Sooo... bought a 1988 Firebird Formula
Now I need to figure out what to do with it. Bought it off the original owner. Rust free but definitely not mint which is fine as I want to do an LS swap on it. I wasn't really ready to buy but it was exactly what I was looking for and was local so I pulled the trigger anyway.
All the rattles and various other noises are going to drive me nuts! I forgot just how bad 80's products were! Nothing a little time and money won't fix, though. I won't do much to the interior until all the mechanical stuff is done. No sense in replacing anything now and then worrying about it all getting dirty or damaged with the other work going on. I'll have to see how many of those rattles I can fix without new parts for now.
The big question is, who should I have do the LS swap and any idea about what I can expect to spend on labor? I have already started pulling together a list of parts. I was thinking of getting a Hawks LS swap kit and Dirty Dingo accessories brackets. I could also do a Painless wire harness or have Joe do the wiring. Thoughts?
For the engine, since I don't plan big horsepower I was thinking of going aluminum block (LS2 or LS3) but I'm not sure if it is worth the extra money over something like an LQ9. I'm not even sure if I would do ported heads. Probably just do a hot cam. The car is an auto so I'll need to find a 4L60/65 as well. Hopefully I can find an engine and trans that were pulled out together.
So much to think about! Not sure exactly how soon I'll be able to get started so I guess I have time.