Here is an interesting project car located in Spokane, Washington. It is a 1971 Pontiac Formula 400 that is not running and the interior has been removed. The initial body work is said to have been completed and the ad, here on eBay, shows multiple pictures of the car at different stages of the restoration. The owner has had the car for about 3 years and discloses that the Formula 400 has 110,000 miles on it. The car was originally brown. there are 4 days remaining in the auction and the car is bid to $7,101. There is a Buy It Now Price listed of $9,000.
The eBay ad has multiple pictures of the car during various stages of its restoration but it is hard to tell what state the car is in currently. This engine is said to be original 400 cubic inch V8 motor that was heavily modified with a number of bolt on parts. Apparently, this was too much for the car’s engine and there is now a knock in the bottom of the engine which will require a rebuild. The interior of the Formula 400 has been gutted but the owner states that he has the original or replacement parts, except for the headliner.
The car is shown here in its tan base coat with Trans Am front fenders. Pontiac manufactured the Firebird Formula in three models based on the cubic inch of the engine: the Formula 350, Formula 400 and Formula 455. The 350 cubic inch V8 engine was the low performer and was rated at approximately 200 gross horsepower. The next step up was the 400 cubic inch engine which was designated as the L78 motor . It was factory rated at 225 horsepower and was a popular option. If the buyer wanted the optional 455 cubic inch engine, they had their choice of the L75 455 cubic inch V8 engine rated at 325 gross horsepower or the LS5 HO 455 engine rated at 335 gross horsepower.
Here is a picture of the car possibly in its finished stage but it has the front seat installed. I am not sure if this is the before or after picture. The owner has installed an aftermarket or custome front spoiler. Either way, there is a lot of interest in this car and new bids are coming in everyday.
I love these cars, it would look good next to my 71 Camaro, and it’s in my city. Tempting!
I had a 400 that had a distinct knock when at an idle and after many a wiseguy telling me the bottom end was bad in some form or another .. the engine had just been rebuilt at a reputable engine rebuilders after throwing a rod through the side of the oil pan just a few thousand miles ago so I got out the backyard stethoscope,any good stick or rod of some sort under the advice of the old man and eventually after many unsuccessful tries to pin point the knock in the engine finally it turned out to be torque converter knocking ! lol nothing wrong the engine and it worked perfectly for many more years and miles like good Pontiac 400 usually does
The factory HP rating for the Formula 400 was 300 in 1971. Net HP ratings started in 72.