooted around in the engine bay much and I've also never owned a TPI before, so this didn't stick out to me as odd. I was planning on replacing the red hose when I first saw it awhile back because red hoses are junk, but as it turns out, it just needs to be removed and thrown away.lol I only discovered this because I was trying to clean the passenger valve cover and when I lifted up on the heater control valve, there was a short piece of hose clamped on that was folded downward going to nothing. Upon seeing this, I immediately directed my eyes to the heater core and there are no hoses attached to it. All factory hoses/pipe are still here, just cleverly placed to hide the fact it's bypassed. Fooled me! I mean, it's like 1000 degrees this summer, so having heat has not even dawned on me.
I get it, it's a car that never was driven, sat in a building most of it's life and was only brought out to a few shows a year and so when the heater core leaked, they just bypassed it instead of fixing it right. This isn't the first moronic move I've seen on this car - a relay on the firewall was replaced, new one plugged in and stuffed behind the booster, old one still mounted.lol I've already fixed that. I've got a small connector going to nothing over there as well. I'll get to that later.
Looks like I'm doing a heater core on this car because well, I can't have the bypass nonsense. The way it's bypassed seems a little sketchy as well. The original hose that goes to the radiator has a some kind of "fitting" plugging it with a clamp and it's folded neatly under the coolant overflow tank and out of sight. The steel pipe that runs along the frame rail is connected to the long hose from the control valve with a piece of steel pipe right at the heater core. So I've got my short hose back there and the long one connected together.
I have no idea if that's how it's supposed to be bypassed and it seems to run cool, so I guess it works and it doesn't leak anywhere.
Anyway, already bought the heater core, got lucky, found a NORS one on Ebay and bought it immediately since I've already been through this with the 89 and there is no such thing as a "new" heater core that fits these cars. It's an old Bauer brand and looks correct in the pics, so we'll see.
Going to be looking intently at the rest of the engine bay to see if anything else is screwed with.
Some production numbers on the car and special thanks to PurelyPMD for this info:
"There were 2,570 LB9 Formulas in 1990,
1,975 of them were automatic
303 of those were Brilliant Red Metallic
and 257 of those had t-tops"
I think that's pretty neat!
I also ran a history report on the car and records go back to 1994. No issues at all, one lien and I'm the 5th owner per the report. I can only assume the first owner had it from 90-94. So I think I'm the 6th owner, but who knows what happened between 90 and 94.
First record is an auto auction in Evansville, IN at 28,832 miles in 1994. However, no title change after the auto auction and no renewal in 1995 which is odd. Did it sell? Did the original owner still have it? Registration is renewed in 1996 and each year after in the same area until 2002 when it changed hands and was sold to someone in my town in February at 49,133 miles.
It was renewed in 2003, but not 2004. It changed hands again in my town in April 2005 at 58,700 miles. In August of 2005, it changed hands again in my town at 61,189 miles (this is the owner I know).
Registration was renewed in 2006 and 2007 and that's it until 2017 when it changed hands again in my town in March 2017 with no mileage listed (the guy I bought it from).
Registration was renewed in April 2018.
I purchased it in July 2018 at 68,958 miles.
Pretty neat history. I know where it was from August 2005 to March of 2017 because I know that guy and this is where it sat in his collection and was only brought out to shows once or twice a year. Interesting how he renewed it in 2006 and 2007, but didn't anymore and sold it 10 years later.
Update. Replaced the heater core today. Went rather smooth since the NORS one I bought off ebay was 100% identical to the factory one!
I make this look easy as if the heater core just jumped out of there and got in the seat!
Some side by side comparisons with the old core and the NORS (Bauer brand) core:
This is how all heater cores should be made even in 2018. There is zero excuse for the garbage produced today!
This is like I went back in time to the 90s and walked into an auto parts store and bought it! Best $50.00 I ever spent on a heater core!
I put new foam around the housing:
Put it all together and installed it!
Corrected all of the heater hose routing. I ended up having to replace a couple of them since the bypass caused serious kinks in two of them.
I got the engine good and hot to test for leaks and then drove it for a bit and no leaks and hot heat! Success I say!
This is the third time I've done this on a Firebird, so it went pretty well. I had the old one out in about 20 minutes. The top screw is easy for me because I have small arms and hands and can reach right up around the right side of the box and hold the socket on while feeding my long extension through the front of the dash. Putting the screw back in is easy for me as well using the same method.
I have about 2 hours total in the project and that includes having to run to town for new heater hose and antifreeze, so not too bad I think.
your formula looks great! that is my favorite color with t-tops as you can probably see from my signature.
on the heater core replacement, i have had to do quite a few of these as well. watch the clamps on the outside firewall if you are using standard hose clamps and make sure they stay tight after some use. i have seen those allow some weeping if the car sits for a while, such as over the winter. on the 3rd gens i keep the core in i have gone to using a constant pressure pinch clamp (oetiker) with good success so far
Time for some updated photos taken just before it got cold for the insurance company. The Formula is covered for $10,000 now. No more mud flaps, window tint, or steering wheel cover. Replaced heater core, replaced tail light center panel and windshield wipers. Fixed door panel tops that were rising up. New tires and detailed wheels. Touched up the paint chips. Detailed interior and engine bay. Still have more to do on engine bay. Added fire extinguisher.
Things I still need to address:
Fix fuel gauge
Odometer/Trip Gear replacement
Recover headliner, sun visors and speaker panels
Missing tab on driver's side rear tail panel for plastic cargo screw
Under hood insulation clips missing (just a few)
Locate better condition gray door sill plates (cracks in both)
Adjust hatch alignment some more.
Major projects to do:
Replace gas tank or remove and have filler neck repaired, and install new fuel pump, fuel filter and sending unit (which will hopefully fix the gauge as well if other tests fail)
Replace rear springs and shocks and put new front and rear brakes on it.
Replace idler arm and check/replace other suspension parts and get new alignment.
Replace or repair driver's side t-top since it has a crack in the outer trim.
Figure out why the brights don't work. I'm hoping the rod has come out at the bottom or something, but I haven't had a chance to dig into it yet.
I noticed the transmission not shifting quite right last time I drove it, so going to have to look into that. Color of fluid looks good and it's not leaking. All I know so far.
First spring project: Fixing the odometer which stopped working. Thanks to Odometer Gears who now makes a replacement for our cars, this should be a snap!
As you can see the little yellow gear is broken and I can take my fingernail and chip additional pieces off of it. It's super brittle. I also removed the fuel gauge to clean the contacts and test it since it doesn't work. It's probably a problem in the tank, but figured why not look into it while I have the cluster out.
I will start the gear replacement tomorrow after work.
07-31-2018, 07:35 PM
