1970 Pontiac Firebird

Formula 400 Coupe

400ci. 345HP RAM AIR III

Manual

226870N121420

Flood, Water Damage

LEADED GASOILNE>>>YAY!

Just re-listed. Decided to actually clean the car this time and take some better pics. Including pics of the Cowl tag and the inside of the trunk lid showing original Lucerne Blue paint from factory and original “Jack Instructions” stickerVERY Reasonable starting price (we hit $11K in an hour last time) NO RESERVE!AWESOME BUY IT NOW DEAL! Click Buy it now and you will have stolen this car (I really need the money) pay within 48 hours (funds cleared i.e. bank check, wire, cash. Etc.) and I WILL PAY FOR THE SHIPPING! (up to $1,000.00)The car is still being offered on other venues and it will sell this time, don’t let it go there wont be another like it (not at this price anyway) so click “BUY IT NOW”!There are some extras that come with the car that I failed to mention last time.The car has a 3 camera VEDR (Video Event Data Recorder) installed that I will leave in the car. It records out the front windshield, the back window and the interior and can save you in the event of an accident that’s not your fault. There is also a GPS unit wired to the starter. Like a Lojack if the car is stolen you will be able to track it and shut off the starter motor. I own a company that puts these items in thousands of livery cars in NY City, all my personal cars have them. The GPS is simply shut off until you need it. When you do need it you call or email my company and we can track and disable. I offer this for free for 5 years in writing to the buyer. The camera is an SD card that you will always be able to access yourself t o review videos with any PC. I’m just too lazy to take this stuff out and if it helps sell the car whatever works.Other stuff is…Extra (Original) Rochester Quadrajet carburetor1970 Pontiac Firebird Facts & Features Sales Brochure with Options Colors AccessoriesGM Original Door Jamb ID Number DecalHaynes 79018 Repair Manual1970 Pontiac Firebird Facts, Features and Specifications Manual1970 PONTIAC FIREBIRD AIR CLEANER BASE SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS DECALPONTIAC 400 4V 400 4BBL RAM AIR AIR CLEANER TOP LID DECAL STICKER NOS “RAM AIR” snorkel decals in original GM packagingOriginal 1970 Pontiac Firebird Endura Bumper Brochure 1970 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Fisher CHASSIS and BODY SERVICE MANUAL SUPPLEMENT SET1970 Firebird GM 4 BBL Emission Decal for radiator supportOriginal June 1970 CAR and DRIVER Magazine detailing Formula and Trans Am Original description below...1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 RA III PHS Documented Unrestored 65K mile SURVIVOR Drag Pack 1 of 189I purchased this car at auction in February of 2012. It was a fresh water flood car that had been garaged since the late 1980’s. When I got the car I immediately gutted the interior and set about trying to find out just how much damage had been done.I drained over 3 gallons of water out of the engine and proceeded to fill it back up with Marvel Mystery Oil (pulled the plugs and poured in cylinders as well. I put a socket and pry bar on the Harmonic Balancer and she turned with ease…Ok 1st major bullet dodged. Pulled the rims (Cragar’s at that point) dismantled brakes cleaned reassembled with new pads, inspected lines (all good) repacked wheel bearings. All 4 corners were perfect.Dropped transmission next, drained the oil and NO WATER! (another dodged bullet). I verified it is the original correctly coded Muncie M-21 (Not an M-20). I have driven the car around 1000 miles since and changed the gear oil 2 more times. I also replaced the clutch and had the flywheel cut.On to the rear, it is the original 12 bolt “G80” code Safe-T-Track with the G92 Performance axle Ratio (3:73). 90 weight in the differential was incredibly clean but replaced it anyway. If you’re wondering why I didn’t immediately try and start the car it’s because I was waiting for the new complete headlights to taillights wiring harness to arrive, so I kept myself busy with the above. Now, the block is the correct date coded Ram Air (or Ram Air III) with the “Number 12” stamped heads. Sitting above the block is the original and correct fiberglass rami air hood with a little surprise…We found the word “Budweiser” (see pics) professionally stenciled/painted with the period “R” Next to it, it is in the correct red (or was anyway) you can tell by the part that is sprayed on the wire mesh. I have tried to find an explanation for this and have run in to multiple people who tell me Budweiser did a lot of local drag promotions on the East Coast back then. Others have suggested that the car may have been part of a travelling marketing promotion Budweiser ran as well. I can find NO definitive proof one way or the other but it is the possibility of some serious provenance the car may possess. I did not put “Budweiser Formula” in the description, I would not misrepresent anything about the car, and it doesn’t need it! I’ve had more theories thrown at me at all the car shows and cruise nights…somewhere out there lies the truth. I do have the original keys and on the Key ring was the NJ license plate number originally issued (I believe the car to have one owner before me). That person know the truth! I also found a factory placed second set of keys in a coded plastic bag under the carpet against the firewall on the front passenger side. The set has a wire tag on it and the accessory (round) key is actually placed inside a replacement locking glove box knob. Once I found that I thought for sure I would find the build sheet, but no dice!The numbers on the block by the alternator are not the last 6 of the VIN for the car. By definition that would make the car “non numbers matching”. However, I have been told that the block is likely a warranty replacement from back in the day because of the stamping on it, leading one reputable Pontiac restorer here in Long Island to suggest that the original motor could have blown up when being used/abused as a Budweiser promotional car. As the Window sticker and replacement build sheets from PHS (Pontiac Historical Society) show the car was ordered as a “drag pack” car with the most powerful engine option available for the Formula (L74 345HP Ram Air III), the M-21 close ratio 4 speed transmission, V01 Heavy Duty Radiator, no power steering and no power brakes. The term drag pack is another subject of great debate in the Pontiac community I’m told. It was never promoted by corporate or put in any literature, but was pushed by local dealerships, probably because Ford, Mopar and other GM properties did actively promote “Drag Pack” option subsets. There were only 189 Firebirds to leave the factory with these options, period. That makes this car second only in rarity to a Ram Air IV Trans Am of the same year, as the Ram Air IV could NOT be ordered for the Formula.I purchased a reproduction carburetor instead of waiting for weeks to have the original Quadra Jet rebuilt. I still have the original carb and it does come with the car.As the car sits right now it is a little low in the back, 44 years on the same set of leaf springs will do that. I do have a brand new correct set with bushings that come with the car. There are 3 cylinders with low compression and there is noticeable positive manifold pressure. I felt the car lose a little power and did a compression check. 5 cylinders were all over 155 lbs. and 3 were around 100 or so. I though the valve seats/sleeves were bad given how long the car had sat and the water in the block mentioned earlier so I sent them out and had them completely redone. Unfortunately after putting them back on the car…same 3 cylinders had low compression when I replaced the carburetor I must have run the car too lean and cracked 3 pistons. The car does drive, just not very far and I keep it under 3,000 RPM. But it has to be dealt with. This car is a survivor, the motor should be redone and the car should be resprayed (the previous owner must have had Earl Scheib paint it in the 80’s and it’s brutal!) I wouldn’t do a total restoration (but if you’re the winning bidder I don’t get a say anyhow!) These cars are now just coming in to their own, look at Mecum past auctions, the first thing you will notice is how few of these 2nd gen especially first year 2nd gen Firebirds are left, the next is how much they are going up in value. Ram Air GTO’s were the pride of the restoration community, while these cars were ignored. It’s been going on since day one….Pontiac put an angle bend in the throttle linkage on Ram Air III Formula’s and Trans Am’s to MAKE SURE they were slower than the GTO’s! Look on eBay past and present auctions for one of these, you’ll find plain Jane 6 cylinder or 350 firebirds made into “tribute” cars with bids over $16K !!! There’s a non Ram Air firebird (restored) with an absolutely incorrect Trans AM shaker hood and an M-20 tranny for $38K. My number is somewhere between those 2 and it should be. The car was a total loss for Hagerty insurance due to the aforementioned flood. Because of this the car bears the moniker of “Salvage”. There were no titles in NY and NJ in 1970 so it is not a “Salvage Title” I have all the sale paperwork for the car. You can apply in your state to have the car inspected and get away from the Salvage Stigma. Some people (I’ve heard simply apply to have the car re-titled due to lost docs, but I’m not suggesting or condoning that.Eventually the collector community will realize that one of 189 insanely fast nearly 400HP Ram Air cars should be valued as much as that $65,000.00 one of 14,000 plus “Bandit smogger 200 hp Trans Am’s (no offense Burt).Someone here is going to score a real special survivor. My son’s college bill is your gain! It’s the ONLY thing that would make me sell this car. Don’t restore it!Thank you for suffering through my narrative but it was the right way to describe the car I think. Here are some additional points I may have missed.· Unregistered since 1986· One of 189 Formulas· Budweiser provenance (maybe?)· No RUST on floor pans, trunk…anywhere! except base of rear window (see pics)· ALL Original sheet metal· CAR HAS NEVER BEEN HIT!· There is no Rust in doors· Doors are tight, no hang AT ALL· Door felt and weatherstripping is in great shape for a 44 year old car· Interior was gutted, chemically treated, painted, Dynomat installed and new carpet· Interior is 100% original (2 dime size holes in back seat backrest, easily repairable.· Original trunk mat, jack and spare tire Original Headliner is Mint· Car COMPLETELY REWIRED…I mean EVERY WIRE…and a new fuse box· PHS (Pontiac Historical Society) Documents come with car· 65, 608 original miles· Cylinder Heads redone· Last registered 1986· New Shocks/tires/rims/brakes/(less than 1000 miles)· New Correct Leaf Springs and bushing kit comes with car· New JBL speakers, tapedeck and JBL Amp.· New headers and exhaust· Original deluxe code 28 interior · Front right fender has small scrape (pictured)· Driver’s door has small dent by lock (see pics…I did that one!)· A little rust around rear window molding (see pics) CAR IS BEING OFFERED LOCALLY I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END THE AUCTION EARLY