Any 3rd Gen F-body Fans in Here?

RobertJ

RobertJ

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
601
Location
Northern Virginia
I've been married to my amazing wife for six years, and during that time she's always reminiscing about her first high school car which was a 3rd gen Berlinetta. Unbeknownst to her, I've been keeping an eye on eBay, Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace for years. I've seen nice examples that were definitely survivors for over $10k at dealers, but I was looking for something cheaper and wanted to avoid a dealer if possible. I just started a new job and have been busy and not really able to pay much attention to the classifieds, but luckily I found one that appeared to be a true 64k mile survivor. They originally had it marked at $6,500 but had recently dropped the price to $5,800. I'm thankful for that, because it may not have stayed available in the weeks they had it on Facebook otherwise.

Berlinetta 2.png


I grabbed a UHaul trailer, drove 2 1/2 hours North and met them in a parking lot. Low and behold, it was perfect. For a Northern car absolutely no rust anywhere, because it had been pampered it's entire life. It's a 2 owner garage queen that was the definition of survivor. I was planning on offering $5,000 but when I saw it I let them set the price at $5,600 which I was thrilled to pay. Up on the trailer it went:

Berlinetta.jpg


It may not be my first choice, but my wife was so thrilled and shocked she actually teared up after seeing it. It was well worth the $5,600 to reward her for being such an amazing wife. I think it's pretty cool and has the "spaceship" dash. If you don't know much about them, they are kind of worth a read. They only made them from '84 to '86. Since it was always garaged and seldom saw rain all of the electronics are functioning. I may look into buying a spare dash/radio just in case.

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Anyway, cool story I think.
 
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Awesome find. I’m in the process of putting disc brakes on my 69. I like the 3rd gen Camaros, and the fact that you can find them like this for 5k makes them that much more appealing.
 
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TWiG01 said:
Awesome find. I’m in the process of putting disc brakes on my 69. I like the 3rd gen Camaros, and the fact that you can find them like this for 5k makes them that much more appealing.
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Definitely think they are a bargain right now. The 305 is not much of a powerhouse, but when GM started using the 350 again they became much more desirable for me. I didn't mention it, but that Berlinetta does have the 305. I found a few with the 2.8 but didn't want anything to do with them. I knew the motor well from my XJ days and it was a deal breaker for me.

I converted my '69 Firebird to disc brakes. It was a pretty painless job except for getting my 14"x7" Pontiac Rally wheels over the new assembly. I bought the conversion setup as a kit, so I was shocked that the wheels didn't fit. A little work on the caliper brackets with a grinder though, and I was able to fit the wheels back on.

I sold this around 2008, but man I loved my '69.

Firebird.jpg
 
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What a great story. Congrats! Nostalgia is a funny thing, which you never seem to get over. I just dug this one out of the garage, after it sat in there untouched for almost 20 years. I couldn't get rid of it, even though it hadn't been started since 2002. It needs a bunch of work, but the body is solid and it's all there.

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Irun said:
What a great story. Congrats! Nostalgia is a funny thing, which you never seem to get over. I just dug this one out of the garage, after it sat in there untouched for almost 20 years. I couldn't get rid of it, even though it hadn't been started since 2002. It needs a bunch of work, but the body is solid and it's all there.

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Gorgeous car! I love those Chevrolet Rally II wheels. I had a '75 Malibu that had them. I would love to find an unmolested Stingray someday that had them. Late 60s or early 70s would be my choice anyway. Does that have a 350?

I'd have more toys, but living in the DC area I only have a one car garage. When I retire in six years, I'm getting a damn pole barn and will have a few projects going all the time.
 
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RobertJ said:
Gorgeous car! I love those Chevrolet Rally II wheels. I had a '75 Malibu that had them. I would love to find an unmolested Stingray someday that had them. Late 60s or early 70s would be my choice anyway. Does that have a 350?

I'd have more toys, but living in the DC area I only have a one car garage. When I retire in six years, I'm getting a damn pole barn and will have a few projects going all the time.
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It currently has a 406 small block and turbo 350. I did get it running for the first time, but it's not happy with 18 year old gas in the tank. It needs valve seals, transmission work, from sitting for so long, the wiring is a mess, and it needs the body stripped and repainted.

At this point I'm trying to decide what to do with it. Build it, or sell it? Nothing definitive yet, but a 6.2L LS engine keeps calling to me!
 
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Irun said:
It currently has a 406 small block and turbo 350. I did get it running for the first time, but it's not happy with 18 year old gas in the tank. It needs valve seals, transmission work, from sitting for so long, the wiring is a mess, and it needs the body stripped and repainted.

At this point I'm trying to decide what to do with it. Build it, or sell it? Nothing definitive yet, but a 6.2L LS engine keeps calling to me!
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Man, a 6.2L LS engine would be so sweet with that thing. First thing I would do is completely go through the wiring. I've seen way too many classic cars lost forever due to electrical fires. The harnesses are all out there. That's the beauty of 1st Gens, is that there are reman parts galore. 3rd gen parts availability has not quite caught up, and with the Berlinetta even more so.
 
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RobertJ said:
First thing I would do is completely go through the wiring. I've seen way too many classic cars lost forever due to electrical fires. The harnesses are all out there. That's the beauty of 1st Gens, is that there are reman parts galore. 3rd gen parts availability has not quite caught up, and with the Berlinetta even more so.
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Agreed! I pulled the column out to replace it with a re-furbished tilt column I bought back in 2000. When I started looking at the wiring it was downright scary. I found bare wires, wires tapped together with electric tape, and some held together with wire nuts. I spent some time last night looking at complete wiring harnesses.

As for your car, that was an amazing find! The dash on those always reminds me of Night Rider. For one like yours, keeping it stock and simply enjoy driving it would be my plan! (y)
 
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Irun said:
As for your car, that was an amazing find! The dash on those always reminds me of Night Rider. For one like yours, keeping it stock and simply enjoy driving it would be my plan! (y)
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Definitely agree with not modifying the Berlinetta at all. She'll enjoy it for another 35 years hopefully just as it sits. Our DMV is way behind due to COVID, so the earliest appointment I could get with 12/18. With that I've got plenty of time to go through all the fluids and tune it up. Perfect timing since I just got my TJ done in May. Good times!
 
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RobertJ said:
Definitely agree with not modifying the Berlinetta at all. She'll enjoy it for another 35 years hopefully just as it sits. Our DMV is way behind due to COVID, so the earliest appointment I could get with 12/18. With that I've got plenty of time to go through all the fluids and tune it up. Perfect timing since I just got my TJ done in May. Good times!
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If you need to go earlier, you can find a VA DMV select. They are contract facilities to VA DMV and are open. The only catch is the lines are long. I went to one back in the beginning of the summer and waited in line for 5 hours. They don't do everything, but here's a link to what can be done, along with some locations.

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/general/#utilities/select_svs.asp
 
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Irun said:
If you need to go earlier, you can find a VA DMV select. They are contract facilities to VA DMV and are open. The only catch is the lines are long. I went to one back in the beginning of the summer and waited in line for 5 hours. They don't do everything, but here's a link to what can be done, along with some locations.

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/general/#utilities/select_svs.asp
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I saw them listed on the website but had trouble figuring out if any were even open. Seems like the website was a mess for them. I put in my zip code, and none of them came up. It's OK for me to wait since I really want to go through the car anyway. Those would definitely be great for anyone that needed it right away. Thanks for the link! 5 hours to wait sucked though!
 
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Very nice! I'm a huge F-body guy.

The 3rd gen cars have definitely been on the rise. Clean examples are getting expensive fast, so I think you did great at that price! That dash is a pretty rare setup.
 
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Tranz Zam said:
Very nice! I'm a huge F-body guy.

The 3rd gen cars have definitely been on the rise. Clean examples are getting expensive fast, so I think you did great at that price! That dash is a pretty rare setup.
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I wouldn't mind getting myself an IROC someday, but I probably won't be able to afford them at the prices they will be at by the time I have the space. I think I did as good as I could have on the price, and that dash is crazy different. I need to find spare parts for it though!

Thanks!
 
Very cool! I've dug the 3rd gens ever since I was a kid and my friend's dad had a black and gold IROC.

I've got a '67 RS/SS350 in the garage, but it's not running at the moment. I think it just needs the fuel pump replaced. It's a manual everything car: trans, brakes, and steering. The only accessory on the engine is the alternator! You could climb in the engine compartment and take a nap with all the space in there. Driving it is a fun time warp. Parallel parking it is a bitch.
 
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anarce said:
Very cool! I've dug the 3rd gens ever since I was a kid and my friend's dad had a black and gold IROC.

I've got a '67 RS/SS350 in the garage, but it's not running at the moment. I think it just needs the fuel pump replaced. It's a manual everything car: trans, brakes, and steering. The only accessory on the engine is the alternator! You could climb in the engine compartment and take a nap with all the space in there. Driving it is a fun time warp. Parallel parking it is a bitch.
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The 1st gens are so easy to work on! I don't know what I'm in for with this 3rd gen for sure. I graduated HS in '82, and I remember this rich kid getting an '82 from his parents. It was a 4 cylinder!! though, and I wasn't all that impressed. It was gorgeous, and I liked how it looked as though it should handle really well, but a 4 cylinder in a Firebird? No way!
 
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Now you need to get her hair done like the 80's and have a night on the town! That is one sweet car, nice find! It's so cool to see how fast technology has evolved since this care was new, and how "cool" this tech was back in the day.
 
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