1970 Pontiac Firebird

Formula 400 Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

226870L100677

Gasoline

1970 Pontiac Formula 400; numbers match Very rare unit #677 of only 7, 708 produced. 47k believed to be actual from the documentation I have on hand. This is a one-registered owner vehicle. The Pontiac was sold new from Don Turpin Pontiac in Redlands, California, on February 26, 1970. It is still registered to the original owner; her name is on the Protecto plate. Her last name changed in the 90s as she remarried, so some of the documents I have for the car show her first and middle name with the different last name. She sold the car to a buyer on 11-21-04. At that time it had 47, 356 miles as stated on the California title. The new owner did not get the title transferred. He put less than 500 miles on the car during the 7 years he owned it; it was stored in an airplane hangar at an airport. It currently has 47,814 miles. It was driven 100 miles from northern California to Southern Oregon and is currently stored. I have several documents. One is a work-order document stating that in September 1999, that the mileage was 46,430 miles. These work orders and the rest of the documents will be included with the car. I have the original sales agreement. It originally sold for $4,400. I also have the original owner’s manual, Pontiac Protect-O-Plate, 1970 Pontiac New Vehicle Warranty and Protection Plan, 1970 GM Consumer Information for Pontiac, Goodyear Tire Expectancy Policy, California New Vehicle Temporary ID Registration for windshield. Formula 400 Emblems: I was told because this car is low unit number (#677) Pontiac didn’t put the Formula emblems on the front fenders because they didn’t know at that time what they were going to call the model. It never had the emblems, but all the documents and VIN numbers are proof that it is a true Formula 400. How much of the “emblem story” is true is beyond me, because I’m not a Pontiac guy, but 2 Pontiac enthusiasts told me this information. If this is true, this is one rare bird! I am a body man and there were never any holes welded or bondo-ed where the emblems would have been. The motor is numbers-matching 335 horse, bone stock with absolutely no modifications. Turbo-hydro 400, which shifts firm with no leaks; it gets second gear rubber under hard acceleration. 12 bolt rear end with 308 ratio non-posi with no howling or noises. Factory installed chrome valve covers, chrome air cleaner top, dual snorkel air intake, dual exhaust. This is a completely unmolested original car. The engine was compression checked in 1999 when the car had 46,430 miles on it. The results were cylinders 1, 2, 4, and 8 have 145 psi; cylinders 5 and 7 have 140 psi; and cylinders 3 and 6 have 135. Also, at this same check up the engine showed no oil leakage. It has a slight exhaust manifold leak. Engine intermittently puffs minor smoke at startup after sitting a while. I’m assuming it is dried-out valve seals; it doesn’t smoke under acceleration or de-acceleration; therefore it’s not compression rings. This might clear up if the car is driven regularly. This 400 performs extremely well with plenty of power with excellent acceleration. It doesn’t hesitate; the original quadrajet functions as it should. There’s no lifter noise, no dry starts, no rattles, vibrations; very smooth. A new starter was put in 2 months ago. The front and rear brakes appear to be new. I have work orders showing: heater core, blower motor and circuit breaker for blower switch; clutch fan, master cylinder, choke pull-off; complete tune-up, all hoses and belts. These things were done in the late 90s with few miles on the car afterwards, but they appear to be in good working order. The technician’s statement was “vehicle drives/brakes/steers and performs above average for a vehicle of this vintage.” Mechanically, the car is ready for the road. Options: Rare factory functional air conditioning; every bracket and bolt is there and never tampered with. The system was evacuated, compressor oil was added, and recharged in 1999. Power steering, power disc brakes, front and rear sway bar, remote driver’s mirror and optional 160 mph speedo which was only available on the Formula and Trans Am. AM radio which works. Interior: It is all original with the exception of the carpet which looks good. The interior is very nice for a 42-year old car. There is one small seam separation in the driver’s seat bottom. The headrests are in good condition. The front kick panels are very nice too. The dash is very nice with no cracks or fading. The simulated wood instrument cluster is in nice condition. The steering wheel has no cracks and shows very little wear; near mint. The horn works. The plastic lenses are clear. Nice console with recently replaced console lid. Nice door panels with one small crack on the driver’s and passenger’s arm rest; very minor. The rear seat, package tray, plastic panels are like new with no cracks or dry rot. There are two small dime-size holes in the headliner, but the rest of it is very nice. The high-beam/low-beam, dash and dome lights work. The gas gauge and cigar lighter work as well. Body and Paint: The body is very straight, with no dents; one small ding in the top left quarter the size of a dime. The front Euro bumper needs minor repair above the right headlight (see picture) due to a dog chewing on it; he must have thought it was a rubber KONG! The rest of the bumper is in good condition; it has cracking in the paint which didn’t have a flex additive when the car was re-painted on 9-26-84. The body shop added the door side moldings; they were riveted on (a no-no in my book). It was painted with Centari single stage, which is history. The color is lighter than the original; the data tag is paint code 26. The original dual snorkel fiberglass hood is in excellent condition; no stress cracks, blisters or bubbles. The plastic grille inserts are not cracked; the stainless grille surrounds are in excellent shape with no dings. The pot metal headlight rings are very shiny and not pitted; door handles are not pitted. The rear bumper was re-chromed in ’84 when the car was painted; it is driver quality. The taillight bezels have minor pitting, but the lenses are nice originals. This is a very solid Formula 400. It is not 100% rust free, but it isn’t a rust bucket! The pictures show the lower front fenders need to be repaired. Also, behind the right rear wheel well, there is some slight bubbling, but very minor. The floors, doors, rockers, and trunk are rock solid; the trunk still has the original spatter paint never re-done. The original space-saver spare and bumper jack are still in place. There is no rust around the rear glass or windshield or in any of the pinch welds in the door jambs, rockers, anywhere. This car would have zero rust if they would have kept the leaves, dirt, and debris cleaned out of the lower front fenders. This is very common with GM cars; if they would have put in larger drain holes this wouldn’t have happened. The Pontiac was not driven on salted roads. This car resided in southern Cal for the first half of its life, then northern Cal and now 2 months in Oregon. Glass: Windshield is in good condition; the antenna is installed within the windshield. All glass is nice and factory tinted as it is an air car. There are no scratches in the side glass, no clouding or haze. Wheels and Tires: The tires are 215x70 Vipers purchased from Sears in October, 1998. There’s less than 1000 miles on them. They aren’t dry rotted, but are old and should be replaced. Wheels are the original steel wheels Pontiac dog dish with factory trim rings. A nice set of American Torque Thrusts or Crager SSs would wake this bird up! This Formula is in above-average condition for a 42-year-old vehicle. If you want a nice driver quality car to enjoy, then this is your car. Or, take it to the next level. These ’70 Formulas are getting harder and harder to find, particularly one this original. It’s always been well-maintained and cared-for. This car is sold with no warranty expressed or implied. It’s been described as accurately and honestly as possible. Feel free to arrange an inspection before the auction ends. The car is for sale locally, so I reserve the right to end the auction early. If you are the winning bidder on the car, a $1000 non-fundable deposit is due within 24 hours of the auction close. Please bid only if you intend to purchase and pay for the car. I’m selling this car for a friend; I’m not real up and knowledgeable on Pontiacs, but I’ve described this vehicle to the best of my knowledge. I’m sure I’ve missed something, so please feel free to call me with any questions or information. 541-659-8697