2fast4uff

Ive had to build or clone most of the stuff and in that process learned alot about cars.ive never been a rich kid or Adult but I get things done .always willing to learn more from other car-nuts .I am glad to be 40 years old it puts me right in the middle of the hobby.this summer i will be buying a 3gen firebird formula and i,will post pics when I get the car.say the guy who sat in a new firehawk ...why didnt you buy it ?????

danziger

Heh. I didn't buy the Firehawk because I couldn't afford it. $40K back then would have gotten you a loaded convertible Corvette or a GNX (couldn't afford them either...). I loved the T-ram intake, though, and should have tried to buy one back then. Today they are worth big money.
As for the TTA vs. GN, the TTA made more power and weighed less with better aero, so the race you saw was more of mods or driver prevailing...

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Yea, anyone who thinks a GN is faster than a TTA stock for stock has some serious misleading info passed to them.



*too bad you couldnt get them with a stick!

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

the tta was even a hair (ave of 5mph and I think??? .2 ) faster in the 1/4 mile then the GNX which is what the TTA motor was desighned from and had the heads, pistions and other little changes which help w/ more power


the carbed and TBI cars had nothing on a stang (waist of the stangs time). even the 86 tpi cars had issues. once you got into the other tpi flavors the tables turned

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Man, if i could go back to 1989 with my RS, i would run ****. Couldnt even imagine.

danziger

Heh. There were still some pretty fast cars on the street in my area back then. Heck, my worked 440 Challenger was one of them! Not as many street-driven 11-12 second cars, but there were some... If you had a street car in the 12s you were taken seriously; 11s and you were a local hero; 10s you were untouchable...

danziger

To give you an idea of what "fast" was back in the late 80s, my buddy had a pretty heavily-modded 1986 Mustang GT that ran mid-11s on spray. He was pretty much the top dawg on the street outside of going to Philly.
They actually used to openly street race all the time on the aptly-named Race Street in Philly or anywhere by the stadiums at night. Lots of 1970s cars with the "Pro Street-6/71 through the hood-G50s out back" vibe going were shocked by the L98 and 5.0 Ford...

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Yea, but back then you didnt have a stock 505 hp Z06 and a soon to be 650 hp ZR1....a whole nother world now.

danziger

So true! 300HP was a big deal back then...

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Yea, back then everyone claiming 500 hp had 300, now everyone claiming 700 has 500 LOL!

1BADDAM

I can share a view. But for one - I don't consider myself old being 35.

I had the great foresight back in 1989 to talk my Dad into buying a GTA with a V6 in it. From June 8th of 89 on to this very day - I can only count 2 random street encounter where the car ever got beat.

A few months after it was bought it was running hi 12's with a few bucks in mods and against most other cars on regular street tires that was king.
Funny thing was it was my Moms DD.

Best thing about the car was - no one knew what it was - it didnt have the door sticker or fender emblems on it. Needless to say - surprised the $hit out of countless Mustangs.

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

Damn, 35? Your up there, it's all over for you, that's it, over, finished, done lol.... j/k

It's funny though, back when you were 20, I was 16, and it seems like such a major gap when your a kid. Now though, I'm right behind ya, and four years is merely a "blink" of the eye....

danziger

Heh. Back in the day we had a local TTA that was driven around by a middle-age woman. It was obviously her daily-driver (beats a minivan for sure!) and I never saw her go above 40mph. She probably didn't even realize that she was driving one of the baddest cars of that era, but we sure did!

Just to paint a nostalgic picture, here is an average group of guys meeting to street-race/talk smack/have fun circa 1991-92:
Decent
1989 Formula (me. I'm one of the slower guys)
1986 GN (buddy's car that I had part-ownership in...solid 12s)
1987 Monte SS
1967 Camaro SS clone (355/200-4R)
1970 Mustang with newer 302
1987 IROC (L98 with some bolt-ons...this was a quick car back then)
1990 Corvette 'vert (A4 with full exhaust)
1989 Mustang LX (M5 with gears/CAI/exhaust)
1983 Mustang GT (this guy had about 400lbs of stereo and was still fast!)
1971 Chevelle (only a mild 350, but ran well)
Posers
Escort GT (why?)
Chrysler Laser
197? Nova with a tired 307
1985 Camaro (rims/tires and a 2.8 don't mix)

slow_90firebird

What he said about Connecticut is true. I live in the richest state. Am I rich? no.

As for mustang vs. camaro, go to the pike any weekend of the summer. You will see countless foxbody mustangs, almost all in very nice shape! They are all worked / modded and painted with rims and exhaust and cowl hoods.

Now, go to the pike, and look for 3rd gen's. Good luck. I went there a bunch in the summer, maybe once saw a firebird, and maybe 2 or 3 camaros. They will be hard to spot, though, because primer and rust doesent reflect good at night.
The pike does have a bunch of 4th gen guys, all LS1 to the max. Cammed out LS1's that sound sick. But they frown on us.

Unfortunately, New england in general seems to favor mustangs. 4 years ago when I was getting my liscense in high school, everybody seemed to want a 5.0 mustang. Only I wanted a camaro.

Now, when I drive around, the general public thinks I am white trash because these cars have that general association here. However, at least once a day, some older guy will will completely ramdom talk to me about my car, and how much he likes it. Seems like all these old ppl had these cars back in the 80's.

TPI-Formula350-

well I was street racing back in the the late 80's when the war was between the mustang and Fbodies. I was on Deer Park Ave(231) 3 nights a week from like 89-02. Still get up there from time to time. Back then(late 80s-early 90s) anything in the 13's was very fast and 12s was King! The baddest cars back then were Grand Nationals, Vettes, F Bodies and Mustangs.. TTA were not common to see. In stock form the Formula 350 would just beat a stock 5.0, 5 speed notch which was the fastest Mustang. Once you started modding the Mustangs always woke up easier and cheaper then the Fbodies. I used to hate Mustangs but now I miss the good old days and like to run up against a nice 5.0. Now I just hate all the imports!! My Formula 350 runs a mid 12 now , wish it was turning those times back in 89

Bounty600

whoa what about the 89 Firebird GTA surely it whomped the Formula 350?!

Pyroviking

iTrader: (4)

No way. The GTA had the same power with more weight.

Same thing with the Mustang... the 5.0 LX was faster than the GT.

LMSkyliner

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure my comments belong here cause i just hear what i catch from my dad when we work.


it's a bit different opinion than everyone here.


And that is, he HATED the 3rd gens. He's a mechanic, and he said from his perspective they were just awful. They were so much harder to work on then most cars, and apparently he had very bad luck with nearly every one he had to work on. He tells me that when he discovered i wanted a 3rd gen, he was worried it was going to be a nightmare.



fortunatly my car is being very nice and everything is going well



oh and my first experiences with thirdgens, and the only thing even close to the 80s, was when i was just a baby (idk. 3-8 maybe?) i ALWAYS ALWAYS watched Knight Rider, and i thought KITT was the coolest car ever.

danziger

Nope. The Formulas were quicker given the same engine/trans combo...less weight. Now the TTA is an entirely different story...

danziger

Yep. A stripper 5.0 notch was a formidable opponent, even with minor bolt-ons.

DrummerDad

Oh man. I remember in the late 80s, and early 90s. EVERYONE wanted an IROC. I had it BAD for an F-body. Not to many mustang guys back then. I was in the Army at Ft Eustis in 90, and a friend wanted an IROC. Had to "settle" for an 89 mustang GT. IROC costed too much. He simply would not race an IROC, or Formula. And he ran from GNs. After the gulf war, he threw a paxton supercharger on it, and a couple grand more in mods, and went 11.20s. An 11 second DD back then was pretty fast. Remember "Stormin' Norman" was killing everyone in a 9 second convertible. He couldnt buy a race then.
A couple years later, maybe 93, another friend had an 87ish GTA. It was nice. Loaded with everything, leather, power, I think it even had a CD, although it couldve been aftermarket. I still wanted one, but life stopped me.

In 2004, I finally bought one. A wimpy little L03 auto. Its still a car I love. I get pissed when these little ****** today talk bad about a car that was so influential in my day. I cant wait till sometime in the future, when a bunch of new little ****** are standing around, making fun of the civic, or a subaru.

jocww

Mustangs were faster but fbodys were sexier.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Way to dig up a old thread LOL..

the 89 formula whooped the fox body as well as the TTA MURDERED everything, so WRONG.

jocww

You dont know who I am do you.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Nope, cannot say i know anyone in California with a 84 camaro and a Elcamino...

1BADDAM

I can vouch for that

Convoy25

iTrader: (3)

man i was born in the wrong year (1990)

flrtin1

I have a few pics from late 80's at the SM nats in Duqoin Il, I know some of you have seen these before, but I thought I would throw them out again for those that havent......... those days were a blast wish it was still like that.......lol I still have over 30 rolls of film from the mid/late 80's early 90's I never had developed and I am sure most of it is car stuff, need to get that done one of these days.

Convoy25

iTrader: (3)

to the third pic down


oh dear lord

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

.... maybe he won the lotto like this guy;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dofmkbQIhg

87bucketgta

I agree the 80's were a special time. I really miss them days. Kids didnt really act like thugs, rock music ruled, the american name actually meant something. Those days are long past. Feel old looking at them pictures