[pontiac rodder]

1970 ram Air III formula 4speed the car is complete runs but needs total restoration (quarters, trunk floor etc..) motor, heads and rear end are correct for the car not sure about the trans trying to get an idea of the value it is rusty but there any ideas?

[1971455HO]

70 Formulas are awesome...

Are you looking at it, or done bought it? How rusty? Unless it spent its entire life in the sun belt, most will need floors, rockers, rear quarters, inner wheel houses, trunk drop off’s, trunk & rear frame rails, all depending.

post some pics. We all want to see pics.

[pontiac rodder]

I have no pictures at this time of the car the guys thinks it worth a million dollars but open to offers just trying to figure out a fair offer

[The Boss]

Are you buying or selling?

[pontiac rodder]

would like to buy

[pontiac rodder]

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/5734263197.html here the craigslist ad if any else is interested I don't think you will get it much cheaper a lot of sentimental attachment for them to the car. It is a lot rougher than the pictures show exhaust manifolds are gone now has headers, Holley carburetor, windshield is broken, rear window also broken, and very rusty.

[unruhjonny]

I think that a '70-L74-m/t Formula is a really awesome car - but there is one HUGE downfall to pretty much all the 1970-1973 Formula 400's & Formula 455's out there;
Maybe only 1:100 is done up to the standards of a minted out same year Trans Am - they just don't (right now) get the same attention to detail.

These cars are continually having the interior done wrong, or not done properly;
Wheels are often wrong;
Under hood (no pictures were on that listing) are generally very far from correct;
.. the same year TA, more often than not is done correct - it's the little details being taken care of, because it's the sum of the little details that will garner top dollar.

IMHO a top dollar car would be 100% correct - and from a cursory glance, I am seeing incorrect things or things that need to be fixed - yet you say it looks much rougher in person than in the ad!?.

Just the correct carb alone (not a fake ect) is somewhere north of $2k...

I'd suggest looking at recent sold ebay listings to gauge where they are currently at;
If it's nearly as rusty as you say, and this guy is half as sentimental as you suggest, odds are it's best to just walk away.

[pontiac rodder]

Originally Posted by unruhjonny

I think that a '70-L74-m/t Formula is a really awesome car - but there is one HUGE downfall to pretty much all the 1970-1973 Formula 400's & Formula 455's out there;
Maybe only 1:100 is done up to the standards of a minted out same year Trans Am - they just don't (right now) get the same attention to detail.

These cars are continually having the interior done wrong, or not done properly;
Wheels are often wrong;
Under hood (no pictures were on that listing) are generally very far from correct;
.. the same year TA, more often than not is done correct - it's the little details being taken care of, because it's the sum of the little details that will garner top dollar.

IMHO a top dollar car would be 100% correct - and from a cursory glance, I am seeing incorrect things or things that need to be fixed - yet you say it looks much rougher in person than in the ad!?.

Just the correct carb alone (not a fake ect) is somewhere north of $2k...

I'd suggest looking at recent sold ebay listings to gauge where they are currently at;
If it's nearly as rusty as you say, and this guy is half as sentimental as you suggest, odds are it's best to just walk away.

I pretty much have walked away thanks

[Judge273]

You can find a 0273 carb for 2k? north of 3k maybe...

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by Judge273

You can find a 0273 carb for 2k? north of 3k maybe...

My knee-jerk reaction was to say $3k, but since I wasn't certain, I guessed what I did - are they really going that high?
Wow!

[poncho-mike]

I think carbs have come down since their peak before the financial crisis. The rarer carbs were bringing upwards of $4K for some very hard to find pieces.

I have both a 273 and 573 that aren't for sale, but if I did consider it they would be at least $3K.

[FASTASSBIRD]

273 sold for $2500 a few months ago on eBay. I'd say that is the going rate. 100% correct and original carb.

[Judge273]

No big deal on carb...moot point.

I guess the two on eBay for 3,750 bin won't get bought?

[skunkwerks]

How many cars are out there that need a 2-3K carb is the question. These cars are few and far between now. 3K for a correct carb for a Firebird is cost prohibitive based on the current value. If it did not come with it I would not add it.
Most of these Firebirds were stripped of parts for T/As. I am guilty of that myself.

[Judge273]

Only firebirds needing these 273 carbs are manual RAIII formulas?

Those are in demand like a TA?

[unruhjonny]

7040273 = all non-CA m/t RAIII & RAIV
7040270 = all non-CA auto RAIII & RAIV
7040573 = all CA-emissions m/t RAIII & RAIV
7040570 = all CA-emissions auto RAIII & RAIV
none are platform specific, or specific to RAIII or RAIV engines.

[poncho-mike]

For some reason, 1970 T/As used the ram air p/n carbs. In 1971, the T/A used the non-ram air carbs.

I made that mistake not long after I bought my 71 T/A automatic. Somebody looked at it and told me it had the wrong carb. It had the 268 carb, and I was told it should have a 270 carb. I bought a 270 carb only to find out several years later my car had the correct carb all along.

Mike

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

For some reason, 1970 T/As used the ram air p/n carbs. In 1971, the T/A used the non-ram air carbs.

I made that mistake not long after I bought my 71 T/A automatic. Somebody looked at it and told me it had the wrong carb. It had the 268 carb, and I was told it should have a 270 carb. I bought a 270 carb only to find out several years later my car had the correct carb all along.

Mike

I believe both are considered correct.
I believe that in the not too distant past there was confusion about this because the TA had 'ram air', while the 267/268 carbs were spec for "non-ram air" cars, which may really only be a term applicable for 1971 Firebird Formulas and GTO's - iirc the non-RA carbs were used on the GT-37(?) of that year.
(I should point out that my cousin's all original '71 TA has a '270)
1971 was a funny year for carbs (which is why my prior comment was only about 1970).
For model year 1972, the TA's went back to using to 'ram air' number carbs - but it's also worth noting that Formulas with the 455HO all had RA... not sure on GTO's or GT-37's.

[pontiac rodder]

Got lucky over the week end was able to buy not one but two 1970 Ram air lll formulas with the correct number matching motors and 4 speed trans and 12 bolt rear ends one complete car and one that was started on restoration and never finished not sure what direction to go But it will be and interesting dilemma for sure.

[blue71ta]

Think I've heard about these 2 cars. Did they come from the same family? One is Lucerne Blue? More details would be great.