a Firebird ( not my T/A )
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 1:46 am
It's like a glacier calving. That must be the closest analogy. Because after 2 decades of sitting in the exact same spot, this 'bird has moved! And not just a quarter inch, or even a couple of feet. But into the garage!
So I washed it. Good start, yeah? Then I removed the headlights and trim, plus the taillights, then masked the windows and trim. The next day, it went from faded orange to gloss black. Too much of a "Bandit" thing, until I un-masked and re-installed all the chrome.
But the steel 15x6" wheels on whitewall 75-series tires were killing it. So I swapped the aluminum 15x7.5" wheels off my T/A, wearing used-up 235/60R15s. A bit short, viewed from the side. A bit narrow yet, viewed from the rear. But from any of the corner views, they're a world of improvement. They're obviously better even from behind.
So, on to the drivetrain.
The Pontiac 265 supposedly has a rod knock. That or something less, doesn't matter. It's 120 HP, and it is coming out, permanently. The trans was Aamco-replaced 2 years before the car was parked. So far I've had no luck in identifying it without getting under the car. Same goes for the axle ratio, I'm going to have to determine it for myself, because nowhere online has anyone posted what it should be.
The trans does have the BOP pattern, so it needs an adapter plate for the 43K-mile '79 LM1 I'm installing to kill it.
Then a 200-4R can go in.
This low-miles 350 has the guaranteed-to-crack #'624 heads, but I'm porting a pair of #'416 heads, so no worries.
Whatever ratio the axle is, it is the 8.5" 10-bolt, so it is getting the 3.42:1 gears I saved from my '83 C-10.
The exhaust system is fully rusted, the muffler is split, and the tailpipe is bent. Doesn't matter. Hooker makes a great mandrel-bent, manifold-back dual exhaust for these cars, which I've used before. But they're raising the price faster than inflation. I don't understand that.
So, add a pair of Summit's Chinese-ripoff-Flowmasters, it'll be good.
What's most missing from this equation is a decent steering wheel. That thin-rim granny tiller just won't do.
Today is pulling the 265. I expect this 350 to roar by this Friday night. Out here in farm land, noone will be bothered to hear it before the new exhaust goes on. I'm on friendly terms with all 3 of my neighbor families within a mile, anyway. They're all blood-related, anyway.
So I washed it. Good start, yeah? Then I removed the headlights and trim, plus the taillights, then masked the windows and trim. The next day, it went from faded orange to gloss black. Too much of a "Bandit" thing, until I un-masked and re-installed all the chrome.
But the steel 15x6" wheels on whitewall 75-series tires were killing it. So I swapped the aluminum 15x7.5" wheels off my T/A, wearing used-up 235/60R15s. A bit short, viewed from the side. A bit narrow yet, viewed from the rear. But from any of the corner views, they're a world of improvement. They're obviously better even from behind.
So, on to the drivetrain.
The Pontiac 265 supposedly has a rod knock. That or something less, doesn't matter. It's 120 HP, and it is coming out, permanently. The trans was Aamco-replaced 2 years before the car was parked. So far I've had no luck in identifying it without getting under the car. Same goes for the axle ratio, I'm going to have to determine it for myself, because nowhere online has anyone posted what it should be.
The trans does have the BOP pattern, so it needs an adapter plate for the 43K-mile '79 LM1 I'm installing to kill it.
Then a 200-4R can go in.
This low-miles 350 has the guaranteed-to-crack #'624 heads, but I'm porting a pair of #'416 heads, so no worries.
Whatever ratio the axle is, it is the 8.5" 10-bolt, so it is getting the 3.42:1 gears I saved from my '83 C-10.
The exhaust system is fully rusted, the muffler is split, and the tailpipe is bent. Doesn't matter. Hooker makes a great mandrel-bent, manifold-back dual exhaust for these cars, which I've used before. But they're raising the price faster than inflation. I don't understand that.
So, add a pair of Summit's Chinese-ripoff-Flowmasters, it'll be good.
What's most missing from this equation is a decent steering wheel. That thin-rim granny tiller just won't do.
Today is pulling the 265. I expect this 350 to roar by this Friday night. Out here in farm land, noone will be bothered to hear it before the new exhaust goes on. I'm on friendly terms with all 3 of my neighbor families within a mile, anyway. They're all blood-related, anyway.