The New, Newer Project: Part Tres
 

Well, I finally found it and got it home.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...stickerp1A.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...stickerp2A.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t.../orderform.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...c/invoiceA.jpg

Click on the photo...

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...P1010115-1.jpg

I dosen't get any better than this one. Better replace those 20 year old tires right away..... Plans for this one?

perfect, sounds great, nice docs. I've been waiting for days ...

Steve,

You didn't drive it home?

Dave

WOW!

Congrats on a beautiful SD Formula.

:)

I likey!

Thanks guys!. It's been an eventful day to say the least. I got five miles out of town with my 1995 K2500 Suburban and 24 foot enclosed trailer. I went to stop at a yellow 4 way major intersection and the brake pedal went to the floor. The front steel line burst three inches from the brake hose. Luckily there was no one in the intersection and I was able to stop the truck with the trailer brakes. The other lucky part was that I was 100 yards from my buddy's garage and he was able to create a new steel line, remove the old one, install it and bleed the brakes all in one hour. I was then on my way, again. I got down the Southern Jersey and picked the car up and got back home around 4:00 PM. I'm exhausted.

That looks like a great find....when you can I'd love to hear how you found it and what your plans are. It appears to be in survivor shape. I love that car..actually all of your F-body's have been very interesting cars.

For those who want to know, here's the skinny on the car:

18,000 miles. Completely untouched, unmolested. 100% Original paint. One of 43 built (33 Autos and 10 4-speeds).

"Survivor" would be an insult: This one actually thrived in hibernation.

Sold new in Long Island (pronounced "Lawn Guy Land", Noo Yawk. ;-)

Then moved to Arizona in 1975 with 16,000 miles, and on to California in 1990, and returned East, back to Southern NJ in 1991 with 18,000 miles.

Even came with an extra NOS SD455 carb and set of the infamous recalled Firestone 500 radials. (I need a fifth to have the full set).

It was a complete fluke that I found it...or divine providence.

I randomly logged on to the Super Duty Forum here at the Performance Years website on Labor Day morning and noticed that Bentwheelbob posted the ebay link to this newly listed car that just showed up on ebay a few hours prior. It was here in NJ about 75 miles away. I called the owner and immediately drove down.

Weird Coincidence #1:
As many of you know I just sold my 1970 Hemi Charger that I had for 25 years. It was originally sold new at Suburban Dodge in NJ. When I arrived to look at the SD455, I looked at the back panel and there was a "SUBURBAN PONTIAC" dealer emblem on it.

Weird Coincidence #2:
The owner (a great guy by the way) showed me an old magazine from 1990 that had this car in a three page feature. The very next feature car in the magazine was my old 1971 yellow hemicuda convertible.

Weird Coincidence #3.
Ten minutes after I saw the link to the ebay ad on the Super Duty forum at the PY website, the entire website at PY years crashed/went down for "alleged" maintenance until after I finished inspecting the car and putting a deposit down on it. The website then came back up but by then the ebay ad was shut down as "the vehicle was no longer for sale".

I will be out at the DMV tomorrow attempting to register the car. Wish me luck!

Definitely looks and sounds great. Yes, what are your plans for this one?

Just a lot of elbow grease and cleaning. There are a bunch of the original paper tags all over the car on the brake lines, sway bars, etc. The interior and even the trunk still smell just like a new car.

Here's some photos:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...010110-1-1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010084.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010079.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010108.jpg

Why do those Photobucket links never work for me...

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010088.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010087.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010089.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010091.jpg

Even has the original shaker unit with the baffle still intact (and a stunt double with the baffle removed, on the car)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010075.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t.../P1010073a.jpg

Ashtray has never been used:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010107.jpg

Clear plastic delivery cover still intact on seat knob and black plastic carpet seat track covers still in place:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...P1010101-1.jpg

The trunk is amazing:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010097.jpg

Here's the Suburban Pontiac Emblem that sealed the deal:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010081.jpg

And the NOS Firestone 500 tires. This one is on an untouched original spare honeycomb rim. It's never been bolt onto a car. (Anyone have a fifth one so I can have a full set including spare, for show?)

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...P1010117-1.jpg

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...P1010119-1.jpg

Here's a link to the background info on these infamous tires:

http://www.autosafety.org/firestone-...belted-radials

Its a beautiful thing!
congrats

Nice to see an original green light rear defog switch for '73.

Awesome. I don't foresee this one changing hands again anytime soon...

Correct. The only other car I ever found like this was back in 1988 when I found a 1971 Cuda 440-Six Barrel convertible, red, auto on the column car with 19,000 miles. I sold it to Steve Juliano and it has been in his museum ever since.

I have never been in a faster, scarier, more original car...til now.

BTW, note the giant, brown, completely original, oil shmear under the hood from the original A-6 a/c compressor....


http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...D/P1010108.jpg

Very nice congrats. Wow thats a lot of overspray on underside of the hood.

Wow, what a find...:)

Incredible find, congrats Steve! Funny how the search sometimes takes you all over the country and then you find the holy grail right in your backyard!

Right you are! I didnt mind paying a higher price for a local car that i didnt need to spend $1000 flying out to see and then shippng back for another two or three thousand dollars. Thats not even taking into consideration, paying auction commisions and hotel tabs for somethng like this weekend's Mecum Dallas auction where there is a BG SD T/A going on Saturday.

Other than the brake line repair and a 1/4 tank of diesel, I got off pretty easy with this one.

Super Duty Congrats to you Steve on the Killah Kah !
Ho
Lee
Shet

Those coincidences are pretty damd WILD . Destiny man, what can you do.
I was a magazine maniac in 1990 zone and missed that one somehow.
If you ever get a copy or scan please do share the article.

i keep waiting for TheBoss to scream - You Suck !
wonder what the hold up is ? lol

Few things , so miniscule , but you'll find it out sooner or later .
Sooner the better, for particular as your cars are.

The steering column should be black.

Formula wheel is an upgrade from build.

Front valance was originally plastic - amber capsules were for plastic vals only.
It takes a special GM hardware kit to adapt ambers into metal vals - so it was probably a warranty or dealer performed replacement earlier on.

The lettering on the original spare looks way Huge'r than the other tires.
I'd like to see a picture of the white letters on the spare if you ever get a chance.
Or maybe im under an illusion - they just look SUPER HUGE on the back side of spare.

Way to fukn go Man !
Congrats again and again

That one is broken.
Here is video link i pulled from the .html if anyone wants to hear the beastage

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...P1010115-1.mp4

On second thought ...
there is a catch to the steering column being color-keyed .

Since it didn't originally come with Formula Steering Wheel - it would have had a color keyed custom steering wheel - and matching color keyed column.

that fits

On the Firestone 500s, the white letters are small on the front side and the black outline letters are huge on the back side.

I will pull the rear seat this weekend to see if I can find the broadcast sheet and verify the steering wheel selection. My Gramma's 1975 has the exact same interior and originally had the very wheel you are referring to...like an IDIOT, it threw it out 20 years ago, when I put a Formula wheel on that car. It was perfect.

Anyone have two perfect, tan, three spoke wheels they can spare?

The Formula wheel on the 73 is near NOS, with the grain and molding ridges completely intact. It must have been put on very early it its life.

If anyone has the vacuum hose diagram for the TCS system, please post it. The hoses to the solenoid on the valve cover as well as the thermostic vacuum valve on the intake are disconnected.

I was thinking the same thing on the valance. Must have been a warranty job very early (like on delivery). The bolts holding the valance are untouched - the valance must have gone on once, and never came off again - no wear mark rings in the paint. I may start working on that blue, polyethylene "Franken-valance" that I repaired a few years ago.

Here's a photo of the wheel originally on my Gramma's 75:

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...eringwheel.jpg

Should it have a different center horn section like this?

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/t...uCEjvg60_3.jpg

Just have to say that is a "time capsule"!
Nice to see you show and share it with us and give it the light of day again!!
I'm with you "survivor label" doesn't capture ones that were well-kept from the get go...

If its up for vote: for me the formula wheel stays especially on a Formula. haha

Now the question is, do you put miles on it? 72 is it for sale?

Agreed on the formula wheel. I think you should put the 72 up for auction on this site

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1378385767

This help?

:)

the '73 wheel should look like that, EXCEPT it should have a smooth, black portion in the middle of the spokes, rather than the woodgrain as pictured. (1974 used the same style also)

Here is a '74 that's for sale on eBay. Yours should be similar to this:

Thanks guys! Do you have a link to that 74 auction?

I too have never seen that much overspray on the underside of a hood. Wow! Very cool car. Congratulations Steve on a great find.

Note the original master cylinder is painted black with the correct bleeder screws. Another piece to verify that they were black from the factory.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1974-...item20d75f1447

Blacked out rearend and pumpkin too....

I've got a few articles detailing the vacuum hose colors, markings, and routings of the various systems used for '73. PM me your email if you like and I'll forward them along to you.

Sweet car Steve - Congrats!

BJ

Wow! What a neat car! And you didn't have to go international to get it! What's your plans? Leave as is or your detail touch to it? Still love the 73 Formula thread.

SD Power to the Front!

:)

I would be pulling the rear seat bottom off looking for the build sheet

Dave

Congrats on the purchase Steve. We are all jealous of you right now! You are a lucky, lucky guy to own a couple of the rarest of the rare Formulas. (you obviously worked, sacrificed and earned it) How soon do we get to see pictures of the Black and White together?

Grandma's wheel isn't correct for 73 .
The 74 car posted has had the center wood grain painted black. iirc
Can't recall seeing that combo - and can't remember what my 74 Bird had now.

The other wheel you pictured alone with full wood grain "might" be right.
In GTO's - 71 or 72 was last year for color keyed inner cushion.
Then they went to the wood grain like that on all 3 spokes.

Do all your home work before grabbing anything.
This is the restored Blue 73 SD Formula - not saying this is the full correct wheel - just laying it out there ....

The wheel on the Blue 73 looks like the same textured vinyl color-keyed wheel like found on 69-71 GTO and Bird .

just laying it out there as a reference only

The color keyed column with contrasting Formula wheel grabbed my attention the first time i looked at car on eBay . But had to double check myself before mentioning it .

i wouldn't leave it that way - either of the 2 options you have would look good .
Straining to remember - but really seems like my 74 Bird had the wood grain spokes.

Here is the 73SD Silver Formula with Saddle and Formula wheel .

Very nice car NJSteve. Congratulations! Car was ordered May 9th and picke up July 31st. Might want to try tracking down Mr. Enrico Stein to get more history on the car and why he ordered it that way.

The prior owner tried to find him for many years. I think he may have passed, but I will resume the search. A lot of the SDs sat around in order status until Pontiac decided to actually begin production.