-89 FORMULA INFO AND MODS-

Year: 1989
Make: Pontiac
Model: Firebird
Trim: Formula
Engine: 5.0 tbi
Transmission: automatic

I bought this car July 30, 2002 w/153k miles for $1,100.

Here are some factory specs:
horsepower: 170 @ 4000rpm
torque: 255 @ 2400rpm
weight: 3,318
gas miles: 17/26

Options
-ttops
-red exterior w/ silver bottom and black pin stipes
-grey cloth interior
-power windows
-power locks
-rear defroster
-hatch pull down motor
-dual visor vanity mirros
-cargo shade
-ttop bag
-folding rear seat
-cruise control
-air conditioning
-CD player (not factory)
-16 inch WS6 wheels

Stuff wrong with the car when I bought it:
-driver seat has tears
-passenger seat has tears
-all seats worn and dirty
-center console lid loose
-center console light doesn't work
-center console shift plate seam splitting
-shift indicator light doesn't work
-cruise control doesn't work
-dash pad minor crack on driver's side
-cd player works, but radio doesn't
-radio trim plate tabs broken and/or missing
-radio pod radio tabs are broken and/or missing
-air conditioning broken
-heater broken
-carpet worn
-right turn signal lights, but doesn't flash
-driver's seat belt doesn't lock up under heavy braking
-rear passenger seat belt connector broken
-rear cargo shade retracts funny
-rear trunk lock frozen shut
-rear trunk shocks worn, but still work ok
-hood shocks don't work
-hood release doesn't work well
-radiator overfill bottle is a cheap replacement and not attached to frame
-transmission mount is in two peices
-front sway bar bushings split in two on both sides
-spare tire not mounted properly on its rim
-headliner ripped slightly
-spoiler has paint cracks
-paint is faded in places
-clear coat is peeling off
-minor scratches
-minor dents/dings
-mismatched front vs. rear tires
-some rust on bottom of doors
-hood dented slightly
-front nose pieces dented slightly
-leaks some oil
-smokes from exhaust
-driver's side mirror cracked

Stuff that went wrong after I bought it:
-radiator cracked (fixed)
-headliner ripped heavily (fixed)
-horn stopped working
-driver's side interior door handle broke off
-center console door hinge ripped
-oil pressure guage stopped working
-dash fuse blew (fixed)
-dash pad ripped more on driver's side
-exhaust leak somewhere in front
-transmission won't go into the overdrive position when first started, but will after driving in 3, 2, or 1 and then shift back into OD
-tread on rear tires wore off (fixed)
-tread on 2nd set of rear tires wore off
-driver's side headlight fell out of housing
-front brake pads need replaced

Stuff I've fixed, replaced, or done to the car since I've had it:
-installed K&N air filter (Advance Auto)
-installed Modine radiator (Advance Auto)
-installed radiator hoses (Advance Auto)
-installed spark plug wires (Advance Auto)
-installed rapid fire spark plugs (Advance Auto)
-installed distributor cap (Advance Auto)
-installed distributor rotor (Advance Auto)
-installed PCV valve (Auto Zone)
-changed oil (Advance Auto)
-changed oil filter (advance Auto)
-installed transmission mount (Advance Auto)
-installed polyurathane sway bar bushings in front (Advance Auto)
-rigged up a way to open trunk from inside
-recovered worn speaker covers (Hancock Fabrics)
-removed headliner
-installed custom guages (bulbs from Pep Boys and Auto Zone)
-replaced dash fuse (from spares)
-replaced worn rear tires (used tire dealer)
-installed custum grill in bulge hood (Home Depot)

Speaker Cover Repair
My speaker covers were originally gray in color and were worn and nasty looking. I finally decided to replace the fabric. Here's how to do it yourself:
-Undo the screw inside the coat hanger.
-Slide the speaker cover up and it will come off.
-Tear off the original cloth, keeping it as much intact as you can.
-Remove the staples with a staple remover.
-Visit your local fabric store with your old cloth.
-Pick out some nice-looking material.(use your old material to judge color correctness and amount to purchase)
-Using the originals as guides, cut the new material.
-Cover the speaker cover panel tightly with the material, but loose enough so that it will conform to the curve of the board.
-Using duct tape or a heavy duty stapeler, secure fabric to back of panels.
-Install and enjoy!

Hood Grill
I thought that the factory plate covering the opening in the Formula hoods was ugly looking. So, I decided to replace the plate with a simple grill. This grill will also either let hot air out, or bring cool air in(I don't know which one it does.) Water will come into your engine bay while raining, but nothing horrible should happen. Here's how to do it your self.
-Visit your local hardware store.
-Select and purchase a strip of wire-meshed gutter guard.
-Open your hood.
-Remove the four bolts holding the plate in place.
-Using the plate as a guide, cut the gutter guard with wire cutters.
-Install using as many of the original bolts as possible. (I had to realign mine a few times for a good fit. I also was ony able to use 3 of my original bolts because part of the screen was blocking the hole.)
-Enjoy!

Custom Gauges
I loved the factory guages in my Formula, but I wanted to try something I had been thinking of. So, I decided to make my own guages. I wanted guages that were readable, but also see-through. Since my Formula was red with a silver bottom, and the interior was gray, I figured that a red and silver theme would be good for my guages. I ended up breaking my oil pressure guage, but the final end result was worth it. I really like the looks of my guages. I have got mixed opinions from other people though (about 50/50). My guages are a little difficult to see in the day, but at night they are awesome. My mileage is readable in the day, but not at night. I didn't really care about my mileage anyways. My extra information guages (seatbelt, check engine, etc...) fit in, but they don't show their logo anymore. Well, here's what I did:
-Removed the bolts holding my dash trim plate. (Don't forget to remove the plastic trim with the Performance Suspension plate because there's a dash screw hidden behind it on the passenger side.)
-Removed the dash trim.
-Removed the clear plastic cover.
-Removed the guage needles.
-Removed the guage screws.
-Removed the guage plates.
-Scanned each guage into the computer.
-Tweeked the guages with Photoshop.
-Printed guages onto transparency sheets.
-Replaced orange dash bulbs with red ones.
-Stripped the orange paint off the needles and repainted them silver.
-Placed holes in the transparency sheet for the guage screws.
-Installed the guages.
-Installed the guage screws.
-Installed the needles.
-Set the tach needle at 0 when engine is off.
-Set the speedometer accurately using GPS
-Filled up the tank and set the gas needle on full.
-Refered to past pics to set the volatage, temperature, and oil pressure.
-Replaced clear plastic trim.
-Replaced dash trim plate.
-Replaced dash screws.
-Adjusted light brightness (it is much brighter than factory).
-Enjoyed!

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