1973 SD455 Formula for sale on Ebay!

[Xplantdad]

Pretty cool!

Click Here!

[StealthBird]

Beautiful car! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

I'd have to correct him on something in his ad though. He has the features of the SD-455 as:

Reinforced Main Bearing Webs
Four Bolt Iron Bearing Caps
Forged Rods
Forged Aluminum Pistons
Super Highlift Camshaft
Round Port Heads that were a &quot;Work of Art&quot;
Provisions for a Dry Sump Oil System

All true, except for the &quot;Super Highlift Camshaft&quot;. The SD-455 used a .407 lift cam, 301/313 duration, necessary for strict 1973 emission regulations. With the original 041 camshaft (.470 lift, 308/320) that the engine was designed for, the SD-455 cars ran mid-13's, even with their pathetic 8.4 to 1 compression ratio, horrendous EGR intake manifold, and strangulating exhaust system.

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

[njsteve]

He bought it for $57k about a month ago from another dealership off of ebay. The new listng doesnt mention the replacement block, added power windows, addd rear spoiler and removed vinyl top. I have the link to the prior listing with the PHS. Neat car but like everything these days, you'd want to see it in person, i imagine.

Here's the old link. Ebay ad is gone but i saved the photos in my file archive.

http://www.streetsideclassics.com/sh...rebird-Formula

[Xplantdad]

I figured someone would know about this car!

If I hit the lottery...I'd buy a Formula SD455 [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Me too, brother. I think they are cooler than the SD T/As. And you could get them in every available color for 73, not just red, white or green.

Too bad they didnt come with the twin scoop Formula hood. The factory only had the sealed off shaker unit emission certified for sale on the SDs (for both the T/A and the Formula).

[StealthBird]

I love the SD Formulas too. I have a friend that has an Admiralty Blue 74 SD Formula 4-speed, all original, in need of a resto. He doesn't belong to any websites, so the car had stayed under the radar. He bought it from the original owner a few years ago.

Here's a couple 73 SD cars from the TA Nats in Dayton this year. The Admiralty Blue one is a 4-speed. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[Norwood]

4sp are a must..

[Xplantdad]

Wow...those are cool.

I'd take an automatic. And Steve I agree with you...they'd have been much cooler with the formula hood...with little SD455 decals next to the ram air ones [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[StealthBird]

Interesting to note, Bill Porter was the Pontiac Design chief behind the 2nd Gen Firebirds. He designed the 1970-1975 Formula hood, and that hood was destined to be on the new 1970 Trans Am.

But then a shaker scoop was proposed after one of the big wigs saw a 1969 Mustang Cobra Jet shaker. Everyone liked the idea but Porter, who refused to design a scoop. They eventually approached him with an ultimatum of sorts. Either he designs the shaker scoop, or they (the junior designers) would design their own. To drive home this threat, the designers made a crude hood scoop, placed it on a Firebird hood, and showed it to Porter.

Porter then reluctantly sat down, and proceeded to design a beautiful shaker scoop, using the same curves as the Firebird's roofline (another of his contributions).

But he really wanted the Trans Am to have the Formula hood. In fact, his own personal 73 Trans Am has a Formula hood to this day! Porter is a true artist, from architecture to paintings, he understands light and shade, reflections, and how everything needed to be tied together. The designers back then were true geniuses, using sketches and clay models to make dreams come true, as opposed to cutting-and-pasting using computer technology like they do today.

Here's another 74, seen on E-Bay a couple years ago. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[Xplantdad]

Good stuff Mike! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]