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OLDFLM's (Ty) 71 Firebird comes to Fletcher's Customs!! Giving back for my Freedom!!
As seen at SEMA 2009, PRI, Chicago, Indy, and on Car Crazy and PowerBlock TV!!!!!!
This thread has really taken off and the support and contributions from this community and its vendors, is honestly "unreal". You folks never cease to amaze me! I thought it would be best that I list sponsors up here as they are added. Keep reading through the posts to see all the new news as it happens! Vendors/Sponsors Inland Empire Driveline They have offered to donate a complete driveshaft for the project! Billet Accessories Direct Jason donated a custom one off billet steering wheel that will match the wheels! Modo Innovations Shannon donated a set of their awesome pedal covers! Hoodpins.net An awesome set of billet hood pins! Autorad Radiators Custom built aluminum radiator, prototype 2nd gen core support and overflow tank! Ben @ Hermance Design Special thanks to Ben for all the hard work he has done on the design and layout of the car! Morris Classic Concepts Front 3 point retractable belts and matching rear belts! Anvil Auto Carbon fiber Formula hood, nose, lower valance, rear spoiler, rear bumper, tail panel, dash gauge bezel, console and other various pieces! Special thanks to Matt, Tyler and the gang at Anvil!! Marquez Design Custom interior door panels and rear pacakge tray! Thanks Pacual!! AGR Performance Larry with AGR graciously donated a Billet 12.1 Steering Box and one of there great billet steering pumps Fesler Built Chris has donated a set of his hood hinges and will be doing a ton of new parts for 2nd gen firebirds, with us getting the first sets! Tail lights, front signals, markers, along with a bunch of other goodies he is going to try and replicate, all out of nice shiny Billet!! US Collision Mario (DOOM) has donated ALL the paint materials for the car. PPG base, clear and all other needed reducers, etc Pro-Touring F-Body Dave has donated a set of their awesome G-braces for the car! Phoenix Transmission Products Greg Ducato has graciously donated: - Special built version of there PT700R4SX 700R4 tranny - Torque Max 9.5" 3000 stall convertor - Ponitac adaptor plate - TV cable system - Dipstick and tube - Tranny x-member Auto Custom Carpet Inc Donated a full custom carpet kit, with one of kind custom embroidered floor mats! Thanks Julie!! BMR Fabrication BMR's contributing the first production version of their new rear torque arm suspension for 2nd Gen F-bodies!! The suspension kit includes the torque arm, Watts link, coilover conversion kit, coilover shocks, driveshaft loop, and transmission crossmember all wrapped up into one sexy BOLT-ON package!! Along with their tubular upper & lower control arms up front with one of their front sway bars! Special thanks to Allan Miller at BMR for jumping through hoops to make this possible! Shiftworks Herb donated a 4-speed conversion kit to convert the stock slap stick shifter over to a 4-speed auto to work with the 700R4 from Phoenix Transmission Products! Hedman Hedders Donated a set of #28150 ceramic coated headers to project CF-71 Freedom Bird!! Special thanks to Vic Wood for working this and helping us out with the project! American Autowire Graciously donated a complete “Classic Update” wiring kit to the build!! Special thanks to Donnie Bock for working hard on this for us and helping out with the project! Kevin Swaney at TIN INDIAN Performance (TIP) has partnered with Jeff Kauffman at Kauffman Racing Equipment (KRE) to build the 400cid Pontiac engine into a 440cid-stroker! The new engine will feature ALL aftermarket parts with the only original piece being the factory iron block... topped off with KRE heads and TIPs custom engraved billet valve covers! Pypes Performance Exhaust Chris is hooking us up with one of their XVF13s 3" x-pipes and MVR16S 3" RacePro mufflers!! MityMounts DynaTech donated a set of its patent-pending Lock-Up® motor mounts! RobbMc Performance Products Robb contributed a complete fuel system for the car; RobbMc 1100HP fuel pump, deadhead regulator and 1/2" pickup! Not to mention the 100 micron & 40 micron filters and all the needed adapters and clamps! Wilson Muscle Cars Special thanks to Ron Wilson @ Wilson Muscle Cars/WMC Design Engineering for creating the billet emblems for the car! Pieces of automotive jewelry!! Holley/NOS Bill at Holley not only hooked us up with one of their billet throttle cable brackets, he also supplied us with a NOS Top Shot nitrious system! Thanks Bill!! Personal Folks, who have made donations be it money or parts -camcojb-Jody -SPchiv- Full poly bushing kit and stainless bolt kit -70bird-Mark -gearheads78-Richard -2ndgenracer - Brett Thread originating post from 10-16-2008: Ty (OLDFLM) contacted me last week about the possibilty of rescueing his car from paint jail. Ty is a 23-year active duty enlisted member of the Air Force and had the all too famous trapped story. Car was dropped off for a simple scuff and shoot, suppossed to take 3 weeks, and when I picked it up it has been 14-weeks or so with very minimal work done. So I agree to do the car on Ty's budget. It's one of those "pay it forward" things. For over 23 years he's been doing things for me, and my fellow Americans, so I had to give back in a way. So fast forward to last Saturday, I make the plans, hit the road and drive up to pick up the car from the local guy who has it. Get there to find the car sitting in the rain... not usually too bad... but the guy had already applied some bondo to the quarter seems, and in some places there was quite of bit of bare metal on it. So immediately I see that this is gonna turn into a lot more work... now I got to strip out all the mud he put on the car. Anyway, we get it out "paint jail" and bring it back to my place. Where I jump on it and by midnight Saturday it's stripped and ready to start. A few days pass by and I jump back on the car last night. Me, Jerry, and new guy Micheal jump on the car trying to sand off all of "local guys" body work. And low and behold we start to find very old filler and repairs from way back before Ty owned the car. So we ditch the little sanders for 4.5 angle grinders with 3M pads and go to work. 4 hours later and lots of work we got a shop 2" in dust and bare metal on both quarters! Way back when apparently the car got rearended and the shop who fixed it did some nice work!! You know, instead of pulling out the dent in the lower valance lets jut slap in 3" of mud and call it a day. Filler must have been cheap back in the 70's!!! Basically I had no plans of stripping the car to metal, but once I started and didn't find things I liked then I had to... This wasn't included in Ty's budget, but I just can't bring myself to leave crap!! Anyone who wants to help out let me know. Let's give back to our troops!! Current Plans while at Fletcher's Customs: Bodywork, bodywork, bodywork... did I say bodywork!! Lots of metal work, I don't like mud so there's gonna be a lot of time spent with a hammer and dolly to get things straight! -Paint a nice Burgundy that pops -Install KORE 3 brake kits -Install 18" Rushforth Superspoke wheels and tires -Install Autometer gauges -fix some other little issues Few pics from earlier in the year, with the Resto Mod look http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...l07Pics024.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...l07Pics027.jpg Right after it got in my shop http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...ustoms/1-2.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...ustoms/2-1.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...ustoms/3-1.jpg |
Some pics after last nights sanding thrash!!!
Jerry getting it done!! http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...scustoms/4.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...scustoms/5.jpg Micheal getting in the action http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...scustoms/6.jpg By 9PM she looked better http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...scustoms/7.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...ustoms/8-1.jpg |
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Glad Ty is in good hands now. I am sure it will be fantastic
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Good for you man....an American that appreciates a member of the military. To few and far between with all these lazy winers that call themselves Americans.:cheers:
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OLDFLM... "Old Flame"
I can't tell you how excited I am that Fletcher's Customs is working on the car now!! I'm 41 and have had this car since high school (1985)... it was my first car and carries alot of sentimental value and memories as you can imagine. Somehow traveling around all these 23+ years while on active duty in the Air Force I've managed to keep the car and work on it when time and money allowed. I'm anxious to see the car finally make the jump from restomod to pro-touring!! ... and that sick feeling in my gut is fading knowing that it's in good hands now... Thanks Chad!:patriot:
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Yes, Ty has been keeping me in the loop on this one. Gonna be a very cool car, and so glad you're helping him out! :thumbsup:
Jody |
Looking good Ty,glad to hear you're in good hands now.:yes:
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another great ending..or beginning!! Going to bare metal is always worth it!
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Now all we need is a good project name!! Something that shows the meaning of the project!!
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sweet ride, i see an OHIO plate. what part of ohio do you live in?
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Oh that is a very nice looking car, keep the updates coming! :yes:
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That is a nice looking car and seems to be in pretty good condition.
Can't wait to see the final product!!:thumbsup: |
Glad to hear it Ty. I know you've had the wheels now for sometime, and they will definitely be going on a more than worth car once its done!
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Glad to see it's going to get done right this time. :thumbsup:
Ty, also wanted to thank you for your many years of service to our country. |
Thats looking awesome Ty! Glad to see it's getting back on track. Looks like you'll be much better off long term.
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Project Name?
I've always called the car "Old Flame" since it's a Firebird and it was my first car... my wife thinks it's cheesy but it fits.
I've had the Ohio "OLD FLM" plates on there for years and probably have 1-inch of registration stickers on them! But... it's going thru a major transformation so I'm open to suggestions! p.s. I grew up in the northwestern corner of Ohio... Bryan/Defiance area... but left on 3 Oct 85 for basic training and still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up! LOL Seriously, I love what I do!! I must or I'd have retired 3 years ago when I became eligible... I'm humbled by your thanks and truly appreciate your support of those in uniform. It means more than you know... especially in times like these. |
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There's a saying I've heard ..."Don't retire, re-fire"
Project FreshFire? |
Looks great!! Now you can start having some real fun!
SW |
Love the rendering! Going to be sweet! Good to see it's safe now!! :thumbsup:
And thanks for all your years of service!! :cheers: |
Nice car! Glad to see your being taken care of!
My youngest brother is active USAF in Ohio as well. Not exactly sure where but he's a Capt and a civil engineer. Had quite a few stories with the recent storms that went through there a month or so back. (no power, water for a few weeks) Sorry for the hijack. Your car is going to be awsome! :thumbsup: Chris:cool: |
We got a good bit of metal work to do!! But for a car this old I was really happy about the condition under the paint. All I have found so far is a small pinhole at roof/quarter seem, and 1/2" or so hole at quarter/rocker seam both on passenger side. Easy fixes. Well and the rear valance is rough, but a hammer and dolly will fix that instead of filler like they did back in the day. I'll finish stripping the roof and doors tonight, then put the car back in epoxy primer and start the body work. For some reason bare metal cars are so hot!!!
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You guys ROCK!!!
Looking forward to more pics! (c:]
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That's just good karma or "car"ma in this case and there's some coming Boilermaker's way too! He got more done in a night than that clown did in 4 months. Glad to see progress finally happen and looking forward to seeing more.
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Deeper and deeper...
Just got an update from Chad late last night... wait until you see how deep they are getting into the car now! :_paranoid
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Shuld we donate Jerry some protective gear so he could really enyou working with the bird ;) |
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You should hear the thing Jerry calls me when I wear gloves and mask!!! He's old school. You know how most people wear rubber gloves when doing filler work to keep the filler off of them. Not Jerry, once saw him with a 1/4" dried on his hand, so whats he do sit down with a DA and 36 grit paper and go to work on his hand! I swear the skin on his hand is tougher than some metal!! WE are diggin in real deep. What started as a scuff and shoot is getting a little more involved. The running gear is completely out now. Will be stripping the entire underside of the car, and shooting it with bedliner. Then tearing down the subframe, media blast and paint body color. Complete rebuild of front end, all new bushing, body mounts, etc. And a rebuild of the rear axle and springs with paint. This is just my way of giving back to the folks that protect my life's freedom! If there is anyone out there wanting to give back also there are few parts that I need to aquire to try and stay in Ty's budget as well as not break me totally. PM if interested in helping out... |
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Locking or non-locking - you make the choice http://www.hoodpins.net/home.html |
Thank You!!
It's the little things like your billet hood pins that take cars to the next level!
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your generousity!!! :patriot: V/R, Ty |
VERY cool project! Glad to hear there are people helping out with this, if I come across anyone willing to help you out I'll let you know.
How about posting up a list of stuff you might need to see if any of us have it lying around? |
Things we've came across that are needed:
-full poly bushing kit for the whole car -Upper A-arms, either a set of used ones, or a set of tubulars -body bushings -rear leaf springs shackles, the rear oneshad to be cut off because the bolts were so rusted Those are the needed things, for sure. There are still plenty of wishes Ty has that his budget just won't allow! |
Not a problem it's the least I can do.
ps - email sent Quote:
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A little history: Ty is 23 year active duty Air Force guy, with 4 kids, a wife and very tight budget. He contacted me, gave me his situation and his budget. My heart told me "it's the least I can do". This guy has helped defend my freedom, I can give back to him and touch his life. His budget is only about 1/4 of what I should be charging. I was simply going to rescue the car from the previous paint jail it was in and do a simple scuff and shoot!! But then I wanted to give back. So it's turned into a full on build. Complete strip of car, rust repair, lots metal work, bodywork, paint, strip and paint subframe, refinish underside of car with bedliner, etc, etc. You figure I am already 20 plus hours into the car now @ $50 a hour; that's half his budget already! And I've still got to buy a ton of materials.
I am doing a lot of stuff he didn't ask for, but its my way of giving back. Hoping that he and his family can enjoy the car and maybe he can use it in his daily life to show other active veterans how much we appreciate them! There are a ton of things we need for the car!! I'm not a big high dollar shop!! I am simply a two man operation. No big budgets to throw at this car. So any help I can get on parts, etc is much appreciated and let us all give back! If there is anything or if you would just simply like to help out please let me or Ty know. Thanks from Fletcher's Customs! |
Grateful and humbled...
I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or humbled by all the attention this project is getting… but I am truly grateful!
(I thought) The car was a pretty nice “restomod” but I wanted to go the pro-touring route… call it my mid life crisis… As Chad described, his part of the project started out as just getting it out of a local 4 month paint jail… a scuff-n-shoot job that was quoted to take only 3 weeks. That was mid-June. Fast forward to the present and I think “good things do come to those who wait” because I’m certain I’ll end up with a MUCH nicer car in every aspect than if it had stayed where it was! I can’t thank Chad and Jerry enough for taking on this project and the deal Fletcher’s Customs is giving me on the car!!! He’s literally doing the entire car for what the local guy originally quoted me for just the scuff-n-shoot! About 1/4th of what he would normally get for the same job! These guys are amazing!! Even taking Chad’s generous discount into consideration I’m still trying to avoid project creep as I am on a budget. I’m certain that the car has never been taken this far down before since it’s a 71 and I bought it in 1985 and it shows. It seems that nothing on the car has ever been apart and nearly everything needs to be replaced. Chad’s doing a great job of staying focused on what’s really “needed” to do it right this time and not letting me get carried away “dreaming” about what I’d like to do to the car if the budget allowed. Here’s what we know is “needed” to continue: - LUGNUTS! LOL I've misplaced the lugs that came from DriverzInc somewhere! - Master Cylinder... either a 77 Malibu manual MC or the Wilwood deal - Body bushings… Chad said the original rubber core support bushings crumbled in their hands when they took them out! - A-arms… bushings weren’t installed correctly back in 1990 (PST kit) and the A-arms were bent - Bushing kit… A-arm bushings, sway bar bushings etc. - Ball Joints and Tie Rod Ends… 18 years old and need replaced. - Rear spring bushings and shackles… the bushings are the original rubbers and the shackles had to be cut to get them out! - Bolt/fastener kit… 90 percent of the bolts they touch either break or have to be cut out! Here’s a laundry list that I had already started before Chad got the car… what I “wanted” to get to give it a deserved facelift: - New shocks… the KYBs were put on there in 1990 along with the PST rebuild kit… it’s gonna be a driver! - Gas tank/sending unit… had to buy new fuel and brake lines when they cracked while patching rust in the rear frame rails… - Morris Concepts 3-point retractable seatbelts… front belts are inop... 3-points provide added safety factor! - New glass… original side glass is badly scratched… front and rear glass is pitted/scratched… needs replaced - Vintage Air… it’s gonna get hot down here next summer and I plan to use the car as my sunny day daily driver - P O N T I A C emblem for trunk filler panel… Formula 400 emblems for the fenders… - Hedman 28150 headers… freebie Summit 4-tubes are showing their age and one hangs an inch lower than the other - Trans cooler lines… just prebent replacements needed…nothing fancy - Overflow jug… junkyard find doesn’t seem like it’ll fit the car when done any longer! - New Carpet… Original carpet is badly faded and smells like dead mice! LOL - Dynamat/Hushmat/Second Skin… something to put under the carpet and quiet the interior - New sill plates… just the $25 repops… no need for expensive NOS stuff here… - New seats… even though they’re in good shape the stock seats don’t offer much support or bolstering - Battery tray… the stocker is only about half there! Or we could move it to the trunk? - Dash pad cap… the stock dash is badly cracked as is common in 2nd Gens… - Washer bottle, hose, filter… missing in action… the car hasn’t had one since I’ve owned it. - Interior trim screw kit… would like to replace all those dry wall screws - Dome lens kit/bulb… again it’s MIA and has never been in the car since I’ve owned it. - Remote battery kit (trunk mount) - Bright Driver Headlights - Upgraded altenator - Selecta-speed wiper kit Now, IF I weren’t on a budget and could build my dream: (c:] - 463 stroker kit for the Poncho 400, KRE 290cfm D-port heads, Hyd Roller cam... OR... - LS2/3/7… with a Schwartz drive by wire TBI intake and a repop Ram Air air cleaner to work with the hood… (and Pontiac baby blue valve covers!) - TKO600 5 speed - 9" rear or 12 bolt - Full Tubular Arm package - Coilovers - 4 link rear - Aluminum Radiator - Upgraded Seats - 5 point cage - Power windows, locks and an alarm system - Killer stereo system Again, I truly appreciate and am humbled by all the attention this project is getting! (c:] V/R, Ty |
Boilermaker, you and your shop are a class act. Pure and simple. Its people like you that restore my faith in people. Other acts from people (and you know who you are..... are straight from the heart) Makes me proud to be a member of this site. When we help one another, we help ourselves and our hobby. :thumbsup:
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Too Cool!
I first met Ty about 11 years (I'm guessing, you know, "memory"....) over at www.classicalpontiac.com. Not very often you meet someone so genuinely a "good guy", you gotta hang on to friends like Ty when you find them :thumbsup: A few years ago, my son and I took a road trip in my '03 Mach 1, and drove up through Colorado Springs, where Ty was stationed at the time. Ty gave us a key to his house, and graciously let us "base camp" out of his place! My son still speaks fondly of the experience. I know there are alot of flakes out there, but Ty is NOT one of them! He is an all-around great guy/friend/dad/husband/serviceman/gearhead. To all of those helping out on this, I congratulate you for doing a wonderful deed, and assure you that Ty is a very deserving person. Thanks, Lee Atkinson |
Thanks to SPCHIV for coming through with a gracious gift!
He donated a full Prothane poly bushing kit and a full Totally Stainless bolt kit from Year One!!! Thanks to Syborg TT for his gift of a set of locking billet hood pins from hoodpins.net! |
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