I've owned my 1989 formula 350 for going on 4 years now. I first laid eyes on it outside of a coworker's halloween party, derelict and sitting on 4 flat tires. I told the guy I was interested, 4 months later I got my answer that he was ready to sell.


I did a lot of the work myself these past 4 years, including new Southbay stock replacement injectors and replacing just about every sensor on the motor. The last thing to be done was a stock replacement radiator. There are no performance mods to the car minus a 180 thermostat to help keep it a little cooler.


One of the biggest challenges but most rewarding was tracking down a set of Cragar louvers for the car. I found these on a 6 cylinder Firebird, 2 hour's drive away. Offered the guy a price, then headed out in the daily driver to stuff them in the back. I took off the aero spoiler, as it was rotting away and rusting. A pedestal style spoiler is in its place now.


I got the car past Colorado emissions this year, after fighting with the car shutting off seemingly randomly. Upon cracking the fuel line, I found rusty black gas full of particles coming out!
I got lucky and found a guy on Facebook selling a brand new tank from a Camaro with a Walbro pump inside for 75 bucks.
One more trip to the shop later, I got the car back and now she only gets ethanol free 90 octane. It seems much happier and hasn't shut off on me again so far. I'm itching to get this thing together with some other F-bodies. I've even been throwing around starting up a small F-body club in the Denver area.

Anyone out there got your ears on?

 

Cool...

 

Looks great! nice work

 

You can get a fiberglass aero spoiler replacement from hawks.

 

Way too much money for my taste. I'm ok with the pedestal style I only paid 50 for a replacement. The window louvers don't fit that well with the Aero spoiler on

 

Your spoiler looks better than the wrap-around anyway. GM should never have changed it...

 

Definitely agree on the spoiler. I still have the remnants of the old Aero one (back half of it) stowed away in the garage for safe keeping. I figured the 3rd brake light housing on it might be worth something, to someone

 

I felt the same way about my Formula 350 when I got it over 12 years ago. If your car is not something you get out of, walk away, then turn around just to look at it again then you don't have the right car.

That said, trips on the tow truck seem to be part of the price we pay. I've only been on the truck once thanks to a failed MSD6a the PO had on and I ignored for some years. But if I drove it more frequently I'm sure I would be on the truck more frequently too. Now I'm not talking about other rescues like overheat and limp home or jump starts :-)

Now that it's getting cool outside I've perfectly mis-timed the completion of my Vintage Air AC install. That and the local track closing permanently has me looking at a multi-hour drive to the nearest track means I prolly have to trailer her now.

Regardless I could just as well sit out on the porch enjoying a cold one while I gaze at her. Happy all the same.

Cheers.

 

You are definitely correct! I've been working on mine a lot lately, put in some nice new seats from an 82 Camaro and finally, finally found the right hood for her. I sit and stare at mine just the same way!

Just took it out today to enjoy the beautiful 61 degrees.

 

Like the title of the Blue Oyster Cult song,
"You're not the one I was looking for, but you're the one for me"

I had a self-care day today, treated myself to a solo breakfast and brought the car out. It has really grown on me these past few years and all the trouble I've gone to with it.