In the past, I've had a tendency to dig way too deep into a restoration, often leaving the car parked or up on stands much longer than anticipated. Until planning to build my 69
Camaro up to the next level, these spans usually only lasted the winter months, perhaps into late spring. The first 5 or 6 years I owned that car I would always have it on the road by summer, even when it made a late summer appearance after a total ground up restoration, just weeks prior to Woodward's Dream Cruise. Though when I decided to have the 12 point cage installed, that all changed. I gather that being at a different point in my life played a major part, though I question why I turned around and gave my 1970 Challenger R/T the same treatment. After all, my plan was to drive the Challenger, doing minor restoration along the way, while I put my
Camaro back together. You know the rest of the story, as both cars still sit, far from being road ready some 6 years later.
As my 89 Formula gets rougher around the edges, I had to start to think about a game plan. I pondered getting a second car to drive, retiring my Formula to parked status until fully restored. However, I've been down that road before, and I know how it would end. So the best plan I can come up with is restore the car while it remains road worthy.
My goal, which I feel is easily obtainable, is 400 hp with 30+ mpg on the highway. As is, I've got as much as 25 mpg on the highway in basically stock form. The addition of a 6 speed manual transmission would easily drop the
rpm's enough to pick up an additional 2-3 mpg. For the engine, I had been seriously considering an all aluminum LS series engine. The only major downfall was the cost, as well as additional costs to put it in a third generation f-body. An accessory drive kit to tidy everything up and make it functional runs around $1,000, and that's only if you don't put a/c on the car. Had I not had a/c, I wouldn't worry about it, but I really can't bring myself to remove it, even if I do only use it a few times each summer.
I pondered an LS engine with an iron block, as you can save a ton of money going this route on your initial cost, but adapting the engine to my car had the same added expenses. I also considered building an engine to run on E85, but quickly dismissed this thought, as I'll save that for my
Camaro. So I began to search the
internet for ideas, similar builds, and see what all is out there. I'll map out my game plan in greater detail later down the road, but for now, I'll give the quick and dirty version.
For the engine, I'm sticking with a 350. I may switch to an older style block, since it would give me more options with a two piece rear seal crank. For the internals, I'm going to try and lighten things up, as a lighter engine makes for a more efficient engine. So a light weight crank, rods, and pistons will be in order. I'm going to bump compression up, likely in the 10.5-11-1 range, so a good set of aluminum heads are in order as well. I'm thinking either
AFR's or
GM's Fastburn heads. Induction will be an aftermarket unit, dictate partially by what heads I decide on. With so many fuel systems out there, I plan to replace the stock unit with something better than my nearly 20 year old technology, same goes for the ignition system. Though I already have an
MSD coil on the car, and an
MSD 6AL collected dust somewhere, so maybe I'll reuse what I got in this case.
Aside from the engine, as stated, a 6 speed will be behind the engine. I first learned to drive on a manual, and if there is anything I miss about my first 89
Firebird, it's banging gears with the 5 speed. Unfortunately, you couldn't get a 5 speed with a 350, so when it came time to look for another
Firebird, the light weight Formula model with a 350 and an automatic was the only option. I was never a fan of the 305 and would personally steer anybody away from wasting their time rebuilding one. Behind the trans will be an aluminum
driveshaft, again, to help drop reciprocating weight.
The rear end is the Australian 9 bolt, which I have heard mixed reviews on. While I haven't beat the hell outta my car at the drag strip, I have jumped on the throttle plenty of times. With 132,000 miles, the rear still functions flawlessly, the
posi seemingly still in good condition. The gears are 3.27, in which I have no intentions of replacing. Because these rears have retainer hubs, there is no need for c-clip eliminators. The only mod I may do is the addition of a T/A rear cover.
The interior of the car is actually in good shape, only needing new carpet and a rear seat cover. I would like to update the stereo system, as the cassette deck is looking just a tad bit dated. :)
As with my
Camaro, I will set out to lighten the vehicle up in order to make more use of the extra
underhood power, as well as to help in my goal of 30 mpg. They were still ironing out emissions equipment when this car was built, and it looks somewhat cumbersome under the hood. Considering the car is quickly closing in on classic car status, and emissions testing would likely be void if they were ever imposed here, I'll likely take it upon myself to remove most of the equipment. To be perfectly honest, the planned engine build will likely be a cleaner burning engine than what it was from factory anyways.
A new exhaust system will help efficiently dispose of the gases, likely with shorty headers, though I'll go long tube if I find clearance to be enough. Then a cat-back system, omitting the cats, with probably a
Flowmaster muffer.
The suspension is already solid, being a Formula model. I have
Konis in front and will get a set to compliment them in the back at some point. I'd love to give the car a drop, but a few times a year we get pounded with snow and the car already bottoms itself out. Any drop in ride height would probably add additional headaches, though I suppose I could always swap the springs out. Now that I've dropped the rear a few times, replacing the fuel pump, it wouldn't be so big of a deal. I'll also probably move the battery to the trunk for weight distribution purposes.
The benefit of having a 3rd generation F-body is the overwhelming amount of aftermarket parts out there. Tubular everything, tons of intakes, cams, and just about anything else you want. The stock restoration parts market is quickly growing as well, since these cars, along with Mustangs, are still very affordable V8
rwd cars for people desiring them.
The body is getting pretty rough around the edges, as Michigan's winters and the road salt have taken their toll. No holes, but surface rust in the expected places such as wheel wells, rockers, and door bottoms. I also noticed the floor pans getting rusted up good during recent oil changes, though nothing a little
Por-15 can't handle! Aside from the smash job the shopping carts did recently, the body is very straight. When I had my Challenger, my plan was to learn how to do body work and spray with it. Since that car is gone, I may as well learn on my Formula. If it turns out bad, it can always be fixed. Body work and painting are the last areas of automotive restoration I have yet to tackle, so I suppose now is as good a time as ever to learn.
The hard part, as always, will be to figure out how to balance work on the cars while still trying to finishing house projects. So much like my
Camaro, don't expect frequent updates of progress, as it will be slow going. Hopefully past experience will have set me straight, finally keeping a car road worthy while restoring it, a first for me.
