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Hi all, I've had my 1999 T/A Firehawk since it was new, but unfortunately life has gotten in the way and I have to give up on my dream of restoring it. I was wondering if anyone had any idea what the car would be worth to someone who'd want to restore it, since I need the space.
The good:
~48,000 original miles (can't check exact right now, the battery is dead)
6-speed manual
Navy Blue Metallic (#120)
It's almost entirely original as delivered from the factory; a few mods have been installed but I kept the original parts in almost every case (except if it was a wear item)
Have the SLP front floor mats and the car cover with the firehawk logo
The bad:
Slight rear axle noise at highway speeds
Paint on the hood is completely shot
Rear seatback split open on the top from sun damage
The SLP wheels would need to be completely redone or replaced; the chrome has peeled and two of them don't hold air long term.
Mods:
Z06 clutch (do not have the original, it went up in smoke)
Some sort of aftermarket hydraulic clutch master cylinder replacement (do not have the original, it failed)
Turn One power steering pump (do not have the original, it failed)
WS6 lower airbox (have the original)
Some sort of aftermarket T56 shifter (should still have the original, but no idea why anyone would want it)
Underdrive crank pulley (still have the original)
I'm honestly not sure how bad the paint is on the rest of the car. It's dirty, for sure, but it might actually be in okay-to-good shape. The hood, though, would absolutely have to be completely repainted.
Your guess isn't far off from my own thoughts, I was figuring that it was absolutely worth no more than $10K, tops. I'd looked into doing the resto myself, back in 2019 or 2020, and figured I'd need to spend about $7.5-10k on it.
Once the weather warms up and I can clean it up, I'll post up some pictures, see if there's any interest. I'd really like to see it go to someone who would appreciate it rather than having it hauled off.
Let me get it cleaned up as best I can by hand and I'll get some pictures; that should be enough to see how bad the paint is everywhere other than the hood. I have tomorrow off and it looks like the weather will be good.
Last edited by 99Hawk120; Feb 8, 2023 at 08:18 AM.
Reason: Added location
FWIW - A friend had the paint go bad on the nose & hood of his FireHawk several years ago. By the time the fiberglass/SMC was repaired, repainted & blended it was ~$2,000. Quality work - can't tell it was repaired.
Carolina Custom Metal Finishing in Cherryville, North Carolina had the best rechrome prices for quality work five years ago. They rechromed several parts for my 72 Vette. CCMF is about ~200 miles away or 3.5 hours from Raleigh.
I'd guess doing wheels $350 to $450 each so say $1,600. Just about like buying wheels etc if one can find good condition.
I've done a quick wash of it, but I'll have to do a better job later, possibly with a towel or clay bar--there's some grayish-black crap on it that comes off, but it's too much effort to get it with a sponge. It does have two flat tires and a plate that's been expired since 2018, so I can't get it to someone who could do a better cleaning job than I can--something it desperately needs. In fact, the whole car could use a good detailing job, really.
Initial inspection of the paint is better than I'd expected. It looks like the only areas that need painting are the hood, front bumper, and possibly the right fender. The paint on the rest the car is in surprisingly good shape, all things considered. Whether it could be matched, or if you'd have to paint the whole car, I've no way of telling. The wheels are possibly salvageable if someone like CCMF (above) was able to clean them up and rechrome them.
I'll grab some quick pictures of the exterior as soon as the car dries--it's warm and sunny out, so shouldn't be too long. To get pics of the interior, I'm going to have to locate the keys, which may take a little while.
Edit: Here's the pictures. I did a quick wash and rinse, unfortunately looks like I missed a couple of spots, and you can see the crap that I'm still trying to get off, under the spoiler (it's definitely something on the paint, rather than damage to the paint. Should be good enough to get an idea. Still haven't found the keys, so outside pics only.
Last edited by 99Hawk120; Feb 8, 2023 at 12:17 PM.
Reason: Added Pictures
Man if this was closer id come by and make an offer, I would love to have a decent one to build/restore and 6 speed.
Funny you say that, if this car was an automatic I'd be asking for tips on how to restore it myself. But I've had too many repetitive strain issues to be able to drive stick anymore.
Thanks for the photos . It really helps. What a wonderful project for someone that can do things themselves. The car has so much potential. If the new owner has to pay someone to get the car back to #2 condition, it will cost $10k plus easy. Never mind the tires, fluid changes, and so much more from potential brakes to a/c issues from sitting outside.. I'm now in the $8,000 - $10,000 price neighborhood provided the engine is OK. For $20k total or a bit more for a new owner, this car could have a 2nd life. You WILL get that $$$ if acceptable to you, just be patient. GLWS!!!
The engine and transmission are in good shape, last I checked, but I am going to jump it to make sure (and get a picture of the odometer). The rear axle works fine and is... well, as strong as a 7.625" 10-bolt ever is, just has some noise. The last time it was on the road legally was 2018, but I drove it around the block as recently as 2021.
$10k was about the top of the range that I thought it might be worth, so I'm absolutely fine with your evaluation of $8-10k. I'm going to clean it up a bit more, take some more pics, and I'll put it up in the For Sale forum.
Did some more cleaning up and such to the car, also documented all the problem areas. Unfortunately I can't get the motor to catch. It does crank and build pressure, and every once in a while it'll catch for like a tenth of a second, but that's it. No pressure at the fuel rails and jumping the fuel pump relay produces no noise anywhere that I can hear, so the fuel pump is probably dead. On the other hand, I did get a photo of the dash with a working battery. I was off a bit on the mileage, but not by that much:
Link to the listing here at LS1Tech for those that are interested.
Last edited by 99Hawk120; Feb 22, 2023 at 06:44 PM.
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1999 Firehawk worth? 
If closer I'd swing by to look closer. 
. It really helps. What a wonderful project for someone that can do things themselves. The car has so much potential. If the new owner has to pay someone to get the car back to #2 condition, it will cost $10k plus easy. Never mind the tires, fluid changes, and so much more from potential brakes to a/c issues from sitting outside.. I'm now in the $8,000 - $10,000 price neighborhood provided the engine is OK. For $20k total or a bit more for a new owner, this car could have a 2nd life. You WILL get that $$$ if acceptable to you, just be patient. GLWS!!! 
