[Formulabruce]

longer to prevent arcing on HEI systems
that is until the many spark pattern experiments came out

[njsteve]

I was scanning some of the original documents from the car to get ready for the MCACN show in a couple weeks. I found this interesting item. It's the original order blank. In reading it I see that Rick originally ordered both the black vinyl/stainless steel body side moldings and the vinyl multicolor tape stripe, but neither were installed on the car on the assembly line. I wonder what color the accent stripe would have been?

[Formulabruce]

Not having to worry about body color contast rules with the stripe colors available, probably the one chosen would have been to blend well with the interior. In your case that leaves one stripe , this one.. Not installed??, order rejected on that? probably because it clashed with the Shaker scoop decal color. IF Black on the Shaker, this stripe wouldn't break any of the contrast rules used by GM
The only way around this is to have the "color and trim incompatibility skip Punch" box checked off.
Guess Rick really wanted the twin scoop Formy hood, said something about being billed for it?

[njsteve]

Oh yes. He was very meticulous about documenting everything and he was rather angry that the car didn't come with the two scoop hood and he was damn sure he wasn't going to get billed for an option he didn't receive. Here is his original scribble sheet notes on what he wanted:





I have just spent three hours scanning in all the original paperwork, from the adding machine tape to the lien release when his loan was paid off, everything imaginable is in the file. Even the registration card from his BMW that the NY license plates came off of, which went onto the Firebird.

[Bentwheelbob]

What a gold mine. I wonder what happened to the body side moldings?

[njsteve]

They must have used the last set on your car! :-)

Or maybe they conflicted with the stripes and cancelled each other out?

[Bentwheelbob]

Excuse me, I'm brain dead and did not read your earlier post close enough. Just my luck to get the last set...

That said, however, the yellow order sheet shown in your post #1 says "Dealer Installed" with a $3.00 charge.

[Held for Ransom]

http://www.forums.maxperformanceinc....d.php?t=559636
1974 Appearance Guide listed recommended stripe colors of Orange and Black on a Cameo White car.
He aslo checked off K45 (542) HD air cleaner, even though it's not available with the 35X (455 SD) engine. Looks like he was building 2 different cars, in case one wasn't available.

[njsteve]

The funny thing about Rick's car ordering mindset was that he tried to order everything he could but he can't figure out how he could have missed power windows and power door locks. He said he always loaded up his cars with options.

[njsteve]

Rick Fedexed me his 16 page typewritten biography of the car today, so I would have it for the show next week. He even signed, notarized and bound it into a booklet. Amazing!

[njsteve]

I talked to Rick again today and he said he was initially going to get the side moldings until the dealer said they only came with a black insert. So he declined. The dealer then said they could install a white set...by drilling holes and screwing them onto the car. Rick then said no way.

As for the stripes, Rick doesn't know why they didn't show up on the car or why he didn't raise a stink about it when it arrived without them.

BTW, here's an article from the 1988 HPP with a white-on-white SD Formula with the stripes...and white dealer installed side moldings!





And what's really funny is that I have a photo of this exact car that I took at the Musclecar Nationals in 1986!

[Formulabruce]

I would like to know the real color of the shaker decal on this car.
Its looks Blue, like every other white SD I have seen, and if it is, it has the stripes I posted above and they checked off the
"color and trim incompatibility skip Punch" BOX to get that stripe color WITH a blue shaker Decal . Ricks sales dude didnt know how to do that if Rick wanted it and it was rejected due to conflicts. Its on the BOTTOM right of "most" Pontiac sales order sheets I have seen.
I have witnessed customers displeased with a car upon arrival that was ordered and something like this was rejected due to sales lack of knowledge on the contrasting color rules.
Opinion... I am "ok" with the white side mouldings on this car. Maybe in a clear picture I wouldnt be, but they dont seem to take away from the car any..

[njsteve]

In his 16 page car biography he talks about how the guy who ordered the car for him was an unemployed dress salesman who only recently had gotten the job selling cars at Suburban Pontiac. Rick was the one who schooled him on the Super Duty, so he most definitely didn't know his way around the order form.

(I looked closely at the article photos and the shaker decals are black, not blue).

[Formulabruce]

ah, no conflicts with Black. Its really interesting as I see nothing really that indicates Blue should have been on your car on the shaker either, but have seen it on many now, and this one is an exception, and could be because of the stripes...

[njsteve]

That barn find 73 SD T/A from a couple years ago was white with saddle interior and it had its original, faded out, blue decals on the shaker, which matched the small blue nose bird.

Maybe the majority of the shakers were premade for the T/As in white, green, or red, and pre-decaled as well?

[rexs73gto]

I had a 73 Trans Am back in the mid to late 90's. It was white with red interior but had the big bird on the hood which was blue. That was the first T/A I'd ever seen that had red insides & the big blue bird on the hood. It was a 4 spd. car with A/C posi. I had the car for about 5 years & then in 99 I sold it to a young guy just outside of Dallas TX. I really miss that car. I had to rebuild the engine because the oil pump went out on it. It ran so good when I got done with it. But divorce will do that.

[72TAMAN]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

I had a 73 Trans Am back in the mid to late 90's. It was white with red interior but had the big bird on the hood which was blue. That was the first T/A I'd ever seen that had red insides & the big blue bird on the hood. It was a 4 spd. car with A/C posi. I had the car for about 5 years & then in 99 I sold it to a young guy just outside of Dallas TX. I really miss that car. I had to rebuild the engine because the oil pump went out on it. It ran so good when I got done with it. But divorce will do that.

Something like this one

[bird72]

any info on those white side moldings? I will be replacing my side moldings and want white for the white car.

[njsteve]

The white ones were cheapo aftermarket ones that were available back in the day. Most were adhesive backed but some, like the ones that the dealer wanted to sell to Rick, were screwed or riveted on to the car.

The original, factory installed side moldings were stainless steel with a black vinyl insert regardless of the paint color of the car..







And they used these clips. The doors, fenders, and quarter panels had pre-punched holes for the mounting clips' studs

[rexs73gto]

Unfortunately mine wasn't an SD car it was just a std. 455 car.