After years of searching, looking and dreaming about owning a 67 or 68 Firebird I finally got my chance to fulfill a childhood dream of mine. In the spring of 1983 my dad brought home a Champagne 326 H.O. 1967 Firebird. As I waked home from school that day, I saw the surface rusted, jacked up rear axle, stars and bars draped across the package tray atrocity and my first grade self thought, "Why did he bring home this piece of junk?"
My younger brother was always hanging around that car.
Pics circa 1983
My mom, who has passed, restored all of the emblems and reupholstered the interior. My uncle helped my dad rebuild the engine and put it all back together. (He later bought it off of my dad in 1987, selling it to a collector in 1988 and bought a new black 5.0 5 speed Mustang GT.) My dad had his friend paint it Guard's Red. When I saw it after all the work they did it left a lasting impression on me. I was enchanted by it. It was and has remained my dream car.
Last summer my girlfriend's Uncle came across a first gen in Ohio. He asked what I was looking for and I told him a 67 or 68. Turns out a friend of a friend of his had passed and was beginning a full restoration of his 1968 Firebird. His son sold it to me cheap and I flew up to Ohio, rented a Ihaul and towed it back to Florida. The firewall, cowl and rear seat bracket were the only original metal left.
I picked up a 400 Pontiac motor from a speed shop and started working on the suspension components. I bought 17" Bandit wheels from US mags and went with 235/45 17x8 front and 275/40 17x9 rear. I also picked up a 2004-R with locking converter for dirt cheap.
And that's where I'm at right now. My daily driver is the 1987 S10 in the background that I built in my old backyard that has a 1996 LT4 350 and a BorgWarner T56 six speed. This car has definitely been much easier to build and I'm happy with the progress, as sporadic as it has been. I'm going to go with a FiTech throttle body fuel injection and will modify the intake plenum to accommodate. Lots of work ahead and I'll try to post up progress here with plenty of pictures.
Welcome BenNSB, love those love stories. How's your little bro these days? Cme469
Thanks, he's good. He has been hounding me to slow down so he can help out with the car. He has dibs on the first ride. I think I'll get him a pair of depends and replicate the first picture, lol!
Hopefully I'm done with the grind wheels for a while. Stripped the interior and finished coating the floorboard, inner firewall, back seat brace and package tray.
You're moving right along with that project. Keep your nose to the grindstone, and you'll be at the end of the tunnel a lot faster than many.
If it isn't out of line to ask, how much did the truck/trailer cost you, and approximate mpg, or approximate fuel bill. 600 miles will be my ballpark mileage.
I just want a real number from a customer, not the smoke-and-mirror price the company advertises.
how much did the truck/trailer cost you, and approximate mpg, or approximate fuel bill. 600 miles will be my ballpark mileage.
I just want a real number from a customer, not the smoke-and-mirror price the company advertises.
It wasn't cheap. I loaded up a bunch of antiques and made it worth my while. If I had still had my full size truck I would have drove it up and back with the car hauler in tow. The van got about 11mpg and I filled up 3 times. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Wouldn't have been worth it if the car weren't as cheap as I got it for...
I just installed the Bowtie Overdrives transmission crossmember and it was very simple. You can use a TH400 crossmember but it blocks the pan and access to the transmission filter. I feel the money spent was worth it.
Today's goodies:
TH350 crossmember won't work with the 2004-R mount:
Couldn't have been easier, plenty of clearance for exhaust:
Nice to see all the pictures. Do you know what that 200-4R transmission came out of?
The ID tag is gone. I know it is an '87 and prior owner believed it came out of a Monte Carlo SS. I guess I'll find out when try a WOT shift. He had it behind a built 383 SBC in an '82 RX7. The non-performance 2004-R's shift at 3,000 WOT, he said this one was shifting at 5,000 rpm.
Driveshaft that came with the car was too long, not even sure if it was for this car. Scored a 49.5" aluminum driveshaft off of Craigslist. Guy said he had it made for his old Camaro and never installed it and it has sat in the back of his garage for 20 years. He said he spent a week's pay on it back then. I gave him 3 crisp Jackson's and a handshake for it.
My Dad came across a photo of his '67 when he first started working on it:
Started tackling the firewall. I cut out the two rust holes by the doors. Not much welding to do for the patches. I also ordered the pedals and covers. Going to weld the necessary patches and seam seal the firewall. After it spraying matte black and coating the underside with bed liner, I'll run the gas and brake lines and mount the subframe.
The whole bottom floorpan is new metal and there is no rust. Bedliner is waterproof whereas a rubberized undercoating will allow moisture to seep in. My truck's underside looks as good as I did it 5 years ago and I drive on the beach often and live in a high salt environment. I'm going to take the rusted portions of the firewall to bare metal and use a self etching primer then paint it matte or satin black.
Headers arrived on my porch today. I got them installed in about 25 minutes. Way easier than my S10. I used nord-lock washers on the header bolts. Happy with the fit of the Heddman's and I have plenty of room for the oil filter. Supposed to pick up entire bolt kit and stainless steel brake lines tomorrow. Another Craigslist score. I'm starting to get spoiled.
Going to be fun spraying this under the car. Hoping my two other boxes get here soon, much more exciting- BRP fuel injection tank and FiTech Go EFI 4 Power Adder 600...
Careful with that late model intake. Looks like maybe a mismatch with the heat cross-over. Sometimes that top opening in the head is dead spac. Sometimes not.
Careful with that late model intake. Looks like maybe a mismatch with the heat cross-over.
Yeah I noticed that right off the bat. It was a '77 numbers matching W72 400 motor. The heat riser matches the intake port and that is dead space. After much research and pondering I decided to not fill or block it off as the benefits are short lived, the heat still soaks through the intake after 20 minutes or so. You might shave a tenth off of your 1/4 mile but two runs in it'll be back up to the temp without block off plates.
After years of building Chevy motors, these Poncho nuances are really keeping me engaged and learning.
After a long work weekend and taking it easy yesterday, I tackled my EFI fuel tank. Following the easy to follow instructions, I measured, cut and assembled the fuel pump and return along with the fuel sending unit. Tank was 6 3/8" deep, mid point for the rheostat was 3 5/16". Everything checked out, fuel pump sits nicely in the built in reservoir. I used PTFE thread sealant on all the mounting screws. The tank mocked up easily. I used some peel and stick roofing seal as my anti squeak strips on the tank and straps. I plan on using a C5 filter/regulator when I run the fuel lines. Turns out the FiTech calls for 58 psi so that works out well.
I just installed the Bowtie Overdrives transmission crossmember and it was very simple. You can use a TH400 crossmember but it blocks the pan and access to the transmission filter. I feel the money spent was worth it.
Today's goodies:
TH350 crossmember won't work with the 2004-R mount:
Couldn't have been easier, plenty of clearance for exhaust:
BenNSB, I have been looking for a long time for a crossmember that wont block the pan on the 2004R and you say this one wont? What is the part number of this one you are using so I can get it? I have problems with mine blocking the very back of the pan and making it hard to tighten a couple of the pan bolts.
XMCA67692 is the part number, Bowtie Overdrives is the manufacturer. I got mine off of eBay. You can see in the pictures I took there is ample clearance to remove the pan unobstructed. Pricey, but I felt it would be worth it in the long run.
XMCA67692 is the part number, Bowtie Overdrives is the manufacturer. I got mine off of eBay. You can see in the pictures I took there is ample clearance to remove the pan unobstructed. Pricey, but I felt it would be worth it in the long run.
Thanks Ben that is very helpful since I have not been able to get on Bowties website. Looks like it isnt working. I have seen these exact ones before a couple of years ago at various sites but on asking if they work with a Firebird I am always told that they are not compatable with the Firebirds. So it is nice to know that it does work since (always told only for camaro) i was alway thinking that they pretty much use the same Sub-frame. Is there any thing listed in any paperwork stating for use with under a certain amount of HP?
You're welcome. Nothing noted on the receipt I got from Bowtie. I couldn't pull up the site either. It is a stout piece, I'm confident it will hold up to my 400 hp setup. If you are talking 600+ hp I think it would hold if you had solid motor mounts. I'm assuming you'd have a 4-link rear setup or something similar. It is a hefty gauge tube and the ends are solidly welded all the way around the mounting tabs. I feel like I'd lose a motor mount before this crossmember gave me any issues. Maybe in a few years I can report back on how it holds up to boost...
As far as compatibility, there are a few different mounting holes that allow for some adjustment. Mine installed just fine. Of course after cramming an old LT4 and a T56 in my '87 S10, everything about this car feels easy.
You're welcome. Nothing noted on the receipt I got from Bowtie. I couldn't pull up the site either. It is a stout piece, I'm confident it will hold up to my 400 hp setup. If you are talking 600+ hp I think it would hold if you had solid motor mounts. I'm assuming you'd have a 4-link rear setup or something similar. It is a hefty gauge tube and the ends are solidly welded all the way around the mounting tabs. I feel like I'd lose a motor mount before this crossmember gave me any issues. Maybe in a few years I can report back on how it holds up to boost...
As far as compatibility, there are a few different mounting holes that allow for some adjustment. Mine installed just fine. Of course after cramming an old LT4 and a T56 in my '87 S10, everything about this car feels easy.
Cool beans man, again, much appreciated. I will be running about 500 HP with the butler poly mounts and a stout 2004R from Extreme automatics by Lonnie Diers, so I shouldnt have a problem.
Anytime. I plan on rebuilding my 2004R later on and possibly mating it to a new LT4 'Vette motor (650HP/650TQ) when I retire. For now I'm sticking with what I got and might do a blow through turbo or procharger... I splurged on the FiTech power adder knowing a project is never completely finished.
Wow, LT4 vette motor? Nice! Make sure to post some pics once you get your exhaust run and if this crossmember caused any problems. Are you going with 2.5" pipes?
Haha, that will be closer to 2030 on the Vette LT4.
I am planning on running dual 2.5" exhaust with a crossover. Preferably mandrel bent. I'll post up pics of everything as I go along, progress maybe spotty at best. I plan on keeping this car for good so I'm in no rush.
Here is my '87 S10 daily driver I built in my backyard:
Haha, that will be closer to 2030 on the Vette LT4.
I am planning on running dual 2.5" exhaust with a crossover. Preferably mandrel bent. I'll post up pics of everything as I go along, progress maybe spotty at best. I plan on keeping this car for good so I'm in no rush.
Here is my '87 S10 daily driver I built in my backyard:
Yea, I figured the Vette motor wasn't anything soon, but still... that is crazy power for you're car. Guessing something crazy like you're back yard S10...lol Nice by the way! Looking forward to seeing the progress pics ,man!
Been a while, not much done. Tidied up some firewall issues, a little more prep work to be done before the subframe gets bolted back on. I decided to go with a gas strut instead of the torsion bars. Welds could have been a lot prettier but it will hold. I'll dress that up later.
A locking nut just happened to be the perfect spacer:
Worked on my fuel delivery. Used braided -6AN with press in fittings and crimped around the barbs. Using a Wix 33737 Corvette LSx filter/regulator to supply 58 pounds of fuel pressure to the FiTech injection. Used nomex sleeves on lines off of tank as I'm planning on running the Pypes SGF70 transverse muffler stainless exhaust. So much to do...
I found a rear defroster in my parts bin and it works like it was new. Debating on whether I should install it.
Waiting for exhaust and new screw type fuel line quick connects for the filter to ship. Goal is to have engine fired up this month. (Video will be posted.)
Today I turned 40, I've been an open water ocean lifeguard for 20, drive a truck that's 30 and am looking forward to driving the Firebird that will be 50. My motorcycle is 11, but my better half looks 10 years younger than she is so that'll work.
Hot Rod Magazine has been running a multi-part feature on Mark Stielow installing an LT4 in a '69 Camaro. Holley used the project to develop headers, motor mounts, and cross member for DSE subframe. I saw the car in Holley's booth at SEMA. Pretty neat stuff. Google Stielow build for more info.
Thanks! I haven’t been able to get much done with all the rain this week. I did install a ‘68 Camaro console with an aftermarket gaugepod and a ‘68/69 Camaro specific Quicksilver ratchet shifter. I measure about 5 times before drilling my mounting holes in the unmarked aftermarket floorpan (no dimple indicators like factory). I welded in 7 tee nuts and surprisingly they were all spot on.
I used the ‘69 shifter button with the down wing bird. While at the junkyard I found a Pontiac G6 in the junkyard and cut out the steering wheel arrowhead since they aren’t selling srs airbags anymore... After trimming it a bit it fit perfectly in the original deluxe wheel. I wrapped it with a fake leather cover to hide the cracks until I get it remolded. I’ll go back to the bird center cap and a PMD or arrowhead on the shifter then.
No pics or video, but did ride around the block today. The FiTech was easy to setup and the motor is responding very well to it. Quick startup and it is idling with a little lope at 770 rpm. Throttle response feels instantaneous. My trans has at least two forward gears and a reverse... I just went around my neighborhood loop. Trans feels like it has a shift kit and stayed in gear to 5 grand before hammering into second. The 406’s torque is crazy compared to what I’m used to in my S10. I can’t wait to go on an actual drive, but that’s a ways out.
My neighbors cheered for me when I rounded the block and pulled in the driveway. I’m fortunate to have neighbors pushing their 70’s and are getting a kick out of my work in the driveway. Today was pretty awesome, about 5 steps forward and only 1 step back for a change.
Got rained out today but managed to drill 36 holes in virgin sheet metal. Fun times. Installed passenger mirror, front fender emblems, and the rear quarter “vent†trim. Can’t wait to get her painted. I still have the “400†emblems to drill out and the “PONTIAC†letters on the trunk. After that the epoxy primer is going on.
Painted the underside of the hood, dash, and backs of fenders, fender extensions and valance with semi-gloss Black 2k paint. I didn’t like the chrome base of the shifter so I painted that too.
Got a bit done since last posting. About ready to shoot the Solar Red on and follow with clear coats. A couple of nickel and dime interior items left, but I’m getting pretty close to the finish line.
Got some of the panels clearcoated and installed the rearview mirror and all glass except the passenger door’s. Should have all paint done next week if all goes as planned.
Thanks, I’ve learned quite a bit doing it all myself. Had to redo a few things, but nothing major.
I have been spraying the paint outside... I purposely aimed for this time of year because geographically it’s low humidity, no bugs, and gets warm enough for paint to flash properly. It doesn’t drop in temp too low so condensation isn’t that bad but I did find that setting the clearcoated parts in the garage overnight prevented hazing. I had a little on the fender I left out but the door I set inside turned out perfect. Basically the moisture drew into the outer layer of clear and I was able to cut and buff it out.
If I ever do this again I’ll rent a booth, but I’ve done everything in my driveway so far and I’m going to see it through even if it means more sanding and buffing...
I’m hoping to have the paint done by this Wednesday and my goal is to have it on the road by late March/early April.
Well your doing a great job. I'm painting mine in my garage. I have a home made exhaust fan system. The new guns use less air pressure, less paint and atomize exceptionally well resulting in very little paint dust. And then your sanding & polishing as well!
I hope your using a good mask. Make sure people don't breath in those vapors. I did a lot of work with bad chemicals when I was a teenager. I guess it's possible I contracted PD as a result. Better safe than sorry.
Got the passenger door glass in today and drove it around the block. The 200-4R shifted nicely through 1st, 2nd, and Drive. Don’t know about overdrive just yet, can’t go that fast in the neighborhood. Time for final panel fitment and running the wiring harness.