Thread: You guys are the worst

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In the BEST possible way of course.

Having trolled this site as long as I have, I KNOW what cars CAN be.

AND so, I have tried to raise my standards to coincide with the best here, bringing the bar (nearly) beyond my reach.

Now, I fully realize there are different levels of "restoration ", and caveat emptor in effect:

Just received my "restored" 75 firebird and it is a lesson on why to not buy a car "sight unseen", and off craigslist to boot.

That said, it's not all bad, and I can see thousands of dollars in new parts, but the details are in the pudding.

Why can't everyone share our values?

Holy cow, the guy that bought my 73 charger got a great deal.

What the hell, there's a reason not everyone owns an antique car.

On the plus side, she's sure got some curb appeal!

Just like people, cars have skeletons, usually hiding in places waiting to jump out at you. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same ethics, morals or care for what they do, especially to others. And unfortunately, it appears to be getting worse, not better or I’m just getting old (maybe both).
We’re sorry to hear about your disappoint and pain, hang in there and try to enjoy the journey.
AND, yes, it does have a lot of curb appeal!!

It seems even if you find a super nice car in your price range, no matter how nice it is, there's always something wrong with it. Either it's something you personally don't like. Or it has some messed up pieces or weird look. Either way at least you have one again and now you can finesse it how you want it. And the most important part, enjoy it!

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Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

Either way at least you have one again and now you can finesse it how you want it. And the most important part, enjoy it!.

YES YES YES! I agree, if you won't enjoy it, then don't bother with it, you'll feel like it's a road to nowhere. In the pic it looked very nice, certainly a car you can drive and be proud of. And like Ryan said, it has the room there to make it your own.

Yep, I agree that if the "flaws" are going to keep you from enjoying the car it's probably best to just drive it like it is or sell it and let someone else do it. Considering that all of the cars from that '73/74/75/76 time period were products of the Oil Embargo and the first CAFE rules, about all they had going for them brand new was curb appeal, and two miles of vacuum hoses underneath! Now you've got a foundation for making it what it could have been, and more!

"........bringing the bar (nearly) beyond my reach......."

As I recall that is about where the bar is supposed to be and when you reach it set it higher.



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I will say you bought one of the best looking Firebirds ever made, I love those years! I don't know what is all wrong with it, but if you can drive it and enjoy it go for it. I got taken for a ride on that 71 RS Camaro that I bought. He was very deceptive on the condition of the car for what I paid for it. I had to let it sit in the garage for quite a few years to let it appreciate enough value before I sold it to Ryan and still sold it for less than I bought it for. ( Before I get beat up for selling it to Ryan, I was more honest about the condition lol. )

That's a nice presentation of "the bar" thank you.
Ok, so it just might be salvageable.
I'm thinking the crappy acceleration has more to do with missing accessories and a sock cam than all else.
It presents the possibilities of old stuff I've already done, and new stuff I've not done before.

Man, the potential to chase $PEED is here.

Never done a 454. I've heard that when you carry a sledgehammer everything looks like a nail.

Never done a proper do-it-yourself headers. The 73 charger really doesn't count, it was more of a hi flow "log" style exhaust.

Haven't done HEI. Driven them, they seem very civilized


Haven't tinkered yet, but I did pick up some antifreeze today.

Keep ya posted.

Just a thought if you plan on keeping the Pontiac engine..........check the head casting numbers. That's about the era that Pontiac started using some really crappy heads. If so a head swap may end up being the biggest performance swap you can make.



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Firebird, in 1975 the CAFE rules had the factory engineers scrambling to meet new emission and mileage rules, and they threw everything plus the kitchen sink at those engines, severely limiting their horsepower and torque ratings making them gutless wonders compared to '72's. I think you'll find that the Pontiac 455 was only available for two years, '73 & '74 in the Formula and TransAm so if you've got a 455 it's a transplant, I believe. Likely it's a 400, and something like 185HP rated. '75 was the first year for catalytic converters which plugged faster due to the oils used at the time; plus EGR (also tended to carbon up and fail) to slow the burn speed in the chamber to limit NOx; and severely retarded timing. Some (Ford for sure) retarded the timing at the cam gear making it impossible to advance into '72 ranges unless you re-indexed the cam with a different gear. They also had all kinds of vacuum switching going on to change things based on load. All in all, they were trying to figure out a new ball game, and it was a learning experience that we suffered through as consumers.

It's not surprising at all that you're less than impressed with the performance of the '75 if it's still relatively stock. As you say, there's a lot of potential there, but you need to do your homework. Some light reading on the history - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_V8_engine#455

"Mike P" & "rspears" have Excellent points!

First I need to figure out exactly what I've got under the hood. It's supposed to be a 350, but I don't know if pontiac or oldsmobile, it doesn't look Chevy to me.

Well... if "we" had some pictures,we may be able to help. hint hint hint....

Uh, yeah, good point.

Well a little time getting to know the old bird today:
Added a half gallon of coolant, let's see if it leaks out.

Blown 10A fuse for dash lights, is the heater motor on that circuit?

Voltage at wiper motor, and it clicks when the switch is made, so I guess the wiper assembly will get some time on the "healing bench".

Radio loses memory when key switches off. Also no front speakers. A rewire is in its future.

The new carb the dealer put on didn't have a stud for the kickdown cable, so the wrench left it laying on the intake manifold. Very sorry work. A 6-32 screws plus some nuts and washers and the kickdown is back in the game.

Tightened the valve covers, maybe no more burning oil smell.

A clue as to why the mill is so anemic: two barrel carburetor. Heads are getting cheaper all the time. I'll probably plan to change heads, manifold and carb. I've got an edelbrock 600 on the shelf, it looks like it should run. A little valve noise on the passenger side. No point in adjusting them now, if I'm going to change heads.

It looks like a fiberglass hood, gotta be aftermarket?

More time spent:

Looks like the heater blower is a bad switch, only works when it wants to, or if you jiggle it just so.

Put in a 5A fuse to replace the blown 10A in the dash lights, good news, it didn't blow. Bad news, only the console lights up.

The gauges don't work, and both blinker indicators come on with the lights. That should be a bad ground.

The rear window trim is missing clips. Probably has only enough to barely hold it on.

The windshield wipers worked today, very odd. Not the switch, it is confirmed good yesterday.

I replaced the dome lamp, but it doesn't work. No surprise as I confirmed no voltage yesterday. I was hoping it was on the dash circuit.

Something not quite perfect with the alignment. Hard to describe, it is fine on straight road but feels odd in a turn. A little understeer which suddenly becomes oversteer. Potentially hazardous, but not bad.

I must fix the idle, it likes to die.

Shifter is stiff. Lubing the cable might fix it.