F-Body: A History Part 2

F-Body: Part 2

A New Generation

The first generation F-Body cars, especially the Camaro, had been a huge success for GM. While their sale numbers did not even approach the outrageous amount of 'Stangs Ford was selling at the time, the fact that they broke the 50,000 mark each year was a great surprise for GM. What was once an experiment now became a full featured product. This would be the best selling generation of the F-Body cars. This was, much to the chagrin of the F-Body fan, purely by chance, as after 1974 there were no true pony cars left to compete with the Camaro and the Firebird, as the Mustang became a subcompact coupe and Challenger, Barracuda, and AMC Javelin left the market.

1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Design

The new second generation F-Bodies were completely new from the ground up. Taking what they learned with the original F-Bodies, designers at Chevrolet and Pontiac created new bodies that were much more "driver friendly" than the first generation. Gone were the squeaks, rattles, and obnoxious wind noise of the first model coupes. New seats provided increased comfort, and the new cars' size was increased. Early second generation models looked very similar, with the Camaro once again having a more muscular appearance with a large open grill. The Firebird, meanwhile, featured a higher-set, smaller grill with the traditional Pontiac "Grill Split" nose. The rear-ends were different as well, with the Camaro featuring quad tail-lights (a nod to the Corvette) and the Firebird having Pontiac's distinctive "split" tail-lights.

1978 Trans Am with T-Tops; this style was used in Smokey and the Bandit

Over time, the design was revamped. In 1978, both models were given a major face-lift. The Camaro's large, jet-intake grill was removed and in its place a smaller, higher-set grill. The Firebird gained a completely smooth front end (something that would define the Firebird for the remainder of its days) with four square head-lights.

Powerplants: Camaro

The new F-Bodies featured similar powerplants to the first generation. The straight-6 continued, although the 230ci was no longer available. In its place was the optional 250ci. In the V8 department, both cars took separate paths. The Camaro kept the Chevy-built 350ci as its flagship engine, however, owners could also choose a big-block 396ci, which was actually a 402ci. Chevrolet kept the name for brand recognition. Two 454ci engines were planned, but scrapped at the last second. The Camaro would keep the 250ci and the 350ci throughout much of its second generation, with the 250ci six being replaced by a 230ci V6 late in its production run. Special engines for the Camaro were limited to the new LT-1 350ci. It was available only on the Camaro Z28. This new engine pumped out 360hp and could be mated to an automatic transmission. The previous Z28's 302 was discontinued, although late models had a 305ci which was similar in size, but nowhere near the performance.

1979 Camaro Z28 powered by the 350ci

Over time, the Camaro's big-rev engines were either weakened to the point of pathetic or discontinued due to increasing exhaust regulations and the fuel crisis of the 1970's. By the end of its life-span, the only engines available was a new 230ci V6, a 305ci V8, and the two 350ci engines, one for Berlinettas and Sport Coupes and the other for the Z28. While the horsepower offered by these engines was better than the mid-70's Camaros, it did not touch the power of the 1st generation models or the early 2nd generation models.

Powerplants: Firebird

The new Firebird's engines were, like the Camaros, carried over the first generation. A straight-6, several small-block V8s, and of course the Big blocks were continued without many changes. Two RAM Air Engines were available; both were based on the Pontiac 400ci engine. While the GTO's RAM Air engines were more powerful, which kept the GTO as Pontiac's "King of Power" the Firebird's engines were nothing to sneer at. Surprisingly, while other sports cars (including the Camaro) lost their performance engines during the mid to late 70's, the Firebird struggled until the last possible second with its high-output engines. The Pontiac 400ci, and the mighty 455ci MAX were available as late as 1977, when other cars had, at their largest displacement, 350ci small blocks.

However, even the Firebird fell to the issues of the times, with the 455ci being discontinued in 1977. The 400ci carried on as the last of the Big-blocks, and despite not having the performance of earlier 400ci Pontiac engines (or the Chevrolet 396ci) it managed to keep the spirit of American muscle alive. This would be the last model Firebirds to use Pontiac-built engines. In 1982, GM mandated that all of its daughter companies switch to "coporate" engines, or Chevy engines.

Conclusion

The 2nd generation Camaros and Firebirds are often remembered as the last performance cars of their era. Their unique muscle car design, powerful engines (compared to the competition) and hot handling made them the standout vehicles of their generation.