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70-73 GM F-bodies
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I remember in about 1976, my uncle had a burgandy '73 Z-28 with a white vinyl interior and those very cool graphite alloy wheels. That car was *stunning*. This is definitely one of my favorite GM cars ever. I don't like them nearly as much after '73 when they got new front and rear treatments, or in '75 when they got the 'aquarium' rear window.
74 was kinda an oddball year, to me IMO.
By the late '70's, wasn't the Firebird/Trans Am outsellling the Camaro? Seems like once "the Rockford Files", "Smokey and the Bandit", and "CHiPs" came out (I remember Ponch had an early '70's Firebird), that sales took off.
As for sales, yes by that time the firebird was outselling the camaro. Rockford's first bird in that series was a '74 esprit...in fact all of the 'birds used on that show were esprits. It was Smokey and the Bandit that boosted sales in the 77-81 time frame though.
You hardly ever see them anymore as daily drivers. They seem to fall into two classes anymore. Parts car/basket case or show ready.
As mentioned, the production numbers were quite low the the early years. Especialy for the Firebird. 72 was the strike year, and only a handful made it to the showrooms. All the cars left on the line when the strike was settled were destroyed because they would not meet the new 1973 5mph bumper impact/safty standards.
The later 2nd gen cars were definitely run into the ground by people who frankly just didn't care about the cars. Some people just think of cars as transportation . . . camaros were never ment to be cadillacs. (rattles and rough ride?? Its all part of the fun of a performance car!)
I can also say that any car is going to have good and bad qualities.
I would and will never own an acura or a lexus because frankly I think the cars are VERY ugly. (ok the nsx is ok and sporty looking, but the regular cars are just like boxes to me . . . generic and no personality.)
So to the guy whos dad didn't like the z28, that is too bad but to each his own.
One of my best friends had a brand new 78 Z28 in high school and the car ran really well even for the supposidly low hp engines, and the chicks loved it!!
I can personally account for taking two of the 70 1/2 (they used half model years back then) -73 models out of existance. First, I drove my '70 1/2 Z/28 into a tree. Then I bought a basic '71 and stripped the body parts off of it to try and salvage the Z. It sorta worked but I'm sure that car didn't survive for long.
I believe there was a massive strike in '72 that resulted in very low production number for all GM (if not US) cars.
The '82-up F-body was the low point in build quality for a company not known for its build quality. Someday when you're sitting down I'll tell you about the '89 Camaro convertible I drove.
In it's defense, however, I installed every polyurethane part that Energy Suspension makes for that car. On one hand, that tightened up the handling, but that also took out a lot of compliance, hence the rattles over bumps. I sold the car last year, and it was in excellent shape, with just over 44,000 miles.
The 1985 was much quieter, and the 1996, which I still have, is the quietest yet. I did, however, install subframe connectors in the '96, and that helped tighten everything up.
Still looks and runs well. New long block, car still going strong, though problems with rot around rear window, common with these. He took care of the car, and the 350 auto trans is a real good drivetrain. They CAN last you, his car is proof of that.
I've heard that the TH400 is a popular tranny choice for people who race old Chryslers. It's lighter and saps less hp than the Torqueflite 727, but is still strong enough to put up with all that strain.
Just a side note, old racers tell me the THM 400 robbed about 25-30%(in driveline loss) of the ponies getting HP to the rear wheels.
Camaro Firebird
1970 124,889 48,739
1971 114,640 53,124
1972 68,656 29,951
1973 96,751 46,313
1974 151,008 73,729
1975 145,770 84,063
1976 182,959 110,775
1977 218,853 155,736
1978 272,631 187,305
1979 282,571 211,455
1980 152,005 107,340
I bet GM would like to have these numbers for the current models! Maybe if they concentrated on these models a little more like during the above era they could still have decent sales. By the way, 1979 is the all time sales record year for both these models, and the Firebird has never outsold the Camaro
I remember a consumer guide, back in the mid-70s when I was buying my first car (a Camaro), called the Camaro "The best of a bad breed of cars", refering to pony cars in general. That just reinforced my commitment to buy one, despite my Dad's pleas to get something else.