The New Project: Part Deux!
 

First one to guess what it is, with the least amount of clues provided, wins a prize. (the prize being more photos)
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]


http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...8c/datatag.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

A special order paint 72 Firebird Formula with bucket seats but with a 1971 style body series number?

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

We have a winner!

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...broadcast1.jpg

And here is the recent GM of Canada record. Compare them to the ones from 20 years ago that actually show the black paint as the paint color on the W51 line.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/GMCanP1a.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/GMCanP2a.jpg

Here are the 1993 GM of Canada docs:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/gmc93P1a.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/gmc93P2a.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here's some of the good stuff:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...8c/engvin1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t.../transvin1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...arbnumber1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/wheel.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t.../wheelback.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Wow and WOW!!!! What a combo! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif[/img] 455 HD, M22, a/c, honey combs, black paint.......!!!!!!!!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]



I am guessing this is in your stable now?? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Yup, it's a one of one. You had to special order black in 1972, and a total of only ten 455HO Formulas were delivered in Canada. A total of 276 were produced in 1972. (no breakdown on automatic versus M22, though.)

Here’s the full story on the car: Last summer, a new member, Grant, posted about finding and buying this car, here on the Yenko.net site. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt...850&amp;page=1

When he originally posted about the Firebird, I PM'd Grant and asked if he ever wanted to sell the car, I'd be happy to give him what he wanted for it. Grant (a great guy, by the way) only recently revisited the site and saw the PM, and then responded to me.

In the original posting, Grant told the story about how his brother was out giving an estimate for a new roof for a lady’s home in British Columbia, Canada. When she opened the garage, Grant’s brother saw the car for the first time. The Firebird belonged to her late husband who passed away several years earlier from cancer at a far too early age. The woman and her daughter were very attached to the car as it was a special project that the husband/father put back together shortly before he passed on. After he died, they kept the car in the garage and would start it once in a while, trying to maintain it.

Grant’s brother, who didn’t really know much about Firebirds took a few fuzzy cellphone snapshots of the car and forwarded the info to Grant, who eventually contacted the woman and was able to purchase the car. After getting all the boxes and stuff out from around the car and getting it out into the daylight for the first time in years, the car pretty much started right up after a new battery was installed.

The car has more than an inch of original documents with it, including every repair work order for anything ever done with it. It was originally leased from London Motor Products in Ontario, Canada (a big GM dealer), to a law firm from 1972 to 1975. In February, 1975, the lease ended and the lawyer, who leased it, bought the car (with a partial trade of a 72 Vega). The lawyer owned the car until 1985 when he sold it to a broker who put a quickie repaint on it and sold it to the husband in British Columbia. He and his family owned it until Grant bought it in the summer of 2011.

Here's the original sale document when the lease ended:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/sale1.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Purdy please more pix!'!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I am currently awaiting transport with TFX in Canada. A couple of you Great White North guys recommended them in past postings. The car is 3,000 miles away in B.C. It is just about the farthest you can get from New Jersey, going west, without hitting the Pacific Ocean.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here's what it looked like in 1987:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...toJuly1987.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...oJuly1987b.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here are some engine shots:

The car had the prehistoric Pontiac unitized ignition system originally (along with five years of dealer repair work orders attempting to fix the &quot;no start&quot; problem related to these units). An HEI was swapped in its placed in the 1980s.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...8c/engine2.jpg

I have started gathering A/C parts but will need some of the small A/C line brackets, a correct 054 POA valve and the correct housing-to-firewall bolts. At least the unique 455HO A/C brackets are still intact.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...8c/engine3.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...68c/engine.jpg

Unfortunately, there is a hole sawed into the top of the very rare, original 1972 radiator shroud. I'm glad I saved my old melted one from the other 72 so I have a donor plug to patch it with. The second owner put an electric fan in along with a fixed blade engine fan (I'll need a thermo clutch and fan, now...and a dual bleeder master cylinder)

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here's the car now. Looks like the second owner added the rear spoiler in the late 1980s.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/front.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...68c/rear-1.jpg

And the interior. It has a perfect dash pad and steering wheel. When I arrived it still had the 1977 bucket seats that were installed in 1987 when the car was broken into and the seats stolen. Once I arrived from my 3000 mile flight, Grant and I spent an hour or so, installing the new seats that he had located over the past year.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/interior.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...teriordash.jpg

Original mileage with every piece of paper to back it up.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...8c/mileage.jpg

Funny thing I found from reviewing all the dealership paperwork is that they seemed to have changed the starter every time they did an oil change. Looks like they tossed the heat shield during the first starter repair in the early 70's and from that point on they just kept cooking solenoids and never bothered to repair the problem, instead of chasing the symptom.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here's the original, fiberglass ram air hood with the screens still intact:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/hood1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/hood2.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

And now for the bad stuff:

During the car's &quot;quickie&quot; paint job in 1985, there must have been some issue with the trunk drop offs, so the body shop boxed them in with an entire plate of sheet metal. Looks bizarre, since the quarters seem pretty solid at the bottoms:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...trunkdropR.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...trunkdropL.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

The rear frame rails also have some soft spots by the tail pipe hanger, where the hanger cracked a section of the rail out, possibly due to the custom exhaust that is using only the rear hangers to support the entire weight of both pipes. Normally they should have a transverse muffler that is fully supported by two brackets above the rear differential, sharing the load.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...68c/hanger.jpg

And the lower area in the normal Firebird frame rail bad spot:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t.../framerail.jpg

Here's a quality repair [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img] - use spray foam in the rocker hole. It seems to be isolated to the passenger side inner/outer fender well seam: (By the way, look at the assembly line sticker still on the original brake drum!)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/hole1.jpg

Once all the foam was picked out:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...268c/hole2.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

And the traditional rear sway bar mount cracks with the obligatory weld repairs.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...aylinkweld.jpg

The funny thing is that while digging through all the repair orders I found the original one that has the welding repair done back when the car had 28,000 miles:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...68c/repair.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

The trunk floor actually doesnt look bad. (knock on wood)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...68c/trunkL.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...68c/trunkr.jpg

It has the space saver spare tire option:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...trunkspare.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...nkspeakerl.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...runkmiddle.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Wow. Black, a 455 and a Formula. What a neat car. What are your plans? You gonna see if you can start an even longer thread..... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Grant just sent me these better photos of &quot;our&quot; interior installation.


http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...l102012008.jpg

And the car sitting in the British Columbian sun. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...l102012009.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SS427</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> What are your plans? You gonna see if you can start an even longer thread..... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img] </div></div>

Them's fight'n words!

This better not take no freaken 7 years!!!
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Awesome Steve...congrats! I LOVE Formula Firebirds. It was my brothers first car and my first muscle car ride! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here's a Canadian Question for any of you guys up there:

On the top of the PHS it says:

&quot;Charge to: GENERAL MOTORS of CANADA, LTD, OSHAWA, ONTARIO&quot;

Is this the normal way a Canadian PHS looks? Or would the original dealer nomrally be in that spot on the form?

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...broadcast1.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Awesome Formula, congrats!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

In talking to Steve, he suggested I add this to the thread.

I think I remember this car from London, Ontario. The LMP dealership on Richmond St. was pretty well known. I used to ride my bicycle by there, with my best friend, on the way to our favorite hobby shop, back around 1974-1975.

My dad was an exec at GM's Diesel Division in London Ontario from 1973-1977. He special ordered a new 1974 Trans Am 455 (Buccaneer Red) for his 3-month/3,000 mile company car. My oldest brother began street racing that brand new 74 Trans Am 455. While I was young at the time, I recall my brothers always talking about a black Formula (without spoiler) as they cruised the 74 Trans Am around London (Dundas Street being the center of the cruise scene). I remember them chatting abut various cars they would see every weekend, and they used to mention this black Formula they'd see now and then. I remember back then, as my brothers were teenagers, it was memorable when someone would give them a wave as they passed. That made them feel really cool. Anyway, I remember they said that one Sunday afternoon, the &quot;guy in the black Formula&quot; gave them a wave as he passed them on Richmond Street heading into the city.

As a sidenote, my brothers ended up getting busted at Airport Rd. in London one night, when about 30 cars were there watching street races. The London police broke them all up, but gave a written warning to my oldest brother. I guess seeing a teenager in a brand new red 1974 Trans Am was an easy target. That was the end of my dad bringing home &quot;cool cars&quot;. From then on it was Oldsmobiles and Buicks for his executive ordered drivers. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

I believe all the Pontiacs destined for Canada were billed to &quot;GM Of Canada&quot; (at least the invoices I've seen). I attached an invoice of a 1971 Judge 4-speed for reference.

Again, cool car Steve, and a great find! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Mike, That had to be this car since it was from that exact neighborhood from 1972 to 1985 and the only black Formula up there at the time. Give your brothers a heads up about this thread. I'd love to have their opinions and stories, too.

Great info on the PHS adddress, too.

That's what I love about this site, people sharing their stories. It's really amazing what a small world it is. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

If you are in Chicago in November, I may bring the car to MCACN if Mr. Ashton thinks it fits in the &quot;as found&quot; class. I'd love to have you and your brothers see it in person.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Congrats Steve! Looks like a great car and I know you'll make it even better. Did you sell the TA? I'd still like to see that car someday.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Yes, I sold the T/A to get money for this car. I was getting itchy and needed another project. I got tired of fixing up the house. That's just not as fun.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

WOW Steve! just WOW!


Tim

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Congrats once again Steve! What state did the car go? Hope its at this years POCI in St Charles IL
Are you coming out for that show?

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

And another vintage Ontario story of the car just surfaced on the sister thread to this one over at PerformanceYears.com: http://forums.performanceyears.com/f...444&amp;page=3

&quot;<span style="font-style: italic">If in London, I ran beside that car with my Older brothers White 74 455 Formula heading west to London from Mississauga on the 401 for all both cars were worth LOL....

We bought our 74 Formula from &quot;Milton Motors&quot; back in the day and they had a great mechanic at the dealership that was all about these cars (he had a 73SD TA himself)... He was a HP freak swore the White 74 was a factory screw up because it ran (in his words not mine) harder than his SD.... I know we ran a lot of cars that we should have had our asses handed to us,,,, and came out on top much to our own surprise,,, but that black Formula left a lasting impression on me....</span>&quot;

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

It's starting to look like I picked up another &quot;Christine&quot;. I guess we'll name this one Rachel*


* after my recent biblical rant comparing my 7-year restoration of the T/A with the story of the Laban, Jacob, and Jacob's two 7-year deals to get his two wives: Leah and Rachel.

We shall all now turn to chapter #484968, on page 121 of my 72 T/A thread. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt...6&amp;page=121

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Nice Pontiac Steve...but I still favor &quot;our&quot; Charger. I had a plan to buy the Charger, but unfortunatly my mega-million ticket turned out to be worthless. Reguardless, I am looking foward to the restoration of this one.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I won $4 in that megamillions lottery. I spent it all on the new project...plus a bit more.

So at least I can finally say I won the lottery and bought a car with the money! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Too cool!!!!
Don't forget my number for the F60-15's!!!

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I picked up a sister car last month-another Norwood 12B car. I purchased it from the original owner, a lady who bought it new to go to nursing school and is now retired. I got you beat in miles, with just 87K on the clock. I think your Formula has this little lady covered in most other areas, though, being a 350/AT Esprit. Looking forward to your restoration and refinishing efforts once again, best of luck.

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Congrats Steve! Here's to another awesome build thread from Steve! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/laugh.gif[/img]

So you went from white to black, huh? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

----That little Esprit is a set of wheels away from being very cool!!!......Bill S

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Hey, don't be dissin' dem dog dishes! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

I agree with...both of you. I refinished a set of 15x7 Rally II's and ordered up new PMD red centers and trim rings. Those giant Firebird wheelwells call out for more. It was the basic deal when new-never on the ground spare is an E78-14 blackwall and those trim rings were added later, of course.

But I'm no dog dish hater, as can be seen by my original paint Comet Caliente behind it. That car actually had Torque Thrust II's on it when I bought it, and I put the original wheels and caps BACK on.

Thus, I swing both ways:)

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Here's some nice and greasy underside shots taken last week. The car is set for pickup tomorrow.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...erneath008.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...erneath010.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...erneath011.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...erneath012.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...erneath014.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...erneath018.jpg

Re: The New Project: Part Deux!
 

Pretty underside!!!!!!!! Seeing some red oxide peeking out there!