"Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!" (theduckduck)
03/01/2018 at 14:39 • Filed to: None
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"Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!" (theduckduck)
03/01/2018 at 14:39 • Filed to: None | 1
| 5 |
Hello fellow Oppos, I am surprised and excited to see that there are at least 3-4 owners of Second Generation (1970-81) Firebirds and Trans-Ams on Oppo. My questions are what have been your sources of knowledge and parts for your cars? I own a 1980 Firebird Espirit yellow bird. It has a swapped in 400 Pontiac. Thee only reason I am not driving mine is because I have a bad front end shake. I don’t know where to buy parts because the companies only list up to 1979? WHY? Also my heater core failed on me three years ago and I went to replace it only to find that during my cars life, the HVAC plastic has been broken. Is there a source for new or used parts or should I get a Vintage Air kit? Or is there another kit I should consider? Any and all help is super appreciated!
Pictures of my car for your time,
My bird IS the word
> Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
03/01/2018 at 15:24 |
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Hello! there are two forums that are really good, three if you count the camaro forums. 78ta, trans am country, and nasty z28. sometimes it is easier to look for info/parts on camaros, as most misc crap is shared. I can’t sign up for transamcountry for some reason. Good sources for parts:
Classic Industries (pricier)
Firebird central (good)
Ebay (seriously)
Rock Auto and Summit Racing for alot of the engine/transmission stuff. Classic and firebird central are both good for firebird specific stuff, such as trim.
I believe one of those sites should have the parts(ductwork i guess?) that you are looking for. if you want to keep your stock HVAC controls you will probably need to replace the vacuum lines, since it is all vacuum actuated.
Feel free to hit me up anytime, I have done most of the research on parts and junk. I also recommend buying the factory service manual. I believe rock auto carries it. You want the 1978 pontiac service manual, and the 1979 supplement. Look how beefy they are:
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Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
> My bird IS the word
03/01/2018 at 15:49 |
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Thank you so much for the info! I will definitely look into getting those books. I have no idea how to put the dash together after pulling it apart 3 years ago. Oops. Any clue why parts sometimes stop at 1979?
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My bird IS the word
> Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
03/01/2018 at 15:59 |
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So, the 79 is virtually identical to the 80 and 81 except for engines offered, and a few small details like interior fabrics. I sometimes have to look for parts for a 78 trans am, mostly it is cataloging issues. 77s and 78s are the most collectable, 79 was the highest production year, 1980 it dropped off significantly because the turbo trans am sucked ass. Might also have something to do with it. You have a pontiac 400 which, believe me, will save you some headaches. Parts are more available since people performance mod them.
You can get most stuff for these, especially if you aren’t too concerned with being 100% correct. Parts are becoming more common the more these jump in value. The only real trick is finding nice interior stuff, I reccomend legendary auto interiors. unfortunately, none of the repro steering wheels are any good so you will probably have to get yours wrapped.
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Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
> My bird IS the word
03/01/2018 at 16:47 |
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Are those the manuals they cover everything like these?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F352263906727
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My bird IS the word
> Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!
03/01/2018 at 16:50 |
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Yeah, that listing has the fisher body manual (they built the actual bodies) and i guess you would want the 1980 suppliment instead (oops). the new product information manual IDK about I think that might be a guide for the dealers. doesn’t hurt if you can get it cheap.