When the third-generation F-bodies debuted in 1982, these new muscle cars were in stark contrast to the previous versions of the Camaro and Firebird. Saving weight, making aerodynamic advancements, and improving fuel economy were the major drivers of this redesign. While the Pontiac Trans Am still stole all the thunder in the showroom and on the streets, lesser Firebirds offered more in the way of fuel economy in a less flashy package. This 1984 Pontiac Firebird, for sale on eBay in Memphis, Michigan, is a well-maintained example of its generation. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this car is that it has just 61,500 miles on the odometer. It is also powered by GM’s rather agricultural Iron Duke four-cylinder engine. Is this solid but staid Pontiac worth the $6,550 asking price?
The world was changing rapidly in the late seventies and early eighties. The occasional oil crisis, crushing inflation, and a general malaise had changed the outlook of Americans when it came to automobiles. Cars would have to run cleaner, get better fuel economy, and make massive strides in safety if they were to be sold in the United States. General Motors faced these hurdles when it began redesigning the F-body cars the world knew as the Camaro and Firebird. While the traditional buyer wanted the tire-melting horsepower that was so common in the sixties, that option wasn’t on the table. There were some in the company that wanted the third-generation F-body to be front wheel drive.
Cooler heads thankfully prevailed. Using a wind tunnel and an approach that would make the car versatile to the conditions it might face in the marketplace, the result in 1982 was a very aerodynamic rear wheel drive muscle car that could be as mild or (relatively) wild as the customer wanted. The restyle shaved around 500 pounds of weight as well. That, combined with a range of engines that ran from the ubiquitous Iron Duke four cylinder to the small block Chevrolet V-8, made the car the right one for the time. Sales soared, and the third-generation F-body remains a well-loved collectible to this day.
Yet, almost all of the survivors you see today are Trans Ams. Lesser F-bodies rarely appear, which is a shame. The overall design is cleaner and more pleasing to the eye without all of the body cladding and decals. Yet these were treated as daily transportation, albeit with a certain sense of flair, and chances are the four and six-cylinder variants were run into the ground. Quality control problems also get mentioned frequently when we do a write-up on these cars.
Not much is said in the ad about this 1984 Firebird. We are told that it is powered by an Iron Duke 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and backed by an automatic transmission. The engine punched out a rather unimpressive 92 horsepower. To keep that in perspective, the most common V-8 in these cars put out 150 horsepower, with the highest horsepower option putting out a meager, by today’s standards, 190 hp. GM claimed that a four-cylinder-equipped Firebird was capable of 34 miles per gallon of gas. Your mileage may have varied.
Looking at the pictures leads one to believe this car may have been as basic a model as you could find. It has crank windows, a base AM/FM radio, steel wheels, and seems to have come without air conditioning. Compare this car to the lowest-cost car sold today, and you can see how we have gotten used to optioned-out vehicles as a matter of course.
Despite some headliner issues, this Firebird presents well and has just 61,500 miles. It obviously would draw a lot of attention at car shows and a lot of shame at the dragstrip. The asking price of $6,550 is in the ballpark of cars of this vintage in this condition. The toughest part of ownership would be mashing the gas pedal and experiencing glacial acceleration. Is it worth the asking price? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Wonder how easy an Ecotec from a Camaro or ATS would fit
All trolling aside, this one really does need an LS
You’ll never feel the punch
or hear the wild roar.
Let’s just face it,
It’s a poor little four.
Well as a candidate for a V8 swap, at 61k miles and not stressed by the banger engine it would be a good one. :-) Terry J
& a swap of the mickey mouse trans & rear needed too.
My opinion would be that this would be a great first car in high school.
had a v-8 one and a v-6 one both were not to wright home about so i couldn’t even image a 4 banger one LOL
K.I.T.T it’s not .
Very true! But stick an LS in it, paint it black and add a self drive CPU and go out and fight crime!
I would have the same trouble with this that I had with the 1984 Mazda pickup that I used to drive. I was so used to driving with my right foot on the floor that I would at times forget to lift when the speed limit would drop, OR forget to lift after cresting the hill. That’s what got me my only ticket from the Nevada Highway Patrol. Now, those who know me well or have ridden with me would find that impossible to believe. But it is true!
Ford with their Mustang, and GM with the potential new Camaro, would be very wise to follow this formula of making these cars cater to a wide audience from quasi economical transportation, to horsepower monsters ready for the track.
Imagine how few they would sell to today’s spoiled drivers – like this 1 for sale above – with 14 inch wheels & tires, crank windows, & no a/c.
I honestly really wish you COULD still get striped down cars like this. ( 4 banger not withstanding ) I HATE the blasted TV screen in the middle of every dash and lane departure etc etc. I do like a good stereo and AC here in the south. But that’s it.
If at at least had AC it would be worth it in my opinion as a daily driver. But definitely a candidate for a swap or at least a performance build of that four.
Agreed. But the Iron Puke would have to go.
Worked at a Pontiac/Jeep/Subaru dealer in the early 1990’s and remember seeing one cone in for service.
I had totally forgotten these were available with 4 cylinders. Amazing that something like this has survived. Maybe it was ignored because it was so boring to drive.
My mother always told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say than I should say nothing. Well, that’s the end of my comment then.
I agree with your mother completely.
But then again, your Mom never saw this car because she was having coffee with the Little Old
Lady From Pasadena! Lol I have to say, this is a first for me. Never knew a 4 banger was available.
I can’t remember the last time I have seen one of these with the 2.5. Back in the day even, there were very few. Lots of 2.8 V6s and LG4 305 cars though.
One of my friends had a 1984 Camaro with the 4 cylinder automatic combo.
It was SO slow.
how boring… :(
That is a big reason Pontiac is no longer with us. Building these sick cars with that 4 cyl was a bad mistake. I worked at a Pontiac dealer in the early 8os and we had little to sell. The Bonneville was an A body plain jane. The only cars we had that anybody wanted were the Trans Am and the Gran Prix. The GP was at best a sick car with no power and the common Firebird was the same.
I was service manager and was absolutely thrilled to see a real V8 Pontiac grace the doors. Pontiacs should have had real motors not these sick V6s and 4 cyls.
It is interesting to me how the word “sick” has changed over time.
The older generation (not offense Archie… I’m slowly getting there myself) may describe a car as “sick” meaning a derogatory term whereas the younger crowd calls cars “sick” meaning they are great or awesome.
Sick can also refer to poor physical or mental health or even vomit!
Follow me for more fun facts.
I was parts manager at a Pontiac dealer years ago. I got one of these as a manager of departments did back then with a 4 popper. I actually had fun in it. It wasn’t slow since I got to break it in…
I was a parts manager at a Pontiac store also. It was so long ago, we had “parts books and price books!” And many of you have seen my old parts counter! The building later became a Porsche dealership. And it was used in the movie Risky Business with Tom Cruse. It’s in the background when they open the door of the Porsche and all the water comes out.
Ok , who’s the U Boat commander
never saw 1 with a duke in it. could go any slower?
I actually really like it. You almost never see any with this type of bare bones basic configuration. I think today we’re so conditioned and spoiled on having to have every luxury amenity on even the most basic entry level car, and with a regular sedan putting out over 300hp that we couldn’t even mentally grasp driving a car like this. It looks in really clean shape, and with the mileage and price they’re asking I don’t think you could go wrong.
I agree. Some of the best cars I have ever owned were lightly-used, bare-bones basic configurations. My first several cars were like that. I always looked for ones that were plain-jane, well-maintained and with a low number of previous owners, such as company cars and elderly-owned/low mileage cars. I picked up some real gems using that criteria.
I’ve got one sitting in my garage with 114k. 4-cylinder auto,ac, and t tops. Car starts right up gets 28-30 to gallon and handles great. I love taking curves in the damn thing. More fun than my roadrunner
I think it’s funny that the same engine in this car powered one of my old Chevy Citations… arguably the better of the two. :) Iron Dukes Forever! At least my old Citations had stick shifts though to better utilize the low horsepower of the Citations.
Great find…. I think it’d be fun to ride around, slowly, in this old bird. I love the color too.
Thanks Barnfinders!
Bought a new 4 cylinder Citation in late ’79. It was a good car. ALSO Chevy 2s offered (as base engine) that 4 banger, but folks wanted 327s and 409s back in the 60s so GM dropped it. :-) Terry J
So many want to swap in a bigger motor, but this car should be left as is. Rare is not the word. This car would turn heads amongst those who know.
Put a turbo on it
Totally agree. If all the Richard Petty wanabes here want more power then just go buy a big block vehicle.
Add a supercharger or turbo?
I like the crisp clean lines and the color.
BUT, this is one of the few times that I agree with PUT AN LS IN IT!
Ok, I’m done now.
Doesn’t the current Camaro have a 4cyl option?
Engine Type: 2.0 L Turbocharged Inline-Four
Horsepower: 275 hp
Torque: 295 lb-ft
Stark difference from the 91HP from the “Iron Duke” lawnmower engine…
Of course everyone pretty much has commented how dissatisfied they are about this Pontiac combo. But, the value is in the appreciation that a prime example has come up for sale. Personally, I would take this to various events just to listen to naysayers who would drop dead, and wait.
It just occurred to me how versatile that old “Iron Duke” engine has been. For over 25 years it has seen duty in a,Chevy II, I/O engines on boats, mail delivery vehicles, some AMC applications, Chevy Citation and other X body cars and the Firebird. It will be interesting to hear more applications that Barn Finders remember.
Remember , the Iron Duke engine is a cut down 230 6 cylinder engine that they replaced the 235 with because it was cheaper to build using a small block Chevy parts. (Pistons, rocker arms, connecting rods, etc.)
Yup Wayne, but not just for the reason of parts interchange. The 1962 235 was the final version of an engine that dated clear back to the 1930s. The 194/230/250/292 six was a modern engine (at the time) and was among other things lighter than the old six, had 7 main bearings vs 4, had a better head design etc, and yes had the same bell housing bolt pattern as the sbc V8. :-) Terry J
Thanks Terry! When I was 15. A friend’s father who ran service calls and rarely stopped for service. Took his ’63 2 door Biscayne to the local Sears Auto department for a tune up, new shocks, new brakes and new exhaust system. The next morning the car wouldn’t start. So he called a cab and went to a Mercury store and bought a new Colony Park wagon. A few weeks later I noticed that he wasn’t driving the car. (I lived 3 miles away) and asked if he wanted to sell it. He said yes $100. So I popped the hood and started looking around. At that time I had some experience with the 216 and 235. I had never seen a 230 before. I found that the distributor was shot. So I hiked the 10 miles to the local NAPA store (which I ended up working at) and bought a rebuilt distributor for $13. Hiked back and the next day I walked to my buddies house with the proper tools, dropped in the distributor and the car started right up. But with a miss. I got in and drove it home. (no drivers license, no license plates) When my Mom got home she asked who’s car is that? I said mine. What year is that? 1963. What year is my Impala? 1963. OK. I did a comoression check and found I had a burned valve. I was in a power mechanics coarse in school. ( lawnmower engines) and I asked for my project if I could do a valve job on my cylinder head instead of a lawn mower engine and teacher said yes. I did the valve job (all kinds of questions while transporting my cylinder head on the school bus) reinstalled the head and was doing the initial valve adjustment and decided to crank the engine over with the starter as I had already installed the spark plugs. The engine turned over about 1/2 of a turn and the fuel pump sent a shot of fuel out right into the intake manifold where the carburetor was supposed to live. The engine started wide open and the fuel pump kept shooting gas right into the intake. I was so surprised that it took me a few seconds to turn off the ignition. That was my introduction to the 230 straight six.
I always thought the Duke was 1/2 the internals of a Pontiac 301l. Not the actual block like a Trophy but rods/pistons & several key dimensions like bore, stroke, deck height, crank journal diameter, etc.
I could be wrong.
I always thought the Duke was 1/2 the internals of a Pontiac 301. Not the actual block like a Trophy but rods/pistons & several key dimensions like bore, stroke, deck height, crank journal diameter, etc.
I could be wrong.
Put a turbo on it
Firebird? Well, would you believe a Flamebird? Sounds better than “Candlebird” or “Cigarette Lighterbird”…seriously, though, I have known several people who NEEDED an underpowered car…
I see im wedged in amonst the Performance people, sept for a couple I completely agree with. there’s plenty of swifter choices out there, so y’all go drive and engine swap with them.Bet she corners lightly, stops well and sips gas.I would drive it and enjoy it without needing speed Ya Ya s.being Southern , while doing so I would take my time scouting about for the most efficient AC up grade add on.Its just a different look at your horsepower requirement.
A low performance car for a low performance driver!! Just the thing for my Mom. She just turned 96!
I love reading comments from all
Thanks for the living it knowledge
I’m still looking for my first car 1973 Opel Manta matte blue paid $450 in 1982
GF
putting the TURD back in FireTurd!
I say boost it or NOS it to the moon & see if it’ll get into the 15s.
Don’t forget that they made some good horsepower from these in Super Duty trim… Yes, there was a Super Duty version!
Didn’t they use the Iron Duke engine in a class of midget racers? I seem to remember that they could do some modification to use a single small block cylinder head and a home made intake manifold flowing a better and making ridiculous amounts (for back then) of horse power with that little engine.
Anyone else remember that?
Per Acemobilersq: If I recall correctly, the first 153 cu in version of the Chevy 2 four banger was just that, a cut down 2/3 of the 230 6 cylinder from the new 1963 six. It didn’t sell well so they licensed it to Evinrude where it was used for years as an inboard/outboard. Then the gas crunch and the flop of the Vega engine so GM got it back to be built at a Pontiac factory as a 151 cu in engine, thus the use of Pontiac parts.(301 Cu In V8 x 1/2 = 151) THIS engine was really called the “Iron Duke” to make sure it was not linked to the Vega engine and though was associated with the older 153 chevy 4 it was in a lot of ways a new engine. Though the 151 morphed into a cross flow head version in preparation for the front wheel drive Citation, this was not interchangeable with the old 153 so the hot set up back in the day was to use the cross flow head off an Evinrude boat motor on a 153. The 151 Iron Duke was also sold to AMC for use in many models until AMC developed their own 4 banger. :-) Terry J
ABOVE: ” Though the 153 morphed “, I meant though the 151 morphed.
Thanks! I learned alot today.
Alot’s been said
so let’s put it to rest
We all know this Firebird version
was not the best.
Good night
The car’s not to blame, for only making a small flame; it wasn’t seeking fame with an Iron Duke in its frame. Point A to point B was it’s only aim. It wasn’t worried about some dame calling it lame, but to claim it is too tame would be a real shame….
@Gloria
There are a few Mantas out there. I had quite a few Opel Mantas back years ago. My favorites are the Blue Max version and the Rallye versions.