Hi folks! Yesterday I picked up a '89 Firebird for $1,500. White with a tan'ish interior,T-tops,auto,power windows,A/C and the body is free of any blemishes and everythings where it should be (I'll have some pics later this afternoon). 137,000 miles and I gotta say it runs really good even though its in need of a tune up. Lady ran a foster home and needed a bigger ride and the car runs/drives like it hasnt been abused. Good oil pressure,engine runs cool and quiet (no funky noises) and the car shifts quite smoothly and has decent power for a V6. It was a little bit dirty under the hood but I didnt notice any visable leaks or troubled areas.

The interior has a few very minor issues,center console lid is loose,seats have light wear but no holes/tears. Gauges all appear to work (how accurate they are I cant say for sure). the inside door panels at the top feel a little loose so the car does need some TLC but from what I've found so far everything seems minor and easy to fix.

Suspension feels like it could use some work,car rides a little rough over bumps and what not,brakes work and will stop the car in reasonable time but it wouldnt hurt to replace the pads & fluid. Tires have about 50% left and an alignment is in order even though the car steers and turns quite good and keeps a fairly straight line.

Overall I dont think I got a bad deal for a pretty good car that just needs a good home and a little love. Granted with that V6 its not a race car but I hope its got reasonable power/potential although the V6 milage will be a plus.

I'm having somewhat of a hard time finding replacement/performance parts for this car on the internet so can someone direct me in the right direction to a good site please? First thing will be a full tune up and then I'll go from there.

I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions as to wheres a good place to start to increase the power output! Also how durable are these engines and transmissions?

Thanks!

 

sounds like a good buy. first do a search for the TomP tune up and get that out of the way. then do a search for "mods" or anything like that and youll find more than you ever wanted to know about upgrading your car. as far as longevity, the engine will long outlast the trans, they arent the greatest, especially if not maintained.

 

summitracing.com....killerbv6.com(pricey but made really well).....someone will chime in with more.. or they will tell you to use the search button.G/L

 

Sorry its a little over due but heres a pic of my new (to me) car! Yay!....

I hate search engines with a passion but I'll give this one a try...

Edit:

Well after spending a fair amount of time with my new to me car (not much tinkering just cruising) I gotta say I like it... Not sure if I like it more than my T-bird turbo coupe... Both cars are fully loaded (minus leather on both+both auto). My bird rides like a caddy but with that 2.3 turbo its gutless until 9-10 psi. The firebird on the other hand seems to hit the speed limit much quicker with less effort. Both shift very smoothly although the firebird needs new shocks/struts and needs brakes sooner than I though (pedal to the floor dont mean **** so give extra time to slow her down) and the firebird seems to steer smoother.

ehh... aside from looking alot cooler it needs brakes,FULL tune up,tires look above average with one front tire wearing a little quicker on the outer edge so I'm not sure if I should rotate or just buy 4 new tires. Granted for $1,500 I'm not complaining cause I love the car and will keep it for sure but its gunna take a couple paychecks to get this thing back to strong condition. I dont wanna beat on it the way it is now until I sink some cash in to it so maybe some folks around here could lend an opinion on part brands,odds and ends I might over look as the most I've done on a car are things like belts,hoses,injectors and routine maintanance plus I dont have a garage and few tools.

K I'm off to use the search engine and dig around the site. Sorry for the long posts just excited bout my new toy .

Re-edit: Just wanted to ask,after warmed up at idle (700-800-900'ish rpm's) she holds 40 pounds of oil pressure and rises quickly with the rpm's as gas is applied,ran pretty cool (although it isnt very warm today) and didnt knock or tick or make any funky noises,with 135k on the clock,the transmission shifts quick and smooth no check gauges ever came on and the car never acted funny... So does it sound like I'm working with a decent machine based on what I've told ya'll? Sorry for the stupid Q's just curious...