72 Formula 455HO/4 spd

[grantprix]

Hello there... fellow Grant!!! Nice to see another here and a Pontiac guy as well. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] That sounds like an amazing car you found. Like the others, looking forward to some photos...

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[Tenney]

I'd be counting my sleeps, too - welcome and congrats! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/burnout.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

Thank you for all the welcoming messages.The 72 HO also was ordered with the 15X7 honey combs,full tinted glass,Y-99 suspension,and the passenger sunvisor mirror.The honey combs are still flawless,and the tires are those old w/l Goodyear Eagle ST's,but there isn't much tread left on them,but not a blemish on the outside,they are probably 25 years old.The car has only gone 12,000 miles in the past 18 years,it is all documented.There are boxes full of bills,and they might go back to the original owner,as the one I pulled out to see how old
they were was from 1977.I get all that stuff and parts too?,when I get the car this Friday morning.It was also ordered with the back bumperetts,and they were not on the car,and then I found them sitting on the original bumper which was stored in the garage.The only non stock item on the car,and I am so glad it was added after the fact, is the rear spoiler.

[njsteve]

That's funny about the rear spoiler addition. There is a militant camp over at the Performanceyears.com site in the 70-73 Firebird section that have just about started an insurrection against all the Formulas that have had spoilers added to them over the years.

I kinda like the clean fastback look without it. But to each his own.

We're still waiting on those photos!!!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

I will be sending photos when I get it home this Friday,also I have to figure out how to add them to a post?

[Xplantdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Grant Didmon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be sending photos when I get it home this Friday,also I have to figure out how to add them to a post? </div></div>


You can go here Picture posting tutorial


or you can send them to me....and I'll get them posted for you [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

Thank you for the help

[Norwood]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That's funny about the rear spoiler addition. There is a militant camp over at the Performanceyears.com site in the 70-73 Firebird section that have just about started an insurrection against all the Formulas that have had spoilers added to them over the years.

I kinda like the clean fastback look without it. But to each his own.

We're still waiting on those photos!!!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] </div></div>


Steve the deal is Rear spoilers were not avalible on anything other than a Trans Am in 1970. So the issue is the addition of a rear spoiler to a 70 Formula, it just should not be there [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Didnt know that about the 70 model year. Im with you on the clean look, unless it was ordered with it orignally, of course.

[StealthBird]

I actually prefer the rear spoiler on the 70-81 Birds. Pontiac originally intended the rear spoiler to be a Trans Am feature only in 1970 (as in 1969), but the spoiler proved very popular, and they added it to the option list in 1971.

There's a great story about how Chevrolet tried to steal that 1970 Trans Am spoiler away for their 70 Z/28.

Vince Piggins (Chevrolet’s Product Promotion manager) not only loved the Trans Am rear spoiler, but after he saw the test results of how much downforce it created, he wanted the spoiler for the 1970 Z/28. He called the spoiler manufacturer, and asked about production timetables.

A Pontiac purchasing manager was furious when their spoiler supplier informed him that Chevrolet requested the Pontiac designed spoiler. He told the supplier that under no circumstances could any parts or tooling be used by any other GM division, unless approved by Pontiac, in writing. Pontiac had spent a great deal of money on the tooling, and considered the 1970 Trans Am spoiler to be theirs.

So back to Vince Piggins, who then went all the way up the ladder to Jim McDonald, General Manager of Pontiac. The Pontiac stylists stood their ground, and argued with Jim McDonald that their spoiler design was crucial to the overall look and functionality of the 70 Trans Am. But diplomacy prevailed, Chevrolet was top dog, and McDonald ok’d the use of the Trans Am spoiler for Chevrolet. But to appease his Pontiac stylists, he told Chevrolet they could use the spoiler, but they had to redesign the end caps to give the Z/28 a different look. But the new tooling took time, so the smaller “nub” spoiler continued in production until the ducktail style spoiler became available mid way into the 1970 model year.

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