Junkyard Find: 1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Autoform Convertible 2-Seater
For the 1987 through 1992 model years, car shoppers could order an ASC-modified Firebird with a convertible top through Pontiac dealerships. Prior to that, a bunch of entrepreneurial outfits with varying degrees of sketchiness had convertible-ized the third-generation F-Body. Here's one of those cars, found in a car graveyard in Aurora, Colorado.
If it's 2038 and your Meta Helper/ParoleBot just excitedly sent this post to your neural implant, and you're all worked up that finally you can find some junkyard Autoform F-Body parts for your project, I have bad news: this car got crushed in February of 2026.
I get pleading messages all the time from people who just found a post I wrote about a junkyard car in, say, 2008, and it bums me out to have to tell them the car was shredded while George W. Bush was still in the White House. Sometimes they appreciate my response, sometimes they are enraged with me.
Anyway, I can't always get to a post about every one of these cars while it's still available for your parts-pulling pleasure, though I try with the rarer ones. Lately, I've been posting them ( including this one) right away on my Junkyard Heads-Up series, so that their parts may be harvested by my loyal readers.
This car is interesting for reasons beyond being a genuine Autoform convertible. It's a first-year third-generation Firebird, for one thing.
The second-gen F-Body had bloated significantly by the end, with the lightest possible 1981 Camaro scaling in at 3,222 pounds. For 1982, the new third-gen Camaro weighed as little as 2,846 pounds.
The base engine in the 1982 Firebird was the Iron Duke four-cylinder, but the VIN says this car was built with the four-barrel-topped Chevrolet 305-cubic-inch small-block V8 rated at 145 horsepower and 240 pound-feet. That may even be the engine that was still in it at the end.
The hairiest factory engine available in the 1982 Firebird was the Cross-Fire Injection-equipped 305 with 165 horses, available only as a Trans Am option that year.
American drivers had fallen deeply out of love with manual transmissions by the early 1980s, but this car has not only three pedals but the optional five-speed instead of the S/E's base four-on-the-floor. By Late Malaise Era standards, this was a pretty quick car.
Just to confuse the techs at emissions-testing facilities, the underhood smog sticker is from a 1988 Firebird. Presumably there was a hood swap at some point during this car's career.
The VIN and radiator-support engine sticker say it's a real '82.
The early-to-middle 1980s was a special time for Pontiac. Willow Run Transmission lineworker Natalie Carroll posed with the new 'birds for the 1983 Pontiac Excitement calendar, for example.
Now let's get to the Autoform stuff. Autoform (sometimes spelled Auto Form) was based in Elkhart, Indiana and made 1982-1987 Camaro and Firebird two-seat roadsters. These cars featured a hinged panel that replaced the rear liftback hatch and covered the opened convertible top. They got this fiberglass panel with faux "rear seat" upholstery where the back seats once lived.
This car's convertible top is in rough shape but still present.
I'm not sure what that translucent plastic sunroof-ish panel is on the interior side.
The Autoform trunk hinges have been replaced with Home Depot units.
It sure was!
Here's an Autoform Trans Am owner's walkaround video.
This Firebird commercial is not as science-fictiony as Mitsubishi's JDM ads of the same era, but it'll do.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
1982 Pontiac Firebird S/E Auto Form convertible in Colorado wrecking yard.
[Images: Author]
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Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.
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My first car was an '84 T/A in these colors. Pretty sharp for high school in the '90s, but one of the few cars I don't really miss. That 305 was a dog, and it had the structural rigidity of cardboard.
Back in early 80s and only company I knew that made the convertible kits for 3rd generation cameros and firebird was from Elkart Indiana. I moved to Pensacola in late 1984, and by 1986 was working for a guy who done alot of custom cars, and show car work with some insurance jobs to. He had 3 of those conversion convertibles and had built a couple for customers. There was a wide body kit to for the Z28s, his first on normal kit was an 84 as 82 were weak and lacked punch welds, sitting still and turning the steering wheels frame horns would flex over an inch and pinch welds would make a snaping noise. Was corrected by 84 with twice the welds. Can correct older ones with a frame brace kits. So they did a beige 84 Z28 and all those kits had like Batmoblie wedges behind your head. A big brace kit between inside quarters were rear was, the release button in center counsel for rear hatch glass was still used as the release was moved up on top of the bracing where rear seat was and glass latch is applied to front of the big fiberglass cover that now hinges backwards, with hinges used above rear tailights. That square hatch shown in this one was used as a trunk or storage place to get to from outside or when bug lid was up! There was a fiberglass cover that went in where rear seat was. Was carpeted. As the top swings down into that area to hide it. When you closed it there was a center hook that look like a car clothes hanger hook. That center piece held the center back convertible part below rear window. Than you snapped the other part down until you got to quarter panels, doors must be open, as the top jad the rubber side glass seals in it. Those all were made from T-Top cars you cut across the front and certain areas you marked to cut, and along top of quarters, jad to javecall your bracing in first so car didnt collapse as your removing all its structure! Before you cut the car a X brace went underneath the car up on a hoist, had bolt on frame connectors and a bolt in X frame to support the car. Up front was like a regualr convertible it guide pins on each side you guided the front top down in then it jad the draw down latches you snapped to lock the top down. When that down it drawed tha back of the top tight, and why you wanted to jave it in the center hook and at least 3 snaps snapped first, or you couldn't get them snapped it front was latched, then you came to the side and snapped another 4 and a tap wrapped around where top back of door was ,now your door has seals. You had to take care of those making sure it was done right to not tear the seals. Then you can close your doors! That big fiberglass lid used the same long gas shocks as the bug glass rear window did. Just backwards. They would hold that lid up! The top was all manual. To make the convertible you unsnapped the front with doors open, unsnapped the sides and back, pull back to unhook it. Then fold it up to get rear lid to miss it, push center counsel release and rear lid would rise up hinge back on heavy hinges above taillights. Swing the top down and into the car, it had 2 pivot point on side quarter inside and whole top laid in upsidedown then you closed the lid, it sealed on rubber lip inside quarters, was a fiberglass painted piece behind front seats that covered the whole works back there that had a couple sunk in places behind seats that had matching carpet in there to complete it. The wide bodys were harder as you basically cut alot of quarters off, and left the inner structure and part of the top structure, all the way around and those wide panels were glued onto the raw metal structure. They looked cool as you could put 10" wide wheels in back and a easy 8inch up front with deep dish wheels that looked the best! The front fender bolted on. Then you ciuld mold in hood scoop of your choice or buy a hood made. We did a black one for a customer all black, except alum.wheels and he made a tag called Z-RAG. loved that look of a wide body! Then in 1985 and were the best ever made when the awesome Tune-Ports came out and 85s jad the biggest injectors of them all. Those cars ran great with power and still got 30 mpg. We built one for the boss and a couple customer jobs. That company stopped making that top kit because GM was copying it and making there own in 89. Without the big wedges behind your head. So we bought alot of remaining parts like those triangle hinges somebody replaced on this image! I saw a couple come into dealerships and we worked on them, replaced some hinges and seals, to snaps. Never saw any of these in firebirds though but it had to be same company that made it! Same hinges and truck lid part, hinged up same way, but I never saw that center clear thing on the top above your head though. Ours were all black there and part of canvas top. Those complete kits back then weren't cheap as each kit was $7500. Plus you had to have a T-Top car or buy one, then do a but of know how labor and cutting to build one! My X boss still had both of his in 2006, the tune port 8t was wrecked sitting in his warehouse, another Z was bought years ago to swap it all over. But nobody wanted to do the work or scared to. His white 84 was still being driven now and then and was pushing a 100,000 miles. His favorite was his 2000 corvette rag top with Nitrous kit. ! Pretty fast! We modified exhaust to cackle when you left off! He had alot of muscle type cars too we built over the years or custom cars sitting around! He has since died off and done know what happened to all that as he still owed me back pay money and I had a solid 81 Z28 there! He had alot of parts to alot of cars and these type convertibles! Makes me wonder what happened to all that! His son wouldn't have kept anything and probably had a big auction and what didnt sell went to junk yard! Lots of T-tops for 3rd generation Z28s, mid seventy to 82 Corvettes, and some second generation Z28 Hurst T-Tops that are rare. Had the covers too. Any fiberglass cool parts we built from scratch and were molds for those type things too. Seeing this car reminds me of all that we used to do and have ! He loved those Z28 3rd generation rag tops! When GM came out with there's it was like they copied those kits to a T without the batmoblie wedges behind your head. There's had a roundy one like a 55 Thunderbird hood scoop and alot smaller. Can see why Elkhart Company stopped making there.