THIS SITE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE COOL RIDES! I like ALL cars and trucks that their owners have spent time and money personalizing and making better, whether it's a badass Civic with a howling high-flow intake or a Wrangler with a great lift kit! Everybody's different, that's what makes our hobby great. I've owned BMWs, Hondas, Nissans, Jeeps, Chevrolets, GMCs, Chryslers, Fords, and Kias, ALL great in their own ways and I would own all again given the opportunity.
Can you tell I LOVE my American Muscle Machine?
69brrrd testdrive
'69 Firebird, rack and pinion, tubular upper and lower control arms, welded-in Competition Engineering subframe connectors, 4-wheel drilled and slotted discs, 6-piston Wilwoods in front, and adjustable QA1 coil-overs (not visible in these early pics). Front and rear Hotchkis anti-roll bars and rear leafs holding a 12-bolt 3.73 Moser rear with 31 spline axles and an Eaton LS.
New for 2013 is a ZZ383 GM Performance Stroker w/roller cam/rockers, Fast-Burn heads, 10:1 compression, 425hp/450tq, RPM AirGap, Energy polyurethane motor mounts and re-jetted Holley 770CFM Street Avenger. Custom Ram Air hood with three-way all cold air. Patriot mid-length headers with DEI header wrap & custom exhaust by Andy's Muffler, Snellville, Ga. A Keisler TKO600.64 5-speed with a heavy duty Sachs clutch with a 168 tooth flywheel and a hydraulic release bearing. I'm turning only 2000rpm at 70mph which works out to redline at 180mph. Complete driveline is rated for 650+ ft lbs of torque so I can thrash it daily without breaking anything. 160mph speedometer is STOCK '69 Firebird and top speed so far is 143mph verified with a nav unit (and still pulling strong). I ran out of room so it's got more. On October 7, 2011 with the old 330hp crate motor it ran a 13.52@99mph at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. Recently added trunk mounted Red Top Optima, 3hp gear reduction starter, Pro-Comp internal coil compact HEI w/10.2mm Pro-Comp plug wires. Bi-Xenon 5k hi/low beams with 100 watt halogen inner high beams and dual seat heaters.
The wheels are polished aluminum American Racing Torque-Thrust 2s with Gorilla nuts and locks. The rears are 18x10 with 6 inch backspacing which put the rear rim in the center of the wheel well with the original 10-bolt stock rear axle. When I installed the Moser 12-bolt it was 1 inch shorter so I had to use 1/2 inch spacers and longer studs on each rear wheel to bring them back out. I had to roll the lips of the fenders up a little to keep from cutting the sidewalls on the 275/40 tires but I didn't have to cut or tub the rear fenders. The rear anti-roll bar helps keep the tires from rubbing too. The fronts are 17x8 with 4.75 backspacing with 225/45s to keep the sidewalls the same height. Wider front rims are possible but I used 2-inch drop spindles in an early attempt to lower the front end and the steering arm end was too close. The later addition of the adjustable height QA1 coilovers made the drop spindles unnecessary.
BMW Vermillion Red paint in March '09 by legendary Eddie Jackson/Yellow River Collision, Lilburn, Ga.
Nostalgic Auto Air AC, 3-row Champion all-aluminum radiator, twin 12-inch electric pusher fans controlled by a variable-speed Flex-a-lite computer ensures no overheat even in Atlanta traffic. Never gets above 185 degrees.
600 watt 6-speaker w/12-inch Sony subwoofer Infinity/Rockford Fosgate stereo system with a JVC Bluetooth/HD radio head unit.
This was originally a plain-jane gold 350 automatic. I converted it to a 5-speed including custom adapting the center console from an automatic one. There is no manual transmission reproduction center console available so you have to fab your own or pay mega-bucks for one on ebay. I added an LED third brake light from a 645i trunklid to the rear window for tailgaters. It's invisible from the outside even in bright sunlight until needed.
I've been a BMW Master tech for 28 years and built this '69 Pontiac chassis to handle and stop like a BMW while respecting American musclecar heritage. I did all the work myself in my garage except the final prep&paint and the only time it's been on a trailer was when I hauled it home the first day from Macon.
Photos by my buddy Jim Grayson (gr869rs) http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3826299
Videos here.....http://video.cardomain.com/69brrrd ..............View build pics here
Search YouTube for 69brrrd dragstrip videos.....
Everybody show your ride love by keeping it clean and making it better every day!
Thanks for the looks..........and to the left lane bandits,
Get OFF the phone, Get ON the pedal or get OUT OF THE WAY!
