Pontiac Firebird (1970) – Ultimate Guide
Introduction
Standard equipment on the base Firebirds included the following:
- A 250-cid 155-hp six
- E78-14 black fibreglass tires
- Front and rear bucket type seats
- Vinyl upholstery
- Wood grained dashboard
- Carpeting
- Outside rearview mirror
- Manual front disc brakes
- Six-inch wheel rims
- Door storage pockets
Style changes included the following:
- Endura rubber front ends with dual recessed grilles
- Single headlights
- Split side marker lamps
- Enlarged wheel openings
- Flush door handles
- Smooth, clean, curvy body panels
Firebird lettering and engine badges appeared behind front wheel cutouts.
FIREBIRD ESPRIT
The Esprit was outwardly identified by the following:
- Model script on the rear roof pillar
- Bright roof rail and wheel opening moldings
- V-8 displacement badges under front fender Firebird lettering
- bird emblems above the grille
Standard equipment on the Firebird Esprit included the following:
- A 350-cid two-barrel V-8 with 8.8:1 compression and 255-hp @ 4600 rpm
- A three-speed manual gearbox with floor-mounted shift lever
- E78-14 black fibreglass tires
- Front and rear bucket type seats
- Knit vinyl upholstery
- Vinyl-covered deluxe steering wheel
- Wood grained dashboard
- Carpeting
- Dual body-color outside sport mirrors
- Concealed windshield wipers and antenna
- Trunk floor mats
- Manual front disc brakes
- Six-inch wheel rims
- Door storage pockets
- Wheel trim rings
- Custom trim
- Decor moldings
FIREBIRD FORMULA 400
Standard equipment on the Firebird Formula 400 included the following:
- All GM safety features
- 1-1/8″ front and 5/8″ rear stabilizer bars
- High-rate springs
- Wind-up rear axle controls
- F70 x 14 bias-belted black sidewall tires
- seven-inch wheel rims
- manual front disc brakes and rear drums
- carpets
- vinyl interiors
- front and rear bucket type seats
- dual outside sport mirrors
- concealed wipers and antennas
- deluxe steering wheel
- 400-cid four-barrel V-8 with 10.25:1 compression and 265-hp @ 4600 rpm
- Three-speed Hurst floor shift
External distinctions included extra-long twin hood scoops and Formula 400 nameplate.
TRANS AM
Standard equipment on the Trans Am included the following:
- All GM safety features
- Front air dams
- Front and rear spoilers
- Shaker hood
- Side air extractors
- Rear end spoilers
- Aerodynamically styled outside mirrors with left-hand remote control type
- Front and rear stabilizers
- Heavy-duty shock absorbers and springs
- Engine-turned dash inserts
- Rally gauge cluster
- Concealed wipers
- Bucket seaats
- Carpet
- vinyl upholstery
- Power brakes and steering
- 11″ wide, 15″ diameter Rally rims
- F60-15 white letter tires
- Transmission: wide-ratio four-speed manual with Hurst floor shift
Standard engine:
- 335-hp Ram Air V-8 engine
- Ram Air HO
Optional engine:
- 400-cid, four-barrel V-8 coded as the L74 engine
- compression 10.5:1
- Peak power at 5000 rpm
Trans Ams had white or blue finish with contrasting racing stripes
I.D. NUMBERS
VIN Location | Left front door post | |
---|---|---|
Position | Character | Description |
1 | 2 | General Motors: Pontiac Division |
2 & 3 | 23 | body series: Firebird |
4 & 5 | 67 | convertible |
37 | hardtop | |
6 | 0 | 1970 |
7 | V | Assembled in Lordstown, Ohio |
8 to 13 | 100001 and up | production sequence |
IDENTIFICATION
Model Number | Style Number | Body Type | Seating | Factory Price | Shipping Weight | Production Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
223 | 22387 | 2-door Hardtop Base Firebird | 4 | $2875 | 3140 | 18,874 |
224 | 22487 | 2-door Hardtop Esprit | 4 | $3241 | 3435 | 18,961 |
226 | 22687 | 2-door Hardtop Formula 400 | 4 | $3370 | 3470 | 7,708 |
228 | 22887 | 2-door Hardtop Trans Am | 5 | $4305 | 3550 | 3,196 |
ENGINE
FEATURE | Base 6 | Sprint 6 | Tempest 8 | GTO 8 | HO 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Configuration | Inline | Inline | Vee | Vee | Vee |
Cylinders | Six | Six | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Valves | Overhead | Overhead | Overhead | Overhead | Overhead |
Camshaft | Overhead | Overhead | Pushrod | Pushrod | Pushrod |
Block | Cast Iron | Cast Iron | Cast Iron | Cast Iron | Cast Iron |
Displacement | 250 cid | 250 cid | 350 cid | 350 cid | 400 cid |
Bore & Stroke | 3.875″x3.531″ | 3.875″x3.531″ | 3.875″x3.75″ | 3.875″x3.75″ | 4.125″x3.746″ |
Compression Ratio | 10.5:1 | 10.5:1 | 9.2:1 | 10.5:1 | 10.75:1 |
Brake HP | 175 @ 4800 rpm | 215 @ 4800 rpm | 265 @ 4600 rpm | 320 @ 5100 rpm | 330 @ 4800 rpm |
Main bearings | 5 | 5 | |||
Valve Lifters | Hydraulic | Hydraulic | Hydraulic | Hydraulic | Hydraulic |
Carburetor | Rochester one-barrel |
Rochester four-barrel |
Rochester model 7028071 two-barrel |
Rochesterfour-barrel | Rochester four-barrel |
TRANSMISSION
Two-speed automatic | $195 |
Heavy-duty three-speed manual with floor shift | $84 |
CHASSIS
Wheelbase | Overall length | Front tread | Rear tread |
---|---|---|---|
108 in. | 191.6 in. | 60 in. | 60 in. |
FIREBIRD RPO PACKAGES
OPTIONS
PERFORMANCE
MODEL | 0-to-60 MPH | QUARTER MILE |
---|---|---|
335-hp Firebird 400 | 6.4 seconds | 14.9 seconds |
HISTORICAL NOTES
1970 Firebird Notes
- The new second generation Firebird became available on Feb 26, 1971
- General Motors experienced a UAW strike
- James McDonald became the new general manager of Pontiac Motor Division
- He replaced John Z. DeLorean who moved to Chevrolet
1970 Automotive Notes
- A recession in 1970 affects new-car sales so that the volume drops below 7.6 million cars
- 60% of all new cars are air conditioned
- All cars are required to have anti-theft steering-column, ignition locks, and both front and rear side marker lights
- New features include front seatbacks that unlatch when the door is opened, tamper-proof odometers, and electrically heated rear defrosters
- The US federal government awards contracts to develop a safety vehicle in which passengers could survive a 50-mph crash
- Imports, esp. from Japan, record 14.6% of all US sales
- GM news:
- GM produces three V-8 engines to give low emisions: 402-cid (6.6 litre), 454-cid (7.4 litre), 500-cid (8.2 litre)
- GM signs a $50-million license agreement with Curtiss-Wright Corp. for the rights to develop a Wankel rotary engine
- Eldorado, Riviera, and Toronado get electronic skid-control braking
- Eldorado’s 500-cid V-8 (8.2 litre) with 400 bhp is the world’s biggest production-car engine
- Cadillac offers a power sunroof and signal-seeking radio
- Chevrolet sells 130,657 Monte Carlo personal luxury coupe with its six-foot long hood — longest in Chevy’s history
- Chevrolet’s 350-cid (5.7 litre), 300-bhp V-8 (4.9 litre) is now standard in Avanti II, whose styling remains the same
- Full-size Chevys and Corvettes get the big-block 454 V-8 option
- Monte Carlo gets a SS 454 option
- Chevy II changes its name to Nova
- The Chevelle is facelifted to resemble the full-size Chevrolet
- Buick introduces the new GSX muscle car
- The Buick GSX “Stage 1” will top 100 mph in the quarter-mile
- Most Buicks come standard or available with the 455-cid V-8 (7.5 litre) producing 350 or 370 bhp
- Because Pontiac offers only full-size cars, they lose nearly 180,00 sales
- In California, station wagons have plastic gasoline tanks
- GM endures a 67-day strike as the 1971 model year begins
- Edward N. Cole was president of GM
- James M. Roche was chairman of the board at GM
- Ford news:
- Ford out-sells Chevrolet by over half a million cars
- Late in 1970, Ford abandons most racing efforts
- Ford promotes its 12-month warranty with no mileage limitation
- Last year for Ford Falcon
- Ford Maverick sells over half a million at $1995
- The all-new Lincoln Continental sedan and hardtop are built on body-on-frame construction and conventional fron-hinged rear doors
- Lincoln-Mercury dealers sell the German-built Capri as a “mini-ponycar”
- Chrysler news:
- Chrysler enters the subcompact market by importing the British-made Plymouth Cricket and the Japanese-made Dodge Colt.
- Chrysler introduces the 300-H “Hurst” hardtop
- Chrysler offers an optional headlight-delay sistem
- Chrysler introduces the limited-edition Cordoba hardtop coupe and sedan
- Last year for Chrysler’s Newport and 300 convertibles
- Last year for the Dodge Coronet R/T of which only 2319 hardtops and 296 convertibles were built
- Dodge introduces the Challenger ponycar to challenge Camaro and Mustang
- Plymouth Barracuda is similar to the Challenger
- Plymouth adds the Duster based on the Valiant as well as the winged Road Runner Superbird
- Imperial drops the Crown series, but the LeBaron continues
- AMC news:
- AMC replaces the Rambler American with the compact Hornet
- In April, AMC introduces the first American subcompact: the Gremlin at $1879
- The windshields on the AMC Javelin and AMX have a cemically treated inner pane to reduce the possibility of facial lacerations upon impact
- AMC acquires Kaiser-Jeep Corp. to become the leading four-wheel-drive vehicle producer
- AMC’s Rebel “The Machine” runs a strong 390-cid (6.4 litre), 340-bhp V-8 (5.6 litre) and displays wild muscle-car striping
- Other makes news:
- Excalibur Series II debuts with a roadster and phaeton using a 111-inch wheelbase and Chevy’s 300-bhp, 350-cid V-8 (5.7 litre)
- Top American Automobile Corporations for 1970
1. General Motors3,681,484
2. Ford2,480,027
3. Chrysler1,483,126
4. AMC276,110
5. Others545
- Top model year production for 1970
Ford 2,096,184
Chevrolet 1,451,305
Plymouth 747,508
Pontiac 690,953
Buick 666,501
Skylark 194,084
Sportwagon 12,241
Gran Sport 20,096
LeSabre 200,622
Estate Wagon 28,306
Wildcat Custom 23,615
Electra 225150,201
Riviera 37,336
Oldsmobile 633,981
Dodge 543,019
Mercury 324,716
AMC 276,110
Cadillac 238,744
Calais 9,911
DeVille 181,719
Eldorado 28,842
Series Sixty Special 1,738
Fleetwood Brougham 16,913
Series Seventy-Five 4,622
Chrysler 180,777
Lincoln 59,127
Imperial 11,822
Checker (not including taxicabs) 397
Avanti II 111
Excalibur 37