4th Gen Bird Tutorial

[A Horse With No Name]

I have a basic overview of the 4th gen 'bird (Formula vs. TA, LT1 VS. LS1, etc. ILE, etc.)

Would like to know these cars in depth. Websites, stories, anything that would help me learn, please post here.

Looked at one today that was about 7,500...nice...Trans AM...Ram Air...94...Silver...but had a salvage title.

Think I can do better than that. Still would like an F body in the fleet at some point, but if the economy doesn't improve it ain't gonna come in 2009.

Chris

Edited June 9, 2009 by 66Stang

[Camino LS6]

What do you want to know?

[Camino LS6]

Firehawks were built in every year of the 4th gen except for '98 (when only 6 pilot cars were built).

1LE from Pontiac ended in '99 ( a '99 1LE, WS6 Formula would be a rare and desireable find)

There were no 2000 1LE cars

In 2001/2002 1LE was only available as an option on Firehawks.

[longtooth]

Camino' must address this shortly as he's the acknowledged (in my view) expert in this field.

No slight to you 'Stang.

My view a a former owner: Nothing lovelier than an '02 WS6 or Firehawk. Evocative of an era pre-dating the collapse of an empire. When Rome was still Rome so-to-speak.

I recently tried to hook-up with a 6 speed, black, '02, low mileage example of the 'Bird.

I was within millimeters of pulling the 'trigger' on the deal and I thought of Wolfe's warning: "You Can't Go Home Again".

I lowered my 'gun' and walked away.

The nicer examples of these cars are being brokered more or less and command relatively big bucks.

For now, for me, it is enough to admire the nice ones still patrolling the byways driven by owners which care for them.

[Camino LS6]

Agreed, Longtooth.

The good news is that many owners of these cars are fanatical about taking care of them.

[Camino LS6]

For info, check out ls1tech.com and firehawk.org.

[longtooth]

Agreed, Longtooth.

The good news is that many owners of these cars are fanatical about taking care of them.

That is good news.

The weird thing is there are some with ridiculously low miles on them. I churned out 25k annually on the two that I had. I can't imagine not driving them.

[A Horse With No Name]

Thanks for the links, right now I just want to read about them as I won't have the cash to pull the trigger so to speak for awhile.

Glad to know people are fanatical about these. Saw an interesting F body the other day that really got me thinking about these cars...a silver 2002 Camaro that was a replica/pace car for the brickyard (I think it was the brickyard, couldn't get super close in traffic.)

I like what you said Longtooth about these cars being the last of the "While Rome as Still Rome" cars. I would agree, which is part of the charm.

Chris

[Camino LS6]

Thanks for the links, right now I just want to read about them as I won't have the cash to pull the trigger so to speak for awhile.

Glad to know people are fanatical about these. Saw an interesting F body the other day that really got me thinking about these cars...a silver 2002 Camaro that was a replica/pace car for the brickyard (I think it was the brickyard, couldn't get super close in traffic.)

I like what you said Longtooth about these cars being the last of the "While Rome as Still Rome" cars. I would agree, which is part of the charm.

Chris

The brickyard cars are not replicas, they are festival cars. They were all there for the event and carry a unique RPO code. After the event, they are distributed to various dealers, many of which remove the decals from the car prior to sale. Camaro festival cars are a rare find as none were produced for public consumption.

[Camino LS6]

One of my Phantom ideas centers around these cars.

No production Formula LS1 cars were built as convertibles - so I'd like to build one (in Firehawk trim, of course).

[A Horse With No Name]

That is good news.

The weird thing is there are some with ridiculously low miles on them. I churned out 25k annually on the two that I had. I can't imagine not driving them.

Lots of C3 Corvettes have somehwat low miles on them, as they were not that much of a real "drivers car."

Biggest thing with the 4th gen cars is that some people I know buy a more fuel efficient car for daily use. Like Jay, who had a 94 Formula V8 that he just added Ram air to. I sat across from him in a college class I just took. He bought a Civic because he has a long commute through heavy traffic.

But I can't imagine owning one of these cars and not driving it "in anger."

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

One of my Phantom ideas centers around these cars.

No production Formula LS1 cars were built as convertibles - so I'd like to build one (in Firehawk trim, of course).

Didn't know you were a ragtop kind of guy.

The ragtop on the 4th gen flows better with the car when the top is up than the top on the third gen cars, which is slightly awkward when the top is up.

Chris

[Camino LS6]

Mine was only "exercised" on perfect weather days, and was very low-mile...

But when I drove it, I drove it!

Edited June 9, 2009 by Camino LS6

[Camino LS6]

Didn't know you were a ragtop kind of guy.

The ragtop on the 4th gen flows better with the car when the top is up than the top on the third gen cars, which is slightly awkward when the top is up.

Chris

Haha!

Actually, I'm not.

But I love the unique and interesting, and had the Formula been available as a vert in '02 mine might have been one.

The fact is, of the more than 50 cars I've owned, none have been verts.

Or Vettes...

Maybe I'll fix both of those in one shot some day.

[A Horse With No Name]

Off topic but...

I saw just the car for you today. Yellow 72 Corvette, beautiful, driving down a beautiful tree lined street with the top down. Black interior. Chrome was perfect.

You know my passion for C3 cars.

[A Horse With No Name]

Stuupid question...but when you had your bird, how bad was the "heat gain" during the summer with that big back window?

Chris

[Camino LS6]

Stuupid question...but when you had your bird, how bad was the "heat gain" during the summer with that big back window?

Chris

Zero problems there.

I did get a sunburn through the tinted T-tops driving across the state one August, though.

I had never put the T-top sunshades in before that, but they came out of the factory plastic before I ran that route again!

[Camino LS6]

Off topic but...

I saw just the car for you today. Yellow 72 Corvette, beautiful, driving down a beautiful tree lined street with the top down. Black interior. Chrome was perfect.

You know my passion for C3 cars.

I too, love the C3s.

But not in yellow.

[longtooth]

Thanks for the links, right now I just want to read about them as I won't have the cash to pull the trigger so to speak for awhile.

Glad to know people are fanatical about these. Saw an interesting F body the other day that really got me thinking about these cars...a silver 2002 Camaro that was a replica/pace car for the brickyard (I think it was the brickyard, couldn't get super close in traffic.)

I like what you said Longtooth about these cars being the last of the "While Rome as Still Rome" cars. I would agree, which is part of the charm.

Chris

Lost gladiators or ronin, borrowing a page from the Japanese.

[Chevy Nick]

+1 on www.ls1tech.com