FooL's GOLD - 1972/73 the 'strike' Pontiac Formula

[Raszaron]

Hello, I'm Chris and the owner and builder of Fool's GOLD the 'Strike' Formula!
For now, here are just a few images and a link to a page dedicated to the project. I will eventually get to adding the videos to You Tube.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577452476231

Hello and welcome to the start of the Pro-Touring build of 'FooL's GOLD'.



The build has been happening for the last 4 months, but I started with a pretty clean car!


The Car... I bought a 1973 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350 (VIN verified). It had already had some modifications, such as a 1978 W72 400 and the car was painted 'Gold' to match other cars in the guys collection.
Why this car? I wanted a car that was extremely clean (no rust or very minimal at worst) and I just wanted a fun cruiser to take the family out in.


What happened? About 50 miles into driving the car around I knew it would need suspension work as it was quite bouncy with the family in the car. I also wanted to add shoulder harness seat belts to the rear seats (contacted Morris). Then the motor spun a bearing at about 100 miles... or it already had a spun bearing and the previous owner put the thickest oil possible to keep it quiet?...
Why have that thought? The first thing I did when the car arrive was check all the fluids, the oil looked brand new. I also called the previous owner and asked, what type of oil did he use and when did he last change the oil. He responded that he never changed the oil because he didn't drive the car much, it just sat in his collection.
So I changed the oil and it looked like I was panning for GOLD! Man I would have struck it rich with all the brass (or copper) that was in the oil, and the oil filter. I cut the oil filter open and it was loaded with shiny flakes.


So I have my suspicions on this, but that is the unfortunate nature of buying any vehicle across the nation! Seeing all of that glittery gold in the bottom of my oil catch pan made me immediately name my GOLD Formula, 'FooL's GOLD'.

Well, when I started the project some interesting things had been occurring and certain stampings on parts made me start to question things. When I got my seat belts from Morris, I bolted everything in as the instructions stated and came to notice that the rear lap belt connections were to long. I called Morris and talked with him for a bit on what was happening, used my kid as a model for the pictures of the seat belt on him and came to find out that yes, the attachment clasp was to far over. Morris asked me if I was sure I had a 73 and not a 72...

Now this had me wondering what was going on here. Morris sent me the proper belts for the 72 and sure enough, they worked perfectly. Then I was under the car I took pictures of every stamp in every part I could find. I searched the numbers on the rear axle. It came back as a 72 10 bolt with 3.73 gears and the Safe-T-Traq. This really got me curious about what was going on with this car. Other indications, the seat belt humps, matched the 72 vs the slightly different 73. Then I found out about the Norwood Strike that halted production in 1972, but resumed in 1973. From the sources I could find on this, it was stated that while Chevrolet destroyed the Camaros on their line, Pontiac left them on the line and then built them once the Strike was over, but updated the front bumper area to meet the requirements for 1973. So now, I thought how foolish I was to think that buying stuff for a 73 would work on my car if the majority of the body matches a 72! FooL's GOLD is now even more compelling of a name!


Did I mention that the car was repainted Gold? The original color of the car was Navajo Orange (which can still be seen in certain areas of the car). It isn't even a "real" Gold car... FooL's GOLD is getting pretty ingrained in the persona of this car!

Well, at this point, I needed to figure out what to do with the car. It was absolutely going to need motor work. It needed at the minimum new springs (the shocks were aftermarket, but don't know how old they were). And I started to question what else might I need to work on at this point. I did some shopping around to look at all my options. Contacted a few builders, one was excited but then never heard back. One said sure, but he was years out. Another said absolutely, and we could start in a few months once he finished another project to get room in the shop.

A year later... I raced with a guy who owns and built a 1967 Firebird Pro-Touring car for CAM-T.

He offered to help me out and let me build my car in his shop! A little over a month later, the car made it to his shop and the build began. But, before a "build" can begin, a tear-down must happen. So my plan was in place, lots of parts were purchased about 2 years before the tear-down started, many more parts have been purchased in the last 4 months. This project, even when doing it ourselves, is already going to surpass more than I ever thought I would have put into this car when I originally bought it. I just jumped down the proverbial "mine shaft" and FooL's GOLD is what I am working on... the question is, when it is all said and done, will this car be worth its weight in gold, or will I just be another fool with a really cool but expensive car?!


Here are a few since I started working on the project 4 months ago:





Shout out to the following:
Sponsor credit to: Dave Nasello @ Pro-Touring F-Body / Gen II Racing
Bill Niesz @ "Bill's Shop" (the owner of the 67 Patina Firebird above)

[Raszaron]

So after we tore down the car, we cleaned everything off the best we could (Motor, Transmission, Stock Suspension, Rear axle, etc.)

Attachment 219989

Attachment 219988

Then it was time to clean the underside of the car...

Attachment 219987

Attachment 219986

I was extremely happy with how clean the underside of this car was. There was one small rust hole directly by the drain plug in the back driver's side corner (behind the rear tire, inside the rear wheel well) that was an easy fix. The underside of the car still had the factory oxide red under-coating (from the dip bath applied during assembly). I purposely looked for a car that had zero aftermarket undercoating so I could see if the bottom of the car was clean. I've looked at too to many cars that had either massive amounts of rust forming and flaking off those thick under-coatings or worse, people using those thick under-coatings to hide problem areas from potential buyers! The proverbial 'lipstick on a pig' fix!





But after taking lots of pictures and video of the underside of the car throughout the cleaning process (took a few weekends to get it done!), I decided to give it all a new coat of "oxide red" to protect it for many more years to come. I must say, with the amount of oil under the car, I think that is the number 1 reason why no rust ever formed under this car!





Well, that's it for the updates today... by the way, I just noticed that I started this build thread on April 1st, 2026... let's just pile on the "Fool's" theme!

[ryeguy2006a]

Very cool story! I wonder how many cars were left on the assembly line like that in 72/73? I'll bet it couldn't be that many.

[Vimes]

Very cool story! I wonder how many cars were left on the assembly line like that in 72/73? I'll bet it couldn't be that many.

I was thinking the same. A "strike year 72/73 Firebird" would likely be a "one of somewhere below 30", and oddball rarities tend to be more valuable.

[Raszaron]

Very cool story! I wonder how many cars were left on the assembly line like that in 72/73? I'll bet it couldn't be that many.

That I don't know, I would think however many cars they had on the line at any one point in time. When the strike started, every car on the line would have been a possibility.

[Raszaron]

I was thinking the same. A "strike year 72/73 Firebird" would likely be a "one of somewhere below 30", and oddball rarities tend to be more valuable.

I thought about the value aspect, but the car no longer had its original motor and an aftermarket MegaShifter installed. I like the fact that it has an interesting history, and it has been fun tracking down as much of the information as possible about the car. PHS has been a pretty good source of information, as well as some of the dedicated historical Pontiac websites.

[Raszaron]

So after so much cleaning and putting new "oxide red" which really looks like 'Navajo Orange"... Hunh... ANNNYway, With the bottom of the car looking as good as the top of the car, Bill and I got to work. Oh, but wait, that one little rust hole above the drain hole... well, that little guy doesn't exist anymore!




With all of the metal taken off of the front of the car, I disassembled all the removable parts and hardware from the radiator support and fender liners and took them to get powder-coated near where I live.
(yes, everything is getting powder-coated, some small stuff is getting painted, but everything is getting done!)

I also was doing other stuff that I could do in my home garage, like repair all the cracks in the dash pad:



Some reliability mods in the LS3 (Baffled Oil Pan with new oil pickup tube bolted on both sides, Improved Racing Windage tray and barbell, BTR Shaft Rocker system, Melling Oil Pump, FelPro Gaskets, etc, etc, etc.)






We took a lot of measurements of the factory 10-bolt, and then I contacted Strange Engineering and worked with Ryan on getting what was going to best work with me on the build.
I ended up going with Strange's S60 with 3.73 gears and their own style of True-Track.



We took the subframe and cleaned it up. Bill cut out the pockets and welded in the Pro-Touring F-Body Coilover tophats and stitch welded the rest of the subframe. I spent a lot of time cleaning the "pounds" of factory weld spatter off of the subframe to prepare it for powder-coating!


Hot Kote in Lincoln, NE, did the powder-coating on the subframe.

Now, before I had even purchased anything else for his car, I done a lot of research on which way I wanted to go when it came to replacing the springs (remember, 50 miles prior to the spun bearing.)
I went back and forth between coilover setup, 4 link, torque arm, replacing stock, upgrading stock style... when I came upon Pro-Touring F-Body.
At this point I wasn't considering full out ProTouring build, just a capable and fun cruiser that might go to an occasional autocross.
After speaking with Dave, I figured the setup he was providing would perfectly fit the bill, as it would give me exactly what I wanted, allowing for height adjustments, but still looking essentially stock.




Did anyone forget about the proverbial "mine shaft"?
Well, I dove right back down it and told Dave I'd like one of everything please! LOL
Essentially everything Dave sells for the 2nd Gen Firebirds I had to have it, because, you know, RACE CAR!!! NOOOO, I mean, "Fun and responsible cruiser being built for 'safety'"!
Coilovers, A-Arms, Sway Bars, Subframe connectors, AntiSquat Buckets, Leaf Springs, Brakes, Braces, etc, etc, etc, OH MY!!!


Also called up my neighboring state (IOWA) and ordered and installed a Tanks Inc EFI Baffled fuel tank along with their kit:



So while doing all of this, I need to make sure the car will always have a 'Manual', so I am making a build manual along with wiring diagrams and part numbers... nothing worse than buying a car and not knowing what is what or where to even go to try and find a replacement part! So, I like making one of these and also storing all photos and build videos... data overload?! Maybe...



Well, until the next time I get a chance to continue the Saga of the 'strike' Formula known as 'Fool's GOLD', thank you for reading and have a blessed evening!

[EVO]

Love this thread! Nice work on your safe responsible cruiser LOL I just finished up my 4th second Gen trans am build so Im enjoying your journey.
Keep up the cool work.
Evan Q.

[Raszaron]

Love this thread! Nice work on your safe responsible cruiser LOL I just finished up my 4th second Gen trans am build so Im enjoying your journey.
Keep up the cool work.
Evan Q.

Thank you! Yeah, that's what I keep telling my wife ("It's for safety honey!") It has been a fun build so far, but I will say building trucks is soooo much easier! Eventually, I will put up a build thread for my 64 (STEEVE). Then I will have to start one for my 78 (Big Ted).

[jaybee]

Nice car. I'll give you this, you have a fantastic attitude considering the issues you've had. Good on you.

[Raszaron]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577452476231

Just in case anyone wanted slightly quicker up dates (and other quick videos of the build process that I am going through).

[Raszaron]

Nice car. I'll give you this, you have a fantastic attitude considering the issues you've had. Good on you.

Thank you Jaybee. I figure I can either spend my life pissed-off and always miserable and still have problems, or I can shake my head while laughing - while the song "I get knocked down, but I get up again, never gonna keep me down!" blaring in the back of my mind! LOL

[ryeguy2006a]

Love that manual! Nice touch.

[stevehoj]

Nice.

How are you repairing the dash cracks?

[Raszaron]

Nice.

How are you repairing the dash cracks?

I bevelled out all the cracks, removed all hard vinyl, suprising enough the foam under the vinyl was really spongy and soft. I used Polyvance and SEM products. A lot of layering, sanding, time, patience, until it looked and feels like a normal dash pad.

[Raszaron]

Sorry, I haven't gotten on here with more updates. I am getting through all the wiring right now. Probably have another couple of weekends to get the rest of the wiring finished up.

Takes some time putting the dash in place, checking clearances, removing the dash, wire up some stuff, put in center console make sure everything plays nice together. Making it all look good and making sure it's not a jumbled mess, but neatly placed and building looms with deutsch connectors. Then drawing out the wiring diagram. Will try to post some pictures soon.

[Raszaron]

Well, I am still wiring... but nearly all the wiring of the Dakota Digital RTX, GPS-50-2, PAC-2800BT, BIM-04-2, and GSS-3000 are complete. Still have to plug the RTX into the gaugues when I install them.

Items to still wire up:
1. Ground wires in the (interior)
---a. Oil Pressure Safety Switch to fuel pump Relay ground
---b. American Autowire (AAW) harness ground
---c. Momentary switch ground (to temp power Fuel Pump)
---d. Bypass switch ground (to bypass Oil Pressure Safety Switch ground to Fuel Pump Relay)
2. Need to run Power and Ground from firewall distro blocks to distro blocks on Relay Farm (where the stock battery tray used to be on drivers wheel tub)
3. Need to mount and wire up the relays at the Relay Farm
---a. Electiric Fans 1 (low) / 2 (A/C)
---b. JW Speaker LED headlights 1 (low beam) / 2 (high beam)
---c. Horn
4. Need to run 12v+ ignition and ground (-) to Accusump Electric Valve servo.
5. Need to run 'battery' gound (-) from distro block to Oil Pump Safety Switch
6. Need to route and install Wideband AFR O2 sensors and wiring to gauge in interior (dual system - 1 drivers header collector / 2 passenger header collector)
7. Need to install and route wiring to Transmission Pressure Gauge in interior.
8. Need to finish wiring up the HVAC trinary switch


Then all my wiring should be completed and all systems ready for testing.