The following information was borrowed from the best firebird site around.

www.firebirdgallery.com

History of Auto Forms Company

Auto Forms was a company based out of Elkhart, Indiana that performed convertible conversions on Firebirds. It is believe the conversions began in 1983 and were performed through early 1986 with just a few thousand converted total for all 4 years. Auto Form was sanctioned by GM and as such did conversions on both Firebirds and Camaros. The conversions were performed at two different facilities: one in Elkhart, Indiana and the other in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The conversion took about two weeks and cost an estimated $5500. Auto Forms worked directly with participating Pontiac dealers and did not accept customers off the street. New cars were drop shipped to one of the facilities and then delivered to the dealer for delivery to the customer. Year by year production is also not known but its believed that about 600 total cars were built between 1984 and 1986 including both Firebirds and Camaros.

The conversion used an extended rear decklid that extended through the rear seating area to the front seats. The decklid was formed with two bullet shaped bulges that sat immediately behind each seat that provided both support for the head rest but also served to enhance the euro style race car look. The decklid was comprised of  a 2-layer fiberglass laminate and opened up and back from the front so the top could be retracted for stowage. The rear portion of the decklid functioned as a trunk lid swinging open an external chromed hinges support by the struts re-used from the original glass hatch. The design maintained the size and space of the original trunk.  A few cars were made without the hinged opening.
 

The top itself was an unusual design. The base piece was also a 2-layer fiberglass laminate which was less prone to warping than other single layer designs of the time. The hardtop roof was reinforced with heavy gauge steel brackets for extra support. For visual appeal the outer portion of the roof was covered with a convertible top material. Using a but of ingenuity the Auto Form engineers used the upholstery from the removed back seat to create a headliner for the top. The rear window in the top was plastic.
 

Interestingly, and unlike most convertible systems we are all familiar with, this design incorporated no automatic mechanism for raising and lowering the top. Its all done by hand. The hardtop swings up and down on a spring loaded steel arm that is part of a steel reinforcement cage that's installed vertically in the car behind the seats. The cage provided the necessary rigidity for the rest of the car that was lost when the top was removed. The cage welds into the vehicle at the door pillars and floor pan and is covered by a neat fiberglass cap.
 

To further improve structural integrity subframe connectors were welded in and an X-member was added that bolted to the lift pads under the car. Bolting, rather than welding, it in allowed for transmission or exhaust work to be performed. After being lowered the top was stowed down inside a plastic tub installed in the rear seat area. The tub included access holes so you could get to the rear shocks.
 

The upper body also received some visual accents to improve the overall cosmetic value of the package. The top of the windshield received a chrome plated steel reinforcement header attached with countersunk torx head screws. A fiberglass finishing rail was attached at the door pillars running back to the rear end of the fender and attached to the inside of the body with hidden screws.
 

For weatherproofing internal drains were built into the rear deck/trunk cover system to channel water out the back end of the car. Factory weather stripping was retained wherever possible. The fiberglass panels came in stock Firebird colors: black, beige and red. Below is the original Flyer done by the company.  Please note they have been out of business for many years.

My car getting reading for the trip home in a semi truck.

My car parked out front of my home, happy to be in sunny California.  More pictures to follow.

Pictures of my roadster at some car shows here in California.

Sometimes we win a trophy or two.

Some other Auto Forms cars see on the web.  Ebay, or any where.

1982

1984

1985

1986