[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by lawbreaker2

Help me out here if you will with this "hole" deal, I have a 70 t/a and the hood has a oval hole just past the scoop in front of the hinge on both sides and a small round hole to with a indent around it. and I think I have two big square hole in the front.

lawbreaker2 the entire "webbing" on the under side of the hood is different for 70-72 hoods vs the later ones.BUT, the easiest was to tell if you have an early hood is to look just foward of the scoop opening. I had posted passengers side ones, WRONG, it is the drivers side. This hole is a circle about the size of a softball on the early hoods. The later ones have an oval../. there are other differences, but this is your telltale givaway as to early vs late.. hope this helps...

[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by roundportponchos

have friend here,, has real orig 70 TA, seems like all orig panels... low mile(30s) I noticed the indent., under vent in 1/4 diff for 70..
Is it possible, being he has a late built(july), could the van nuys plant uswed, one new style 1/4, ???

I agree with others, 70's indentation under the vent was a 1 year only item. If we are reading you correctly, only ONE side has the larger indentation?? If that is true...my guess is the same as urhjohnny's, that side has been repaired at some time with a newer replacement quarter panel. i am pretty sure there were very few, if any, replacement quarters made with the 70 style indentation. almost immediately the 71 up style was sold. this is often the dead give away that a car has been re bodied.. but being just one side, tells me a quarter was replaced..hope this helps...

[GRNMTGOAT]

Hi Lawbreaker, here's a couple of cap pics, needs TLC !! regards Bruce.

[roundportponchos]

my thought, was since the car was made in july, 70(late car), & a 34k mile car, van nuys plant... Also does not look like it ever had a 1/4... I just thought, since so late, factory used up 70 supply, then went to later one..
this california car, defin not a rebody......

I would not think, that if a 70 has 71 style 1/4s, that it is not a dead give away as a rebody. I would think, that the car had both 1/4s replaced, as most have..
I have a 71 TA, van nuys dec 70 built, has correct 71s....

Originally Posted by 70RAlll

I agree with others, 70's indentation under the vent was a 1 year only item. If we are reading you correctly, only ONE side has the larger indentation?? If that is true...my guess is the same as urhjohnny's, that side has been repaired at some time with a newer replacement quarter panel. i am pretty sure there were very few, if any, replacement quarters made with the 70 style indentation. almost immediately the 71 up style was sold. this is often the dead give away that a car has been re bodied.. but being just one side, tells me a quarter was replaced..hope this helps...

[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by roundportponchos

my thought, was since the car was made in july, 70(late car), & a 34k mile car, van nuys plant... Also does not look like it ever had a 1/4... I just thought, since so late, factory used up 70 supply, then went to later one..
this california car, defin not a rebody......

I would not think, that if a 70 has 71 style 1/4s, that it is not a dead give away as a rebody. I would think, that the car had both 1/4s replaced, as most have..
I have a 71 TA, van nuys dec 70 built, has correct 71s....

roundport-
two things .. I have learned a long time ago, the odometer means very little. I have 6 70-72 style odomaters here with miles ranging from 20k to 80.. I could easily put the 29k on my 71 that has 86k and restore it and say it was a 29 k car.. it is just too easy to replace odometers on these early cars. I learned a long time ago not to believe in "actual" miles on many of these cars.considering they were never collector type cars to begin with-compared to corvettes or similar. they were absolutely abused and the stuff of 18 year olds wanting to be cool type cars. so I am so scheptical of any low milage original survivor out there. My guess is there are less than 10 real survivor untouched original 1970 TA's out there.they just we never "cared" for like other cars. We are talking about Trans Ams here. They were the poor mans/rednecks corvette.. As much as we all like them now, that IS what they were...
Look in the trunk. What do you see when you look at the back of the rear seat??IS there a standpipe there?? is not it is a 1970 body. But if the below door vent part is the 71 style, I still bet it has had a 1/4 installed.. Then again, I have also learned to never say never...Fisher could have assembled a body with a 71 style quarter, but I seriously doubt it.. July is when all of the RA IV's started being produced.. Never seen one of those with the mixed quarters. And I have seen 3 of the Van Nuys cars,2 were made in July and I forget when the other was made..... I am absolutely sure there are others here who have seen way more IV's than I have.. All IV's were made after July... so others can chime in on this...If your contention that Fisher was using 71 style quarters in July 70, then many of the IV's should also have this....

[Held for Ransom]

Bruce,

Does the gas cap have any stampings on the finger grips?

[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

Bruce,

Does the gas cap have any stampings on the finger grips?

HRF- if you need the pictures.I have a NOS Norwood (which is what bruce is showing) and a EES cap.. Let me know and I can take pictures for you .I am out in the shop today and it will be easy to do.. Just post and I will get them..

[Held for Ransom]

Bill,

I was just wondering when they started stamping a date code on them (besides the SMC stamp).

[70RAlll]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

Bill,

I was just wondering when they started stamping a date code on them (besides the SMC stamp).

HFR-
i looked today and could not find my NOS caps. I have 3 10 ft long x 3 ft deep shelves in my shop full of NOS firebird parts. they are there(3 '70's and 2 '71's) just didn't find them. BUT, I know where you are talking about. I have never seen 70's with that code on the "thumb flanges" I have seen them on late 71's and 73's.. I think it was 72 for sure and later 71's when they started date coding the gas tank caps. I will look some more tomorrow. Plus i have 5 71-73's that I had replated. I recall most,if not all, of these have codes on them.. Others can chime in and verify this... I could be wroing on the 70's, but an pretty sure I am not... take care guys I am done for the day...

[GRNMTGOAT]

HFR, though its suffering from corrosion, I was unable to see evidence of any numbers but I did find the circle with SMC. Would never have noticed it if you hadn't posted, thanks, Bruce. Couldnt get a good photo, maybe Bill can ?

[roundportponchos]

the car is a 34k mile car, that was raced @ Laguna Secca.. I saw the things that show low mile: the orig int., dash, master cylinder, things like that...
I'll have to go & look behind the seat, a van nuys car should have the vent?
What I'm saying, this car, does not look like a a 1/4 was ever done, & a body guy looked @ all the seams & welds... I think it is possible that the late car, could of had a 71 style 1/4 put on..
You would have to see the car for yourself...

Originally Posted by 70RAlll

roundport-
two things .. I have learned a long time ago, the odometer means very little. I have 6 70-72 style odomaters here with miles ranging from 20k to 80.. I could easily put the 29k on my 71 that has 86k and restore it and say it was a 29 k car.. it is just too easy to replace odometers on these early cars. I learned a long time ago not to believe in "actual" miles on many of these cars.considering they were never collector type cars to begin with-compared to corvettes or similar. they were absolutely abused and the stuff of 18 year olds wanting to be cool type cars. so I am so scheptical of any low milage original survivor out there. My guess is there are less than 10 real survivor untouched original 1970 TA's out there.they just we never "cared" for like other cars. We are talking about Trans Ams here. They were the poor mans/rednecks corvette.. As much as we all like them now, that IS what they were...
Look in the trunk. What do you see when you look at the back of the rear seat??IS there a standpipe there?? is not it is a 1970 body. But if the below door vent part is the 71 style, I still bet it has had a 1/4 installed.. Then again, I have also learned to never say never...Fisher could have assembled a body with a 71 style quarter, but I seriously doubt it.. July is when all of the RA IV's started being produced.. Never seen one of those with the mixed quarters. And I have seen 3 of the Van Nuys cars,2 were made in July and I forget when the other was made..... I am absolutely sure there are others here who have seen way more IV's than I have.. All IV's were made after July... so others can chime in on this...If your contention that Fisher was using 71 style quarters in July 70, then many of the IV's should also have this....

[lawbreaker2]

Originally Posted by GRNMTGOAT

Hi Lawbreaker, here's a couple of cap pics, needs TLC !! regards Bruce.

Thanks for the pic, that is what I have on my 70.

[lawbreaker2]

Originally Posted by 70RAlll

lawbreaker2 the entire "webbing" on the under side of the hood is different for 70-72 hoods vs the later ones.BUT, the easiest was to tell if you have an early hood is to look just foward of the scoop opening. I had posted passengers side ones, WRONG, it is the drivers side. This hole is a circle about the size of a softball on the early hoods. The later ones have an oval../. there are other differences, but this is your telltale givaway as to early vs late.. hope this helps...

Cool I will have to look as I have been looking in the wrong spot.

[CaptCrunch]

As far as the quarter panel goes, dont forget that these cars also got into wrecks when they were new........when I stripped my 70 to bare metal for a repaint I saw bondo on the roof seam instead of lead........the car had an entire rear quarter replaced when it was fairly new ......the body shop (dealership?) used a complete GM rear quarter and other than the roof seam, there's almost no evidence at all of the repair...........

[rock]

What about the vacuum reservoir that attaches to the center of the firewall

[2manyT/A'S]

The plastic vacuum pot on firewall near distributer (I believe) was a "generic" GM part of the era which was used on 1970 Formula 400's with the base (350 hp) engine.

Has anybody spotted it on any other 70's Firebirds?

[unruhjonny]

I have always understood that it was a '70-L78-W66 part, but figured that '70-L78-GTO would have also had this.

[eaglesan13]

I always though the vacuum canister was an air-conditioning only part, but the 70 Formula 400 I recently bought has the holes drilled in the firewall and shows signs of having the canister (although the canister was missing when I got the car). It's a non a/c 4 speed Norwood car. I have an extra canister which I removed from a 70 Formula, auto,a/c Van Nuys car a few years back.

So, why would the Formula 400 non air cars use this vacuum canister?

[rock]

does the canister have one or two ports?

[rock]

what about photos? I am in the process of completing the under hood detail and this vacuum reservoir is the last piece of the puzzle.