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Hey everyone I have 1987 Firebird (what's listed on the title). My dad bought this car about 27 years ago and unfortunately it was left out in the elements so I'm trying to get it running again currently. Anyway, when he bought it he got all kinds of info about how this car had different body parts on it. He was also told it was GTA. It does have the TPI engine but again was told that's not the original engine that was in it. It was painted at some point also before he bought it. There was an emblem on the front bumper but my dad took it off and it's since been lost. I was just curious as to what you guys think the body parts may be off of and if this is infact a GTA (from my research I don't believe it is). Either way it doesn't matter to me I have a lot of memories in this car and I'm excited to get it running again!
Hood and bumpers suggest a Formula. Could be a base model too. The 8th vin digit will tell you what engine was originally there. If it did have a tpi 305 or 350 then it was a Formula from the factory. If a tbi 305, could be either. 3.1 car would've been a base model.
Seats were swapped in from a GTA or high optioned TA. The spoiler is from a 91-92 TA or GTA.
The engine has a serpentine belt set up which was an 88 and later thing. So what I'm saying is a lot of things have been swapped. What is was originally isn't nearly as important as how well or poorly did they do changes and how rusty are the floors and such.
Thanks for the reply! The car ran great up until about a year ago when he parked it. It hasn't been started since then. He took very good care of it prior and I even have a folder with everything done to the car in the past. It has minimal rust thank God. But as you can see the interior and paint is suffering. The odometer has 95,000 miles on it. I'm pretty sure the not running issue is due to bad gas (it could possibly be up to two years old). The 8th digit on the vin is an 8.
Vin 8 means it was originally a tpi 350 so it was very likely a Formula from the factory....unless there was a LOT more changes and it was a GTA or TA. But yeah, you got a Formula.
Hey ya I actually ran a Carfax on it last night and it was reported stolen in 1994 by the previous owner. It was retrieved a few months later and the owner was paid an insurance claim. So very possible it lots of parts were taken from it in those few months it was missing and later replaced with parts from different models. Kind of crazy to think about! Unfortunately that's the only thing I was able to see on the report other than title and registration information.
Guessing with that story, it was stolen and the engine and other assorted items were gone. A 91 or 92 parts car was sourced and the seats and spoiler and engine all got placed in that car. The engine in your car is a speed density setup, used from 90-92, just given the other parts look the same vintage. So circumstantial evidence makes me think that's what happened. Your car has 87 base/Formula bumpers, vin 8. Suggests it was an 87 Formula. The other 'oddities' all point to a 91-92 GTA, so that was probably a parts car to put this 87 back together. But weirder things have happened, just not very likely.
Last edited by aliceempire; 09-24-2024 at 11:22 AM.
Hey everyone I have 1987 Firebird (what's listed on the title). My dad bought this car about 27 years ago and unfortunately it was left out in the elements so I'm trying to get it running again currently. Anyway, when he bought it he got all kinds of info about how this car had different body parts on it. He was also told it was GTA. It does have the TPI engine but again was told that's not the original engine that was in it. It was painted at some point also before he bought it. There was an emblem on the front bumper but my dad took it off and it's since been lost. I was just curious as to what you guys think the body parts may be off of and if this is infact a GTA (from my research I don't believe it is). Either way it doesn't matter to me I have a lot of memories in this car and I'm excited to get it running again!
Is the SPID sticker still intact inside of the center console? Could help you figure out what has been changed by weighing what the car has now against what the car originally came with. There’s a couple decoders online for the SPID codes, and I would throw up a picture of the sticker in this thread too just for reference.
That's what we're thinking probably happened also. My dad bought the car from a small dealer and was told the previous owner owned a wrecker company. Very possible he had a spare car laying around to pull the parts from. He was shocked when I told him it had been stolen in the past haha. It's been very interesting learning the history while trying to figure out what model it is 😃 Thank you for all of your knowledge!
Ok, so you ran a Carfax, and the VIN apparently checked out as a 1987. 1G2FS21 is Firebird (not TA/GTA) + engine code 8 confirms 350 = Formula. But I'd still be curious if all of the other VIN stickers around the car match the windshield VIN (both door jambs, inner fenders [near the battery and smog canister], inner quarters [near the side markers]), especially since the car has been stolen, and there's no SPID label in the console.
The partial VIN is also stamped into the firewall; most of it is behind the AC box, but the end of the sequence number should be visible to the right of the box, hard to see though. And that same partial VIN is stamped into the engine block where the water pump mounts (passenger side), along with an engine code (not VIN-related); you might have to wipe off some crud to see it. That partial VIN and code can help you confirm if it's yours, what it came out of and what it is.
And if it's only been sitting for a year since being run, but the fuel pump IS priming, then it's probably not just the gas, because it should still fire but might run badly or not run for long. Dumping in a bottle of Techron a day or two before trying to start it will help dissolve minor clogs, if it's only a gas issue.
So I'm glad you mentioned checking the other VINS because in doing so I noticed the bottom of the door sticker where the VIN would be has conveniently been cut off 🙃 I wasn't able to find the VIN anywhere else but also didn't take anything apart to look. I did find some other numbers etched in places none of which match the VIN. The VIN also starts with 1G2FW not an S.
This car is what I'd like to call a mutt. Nothing pure breed here. It's pieces and parts from every Firebird line from 1987 to 1992. I'd take this Firebird and the memories you and your dad made in it over a 5,000 mile pure breed Firebird any day of the week that just sat in a garage and got rubbed down with a virgin cotton baby diaper.
I'd quit looking much deeper into this car's past. You got a valid title for a Firebird that was stolen at onetime and put back together with parts from many Firebirds with different VINs.
Get it running again. Make it look as pretty as you can within reason and budget because you ain't ever going to get your money back you put into it and go and make some more memories with your father while you still can because he won't be here forever.
I'd give anything on Earth to go out and make some memories with my Dad or Mom in my 1992 Firebird but that ain't ever going to happen now.
If you need help figuring out which parts you need from what year to get it running good again you can get a lot of help here.
Under the hood it looks mostly to be 1990 to 1992 speed density type engine setup. It was probably rebuilt with parts from a donor car that was a 1991 GTA.
Also 1989 MAF and 1990 to 1992 MAP (Speed Density) TPI engines were built with a fuel injector made by Rochester Products division of GM and they are the Devil and have to go.
Oh ya I never have any intentions of getting rid of this car. I still remember the day he bought it I was about 10 years old. Experienced my first burnout and donut in this thing haha. All my friends and I loved this car growing up and I was known as the girl with the dad that had cool car 😃 He replaced the fuel injectors years ago. We bought a battery for it and also had to get a new ignition and bypassed the VATS (he lost the keys). It'll start but not for more than a few seconds then dies and it stunk the few times it started. We did fuel treatment and added 5 gallons of fresh fuel. That helped get it started because it wouldn't start at all before that. I got a fuel filter for it and my husband will replace that when he comes home from over the road again. From what I've seen it's an easy job but I'm to nervous to work on it 😆 Hoping it doesn't need new injectors because those are pricey. But I can't complain to much as the car was given to me for free.
Your car is like mine.. a mix of third gens cobbled together and thats fine You got a cool car especially being of sentimental value to you. Mine is a Formula with T/A wheels, tailights, bumpers and ground effects, rear out of an 84 Z28, Engine out of an 87 Iroc,.. etc etc.
09-23-2024, 07:19 PM
