Take 2
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Central Illinois
Car: 1991 Firebrid
Engine: 3.1 MPFI V6
Take 2
Ok I wrote this once, but I guess it didn't work.
Anyways, I cannot afford the car I currently own, so I am looking into buying a 1991 Firebird (or 92, I can't remember). Well the guy I am buying it from says he's owned it two months and hasn't done anything to it.
Well, the previous owners did several stupid things. First off, the headlight switch broke, so they rigged the headlights to comeon by rewiring them, and made it so that you stuck a house key behind the positive terminal, and VIOLA! headlights.....
They also ripped the hatch area apart, the pulldown motor is in the passenger seat. and it's held shut with bungee cord.
And they curbed the hell out of it. The passenger side tire is cranked hard left, and the driver's side (non injured) wheel is straight forward. Well, the guy said that they bent the backing plate. Well, I was trying to look up a front backing plate for the car. Yeah, that didn't go so well.......'cause it has spindles. Yeah, made me feel stupid. So anyways, is it possible for them to just have bent the spindle? I know that the rotor probably ate it too, but the guy said the A-Arm, and everything else was fine. He's a friend of my friend's grandpa, so I don't think he'd lie to me, but who knows, right? So any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
I have always wanted a 3rd gen since I was little, so I know I will buy the car ASAP, but I kinda wanted to know what else I could be in for, besides a $32 headlight switch, and rebuiling my hatch.......
Anyways, I cannot afford the car I currently own, so I am looking into buying a 1991 Firebird (or 92, I can't remember). Well the guy I am buying it from says he's owned it two months and hasn't done anything to it.
Well, the previous owners did several stupid things. First off, the headlight switch broke, so they rigged the headlights to comeon by rewiring them, and made it so that you stuck a house key behind the positive terminal, and VIOLA! headlights.....
They also ripped the hatch area apart, the pulldown motor is in the passenger seat. and it's held shut with bungee cord.
And they curbed the hell out of it. The passenger side tire is cranked hard left, and the driver's side (non injured) wheel is straight forward. Well, the guy said that they bent the backing plate. Well, I was trying to look up a front backing plate for the car. Yeah, that didn't go so well.......'cause it has spindles. Yeah, made me feel stupid. So anyways, is it possible for them to just have bent the spindle? I know that the rotor probably ate it too, but the guy said the A-Arm, and everything else was fine. He's a friend of my friend's grandpa, so I don't think he'd lie to me, but who knows, right? So any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
I have always wanted a 3rd gen since I was little, so I know I will buy the car ASAP, but I kinda wanted to know what else I could be in for, besides a $32 headlight switch, and rebuiling my hatch.......
Senior Member
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 713
Likes: 1
From: shawnee, ks
Car: 87 Firebird
Engine: 5.3 76mm
Transmission: Rossler TH400, PTC converter
Axle/Gears: Strange 12bolt, 3.08s
How much are they asking for the car, sounds like it has some small problems
But all seem to be fixable, except that curb check part, i would say you need to find out whats messed up, if its just pointing a different direction, and still rolls, or if that tire spins when off the ground, then they might have just bent a steering component, if its that far off, then you should beable to look underneath it, see whats got some bends to it, go to the parts store and take alook at thier part to see if its the same, or not as bent.
Some pics of the car would be great too, the stance, and some shots underneath.
The light switch should be pretty easy to fix, it just takes some 20+ screws to get out, but its pretty easy. Try and reinstall the hatch motor, or atleast find out whats wrong with it, if the plastic housing on it has been broken, you can get those from the junk yard, or brand new from GM dealership, i think my last one, for pull down and not remote release was $22.
Next thing you would want to check is condition of the body, and see just how rusted it is, not forgetting to check out the underbody, to see how much undercoating is left, so that ur floor stays where it needs to
But all seem to be fixable, except that curb check part, i would say you need to find out whats messed up, if its just pointing a different direction, and still rolls, or if that tire spins when off the ground, then they might have just bent a steering component, if its that far off, then you should beable to look underneath it, see whats got some bends to it, go to the parts store and take alook at thier part to see if its the same, or not as bent.
Some pics of the car would be great too, the stance, and some shots underneath.
The light switch should be pretty easy to fix, it just takes some 20+ screws to get out, but its pretty easy. Try and reinstall the hatch motor, or atleast find out whats wrong with it, if the plastic housing on it has been broken, you can get those from the junk yard, or brand new from GM dealership, i think my last one, for pull down and not remote release was $22.
Next thing you would want to check is condition of the body, and see just how rusted it is, not forgetting to check out the underbody, to see how much undercoating is left, so that ur floor stays where it needs to
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Central Illinois
Car: 1991 Firebrid
Engine: 3.1 MPFI V6
They are asking $500 for the car. I would go and get pics of it, but it's a good half hour away. Yeah, it's pretty much a commitment to go over there. I checked under the body, and it still has a good amount of undercoating on it, no rust or bare metal anywhere that I could see.
I also couldn't get that great of a look at the wheel. It is sitting in some weeds, on a flat tire. So yeah, not easy to see, looks like a mini replica of the jungles of Cambodia. Add to it that it's buried behind four other cars that don't run. Yeah not a whole lot of moving going on there anytime soon. The body is in good shape, not much rust at all, and looks pretty solid, except for that wheel. I "picked up" a new switch for the headlights, so that shouldn't be complicated, just rewire the headslights, and install the switch.
I hope it isn't too complicated with that wheel. I am looking at getting it in 3 weeks, and the insurance runs out on my Galant at the end of August. So that doesn't give me alot of breathing room to get this car on the road..............It wouldn't matter, except I can't afford the insirance on my car. So I hope that this turns out to be a simple answer, not a "You get to rebuild your entire front suspension, the steering, and brakes on your car! Yay!".....sigh, well I am extremely tired, so I apologize, but I am exhausted. 5:30 AM classifies as an ungodly hour in my book.
I also couldn't get that great of a look at the wheel. It is sitting in some weeds, on a flat tire. So yeah, not easy to see, looks like a mini replica of the jungles of Cambodia. Add to it that it's buried behind four other cars that don't run. Yeah not a whole lot of moving going on there anytime soon. The body is in good shape, not much rust at all, and looks pretty solid, except for that wheel. I "picked up" a new switch for the headlights, so that shouldn't be complicated, just rewire the headslights, and install the switch.
I hope it isn't too complicated with that wheel. I am looking at getting it in 3 weeks, and the insurance runs out on my Galant at the end of August. So that doesn't give me alot of breathing room to get this car on the road..............It wouldn't matter, except I can't afford the insirance on my car. So I hope that this turns out to be a simple answer, not a "You get to rebuild your entire front suspension, the steering, and brakes on your car! Yay!".....sigh, well I am extremely tired, so I apologize, but I am exhausted. 5:30 AM classifies as an ungodly hour in my book.