This fine example of a 1970 Firebird is going to go through some big changes. Throttle Works will install a 5.3L LS motor with single turbo and a built turbo 400 transmission. It is also receiving some special treatment out back too, a new 9" with 3:73 gears and a Caltrax leaf spring suspension set up to get the new 10x30 Hoosier slicks to hook up and get this car down the track fast and safe, well as safe as can be anyway. Along with this new found power and traction some driver protection is required so a 6 point roll cage to meet NHRA specs for a 10.0 second cars will be added as well, custom built in house to suit our customers desires for safety and also some measure of comfort for street driving, since who doesn't want to drive a 10 second car on the street. Check out the pictures below for more progress and updates!!!
Here is the car as we received her in all her 1970's glory. Basically a very stock car with the original interior and original 400 motor and turbo 400 trans. Things are about to get real for this old girl and life will take on whole new meaning soon.
On a side note, some have complained that we are taking this great example of americarna and modifying it instead of restoring it, to that we say that it is getting a completely new life and will be enjoyed for years to come rather than being a show piece to only be admired and driven on special occasions. Why?? Because RACECAR!!!
LET THE DISMANTLING BEGIN!!! First things first on a project like this and the thing a lot of people don't understand is you have to go backwards a bit before you can move forward. To that end we are getting rid of everything, interior will be completely gutted to make room for some race seats and the previously mentioned roll cage and to reduce weight also. Another thing that needs to be done is to clean out the former rodent residence on a "barn find" like this before moving forward. This process can be pretty nasty sometimes......
After modifying the floor to remove the "bump" we capped it off with a piece of sheet metal. Its hard to tell but it made quite a bit of difference. Then we proceeded to modify the seat mounting brackets by cutting off the original flanges and fabricating some flat tabs. Once the tabs were welded in place the seat sat about 3" lower than with the mounting bracket that came with the seats. Made a huge difference!!
Engine is removed and I think we will go ahead and pull the front sheet metal to make our fitment process for the new engine easier. There are also a lot of unnecessary components in here that we can do away with so we continue to make it simpler, lighter and therefore faster. Which is the point right??
Back to the engine bay for some power improvements. Using a mock up turbo we started building the main plumbing for the hot side of things. Since this car is a little bit of a budget build we decided to go with modified stock manifolds with v-band clamps for the Y/crossover pipe, ending in a t-4 flange for the new Borg Warner to sit on