These pages will be maily for my daily driver. Currently, it is a 1988 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

If you have a 3rd gen f-body, sign my guest book and take the survey as well.

The Buck Stops Here
06/23/2003
Thank god I am still working on my cam! I am about 2 hours away from firing my TA up, so I had to take my 89 Formula to the Third Gen Nationals this past weekend....Yet again, another animal decides to leave his mark on one of my cars...

Front end damage from deer

Demolished front driver's headlight housing

Side view

Even the bottom...

Now the hood fits as well as my TA fiberglass hood

Hmmm.....make a hole and I have a custom ram air hood!

Deer hairs

Mud on t-tops from deer feet

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...Still working on installing my cam. I had to disconnect the starter in order to get to the screws to drop the oil pan enough to get the timing chain cover off. I still am working at removing the fuel rails. After that, take off the timing chain, intake, and distributer! These were taken June 11, 2003.

with removed rods and rockers

timing chain

yea,....it's not supposed to do that

These are from my current project. I am putting in a cam. I worked for 12 hours and I still haven't even pulled the original cam out yet. I still need to drop the oil pan and take off the fuel rails....These were taken June 5, 2003.

Before...(hopefully not the last pic of it completely together and running...

And a little latter...

Almost there

Rockers

The parts I took out (radiator isn't pictured)....doesn't the TPI unit look like a spider?

Racoons!!!!!
Sun morning May 25, 2003 I was driving and a damn racoon had the nerve to come and hit my car!

And that's were his head struck...

His hairs...

I went back the next day and was pleasently pleased to not see his body dead in the road, because now I now he is suffering for what he had the audacity to do to me.....

I was working on my car one day when I remember what a friend had told me. He said that I should unlatch my tops before I jack the car up to prevent the t-tops from breaking. So I unlatched them because I wanted to keep my nice t-tops nice. So I work on my car and I am finally done. I lower the car of the jack stands and start it up. It sounded like I did everything right,...but there was only one way to find out. I jumped in my car and headed out of my drive way. It was running pretty nice. And then came a turn. I heard the passenger side t-top come off and watched as it hit the ground sliding and smashing into a curb.....The very defense against my t-tops destroyed them. Well so much for keeping me nice t-tops nice!

This image hurts me....

RIP

These were taken May 22, 2003.

With the tops off

A mean-looking pic

From the back/side

Real nice pic of rear end, exhaust, etc...

The secret Formula

Looking down into the car

END OF NEW PICS
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my driveway

From far left to right:
1988 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.0 auto tbi
1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.0 auto tbi
1988 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 5.7 auto tpi

ahhh....those areo spoilers....
(If you look closely one car at a time from left to right, you can actually see a time-lapse-like example of what happens to these spoilers.)

hmmm....Which car should I drive today?

Why third gens are better than their successors:
(in my own humble opinion cast with a thin collegiate wallet)
-they are cheaper to purchase
-the insurance is actually reasonable
-the parts are much cheaper
-there are fewer around (hence you will be driving something original that�s not rice)

Not sure if you own a third gen? Check out this useful reference that I (for all you copy&pasters) wrote to find out:
You may be a 3rd gen owner if:
-your 350 5.7L sprots car is only available with an automatic
-your t-tops leak
-your headliner is in danger of falling apart every time the window is down or the tops are off
-your headliner is secured with staples or tacks
-there's a hole in the hatch area because you had to replace the fuel pump
-your seats are torn
-your spoiler looks like it re-entered the atmosphere on the space shuttle
-your paint is faded
-your clear coat is peeling
-you are missing one or more centercaps
-you are missing one or more lug nut covers
-your major and only upgrades include a K&N and exhaust
-your hideaway headlights aren't hiding anymore
-you think the rear seat is a place to store your t-tops
-one or more of your seatbelts isn't working properly
-your body has more than 20% rust
-your ground effects are cracked
-your hood is held open with a broom stick
-your hatch is held open with a broom stick
-your air conditioning has been removed
-your front lower air deflector is damaged
-you can't use the hatch area because your custom sub enclosure is occupying it
-you are missing your t-top bag
-your t-top bag rips when you try to zip it
-you have never used your t-top bag
-you have replaced your tbi or tpi with a carb
-your center console lid is broken or missing
-your rear ashtray falls out
-your sun visors like to creep down
-your center console shifter plate seam is broken
-your cruise control doesn't work
-your trun signals don't work
-your dash and trim screws have been replaced with various unmatching patterns of misc bolts and nuts
-your speaker wires were installed without removing interior trim panels
-your steering wheel is dangerously loose
-your car rattles, shakes, vibrates, or makes noises
-you have a 305 tbi that you swear will be a true street machine once your done with it
-your car was black, but now it is red
-your car was red, but now it is black
-you painted your gta gunmetal gray
-you painted your mid 80's ta light blue
-you have constant problems with your cooling system
-you plan on a KITT conversion
-you plan on getting a ram air hood, despite the fact that you don't have tpi

How'd you do?
If you answered yes to:
0 = you don't own a third gen
1 - 5 = you own a third gen with less than 30k miles
6-10 = you are a very lucky third gen owner
11-20 = you have spent lots of nickles and dimes on your third gen
21-30 = you have accepted the faults of your third gen
31-43 = you should consider looking for a different third gen or switch to a 4th gen
44 = your third gen is your parts car, sits unattended somewhere in your yard, or is now at a scrap yard
45 = you shouldn't be driving, go recount your answers

How I rated:
-89 Formula = 28
-88 Formula = 24
-88 Trans Am = 9!

Page 1: Intro
Page 2: 88 TA Exterior Pics
Page 3: 88 TA Interior Pics
Page 4: 88 TA Info and Mods
Page 5: 88 TA 1/4 Mile Times
Page 6: Purchasing the 88 TA
Page 7: 89 Formula Exterior Pics
Page 8: 89 Formula Interior Pics
Page 9: 89 Formula Info and Mods
Page 10: 89 Formula 1/4 Mile Times
Page 11: Purchasing the 89 Formula
Page 12: 88 Formula Exterior Pics
Page 13: 88 Formula Interior Pics
Page 14: 88 Formula Info and Mods
Page 15: 88 Formula 1/4 Mile Times
Page 16: Purchasing the 88 Formula
Page 17: Family and Previous Cars
Page 18: Friends' Cars
Page 19: Misc/Rice/Funny Pics