When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Since my car just rolled past 87878.7 miles, I should probably finally make a post here about it.
I got my ‘87 base bird back in April of ‘21 as my first car. My mom has a 1966 Mustang that served as my entry way into a love of cars. After a few months of browsing, I went to check out a black ‘87 base Firebird within an hour away from me. I knew very little about cars (Still don’t anything!) and wrenching. I hadn’t even really seen a third generation firebirdbefore. As soon as I saw it, I thought it was the coolest car I’d ever seen. The exhaust was nice, it ran and shifted well, and only had 67k miles on it. That’s not super low, but not bad for a daily. It was an auto V6, but that made it a nice daily (better MPG than my friend’s newish wrangler) and also easier to convince my dad since I wouldn’t have a V8 to wrap around a tree. I bought it, and I was uninformed to say the least. I had never really worked on a car before, and didn’t know any of the ins and outs of the 82-92 Firebird.
Now you’re probably thinking, that’s a bad decision. And you’re right! But if I had to do it all again, I would still get it. Yes I knew nothing about working on cars, but now I’m tackling stuff I never would’ve tried before. I’ve learned so much, from this site in particular. It’s a great resource and I’m so grateful to everyone who has answered my (sometimes quite stupid) questions to help me get the car back on the road. For a daily, it really hasn’t been that bad. Yeah stuff breaks, it always does, but it’s turned over pretty much every time and it survives the winter just fine (except when there’s salt, then it’s tucked away in the garage).
Buying this car has been one of the best experiences of my life, and even if it’s put me out of money I could’ve spent somewhere more responsible, I’m very glad I bought it.
Thanks to everyone on TGO who’s helped me, it means a lot. I intend to keep this car for as long as I can and hopefully eventually give it the V8 it deserves.
good stuff . Can relate to getting stuck into projects on my car that I'd never thought to take on in years prior, with thanks to the various threads on this site but also the various members that continue to support it. Your car looks clean; I'm liking the uncluttered styling of firebirds and formulas more and more (I have cladding laden 91 TA)
Very nice! Glad to see that someone in this day and age take a chance on a classic car to use for a DD. Instead of looking at the money spent, look at the money saved as you don't have a high $$ payment every month. I thought about buying another third gen and using it as a daily myself. I work only 2.5 miles from work and really enjoy driving my Camaro. There is a guy in my hood that drives an 80's Volkswagen Rabbit GTI on a daily basis, i see him about 3 times a week and I think that would be so cool!
Very nice! Glad to see that someone in this day and age take a chance on a classic car to use for a DD. Instead of looking at the money spent, look at the money saved as you don't have a high $$ payment every month. I thought about buying another third gen and using it as a daily myself. I work only 2.5 miles from work and really enjoy driving my Camaro. There is a guy in my hood that drives an 80's Volkswagen Rabbit GTI on a daily basis, i see him about 3 times a week and I think that would be so cool!
Honestly, my car has been pretty dependable after the 1st year. 1st year was mainly typical stuff like the distributor, water pump, spark plug wires, etc. If I’d been more experienced when I bought it, I would’ve fixed it all myself. But I wasn’t, and now my mechanics could probably retire comfortably by now.
2.5 miles, I would definitely DD a third gen if you have the time (and money lol) to take care of it. One of my friends is really into VWs, never got the appeal until I saw his mom’s MK1 rabbit
Passed 89k miles on the way to college today, still running great. Need to figure out what I’m gonna do once the odometer rolls over and I have a “new” car. Not sure if the car would appreciate me throwing it a party.
Still keeping it stock until I have enough money to put it up for a while and get a real power plant under the hood. Although, some of the sniper nitrous kits are stating to look more and more appealing….. 75hp shot and I just might be able to keep up with commuter traffic (just kidding, no nitrous on the street in VA. At least it’s not California)
Friend of mine and I replaced the old factory u-joints the other day, talk about a pita. Didn’t get any pics of the old joints (or, the remains of the old joints) so here’s a pic of me wishing I could chuck the front plate in the trash from after we were done.
Looking at new paint or a wrap (still deciding) in the new year along with some other fix-the-car parts, so hopefully I’ll get to some make-the-car-fast parts, uh, make-the-car-less-slow parts later in ‘24.
Small update, car has been running fine. Finally tracked down a mystery oil leak (distributor) and I’m hopefully about to go get my alignment situation sorted out tomorrow. But lo and behold, a few days ago my SES light randomly came on while highway cruising.
Got a reading with my trusty paper clip and it read the dreaded code 32. Grabbed some pages from the service manual and read the section here under the how-tos, I’m sure I’ll need them as I’m going to be trying to track it down over the next few days. Wish me luck!
Nice DD..
Check engine light coming on intermittently with highway driving is usually EGR relayed and your Code 32 confirms that. Not a difficult task to address. Can be a pia to get to the egr valve on a TPI engine, not sure about the v6. The good thing is the parts are not expensive. Good luck!
Nice DD..
Check engine light coming on intermittently with highway driving is usually EGR relayed and your Code 32 confirms that. Not a difficult task to address. Can be a pia to get to the egr valve on a TPI engine, not sure about the v6. The good thing is the parts are not expensive. Good luck!
Thanks! I ended up getting super lucky as it was just a broken vacuum hose. I guess I thought that was too easy, because I accidentally broke another one of the 40 year old plastic ones while fixing the first one. They’re all fixed up now.
Well, after about a week on the stands, the bird has new axle bearings + seals, new backing plates, new brake shoes, new brake hardware, new wheel cylinders, new diff fluid, and newly bled brakes. Was only intending to change about half of that, but it sort of spiraled out of control as stuff broke or was in worse shape than I thought. The differential was in great shape thankfully, no feel-able wear on the axles.
I’m going to be at Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge the weekend of the 31st, shoot me a pm if you’re going to be there, I’d like to meet more people in the community. It’s about a 200 mile drive for me, but the car made it there just fine last year. Fuel is still bubbling in the tank on really hot days, but honestly it doesn’t seem to be affecting anything so I’m going to leave it. I guess I should get around to the heater core soon too.
I don’t have a new pic of the bird (it’s filthy after a week of pollen and a bit of rain) so here’s one from a few weeks ago:
Well, it’s been a casual few months after the monster that axle bearing and wheel cylinder job turned into. I threw on a new fuel tank vent valve and that seems to have solved most of the remaining fuel pressure problems I was having. I’m also pretty sure my month old GM genuine fuel cap is already bad, so I went back to my no-name cap. Currently pricing out the rest of my suspension components as well, because I’m planning a big job to replace the shocks, springs, and control arms bushings on all 4 corners. Hoping to snag a set of UMI caster camber plates as well. Gonna be $$$$ but worth it. Will add a set of UMI subframe connectors if the budget allows.
Enough about future plans, back to the present work. I had the starter go bad a few weeks ago, and was shocked to pull off a factory original starter from the car. Don’t see many of those any more! I also realized that my trans was overfilled by several ounces, siphoned the excess out, and it shifts a little hard but still good. Hoping to throw a hawks trans cooler (it’s only $50!) on there to help prolong the trans life.
Back to future plans, I’m gonna put em all here so I don’t forget:
1. Fix/replace combination switch/turn signal switch and troubleshoot the cruise control and washer pump.
2. Replace heater core (procrastinating on this one, bypassed for now)
3. Do big budget service on springs, shocks, CA bushings and caster camber plates.
3. Re-do door weatherstripping.
4. Add hawks trans cooler
5. Get a (experienced) shop to weld on UMI subframe connectors, or call in a favor from a friend.
6. Track down mysterious oil leak that’s going down the back of the pan (check that bolt hole on the front sofa always spots about).
7. Rob a bank, use the money on paint and hawks 17inch GTA mesh wheels.
Man, didn’t realize there was that much until I listed it out. Project Car life I guess. Pic from Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge ‘24
That's quite a list. But I can telling you, going from 35 y.o. orig. Delco shocks and struts to Koni and Bilstein, new rotors and Hawk pads, fresh fluid, J&M strut bearings, alignment, and new tires, it rides and drives like a different car. I'm sure you will be happy with the changes you are planning.
That's quite a list. But I can telling you, going from 35 y.o. orig. Delco shocks and struts to Koni and Bilstein, new rotors and Hawk pads, fresh fluid, J&M strut bearings, alignment, and new tires, it rides and drives like a different car. I'm sure you will be happy with the changes you are planning.
Heck yeah, that’s what I’ve heard and (partially) experienced. Been debating what brand of shocks and struts to go with. I would just get Bilsteins all around if they made them for the front, and the konis are great but outside my budget by a lot. Looking into the KYB AGX series at the moment.
Thanks! Side profile is nice but the clear coat on the hood is getting a bit nasty. If only paint wasn’t so $$$$$$
sand the clear coat and have the hood wrapped. I wrap hoods all the time and if the customer does the sanding I only charge $300 for a solid color like gloss black. If the clear is just milky you won't need to sand it.
sand the clear coat and have the hood wrapped. I wrap hoods all the time and if the customer does the sanding I only charge $300 for a solid color like gloss black. If the clear is just milky you won't need to sand it.
I've actually been wondering about a wrap versus paint job...
sand the clear coat and have the hood wrapped. I wrap hoods all the time and if the customer does the sanding I only charge $300 for a solid color like gloss black. If the clear is just milky you won't need to sand it.
Yeah my clear coat is coming off in chunks, so would probably need to be wrapped. My only issue is that the fenders and headlight doors also have clear coat bubbles that have popped and left missing chunks, so they need to redone as well. To add to what TL said, I’ve also been thinking about just getting the whole car wrapped, since it’s the daily and I would rather have a wrap get scratched than paint.
I've actually been wondering about a wrap versus paint job...
To do a full car you would be looking @ a minimum of 2K. Depends on the area and what shops in that area charge but it could run upwards of 3K. Not sure what Maaco gets nowadays and a GOOD paint job is 7K min. It doesn't cover the imperfections so you would have to do body work if needed. It's main downfall is it just doesn't last like a GOOD paint job if you leave the car outdoors. The roof and hood fail much sooner than the sides. If you garage it, a wrap would work out well. Also the area of the country makes a huge difference on longevity of a wrap. My DD Silverado is wrapped and has been for 5 years now, I leave it outside in the FLA sun. The sides and tailgate are fine and I have wrapped the hood and roof again as they failed from the heat and sun.
To do a full car you would be looking @ a minimum of 2K. Depends on the area and what shops in that area charge but it could run upwards of 3K. Not sure what Maaco gets nowadays and a GOOD paint job is 7K min. It doesn't cover the imperfections so you would have to do body work if needed. It's main downfall is it just doesn't last like a GOOD paint job if you leave the car outdoors. The roof and hood fail much sooner than the sides. If you garage it, a wrap would work out well. Also the area of the country makes a huge difference on longevity of a wrap. My DD Silverado is wrapped and has been for 5 years now, I leave it outside in the FLA sun. The sides and tailgate are fine and I have wrapped the hood and roof again as they failed from the heat and sun.
That’s just about what I’ve read. I have a Maaco paint job on the rear of the car and honestly, maybe my eyes are bad but it looks fine. Passed at car shows. I only need some minor body work (bottom of one fender is dented next to the rear of the tire) and some surface rust bubbles ground out of the door below the molding (only bad rust on the whole car).
My car goes in the garage every night, but sits in the sun for several hours almost everyday when I’m at school or work. Probably 8 hours a day if you averaged it out. Sun can get pretty bad around here too, at least bad enough that the whole finish was burned off my spoiler when I got the car. I think that’s gonna end up making me go with paint over a wrap.
Oh and I didn’t mention it in my post, but on my way to Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge, a stray tire came flying from the car in front of me and smacked the nose of the bird. The nose already looked pretty bad, but I decided to get an insurance claim anyway just to see what they’ll cover. If it’s a good deal I’ll have them go ahead and do some paint and body work.
Oh and I didn’t mention it in my post, but on my way to Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge, a stray tire came flying from the car in front of me and smacked the nose of the bird.
Well, the car did end up getting an insurance claim on it. Body shop repainted the nose and put a new decal on it. The nose before looked terrible and the old bird decal was cracked like crazy. Got the car back today. No pics of the new paint but trust me, it looks great.
But, when I took the car for a test drive at night,
one of the headlights didn’t pop-up. I was super bummed out, because I’d never had a headlight motor problem before. But the headlight wouldn’t go up even when I cranked it. I looked closer: the body shop had reinstalled the bumper partially ON TOP of the headlight lip. No damage thankfully.
Even though it was the car’s first day back, I didn’t feel like waiting to fix one of the problems I’ve been procrastinating on: the heater core. It died earlier this year and I just bypassed it since it was spring and cold weather was far off. I looked at my replacement options, only to see that they were all aluminum. I really like the factory heat on the third gens, it’s very very nice on cold winter days. Feels like you’re sitting on top of the engine. I decided to keep a brass core, even though it seems to be a difference of opinion on whether or not the aluminum one is actually worse at producing heat.
But how could I get a brass core? There were no reproductions and no radiator shop near me would recore my current heater core. The used OEM pieces had no quality guarantee and cost the same as an aluminum core on rockauto. Well, by chance, another member here called Pocket had a heater core he had just pulled out of his (incredible) AWD third gen build. Very nice guy, gave me the core for free and let me and some buddies run around the shop.
Got the heater core pressured tested by a friend, no leaks, and after a couple months of sitting on it, installed it today. Man for a job that’s infamous for sucking, it went pretty easy. Pocket also gave me the entire heater box assembly, so I had it next to the car to reference as I worked. I only took off the kick panel and whatever the one right above it is called. A swivel, electric ratchet, and 30 minutes later the old core was out. Took some help from a buddy to line it up, but the used core went in with little problems. Ironically, the hardest part ended up being removing my bypass. The clamps must’ve been on there too tight, because the rubber was absolutely seized on to the adapters.
But in the end, the core was in and reconnected. The heat blasts just like I remember it. The old core will be pressure tested and repaired in case I ever need it. Next service is going to be a speedometer gear change, some tail shaft maintenance, u-joints, and some other small driveline stuff. Really want to do that suspension service but a hefty ticket from an unmarked state trooper has put that off for a while. Oh well, at least it’s a good excuse to finally get the speedometer accurate.
After 37 years and 3 months of life, 3 years of which I have owned the car, the Firebird has crossed 100,000 miles! I guess the best time to sell it is now, since it only has ~100 miles on the odo lol!. Been putting in some extra hours at work so I can do a big service to celebrate the milestone. Mostly going to be fixing up some driveline stuff to help with some vibrations and clunking and potentially re-gearing the speedometer. Still planning that suspension service, but life keeps happening and I keep adding to the budget with “while I’m in there…” parts.
As a side note, one of my friends unearthed a fanatically mint ‘78 Oldsmobile Toronado from his grandparent’s garage. Hasn’t been run in 30 years, but we got the engine to hand crank so the project is on! Throwback to PiPF ‘2024
. Can relate to getting stuck into projects on my car that I'd never thought to take on in years prior, with thanks to the various threads on this site but also the various members that continue to support it. Your car looks clean; I'm liking the uncluttered styling of firebirds and formulas more and more (I have cladding laden 91 TA)
