37K Mile: 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula
This low mile, unrestored 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula is listed here on eBay for $13,900 or best offer. It is located in Milford, Michigan by a dealer with a good reputation who specializes in selling second generation Firebirds. The car is reported to have 37,102 miles on the odometer. The listing has 11 days remaining. There were 187,287 Firebirds built in 1978 including the base Firebird, Esprit, Formula and Trans Am. A total of 24,346 Formulas were built in 1978.
The Formula is painted in Chesterfield brown with a standard camel interior. The car was originally equipped from the factory with air conditioning and tilt steering. The interior shows some fading in the carpet and vinyl seats. The factory base steering is covered with a JC Whitney wrap and a Firebird decal adorns the center console. The dash is not cracked which is rare for a car this age. The car appears to have an aftermarket stereo. There are several pictures of the undercarriage and the fuel tank appears to have been replaced recently.
Under the hood is a Chevrolet LG3 305 cubic inch V8 engine backed by a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. GM rated this engine at 135 horsepower and 240 lb ft of torque when equipped with an automatic transmission. The horsepower was 5 horsepower more when it was equipped with a 4 speed manual transmission. The LG3 305 cubic inch V8 engine was not available in high altitude locations. It was equipped with a 2 barrel carburetor. With this engine, either a 2.41:1 or a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio was available.
The Formula appears to be clean. The photographs show some surface rust in a few areas. The car still appears to have the original exhaust with its factory catalytic converter. The CB7 half vinyl roof is unusual. It was a $111 option and called the Canopy Top Cordova and available on the base Firebird, Esprit and Formula but not the Trans Am.
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Comments
The first dozen pictures make the car look good, 13-41, not so much. Lots of rust, better to keep looking until you find something better. Unfortunately, there is a good chance someone will bite on its outward appearance, shiny paint. Even people that know better often make that mistake.
Steve R
It looks good from a distance. It’s really better overall than most cars of this era, especially the interior.
The rust underneath the chrome that goes around the rear glass is more serious than it looks.
Wait until you pop the chrome off then you will see what I mean.
It’s still a good looking car, very clean and well cared for.
I agree with a previous post, WD 40 on the engine compartment??
That’s a new one to me, and I thought I had seen it all.
Just my oponion!
Either they just pressure washed that engine bay or they sprayed WD40 all over it to take that picture.
The whole car appears to of had a bath in Derek Bieri’s “shine juice”.
Gotta love that guy, though. “I wonder what Randy Travis is doing right now?” – one of my favorite quotes of his as he tries to remove a rusted on part. So random that it was beautiful.
Spark-oh-lators and Bring the Thunder!
I have enjoyed him, and his show, tremendously. The guy is a real gem. He never seems to have a bad day. He’ll point out something bad and say ‘It’s fine’. Love it.
That car is eat up with rust. They should’ve used wd-40 twenty or thirty years ago. It’s a typical rust belt car.
Pass!
Low miles but Rockford drove it pretty hard
Well…at least it doesn’t have the choked chicken on the hood.
It doesn’t have any decals, and the console is plain, not the sparkly decal. Too much work for the price.
With the amount of rust I’m seeing, I’m surprised that the original exhaust is still intact; I’ve seen cars with much less mileage with their exhausts replaced. And being a Formula, I was expecting at least a 350 4-barrel; aren’t Formulas supposed to be Trans Ams without the gingerbread?
Rust Bucket….No Thanks.
yes what is the name of his fix it show pls anyone
Roadworthy Rescues on MotorTrend
And Vice Grip Garage on YouTube.
Poor choice of engines. Begging for a cam and lifters soon. Especially if engine was California built. Cheap price….look over very carefully. If you want to buy.. These love to rust
thank you very much i love that show
Buyers beware, seller lied to my face when I inquired about a car he was selling. I was really surprised because it was a petty issue I would have otherwise overlooked.
yes i bought a 2015 chevy impala LTZ last yr with 19;000 miles on the dealer said the battery was new among other things i had 2 put new tirers on my impala with other 19,000 miles on it they were dry rotten never take someone word unless u know them people lie
Engine bay looks like it was shot with detailer’s glaze. A detailer will steam clean the engine bay first and load a low pressure spray gun with glaze and shoot it. It will look good for a couple months.
Had a ’79 that was a lot cleaner and had the Pontiac 301 in with 71k on the odometer. Paid $700 for the car, it had a knock. Put a 71 Pontiac 400 in it that was slightly massaged by my friend Aldo Santini at his machine shop… decent Crane cam, Kieth Black 10.5:1 pistons, balanced. Was an Esprit model that was plain enough with just a factory spoiler on the trunk and factory rims that I swapped out for some 8′ corvette rally rims that matched the paint on the car so close it looked like they were painted. Paid $50 for all 4 rims with the center caps and deep trim rings. Was able to put 255/50/15s all the way around. Loved that car, took it on trips regularly and drove it almost every day. Was hit by a tractor trailer that didn’t see me in the left lane on the highway on Xmas eve in 1998.