Astre Formula info
 

Hello all. I usually do Big Pontiacs but found a cool little astre Formula that may be for sale. I have always liked the little cars and this one is pretty clean. I am not sure what year it is but it looks like a mid to late 70s. The car is white with large blue striping along the bottom with the letters FORMULA in white inside the blue stripe. The car has a spoiler and some stamped steel mag looking wheels. Does anyone have any info about the car like production totals or options? email me at jdh421@msn.com or call me at (303)523-5895. Thanks for your help. Jeff

Jeff, get in touch with camerjeff here on this forum. He might know some more info on these, because he owns one himself. I think they are cool! Good luck

Hi Jeff,

I'm no expert on the Astre Formulas, but I thought I'd chime in here.
I too like these Formulas and when I was a kid, a neighbor bought a new Astre Formula which was white with the blue decals. I always liked that car. Anyway, to answer one of your questions, they were produced for one year only - '77. The stamped steel mag type wheels you refer to are the standard wheel on the Formula, which appears to be the same as the Vega GT wheel. Also standard was the rear spoiler, formula graphics and an upgraded "Radial Tuned Suspension" which included a rear sway bar. A tach and gauge instrument cluster also came with the Formula option. All Formulas were equipped with the 2.5 Iron Duke 4 cylinder - same as the base Astre with the exception of a Formula specific air cleaner cover. I say cover because it was a plastic cover that snaps over the air cleaner housing. In fact I just bought a Formula Astre a few months ago. I got the PHS back on it and noticed that unfortunately there is no break down on the Formula option. The break down looks to have gone only as far as body style - coupe, hatchback and wagon. I may be wrong, but I think the Formula option was only available on the hatchback. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Shoot me an email at: thelzel@yahoo.com with any specific questions and I'll try to help.

Regards,

Mark

Mark,
Most of the info you posted is correct, I have owned a white car in the past, and presently own what was a silver formula that a previous owner repainted red. As you stated the Formula Package consisted of the following items.

RTS Suspension, that included front and rear sway bars.

Formula Graphic's with the exeption of the hood decal that was optional.

3 Piece rear spoiler.

Charcoal painted rear tail light panel and lower accent stripes (exept on black cars)

Also blacked out grills & Headlight Bezals, the headlight Bezals are standard Vega GT items. Also the side glass trim only is black, front and rear glass trim is still bright.

Sport Mirror's drivers remote, silver were Charcoal, I had awhite one and they were body colored.

Ralley Gauges were standard.

Formula wheel with unique arrow head emblem was standard. This wheel required the optional tilt column, and the tilt column required you buy power steering.

13" Ralley wheels were standard, they are the same as the Vega Ralley II wheels, with Pontiac specific center caps (both my cars came with 2 caps with blacked out centers, and 2 standard Astre/Sunbird caps with the bright centers. I don't know what ones are correct, I do know that 75 Astre SJ's came with the blacked out center caps.) Also the wheels will have the Olds Starfire bright slot trim on them. The only optional rims were the 13" Aluminum Snowflake's.

As for the engine, yes the 2.5 Iron Duke was standard, with the Formula 2.5 aircleaner lid, and the chrome valve cover, but I have seen a few late 77 standard Astre's with these items also. And though I have never seen one, there was no reason some one could not order 2.3 Vega engine for a credit.

Transmission were standard saginaw 4-speed, with the borg warner T-50 five speed, and M-200 3 speed auto optional.

Body styles available were the Hatch Back & Wagon, I do have some very bad old pic's of a black Formula wagon that were sent to me several years ago. The original owner said there was also a Red 5-speed wagon on the lot at the time he bought the Black Automatic car. The Wagons used the standard rear window air deflector instead of a spoiler. The package was not available on Sedans.

Glad to see another Formula H-body owner on this site!!! Fred Simonds estimated that they made between 300 to 400 Astre Formulas Total, but he was estimating off of total production numbers.

I attached a few Factory Press pic's, and a couple of my current Formula in its sad state, and one shot of my 78 Sunbird Wagon, just to show the optional 13" Snowflake wheels.

I hope that helps, I am sure I forgot a few things.

Hello Jeff,

Good to see other Formula owners here indeed.
Thanks for the added info. I figured these cars were pretty rare. I can count on one hand how many I've seen over the years since my neighbor bought his new back in '77.

You know, I was wondering about the Formula wagons. I have a GM parts manual set from that covers '76 to '81 and it shows a Formula stripe kit for a wagon, but I never seen a Formula wagon in person. Interesting.
With regard to the Formula steering wheel being standard. My car has tilt wheel and a standard or "comfort cushion?" steering wheel, same color as the interior, which shows up as correct on the PHS. I say standard since it is the same steering wheel used in Grand Prixs, Firebird Esprits, LeMans ect. Also, my neighbors white car did not have the Formula steering wheel either, but rather the one like my car had, and in the same color as the interior as well. So, my question is, if the Formula steering wheel was standard while the other wheel optional? I'll have to look at my PHS and see if the steering wheel in my car was an extra cost option.
Also, it seems to me that the Formula steering wheel was an option on the non-Formula Astres. I say this because a girl I dated in high school father, had a Astre wagon, non-Formula, with a Formula steering wheel. He loaned me the car to take his daughter out in when I got my Z28 Camaro stuck in his driveway due to snow. The F cars from that era with posi were terrible in the snow! (Sorry to ramble.) Anyhow, the Formula wheel in the Astre wagon had the Pontiac crest medallion like you had described.



I'll post some pics of my Formula in the near future.

Mark

Mark,

It is interesting that your car has the Standard 2 spoke wheel, The dealer brocure and the PHS on both of the Formula's I have owned has the Formula wheel as part of the Formula Apearance package, with the tilt column & power steering manditory options with the wheel. Interesting.
Also I never meant to imply that the Formula wheel was not available on other Astre's and Sunbirds, it was from 77-80. And like your delux wheel is the same wheel available on F, A, and G bodies.

And I also have never seen a Formula Wagon, I just have some scans of original pic's taken in June 77 the day the owner took delevery. Unfortunatly it is a black car, and you can just make out the gold lower body stripes, but you cans clearly see the Formula decals on the doors, rear hatch, and front header panel. Also it does not have the hood decal.
So far I have verified that they built White cars with blue graphics, silver cars with orange graphic's, black cars with gold graphic's, and red and yellow cars with black graphic's. I have seen pic's of about 5 white cars, 2 silver cars, and 1 of each of the other colors.

Jeff,

I guess I was thinking the wheel in my car was the "standard" wheel when it is in fact an optional steering wheel, not thinking of the base Astre is a 2 spoke as you mentioned. At any rate after reading your post and looking at my PHS, I see that my car has the optional steering wheel - N30 "Luxury Cushion Steering Wheel" as shown in the pic below. As an aside, my car has N33 tilt wheel and N41 variable ratio power steering options.

In my opinion, the Formula steering wheel is a much better looking wheel and I might upgrade to one.

Pretty cool shots of a Formula wagon. That is the only one I have ever seen, picture or otherwise.

Regards,

Mark

would it be possible to drop a 301 turbo in one of these?

Mark,

So you bought the yellow one I was eyeing, but could not justify buying anouther car!!!!!! My wife loves that color combo!!!! Nice looking car, yours is odd also as it is missing the blacked out side window trim. What month was yours built? The earliest I have seen is 2nd week of Dec 76, and the latest I have seen was my white 5-speed car that was 1st week of July 77.
As for the Turbo 301 fitting into a Astre, the 301 itself should fit with some fabrication required with motor mounts & oil pan mods (even the SBC requires the Monza oil pan or some simple mods to be done to it to fit the H-body chassis.) Now the real issue would be were to mount the turbo, I do not think the turbo will fit in the stock location, under the stock hood. Transmission that would bolt up would be a BOP T-350 or a 200R4 or any manual that bolts up to a BOP Bellhousing.
It could be done, but who ever does it is probebly into unknown territory regarding everthing that would have to be done. I have put a 200R4 into my 78 Wagon, and it is a tight fit, I don't think a 700R4 will fit without moding the trans tunnel.

Thanks Jeff

Yep, I bought this one on Ebay and it came from Texas. I really didnt need another car/project but these cars dont come up very often as I'm sure you know, so I couldnt resist.
Turns out my car was built the 2nd week of December as well. I wonder when production began on the Formulas? Start of production or mid-year introduction?
You brought up another interesting point about the window trim blackout. I had assumed that the blackout treatment was standard on these cars as the sales info indicates. On my car, there is no evidence that the black out was ever there.
I wonder if this is a trait of the early cars?


Mark

Guys here are a few pictures of the car I looked at. It is a decent car but dirty. 4 cylinder and an Automatic. It looks pretty original and also has the non formula wheel. The guy wants at $2600 as it sits. too rich for me but I do like the car.

Thanks for posting the pics!
The Formula looks to be is pretty good shape and mostly complete!
I would be very tempted!

I 2nd the thanks on the pic's, and agree that the $$$ is alittle high, but it does seem to be almost complete, even the 3-piece spoiler is intact!!! I sold my extra spoiler several years ago for $350.00 (I was unemployed then) so the parts are worth something. If it was rust free and near me I would be tempted though.
Did you offer them $1500.00? $1500.00-2000.00 is more in line. But as PHS says they only made about 300 of them!!!

Jeff,
The car is weathered pretty badly. The interior is torn up and the window on the drivers side has been down for a long time. 2 wheels are missing also. The only rust I saw was on the C pillar where the quarter panel meets the roof back by the hatch. The lower quarters are solid as are the fenders. I could not see under the car so the Floors are unknown. I was thinking around $300-500 as it sits. any thoughts? THanks, Jeff

Jeff,

the rear spoiler is worth $300 to $500 the rest of the car is a questionable, the bolt on hood and hood hinges is also a bonus, thet are 75-77 Astre and 77 Vega only, earlier Vega Hood hinges welded onto the hoods and are a PITA to remove it would definatly be worth at least $1000.00 in parts, but it depends on how much you can get it for, and how much hassel rerquired and how much you are willing to put into it. like I said if I was closer I would be tempted. Also Colorado rusty and Michigan rusty are totaly different.

Jeff, I agree on the rust part!! I may go check into it a little more. I would be more interested in it if it was a manual. The guy also has a 77 Astre wagon with a manual that is complete. HMMMMMM....

Sounds like if you can get them both for that price you may be onto something.

Hey guys, Cammerjeff already knows; but I have 5 of the 13 inch Snowflake wheels including only one NOS center cap. I also have 16 of the factory lug nuts, but no center caps. If you want them, PM me. Also concerning the Astre wagons...... I've got a set of side panels off a 1976 Vega Nomad. Only made that one year and only about 2000 made. Look them up on the net, that's the only place you'll see one. You could make a one off Astre Safari !!!!!. PM me about that also. I'm never going to use this stuff, and only got it to save from being crushed. I also plan on using the money to put on my 77 Can Am. David

Valve cover pic's
 

I just thought I would post some pic's of my newly "Pontiacized" Rover valve covers for the Buick 215 V-8 I plan on putting into the Astre. Rover was nice enough to cast in some flat areas to modify, and not cast any rover ID on them. Also 1 shot of the Mighty Formula 2.5 with California emissions, and the chrome valve cover. 1977 Performance at its finest!!!

Well it looks like I will finally be able to get the Yellow Astre Formula I have been tracking for 5 plus years on its trip north from Dallas. Just a few teaser pic until I get it home this Sunday. Then I can take some good pic's.

Solid Body with original paint and graphic's (drivers side floor board does need repair, but that it it. No Motor or trans, perfect to install the 215 Buick V-8 and T-5 I have. Comes with most parts to complete the 5 lug conversion on it. Interior is trash, but I do have most parts to complete the interior already. I may finally be able to complete the Astre Formula I have wanted for 10 plus years!!!!!!