My love affair with Firebirds began in January 1968, when my wife, Donna (deceased 2018) and I purchased a new ’68 from Quebedeaux Pontiac in Tucson Arizona. The car was turquoise with a 350 2 barrel and a 3 speed manual.

The only options were a push button AM radio and power steering. I loved the styling, but did not get to drive it much as two months later I was off to Vietnam. I learned an important life lesson in all this – do not leave a pregnant wife in the Tucson summer driving a non AC car. I returned stateside in March 1969, and was promptly informed by Donna that the portable playpen for our son would not fit in the Firebird’s trunk. We went back to the dealer, and after insuring the playpen fit in the trunk we traded the Firebird in on a ’69 GTO with air.

Our next contact with a Firebird was not until 1994 and after several other Pontiac models, when we acquired a new white Formula with an LT1 and automatic. We shared it as a family vehicle and used it as a daily driver. In 1998 we bought a new bright red Formula with Tremec 6 speed (photo of Donna modeling it new). It served several years as a daily driver and quickly ran up twenty-five grand on the odometer. Donna then informed me that she was tired of shifting, so I got her an automatic Grand Am. Since then I have been applying numerous modifications to the car (see attached list of mods and photos). The car will eventually go to our youngest son, who resides in the Seattle area and only has a single parking spot at his house. I keep the Formula garaged here in Arizona and use it only as a weekend vehicle and car shows. The car now has over fifty thousand miles and runs great with the original spark plugs and regular fluid changes.

1998 Pontiac Firebird Formula
LS1 5.7 litre/M6 Transmission/Bright Red

Brakes:
Front – SSBC Force 10 Aluminum 4 Piston (43mm) Calipers/Powder Coated Red
Front – SSBC 13″ Slotted & Plated Rotors/Braded Stainless Steel Lines/High Performance Pads
Rear – SSBC Slotted & Plated Rotors/High Performance Pads
Rear – Red Painted Calipers

Computer/Tuning:
Hypertech Power Programmer III
Hypertech 160 degree Thermostat

Exhaust:
CORSA Cat Back Exhaust w/Pro Series 3.5 Tips

Induction:
SLP 85mm MAF Sensor
SLP Smooth Intake Bellows
SLP High Performance Air Box Lid
APM Automotive WS6 Style Ram Air Hood
GM Lower Ram Air Box
EGR Tube Modification
Throttle Body Coolant Bypass Modification
K & N Air Filter