16 Jun 09

TDY again, so no more progress to report.  Time, time, time.........

05 Jun 09

Almost a year since I updated.  Been a pretty busy year with deployments and a never ending stream of TDYs which equals no time to work on the Firebird.  That is all over.  Below is the pic before the car is off to get the ride height and alignment done.  It will be back to the house for a few tweaks and then registration and a first test drive.  Doesn't seem real....

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06 Jun 2008

It has been about 6 months since I posted. Time has been a premium, but at least the car is at the 95% point now.

Just a few updates:

1. I had to cancel the roll cage install. I am too tall (6' 5") for the cage in this car. My head would be up above the roll bar, therefore the cage would do more harm than good in a crash.

2. Interior is about 85% done. As soon as I get more done, I'll upload some photos.

3. Just a few more recent picks. I still have to adjust the suspension and tighten everything down underneath one more time. Gotta make sure I didn't miss something critical.

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17 Dec 2007

A year has gone by and I have not done that much to the 'bird. I have been on the road so much and family pressures when I am home have put the brakes on things. However, I decided to go ahead and put a 10-point rollcage in the car. I know it seems a little drastic, but I decided to do it after much deliberation.

The following are reasons I did it:

1. Air bags were not an option in 1968.
2. Increase to my survival odds in the event of a crash
3. Increases the car's survival odds in the event of a crash
4. Stiffens the body, thus preventing body flex under the torque of the 455

I'll provide photos as the cage goes in. Expect to post them in Mid January 08.

15 Dec 2006

I Finally got the car on the tires today. It is actually starting to look like a car!!!

Check out the rear of the car...

But looking back, this car is and will continue to be a labor of love. Here is the story of this car and my efforts to bring it back up to snuff.

April, 2005

Tony with the 'bird

Went back home on leave to pick up my long, lost friend...my Firebird. In the process, I was able to make contact with a truly long, lost friend...Billy. He is pictured below with the 'bird. I also had another life-long friend of mine over to help with the car. Tony helped me more than I can imagine in getting the car ready for shipment to Germany, where it is now. Not only was his help instrumental in getting the car ready to ship, he got me access to the all important loading dock, which we needed since the car was being shipped in a sea-land container.

Billy with the 'bird

Both Tony and Billy remember this car when I was driving it and occassionally street racing it back in the early '80s. What fun times those were. Even now, I remember those times with fondness with every turn of the wrench, as I get this car closer to being "finished".

Question--Is one ever truly finished with a project car?

Andy Sparling of Sylvester, Georgia built the motor. I can't say enough about Andy. Awesome engine builder and a nicer guy you'll never meet.

Andy breaking in the motor on his test stand

A quick shot of the 'bird at Andy's house, as it awaits it's new power plant.

Shipping the car to Germany...Bye Bye to the good ole USA...for now! Gonna teach a few Golfs a thing or two about American muscle!

As you can see from the picture below, I have had lots of help from friends and family. That is the back of my brother-in-law's head, Zack Strickland. I used his truck and trailer to get the car to the loading docks.

Car going into the container bound for Germany

Bird in a cage...

Hello Houston, the Eagle has landed.....in Germany.

...And the work begins for me.

May, 2006

Here is the latest on paint...

Car has been in the shop since February. Progress is being made, but painfully slow. It should be painted by next week. In two weeks it should be back in the garage.

Here are a few progress photos...

- Decided to go with a 10-point roll car (stiffen the chassis and provide some protection.
- Replacement glass for windshield ordered today...should be here before paint is finished

Progress Report:

- Car is painted and final polish is set for this week
- Ordered Wilwood Disc Brakes for all 4 corners
- Autometer Gauges arrived
- Ordered Stainless Steel brake lines to go with the Wilwood goodies
- New Grill Inserts arrived
- Suspension pieces are all on hand--waiting for the car to get back from final finish at paint shop

Coming Order of Business

1. Install all new wiring harnesses (on-hand)
2. Install all the suspension pieces (ADCO, QA1)
3. Measure for and order the wheels/tires
5. Install the motor/transmission/drive train
6. Do a quick burnout

Engine and transmission going into the 'bird. Keven Haldeman and Tim Church give me a hand getting the beast installed.

By the way, check out the carb. Cliff Ruggles (Cliff's Qjets) built this one for me...awesome work. This guy is a genious when it comes to Qjets and has been a great source of help on other Pontiac matters. If you are thinking about what carb to run, give Cliff a ring first...or you can buy 2 holley's (One to run and a spare to keep when the first one is giving trouble).

Started installing the Wilwood brakes...these are AWESOME!!!

Check out how the integrated parking brake is set up...really cool!

06 Oct 2006

It has been a while since I had time to work on the 'bird, or do anything else. That finally changed today. I put the Energy Suspension body mounts in, as well as installed my subframe connectors from Competition Engineering. While the subframe connectors are great and bolted right up, their technical writers are lacking. A simple photo or drawing of how the subframe connector is suppose to bolt into the leaf spring perches would have been nice. Maybe I am missing something, but after messing with this thing for a couple of hours I finally got it figured out. As usual, I was making a "simple" task far too difficult.

To make up for the short comings of Competition Engineering's technical writers, I am providing a photo of the rear part of the subframe connector. This shot is from the passenger side and shows how the connector should sit against the forward leaf spring perch. Once I figured how these install, everything went in easily.

NOTE: You will need longer bolts than what you removed when re-installing the spring perch. I was lucky and had some on hand. Also note that I had to enlarge the bolt holes in the subframe connectors due to VERY minor alignment problems. Competition Engineering does advise that you may need to do this...no dramatic modifications.

I also receive a single wheel and tire today. The other three are still in the mail. I could not resist, so I stuck one on to see how it looks.

These are Billet Specialties "Qualifier" wheels and are relatively new. I can't say enough about the folks at
NEWSTALGIAWHEELS. These guys know their business and I fully recommend them. As soon as I get the rest of the wheels and tires on the car, I'll post more photos.