[fsted]

hi guys has anyone ever used the repop trunk dropoffs that npd sells says they are camaro but will work with mods? anybody know what mods are needed mine look to be off a bunch. my old ones were all but gone so they arent much help. pics would be great thanks for any help Ed

[superdutybob]

Our host here claims they have Firebird Trunk Drops that need no modification. You might try them. The NPD parts are for Camaros and supposedly need some rework to fit.

[TA455HO]

It looks like it depends on what year you are dealing with.

RFT16A 1970-73 TRUNK DROP OFF PANEL, LH........................$65.00
Made for Camaro. Requires some modification to fit Firebirds & TransAms.
RFT16B 1970-73 TRUNK DROP OFF PANEL, RH........................$65.00
Made for Camaro. Requires some modification to fit Firebirds & TransAms.
RFT16L 1974-81 TRUNK DROP OFF PANEL, LH (correct)........$109.00
RFT16R 1974-81 TRUNK DROP OFF PANEL, RH (correct).......$109.00

[superdutybob]

That's funny to me!

I asked that specific question about the drop offs for a 74 and was told they are Firebird parts, not Camaro parts that need to be reworked.

[TA455HO]

I took the catalog entry to mean just that. 1974 and up look to be correct Firebird parts. 1970-1973 are advertised as Camaro and needing some mods for Firebird.

[superdutybob]

My bad! I interpreted your post incorrectly. Here is the link which I spoke about.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=582321

[1970TA]

I bought the drop offs and my friend that did the body work on my car had to cut them all up. The wheel opening on a camaro is different than a firebird so they had to be redone.

[DaveD]

I bought the mine from Year One and they look just like what is on the car (78 T/A).
They were also around $110 each just like PY's.

[1971455HO]

I can tell you first hand. The drop offs that are available for 70-73...are Camaro reproductions. They will have to be totally modified, and even then they won't be like the original Pontiac drop offs. The upper portion of the Camaro parts will obstruct the the rear side marker lights and will have to be chopped and cut on to allow access. Unless you or a veteran body man can duplicate the upper part like Pontiac did, it won't be a match. However, it ain't very noticeable. I was hoping that someone would have been making the rear drop offs and the rear tail panel, but it ain't happening...NOT YET. I ain't waiting. Did a lot of work fabricating the lower portion of the tail panel from a Camaro piece. Basically cut out what I needed and reshaped the radius. Birds are a little flatter than Camaros there. Same thing with the drop offs. Used my originals as a template and started cutting and removing pie shaped pieces off the Camaro part until it matched the Bird part. Weld them back, grind them slick, paint them, This is as good as it gets. A good body man can do it though, if you can't. It sucks having a model that vendors realize there isn't gonna be a big demand for. Low production equals low or no reproduction!

[sd7369]

Hey guys, without disclosing too much info prematurely for competitve reasons, the correct trunk extensions ARE being made for the 70-3 cars along with the correct tailpanel, inner filler and the rear bumper. It is not a rumor!! All will be out this year with the t/p being the first part. By the way, it fits like a glove, NO revisions were necessary and it is in production now and stamped in at least one guage heavier metal; it is a defnite weight difference you can feel. Other pieces will follow later on, but whether this happens depends on all of us. I am closely involved with the premier maker of these high quality aftermarket pieces. They are my parts being supplied and I will be testing them as they become available. I will have the first batch and others will get them as they get ordered. I will be updating the status as it becomes available.

Something real important that needs to be mentioned is that when this stuff becomes available, as many as possible must be sold in the shortest time possible so they know the interst is truly there, otherwise they will become discouraged and may shelve all future projects. I cannot stress this enough; do NOT let the repro mentality take over (as in "now that I can get it, I will wait til I need it." Ever wonder why some previously available parts no longer are??? need I say more?) I encourage all persons needing one to buy the t/p as soon as it becomes available so the other projects can keep moving. Volume is the key, so anyone that needs a t/p, set aside about $435.00 now or in the near future so you can buy it as soon as it is released. This is just a suggestion, but if we want these parts, we need to support the company who is willing to go out on a limb and make them for us.

If these items sell well, the quarters are the next project, and maybe fenders and all the second gen rad supports (all five of them!!) but this is still far away until the current projects are close to completion. WE are in control of our destiny here.

One item I still need is the upper fillers just above the taillights on the inside corners as most of these need replacing. Rusty ones are ok but they must have the original shape as the stampers make what we give them. Anyone who can help, let me know. These can be made pretty quick.

[sd455hota]

Last time I dealt with the issue of no 70-73 pieces available I used both the camaro part and the 74 and up part. The 74 part fits fine except for the very back. I used the back area from the camaro piece which is pretty close. Still a bunch of work but it came out looking real nice. I should be saying this works on 71-73 as 70 is all by itself.

The repo will be a welcome part if it has good quality. sd7369, thanks in advance for taking this project on. PM sent btw.

[1971455HO]

Thanks for the heads up sd7369. Are you talking about good fitting 70-73 parts???

Or, are you talking second generation parts in general? After having to scrounge for everything that I lost with a lousy, crooked, won't mentioned him here, body shop... this is good news. I would immediately purchase these parts when they became available. If for no other reason just to have in case the unimaginable happened. Even though I've already had to resort to repairing some of my stuff or making my own parts............... I will buy them.

If any of you guys have had to beat the bushes and pay unbelieveable prices for used rusty parts like I have, you'll be crazy not to yourself. New tail panel, new drop offs, new fenders, and anything else..count me in. I hope you get around to making the left & right under the rear seat floor patch panels. Camaros and Birds share the same floors until it gets to the step-up for where the back seats reside. Mine wasn't bad-bad, but I had to spend some time cutting, splicing, welding & grinding to save mine. Patch pieces are quick and easy. Oh yeah, I forgot, please make correct early inner fenders too.

[keith k]

Originally Posted by sd7369

Hey guys, without disclosing too much info prematurely for competitve reasons, the correct trunk extensions ARE being made for the 70-3 cars along with the correct tailpanel, inner filler and the rear bumper. It is not a rumor!! All will be out this year with the t/p being the first part. By the way, it fits like a glove, NO revisions were necessary and it is in production now and stamped in at least one guage heavier metal; it is a defnite weight difference you can feel. Other pieces will follow later on, but whether this happens depends on all of us. I am closely involved with the premier maker of these high quality aftermarket pieces. They are my parts being supplied and I will be testing them as they become available. I will have the first batch and others will get them as they get ordered. I will be updating the status as it becomes available.

Something real important that needs to be mentioned is that when this stuff becomes available, as many as possible must be sold in the shortest time possible so they know the interst is truly there, otherwise they will become discouraged and may shelve all future projects. I cannot stress this enough; do NOT let the repro mentality take over (as in "now that I can get it, I will wait til I need it." Ever wonder why some previously available parts no longer are??? need I say more?) I encourage all persons needing one to buy the t/p as soon as it becomes available so the other projects can keep moving. Volume is the key, so anyone that needs a t/p, set aside about $435.00 now or in the near future so you can buy it as soon as it is released. This is just a suggestion, but if we want these parts, we need to support the company who is willing to go out on a limb and make them for us.

If these items sell well, the quarters are the next project, and maybe fenders and all the second gen rad supports (all five of them!!) but this is still far away until the current projects are close to completion. WE are in control of our destiny here.

One item I still need is the upper fillers just above the taillights on the inside corners as most of these need replacing. Rusty ones are ok but they must have the original shape as the stampers make what we give them. Anyone who can help, let me know. These can be made pretty quick.

kudos to you! This is great news-

[eaglesan13]

Are there any plans to stamp a quality lower quarter panel patch panel?

[TTOP350]

WOW great news! I need a dr side 70 trunk drop off!

[fsted]

take a look at these pics the trunk ext is clamped in place. this thing is not even in the right zip code it will have to be sectioned in several place any chance this is the 74-81 ext can anyone tell from the pics. my originals are almost completely gone. wonder if the parts were marked wrong. also i thought i bought these from npd but i just pulled the receipt they came from py. i will call py in the morning. any help would be great. NOTE this post is not a meant to be negative towards any supplier i am just trying to determine if i have the closest repop parts available and this amount of mods is the normal or maybe i have the later extensions the parts have a paper tag on them. thanks ED

[Matt T]

(subscribed)

The drop offs were one of the first things I came to this board looking for--that was when the GM camaro ones had just run out and they weren't being repro'ed yet. If good ones are really going to made soon, I'll start saving my pennies. Still no plans to fix the car yet as I'm still supposed to do the 71 Camaro first (so I can make my mistakes on that).

Those pics were good--shows how much you CAN'T tell until you get it apart. I held up the GM camaro drop I have against the 70 FB from under the car and it didn't look that bad.

[cdoggy81]

(subscribed)
Me too

[71formula455]

Guys any updates on the status of the development of these trunk drop offs??

SD7363 previously idicated things are works, I'm on board for purchasing them.

[wizard61]

I'm planing on beginning a restoration of my Formula this Fall/Winter. This is what I have decided to do in regards to the trunk drop issue. I have attached a photo of the 70-73 Camaro drop at the top. In the middle is a real 70-73 firebird Drop, and below is the 74 and up drop(the white line shows the true separation point between the outer wheel well and the drop. The origional drop has a small section of the outer wheel well still attached).

From looking at the two re-popped drops, in my opinion, you are far better going with the 74+ drop as a starting point for modification. the front 2/3rds of the drop is an exact match of the 70-73 drop. that only leaves you with having to fabricate the back part. What I notice about the camaro drop is that while the top edge that welds to the trunk floor pan is very similar, the whole shape of the wheel lip area is very different and a different radius. While the actual side of the 70-73 firebird drop is really flat sided with the exception of the last third which curves slightly back; the camaro drop is very curved and also shaped differently in the rear.

My conclusion, and what I plan to do is to fabricate a new back third using the origional drop as my template and but welding the new fabricated section on to the 74+ drops and replicating all the flanged edges of the origional 70-73 drop. Sounds like a lot of work, but I really don't think it will be that bad. I would like to hear what others have done or any advise that they would like to offer.

Thanks,

James