1976 Formula Update

[daleone3]

Quick thank you to all the folks in this community that offered input and observations on the 7900 mile 76 Formula discussed a couple of weeks ago. It is on the truck and heading to Douglas MA (about 35 miles west of Boston), truly a town that seems to be stuck in time (maybe 1980) so the car will fit right in. After many pictures and several Facetime walk arounds and test drives, we got it done. I also realized it was time to officially join as a Member given the time and guidance that this site provides. As a lurker for many years, membership was long overdue.
Thanks again!
Scott

[BigBen]

That is a sweet looking car!

[mssl72]

Congrats on the acquisition and joining!! Car looks wunda-ful!

[SuperNovaSS]

Thanks for the update. I was wondering if you ended up buying it.

Jason

[Burd]

Cool car. I may have a few things kicking around for your car. If you ever need anything I know some of the best f body parts guys too.
Norwalk and the ta natz in Dayton are the best swaps fir Bird stuff.

[mockingbird812]

Congrats Scott and welcome to membership! She's a honey. Keep us posted on your progress and give us lots of photos......please!!!

[Charley Lillard]

I think you got a great car, congrats...

[70 copo]

I recall seeing a cool image of one of the 1976 formula pilots in plant at Norwood in mid 1975. When I find it I will post it.

[Tenney]

That thing's cool! Welcome!!

[daleone3]

I think you got a great car, congrats...

Thanks Charley. I met the driver last night (3AM) to get the car. We had bad weather in the Northeast and wanted to get it put away before they dropped a ton of salt.

The car is a time capsule, doors shut like new, paint has really nice shine, trunk is spotless and very original, interior is like new, AM radio, carpets and seats in excellent shape.
Dropped it about a mile from my house as he had a 53 foot enclosed trailer and tried to make it easy on him. Runs and drives nice. Once we get a break in the weather will put up some updated pics. He sent the PHS with it and also the title history from new that reflects the mileage over the years through the two owners it had. At this point I have no question or concern that the mileage being what is claimed.
It will be a nice car to have and drive and I think these are poised for a value bump over the next five years which doesn't hurt though my daughter (26 years old) has already called dibs on it.
Thanks again.

[njsteve]

Congratulations on the purchase! Enjoy!!!

[69LM1]

Congrats, that is a nice one for sure,
/Rich

[JRSully]

never saw a Formula with caps, cool

[Xplantdad]

I think you got a great car, congrats...


Agreed...and I think it found the right owner, too! :beers:

[markjohnson]

Very nice! When it comes to ‘Birds I’ve always been more of a Formula guy than a T/A guy!

[70 copo]

I recall seeing a cool image of one of the 1976 formula pilots in plant at Norwood in mid 1975. When I find it I will post it.

White Pilot was a hubcap car too.

[Charley Lillard]

Was just thinking about the fact that I get just as excited about a car like this as I do a Yenko, Copo etc. And they are alot cheaper.

[Mallard]

never saw a Formula with caps, cool

Nor have I. I didn't even know it was a possibility as I thought they came standard with fancier wheels. The poverty caps do give it that "sleeper" look though.

[daleone3]

Nor have I. I didn't even know it was a possibility as I thought they came standard with fancier wheels. The poverty caps do give it that "sleeper" look though.

To be honest, the hook for me was the originality and the four speed. I appreciate cars that don't look like the rest and the Formula 400 is also more appealing to me than the TA, maybe just an age thing, who knows? I like the low option cars and appreciate that in 76 when it was ordered, someone put the effort to check the boxes that were important and could afford. Seller also sent PHS with build info which I can appreciate.

[SuperNovaSS]

Spare tire delete and a note that the tire will be given to the dealer when available? Were they low on those base rims or something?


Jason

[daleone3]

Spare tire delete and a note that the tire will be given to the dealer when available? Were they low on those base rims or something?


Jason

That is a good question, would not surprise me based on probably low demand maybe. The good news is it was picked up and in the trunk.

[GrumpyJeff]

Really Neat Car !!!! love everything about it !!!

[markinnaples]

That was sold not too far away from where I grew up outside Pittsburgh.
Great car, congrats.

[daleone3]

That was sold not too far away from where I grew up outside Pittsburgh.
Great car, congrats.

Thanks. Interesting story. The guy that had it in FLA grew up in that area and knew of the car but it got traded in to a Toyota Dealer on a new truck and was sold quick. The guy in FLA kept in contact with the second owner who eventually sold it to him a couple of years ago. Just got a folder in the mail with old registrations, title copies, etc that back up the 7900 mileage and ownership history. Pretty happy to have gotten it.

[fortim]

Cool car and great options, I've been looking for a Firethorn red '76 Trans Am with 455.

Looks like it went to a good home :biggthumpup:

[L78racer]

Spare tire delete and a note that the tire will be given to the dealer when available? Were they low on those base rims or something?

I worked at a Chevy dealer back then and there was a shortage of tires due to a strike I think. They were rationing tires and shipping new cars without the spare tire but with the rim in the trunk. Then the tires became available and the dealers got loads of tires for cars that were missing them. The parts department was a mess with tires stacked everywhere. We had no way of mounting or balancing tires off the car so customers picked up their tires and went to the tire store with a voucher for mount and balance.

[napa68]

Spare tire delete and a note that the tire will be given to the dealer when available? Were they low on those base rims or something?


Jason
My 76 Trans Am is the same. I am of the understanding they were in short supply and installed at the dealer

[StealthBird]

The spare tire deletion message is actually quite common on 1976 Firebird invoices. Just a side note, the photo posted is just the invoice, not a build sheet.

Very interesting that this car was delivered to Cochran Pontiac, a dealership that recently has gained some notoriety as it was the dealership that the very first 1970 GTO, a pilot car and a RAIV model, was sold to.

The buyer of this 1976 Formula ordered the "Rear Seat Speaker" and "Additional Acoustical Insulation" options, but only an AM Radio. They most likely were going to install an aftermarket AM/FM Stereo once they received the car. They could have simply not ordered a radio at all and saved a few bucks, but by ordering the AM Radio they got all the underdash and speaker wiring. Since many Firebird owners wanted a better stereo than what GM could provide, in 1977 Pontiac began offering a "Radio Accomadation Package" option that provided all the wiring and harnesses for an aftermarket radio without having to order a radio.

Very cool Formula by the way!

Mike

[mockingbird812]

Cochran was (still is?) a huge volume dealer. My wife went to H.S. in Monroeville and I passed the dealership many times traveling betw Monroeville and Pgh. Cochran probably had significant pull with GM HQ resulting in a couple of early, early versions of '69/'70 GTOs.

[StealthBird]

Yes, I believe because Cochran Pontiac was a large dealership, they had connections with the Pittsburgh Pontiac Zone Office.

[Tracker1]

The spare tire deletion message is actually quite common on 1976 Firebird invoices. Just a side note, the photo posted is just the invoice, not a build sheet.

Very interesting that this car was delivered to Cochran Pontiac, a dealership that recently has gained some notoriety as it was the dealership that the very first 1970 GTO, a pilot car and a RAIV model, was sold to.

The buyer of this 1976 Formula ordered the "Rear Seat Speaker" and "Additional Acoustical Insulation" options, but only an AM Radio. They most likely were going to install an aftermarket AM/FM Stereo once they received the car. They could have simply not ordered a radio at all and saved a few bucks, but by ordering the AM Radio they got all the underdash and speaker wiring. Since many Firebird owners wanted a better stereo than what GM could provide, in 1977 Pontiac began offering a "Radio Accomadation Package" option that provided all the wiring and harnesses for an aftermarket radio without having to order a radio.

Very cool Formula by the way!

Mike

YUP. UN9 RADIO ACCOMMODATION PACKAGE. Car came with all the radio wiring / hook ups under the dash and a radio delete plate installed. I've owned a few.

On the spare tire, I have owned two survivior trans ams, a '74 and a '76 both with full size spares that had the original Uniroyal stickers still attached to the tire. Both tires Sourced by the dealership when new when the original owners looked at the space saver spare and said
"I dont want that."

[daleone3]

Update: Took the Formula out last week (Saturday), put some fuel in to it and over the course of the next mile, stalled several times. I put about six gallons in it however JJ (seller) was pretty up front that the fuel was old that was in the car. The car ran well during face time inspections and face time test drives and when it arrived however after introducing new fuel in to the system, it started acting up. I pulled the fuel filter and it was filthy so I decided to go deeper just so I was not putting a band aid on a bigger problem. I siphoned most of the fuel out and it was not really fuel at this point, discolored and more debris than I could have planned.
Over this week end, I dropped the tank and it was pretty dirty inside, the filler neck has a good amount of loose scale so my thought is that when I put fuel in to it, I introduced more crap in to the fuel and it was sucking it in, stalling and then once whatever is in there moved, it would restart, enough to get about a tenth of a mile before it would pull whatever it is back down.
At this point, I am going to replace the tank, the bottom of it and the seam is not in great shape. Replacing the fuel sending unit which I knew it needed as well as the fuel pump and will make sure the lines are clear from the pump back before I do any reassembly. Will also clean out lines carb to pump.
With only 7900 miles, this was part of the plan anyway and something I wanted to do just to make sure that the whole fuel system was on par with the rest of the car.
I did send a note to the Seller in FLA and he as beyond accommodating. He said keep track of your time and the parts and he would reimburse me BUT I told him that was not necessary and that I had anticipated that I would be doing this anyway when I did the sending unit.
In fairness to the seller, I did ask about the age of the fuel and knew it had not been driven much/at all in the past year plus so did not feel like I needed to recover anything. AND yes, my error initially, I should have given the system a good check before even putting fuel in it, was just a bit over eager.
Any additional inputs on this? Replace tank, sender, fuel pump, filter and blow out lines with carb cleaner and light air pressure. Hoping the Carb is fine (it was rebuilt by a noted carb person) though that may need a going over, last piece of the puzzle.
Last question: Pontiac Parts. NPD, Classic Industries, Ames.....any suggestions on vendors or are they all mostly selling the same components? I bought a ton from NPD on my 71 Camaro SS and they were great to deal with but open to any recommendations.

[mockingbird812]

Yike Dale. Nasty stuff. Glad you figured it out. Boy the underside of that Formula is sweet!!!!:biggthumpup:

[Z15 SS 454]

Is there anything that could be done to that tank to make it useable?

It would be ideal to re use it for originality on such a nice car.

[muscle_collector]

replace all the rubber lines for sure. seen way too many burn to the ground from them getting old and splitting.

[daleone3]

Is there anything that could be done to that tank to make it useable?

It would be ideal to re use it for originality on such a nice car.

Couldn’t agree more. I am going to see our local radiator guy and see what he thinks. I much prefer that route and will only replace if the tank cannot be salvaged

[daleone3]

replace all the rubber lines for sure. seen way too many burn to the ground from them getting old and splitting.

Will do that as well. The car has a heavy undercoating on it and interestingly enough the lines had a fair bit on them but planning on replacing it all so the delivery system is tight

[daleone3]

Yike Dale. Nasty stuff. Glad you figured it out. Boy the underside of that Formula is sweet!!!!:biggthumpup:

It is super solid. Scale on suspension, leafs and exposed components but probably leave it as it.
I love that it has not been fluffed and shows it’s age.

[napa68]

I recently had dove into Pontiac's (hardcore Chevrolet guy) and bounced around with some different vendors. I have had the best results with Ames so far.

I agree with you and some of the others about maintaining the original tank. But that having been said, you could be fighting an uphill battle with debris and driveability. If I were walking your shoes, I'd but a new tank and sender, replace all of the rubber components, and call it good. I don't think you would have to look back.

As far as the undercoating, I'll throw my .02 in. Not only on the 76 Trans Am I have been working on, but the 80 Z28 I have as well.............I removed the undercoating to reveal a beautiful underbody. It is some dirty BS work, but the value it will bring it certainly worth the effort. There are plenty of people on this site that have spent the time to do the same thing and as a result, there is tons of great info and advice to be had.

If you were to look up Norcam & NJSteve's threads, you'll see great advice for products and procedures to deal with the undercoating, to say nothing for surface rusted components.

One my favorite threads is this...........................
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=79126

Of course, the is Greame's (Norcam) thread...........
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157610

This is a great one for dissolving rust................
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155303

Hope this helps,
Tim

[wheelhop]

I had purchased a new gas tank from Year One for my 69 chevelle project in about 2005. Well it took 3 years for me to finally get the car finished and at my first show the car began leaking gas.
Turned out the weld between the filler neck and the tank was cracked/faulty and it was leaking out of there. When I got home from show, I called Year One and explained the situation and they shipped me a new tank within 2 days (no charge) and told me to keep the leaky one. My point is that they honored their warranty (1 year) even though 3 years had gone by and I've always remembered that.

[daleone3]

I recently had dove into Pontiac's (hardcore Chevrolet guy) and bounced around with some different vendors. I have had the best results with Ames so far.

I agree with you and some of the others about maintaining the original tank. But that having been said, you could be fighting an uphill battle with debris and driveability. If I were walking your shoes, I'd but a new tank and sender, replace all of the rubber components, and call it good. I don't think you would have to look back.

As far as the undercoating, I'll throw my .02 in. Not only on the 76 Trans Am I have been working on, but the 80 Z28 I have as well.............I removed the undercoating to reveal a beautiful underbody. It is some dirty BS work, but the value it will bring it certainly worth the effort. There are plenty of people on this site that have spent the time to do the same thing and as a result, there is tons of great info and advice to be had.

If you were to look up Norcam & NJSteve's threads, you'll see great advice for products and procedures to deal with the undercoating, to say nothing for surface rusted components.

One my favorite threads is this...........................
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=79126

Of course, the is Greame's (Norcam) thread...........
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=157610

This is a great one for dissolving rust................
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155303

Hope this helps,
Tim

Helps a ton Tim. I had a 71 Camaro that had the same undercoating treatment and I did take the time to get it back to that original red oxide primer and it looked great. That will be part of the longer term plan. As for the tank, I was talking to someone about it and they indicated that the ethanol could have reacted with the old fuel and created the driveability issue. Truth is it ran prior to introducing new fuel and it likely either created some toxic mess or dislodged debris (or both). The plan is to replace everything though I will keep the parts and send the tank out for possible repair so I have it. As you said, no sense in putting a band aid on a problem that can resurface down the road when the parts are available to ensure that it is clean throughout the system.
Thanks again.

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

Get the tank cleaned out and have them seal it, should be fine after that. I did it a while back and so did a buddy of mine, his tank was worse than mine. No issues the last 19 years.