1971 Firebird Build ("The Other Woman", a.k.a. Project "T.O.W.")

[carbuff]

Since I have now officially embarked on my latest project, I thought it was time to create a build thread.

The car is a 1971 Firebird. I purchased this car from South Florida in July of this year. The car appears to be an Esprit, originally a 4-speed car with AC. The car was restored in the early/mid 90's, and it seems to have been driven very little since then. The interior is in overall good condition with just a few common issues (dash pad, console door). The exterior of the car is a mismatch of Trans Am front fenders, rear fender flares, and a fiberglass Formula hood.

I saw a lot of pictures of the car before I purchased it, and I had several phone conversations with the seller. Unfortunately, even after asking many many specific questions (this isn't my first second gen), the car arrived with more rust issues than I was led to believe. The reality is that the car is a good 20-footer. I'm not sure if it's painted in the original Buccaneer Red or not, but the red is a good color on the car. Both lower rear quarters have some rust issues, and some small patches on the lower doors be required. But overall, I felt pretty good about the car for what I paid for it, especially given what I could find locally (ie: much worse for more money).

So it's now November, and I enjoyed driving the car a little bit for the few months that I've owned it. It took me a while to get the title straightened out (lesson learned, make VERY certain that an out-of-state seller really has a title in their name), but once that was done, I got to drive it a bit. And clearing the title was also my last hurdle to clear before starting on the big changes that I have planned for this car...

My goals for this car are pretty simple... I don't want to turn this into a show car. I want to build it to drive it. Specifically, I want to do HPDE events at the local tracks, so my choices in drivetrain and suspension reflect that. I also want to drive the car, so it won't be solely a track car. I won't trade off some comfort for outright performance.

Given those goals, I wanted a car that looks presentable enough as my starting point. I intend to replace all of the mechanicals of the car, but don't really want to dive into bodywork if it can be avoided.

After a lot of research, here is the list of items that I've decided to go with on the car. I managed to score a pretty good eBay LS2 built almost like I wanted it. The suspension was a much more difficult choice at first, as there aren't as many choices available for the second gen cars as there are for the first gens... But I'm very happy with my selection, and I can't wait to get this thing on the road...


Engine
LS2 402ci
Ported L92 Heads
Custom Cam (234/242, .602"/.605", 112)
Edelbrock Victor Jr. L92
FTP 4-barrel 1350cfm Throttle Body
F.A.S.T. XFI Controller / Harness
Champ LS oil pan / pickup
JRS Tri-Y LS headers with 1 7/8" primaries, 3" collectors, ceramic coated
Built by Golen Engine Service
Expected output of 550-580 engine HP
Prodicy Customs / Wegner LS Accessory Drive Kit with AC and remote-reservoir PS pump
PRC Radiator / AC Condenser / Oil Cooler / Dual-fan setup

Transmission
T56 Magnum
Prodigy Customs T56 Magnum install package

Front Suspension
JRS's custom built front Subframe
JRS's DOM custom control arms built to C6 dimensions
JRS's Monoball control arm bushings
C6 uprights / hubs
Bilstein single-adjustable coilovers
JRS's splined sway bar
DSE Subframe bushings / bolt kit

Rear Suspension
JRS's Torque Arm rear setup
JRS's Watt's Link
JRS's custom built 9" housing
9" Center Section with 3.89 gears and a True-Trac differential

Brakes
Front - Baer Pro-Plus System (14" rotors, 6P Calipers)
Rear - Baer Pro-Plus System (14" rotors with integrated parking brake, 6P calipers)
Front and rear calipers in black with red letters
DSE Master cylinder and booster

Wheels/Tires
Forgeline wheels (undecided on actual style, leaning towards the GA3 or the SO3, I love them both)
Front - 18" x 10"
Rear - 18" x 12"

Tires are undecided, but likely either the Michelin PS2s or the BFG KDWs
Front - 275/40/18
Rear - 335/35/18


Body Mods
Trans Am front fenders
Trans Am front and rear fender flares
VFN Trans Am Fiberglass Shaker Hood
DSE Mini-tubs

Interior Mods
Seats (Sparco or Cobra)
Ridetech's Tiger-Cage (still debating whether I will go this route...)
Custom Dash Insert with AutoMeter gauges
Prodigy Customs Vintage-Air Gen IV package

Other
VaporWerks Gas Tank
DSE Subframe connectors
DSE Wiper Motor
AAW Classic Update 70-81 Camaro wiring harness with 70-73 Firebird add-on



Those are the big-ticket items that I've decided on so far. Before I get too much further I want to give both Frank at Prodigy and Jake at JRS a big THANX for all of the time and help that they have given me so far. I've spent a lot of time on the phone with both, and they have helped me make a lot of decisions.

So far, I have received the JRS front subframe/suspension, and it's a work of art! I'll post pictures separately. I also have the front and rear Baer brakes. The rear housing is assembled but needs to be powder coated. The engine will be on the engine dyno this week and should be on its way to me by Friday. Most of the rest of the parts are on order and will be shipping over the next month or so...

Oh, about the project 'name'. About 3 weeks after I bought the car, my girlfriend gave me a gift to christen the project. It's a gold Firebird keychain. On the back of the pendant of the keychain was engraved "The Other Woman". Hmm, that didn't take long now did it. ;) But since I plan to use the car frequently on the track, I somehow turned that into "T.O.W.". :) Hopefully I haven't cursed myself with that name choice...

One final note... I wanted to get this post out today, the 1-year anniversary of my father's passing. I owe all of my car knowledge and willingness to take on a project of this magnitude to him, so in many ways this is a tribute to the may things that he taught me.

Ok, enjoy the build, I'll post up some pictures in a few minutes...

[carbuff]

Here are a few pictures that I was sent before purchasing the car:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/dsc01016.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/dsc01011.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/dsc01013.jpg

[carbuff]

And a few pictures of the interesting work that had been done to the car prior to my receiving it:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_0971.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_0972.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_1026.jpg

[carbuff]

And some of my rust opportunities... Underneath the car is actually surprisingly clean, but I expect that someone just bondoed over some previous problems when the car was restored, and after 15 years or so, those problems have come to the surface...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_1007.jpg

This is the worst spot:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_1005.jpg

Also note the runs in the paint... Several spots like that on the car...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/img_0977.jpg

[carbuff]

On a brighter note, my JRS subframe and suspension!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1295.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1309.jpg

[carbuff]

And of course, the 'gift'. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/TheOtherWoman.gif

[Ron in SoCal]

Hey Bryan - great project and a soild plan. The car should be a screamer! I do hope you don't have a rust 'snowball' on your hands...

[tones2SS]

Very cool Bryan. Should be a great car when complete.:thumbsup:
Keep us posted.

[carbuff]

So I did some work over the weekend that I didn't get to include in last night's pictures... I pulled the engine (it's going into a friend's Model A project) and transmission, and I was preparing to drop the subframe. Then the real fun began. :)

The engine and transmission came out pretty easily (the hoist was REALLY close to the front bumper on the Firebird, but I managed to do it without removing the bumper). As I went around to loosen the subframe bolts, the one under the AC box broke loose. Oh crap... And there was no way I was getting to that nut without removing the AC box. And there was no way that I was removing that AC box without removing the inner fender. See where this is headed?

The further I got into it, the more little rust problems that I found with the cage nuts that are used to assemble the front sheet metal. I assume that Florida humidity got to them, as most were pretty rusty, and I had 2 break loose. And unfortunately it looks like I need a new radiator support as well...

Now I find myself in a quandry. As I said in my original post, I really wasn't planning to dive into the bodywork on this car. But with it this far apart and needed to replace a couple of items already, should I just go ahead and strip the car down and do the bodywork? Or I should more accurately say, have it done? I don't really have the time or facilities to do it myself right now. Hmm...

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Old SBC 350 that came out:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1324.jpg

My workspace:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1325.jpg

The aftermath of the fender, inner fender, and AC box removal:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1329.jpg

The pile o' parts:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1330.jpg

Rusted out bottom of the radiator core support.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1334.jpg

[carbuff]

Jake sent me a picture of the rear housing that he is building for me. :thumbsup:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/jrs_housing.jpg

[tones2SS]

Let the tear down begin. Keep us posted Bryan.
The sub frame and rear end look great!:thumbsup:

[carbuff]

My DSE goodies arrived yesterday! :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_1335.jpg

And Jake sent me a few more pictures of the completed rear end housing and Watt's Link mount:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_7332.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_7327.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/IMG_7337.jpg

[tones2SS]

Very nice Bryan.:yes:

[carbuff]

I received my dyno data the other day from Golen. I found the data very interesting and thought others might as well....

As a little refresher, the engine is an LS2-based 402ci with L92 heads, lightly ported. Originally it had an L76 intake with a 90 (or 92) mm throttle body. I'm replacing the L76 with an Edelbrock Victor Jr. and 4-barrel throttle body since I want to use a functional shaker scoop with my hood (without crafting an airbox. :) ).

There are 3 plots on the chart (I created the chart in Excel from the raw data):


RED - original 242/248 Golen cam and L76 intake (not completely tuned, which accounts for the much lower torque below 4000rpm)
GREEN - my custom grind 234/242 cam and L76 intake
LIGHT BLUE - my custom grind 234/242 cam and Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake


Now, I expected to lose some low-end torque with the short runners of the Victor Jr, but I didn't quite expect to lose 60 ft-lb! Don't get me wrong, this engine should have plenty of power for what I want to do with it, but if I ever do decide to go back to a long-runner composite intake, I will know what awaits me.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/71%20Firebird/dyno.gif

[carbuff]

So Project TOW has taken a little change of direction... Earlier in the year I decided to sell my house and move (still within Austin), but that left me with the problem of what to do with the Firebird. After a lot of thinking, I decided to sell the car. Tough choice, but I believed that I could find a better starting point, and given that I was going to be living temporarily without a garage, it just made sense.

I've been searching since that time for the next car, and about a month ago I found it. This car was located in New Hampshire, about as far away from Texas as I could get of course. ;) I spent a lot of time on the phone with the seller, he had owned the car since 1988 and had done a complete restoration on the car (including the replacement of much of the sheetmetal) during the 90's. So even though I couldn't see the car in person, it was nice to talk to someone who had actually turned a wrench on the car as compared to so many others that I considered that were 'owned' but not 'built' by their current owners.

The plan for the car remains the same, with the exception that some of the work is going to be done by Jake at JRS. Jake arranged to have the car picked up from the seller (about 3 hours away from him) and now has it at his shop. I flew up last weekend to check it out and make a plan with Jake, and the disassembly should start later this week. Jake's going to do a lot of small projects for me that he and his crew can do a lot faster (and better) than I would do myself, such that when the car gets down to Texas, my part of the project should go a lot faster! I'm closing on a house purchase at the start of November, a house with a nice 2.5 car detached workshop btw, so the timing should work out great for me to have the shop all ready for the car's arrival. :)

While I originally really wanted a red car, I love the blue on this car! I found a picture of a 72 Trans Am that was painted in a Dodge Viper Blue color with the white stripe, and I fell in love with that combination. This car isn't quite that dark of a blue, but it's darker than the original Lucerne Blue that Pontiac used. I imagine that someday I will paint the whole car, and I'll go with a slightly darker color at that point. Until then, this car will be great!

Jake is going to replace the Formula fenders with a pair of Trans Am fenders, the hood with the VFN hood that I already have, and the nose with a carbon fiber one as well. I would love to do the entire CF front end, but that's just a bit out of the budget at this time I think...

Jake's also going to install or fabricate the following for the car:


JRS Watt's Link Bracket
DSE Mini-tubs
DSE SFC's, modified to allow the subframe to bolt in
Muffler-back exhaust to weave through the Watt's
Firewall to subframe down-bars
4-point roll bar with removable harness bar
JRS Apex front spoiler/splitter
Front tow hook


There may be a few more items as well, but this is the plan for now. Should keep him busy for a few weeks, but fell in perfectly between some projects that he had on-going.

Look for more progress pictures now that I am back on track! Hopefully Jake can post a few as he makes progress as well...

Pictures from my visit to JRS earlier this week:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/Formula002.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/Formula010.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/Formula013.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/Formula021.jpg

[carbuff]

It's been a while since I've updated this, but Jake has been making progress on TOW. We're close to having it ready to ship back down to me in Texas! The minitubs and SFCs are in, the front sheetmetal has been replaced and repainted, the Watt's mount is in place, the 4-point bar is installed. Hopefully in the next week or so it will be wrapped up and on it's way.

Here are some pictures of the work Jake has done so far:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_8539.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_8538.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_8537.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_8536.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_00172.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_00173.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_00176.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_8729.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_00255.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_00235.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_00257.jpg

[WSSix]

I like the blue better :) Good luck with this one.

[carbuff]

Time to revive my very old build thread...

Sadly, I haven't done much to this car at all over the last year. But that is about to change. I've been living in an apartment for the last year, and while I've been both house-shopping as well as shop-shopping, neither have worked out for me this year. So unfortunately, I haven't been in a place where I could work on the car.

On top of that, I changed jobs about 3 months ago. I've joined a small tech-startup company (my 5th of these), so my time is also now very limited.

I went through some serious soul-searching about this project, whether I should sell it since I wasn't in a position to work on it, nor did I even have the time to if I had a place. But then about 3 weeks ago, SW posted about his last 2nd gen project, and he finally spilled the beans about his local builder. So I touched base with Eric (Griffith Metal Shaping) and stopped by one Saturday to check out his shop. After a couple hours of conversation, I left with the idea for a new plan for the project.

On these projects, I really enjoy the build phase as much if not more than the driving part. So this wasn't an easy decision for me. But realistically, I wasn't going to make any progress on this car for a long time. And thus, I've decided to let Eric tackle most of the bigger parts of the project for me. I dropped the car off with him on Sunday (after running it out of gas and stranding myself on the side of a highway for about an hour, ugh!), and then on Monday we sat down and made a plan for what I want done.

Here she was before I dropped her off. The only thing I've done this year is add the stripes to the car:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_2255s_zps1d93a917.jpg

Since Monday, Eric has jumped right in. :)

End of day 1:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/status1_zps6833161e.jpg

End of day 2:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/status2_zps764aa1cc.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/status3_zpsf124450f.jpg

Well that was quick, although admittedly these cars do come apart pretty quickly... He's almost at a point where he's going to be stalled until I get him some parts! That is going to happen on Saturday. I have a truck and a friend lined up to load up everything and delivery it across town to him.

Last night I made up my list of parts which I need to order, and I jumped into that today by ordering my 3rd member from Strange. I'll work on the other pieces over the next few days.

If all goes as I hope, I should have the car on the road in the spring. Realistically, my holdup is going to be ordering a set of wheels/tires for the car. I am not placing the order until we have everything assembled again in order to check fitment. Figuring those will take 5 or 6 weeks to arrive, that's going to cost me some time. But everything else should go together pretty quickly I think.

Since he's joined the site here, hopefully Eric can keep the picture coming as he makes progress on the car. We're not doing any paint/bodywork on the car, other than filling the firewall hole, so that should let us make good project on it.

On another note, I should probably change the name of this project. It's stranded me 3 times now, and I haven't driven it more than 15 times in the year that I've had it. Bad omen! And the 'other' woman that the car was named for is no longer in the picture, so perhaps it will become the 'only' woman for a while. :_paranoid

I'm really looking forward to getting this thing on the road. I've been looking at it everyday for the last year, so I'm excited!

[qnitro]

This is going to be great when you finish it... Did you keep that. Front subframe somewhere to use it now.. Or are you picking up another set up?

[Rick D]

Very cool Bryan, keep it up you will get it done! :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

I rented a 16' box truck today and loaded it up with parts which I then delivered to Griffith's. Phew! His shop is full of my parts now. :) And unfortunately, there are a few things which I couldn't find that I think I should have. I'll be digging through boxes at my storage room again tomorrow before I re-order things from Summit (I already have a few duplicates).

Eric is working on smoothing the firewall for me. I wasn't necessarily planning to do it, but since the car is so far apart, now is the time. Plus we've decided to build/add down-bars to the front of the subframe, so he's going to beef up the mount area on the firewall for those. If we are going to do that, may as well go ahead and smooth it. :)

He's going to mock up the install and see if we are going to have to do any transmission tunnel mod-work. One of the items I can't find are the JRS motor mount adapter plates. I am going to have to dig and see if I have them or not. I thought I did, but they weren't in with all of my other JRS goodies...

Even though I'm not doing the assembly, I got pretty excited today at least getting my hands on all the parts!

[carbuff]

I stopped by the shop tonight to drop off a few parts and to check on the progress of the car. Eric is cruising right along! He's make a firewall filler-plate and welded that in, and filled in a few of the other holes as well. He's also installed the JRS subframe and today was able to stick in a mockup LS block and bellhousing. When I got there he was bolting up the JRS Tri-Y headers to check on the fitment.

So far it's looking pretty good. Unfortunately the subframe isn't exactly lining up with the already-installed DSE subframe connectors, but we have a path to fix that. The JRS subframe and Tri-Y headers leave all kinds of space around the engine, so that is nice. I ordered the steering u-joints and shaft, and routing that will be a breeze.

Hopefully a few more parts will be arriving tomorrow or Monday so that by next week when I get back to town, a lot of the car will be mocked up. I have a 3rd member on the way, and Jake is sending me some pieces that I either never received or have somehow misplaced to install the torque arm.

For my part, I've been busy getting some needed parts ordered this week. Amazing how much time that can take when you need the parts 'now'. Hopefully I've unblocked Eric for at least the next week or so. :)

It feels good for the project to be making progress! After staring at these parts for almost 2 years, it's nice to see some of them bolted to the car now... :)

[Rick D]

Come on not even some crappy cell phone pictures?? :D

[c.schulz]

Come on not even some crappy cell phone pictures?? :D

X2

Chris

[carbuff]

Apparently I have learned nothing in my 8 years of membership here at Lat-G. :( I hang my head in shame...

I know that Eric is taking some along the way, but he's been pretty busy actually working on the car. I'll definitely get some next week when I get back to town!

[Rick D]

Apparently I have learned nothing in my 8 years of membership here at Lat-G. :( I hang my head in shame...
I'll definitely get some next week when I get back to town!

You better or NO SOUP FOR YOU!!! :unibrow:

[GriffithMetal]

I've been busy getting everything together. We are making some progress getting everything mocked up. I'm really terrible about taking pictures as I go. Its easy to get into a zone and forget to take some pictures.

http://imageshack.us/a/img62/6105/075kcd.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img339/1950/076em.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img17/5646/183uk.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img844/4148/189wh.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img824/2259/192fyx.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img195/2721/195lgv.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/8929/197up.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img842/9849/199ky.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img441/2599/204iyt.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img145/5458/210k.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img825/3070/221be.jpg

[coolwelder62]

Lookin good.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Looking good Bry,

Those headers fit pretty nice. Jake did a great job on them.

How do they fit under side?

[waynieZ]

Looking good.

[carbuff]

I spent some time with Eric at his shop today. I had planned on doing some work myself, but I've returned from the holiday with a cold. I'll try again tomorrow.

We did talk about a few issues that Eric has run into, and some plans to move forward. And of course, some of the work that's been done so far. :) And yes, I took pictures this time!

First up, it looks like I need to make a call to DSE about the booster brackets on my master cylinder:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/booster_zpsfa20db7f.jpg

I'm guessing that angle is a little steep... :P

Here's a shot of the JRS Watt's link setup from the rear:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/torque_arm1_zpsa9169e82.jpg

And a good side shot of the rear axle, coilover, and upper torque arm mounts:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/rear_axle1_zps5ebaa6ad.jpg

The torque arm from the front. We don't have the 3rd member installed yet, but it has arrived:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/torque_arm_front_zps0f13b567.jpg

Here is the JRS crossmember for the torque arm front mount. You can also get an idea of the clearance of the headers here to the floor:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/torque_arm_front_mount_zps90613d0d.jpg

A side shot of how the torque arm bushing and crossmember look assembled:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/torque_arm_front_mount2_zps2e3a34fa.jpg

Eric and I had been discussing what to do about a transmission crossmember. He was planning to build one into the floor, but instead he came up with this solution. Since the torque arm crossmember was pretty close and would have to come out anyway for a transmission removal, he built a mount off of it:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/trans_crossmember_zps4fbbd73c.jpg

Here's another shot:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/trans_crossmember2_zps6d26d617.jpg

In this shot you can get an idea of where the header collector is going to sit. It's not quite as high as I would like, but it wouldn't help to be lower since the lowest point is going to have to go under the torque arm crossmember cutouts:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/header_collector_zps0579be72.jpg

That's a 3" collector with a clamp on it for perspective.

Unfortunately as we all know, these aftermarket parts don't always go together effortlessly. Here's one example of a problem:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/image_zpsdc5db3c7.jpeg

That's the front caliper basically touching the rotor on the Baer Pro+ setup which I have. After a few phone calls between Baer and Jake, we discovered that there is a "spacer" which GM uses between the hub and the upright which is needed to push the hub and rotor out just enough to solve this problem. In case anyone ever reads this in the future and needs the parts, they are GM part numbers:

10263081
10263082

I have them on the way to me now, so we'll solve this next week.

Other minor issues... The Baer rotor hats won't quite fit over the Corvette hub, so a very small amount of sanding on the rotor hat is going to be needed. And I received the incorrect backing plates from Baer for the rear axle ends, so those are being cross-shipped to me so we can finish the rear axle mockup. We'll have to make some spacers for the Watt's link end attachment points to get the bars closer to parallel to the axle housing. Not a big deal, but little things take time...

After seeing the transmission in place with the floor cut, there is no way that thing would have gone in there without cutting the floor. Perhaps if we used a different set of motor mount plates and pushed the engine forward more, we would have cleared the firewall better. But we would have had to tilt the transmission way down to clear the floor, which would have caused issues with the header and driveshaft angles. On a positive note, we sat the console in place today, and the shifter is lining up pretty well with the opening for the boot, so that won't take much work. :)

Eric is also getting a little creative in how he's tying the subframe, SFC's, and torque arm crossmember together to allow me to be able to remove everything from the car if I need to. He should get that wrapped up this weekend, and I'll take some more pictures.

Hopefully I'll feel better and get myself there tomorrow to work on a few things. We want to reassemble the front end, so I'll work on that, to check clearances, and hopefully get some measurements for wheel/tire sizes. I also want to check out the fitment of the Vintage Air unit with the tunnel changes we are making and determine where to mount it and the bulkhead coming through the firewall.

It's great to see the progress!

[srh3trinity]

You may want to try the DSE brackets that they sale for 67-69 Camaros that they specify as "low angle" I believe. There are a couple of second gen builds that have used those and it will change the angle. I bought some, but I haven't gotten to that part yet. See the Second Chance Camaro build because he used them and that is where I got the idea from.

[WSSix]

Stephen beat me to it. Marty, already found this problem with his 2nd gen build. I want to say the solution was to use a first gen bracket as Stephen mentioned.

Glad to see the good work Eric is doing again. He's got some good ideas. I'm also curious to see how the JRS torque arm works for you. It's something I may be interested in as well.

[carbuff]

Thanx for the tips on the MC, I have read the issues that others have had in the past with this setup as well. I had a list of places to call about various 'little' things today, but I didn't get to DSE. That will happen on Wednesday, as I also need to order a couple of items from them. :)

I did manage to sell all of the drivetrain parts which Eric removed from the car, which helped recoup a little of the costs so far. It was great to find someone that wanted them all in one shot, and it cleaned out some space in Eric's shop for him. ;)

Now I'm shopping for gauges, trying to decide which setup to use. I thought I had my mind made up on the Speedhuts, but the Racepak and Stack setups have caught my attention again...

[bigapple]

Bryan, I love reading about you build, I own 1970 Firebird that im doing a lite resto mod on. Your build is want I want and currently can't afford. Keep the pic's and info coming.
Rob
:thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Small update from this week, but a lot of work to get here...

Eric has almost finished the work on the trans tunnel (and probably has by now). He raised up the tunnel about 1.5" in total. The original cuts were only to the area in front of the 'hat channel'. Unfortunately that support also had to be cut and raised, so he had to do the extra work there. That's the shiny area further back.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0105_22_zps2743d753.jpg

The original shifter hole piece is going to be used to have a removable cover for the shifter so that I can service it as needed. It will screw on around the hole which you see above.

More of the firewall hole filling. It's mostly done.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0105_21_zps44a9a83b.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0105_20_zpsff6dfb6c.jpg

And a shot of the engine, without the PS pump which is being exchanged with Wegner at the moment... That door behind it is from Eric's cool '50 Ford project that he's working on.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0105_24_zpsa01a5ccc.jpg

I spent the week making phone calls all over the place. Some of the issues I've had to resolve:


Wrong PS pump, needed a low-volume pump to match the Ford rack
Wrong MC brackets, still working with DSE on that
The Edelbrock Victor Jr. fuel rail kit requires LS1 height injectors. Mine are L92's, which are an inch short. Ordered 1" tall adapters to fix.
Decided to run a PS fluid cooler, ordered one from Jegs.


I've also been working on decisions involving wiring, headlights (still undecided), fuel pump shutoff (ordered), battery cable routing (ordered), wheels/tires (undecided), fuel and oil and PS line decisions, down-bar mounts from the firewall to the subframe (ordered), and I'm sure a few more that I've forgotten by now but have parts on the way for. :)

Now that we're getting over a few hurdles, this week should have some good progress. :cheers:

[WSSix]

Bryan, I love reading about you build, I own 1970 Firebird that im doing a lite resto mod on. Your build is want I want and currently can't afford. Keep the pic's and info coming.
Rob
:thumbsup:

You should start a thread on your car or put one in the intro forum. It looks great in the avatar and we need more 2nd gens anyway :D Also, any car is good enough for a project thread. Welcome to the forum.

[WSSix]

That engine looks good! Good luck getting all the parts sorted out, Bryan

[carbuff]

Mid week update...

I stopped by the shop tonight to see how things were coming along and to discuss a few more little issues Eric has run into... Pictures will follow below... :)

So this week has revolved around gauges, wheels/tires, sound deadener, and exchanging a few items. After exploring what seems like every possible tire brand on the market, I've decided to run the Falken Azenis RT615-K's in 275 and 315 widths. I ordered those from Discount Tire Direct today, and they will be here by Tuesday. I'm closer to my wheel selection, but I'm going to be using a fitment tool in order to make certain that I have the tires exactly where I want them! And I've been emailing back and forth with Speedhut's support team with questions about the gauges I'm looking at.

For some reason my gas tank straps are about an inch too short. Eric has the tank hanging in place, and the straps will barely reach the bolts. A quick phone call to Rick's today and they are sending me a new set tomorrow which are cut a little longer, even though the length of mine is what they normally provide for a 2nd gen. I like that customer service!

Contrast that with DSE, whom I'm pretty frustrated with at the moment... I called them last Friday to discuss the brake booster / master cylinder angle as shown in the picture above. They seem to be aware of this 'potential issue', and have a replacement set of brackets to resolve the problem. But they want to charge me for the brackets instead of swapping them out. I sent them a picture of my MC, and the sales guy I spoke with agreed that it seems too steep. He was going to grab one of theirs and compare it to my angle and get back to me. That was last Friday. I'm still waiting... So I called back on Tuesday and spoke to a second person. After a lengthy discussion, he was going to talk to the first person and one of them would call me back. Well, 2 days later, nada... Oh, and they have an order in their system for another $500 worth of their goodies that I want for the car which is holding on resolving this stupid $20 bracket issue. Disappointing to me for all of the positive feedback that they normally get...

Anyway, enough of my rant, here's another positive customer service review. Wegner Automotive. Eric asked me the question about whether I had the correct PS pump to mate up to my Ford steering rack. A call to Casey revealed that I did not. I told him I purchased the kit about 18 months ago, and he said no problem, just send them my pump and he would send me the correct replacement. I'm very appreciative of good service like that!

As for Eric, it's more mockup. He stuck the fuel tank in place, made some new spacers for the rear suspension pieces to get everything lined up just right, and assembled the engine/clutch/transmission and installed it for more mockup. He also finished the shifter cover and is going to install the nutserts to bolts it down this week. Tomorrow he's going to work on a set of seat mounts so that we can test fit me on Saturday.

On Saturday I'm going to get dirty scraping and grinding on the inner floorpans to prep them for the Dynamat install. I bought 3 boxes of Extreme and 5 boxes of Dynaliner to seal up the interior. While I plan to do track days in the car, on the occasion when I make a road trip, I'd like to drown out some of that outside noise as best I can. :willy:

Ok, enough rambling, I know you all just want to see pictures. Here are a couple of the engine installed, the Mocal oil thermostat, and the shifter cover...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0110_20_zps43e97da5.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0110_25_zpseab15c7d.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0110_23_zps689f12d1.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0110_22_zpsffd10f9b.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0110_21_zpsf6d4b933.jpg

[Rick D]

Looks great Bryan, are you going to paint the outside of the car or is it good to go?

[carbuff]

No painting on this one, which is one of the reasons I switched to this car from the original red one. While it's not perfect on the outside, it's good enough for me. :) It actually is in pretty good shape, and it's a nice "10-footer".

We will be painting the firewall and inner fenders black rather than the current blue. But that's the extent my the plans for paint.

[carbuff]

Weekend update...

I spent yesterday working inside the car scraping the original asphalt goop off the rear floor and trunk firewall areas. That stuff is a freaking mess! Took me a couple of hours to get it pretty clean. This week Eric is going to prime the front half of the floor area where various metalwork has been done, and hopefully next weekend I'll get to start the Dynamat process.

My front tires showed up on Friday, so we spent a little time trial fitting them in the wheel well. The pictures below are the 275/35, which is just about 1/2" shorter than the 315/30 will be, so it gives me a good idea of the fitment in terms of diameter:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_25_zps383d6420.jpg

Here's what I'm looking at for the outer edge:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_26_zps83772e31.jpg

Unfortunately on the JRS setup, as with most setups which use the front spring pocket for a trailing link, the link itself is the limiting factor on the inside:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_22_zpsdd92d9bb.jpg

I couldn't get a good picture, but that shot shows a little over 2" from the tire to the link. Starting with a 275, that would let me get to a 325 with almost no clearance. And I'm not completely sold on my outside position, so that's pushing it.

You might also notice that we replaced the rear bushing with a heim join to see if we could gain a little room. We get about 1/2" on the rear, so maybe 1/4" where I took the measurement. Without cutting the frame rail, there just isn't much else you can do there... When I get the 315 on Tuesday, I'll do some more detailed measuring. I have a wheel fitment tool that I'll be using to be more confident also.

Eric is also making mounts for the Sparco seats. I knew these were going to be a tough fit (just about any aftermarket seat is) due to the height, and the fact that I'm 6'2. He's got it almost as low as it can sit without cutting the floor, and we have resolved that the floor is going to have to be cut at least some. I like his seat protection method here (garbage bags :) )

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_21_zps82ce856f.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_20_zps2f51dbe0.jpg

I'm going to need a much shorter shifter rod than the one I have, it's way to long/tall. Add that to my shopping list. :willy:

We did a few other small things yesterday. Hopefully we've decided on a mounting spot for the II Much fuel and axle vents. We removed the factory canister that was behind the seat, and there's a flat spot there which we are going to try and use. Eric will make a platform that we can remove, but the opening is in just the right spot to snake the lines around the axle, exhaust, and Watt's link there.

We also looking into all of the plumbing we need to do. The rear brake lines are going to be tricky, again due mostly to the exhaust. I have 4 pages of notes of the AN and brake fittings we are going to need to plumb the fuel lines, oil lines, PS lines, vent lines, and LS steam vents. Can't wait to place that order... ;)

And finally we stared at the shaker setup for a while. If the measurements are correct, the top of my 4b throttle body is about 1 3/8" higher than the Quadrajet which came off the car. I have a 1" spacer on there which we can remove, but that still leaves me 3/8" or so too high, as it was also sitting a tough higher than I wanted. So I will probably purchase one of the aftermarket filter bases which are made for shakers, but then we'll probably have to cut it up to make it fit. We can't lower it much though due to the fuel rails. Tight fit in this area, so we have some work to do here...

[carbuff]

Update time. It's been a couple of weeks... :)

I've worked the last couple of Saturdays at the shop, and Eric's been hard at it. The progress has been slow because of the PITA nature of what we're doing.

First, he's cut out a space to mount the II-Much vents where the original canister was behind the rear seat. He also made a shelf to mount them which we can unbolt to remove. It's going to work perfectly in that space!

Then he's had to cut out some space for the JRS torque arm uprights to clear the floor. Space is tight back there, and as we approached compression on the rear end, the uprights were hitting the floor. So Eric cut out some of the rear seat belt mount plates, and took a BFH to the corner of the floor. He tried not to cave it in too much, and then some cleanup effort.

Also, the rear firewall was loose in several areas. So he made some new upper corners where it will attach to the DSE tubs, and some welding and cleanup from where the previous owner had cut it for a cage. It was also rattling from some loose spot welds, so those are fixed too.

I worked to assemble the rear axle and 3rd member, install the axles, and the Baer backplates. That turned into a bit of a challenge, as the tapered bearings have an outer seal which reduces the clearance for the backplate to slide over the axle. A little massaging with a grinder opened up opened up the edge just enough to clear, so the backplates are no.

Eric talked me into using bumpstops on the Bilsteins, so I ordered up a set from Speedway. Unfortunately that means disassembling the end of the coilover to insert them on the shaft. Thankfully he's done this before on others, so he knew what we were getting into. I have a few pictures of that process below.

Eric also has been making brackets to attach the front coolers. Radiator, condensor, oil cooler, and PS cooler. We've spent a lot of time considering options here and line routing. We've settled on the layout you see below, and we decided to make hardlines from the coolers to bulkheads on the core support. Then I'll run AN lines from the other side of the bulkheads to their respective spots on the engine.

I have a wheel fitment tool on loan at the moment to determine the size and backspacing I want to use on the wheels. So this past Saturday we stuck the rear axle back in place to get some measurements. This caused more frustration for me. After the last round of trimming and beating on the floor, the uprights mostly clear now. However, when we stuck the wheel/tire on and compressed the rear end, the car is still sitting way higher than I want. We have one more step down on the axle housing mounts, so I can get about 1 more inch there. But, in this position it currently is in, we are bottoming out on the floor at the axle housing upright mounts on the top. So we're going to have to do more cutting of the floor to open up space to allow those to move up higher. In the tire picture below, that is full compressed right now. I want that to be RIDE HEIGHT! That's never going to happen though and have any compression left in the coilovers. It will be interesting to see where we end up...

Anyway, I measured the wheel BS for the rears. It looks like I'll be around 7.75" with an 11.5" wheel. I'm running a 315 tire. We are going to roll the lip more than it current is, and that leaves me about 1/4" or so to the lower trailing links. You can see in the picture below that Eric made a spacer for the bushings to push the link in as far as we can.

I've spent a LOT of time lately trying to pull together an order for the AN fittings and line which we are going to need. Damn that is going to be an expensive order! :( We're running PTFE line and fittings for the fuel and vent lines. Eric will bend a hardline from the rear to the front, and soft line to finish the attachments.

I'll be running oil cooler lines (-10) and PS lines (-6), and then I'm going to make a set of steam return lines from -4. That may be overkill, but it seems like the cleanest way to do it. See the following:

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/gray86hatch/dc606086.jpg

I also need to get my gauge order in. Those will take a couple of weeks to make, so that's on my list for this week also. My list seems to get longer instead of shorter.

Ok, that's about it for now. Pictures below. First, Eric's rescue German Shepherd Sophie:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_05_zps5ce84f12.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_01_zps2d5e1034.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_02_zpsce23ffbe.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_03_zpsa695b6e5.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_06_zpscf2bca21.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_07_zps9185da54.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_08_zps84b90b06.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_10_zps86e05f5f.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_11_zps1b032800.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_12_zpsda20e27e.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_17_zps3cea9af5.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_18_zps6ea77de0.jpg

[carbuff]

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_20_zps8cf305d3.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_16_zpse5cfe283.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0126_27_zps381ff4f1.jpg

[WSSix]

Looking good. Stay with it and you'll get it all figured out. You're definitely doing it right by finding these problems before you say it's done and drive the car.

[OLDFLM]

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/gray86hatch/dc606086.jpg

Please paint the valve covers Pontiac baby blue! Please? :rolleyes:

[carbuff]

Hee hee... That's not actually my engine, just a picture which I snagged from another site. My covers will stay bare aluminum, assuming that's the material which they are made of anyway. ;)

[carbuff]

I stopped by the shop tonight for a mid-week update and to measure for the wheels. I snapped a few more pictures also.

Eric is working on mounting the engine compartment downbars to the front subframe. He's making plates to mount to the firewall along with the collars. I didn't get pictures of those yet since they aren't mounted, but will this weekend.

I also snapped a couple of pictures of the mounting plate he's made for the II-Much vent cans which will go behind the rear seat.

As to the wheels, after a lot of futzing with the MountMate fitment tool and measuring to ensure we had everything right, we settled in on the fronts at 18x10 with 6.5" of bs, and the rear at 18x11.5 with 7.5" of BS. Now I just have to decide on a wheel style and colors! :headscratch:

Not much else to say, so here are the pictures:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_01_zpscbbc122c.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_07_zps02007fcf.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_05_zps9b9a9daa.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_10_zpse8073cd4.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_11_zps4520fa24.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_12_zps52084f97.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_13_zpse0670747.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_16_zps3b866f22.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_17_zpsdb2d09a0.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_18_zpscc4c0643.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0130_19_zps40b9ade6.jpg

[carbuff]

Dynamat day. I hate laying Dynamat. Enough said... :bang:

Eric primed the floor this week before I put the Dynamat down. I forgot to take a picture before starting, but the solid black floor looks good. If anyone ever pulls all that Dynamat out, the floor should be in good shape.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_01_zpsc8108000.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_03_zpsfe82fea7.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_13_zpsa7d6ce98.jpg

Did I mention that I hate laying Dynamat? My back and finger tips are hating me today! And I'm about 1/4 of the way finished, although those should have been the worst areas. I don't expected the firewall to be as bad...

[carbuff]

Meanwhile, Eric has been fabricating away. The firewall downbars have taken more time than we planned, but they appear to be about done. Everything is tacked up now and ready for welding tomorrow... We used the B&B Classics firewall and subframe flanges, and they worked out very nicely. In order to maximize the MC booster clearance, Eric trimmed the drivers side cup a little, and then did the same on the passenger side to match the positioning. I wanted a crossbar for strength, but also wanted it removable, so we got a set of the Ballistic Fabrication tube clamps. Unfortunately those are only available in 1.5" or 1.75", while the flanges were 1.625". So we stepped up to 1.75" tubing, and Eric opened up the flanges a little to accept the oversized tube. Now he just has to be very precise when welding it all together. ;)

Pictures:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_04_zps75bb4c6c.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_05_zpsb08107f0.jpg

Note the welds...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_07_zps9091a9a6.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_08_zpsfc3b02f8.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_09_zps762607f8.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0210_11_zps31b39378.jpg

[carbuff]

On other fronts... I placed a few orders this week. First, I ordered my gauges for the car. I decided on the Speedhut Revolution gauges. I'm using the 4.5" speedo and tach, and the 2 1/16" gauges for the rest.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/FirebirdGaugeLayout2_zpsc674e07d.gif

I may reverse the 2 and 3 rows such that the 3 gauges are on top. I was trying to squeeze in another AC vent, but that's not going to fit.

I've also decided on my wheels... I'm surprised how hard this was, given how long I've been thinking about it. I went back and forth between the Forgeline RB3C, the GA3, the GZ3, and the GA1R. In the end, I decided on the GA3 as shown below. Satin Gunmetal center, exposed hardware, polished outers. The exposed hardware option finally put me over the top with this choice:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/GA3_zpsbc7d0c69.jpg

(that's a Forgeline picture for a set they just did for another car. the only difference on mine is I'm going for a black inner...)

I'm waiting on the finalized invoice to get the order moving forward, but that should happen Monday.

On the car itself, we are still having clearance issues around the rear suspension. The driver's side coilover and Watt's Link mount have been all sorts of problematic for us. If it had been located just 1/2" further inboard, all would be fine. But the spring collar hits at one point, then when we get past that, the shock body itself helps. Right now, that is our limiting point of rear suspension compression. We're going to see what happens when I get my wheels/tires, but I may have to purchase a different set of coilovers which use a narrower shock body and spring to clear.

This week the front end will come back apart for the last time. The inner fenders and radiator support are going off for powder coating, and the firewall will be painted. Then the real assembly will begin. I can't wait!

[WSSix]

I really like how it's coming together. Wheel choice is great. Just be forewarned, cleaning around the hardware and the pocket the bolts are in is going to be a pain. I like them though. :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Yes, I realize cleaning is going to be painful. I just always felt that the GA3 was missing something. While not a show car, this was one place I just wanted a little nicer look. I'll probably curse myself after about 2 car washes though! :bang:

[WSSix]

possibly. Keep your eyes out for various brushes in paint sections of stores or even camera places. You're bound to find something that will get in there and make life a little easier. My first stop would be the paint store for a soft bristle paint brush. Find the cheapest one you can.

[carbuff]

More Dynamat hell... I have about 2.5 days into it so far, and I've got one more small section on the rear tunnel, then the doors. Note the plastic buckets that I siliconed into the kick panels. Those will protect the speakers that are going down there. 3 days later, and the backs of my hands are still covered in the stuff. I think it's as bad as POR-15 if you get it on your skin!

And a lot more ordering has been ongoing also! I decided to replace the side glass on the car, and both sides have scratches (the driver's much worse though). I did a lot of searching, and I couldn't find a definitive answer as to whether the Pilkington glass was really better, and who made it. So I went with Auto City Glass. Hopefully it will arrive this week, and I can install the glass this weekend. Then I can Dynamat the doors...

I'm excited that UPS is showing my Forgelines are supposed to arrive tomorrow! Now I just have to find a place to have them mounted that I can trust not to screw them up... :( Maybe SW will have a recommendation, he's had a set or two mounted in town. :)

Eric wrapped up the firewall and painted it last week. We also sent a big pile of parts to the powder coater, hopefully they are coming back this week also.

Here are a few pictures for the week:

The rearend is out as Eric touched up some spots on the bottom of the car. It's a good shot of the JRS setup I have for adjusting the pinion angle:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_01_zps574ea3b1.jpg

Some Dynamat shots:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_02_zps8b21282a.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_04_zps217e6015.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_05_zps298ecc21.jpg

And the firewall:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_10_zps5ad213a5.jpg

[carbuff]

And another surprise arrived today. My Speedhut Revolution gauges came in! We haven't had time to make the gauge panel which will house them yet, but hopefully we can work on that early next week. In the meantime, here are some pictures:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_16_zpsfd7496b6.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_15_zps59160778.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_17_zpse0395b2e.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_18_zps24cfb6e6.jpg

[Ron in SoCal]

Nice Bryan! I know you've run into a couple hurdles (don't we all), but you're powering right through it. You will have a killer car when you're done :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Admittedly, it's not always easy! I'm amazed how much time I spend chasing parts and answers trying to stay ahead of Eric... You'd think that by having someone else do most of the work, my job would be pretty easy. But no........ :headscratch:

I forgot a couple of interesting pictures earlier... Eric cut out the rot on the lower cowls, a common rust problem on these cars. You can see the rot and the openings he made and is filling in below:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_14_zps9b7a4c45.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_13_zps58fd9267.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0226_12_zpsacd51ce4.jpg

[RussMurco]

Love those gauges! Heck, love the project!

[carbuff]

WOO HOO! Look what showed up today. Can't wait until tonight to see them in person! :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130227_114631_zps8496fde2.jpg

:G-Dub:

[Flash68]

Bryan, those wheels are killer. Nice choice. :thumbsup:

I like the gauges too. Not the usual Autometer stuff.

[carbuff]

So there are not enough of these to describe how I felt when seeing the wheels tonight! :hapdance: :woot: :drool: :cheering: :dance: :hail:

We will get them mounted next week after we have some time to check the fitment (sheetmetal and rear axle need to be reattached first).

Kudos to Forgeline! I was promised that I would have them before the FW GG show, but to get them in 15 days from the day we finalized the order was impressive!

[RussMurco]

I love it when that happens!

[Al Moreno]

That's going to be a beautiful ride when your done. You got to love that body style.

[carbuff]

Another long weekend, and while it doesn't look like I accomplished a lot, I definitely did!

First, another solid day of Dynamat. I went up Wednesday night and did a few hours worth, where I finished with the Dynamat Extreme on all of the floor areas. I still have the doors to do, but I cannot do that until I get the glass in. I had planned to do that this weekend, but........

Do with the Extreme done, I started on the Dynaliner. I used 1/4" Dynaliner to cover pretty much everything so far. I attached it to the bottom of the package tray to make the installation of the tray easier. Then the back seat areas, the mini tubs, and up the floor to the firewall. I realize as I type this that I didn't get any good pictures of this, but I will this week.

Today I started in on the wiring. I ran RCA wires for a stereo, along with a trigger for an amp which I will mount in the trunk. Then I pulled out the AAW kit which I purchased oh so long ago. When I started looking at it, I realized that there's a lot there which I don't need. Honestly, I may have been better off to purchase on of the Highway series kits instead of the Camaro/Firebird kit which I purchased. But I digress... I started removing wires from the harness, and I pulled out a bunch: wiper switch (I'm using the DSE kit), the AC/Heater wires (Vintage Air wires), all of the gauge cluster wires (tach, oil, temp, generator light), then the starter and battery wires also. Eric and I are going to run new wires for those along with the EFI harness wires and gauge wires through the trans tunnel to prevent them from running across the firewall. Cleaner that way...

So after removing at least 1/3 of the wires, I stabbed the harness into place. I connected up a couple of items, but that's about all I had time for...

In the meantime, Eric is starting assembly of all of our parts. The DSE booster and MC are on, as are the clutch MC and DSE wiper. Today he was making the brake lines. I bought a new replacement front-rear line, but custom extensions are needed from where the hard line ends to the frame rails where the flex lines will attach. He also made new front lines which are really clean.

This week there should be some assembly progress. I'll get more wiring done, and Eric will probably stab the engine/transmission back in along with the torque arm and rear axle. The gas tank also needs to go in, then the real fun can begin: assembling the exhaust! I'm adamant that I want it to run all the way to the rear, and weaving some 3" pipes through the Watts Link is going to test Eric's fab skills I believe... ;)

I have a few pictures, and I'll post the current money-shot first! I LOVE these wheels! ! !

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0303_21_zpsebd0d2c5.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0303_22_zps0cb06f71.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0303_19_zps19b26977.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0303_03_zps7e998427.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0303_04_zpsee31f25f.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0303_06_zpsf4abaa3d.jpg

[carbuff]

Oh, I forgot to mention that SW stopped by in what will be his next project for Eric to work on... It's a 'small' project for him, but a car which I love (and feels very familiar!). I look forward to seeing the new touches which it will receive...

[carbuff]

I stopped by again today to drop a few things off and snapped a couple of shots of the Dynaliner, wiring, and Eric's brake-line work...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0304_01_zps591c9327.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0304_02_zpsa545b9f4.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0304_03_zpsa057fe9b.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0304_04_zps5cfe63e5.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0304_05_zps83078b85.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0304_06_zps0a1e0715.jpg

[c.schulz]

Hey Bryan, car is looking fantastic. Really like how it is coming together.
A concern I saw was the support for the Lower control arm. Or maybe the lack there of......with all you will be putting this car thru do you think the UCA and LCAs need more support? Rear and Front mount

Chris

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/cschulz/update_0304_06_zps5ee8978a.jpg

Also maybe the upper control arm and spring mount. Maybe add some vertical Chro Moly plates or struts to support the tube.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/cschulz/update_0303_22_zpsa1e1300d.jpg

[68protouring454]

Hey Bryan, car is looking fantastic. Really like how it is coming together.
A concern I saw was the support for the Lower control arm. Or maybe the lack there of......with all you will be putting this car thru do you think the UCA and LCAs need more support? Rear and Front mount

Chris

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/cschulz/update_0304_06_zps5ee8978a.jpg

Also maybe the upper control arm and spring mount. Maybe add some vertical Chro Moly plates or struts to support the tube.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/cschulz/update_0303_22_zpsa1e1300d.jpg

My suspension systems, particularly the 70-81 platform have more wheel to wheel road racing, etc then any other out there. I am not sure how much more you think it needs, but it seems to be holding up just fine. Topping that with a well thought out and computer designed susp and steering geometry,plus 4 years of wheel to wheel racing, plenty of curb beatings from watkins glen, to vir to njmp, limerock etc. No failures etc. Oh ya throw in a podium at the Nasa national championships as well.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_0KafyE8jS4/UTYqWYZfWRI/AAAAAAAAS-A/b7Mwux6qiTM/s1008/IMG_01648.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QyuXqIf1DVo/UTYr2gsmGnI/AAAAAAAAS-U/AkwdGm01Wnc/s1134/IMG_9248-1.JPG
I am sure plenty of things in a certain package can be made differently, or improved, but thus far there is no needing to change anything. Our Jrs 2nd gen runs as fast as Ta2 cars wherever we go.

[carbuff]

Jake is certainly the more authoritative source on the design of this setup... But I did dig up some pictures from when I first received the front clip that may help clear up any questions on the support of that lower mount. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_1277_zpse6dca3ac.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_1298_zps0a392647.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_1311_zpsaf8a3671.jpg

Hope those help. :)

[c.schulz]

I stand corrected.........:thumbsup:

Chris

[Royalworks]

It did look like from that angle it had one tube holding on the lower arm. Wider picture, its stout.

[carbuff]

It's been a couple of weeks since I've gotten pictures and an update, but progress continues. I've been out of commission due to other life events, but Eric is plugging along.

Eric picked up a load of parts from the powder coater, so final assembly is on-going. And just when you think it's all going to come together, you run into more issues...

But before that, some good stuff. The engine is in for the last time, and the cooling setup is in place too. Radiator, oil cooler, and PS cooler. The hard and flex-lines are mostly made now for those as well. We have also put the Holley EFI wiring harness in place and worked out a few little kinks with that. Eric has run the power cables through the car, using bulkheads are the firewall and rear passenger quarter panel, so the install will be pretty clean. He also started building the exhaust this week, and if not for needing a couple more bends, it would be done. That should happen Tuesday or so when parts arrive.

For my part, I've been working on some wiring as time allows. I stripped out several pieces of the AAW harness which I didn't need, and we've been working on how to integrate the EFI harness, Fan Controller, AC, Fuel Pump shutoff, and AAW all together. I think we have all of our answers now, so it's up to me to cut/splice/shrinkwrap a bunch of connection now. We also found a nice mounting spot for the EFI controller up on the metal cowl area behind the dash.

I also finished the Dynamat on the doors, and installed the package tray with the 6x9 speakers back there. That turned into a half day project, something I expected to be simple. I should know better... I made some wood mounts to lower the speaker since it would have hit the metal of the rear shelf if installed flush (I didn't cut out the factory openings). No pictures, but trust me, they are there... :)

Now for the biggest recent problem... The JRS Tri-Y headers tucked too closely to the block down at the oil filter area, preventing us from using the Mocal thermostat. That's not really Jake's fault, he built them for max clearance to the frame/steering areas I'm sure. But it would have been easy to shape them slightly differently to deal with it. After much deliberation and consideration of our options, Eric and I decided to cut the headers and rebuild the pipe that was hitting. I didn't like the other thermostat options, so this was the best path. Eric finished that up last night, but I haven't seen the final product yet. We will have to recoat the headers, but since we're coating the exhaust anyway, we'll do it all to match.

A few other odds and ends... The brakelines are made, we installed the PCV catch can, we're trying to determine how to connect the gas pedal to the TB linkage (the air cleaner base is going to interfere with out planned method, so that's still an issue), and I still love my wheel selection! :)

Here are some pictures...

Powder coated core support and parts mounted:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_01_zpsf3f0c2a1.jpg

Closeup:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_02_zps581de71d.jpg

Front clearance, overflow can, and PS/Oil lines:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_03_zpsdf36920a.jpg

Things will be busy at the rear of the intake:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_04_zps04abf3d4.jpg

Dynamat on the doors:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_06_zpsc09146a1.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_07_zps3b083463.jpg

Power Cables:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_08_zps65ba0a57.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_09_zps8ae86c26.jpg

Driver's side exhaust run:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_11_zps42267288.jpg

I didn't believe Eric when he first told me he could route 3" pipes through the JRS Watt's link maze in the back, but sure enough he did:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_12_zpsfb92b112.jpg

And this is where he ran out of pipe. No, I'm not leaving a dump there! :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_14_zpsd379bfb7.jpg

Norris catch can mounted:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/update_0317_16_zps3d484f17.jpg

[carbuff]

Here are some pictures from Eric of the header rework. I haven't seen it in person, but he says there is plenty of room to that steering shaft... :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130318_205629_zps23faa71a.jpg

And from the bottom. You can see the Mocal and the clearance we have now:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130318_205702_zps5c8f470f.jpg

The 'new' pipe which is further forward originally tucked right up to the block, which was a nice and tight fit, but interfered with the Mocal. If you were running a remote filter/thermostat, it wouldn't have been a problem. I like the simple installation of the Mocal and wanted to keep it though.

You can see all of the splices he had to do in order to keep a nice radius on the tubes...

[carbuff]

Here are some more pictures of the exhaust. You can see all of the extra 'kinks' which Eric did in the exhaust to get the bends/angles just right. And he got a lot of Tig practice this week. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0320_01_zpsaf929844.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0320_02_zpse381460b.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0320_03_zpsb7df471c.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0320_04_zpsd73e08dc.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0320_05_zps96a47b3d.jpg

I also like how he set up the band flanges to create a 'positive' locating flange at each joint. But having the 1 pipe stick out about 1/8" and the other pipe recessed about 1/8", when you install the band clamps, everything will stay nicely aligned.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0320_06_zpsdce9faa3.jpg

In the meantime, I wired up the trunk of the car the other night. Took me about 4 hours to get everything right, but I made all of the connections to the AAW wiring kit, and I also installed a fuel pump cutoff switch to stop the pump in case of an impact. I got my butt-splicing and shrink-wrapping practice in. :) Tomorrow I'll get back to the interior wiring...

[Che70velle]

Exhaust looks great! Nice job.

[carbuff]

It's been a little while since I've updated, but I have new pictures. :)

I picked up the exhaust from the ceramic coater's yesterday. It came out great! Because we had to cut/weld on the header, I had them both recoated as well. The header tubes and tail pipes were coated inside and out. I had the flanges and header bolts done as well. Took about 10 days, and I'm happy with the results! The pieces will go on this week...

In the meantime, I've been working on the interior. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get the door panels installed on the car. I purchased a set of reproduction panels, and as with many reproduction parts, they don't just pop into place as easily as we would like. But after some fitting, they turned out well. I applied the 1/8" Dynaliner to the back, and between that and the Extreme on the door itself, these doors close with a thud now. Should make for a much more pleasant driving experience!

I've also been working on wiring. Again, I've spent way too much time on this, but I wanted it as clean as I could get it. I've wired in the Holley HP EFI, the PRC fan relays, and the Vintage Air control relays. I had to do some research to get the Holley wiring the way I wanted, allowing it to control the fans (specifically when the AC compressor is running). I'm also sending a warning light to the dash from the ECU, which again took some research.

The passengers side of the cabin is wired now, and we are working on the dash side. Eric cut out the new dash panel yesterday and is working on the holes for the gauges. If not for missing 1 hole saw, it would be mostly done. That will wrap up in the next few days...

The plumbing is mostly done now except for 1 oil cooler line. It's proven to be a tight fit up front, and we ran out of line to finish it, so more is on the way.

The engine wiring is in place and mostly hidden, so we're pretty happy with that.

The brake lines and clutch line have fluid in them with no leaks.

I powered up the ECU yesterday and ensure that I could communicate to it from my laptop, and that looks like it's working. I'm not sure the maps in it are very well done though, I have a feeling they were only set for full throttle (ie: dyno) runs. I need to tweak on those and update the firmware in the box to the latest 2.0 version from Holley.

So we're making progress, and getting closer. I suspect we will be close to trying to fire the engine for the first time within 2 weeks. Then we can through the front end together and give it a test drive. :)

Pictures...

The exhaust after the ceramic coating. The coating has flakes of stainless steel in it, adding hardness (as I'm told) and the ability to polish it:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_11_zpsf06db1d2.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_12_zpsefa16e04.jpg

Door panels:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_02_zpsa9eae702.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_03_zps442f61dc.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_05_zps248c63a9.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_06_zps9a23e61d.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0407_07_zpse6b821e3.jpg

[RussMurco]

Looks GREAT! Keep it up!!!

[srh3trinity]

This is really coming out nicely!

[gerno]

Looks good, can't wait to hear that beast roar. Have you figured anything out with the throttle interference issue with the air cleaner?

[carbuff]

Have you figured anything out with the throttle interference issue with the air cleaner?

Eric cut down the bracket that came with the Lokar cable and welded it back together, moving the cable to the bottom instead of the top. We are both a little concerned with how the gas pedal feel is going to work out, and it's also still going to be close on the air cleaner base, but we can cut that a little if needbe... :)

Here are a couple of pictures:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130409_201009_small_zps79ab9243.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130409_201003_small_zpsc3a1596b.jpg

[carbuff]

Midweek update...

I spent last night wiring. 2.5 hours, I think I connected 5 wires. Sheesh! Good thing I'm not trying to make a living wiring cars! :)

Eric trimmed and covered the kick panels. These turned out great!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130409_223931_small_zps51d8dd35.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/IMG_20130409_223850_small_zps53948cb2.jpg

Exhaust is going on today, dash panel is cut, and we're going to temporarily wire in the gauges and wrap up the electrical system this week. Fingers crossed, we MAY try to fire her up this weekend!

[carbuff]

The kick panels went in today, so I snapped a couple of pictures before they were wrapped up:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_18_zpsb0f67196.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_20_zpsd2a38929.jpg

Instead of attaching the speakers to the kick panel, Eric made an aluminum plate and attached that to the metal structure, then attached the speak to that. So the kick panel is just housing the grill...

[carbuff]

And now for some money shots!!! :G-Dub: :G-Dub: :G-Dub:


Got the rear tires mounted finally today (fronts tomorrow, I could only fit 2 in the car at a time!). Damn I love these things! I took a bunch of shots at full suspension compression and at the expected ride height. The fitment turned out perfect with just a finger's width to the fender lip and a finger's width to the lower control arm...

(pardon the crappy pictures, I didn't have my Canon so these are just from the cell phone)

Full compression:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_10_zpsf6b18f1d.jpg

Ride height:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_13_zps63e05eb1.jpg

And from a few different angles:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_16_zps92a578ec.jpg

Compressed:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_12_zps5271b4dc.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0410_08_zps6cfadfb3.jpg

[randy]

you will love those rims.

[carbuff]

Oh yes, I'm very happy with that choice! :)

[RussMurco]

Those wheels just look spectacular!

[srh3trinity]

Nailed it! Can't wait to see it sitting on the ground outside. How much tire did you go with? Rear end specs and BS on the wheels?

[carbuff]

A couple of shots with all 4 shoes on now... I wish the Falken's were available in a 285 or 295 width, it should have fit ok. But I love how it looks with these wheels/tires!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/image004_zpsaf952b93.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/image004_zpsaf952b93.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/image003_zps151318be.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/image003_zps151318be.jpg.html)

[gerno]

That looks killer. Which tires are you running and what sizes?

[carbuff]

Thanx! Those are the Falken Azenis RT-615K. Sizes below:

Front: 275/35/18 on an 18" x 10" rim

Rear: 315/30/18 on an 18" x 11.5" rim

[gerno]

Nice.... by chance are you at Eric's today? I'm fighting the urge to take advantage of the Bonspeed wheel sale and was thinking to move to 275/315's as well. Unfortunately I'd rather now mini tub so I was curious if I could check out the clearance on your back tires.

[carbuff]

I'm not, but I imagine that Eric would be there and wouldn't mind if you stop by...

[carbuff]

BTW, on my old project, I ran 17" x 11" wheels on the back of that car. I did not beat on the tub much, but they did rub. Particularly on the fender lip. Rolling it would help (which I did not do), but I don't think you could really have the car sitting 'low' without some rub. It's just too tight in there. Of course, beating on the inner tub would help some too. ;)

[gerno]

I'll stop by and see if he's around on my way home. I was under my car measuring the other day. I was thinking to try cutting a little out of the floor, the back seat supports and remove the hump in the front to stretch the inner wheel wells a little to make them fit. After seeing your setup I've also been talking to Jake and Speedtech about a new torque arm setup. Hopefully after I see your wheels in person I don't decide I have to purchase some Forgelines next......

[carbuff]

Sounds good. I know we'll be there tomorrow as I'm determined to finish the wiring and plumbing to try and fire the engine!

Good luck on not wanting a set of wheels... They are like crack! :confused59:

[gerno]

I won't be around tomorrow, I'm headed to SA for an autocross with the SA Camaro club. I'm sure you'll get it all ready tomorrow so I'll stop by to hear the beast roar on Sunday.

[carbuff]

She's alive!!!

https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10200465166844820

(I can't figure out how to embed the video, so you'll just have to click the link for now)

I'm exhausted right now, but just had to share... Very happy, and very RELIEVED to hear it run after sitting for over 2 years!

[WSSix]

Good job and congrats! :thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Let's try this again... :)

zRb34ez0a3I

[carbuff]

Here's a little wrap-up of the day yesterday.

I was determined to fire the engine yesterday, knowing we had a lot of work to do to make that happen. I got to the shop early, and Eric and I set out on a mission.

I finished up the interior wiring of the ECU, transmission, and hooked up the gauges in a temporary fashion. I wired them up to the headlight switch to make sure that the lights all worked as well. After all of the wiring work, I connected the battery and had Eric looking for smoke. None came, which was the first big relief of the day.

Then I turned on the ignition switch and saw the gauges move as expected. I started running through the systems that I could, and everything seemed to be ok.

The last step for me was to install the Rick's gas tank filler neck. It's a little tight to do that with the tank installed, but I got it on and tightened up. All good!

Meanwhile, Eric finished up the few remaining plumbing issues. He had to remake the oil and power-steering cooler lines. He remade them this time with stainless, and he was able to reroute the lines to not touch each other.

Next we poured some gas in the tank and turned on the switch again. I saw pressure build on the fuel pressure gauge, which was a good sign that the pump, lines and gauge were all working! We crawled around under the car, and only found one very slight drip at the hardline to AN line fitting. A turn of the wrench, and that drip was gone.

At this point we poured all of the various fluids into their respective destinations, and again started looking for leaks. Radiator, check. Power Steering, check. Oil, check. Transmission, check. Differential, check. Woo hoo!

Then the step I was worried about. Because of the LS setup, I don't know of a good way to prime the oil system. This engine hasn't run for over 2 years, and it's been drained, and we've added the oil cooler, thermostat, and lines, so I knew it would take a while to get oil through all of that. Scarily, it took longer than I would like for it too. Spin, spin, spin. Finally, I saw the oil pressure gauge move a little bit. Then a little more, and finally it crawled up to about 20psi. Phew!

Now for the moment of truth... We reconnected the coils and the injectors. I crawled into the car, pushed down the clutch, and turned the switch. After about 3 seconds, she fired to life! What a sweet sound. I was watching the gauges, and we were both crawling around and under the car looking for any leaks or other signs of problems. But none were to be found! We ran it until the fans kicked on, meaning the temps were up to running temp. Then we shut her down, and let out a collective sigh of relief.

We started it up a couple more times to make sure it was still all good, and everything seems great! No leaks, started right up both times, and the ECU looks to be good. I know it's not tuned well for idle / part throttle (the IAC is definitely off), but she runs!

Now that we are past this hurdle, we should be able to make some quick progress. This week, Eric is going to tackle assembling the front sheetmetal, and I am going to work on wiring the gauge wires. I purchased some connectors to allow quick disconnects, so I need to install those. Then the dash, back seats, and console. I am taking the dash panel which Eric made to be powder coated, and once it is back, we'll get the dash finished up.

It's getting close! I'm getting excited. :)

[Ron in SoCal]

Congrats Bryan. Vid looks awesome! It's been a long road and you guys have done a great job. :cheers:

[gerno]

I stopped by and checked the car out on Friday, it's looking really good. Wheels and tires look awesome on the car in person. Wish I could have made it by this weekend to hear it roar but couldn't. Glad everything went well getting it fired up. Car sounds great. Should be on the road in no time..

[carbuff]

More progress this week!

Eric has been busy assembling the front of the car, and it's amazing how much different the project looks and feels with the front sheetmetal on again! It's as if I can 'feel' the end of the project in sight now! As seems to be the case for all of these assemblies, there has been a lot of adjusting and tweaking to get to this point, but the gaps are looking great around the front, especially considering these parts were just painted and assembled without any actual bodywork on them...

He also replaced the RB hood pins with the Aerocatch units. I love these, and I'll be a lot more comfortable driving down the road and not watching the pins wiggle their way out of the RB units. We had to mount these sideways due to the inner structure of the VFN hood, but I think they look just fine this way.

I'm trying to determine which of the available drop-shaker bases will be the closest to working for me. Strangely, I'm having trouble find some simple dimensions for the couple that are available. Eric and I have discussed it, and we may just have to buy one and cut it as needed. I need to get something on the way...

As for me, I continue on the seemingly endless saga of wiring this car. I'm really sick and tired of laying in the car on my back and side trying to cleanly route wires. Hopefully I'm finally done under the dash. We stuck the VA evaporator setup in for the last time this week, and I made the used a pair of 15-pin Painless Wiring disconnect connectors for my gauge panel. I had the panel powder coated this week, and I was able to stick the Speedhut gauges in it too.

Then I had to take the painful step of cutting up a brand new reproduction Firebird dash. I bought this piece 2 years ago, and it's been sitting in wait for this day. The Firebird dash has a lot of plastic structure behind the gauges where the heater control, dash vents, etc were mounted originally. With my gauge layout, all of that stuff was going to be in the way. Out came the air saw and the drum sander, and I started cutting. I tried to leave as much as I could, and I still have vertical support across the opening.

Then the perhaps even more painful step of cutting the radio opening for the head unit. The Firebird dash has the radio opening cast into the ABS plastic, so again with the air saw and drum sander. It's a tight fit height wise, but it's in there...

After all of the cutting, I put the dash and gauge panel in the car to check all of the fitment. It looks GREAT in my opinion. :) I sadly had to take it back out since we still have a little under-dash work to do on the AC ductwork, but I was glad to at least see it in place.

Then I started wiring up the gauges and lights. I'm almost done, but needed some small gauge wire to wire the turn signal, brake, high-beam, and warning lights. I picked that up this afternoon, so on my next trip to the shop I will wrap all of that up. The dash should be in place next week.

I picked up all of the bulbs for the rear of the car and installed those too. Thankfully, everything worked. :)

There are a few other odds and ends to be taken care of this week too... Eric is going to heat and bend the shifter stick once we have the console in place, it's a little too close to the dash as it sits now. I already mentioned the shaker, and the stereo amplifier needs to be mounted. We are going to switch the circuit breaker from a 120A unit to a 150A unit. We tripped it once starting the car last weekend, so on a hot day it may pull too much current. I also need to contact Fesler about a set of hood struts. The ones I have don't hold the VFN hood up, so I need to get another set...

Requisite pictures below...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_19_zpscf337ccb.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_19_zpscf337ccb.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_22_zps0fb1c3b4.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_22_zps0fb1c3b4.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_25_zps8a261a6c.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_25_zps8a261a6c.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_30_zpsbf08edc3.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_30_zpsbf08edc3.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_47_zps508b982b.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_47_zps508b982b.jpg.html)

Here was my temporary gauge setup when we fired the engine last weekend. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0413_01_zps509c51fe.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0413_01_zps509c51fe.jpg.html)

The blank panel after powder coating:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_02_zpsfe8a488f.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_02_zpsfe8a488f.jpg.html)

Panel assembled, without the LEDs:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_46_zpsd96888d6.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_46_zpsd96888d6.jpg.html)

Dash pad after cutting the gauge area:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_15_zps7f1adc05.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_15_zps7f1adc05.jpg.html)

Stereo installed (I may do something to cover up the knob depression areas):

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_37_zps8f01d3db.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_37_zps8f01d3db.jpg.html)

Dash and gauges in the car (you can see how close the shifter handle is, and that's without the knob):

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_39_zps8a3f7ad1.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_39_zps8a3f7ad1.jpg.html)

And working on the wiring:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_48_zpsd7263d2c.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0421_48_zpsd7263d2c.jpg.html)

[Spiffav8]

Looking good!!

[srh3trinity]

How much work did it take to get the VFN hood to fit well?

[66fury]

Fricken nice. !!

[Flash68]

Looking sick man! :guns:

[carbuff]

Thanx guys!

Stephen, very little work was done to the VFN hood. Jake at JRS painted and installed it, but from the pictures that I have of the work being done, there were just a few little touch-up spots on it. Nothing was really done along the edges to work on gaps or fitment. All things considered, I think it's fit great!

The only issues with it are that it's not strong enough to force the shaker scoop seal 'down'. By that I mean, the seal is pretty stiff, and if it sits up high at all (which mine did before), the hood isn't going to flatten it out. My hood bulged a little in the middle because of it. And thus my need to find a drop shaker base...

[qnitro]

Please tell me, Please.. where did you get vents.. I have the same dash..

Thanks

Kevin

Thanx guys!

Stephen, very little work was done to the VFN hood. Jake at JRS painted and installed it, but from the pictures that I have of the work being done, there were just a few little touch-up spots on it. Nothing was really done along the edges to work on gaps or fitment. All things considered, I think it's fit great!

The only issues with it are that it's not strong enough to force the shaker scoop seal 'down'. By that I mean, the seal is pretty stiff, and if it sits up high at all (which mine did before), the hood isn't going to flatten it out. My hood bulged a little in the middle because of it. And thus my need to find a drop shaker base...

[carbuff]

Please tell me, Please.. where did you get vents.. I have the same dash..

Thanks

Kevin

The vents are from Vintage Air. Page 52 of their online catalog, part # 49053-VUQ.

Pictures of your dash setup? I'd love to see 'em. :)

[qnitro]

Thanks.. Im going to order some Monday.. I love your Car..I have a 1972 Formula, Im going to build this year.. all DSE/ LS7 etc.. Im finishing my 75 right now..

It funny we are just today, getting ready to mount.. I bought the Year one Bandit set up.. with all autometer gauges. The panel didnt quite fit right so my Dad did some mods.. I will post pics up in the next week.. Its on pro touring.com

http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?93941-Project-90-day-1975-Trans-Am-restore-bet-with-wife&highlight=

The vents are from Vintage Air. Page 52 of their online catalog, part # 49053-VUQ.

Pictures of your dash setup? I'd love to see 'em. :)

[carbuff]

Ah yes, I didn't make the connection to that thread. :)

You could return the favor for me! Which shaker base are you using? I literally need to order one tomorrow. I've been trying to find some measurements on the PTFB and the WFO units.

What I specifically need to know are 2 measurements, and they are related:

- the difference in height between the carb mount surface and the shaker ring lip?

- the difference in height between the carb mount surface and the bottom of the base?

I'm told the second measurement on the PTFB unit is 2". But I cannot find the first measurement for either.

I'm trying to fit my shaker / hood / engine combination, and I need to drop the shaker lip about an inch from stock. If there's any chance you could measure the above on your shaker base, that would help me a ton!

Thanx!

[qnitro]

Tell you what, I will take pics with all the measurements.. I will show with a ruler, and I will put my WFO on and than I will put stock base on..

Ah yes, I didn't make the connection to that thread. :)

You could return the favor for me! Which shaker base are you using? I literally need to order one tomorrow. I've been trying to find some measurements on the PTFB and the WFO units.

What I specifically need to know are 2 measurements, and they are related:

- the difference in height between the carb mount surface and the shaker ring lip?

- the difference in height between the carb mount surface and the bottom of the base?

I'm told the second measurement on the PTFB unit is 2". But I cannot find the first measurement for either.

I'm trying to fit my shaker / hood / engine combination, and I need to drop the shaker lip about an inch from stock. If there's any chance you could measure the above on your shaker base, that would help me a ton!

Thanx!

[carbuff]

Tell you what, I will take pics with all the measurements.. I will show with a ruler, and I will put my WFO on and than I will put stock base on..

That would be awesome! Thank you... I'm almost certain I will get the WFO. Did you order it from Larry directly, or from Butler Performance, or another source?

[qnitro]

From Butler.. Its funny, I have ANOTHER 1975 Trans am with a Similar LS2 set up as you, Fast TB and Edlebrock Intake, that I will have to do the same thing.. Yes, I have 3 Damn Trans Am's... I wish I would just finish one.. LOL.. I just ordered the vents from Summit.

I will also take pics with the WFO and stock shaker on my LS2 with the Fast TB too.. Im west coast time.. So I will post around 7 or 8 my time..Tomorrow

That would be awesome! Thank you... I'm almost certain I will get the WFO. Did you order it from Larry directly, or from Butler Performance, or another source?

[carbuff]

I wish I had the time, and space, for that many projects! :)

You don't have to actually mount them to measure. If you can literally lay a straight-edge across the bottom of the WFO and measure up to the carb mount, then up to the shaker lip and give me those 2 numbers, I would be all good. :) Don't want to cause you too much work, and those 2 measurements are all that I actually need.

[qnitro]

Ahhh easy enough, I will straight edge it and measure.. I will get that for you tomorrow with pics.. so you know what and how I measured

I wish I had the time, and space, for that many projects! :)

You don't have to actually mount them to measure. If you can literally lay a straight-edge across the bottom of the WFO and measure up to the carb mount, then up to the shaker lip and give me those 2 numbers, I would be all good. :) Don't want to cause you too much work, and those 2 measurements are all that I actually need.

[carbuff]

Great!

I just reread your thread. I wish I could make progress that quickly. ;) You mentioned needing to change intakes in that thread, but the latest pictures still look like you're using the Vic. Jr. Did the WFO solve your height problems?

[qnitro]

Look like it.. But I only test fitted..If I have to I will buy the WFO2.. Hell I will have all of them

Great!

I just reread your thread. I wish I could make progress that quickly. ;) You mentioned needing to change intakes in that thread, but the latest pictures still look like you're using the Vic. Jr. Did the WFO solve your height problems?

[srh3trinity]

Thanx guys!

Stephen, very little work was done to the VFN hood. Jake at JRS painted and installed it, but from the pictures that I have of the work being done, there were just a few little touch-up spots on it. Nothing was really done along the edges to work on gaps or fitment. All things considered, I think it's fit great!

The only issues with it are that it's not strong enough to force the shaker scoop seal 'down'. By that I mean, the seal is pretty stiff, and if it sits up high at all (which mine did before), the hood isn't going to flatten it out. My hood bulged a little in the middle because of it. And thus my need to find a drop shaker base...

I am going with a flat hood so I shouldn't have any problems. I want to do some hood mods.

[gerno]

Car's looking really good. The engine bay and gauge layout are super clean and mean business. Looks killer

[carbuff]

I am going with a flat hood so I shouldn't have any problems. I want to do some hood mods.

I think you'll find it a good starting point then. The only word of caution is that there isn't any real support in the middle of the hood, so you need to be careful about adding a lot of weight to it. It's pretty flexible through the center area, with just a support around the boundary for the hood latch (which I'm not using) and the hinge mounts.

[carbuff]

Car's looking really good. The engine bay and gauge layout are super clean and mean business. Looks killer

Thanx! Come a long way in a couple of weeks. :)

[qnitro]

OK here is what I got.. from the bottom of the base.. to the top of where the carb mates to base.. 1 3/8...

here are pics is this what you needed??

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab237/qnitro/52DA5EAF-D49C-4DAB-B49E-70C54D68A6D1-7287-000005075D0E10AB_zps6d8d4667.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/qnitro/media/52DA5EAF-D49C-4DAB-B49E-70C54D68A6D1-7287-000005075D0E10AB_zps6d8d4667.jpg.html)

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab237/qnitro/AD1511F0-A19C-40D3-9BC0-C6835B9AACB7-7287-000005075ECA5F80_zpsb9f050c3.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/qnitro/media/AD1511F0-A19C-40D3-9BC0-C6835B9AACB7-7287-000005075ECA5F80_zpsb9f050c3.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Just one more measurement if you can...

On the outside of the base, the distance from the bottom to the lip where the shaker attaches. I think from the WFO pictures that this is where he gets the actual drop from.

Thanx!

[qnitro]

That is 1 3/4 in

Let me know if you need anything else..

Kevin

Just one more measurement if you can...

On the outside of the base, the distance from the bottom to the lip where the shaker attaches. I think from the WFO pictures that this is where he gets the actual drop from.

Thanx!

[carbuff]

Kevin,

That is what I needed! Thanx!

Unfortunately, the WFO base doesn't drop quite as much as I had hoped. Given your two measurements, the shaker ring is 3/8" higher than the carb base. I was hoping it would actually be at the same height, or preferably even lower...

On my current setup, the shaker ring is 1" higher than the carb base, and I had hoped to get that down to even, if not even lower.

From an old email that I received from PTFB, their dimension from the carb base to the bottom (your first measurement) is 2", but their side height (second measurement) is minimum of 2.5" (they have 3 different heights available). So their setup puts the shaker right about 1/8" higher than the WFO.

It almost sounds like I need to buy the PTFB and cut 1/2 - 3/4" out of it to reposition the shaker ring down to where I need it to be. Since it has more drop, I will have more clearance on the air cleaner to shaker at the top side this way...

Thanx again for the help, I'll update here once i figure out the right solution!

[carbuff]

Kevin,

One more question. Looking at the bottom of your WFO, what are all of those nuts or screws I see? It almost looks like it's 2 or 3 pieces that are attached in some way. I'm wondering if I could disassemble it and modify it in some way? Hmm...

[qnitro]

They are just sheetmetal screws.. It looks like it could be taken apart

Kevin,

One more question. Looking at the bottom of your WFO, what are all of those nuts or screws I see? It almost looks like it's 2 or 3 pieces that are attached in some way. I'm wondering if I could disassemble it and modify it in some way? Hmm...

[carbuff]

So when last I wrote, Kevin was graciously attempting to help me with my shaker issue. Since that time, Eric and I have seemingly hit road block after road block trying to get this car to the point of taking a first test drive. It's not anyone's fault, it's just the nature of tying up loose ends...

I'll split these posts up so as not to write a novel!

First, on the shaker... I've now purchased 3 different shaker bases to try and find one that will work on my car, or at least one that we could easily modify to work. The WFO wasn't even close... The drop just wasn't nearly enough, and even if we dropped it more, the side wall height wasn't tall enough to raise the shaker enough. So that one was ruled out quickly (I had already taken the chance and ordered it, so that ones on me).

Next I ordered the PTFB 2" tall unit. This one drops 2" from the carb flange, then the side height is 2", bringing it basically back level at the shaker ring mount. This one was low enough, but we discovered that the filter is too tall inside this unit, and it hits my early-style shaker. I could perhaps get a shorter filter, but I'm already worried about having enough airflow through this thing.

So I called PTFB back up and ordered the 2.5" tall unit. With this one, we were able to position the shaker where we needed it height-wise! When we did, we realized that we needed to angle it relative to the carb flange for it to sit better relative to the hood (the original Pontiac intake manifold was milled at an angle to handle this under the carb). Thankfully the PTFB base had enough material to allow us to angle grind the ring where it sits on the throttle body to achieve the angle we needed.

But the next issue (which I also knew we had) was that the engine sits closer to the firewall, so the shaker was touching the hood opening when we closed the hood. So Eric cut out the base and moved the base 3/4" foreward relative to the throttle body. This puts the filter really close to the side wall of the shaker base in the back, but gets the shaker where we needed it.

Once done, the next problem is the opening between the shaker itself and the filter lid. There's maybe 3/8" opening all the way around the lid to the shaker! There's no way that's going to be enough air to feed this engine. :( After much deliberation, we decided that we had to cut holes into the shaker base. Unfortunately, there's not a good way to do this with a dimple die, so we just cut round holes. 25 of them to be exact, spaced at 2" around the circumference. That will pull in air from the engine compartment, but hot air is better than no air at all.

I had also decided to try using one of the K&N X-Stream filter lids. I've read mixed opinions on them, but again, non-optimal air flow is better than no air flow. :\ Unfortunately, after I overnighted one to test it last night, I discovered tonight that it's not going to fit. It hits the shaker base AND the shaker. Just not going to work... :(

In the end, I've come to the conclusion that I will probably have to remove the shaker and use a standard air filter for track events when I care about making max power. I just don't think there's going to be enough available air flow otherwise. However, what I will do is try all of the different combinations on a chassis dyno to see what the difference between them is.

So after all of that, here is a picture of the final product. I'm taking it to be powder coated tomorrow to clean is up. I haven't decided on the color yet, but it will be black or grey...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_50_zpsc53469f6.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_50_zpsc53469f6.jpg.html)

And the hood/shaker:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_49_zps6d2b85b7.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_49_zps6d2b85b7.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_48_zpse313f118.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_48_zpse313f118.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

As part of trying to get the height of the shaker base down far enough to clear the hood, I was told a while back that Accel makes a throttle body that is about 1/4" shorter than the unit which I have. While I wasn't excited about shelling out the $$$ for another TB when I have a perfectly workable one, I needed the 1/4". Especially after moving up to the 2.5" height shaker base.

Then the problem became finding one. I called Accel directly, and they are out of stock for 3 - 4 weeks! They gave me a couple of dealer names, but they also were out. Then I randomly decided to check on Amazon. Sure enough, one was listed as in-stock. I emailed the vendor, and he said they have one. So I ordered it.

It arrived, and I was all excited, until Eric informed me that the IAC plastic housing was broken. The box had been dropped, apparently right onto the IAC, and it shattered the plastic. It wasn't usable. Sigh...

So I called Accel to ask about a possible replacement, and the tech support guy (who acted like he could care less about helping me) gave me a part # for the replacement. When I looked it up on Summit, it's a completely different style of part. :( It's a screw in unit, and this one attaches with 2 screws. Great...

Eric then went hunting, and he somehow found one that matched based on a picture found on Google! Isn't the internet awesome?! It was listed as a Mercruiser part, and was pretty pricey. So in parallel, I contacted the seller of the TB. Turns out this was the only one they had in stock, so they too were out for 3 - 4 weeks. Ugh!

Long story shorter, Eric found the IAC was also used in several GM applications, and sure enough, the local O'Reilly's AutoParts store had one in stock! $65 later, we had a replacement to solve this problem.

This was a lot of trouble to go through to save 1/4" in shaker height! We have worked HARD to have a functional shaker on this car!!!

[carbuff]

Here's another fun one...

Since we installed the suspension in the car, we've had some interference issues with the rear coilovers and the Watt's link mounts. At full compression, the top spring hat rubs against the mount. It's slight, but enough to be concerning, especially when I'm driving hard and leaning the car.

So we finally decided that a shorter set of springs would be the best bet. The ones I received from Jake were 10" long. Some hunting around turned up some 8" units, and we decided that those would be the perfect length. We also decided we needed a little more drop on the front coilover, so I went to purchase all 4.

Again, a little Googling turned up a dealer on eBay who carried both spring rates at a good price. It seems that the other dealers had one rate or the other, but not both. So, thinking it would be easier to purchase from one source, I ordered from the eBay place. Done, right?

Later that night, I get an email from the vendor that they were out of one of the sets. Ugh... So I tell them to cancel that set, and send me the ones they have. I then order the other pair from Speedway.

Done, again, right?

Nope... I get an email from them again the next morning that they contacted the manufacturer directly, and they had both rates, so they are going to drop ship them to me. Wait, I've already ordered the others! No! Several more emails, and I finally resolve this... Just another little hassle that starts to add up when you are trying to get the loose ends resolved!

[carbuff]

Another fun story... Since we were stalled in other areas, Eric tried to install the wiper arms/blades. But they wouldn't like up correctly. The key for the driver's side arm was causing the arm to be way out of position... We must have spent an hour turning the motor on / off and watching the rotating cam do its thing. We finally determined that it wasn't parking. I pulled out the directions, and I definitely ordered the recessed park version of the setup. But it's not 'recessing'. We checked all of the wiring, the cam, everything we could to see if something wasn't right. But to the best of our ability to check, it all seems ok...

The next day, Eric called DSE. After a long conversation, they determine it's either broken or not a recessed park motor. So he packs it up and ships it off to them. Nothing they can do until they have it. Unfortunately they also want the wiring harness since, if they have to replace it, it will be with a newer version of the setup. That means the gauges / switches / AC ducts have to come out (we had just finished installing them the day before).

:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

[GregWeld]

Ah if it wasn't for hot rodding parts -- where would we all be?!?!


It's looking good Bryan!

[carbuff]

One more for ya...

After installing the package tray, and having to cut it to fit around the speakers and roll bar, I've never been happy with how it looked. Eric agreed, so we pulled it out. This time I ordered the 'mesh' version which has a textured finish and openings for the speakers which act as "grills". I thought this would look better, and we could get rid of the big-assed grills under the back window, which really feel out of place.

I ordered it up from Classic, and it came in last Wednesday. Saturday we pull it out of the box, and discover that the big create in the cardboard box was also transferred to the tray itself. Yep, it's creased! Unusable...

Thankfully, a phone call to Classic has another one on the way. They were good about it, and I was worried since their website policy says all damage must be reported within 2 days. Technically, this was 3. But they handled it smoothly, UPS picked up the damaged one today, and we should have the new one by Friday. That way we can start wrapping up the interior which is stalled due to this...

[carbuff]

On a slightly more uplifting note, we have gotten some other things taken care of in between all of these little issues...

On my side, I think I have FINALLY finished both Dynamating and wiring the car. After some deliberation, I decided that I want the trunk to be carpeted. And if I was going to do that, I may as well Dynamat under the carpet. So I spent Saturday afternoon laying the Extreme and Dynaliner in the trunk floor. Eric is going to lay the carpet sometime soon. It will finish out the trunk much nicer than the bare metal.

And Monday night, I managed to wire up the front lights. It took me a TON of time to do it all and keep the wiring as hidden as I could. The ol' addage of measuring twice, cut one came into play. But it was more like measuring 10 times before cutting! And just when I thought I had the driver's side done, Eric points out that the horns on this car mount on the driver's side instead of in the middle like I recall them doing on a Camaro. Great, time to pull the horn wire out and cut off all the fancy wire wrapping I just did to route the stupid horn wire. :bang: It all turned out great though, and thankfully everything worked the first time. :)

Eric has been wrapping up more loose ends also. He made some heavy brackets to finish attaching the SFC's to the front subframe. Even though the SFC's are welded into the floor, I didn't have the subframe installed at the same time, and I ultimately wanted to unbolt it if ever necessary. That also all ties into the JRS torque arm mount and transmission mount, so this required some sturdy pieces.

Oh, and give the car's name of TOW, tow hooks were a necessity! :) I picked up a couple from:

http://www.racecartowhooks.com/

I got the uncoated blanks. For now, I'm not going to install a real 'hook' on the rear, but I'm using 2 short ones on the coilover lower mounts which will act as tie downs should I ever trailer the car. We did install one on the front though. It comes off the bottom of the frame and through the lower valence. They are going to the powder coater tomorrow, and I hope to install them this weekend. I'll get pics then.

The console is in the car also! I decided the one I had was a little too rough, especially with the new dash, so I ordered a reproduction. As with most repro items, it took some work from Eric to make it fit correct up under the dash. The fact that the tunnel is raised about 2" also made it a little challenging. But it's in, along with the shifter handle and knob:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_51_zps34f26b17.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0507_51_zps34f26b17.jpg.html)

(man the camera makes things look worse than they do in person! that console lid and ash tray look way off, but not in person)

The rear seat has been narrowed, so it's ready to go now.

I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting, but those are the big updates for now. Hopefully we will be able to make some progress as things role in later this week again!

[carbuff]

Ah if it wasn't for hot rodding parts -- where would we all be?!?!

You got that right!

It's looking good Bryan!

Thanx! I'm feeling the need for a little encouragement right about now! The end is so close, but it keeps teasing me! Where's the dangling carrot emoticon?

[RussMurco]

Looks fantastic, I can't wait to see this one rolling!
You know us Firebird owners are cheering you on!
:grouphug:

[gerno]

Looking good. I'm impressed with how persistent you are. I'm pretty sure I would have pulled it off the stands and taken it for a least a short test run.

[carbuff]

I may have to do that this weekend when Eric's not looking!!!

:peepwall:

[carbuff]

So, no drive last weekend either. But we made some progress. UPS delayed one package, which meant we didn't get as much done on the interior as we'd hoped. And DSE is behind on their warranty claims supposedly, so my wiper motor is stuck in their queue. That's got the dash pulled apart.

On the good news front, TOW now has tow hooks. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_03_zps62f62368.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_03_zps62f62368.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_01_zps30283693.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_01_zps30283693.jpg.html)

I used two of these in the rear as tie downs off of the rear axle. I probably wouldn't use them as tow hooks, although in a desperate moment I suppose that I could. :)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_10_zps472df621.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_10_zps472df621.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_07_zpsf61cc40e.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0513_07_zpsf61cc40e.jpg.html)

Eric spent some time making a board to mount my amplifier and crossovers in the trunk, and he also carpeted the trunk. That turned out well, so we're happy with that! We stuck the stereo in to make sure it's all working, and after one minor RCA connector snafu, we had sounds. A little tuning to do there, but at least it works. :)

The new coil springs showed up on Thursday, so those were installed, and we set the ride height. At least for now, once everything is installed, we'll probably raise it a bit. It looks good where we have it, so we'll shoot for that as our final height.

We are down to a small list of things to wrap up, hopefully much of which will be done this week. Parts will be rolling in this week, slowly but surely, and if we're lucky, we'll have most everything for it by the weekend. There are a few things I plan to still do / change, but we'll be close for a drive.

:burnout:

[gerno]

The hooks look good.

Hopefully you're keeping in mind that just because Rob and Dave are coming to town doesn't mean you have to start disassembling the car to make them feel better... :ohsnap:

[carbuff]

Wait, what? I thought I was supposed to thrash to get it TOGETHER before then!

:lolhit:

[Flash68]

The hooks look good.

Hopefully you're keeping in mind that just because Rob and Dave are coming to town doesn't mean you have to start disassembling the car to make them feel better... :ohsnap:

Wait, what? I thought I was supposed to thrash to get it TOGETHER before then!

:lolhit:

Yeah, get that sucker mobile... cuz I am driving. :rockin: :D

[FETorino]

Wait, what? I thought I was supposed to thrash to get it TOGETHER before then!

:lolhit:

:snapout: That's the plan. I can look at a pile of parts at my house. I'm planning on seeing a running car. :mock:

[carbuff]

:confused59:

Hey Eric, these boys wanna :drive: !!!

I picked up more parts from the powder coater this morning. The shaker will be on tonight. Now if DSE would just get their act together and test my wiper motor to see if it's bad or not. Grumble...

[gerno]

:confused59:

Hey Eric, these boys wanna :drive: !!!

I picked up more parts from the powder coater this morning. The shaker will be on tonight. Now if DSE would just get their act together and test my wiper motor to see if it's bad or not. Grumble...

Don't worry, it's not supposed to rain after Thursday.....:thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Installed the shaker tonight. It took a little more clearancing by Eric on the Lokar throttle cable adjuster, but she's in there now!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0514_02_zps1c3abea7.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0514_02_zps1c3abea7.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0514_01_zpsb60c6bd0.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0514_01_zpsb60c6bd0.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0514_04_zpscccf9326.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0514_04_zpscccf9326.jpg.html)

I reinstalled the dash and stereo tonight. I also cut the original glove box to clear the VA evaporator and ECU, and we're going to bond a new ABS back to it so that I have have a glove box. I'm losing about 1" of depth.

A few baby steps closer!

[Sieg]

Looking good Bryan! :thumbsup:

[XLexusTech]

Looks really great... such a nice car and classically done...
:action-smiley-027:

[WSSix]

Definitely looking good.

[Vince@Meanstreets]

:confused59:

Hey Eric, these boys wanna :drive: !!!

I picked up more parts from the powder coater this morning. The shaker will be on tonight. Now if DSE would just get their act together and test my wiper motor to see if it's bad or not. Grumble...

Looks great Bryan,

Welcome to hell week. It gets easier when you get closer. :D

[Rick D]

Bryan is it done yet :hello: :poke: :hello:

By the way your car is just freakin awesome!! It's come so far in the short time you and Eric have been at it.

[carbuff]

Unfortunately no, a little bit of this got in the way! :)

NdmbQM1_rOk

Along with a lot of this:

http://images.clipartof.com/thumbnails/18409-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Chubby-Bald-White-Man-With-A-Bad-Sunburn-And-Tan-Lines-Where-His-Speedo-Was.jpg

And a good bit of this:

http://www.grandprofile.com/Myspace_Comments/Events_And_Occasions_Comments/Party_Barbecue_Comments/images/BBQ-1.gif

And way too much talking about these:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_25_zps383d6420.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0112_25_zps383d6420.jpg.html)

[Rick D]

Hey the video is private! :twak:

[GregWeld]

And too much of this!!!!!............








From Left --- Eric -- Rob (FETorino) --- Rodger Lee (Ironworks) --- Dave G (Flash68) --- Bryan --- Some SFOSOB --- SW







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-1.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-1.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

Hey the video is private! :twak:

D'oh! I'm a Youtube novice. Try again now! :computer:

[FETorino]

Brian

TOW looks great. You have put together a really nice protouring car there. It should be capable and comfortable. Your dad would be proud and taught you well (about cars not BBQ:twak: )

It was great to meet you and Eric.:cheers:

[Flash68]

This car has incredible detail from top to bottom and will be killer when done (just 2 more weeks.. :lol:). Eric is very talented.

Nice meeting ya Bryan and thanks for helping us around Austin and Bubba/Buda/Booda.

I hear they make 335 tires now. :poke: (I had to get something in) :D

:thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Thanx guys! Glad you enjoyed checking out the project, and Austin, this weekend! It was funny, when we got to the shop, within 5 minutes Rob, Dave and Weld were crawling around on the floor of the shop checking out the bottom of TOW. They must have spent 45 minutes under there! And what feedback did I get? My tires are too small, we did my shaker all wrong, and my parking brake setup sucks... :catfight:

Gotta love Lat-G! :lateral:

It's always fun getting to talk cars / shop all weekend. Hope you guys aren't suffering too much from the sunburn like I am today. Oh, we had a much better weather day, right after you left. :peepwall:

[carbuff]

We're back at it, or I should probably say, Eric is... I went by tonight, but I didn't get to do any actual work. Eric is knocking out the punch list pretty quickly though. Headlights are fixed, interior dash parts are painted, new shifter handle is made, gas pedal is spaced up from the floor, and he's working on some new interior quarter panels to replace the original plastic ones since the DSE mini tubs make things difficult to fit back there...

And the west coast crowd will be glad to know that a Lokar parking brake cable kit is on the way to replace the factory one. :smiley_smack:

I told Eric tonight we're going for a drive this weekend. I have some work to do on the tuning to make that happen, but we're sure gonna try and make it happen!!! Shaker, parking brake, and wiper motor be damned! :confused18:

[FETorino]

I told Eric tonight we're going for a drive this weekend. I have some work to do on the tuning to make that happen, but we're sure gonna try and make it happen!!! Shaker, parking brake, and wiper motor be damned! :confused18:

About time. Get that car out on the road and show it off.:cheers:


Thanx guys! Glad you enjoyed checking out the project, and Austin, this weekend! It was funny, when we got to the shop, within 5 minutes Rob, Dave and Weld were crawling around on the floor of the shop checking out the bottom of TOW. They must have spent 45 minutes under there! And what feedback did I get? My tires are too small, we did my shaker all wrong, and my parking brake setup sucks... :catfight:

Gotta love Lat-G! :lateral:



And the west coast crowd will be glad to know that a Lokar parking brake cable kit is on the way to replace the factory one. :smiley_smack:


It's always fun getting to talk cars / shop all weekend. Hope you guys aren't suffering too much from the sunburn like I am today. Oh, we had a much better weather day, right after you left. :peepwall:

One out of three is better than none. :stirthepot: I have a nice bronze glow just like after a surf trip. :D

[Sieg]

Did Rob take pictures of your dash?

[Flash68]

Gitter dun! Very exciting so close to the end...

That sun whooped me pretty good. Back to the perfect weather of California. I knew there was a reason it was so expensive to live here. :)

Get that video ready for this weekend....

[carbuff]

Did Rob take pictures of your dash?

Ha! Rob didn't, but I happened to snap one last night:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/Sparco%20Seats/seats_25_zps773e565d.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/Sparco%20Seats/seats_25_zps773e565d.jpg.html)

I should remove the steering wheel and get a better one. And no making fun of the horn button, we're still working on the horns. :knokwood:

[carbuff]

One out of three is better than none. :stirthepot:

Yeah, yeah... Eric and I were checking tire clearances last night again. And I have been on the hunt for air cleaner foam! :idea:

[GregWeld]

Yeah, yeah... Eric and I were checking tire clearances last night again. And I have been on the hunt for air cleaner foam! :idea:




Kinsler Fuel Injection


http://www.kinsler.com/handbook190.html

http://www.kinsler.com/handbook191.html

[Sieg]

Ha! Rob didn't, but I happened to snap one last night:

I should remove the steering wheel and get a better one. And no making fun of the horn button, we're still working on the horns. :knokwood:
:D Good looking dash!

Horn......thought it might be a bobble-eye thingy. :poke:

What are you doing for horns? I have a new set of Hella trumpet horns but need to further research proper relay/wiring procedure before installing.

[GregWeld]

:D Good looking dash!

Horn......thought it might be a bobble-eye thingy. :poke:

What are you doing for horns? I have a new set of Hella trumpet horns but need to further research proper relay/wiring procedure before installing.



Your horn "shorts" to ground.... so using a relay.... your lead from the horn button goes to # 85 thus becoming the "switch". Get my relays from SPAL (you'll have to shop for supplier) because they are GM Weatherproof sealed versions suitable for exterior use... and have long leads already. Hook 'em up and go! Two horns -- just run the power in series using a jumper from one horn to the other.







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/Car%20info/relaywiring.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/Car%20info/relaywiring.jpg.html)

[carbuff]

What he said, except my AAW kit has the relay built in. I ordered a single Dorman from Summit, since I don't know that I 'need' two horns. If it sounds like crap, I'll get the second one. :)

[carbuff]

Kinsler Fuel Injection


http://www.kinsler.com/handbook190.html

http://www.kinsler.com/handbook191.html

http://www.amazon.com/Uni-Filter-65-PPI-Green-Fine/dp/B000ONZT5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1369244746&sr=1-1&keywords=uni+bf-1

Just ordered 2 sheets, and we have some leftover stainless mesh, so I'll do some experimenting this weekend... :)

[GregWeld]

Dual horns ALWAYS sound better than one.... But it only counts when you use if and really -- how often is that. Personally -- I can't do a car with one horn. They just sound lame.

[carbuff]

Dual horns ALWAYS sound better than one.... But it only counts when you use if and really -- how often is that. Personally -- I can't do a car with one horn. They just sound lame.

We'll find out Thursday when the new one gets here. I'm REALLY glad that none of you hit the horn button the other night. Another thing that I would have never heard the end of... Talk about lame! :disgusted:

[GregWeld]

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-151.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-151.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg.html)







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg.html)

[Flash68]

Yeah, yeah... Eric and I were checking tire clearances last night again. And I have been on the hunt for air cleaner foam! :idea:

See... aren't you glad we came down to further delay your project?

[carbuff]

Sigh. I had secretly hoped you were yanking my chain with the whole thing. I'm going to have to tell all of my Austin BBQ friends that they have to go re-evaluate their Salt Lick opinions now!

[ironworks]

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-151.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-151.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg.html)







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg.html)


Bryan was right that place looks like it really sucks.

:disgusted: :disgusted: :disgusted: :disgusted: :disgusted:

[96z28ss]

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-151.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-151.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg.html)







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg.html)

my mouth started watering!!

[Flash68]

Why the hell would anyone wanna go to Salt Lick when we could go to Rudy's, the McDonald's of Texas BBQ?

:smiley_smack:

:lostmarbles:

:snapout:

:wacko:

:bitchslap:

:bang:

:warning:

:sieg:

[GregWeld]

Personally I'm so glad to see another Lat G thread go to hell.....



Is there a car being built ANYWHERE on this board??



:drowninga:

[carbuff]

You've done it now!!! I'm going out to eat barbeque tonight. Maybe I'll just walk over to Ironworks. Or tomorrow for lunch, Franklin's. Or Mueller's. Or County Line. Or Green Mesquite. Ack, the options! :sarcasm_smiley:

Great thing about Austin, we have plenty of BBQ choices. :) It's just the out-of-towners that think they know good BBQ. :action-smiley-027:

[carbuff]

I think Weld is here just to distract us all so that NOBODY gets a car built. What is he, maybe, from the Ford Pro-Touring camp, trying to keep all the GM projects stalled so that a Ford has a chance at one of the competitions? He was bragging about all the Fords in his personal stable this weekend! :wacko:

Hmm, the more I think about it, I think he and Rob are in cahoots! They were awful chummy this weekend!

:bigun2:

[WSSix]

Looking great, Bryan. I guess I've either missed it or can't find it, but could you tell me where you got your dash insert from or is it custom made? I'd really like to get a more professional looking panel for my car. Mine is home made and it shows. Thanks

[FETorino]

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-153.jpg.html)






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-150.jpg.html)







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-152.jpg.html)

:huh: Seriously GW :huh: how can you compare that circus to the fine establishment Brian found for us. :smiley_smack: You know the one that wasn't out of food. :confused18: :stirthepot:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll306/superjinca/Lockhart-20130517-01953_zps4db9dd36.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/user/superjinca/media/Lockhart-20130517-01953_zps4db9dd36.jpg.html)

[Flash68]

this?







http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad33/gregweld/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg (http://s919.photobucket.com/user/gregweld/media/V8%20SuperCars/file-149.jpg.html)






or this? :rolleyes:



http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/flash68/CA6EACCF-3D80-497B-BC66-0DC3B9F636FA-2755-0000047D321726C6_zpsa0701539.jpg (http://s236.photobucket.com/user/flash68/media/CA6EACCF-3D80-497B-BC66-0DC3B9F636FA-2755-0000047D321726C6_zpsa0701539.jpg.html)

[FETorino]

this?





or this? :rolleyes:



http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/flash68/CA6EACCF-3D80-497B-BC66-0DC3B9F636FA-2755-0000047D321726C6_zpsa0701539.jpg (http://s236.photobucket.com/user/flash68/media/CA6EACCF-3D80-497B-BC66-0DC3B9F636FA-2755-0000047D321726C6_zpsa0701539.jpg.html)

It looked better from the outside :shakehead:

[carbuff]

Looking great, Bryan. I guess I've either missed it or can't find it, but could you tell me where you got your dash insert from or is it custom made? I'd really like to get a more professional looking panel for my car. Mine is home made and it shows. Thanks

We made it... I laid it out in a technical drawing program to make sure everything fit, then I actually printed the gauges to scale, cut them out, and laid them onto the dash bezel to make sure. :) Eric used the bezel to cut the outside shape, and we spent a lot of time deciding which lines to use as our centering lines for the actual gauges. That original Firebird bezel is not centered horizontally as you would expect it to be, so it's trick to get it right.

Eric cut the outside with a jigsaw, then used a grinder to finish it. Then he used hole saws to cut for the gauges and vents. It's a delicate process to not bend the aluminum while drilling the big holes. Once it was done, it was glued back into the bezel and the top-lip was riveted back into place. I had both parts powder coated before reassembly with a satin black finish, so no reflections from that finish.

Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out! It was one of the things I had envisioned for a long time while planning this project... :)

[carbuff]

:underchair:

I'll never be accepted as a real Texan now, apparently due to my lack of appropriate restaurant-selection skills.

[96z28ss]

open 8 days a week huh?

[Flash68]

:underchair:

I'll never be accepted as a real Texan now, apparently due to my lack of appropriate restaurant-selection skills.

Luckily you have a nice car. Make that 2 nice cars. :thumbsup:

:D

[WSSix]

We made it... I laid it out in a technical drawing program to make sure everything fit, then I actually printed the gauges to scale, cut them out, and laid them onto the dash bezel to make sure. :) Eric used the bezel to cut the outside shape, and we spent a lot of time deciding which lines to use as our centering lines for the actual gauges. That original Firebird bezel is not centered horizontally as you would expect it to be, so it's trick to get it right.

Eric cut the outside with a jigsaw, then used a grinder to finish it. Then he used hole saws to cut for the gauges and vents. It's a delicate process to not bend the aluminum while drilling the big holes. Once it was done, it was glued back into the bezel and the top-lip was riveted back into place. I had both parts powder coated before reassembly with a satin black finish, so no reflections from that finish.

Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out! It was one of the things I had envisioned for a long time while planning this project... :)

Thanks, Bryan. That's actually how I did mine as well. I guess I should redo it using thinner aluminum and being more patient because mine didn't turn out as well as your piece that's for sure. The biggest problem for me with the stock dash is I couldn't see the tops of the speedo and tac while driving. The way I've rearranged the gauges on my car makes it so I can see all the gauges easily. I just want it to look better.

[bonecrrusher]

Well hell - looks like I went to wrong BBQ place near Austin.

I flew into Austin last weekend for the V8 Supercar race - nice city but good lord it was hot as hell last weekend - well compared to NC for May!

[carbuff]

Thanks, Bryan. That's actually how I did mine as well. I guess I should redo it using thinner aluminum and being more patient because mine didn't turn out as well as your piece that's for sure. The biggest problem for me with the stock dash is I couldn't see the tops of the speedo and tac while driving. The way I've rearranged the gauges on my car makes it so I can see all the gauges easily. I just want it to look better.

I hear ya. I tried to make sure that the steering wheel wouldn't block any important gauges, and it looks like that is going to work out ok for me. We'll see how often I'm able to check the gauges while I'm driving anyway... :)

Getting the right size for the gauges was tricky also. I like Autometers, but the 3 3/8" gauges are too small for me, and the 5" are a touch too big. I really like the relative size of the Speedhuts 4.5" with the 2 1/16".

Good luck!

[carbuff]

I flew into Austin last weekend for the V8 Supercar race - nice city but good lord it was hot as hell last weekend - well compared to NC for May!

That humidity was HIGHLY unusual for Austin, and if it makes you feel any better, we broke a record for high temps on Friday. :huh:

So which BBQ joint did you try? :)

[carbuff]

Greg and Rob,

You will both be happy to know that Eric has solved the shaker dilemma! I present to you....

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker2_zps502696ef.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker2_zps502696ef.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker1_zps040b6eaf.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker1_zps040b6eaf.jpg.html)

It fits perfectly!!! :confused59:

[camcojb]

Nice air cleaner. :sarcasm_smiley: :lol:

[FETorino]

Greg and Rob,

You will both be happy to know that Eric has solved the shaker dilemma! I present to you....



It fits perfectly!!! :confused59:

Maybe you could look for a compromise. More function than your first try and more ascetic than the current unit. :twak: :lmao:

What's that highchair still doing in the car :headscratch:

[carbuff]

:) Actually, Eric and I have a new plan in the works that I'm order parts for today. We think we have a good solution which will use what we already have, but give me a good bit more airflow. Hopefully we can pull it together next week. :peepwall:

As for the seat, I gotta have something in there for the first drive this weekend! I've made some calls on those Recaros, we there may be a change in the near future... :G-Dub:

[srh3trinity]

If you could get them to make a real classy looking billet Firebird for the top of the air cleaner, you might be able to pull it off.

[andrewb70]

Greg and Rob,

You will both be happy to know that Eric has solved the shaker dilemma! I present to you....

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker2_zps502696ef.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker2_zps502696ef.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker1_zps040b6eaf.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/new_shaker1_zps040b6eaf.jpg.html)

It fits perfectly!!! :confused59:

:thumbsup:

Andrew

[bonecrrusher]

That humidity was HIGHLY unusual for Austin, and if it makes you feel any better, we broke a record for high temps on Friday. :huh:

So which BBQ joint did you try? :)

We went to Stubb's downtown to get out of the heat - decent place.

I thought the BBQ sucked... LOL!

[RussMurco]

If you could get them to make a real classy looking billet Firebird for the top of the air cleaner, you might be able to pull it off.

I'll cut that bad-boy out of billet for ya!!!

[carbuff]

We went to Stubb's downtown to get out of the heat - decent place.

I thought the BBQ sucked... LOL!

Stubb's in one of the favorite music venues in town, and I actually use their Dry Rub when I cook my own ribs. But I don't eat there... :\

[bonecrrusher]

Stubb's in one of the favorite music venues in town, and I actually use their Dry Rub when I cook my own ribs. But I don't eat there... :\

OT - do you know if there sauce is vinegar based?

Here in NC you basically have eastern NC (vinegar based) and western NC (tomato based) and I have to say I prefer the tomato based bbq sauce.

[carbuff]

Oh I'm very familiar with the NC BBQ. I grew up in Greensboro. :) I don't think of western NC as tomato based though, I think of it as a sweeter sauce while eastern is a bit more spicy. Perhaps I haven't had it far enough west. :)

You could actually buy Stubb's sauce in the NC grocery stores when I lived there. Stubb's sauce is definitely more tomato than vinegar, but it does have vinegar in it (I have a bottle in the fridge, I just looked. :) ).

I personally prefer their Mesquite sauce flavor, but I have both that and the original in the fridge at the moment...

NC-style bbq is one of the things I really miss being here in Texas. Just something you can't get down here, although occasionally you'll find a good sandwich.

[bonecrrusher]

Nice - agreed it's definitely more sweeter the further west you go.

If you are ever back in NC - I suggest going to Lexington NC - there are a few BBQ restauraunts that so far that I have tasted are my favorite in the area.

As for Texas BBQ - my GF and I are driving out to Dallas TX for the Hot Rod Power Tour and will have to check out some different places out there.

Funny thing is that neither of us had been to Texas before - and here we are going twice in 2 weeks!

Here favorite places in NC are up in Boone and out in Brevard.

I'll have to look for Stubb's in the grocery store - can't say that I've looked for it.

Do you think temperature wise - Dallas is hotter then Austin?

If you have the time - I highly suggest you check out the Power Tour.


-Craig

[Rick D]

Oh boy another tread has gone of track, :poke: you guys are making me very hungry with all this talk about BBQ :drool: :headspin:

[GregWeld]

Boner ---


Best BBQ sauce EVER ---- Billy Gibbons (ZZ TOP) has his BFG sauce... and it's by far the best I've ever grilled with. Stubbs is pretty good -- but his is better.:thumbsup:



http://www.billygibbons.com/index.php/food/bfg-44-bbq-sauce.html

[Rick D]

Yeah thanks Greg but their out of stock :guns: my wife hates how many BBQ sauces I buy all the time. Now I have to keep checking back to see when they are back in stock. :thumbsup:

[GregWeld]

:) Actually, Eric and I have a new plan in the works that I'm order parts for today. We think we have a good solution which will use what we already have, but give me a good bit more airflow. Hopefully we can pull it together next week. :peepwall:

As for the seat, I gotta have something in there for the first drive this weekend! I've made some calls on those Recaros, we there may be a change in the near future... :G-Dub:




That air cleaner pic is hysterical! Nice job! So much time.... so little to do!


I really liked those Recaros we were playing with. I may even join you and put a set in the Muttstang.


Now.... back to the BBQ.

[carbuff]

I really liked those Recaros we were playing with. I may even join you and put a set in the Muttstang.

I've got a really nice set of Sparco's that I'm selling which, according to Rob, work great as high-chairs. :D

Now.... back to the BBQ.

That may have to be all I talk about today, as it looks like my plans for a test drive have been thwarted by mother nature today. :(

Next 6 Hours:

Showers and thunderstorms continuing through mid-afternoon. Cloudy with temperatures rising towards the mid 70s. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Rainfall over 2 inches expected.


http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/weather_zpsde06581f.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/weather_zpsde06581f.jpg.html)

[Rick D]

:grouphug: :mad:

Wait isn't it being built to drive??? Just sayin :D

[carbuff]

Wait isn't it being built to drive??? Just sayin :D

YES! But since my windshield wiper motor has been stuck in DSE's warranty department for 2 weeks, I don't have any wipers! :( And I'd like to roll it out and take some pictures at least once before it gets filthy!

[glassman]

Rain-X!!!

[Streetking]

YES! But since my windshield wiper motor has been stuck in DSE's warranty department for 2 weeks, I don't have any wipers! :( And I'd like to roll it out and take some pictures at least once before it gets filthy!

Saw it today, looks great Brian. Love the dash..:thumbsup:

[Sieg]

Rain-X!!!

X2!!!

[WSSix]

OT - do you know if there sauce is vinegar based?

Here in NC you basically have eastern NC (vinegar based) and western NC (tomato based) and I have to say I prefer the tomato based bbq sauce.

Or, drop down into South Carolina and get some Carolina gold BBq. Now, that's some good stuff. The clear/vinegar sauce is second best for me. I get mine from the little town of Kingstree, SC from relatives.

I also agree with you guys about Texas BBq and brisket. It's good but when you're raised on Carolina pork BBq, all three sauces even, nothing compares. I also really hate it when "good" BBq, at least according to locals, obviously uses KC Masterpiece as the base for their sauce. Boring. I miss my southern food and Carolina BBq.

When I was in Ft Worth back in 2011 for a few months, I would go to Cousin's BBq. I liked it. The pork had a kick to it. Other's like Risky's but I haven't tried them. You may be able to find them both in the Dallas area. A good burger joint is Kincaid's.

[carbuff]

:drive:

I'm way too tired at the moment to write an appropriate post, or even to talk about barbeque, but I wanted to let everyone know that TOW moved under her own power today. Just a parking lot drive, but she moved! We have a couple of small things to work on after the short trek, but I'm beyond excited!

If the weather holds out tomorrow, we'll get her out for a real drive. I have some tuning to do on the ECU, and Eric has a little work to do on the pedals to get them positioned better for me. But she moves, steered, and stopped all as she was supposed to!

Pictures and maybe a video tomorrow... Bed time now!

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Way to go!!!! It's been a long time coming. Looks like a great memorial day for all.

[Sieg]

Great to hear Bryan!

Even a little parking lot drive is rewarding! :thumbsup:

[Rick D]

Soooooo it's morning?? Have you been back to go for a drive, or at least what's the weather report for today??? :hairpullout:

[GregWeld]

Soooooo it's morning?? Have you been back to go for a drive, or at least what's the weather report for today??? :hairpullout:



Did you see that San Antonio got 12" of rain in 24 hours??? He can stretch that excuse all the way across I-35 to Austin. :secret: :D

[carbuff]

We had some crazy rain here the last couple of days, but did have that window of clear in the afternoon yesterday. The forecast for today looks like it will be ok, so I'm hoping for a little more than the parking lot. First stop, gas station, or we won't be going very far! :)

I'm working on my idle tune this morning. When I updated the ECU to the latest firmware, it wiped out my old tune. I have it saved, but I'm trying to only take back the pieces which I think I need, since there were some aspects that I didn't think were right. Hopefully I'll have her running better this afternoon!

We need to change out the brake light switch, the new one appears to be flaky. We also need to adjust the pedals a little bit (bring them up higher), and throw the passenger seat in so that Eric can ride along with me. :) We knocked out a bunch of little things yesterday to get to this point, and we'll get a bunch more done this afternoon!

Hopefully one of us will remember to grab a phone and record some video too. :)

[GregWeld]

I know a nice back road out to Driftwood.... you could grab some awesome lunch...


:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :poke: :smiley_smack:

[WSSix]

Congrats, Bryan. That first drive no matter how short is always fantastic.

[carbuff]

Today, we were able to take a real drive! We managed to get a lot of little things taken care of first, including replacing the brake light switch, installing the passenger seat, installing some seat belts, working on the HP EFI tune, installing the sail panels, and adjusting the pedals. After we finished all of that, we started her up and drove off. First stop, gas station. :)

I pur 10 gallons of premium in her, and we took off along a feeder road to the highway. I didn't push it very hard, we probably saw about 60 mph. We did a u-turn and came back up the other side. Everything was mostly smooth, but we noticed that the coolant temp was creeping up to about 215. We hit a stoplight where we sat for a couple of minutes, and it didn't come back down. So we decided to bring her back and see what was up.

We're not exactly sure what happened, but it appears that the thermostat never opened. It stabilized at 215, but the radiator was cool when we stopped, as was the radiator hose. So it doesn't seem that we had any flow, and thus the belief that the t-stat didn't open. We're going to investigate that more soon.

We have just a couple of minor things to deal with after the drive, but on the whole, it seems like everything is in good shape! I have a lot of work to do on the tuning, it's lean off idle. And the spark table seems to be too aggressive (we had a little knock), but when it was driving, it felt pretty good. We didn't log anything yet, we'll do that on the next drive.

On the whole, I'm very happy with our weekend! I have to travel next weekend, so I've left Eric a little list of things to do. By the time I get back, I think the car will mostly be wrapped up. Then we get to DRIVE!!! Woo hoo!

[GregWeld]

Good to hear Bryan!


You're in capable hands with Eric turning the wrenches that's for sure.



BTW --- Didn't happen without some video so we can hear that bad boy!

[carbuff]

Good to hear Bryan!


You're in capable hands with Eric turning the wrenches that's for sure.

Agreed!

BTW --- Didn't happen without some video so we can hear that bad boy!

I think Eric took about 10 seconds of video on the drive from the shop to the gas station. After that, we were both too focused on listening to the engine and feeling for any problems that we didn't pull a camera back out! :\

As for the sound, it sounds AWESOME! I'm so glad I chose the Pro-XS mufflers instead of the XR-1's. In the short drive, it sounded just right to me! We'll get some video when we hit the road again, within the next couple of weeks (I'm traveling next weekend, so I won't get to drive again for a while).

:dance: :beavis: :hapdance:

[Rick D]

Nice Bryan glad to here it went smooth for the most part, now next time if there's no video :warning: :warning: :poke:

[Al Moreno]

Love everything you've done to the TA. I think I have gone through the entire thread at least three times!

[carbuff]

Thanx Al!

There are so many details that go into a project like this which are hard to capture. I know I've commented on it a few times, but I did more work for the shaker yesterday. I custom made a set of PCV hoses to enable the factory LS PCV system to operate correctly. You'd be amazed at how much trouble we had finding pre-formed 90* bend vacuum hoses. Then we spliced a couple of them together to get the hoses shaped exactly right. Eric's idea, and it worked out great!

Another thing I forgot to mention in my last post was how well the car drove in a straight line yesterday. We haven't touched the alignment yet, we just installed everything and drove. I know that Jake does some level of alignment setup on the subframe when he ships it. While I was driving yesterday, I let go of the wheel, and the car was perfectly straight! That was pretty cool... :)

We're taking the day off today, but we'll be back at it tomorrow. More soon!

[68LS1]

Great to hear you got it up and running, look forward to next update :thumbsup:

Cheers

[Flash68]

Almost there man.... I bet you wished you were not traveling next weekend. :)

[carbuff]

Since I am traveling, I can only do a couple of things. One being, post pictures. :)

Here are a few of the interior mostly put together. You can see in one shot the vinyl covered aluminum panel which Eric built to replace the original plastic inner panel. Eric built some wood formed and bent/stretched the aluminum over them. Then some landau foam and the vinyl, and they slipped right into place. Definitely looks better than attempting to cut/reform the originals.

Most of the other interior pieces are in-place at this point. We received the DSE replacement wiper motor, so the gauge cluster can go back in for hopefully the last time. The replacement Fesler hood struts are also here, and Eric says they are holding the hood up appropriately. It would seem that I didn't set up something quite right in the ECU to control the AC Compressor, so I'm working on that today (I had a polarity inversion in my input definition is seems). One of the other things I can do from afar: tweak ECU settings. :)

This week Eric has also replaced the thermostat and flushed the block, to make sure the cooling system is running ok. He's also gotten the AC charged (despite my programming issues), raised the car up a little, and knocked out several other small things.

Here are some pics. I look forward to getting back next week and driving it again!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_02_zps9a563c8d.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_02_zps9a563c8d.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_03_zpscdff51a5.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_03_zpscdff51a5.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_04_zps8a52487e.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_04_zps8a52487e.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_07_zps900b657d.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_07_zps900b657d.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_09_zps2069af4b.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_09_zps2069af4b.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_10_zps994f07a2.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_10_zps994f07a2.jpg.html)

It's hard to see in this picture, but Eric made a mesh screen to keep large objects out of the shaker, and built an edge plate around it to bolt it in place. Looks great in person!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_12_zpsf5c72adc.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_12_zpsf5c72adc.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_14_zps3542674c.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_14_zps3542674c.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_15_zps0e5ab7b2.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_15_zps0e5ab7b2.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_16_zpsfb62b150.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_16_zpsfb62b150.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_17_zps831c7419.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0531_17_zps831c7419.jpg.html)

[gerno]

The back panels look great. Nice to see it's almost there...

Now I'm curious when the first track or autocross day is.... There's one in Bastrop Sunday.......

[carbuff]

Good question! I'm actually out of town this weekend, and I hope/expect that we will be going on a longer drive next weekend. I will drive it a bit on the streets to see where it's at, and then I'll find an event to hit soon. It sounds like you're trying to hit a bunch of them, so I'll definitely hit you up to find one to join you at. :)

[Flash68]

Awesome man... looks great.. you must have borrowed Rob's camera for those epic photos. :disgusted:

:thumbsup:

[carbuff]

Hey, come on... My cell phone pics aren't THAT bad! :hitaxeonthehead:

[Rick D]

Looking good Bryan!! :thumbsup: that does suck you had to be out of town this weekend.

[carbuff]

This update is for Greg. :)

As I've said before, I was worried about the amount of air we were going to get into the engine due to the tight sparing around the air cleaner lid under the shaker. While Greg was in town, he beat into my head that I should just scrap the air filter and replace it with a big block of foam. While I wasn't thrilled with a big foam block, it did get the wheels turning. Eric and I started talking about it, and we came up with this:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_06_zps28a978a5.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_06_zps28a978a5.jpg.html)

What we did was purchase a second air cleaner lid from PTFB, and Eric cut out the 4 quarters on both lids to open up as much area as we felt we could. Then he epoxied down some stainless mesh to the 'base' lid to support the back of the foam filter material. The green foam is the fine material to catch the smallest particles possible. The 2 lids then sandwich the foam to hold it in place with 4 screws holding the 2 pieces together. The upper piece was trimmed as much as possible, and then a rubber strip was added to the edge to prevent direct metal on metal contact and to also seal the edge.

Here are the 2 lids and the filter:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_01_zps67f56764.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_01_zps67f56764.jpg.html)

The one with the mesh actually holds the round filter in place. The foam only comes in a piece that's about 12" wide, so it's just wide enough to work for us. :)

Here it is installed:

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_07_zps3b709e96.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_07_zps3b709e96.jpg.html)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m23/carbuff69/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_08_zps2f7180cf.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/carbuff69/media/1971%20Firebird%20Formula%20-%20Project%20TOW/update_0609_08_zps2f7180cf.jpg.html)

You can't tell from this, but it BARELY clears the fiberglass of the shaker. That after a lot of shaping by Eric. But it seems like it will work. It's hard to tell how much improvement we get from this, but that's a significant improvement in the filtering area.

So thanx Greg, for making me put a green filter on top of the pink K&N that I was already using. :lmao: Thankfully they will mostly be hidden under the shaker!

[carbuff]

So before I write up the details, I'll give you all what you want. :)

bfopjcxZcq4

That was Eric driving and me in the passenger seat. It's hard to hold a cell phone steady I discovered while riding...

Now for the details. First, for Dave and Rob, you'll be happy to know that we replaced the factory parking brake cable setup with a Lokar setup. So that big C-clip that was hanging under the torque arm is gone. One less thing for me to catch on a speed bump.

While I was out of town last weekend, and then sick with a cold/allergies last week, Eric wrapped up most of the little things we had left to do (including the shaker filter above), the brake cable kit, installing the replacement hood struts, adjusting the ride height / suspension alignment, replaced the thermostat (that may not have been necessary in hindsight, but we know it's ok now), re-installing the DSE wiper kit, charging the AC, and the other small things on our punch list.

So yesterday I went to the shop, armed with a new ECU setup after a bunch of research, and we set to work. We put the new air cleaner on, adjusted the ride height one more time with me sitting in the car, and did another bolt-check. So we fired it up and backed it out of the garage with my laptop connected, and started looking at the gauges. The first thing we noticed is that it had a lean stumble when I hit the throttle. I did some adjusting in the acceleration enrichment tables, and that made it much better. Then we started adjusting the idle, as it was hunting quite a bit. We opened up the throttle blades a bit, richened up the mixture, and again, big improvement. We did a few more tweaks, and finally decided it was ready to drive.

Eric locked up the shop, and off we went. I'm definitely still getting used to it, but there is a lot of power available underfoot. I'm certain that I never had it fully WOT, but we both got on it a bit. The clutch is very touchy, but I'm getting better with it. The steering is TIGHT! And the ride feels great so far. We drove on and off the highway, so we were up to speed, and some speeding up and slowing down, and everything seems good so far.

After I drove for a while, I pulled over and told Eric to drive it back. He can't just work on it, he deserves some of the fun too. I think he liked it. When we got back, he got out and his hands were shaking. I take that as a sign of approval. :)

We're mostly done with the car at this point. The one big task remaining is to build a front spoiler, which Eric is working on now. I need to order a set of harnesses for the inside, which will be on the way this week. We should probably finish up our list soon, so I expect to bring her home and start driving her more. Just in time for the Texas summer... :confused59: At least the AC seems to work pretty well!

[garickman]

Congrats on an amazing build!

[Rick D]

There you go Bryan nice video. You must be out of your mind with excitement!!! Can't wait to see you hits some track days with it.

[Ron in SoCal]

Congrats Bry! Car came out great :thumbsup:

[Flash68]

Very exciting!

Green > pink.

Sounds means even on Rob's crappy cell phone video.

That is all.

[GregWeld]

Good gawd that is one ugly green!!


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA




Glad you got it all worked out! That's super exciting for you too! Rob and DG and I are just happy to have cost you some extra bucks! What else are we good for.... This is LAT G after all... and that's what we all do here. Enrich each others lives -- or break the bank... whatever comes first!


:king:

[RussMurco]

Awesome to hear it running and rolling! Great job and it looks fantastic!!!

This is LAT G after all... and that's what we all do here. Enrich each others lives -- or break the bank... whatever comes first!
:king:

You keep saying that and it's starting to worry me as I'm sure it would do the latter! I'm not inviting ANYONE from here to visit my shop!!!!
:warning: :badidea: :warning: :badidea: :warning: :badidea: :warning:

[GregWeld]

Awesome to hear it running and rolling! Great job and it looks fantastic!!!



You keep saying that and it's starting to worry me as I'm sure it would do the latter! I'm not inviting ANYONE from here to visit my shop!!!!
:warning: :badidea: :warning: :badidea: :warning: :badidea: :warning:




Oh --- "we" don't need to actually physically visit... Oh No! We can cost you plenty with just a few visits to this website for regular updates... :thumbsup: :underchair:

[RussMurco]

Oh --- "we" don't need to actually physically visit... Oh No! We can cost you plenty with just a few visits to this website for regular updates... :thumbsup: :underchair:

Hence, why you haven't seen THIS yet!!!!
1970 Firebird build thread coming soon!
I'll post when it's DONE!!!! :computer: