Big Bird Bows Out
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- čas přidán 10. 08. 2023
- At the luxurious end of the Firebird model range, Esprit offered a softer, quieter ride than the macho Trans Am. But was the power the same? And why does this Esprit have a Trans Am tail spoiler? The answers are revealed in this video.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
Steves' junkyard enthusiasm is obvious with his wet knees, grease stains and the way he pounds with his knuckles each feature he points out. He is my first stop each morning!
Yes great info as always even though they’re reruns. 👍
I do the same thing, I love learning from him. I never knew the 82' Firebird was shorter and lighter than 81'
Get well soon Steve!
Interesting to see the white fallout on the ground from the heatwave that's affecting the country.
Mr. B. Here ! Morning to all ! ☕️☕️🍩🍩 . LOL Snow in August ! 👀👀 have a good day !
Morning
@@tomwesley7884 ☕️☕️ 👍👍
Thank you for posting another awesome video. You are a wealth of information for us car enthusiasts. MototTrend's loss, CZcams's gain.
Great job as usual, Steve. You always make sure to highlight the important things and nuances of each vehicle you cover. I am one who thinks that front end was a disaster on this design. It is odd that when that generation was released, it didn't look bloated with the thin bumpers - but those addon soft bumpers really ruined the look of the car.
Thanks Shane for posting. You are a great friend to have.
Hi Steve, love your channel (love you!) and this episode; ‘sorry not to have commented for a while from here in U.K.... re: the nose of the ‘79-‘81 nose - I read in one of the ‘source’ books I bought after I got my ‘79 403 Trans Am in ‘84, that thro’ most of the development, the 4 headlamps were pop-up. It was very late that pop-up was ‘deleted’ to save cash, and too late to change any other part of the nose.
I couldn’t find any archive pictures of this, and was so curious that I made my own set of 4 aluminium sheet, body coloured panels following the lines of the nose, that clipped on the headlamp bezels deep behind. They looked fab and brought the original design to life, and lived on the car most of each summer...
‘Keep doing what you’re doing & don’t change ANYTHING...! Jeff
I had a 1973 Firebird Esprit. I was 22 at the time and even though it wasn’t the Formula or Trans Am, it was adequate.
Jim Rockford would be proud .
To me, the 1979 style was the BEST, probably because I had one!
My favorite Pontiac was a 1978 gran prix. That car was cool. 301 v8 with full power.
Hope all is well Steve,Shane,and Katie! I had access to an 80, or 81,firebird in early spring of 82, it was an ,Avis or hertz rental car, that my girlfriends Father purchased for her, he was a Delta pilot!
It was silver originally,
but silver paint doesn’t last long in the south for some reason. They had it repainted, kind of a root beer brown, it was a tight solid car really fun to drive!
I understand why ,James Garner did all his own stunt driving in a firebird ,it was a blast to drive, especially on a lightly rained upon road surface! It could go pretty good top end wise, out on the interstate! I got pulled over for 110 mph in a 55 MPH zone coming back from Florida once! The car felt like she still had plenty left to offer at 110,It was so well balanced, not a single vibration, and road noise was minimal as well! Thankfully my girlfriend, had a bikini on, when I got pulled over, and the trooper was an older guy!
I think that’s the only reason I didn’t go to jail that afternoon!
Hell, I don’t think I even had a civilian license,all I had was a military and ,German license at the time, and I’d gotten pulled over in, south Georgia!
Kinda one of those Boy, you in a heap a trouble moments! I miss both that car and the girl!
The trooper, not so much!😂 great car!
I also owned a 74 model like James Rockford drove but it had a 400 4bbl and true duel exhaust,I gutted the interior, like an idiot, and was going to use it as a bracket racer. But I had to sell it ! Both were great cars! Good old days!
It was probably a Van Nuys, CA assembled car. Due to CA air regulations at the time, they used water-based paint and the silvers, blues, blacks and other darker colors faded badly. GM blamed the paint suppliers, the paint folks blamed GM. The customer lost in the end in most cases. Norwood, OH cars had lacquer paint.
@@googleusergpthanks for the information! I’ve always wondered why certain colors gave up in the Georgia and Texas sun! Now I know! Thanks again!
I love a silver paint job on a car but have always shied away from it because of this!
@@jeffreycarleton1535Both of my cars are Norwood, OH produced. I shy away from Van Nuys, CA built cars or any GM car built at the "Terrible Three: Fremont, CA (closed in 1982), Southgate, CA (closed in 1982) and Van Nuys, CA (closed in 1992). GM shed no tears when they shut those plants down. The quality was poor in all three of them.
Thanks for all the great content!
James Garner did not like the front nose of the 1979-81 Firebird so he decided to keep the 1978 for the duration of The Rockford Files.
He also didn't like the Formula, so they "de-Formulaized" it for the show.
"The Rockford Files" was my favorite TV show from the mid to late 70's. I don't know why it is always overlooked as a "car show", since Rockford managed to get into a chase in nearly every episode - usually as the "chasee", not the "chaser". Anyhow, his Firebird was my favorite TV car from that era as well so, about 10 years ago, I combined my love of the show with my hobby of building superdetailed model cars, I converted an old MPC 1977 Trans Am annual "glue bomb" that I found on ebay for cheap and changed it to a base model Firebird. First, Ihad to get the correct Pontiac Rally II wheels with whitewall tires. I added tire valves to the wheels. I had to get rid of the shaker scoop, fender scoops, wheelwell spats, front spoiler, decklid spoiler, and close up the T-tops. I had to convert the drivetrain from a 4-speed to an automatic (with everything that entailed inside, too), and I gave it a non-shaker air filter housing. I added plenty of details, including: power steering, air conditioning, heater hoses, ignition wiring, and battery cables under the hood and, inside the car added suspended pedals, sun visors, a dome light, turn signal stalk, flocked carpeting, seat belts/shoulder harnesses, and a rear-view mirror. I cut the bucket seat backs from the cushions and hinged them for access to the back seat, then arranged a slide mechanism so the buckets could move fore and aft about 7/16". Then, as the finishing touch, a miniature portable business card printing press in the back seat.
... Then, one day, the cat knocked it off of the shelf. It was not pretty. Good thing I loved that cat, or she would have been in DEEP doo-doo. 💩 Roughly a hundred hours down the drain. 😢
@@googleusergp This is untrue. The WRITERS of the series had the hood changed so that it appeared to be more of a base model, what a private investigator could afford.
@@GoldenGun-Florida Not entirely accurate. Mr. Garner didn't like the Formula look, nor did he like the look of the 1979 Firebirds, so they were changed.
That reminds me of the Red Bird, which I think was the Esprit appearance. They ended in 1979. Though of the Skybirds, Redbirds and Yellowbirds the Skybird was my favorite,1977-78.
All targeted at women buyers with softer fabrics and color touches. Yes, many were based on the Espirit.
my wife had 2 skybirds. One pre children, the other after they were grown and gone.
Hi Steve
When you have a You Tube channel like this you build a relationship with the people who follow the channel. People you will never meet become your friends. So when we get repeat videos with no explanation some of us show concern for you. Please remember to inform us if you are on holiday or Heaven forbid poorly. Thank you
Nick Jervis UK 🇬🇧
Well said my brother. Hopefully he is at roadkill nights and not hospital bound again!
my dad had 2 grand ams, 73 if memory serves me right, great handling car
Great video by the master of automotive history! Hope he’s doing well!🙏❤️🩹
Good thing they put around the yard to keep Steve cool in August. 👍👍🇨🇦
Snow
I had a white 81 Esprit. Loved that old V6.
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
Hope Steve is ok.
Are these repeat episodes?
I just noticed the snow.
@@jerrys9226Yes.
@@jerrys9226 All repeats on this channel
@@jerrys9226No they are not, Steve is in the hospital fighting for his life.
thanks for the great walk back. so much great knowledge you share in each of your videos. love them.
Seen it
Get well soon, Steve!!
I had a 79 Formula then later an 80 Esprit. Both were fun cars to drive. Still wish I had one of them. Thanks for the video Steve!
the fact he knows what kind of vehicle it is by just the outer rim is next level
No, it's from research and finding an Easter egg in the documents.
@@B.V.Luminous the rim on the roof bud
He wrote the year (36-37) on the rim with a Sharpie.... that's called researching and taking notes.
Garbage model garbage engine right where it belongs.
@@racefan1647 how do you think this guy *knows* anything about any of the reviews he does?
Research.
He's not stupid, but he has to memorize shit just like the rest of us.
Love this info. Hope Steve can return.
In 1965 Ford figured the Mustang could be optioned out as a commuter car, a GT or a "mini thunderbird" with the Pony option interior, and in 1969 there was the Grande option. Chevy had the Rally Sport, but that's arguably more of an appearance package than a luxury one. Firebirds had the Sprint before the Espirit, and Dodge the SE for their pony car. they downsized luxury before Detroit downsized it by 1977.
Hello from Detroit, they should of called it the terrible 200, had replace a couple of them transmissions
I take it this was filmed a few months ago.
Hmm...what makes you think that? 🙄
You The man steve, I took my trans am apart so long i forgot where them gussets went lmao
Already posted
No shit Sherlock.....
The firebird esprit was Pontiac’s version of the camaro’s berlinetta.
snow in August cool. pontiac had one next year.
Thank you Steve
Morning Steve....
70,000 in it's last year? Those were good numbers
Down quite a bit from 1979. There were 117k+ Trans Ams alone in 1979.
Steve..........THE BEST!!!!😀🌏
Good morning gents! 🇺🇲
Ir memory serves, that "little extra room in the speedo" is because the mandate was for a max of _85 mph_ (not 80) to be shown. And with each mark indicating 2 1/2 mph (don't ask me why they chose that), that last little mark would indicate 85 mph, rather than 90.
Another re-run. I hope Mr. Magnante is doing OK.....
No, the engine designation moved from the 5th digit on 1972-1980 GM car VIN numbers to the 8th digit. (On 1973-1980 truck VINs, it was the 3rd digit and also became the 8th in 1981). The Espirit was Pontiac's equivalent to the Camaro Berlinetta in these years and was targeted towards women buyers. This would be a typical car that a young professional single female might have driven---perhaps a secretary, teacher, saleswoman or other professional lady.
We got the VIN, we win: 1G2 for US made Pontiac, A for manual seat belts, T for Firebird Espirit, 87 for two door coupe, S for 4.3L (265 CID) V8 with two barrel, Pontiac produced, aka "Baby Pontiac V8", aka RPO code "LS5", 1 is a check digit, B for the 1981 model year, N for Norwood, OH assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The Norwood plant closed in August 1987. My parents had an '80 Bonneville Brougham with a 265 V8. We only had it two years and it was stolen in the fall of 1982 and never recovered. The policeman that took the report stated it likely was exported to the Middle East at the time.
No tag, can't brag, but easy to figure out, no doubt: 81 or B for 1981 model year, 2FS87 for Pontiac (2) Firebird (FS) two door coupe (87), N for Norwood, OH assembly, L for lacquer paint technology, A51 for bucket seats, possible 75R for Red standard vinyl interior trim, 75L and 75U for Spectra Red lower and upper exterior paint, among other codes. Norwood, OH built cars had tags that are more informative and easier to decipher for the lay person. The Van Nuys, CA made cars often had limited information on the tags and were more "Morse Code" style where you had to know some of GM's internal lingo to decipher.
Correct, usually that molding set up is the "D85" Decor Group, which some other Firebirds had. Not correct, all Firebirds in 1981 came standard with a console. All of them will show "A51" on the cowl tag for bucket seats (also standard) in a Firebird. You could get a column shift in earlier 2nd generation cars, but not by 1981.
My 1980 Turbo is an exact duplicate of the car on the cover of that magazine, but mine has gold snowflake wheels and a base Camel Tan interior. That's not entirely correct on the turbo sound. They do "whine" but yes, it's a mild set up and boost is limited in stock form, on purpose. Correct, the RPO code "D80" spoiler was optional on Firebird and Espirit, but standard on Formula and Trans Am. John McKay's Used Cars, where this was sold at one time is still on Marlboro Road in Brattleboro, VT.
The original buyer/person that ordered this vehicle was a bit of a skin flint as it doesn't have the optional C60 air conditioning system, which is evidenced by the push-pull knobs in the kick panels. AC was required with the Turbo 301.
Correct and not correct on the rear drums. 1978 WS6 cars still had rear drums, whereas 1979-1981 WS6 cars TYPICALLY got rear disc brakes, but there was a shortage of parts for a time, so they were "WS7" (all the WS6 parts less the disc brakes). My '79 10th Anniversary 400/4 speed is a WS6 car, my '80 Turbo says "4 Wheel Disc" on the right door handle, but it's an error as the car isn't a WS6/WS7 car. It was stuck there by an errant worker at Norwood in January 1980.
🤦🏼♂️
@@ccg1171?
@@googleusergp👍
Hopefully he’s working on his police car and not dealing with health issues.
pretty sure he was at roadkill nights. sure would be nice if he informed us!!
Pretty amazing how well these sold when less than 10 years prior before the pollution controls, the Firebirds were high power in comparison. Pontiac’s success was from making cars that were fun and very customizable from the factory or dealer even when they were not very high quality or fast. After the Firebird was gone in 2002 so was the fun factor. They had a few fun oriented cars like the Solstice and GTO then the V8 G8 as the last hurrah but it was never the same again.
Thank you.
Only Steve would be able to identify that random rim from a vehicle built over 80 years ago!
We had a 75 esprirt with a 350 engine ..one owner beautiful car red with black interior
great video
The Pontiac 265 CID is one of the rarest OEM engines ever.
Get well Steve!
I had a 267 in a 1980 Impala
Gutless wonder
Small V8 era. They were built for economy not speed and yes, you didn't win any races with them, but they were reliable if you drove them as economy cars.
I had a 267 (4.4 litre) in an 83 Cutlass Brougham, more gutless
Completely different engine. 267 is a small block Chevy engine.
@@MichaelandCathy1999Since you're in Canada, that makes sense. No 267 V8 in a US destined Cutlass back then---it would have been a 260 V8 here. A lot of GM products got Chevrolet V8s in Canada since GM of Canada produced Chevrolet V8s.
@@xfactorautomotive1496Correct, but he's in Canada, so a lot of GM products did have a Chevrolet V8s whereas US destined models many times had "divisional power".
I miss Pontiac!
Still love and drive my 2006 GTO....
I have three Pontiacs, two Trans Ams and a Pontiac G6 convertible. I almost made that three Trans Ams about a year and a half ago. I was going to buy a 1981 Nascar edition Y85 Trans Am, but the seller and I couldn't agree on price.
The Esprit, has its own TV iconic Character that drove it : James Garner : Jim Rockford .
Once again pristine magazined write ups !
Always preferred the Pontiac Firebird to the Camero. 😊
The MustFang Fox 5.0 for 1979 did the same 16.7 second 1/4 mile the 5 liter Firebird required a Turbo to do. The delight of a 822 pound weight reduction. For 80-81, the Turbo ( Canada still had them) and 4.2 liter Fox Stangs were barely able to break 18 second quarters and the Trans Am romped away..
You've got a few things mixed up there. The only 5.0 liter Firebird in these years would have been a Chevy 305 V8. The Pontiac 301 was a 4.9L. In 1979, the Mustang's 302 V8 was only two barrel. You could a 400 V8 with four barrel in 1979 in a Firebird. It would eat the 5.0L alive and outhandle it too. Plus you could get four wheel disc brakes on a 1979 Firebird, couldn't get that in a 1979 Mustang. The four-eye Fox was a nice car, but it was saddled with typical "Motorcrap" ignition and carburetion back then, which was a detractor.
@@googleusergp oh Yeayaaahhhhh, it was still doing 14.7s with the 400 option TransAm in 79. MotorCrap...GoogleUserGP....you always crack me up, especially when I'm wrong. Have a great day™✓. By the way, our Zespri's 🥝 have been for a time pulled from sale, but I'm stuck with previous wrong comments..so lap it up. GM, ~GP , each for the win...lol
Mustang was a better built car
@@deanstevenson6527No problem, eh? LOL.
@@toddbob55That's debatable. Neither car was the bastion of quality back then.
For the last 6 months or so of the 1981 production, the Formula was offered with the 3.8L V6...tough times.
But you got the good suspension, right?? Hah!
It's SNOWING in AUGUST wherever Steve is.
My favorite car program. 🚗
Wow, snow on the ground in August. What the...???
Jim Rockford would be proud.
Keep in mind the true muscle car era ended when the 1972 models came out, although there were still a few hanging on for dear life for a while. 1979-81 was the nadir of performance. 1982 was when the gradual recovery began.
In 1998 I got my ex a 79 esprit . It was loaded , t -tops , 301 , dual exhaust, vinyl TA interior . It was the same color as this one red , on red . Pretty cool car . The only problem was it gave her the idea that she could handle my 94 Trams Am Gt . She almost killed use one night .
In 81 the 4.3 V8 made 120hp and got 18/27 city/hwy. The 3.8 made 111hp the same year with 20/30 respectively. Was it worth the extra $75 for that 9hp? What an odd engine! Now I want to build one and put a T5 behind it.
Only 9hp difference but 90 degree V6s aren't known for their smoothness and the V8 produces a better sound than the V6. You got a better driving experiance with the V8.
Plus more torque. With that short stroke it might like to rev!
Looks like Steve weighed a bit more here. Snow on the ground lead me to think this was recorded awhile before Summer.
Other videos he has released lately show him about 20 lbs lighter.
End of the line for the Pontiac V8.
Awsome episode...😁..but .....please....no snow episodes...😕
I had a 1979 Firebird with the 301, horrible engine. We miss you Steve, hurry back!
Wow you know your stuff I thought for sure that was a Volkswagen rim
Picture on the right hand page the car, the left hand page, the Marlboro man. 😂😅
Always been a 77-81 Firebird fan… NEVER heard of the 265 though.
RPO code "LS5" used in various GM vehicles in 1980-1981. The VIN code was an "S" and it was the 301 V8s baby brother. Olds had their 260 V8 and Chevrolet had their 267 V8 in the same "Small V8" era.
Still a good looking car.
Same engine & steering wheel on my 81 Bonneville.
The engine had a mix of SAE & Metric fasteners under hood.
Didn’t Jim Rockford have a Pontiac Firebird Esprit? But wasn’t it the only one equipped with the 400?
Rear coils on a 2nd Gen? Towing assist shocks?
Just a note to say thanks to all new subscribers, let's get Steve to that 100,000 mark so he gets that plaque and maybe forgets some of the sting of getting his television show cancelled by Motor Trend. But when he shows us his CZcams award, he will have to wear his chef's hat 'cuz he is still cookin' up fantastic shows in the junkyard. 😀
Hey dude I don't know what's going on, but this is another reposted video like yesterday. You gave us this one on Feb. 28th. Hope you're OK and can get this fixed soon.
Snow in August ?
It’s a repeat vid, he’s on vacation
I love Pontiac !
👍
snow on the ground in august...up there in mass....gonna be a long winter??? of a very short summer????...
Excellent video Steve. Thanks for sharing. I was wondering what the "peak" years for smog, lowest horsepower and general crap performance were. I am guessing 1979-1981 maybe? Maybe include 1982? Things started to upswing a bit in 1984-1985 and then once direct fuel injection had a solid roll out in 1986 - things got significantly better from there year over year.
Not 1979. You could still get a 400 Pontiac V8 in a Firebird Formula or Trans Am and it was a good performer. The early 3rd generation F cars were slouches and powered by wheezy small block V8s. Fuel injection woke them up by the later 1980s.
1983 was the year Firebirds started to get their performance back with the introduction of the L69
@@lb9gta307 I'd say a bit later in 1985 with the 305 TPI VIN code "F" engine. Although I'm not a fan of a "Chevyiac", it did bring power and reliability back to the V8s. I'm no 3rd generation fan, never was, never will be.
@@googleusergp the L69 cars were quicker despite having less peak hp. The 305 TPI cars without the peanut cam gained power over the following 4 years and in that time became considerably quicker but not in their first few years.
@@lb9gta307Nothing "HO" about an "L69". It's a wheezy small block with no business being in a Pontiac. I'd take the "lesser" TPI engine and they were more refined and better performers (mileage, reliability, etc.) overall. The 350 "L98" was better, but I still would pass them all up for a 2nd generation with a 400 or a 455.
thanks for a great show on a less than great car. ugly front, poor performance but the owners loved them. steve in Australia
p/s i cant talk i have an 82 z/28
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm snow in the middle of August? Is he in Canada?
Not unless he's on top of a fairly tall mountain
My 84 Grand Prix had a steering wheel like that.
In todays sports car thinking: What you have? A 6 liter engine. Oh wow, so you got 3000hp or so? No, 120.
Why did you say 7th digit? Was it just a misspoke?
Buddy had that exact car in high school wasn't the best built car GM dropped the ball as far as quality and ride and comfort
Surely was a Van Nuys, CA built car. One of the "terrible three" GM facilities in CA.
Is that vehicle for sale I want to buy it
I never knew there was a console delete for these F-Bodies. Every last Camaro and Firebird I've ever seen has had a console. Very interesting. I'm gonna have to go see if I can find a pic of that.
At 3:55 when you went inside, you said something about the "engine turned dash" not being available on the Esprit. I know what it is and what it looked like, but why was it called that?
It should be called machined, or engraved. The engraving on the panel is circular. If heard it called motor turned also, and doesn't seem to be correct to me. If you see a metal watch or bracelet with writing on it, that's called engraved. I guess that's where the word engine, that Steve used came from.
It was due to the "swirl pattern" on the dash plate which was popular back then. I remember a lot of vending machines sold those "engine turned" type decals that people would stick on their note books, skate boards, bicycles and the like. Also, Mr. Magnante is not correct on the console for 1981. All 1981 Firebirds got a console as standard equipment. Yes, the console was not standard in the early years, and you could indeed get a column shifted 2nd generation F body. I have seen several over the years. It's rare, but they did exist.
Drats, vintage episode
Didn't Rockford drive an Esprit?
😊
At least it didn’t have those gawd awful T-tops.
who didnt own at least 1 of these,,,haha.Any-1 looked good behind the wheel of 1 of these.
I own two, and one has been in my family since it was new.
My buddy had a brown 79' Fire chicken 305 V8. High school...he never put that 350 in it...kept saying..next year
Wealth of information
*secretary version. Fify
Yet another re-upload?
Yes, I think I’ve seen this one before as well! Pryor commitments perhaps! Hopefully they’ll be able to post some new stuff soon!
Katie may be on strike! Renegotiating her compensation package, now that they show her face!😂
@@jeffreycarleton1535 I believe that re-uploading the same video is a waste of everyone's time.
@@GoldenGun-Florida That's why I'm unsubscribing,.
@@rockettcustoms6266 I've stopped watching them until I first search to see if it is a duplicate. There is no viable reason that I can determine to re-upload the same video other than to simulate new content by "releasing" the video at 6 AM to appear to be new content. Otherwise, why not re-upload a dozen sometime in the afternoon?
Imagine if some of the popular CZcamsrs did this? Why not upload all of your videos 100 times to get more space and more views?
I find this all unacceptable.
~
Other repeat!!!