A friend of mine owns a Neighborhood Garage down here where i live and i took my 89 Firebird Formula to him to get in inspected. The numbers were really close that it could have been cheated to pass, but the emissions were just over too much according to the computer, so my new baby didnt pass.

So then i had him run some diagnostics on it and it turns out there has been so much ripped out of the engine and rewired vacuums and no EGR valve, and no emissions system at all. Turns out the car has been hot rodded basically and im driving around in an illegal 370 horsepower LS2 street racing machine.

So he calls me back and says its going to take about $700 just to get it all ripped out and the parts taken out replaced to make her street legal. I cant afford that. So he gives me this AirCheck program that says if you make below the poverty level in income, which i do - im a college student , the state will grant you a voucher for up to $600 worth of labor as long as i pay a $30 co-pay ( like health insurance ) and it gives no mention of having to pay it back.

Well the guy who sold me the car can easily get me a state inspection sticker for the car for an under the counter fee. But i dont know if i just want a working car to get me to and from work and school, or a perfect running car with all its proper mechanics that will last me a while. If i also do this sem-rebuild, i will loose all the horsepower that was wedged into it bringing it back down to 300+ maybe, he said.

So, sofar, for a $1,000 car - ive put over $800 into it and it hasnt even driven me to work my first day yet to start paying for itself over.

All i can do is apply for that state program and hope like hell the car will pass inspections after that. My father also says i can just run some high octane gas into that car for a little bit and itll pass easy - but i want the car to last. So should i go the questionable way just to get it on the road, or the mechanics way and spend $700 to make sure it'll last me a good few years?

 

He told you you have a LS2? If he did thats a bunch of bs...

If you can make it pass cheap then go for the cheap way that way you'll have a year to look for all the stuff you need to pass for less money.

What exactly did he say he needs to change if he did say?

 

I would just go the right way.
That way you don't have to worie about testing it when it comes due again.
But you need to know what he is doing to the car.
What is being fixed and what is being added.
I would like to know what type of engine is in it?
That car should have a tune port set up in it.
An LS2 would be I believe a 454 corvette.
And I know you did not get a car with that engine.
It cost form $5,499.00 to $7,500.00.
Look here.
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/stor...Category_ID=0&

Let me know what you have maybe some pictures of the engine so I or somebody here can help you out.


Chris G.

 

A couple of things, the LS2 engine was rated at 400 hp and is an expensive option right now considering how new it is to the market still. And for what you paid for the car, there is no feasible way the owner would have parted with that kind of loss. Also, do things the right way, put the emissions equipment on. You can get a hefty fine without the stuff and the AIR and EGR does very little if any to degrade the overall vehicle performance.

 

It does have a tune port set in it. But i heard him say LS2.... he said my engine was the closest to a LS1 so if i wanted to sell it, he wanted to put it in his Monte Carlo.

 

There are engine photos on http://thejackbull.com/firenze.html

 

I believe thats the L98. Its not very desirable or powerful for that matter.

 

Its either a 305TPI or a 350TPI motor, it definitely isn't an LS1 or an LS2, and unless it has heads/cam/intake/exhaust, ect., it isn't going to be putting up no 370hp either.

 

This is exactly correct. Without looking at the car more closely it is hard to tell if it is a 350 (5.7liter) or a 305 (5.0liter), but it is definitely a TPI L98 style motor.

It is between 215(5.0) and 235(5.7) HP.

Based on the complete ignorance of your friend the "mechanic", I would definitely shop around elsewhere for service. He does not have a clue.

 

Bringing a L98 into emissions standards shouldn't be too much of an effort or costs.

I suggest taking it to another mechanic also.

 

diddo on the non-LS2 that thing doesnt even have mass air

 

I found out why it has over 300 horsepower - Jamal told me what they did was took out the roundtop that covers the tune port engine and put in a Eldenbrock Manifest and Intake System which is a high performance piece for that car. Also, all that air that is supposed to be filtered throughout the car and back out the exhaust - the pipes were bolted off and sealed. If any of this means anything.

 

Dude or dudette <sig quote> "Girls like to play with cars too.
1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula" just take the car to someone else get a second look.

 

"i found out why it has over 300 horsepower - Jamal told me what they did was took out the roundtop that covers the tune port engine and put in a Eldenbrock Manifest and Intake System which is a high performance piece for that car. Also, all that air that is supposed to be filtered throughout the car and back out the exhaust - the pipes were bolted off and sealed. If any of this means anything."

that makes no sense...

sounds like the AIR system was removed, that shouldn't be hard to replace.

as far as swapping parts. the car looks basically factory in that picture...there is no way anyone picked up 75hp from some intake swap.

 

Oh my god take that car to someone else that knows what they are talking about....

On your emmisions stuff being missing all you need to do is get some headers or stock manifolds with the emmisions stuff on it. By the looks of that picture I think you have headers without emmisions stuff on it. That's very cheap to swap back definanlty not 700 bucks.

-Archie