This is my 67 Firebird project currently on STAGE 2 of about 10 stages of modification. I installing a second 4 speed because I just crushed one within a month of being behind this motor.
Background info on car:
Car was purchased in 1998, I am third owner. I remember test driving it and thinking it was really fast. I drove the car two weeks before it blew up on the freeway. The guy I bought it from said it was a pontiac 350, boy was he wrong. A week after I dropped it off at the engine shop for a rebuild, the guy at the shop said " Your pontiac 350 is actually a 400, pick it up in 2 weeks." I was shocked, it was bone stock, but deep down I knew that a freshly built 400 would put out some power, more than enough for my 17 years of age. Well, I was right. The new engine, which still had 10.5 compression and the retarded timing that goes with it, was able to twist my stock driveshaft, and blow up the powerglide that was behind it! Upon installation of a used TH350 from a caddy, I noticed both motor mounts were broken along with the tranny mount. This was the start of my familiarization with the tremendous torque of a true pontiac engine. Well after it broke down time after time, for little things like fuel pumps, motor mounts, and other things, I was finally able to get her reliable. I was daily driving it for the next 2 years and only lost to three other cars. Keep in mind I was chasing porsches and vettes every chance I got. Well sadly, I lost to one import, a mid 90's Prelude, but he won because my voltage regulator decided to cut out in the middle of the race and I was barely able to limp home. The other two cars were pretty fast though. I lost to a 69 Camaro that was on slicks, and ran mid 13's. By this time my car had a few dragstrip passes and the fastest I could muster was a 14.3@101 mph, indicating horrible traction because of my non posi 3.23 gears. The other loss was on the street against a built 347 in a 65 notchback wimpstang. Later on I saw him at the track running mid 13's. Oh well! I did destroy a lot of cars though. 3rd gen F-bodies were very easy, killed a bunch of pusstangs (all years seems like), and a 2001 Cobra, and a 2001 Vette, thats right. I couldn't believe it either! But believe me, I pulled off at around 110 mph in a 40 mph zone by my house, had him by two carlengths the whole way, oh, he also had paper plates! He must have been pissed to have that car stomped on by my 35 year old primered junk. Anyway, by then the only mods were some 1960's 3 tube headers, a holley 750 vacum secondary, and an HEI from a 77 bird. By the way, thats another part I twisted, the damn points distributor, I sheared the inner shaft in half! Well, time came for another motor when I blew it on the freeway. So it sat there and I got to do these mods for the last 3 and a half years....
CURRENTLY:
Has 4 wheel discs, wilwood 4 piston 11 inch rotors up front, 1981 WS6 10 bolt with posi & 3.08 gears, discs to.
Converted to manual trans with lakewood bellhousing. I wanted cheap overdrive so I used an aluminum Ford toploader (which grenaded in a month). Now I am installing an iron Ford toploader in the quest for cheap overdrive. Its all connected to a NASCAR 4 inch chrome moly driveshaft from SPICER, forged yokes etc. As for the engine......
A 1976 400 block was used, already drilled for 4 bolt mains. Billet 4 bolt IA caps were used to hold the steel 4.25 inch crank. H beam 6.8 inch rods were used. A set of custom ROSS pistons were used, modified for the engines future plans. Total Seal rings were used. Heads are ported production #62 castings, 70cc chambers with mods for future engine plans. Stainless valves, double springs, steel retainers. Cam is mild Custom Solid Roller from COMP CAMS, use CROWER roller lifters. Intake is single plane with holley 800+ cfm carb.
CAR IS FAST. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!!.......but it blew the 4 speed. I did have one race during the month I drove it with this new 461 engine. It was against a 70's 454 truck of all cars. the guy thought he was being cute and lined up next to me. My car was LOUD, but his truck was rumbling enough for me to hear over my exhaust note!!! So he had something, but its still a truck. So, light goes green, he takes off really hard and fast. I couldn't, I had already learned that mashing the pedal in first gear would send the tires up in smoke, even at half throttle. So I launched soft, I mean soft (like normal driving), and brought it up to about 4000 rpm dropped it in second and.........rushed past him. Put it this way, right before I upshifted, he had 4 carlengths on me, then instantly the car hooked up, and canon shot passed him. He pulled up next to me and said "What the F--K do you have in that thing?" I let him in on the engine, then he told me he had a 454.
The following images are of my other Firebird. It is an 89 Formula with WS6 suspension. This car cam with a 305 TBI engine(slow) that I've been slowly modifying. The pic that says Irwindale Dragstrip was a pic that taken and put on their website for 3 months. Back then it was running 10.2 in the 1/8th mile. I got into an accident when an old lady made a left infront of me. I was able to use the insurance money to put a 92 Formula front end on it, which to me is much nicer. Those are the bottom pics. Car runs 15.4 @ 94 mph, with hardly any traction and some trans slippage. Hopefully a shift kit can improve slippage before I put a 5 or 6 speed in it. The mods so far are an LT1 cam, performer intake, custom chip, shorty edelbrock headers into single 3 inch exhaust. Car has 2.73 gears, open diff with 245ZR16 tires.
Well there's more import/mustang/european/truck killing planned for the future, remember, car is in "beginning stages" of overall evolution!!
