72 Formula 455HO/4 spd

[Grant Didmon]

Thank you for all the welcoming messages.The 72 HO also was ordered with the 15X7 honey combs,full tinted glass,Y-99 suspension,and the passenger sunvisor mirror.The honey combs are still flawless,and the tires are those old w/l Goodyear Eagle ST's,but there isn't much tread left on them,but not a blemish on the outside,they are probably 25 years old.The car has only gone 12,000 miles in the past 18 years,it is all documented.There are boxes full of bills,and they might go back to the original owner,as the one I pulled out to see how old
they were was from 1977.I get all that stuff and parts too?,when I get the car this Friday morning.It was also ordered with the back bumperetts,and they were not on the car,and then I found them sitting on the original bumper which was stored in the garage.The only non stock item on the car,and I am so glad it was added after the fact, is the rear spoiler.

[njsteve]

That's funny about the rear spoiler addition. There is a militant camp over at the Performanceyears.com site in the 70-73 Firebird section that have just about started an insurrection against all the Formulas that have had spoilers added to them over the years.

I kinda like the clean fastback look without it. But to each his own.

We're still waiting on those photos!!!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

I will be sending photos when I get it home this Friday,also I have to figure out how to add them to a post?

[Xplantdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Grant Didmon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be sending photos when I get it home this Friday,also I have to figure out how to add them to a post? </div></div>


You can go here Picture posting tutorial


or you can send them to me....and I'll get them posted for you [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

Thank you for the help

[Brewster]

Sounds like a great car and look forward in seeing some pictures too!
Many Happy Miles,
Brew

[Grant Didmon]

I have not been able to post any pictures,as my lovely wife is on a cruise in Europe with her girlfriend and took our digital camera with her,and she is not back till the end of next week.She doesn't know I bought the Formula last friday so its our secret.I got a box of bills from the widow,and two days After I bought it,I finally got to go through them all,and I have all the bills back to the original owner,how cool is that.The car has all it's original panels/trunk and floors.It was painted in 1985 and it is still a really nice 5 footer.The last owner of 25 years who pased away,took the 455 Formula signs off the fenders,and took the Ram Air decals off the hood scoops,as he was paranoid on having the car stolen.In July 1987 he had the car broken into,the perfect black deluxe seats stolen completely,and the Insurance company put in redyed red to black 78-80 style Firebird seats in it.I checked all the glass codes today,and sure enough the drivers window was smashed to get into the car,as it is some weird brand,but I found the car still has the original windshield in it.It spent it's first 14 years in London Ontario,and only had 53,000 miles when they shipped it to the West coast of Canada to the new buyer,that person who passed away and I got to buy it.It is the most powerful car I have ever owned,and I had a LS5 70 Chevelle convert in the late 90's,and this pulls way stronger than the Chevelle did, and the original M-22 in the Formula is a treat to be shifting through the gears. Grant

[Norwood]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That's funny about the rear spoiler addition. There is a militant camp over at the Performanceyears.com site in the 70-73 Firebird section that have just about started an insurrection against all the Formulas that have had spoilers added to them over the years.

I kinda like the clean fastback look without it. But to each his own.

We're still waiting on those photos!!!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] </div></div>


Steve the deal is Rear spoilers were not avalible on anything other than a Trans Am in 1970. So the issue is the addition of a rear spoiler to a 70 Formula, it just should not be there [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Didnt know that about the 70 model year. Im with you on the clean look, unless it was ordered with it orignally, of course.

[StealthBird]

I actually prefer the rear spoiler on the 70-81 Birds. Pontiac originally intended the rear spoiler to be a Trans Am feature only in 1970 (as in 1969), but the spoiler proved very popular, and they added it to the option list in 1971.

There's a great story about how Chevrolet tried to steal that 1970 Trans Am spoiler away for their 70 Z/28.

Vince Piggins (Chevrolet’s Product Promotion manager) not only loved the Trans Am rear spoiler, but after he saw the test results of how much downforce it created, he wanted the spoiler for the 1970 Z/28. He called the spoiler manufacturer, and asked about production timetables.

A Pontiac purchasing manager was furious when their spoiler supplier informed him that Chevrolet requested the Pontiac designed spoiler. He told the supplier that under no circumstances could any parts or tooling be used by any other GM division, unless approved by Pontiac, in writing. Pontiac had spent a great deal of money on the tooling, and considered the 1970 Trans Am spoiler to be theirs.

So back to Vince Piggins, who then went all the way up the ladder to Jim McDonald, General Manager of Pontiac. The Pontiac stylists stood their ground, and argued with Jim McDonald that their spoiler design was crucial to the overall look and functionality of the 70 Trans Am. But diplomacy prevailed, Chevrolet was top dog, and McDonald ok’d the use of the Trans Am spoiler for Chevrolet. But to appease his Pontiac stylists, he told Chevrolet they could use the spoiler, but they had to redesign the end caps to give the Z/28 a different look. But the new tooling took time, so the smaller “nub” spoiler continued in production until the ducktail style spoiler became available mid way into the 1970 model year.

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]