3rd gen v6

[Ruick]

Hello im looking at this 3rd gen 87 v6 pontiac firebird with 69k miles. Is there any thing wrong with the v6? obviously i know it doesnt have v8 power, but is it a good engine? Secondly, is buying a 87 with 69k miles fishy? Third, what kind of 1/4 times does this kind of firebird get? what kind of upgrades should i get first?

[poormillionaire2]

How fast do you want to make it? If you don't really care, then an intake and exhaust are good starters. But if you're like everyone else here who is hungry for more power all the time. Don't waste your money on it and save for a v8. But if you want it for the looks and don't really care about power, I'd say get it, if it checks out ok. I don't know much about the 3rd gen v6's though. I'm sure they are pretty slow by today's standards, like in the 16's for a quarter mile time.

[blindeyed]

Originally Posted by Ruick

Hello im looking at this 3rd gen 87 v6 pontiac firebird with 69k miles. Is there any thing wrong with the v6? obviously i know it doesnt have v8 power, but is it a good engine? Secondly, is buying a 87 with 69k miles fishy? Third, what kind of 1/4 times does this kind of firebird get? what kind of upgrades should i get first?

Well first off, does the odometer only have 5 digits? If so, then it very well could be 169k or 269k miles. Check to make sure. I personally don't see anything wrong with the V6's, they're nice daily drivers. But if you plan on taking it to the track then expect to be very disappointed. They're very slow and underpowered, especially the 2.8 in the one you're looking at. I'd say it would have to be in the high 16's, possibly even the 17's at most. Don't expect alot out of it. As a rule of thumb, the best mods to do start with Intake, Headers, then Exhaust.

[Ruick]

Originally Posted by blindxeyed

Well first off, does the odometer only have 5 digits? If so, then it very well could be 169k or 269k miles. Check to make sure. I personally don't see anything wrong with the V6's, they're nice daily drivers. But if you plan on taking it to the track then expect to be very disappointed. They're very slow and underpowered, especially the 2.8 in the one you're looking at. I'd say it would have to be in the high 16's, possibly even the 17's at most. Don't expect alot out of it. As a rule of thumb, the best mods to do start with Intake, Headers, then Exhaust.

thats very interesting, some 3rd gens only have 5 digit odometers? the guy wants 2 grand for it, could it really be 169k?

And about power, i'll probably do intake/header/exhaust (how many hp would that give me, aprox?) and i should be happy. I'm not planning on taking it to the drag strip, just need a car that looks great and is good for driving to school with.

[79Bandit]

Originally Posted by Ruick

thats very interesting, some 3rd gens only have 5 digit odometers? the guy wants 2 grand for it, could it really be 169k?

And about power, i'll probably do intake/header/exhaust (how many hp would that give me, aprox?) and i should be happy. I'm not planning on taking it to the drag strip, just need a car that looks great and is good for driving to school with.

look for body rust if there is near none then it may be only 69k but if you see a lot or more than usual or even near none it still is probally a 169k car but if there isnt much rust you know it was atlease taken care of to some exstent <--- how do you spell that word?.

[Ruick]

is looking for rust the only way i can tell?

also, i went on horsepowerfreaks.com and on autoanything.com, i was unable to find any exhausts or intakes for the 87 v6. where can i find parts for the car?

[blindeyed]

Originally Posted by Ruick

thats very interesting, some 3rd gens only have 5 digit odometers? the guy wants 2 grand for it, could it really be 169k?

And about power, i'll probably do intake/header/exhaust (how many hp would that give me, aprox?) and i should be happy. I'm not planning on taking it to the drag strip, just need a car that looks great and is good for driving to school with.

With those you might be near 155-160hp. As I said, it would be a nice good lookin daily driver.

[hotrod_chevyz]

If its an auto, forget about it. If its a standard, they are way better than the auto's.

I had a 2.8 s spd std.v-6 1987 firebird at one time. Believe it or not, with flowmaster exhaust, and a K&N air filter, It drove all around town like a bat out of hell.. At a light it was very rare that sombody would get the better of me off the line and i dont care what they was in. They have crap for a 1/4 mile time but light to light, if you know how to drive a standard, they can be so much fun.

I remember getting third gear scratches and revving the RPM gauge out of sight and it never seemed to explode. Its not like i didnt try or nothin...Very hard to destroy. Mine drove around for a week between towns with the radiator drain plug missing and it didnt blow a head gasket.

If your seriously wanting to buy it, check it for smoke when its first started. Also check it for oil leaks. Oil deprived, you risk buying a car with valvetrain or engine block problems. To check it for wear make sure its dead cold before you start it up and see how much and how long it puffs out smoke when started cold. No smoke means it wasnt abused too bad. More or lots of smoke, talk the owner down on the price, or forget about it , as it will only be a headache.

Until it was totalled, my 87 was a pretty cool car for having an engine so tiny. people in (dare i say it) riced out cars, thought they stood a chance but really it was very seldom they came even close to it.

After all it was put through, the reason it was sold for scrap was because a guy in a truck killed it. heres a pic. If you look close you can see where the guys tire was sitting off the ground on the front end of the car. His tire marks are on both the bumper and the hood lol. At a 40 MPH impact , the firebird was driven home. The guy in the F-150 had to be towed off from the scene of the wreck. Even in death it was still a winner.

[79Bandit]

Originally Posted by Ruick

is looking for rust the only way i can tell?

also, i went on horsepowerfreaks.com and on autoanything.com, i was unable to find any exhausts or intakes for the 87 v6. where can i find parts for the car?

i belive on the second gens if the car had alot of miles the paint would start to crack above the doors. im not sure if its the same for 3rd gen but you might look

[wrightz28]

3rd gens, you want to focus on the a-pilar about 4-5 inches up from the bottom of the windsheild. Very common rot area, any sign there, walk away. Once the moisture is in there, it goes sraight down into the subframe rail and rots it from the inside out.

Look at the undercarrage very carefully.

Other area of concern, the inner wheel wells. On the front, towards the top of the well by the strut openings. In the rear, right above the tire.

[warmapplecobbler]

i bought my 3rd gen with 59000 miles on the body i didnt think anything of it. if the car is dirty and retarded looking with that little miles on it then maybe its weird but if its almost mint then id believe it