How Long Before Someone Turns the New Camaro...

[TriShield]

...into a new Firebird?

There is an aftermarket company working on HEMI 'Cuda bodyparts and badges for the new Challenger afterall.

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yeah they'll probably be out there but i don't think that conversion will be cheap. and whoever does it must want a new bird really bad.

[JSmee99T/A]

hopefully soon this is what i am banking on to get a new pontiac muscle car. i mean what the difference from gm putting different parts on the same car like all the others compared to us doing it....i like the idea factory works can not be as careful sometimes...

[wabmorgan]

One MAJOR difference is.... GM doing it..... I don't think GM is going to allow the aftermarket segment to do something with the Firebird name plate without licensing and I don't see GM doing that.

[wannabess00]

Originally Posted by wabmorgan

One MAJOR difference is.... GM doing it..... I don't think GM is going to allow the aftermarket segment to do something with the Firebird name plate without licensing and I don't see GM doing that.

only if it is listed as a Pontiac Firebird kit. But whether GM likes it or not they cant file a lawsuit against a body kit that happends to look like a 2010 firebird since the 2010 firebird doesnt even exist so they have no basis of an arguement. By that logic they could file suit against the Dodge Challenger looking like what the firebird was going to be . Whether or not an indivisual owner might put the words trans am isn there own problem

[RevGTO]

I'm hoping in a couple of years GM will decide to do it. They just can't help themselves when it comes to badge engineering. Cobalt/G5, now Aveo/G3 or whatever ...

Any aftermarket conversion kit would leave that dash in place, and it's just completely un-Pontiac.

[wabmorgan]

Originally Posted by wannabess00

only if it is listed as a Pontiac Firebird kit. But whether GM likes it or not they cant file a lawsuit against a body kit that happends to look like a 2010 firebird since the 2010 firebird doesnt even exist so they have no basis of an arguement. By that logic they could file suit against the Dodge Challenger looking like what the firebird was going to be . Whether or not an indivisual owner might put the words trans am isn there own problem

yea... but how are they going to market a "Pontiac Firebird" kit without calling it such?????

Personally.... I think an aftermarket kit would be a horriable idea. Slap on a few panels and the bird...what do you have.... a devalued chevy!!!!!!!!!!! It still isn't a Firebird and never will be. GM didn't build it and there are no current plans to build a Firebird. Even GM has said that if the bird came back it would be differance from the simply re-badgeing of the past. In other words... it won't be a 5th gen Camaro platform re-badge.

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Originally Posted by wabmorgan

yea... but how are they going to market a "Pontiac Firebird" kit without calling it such?????

Personally.... I think an aftermarket kit would be a horriable idea. Slap on a few panels and the bird...what do you have.... a devalued chevy!!!!!!!!!!! It still isn't a Firebird and never will be. GM didn't build it and there are no current plans to build a Firebird. Even GM has said that if the bird came back it would be differance from the simply re-badgeing of the past. In other words... it won't be a 5th gen Camaro platform re-badge.

yeah you're right and a new SS Camaro will cost what $35k? then to actually make it look like a firebird there will be new body panels, dashboard, guage cluster, badging, headlamps, taillamps, wheels, and then you'd have to get it painted. and when its all said and done you could have had a LS3 C6. the only good thing that could happen is maybe just maybe if enough people take the hit and build one GM will start to pay attention, but i just can't see enough people doing this that it will actually be common to see a TA conversion 5th gen Camaro driving around. but then again who knows, some are spending $80k on the new challenger that's dangerously approaching viper territory.

[Cheap Guy]

If people paid good money to convert Fieros into Ferraris, I'm sure someone will put together an affordable Firebird kit.

[wannabess00]

Originally Posted by wabmorgan

yea... but how are they going to market a "Pontiac Firebird" kit without calling it such?????

Personally.... I think an aftermarket kit would be a horriable idea. Slap on a few panels and the bird...what do you have.... a devalued chevy!!!!!!!!!!! It still isn't a Firebird and never will be. GM didn't build it and there are no current plans to build a Firebird. Even GM has said that if the bird came back it would be differance from the simply re-badgeing of the past. In other words... it won't be a 5th gen Camaro platform re-badge.

That would all depend upon how dramatic a change would be necissary to make it a "wanna-be" firebird as to whether or not it would be so much trouble. And given the state of the economy I highly doubt that body change on a car will be any different from the worthlessness of the car already in value depreciation. If GM sells them for $35K it will most like lose 45% of its value at only 2 years old like the trailblazers. It will most likely have to be offered at around $25-28K in order to keep demand high and retain a good retail

[bmxer8699]

i would be VERY interested to see this happen

[JSmee99T/A]

Originally Posted by wabmorgan

yea... but how are they going to market a "Pontiac Firebird" kit without calling it such?????

Personally.... I think an aftermarket kit would be a horriable idea. Slap on a few panels and the bird...what do you have.... a devalued chevy!!!!!!!!!!! It still isn't a Firebird and never will be. GM didn't build it and there are no current plans to build a Firebird. Even GM has said that if the bird came back it would be differance from the simply re-badgeing of the past. In other words... it won't be a 5th gen Camaro platform re-badge.

Are you being serious..devalued chevy huh last I knew Pontiac was a higher quality brand. That being said what is the difference between that and all the other aftermarket things people put on their cars. New bumpers and spoilers and wide body cars. Its the same diff as a berger car except they wont be contracted through GM. I could give a shit less that call it "firebird", im pretty sure people will kno what it is and for. I see no difference in putting the altered pieces on to make it what someone wants over what gm offers. Isnt it all about how we want our cars to look and what we want to buy? or maybe i should buy the camaro cuz gm says i have to being a firebird guy and all....f**k that.

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Originally Posted by JSmee99T/A

Are you being serious..devalued chevy huh last I knew Pontiac was a higher quality brand. That being said what is the difference between that and all the other aftermarket things people put on their cars. New bumpers and spoilers and wide body cars. Its the same diff as a berger car except they wont be contracted through GM. I could give a shit less that call it "firebird", im pretty sure people will kno what it is and for. I see no difference in putting the altered pieces on to make it what someone wants over what gm offers. Isnt it all about how we want our cars to look and what we want to buy? or maybe i should buy the camaro cuz gm says i have to being a firebird guy and all....f**k that.

well for starters you'd have to buy the camaro to do the conversion. i mean as long as the owner of a converted firebird is happy then its not a waste, but its still not a real bird. somebody will do it but it won't be common. i'd love to see a new firebird back but there's no way in hell i'd drop $35k on a new camaro then spend thousands more just to make it "look" like a bird.

[Semper91-RS]

This may sound a bit dumb to some of you, but at the moment, myself, and six of my friends are completing our two-year automotive courses at the local college. Four of them did tech, three of us did management. We plan on opening a small local business, for, you got it, mainly Chevrolet performance, mainly Camaro\SS model vehicles. And anything else that walks this way, but you get the idea. One of our first goals is to get to the drawing board after two of us get our new Camaro's, and start crackin' on the new Firebird.

[JSmee99T/A]

Originally Posted by ads_99ta

well for starters you'd have to buy the camaro to do the conversion. i mean as long as the owner of a converted firebird is happy then its not a waste, but its still not a real bird. somebody will do it but it won't be common. i'd love to see a new firebird back but there's no way in hell i'd drop $35k on a new camaro then spend thousands more just to make it "look" like a bird.

I understand theres going to be a lot of cost involved but isnt there always in this business. Im not saying im going to cut off the quarters and weld on new ones. Im saying if i can unbolt the front clip and install some new taillights i might be intrigued to look into such an option. Or better yet if someone like a carl black pontiac did this for me and saved me some money but subtracting the value of the stock parts not used lol

[wabmorgan]

Originally Posted by JSmee99T/A

Are you being serious..devalued chevy huh last I knew Pontiac was a higher quality brand. That being said what is the difference between that and all the other aftermarket things people put on their cars. New bumpers and spoilers and wide body cars. Its the same diff as a berger car except they wont be contracted through GM. I could give a shit less that call it "firebird", im pretty sure people will kno what it is and for. I see no difference in putting the altered pieces on to make it what someone wants over what gm offers. Isnt it all about how we want our cars to look and what we want to buy? or maybe i should buy the camaro cuz gm says i have to being a firebird guy and all....f**k that.

I agree.... I wouldn't want to buy a Camaro just because GM thinks I should be happy with a Camaro rather than a bird. As for my devauled Chevy comment.... see below... and yes the Pontiac was(is) a higher quailty product, IMO.

Originally Posted by ads_99ta

well for starters you'd have to buy the camaro to do the conversion. i mean as long as the owner of a converted firebird is happy then its not a waste, but its still not a real bird. somebody will do it but it won't be common. i'd love to see a new firebird back but there's no way in hell i'd drop $35k on a new camaro then spend thousands more just to make it "look" like a bird.

That was my point. GM wouldn't have built it and unless there is some kind of licienseing and/or a rebadged with aftermaket products shipped directly to Pontiac dealers or something.... it won't be a GM product..... thus you will have a devauled Chevy because it won't really be a bird.

(I don't like the idea of the bird being gone... but I would buy the new Camaro... if I liked it. But being a GM guy.... and I will say I would still buy one over the Mustang.... but my eye has been on the C6 as my next car. I like that "very timeless swoopy design" as described by another member and the new Camaro is simply more boxey.)

[DrkPhynx]

Originally Posted by wabmorgan

I agree.... I wouldn't want to buy a Camaro just because GM thinks I should be happy with a Camaro rather than a bird.

But that's impossible, don't you know that there is no such thing as a Firebird fan, and that it's sales ONLY "cannibalize" the camaro? Platform sharing is only good for the Sky/Solstice, and anything ELSE they decide.

Many of the people on this site (not you, I was being sarcastic about the "thoughts" (and I use the term loosely) spewed here), and GM management, simply boggle the mind.

[NemeSS]

i <3 the ws6 as much as any other who has ever owned a 400+rwhp ls1 bird
the best of all fbodys imo, but i came to realise that even if the body kit is made it still wont be the same.
perhaps if gm can move a lot of camaros, v6 and v8, then they will have an incentive to bring back the firebird, even if its a for a year or two, as a limited edition.

[fortmyerspolice]

sorry, but i definitely wouldn't buy a BRAND new camaro and put that body kit garbage on it in an attempt to make it LOOK supposedly like a firebird, dumb.