my 67 bird

[jonesbs9]

well guys heres the start of my new build, im starting with a pretty solid driver, the donor is an 11 zr1, the plan is to use the ls9 ,front suspension and the 15" carbon ceramic brakes and calipers . get the car low with big tires,using 335 30 19s on a 19x12 in the back and hopefully a 274-40 18 on the front on a 10 inch wheel.
im building this car my self in my garage so It will probably take awhile,im hoping that by having a thread and others input it will help me stay motivated during the times I want to do something else... input and ideas are welcome, im sure there are things I haven't thought of yet, not a pro builder but have been around tools a little. with that being said it will have a lot of mods and should be a really bad ass car.
I will post updates as often as I can, currently the car is nearly completely disassembled I ordered up a complete dse quadralink and tubs, ...more pics to follow

[Tom Welch]

That's gonna be a sweet build. A lot of cutting involved in getting the tires/wheels in there, but man will it hold in a corner.

[jonesbs9]

The donor

[jonesbs9]

The new dse 9inch narrowed with a tru trac diff and powder coated and the single adjustable jri shocks

[jonesbs9]

Drip rails removed, welded up and rough finished. The goal with this build is to not make crazy drastic mods but lots of subtle ones to clean up the look...stay tuned

[jonesbs9]

Got tired of waiting on someone to make a clean flush mount glass kit ...so i built my own....back glass is finished other than a little grinding and then finish body work...the glass will sit flush with the body and no rubber or mouldings of any kind..basically raised the glass about a half inch and used square key stock to fill the gaps. I will use the old back glass and do the finish body work right to it ..so its perfect..then put in the new glass...will have about an eighth to 3 /16ths uniform gap all the way around

[Munssey]

The donor

poor girl =(

[rickpaw]

I like what you're doing with the car. It's going to be a cool car when done.

Looking forward to see the finished car.

If you're looking for some inspiration, look at Mark Steilow's 69 Camaro build on lateral-g (http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=39584).

[jonesbs9]

116713been awhile since ive posted any updates. built my own rotisserie, all the dse rear brackets welded in, sub frame connectors welded in, belly to bare metal, then a good coat of epoxy primer

[jonesbs9]

smooth firewall finished

[jonesbs9]

heres a quick pic of the interior floor, same deal, blasted to bare metal, cut original seat pans out, welded in new lowered mounts for the seats, and cut out and boxed the inner rockers , then a coat of epoxy primer....im using late model seats, and they crowded the center console too much and sat too high. lots of work but now they sit low and look good in the car

[rohrt]

Sure started with a nice car.

Where/how did you find the donor car?

[jonesbs9]

it looked a little better before I took it apart than it really was, I ended up having to put patches front and rear of the rear wheels, otherwise it was nice, floors were perfect. As for the donor, im in the auto salvage business and we specialize in pullout drivetrains, so when I want one for myself it comes pretty easy. it will have a ton of high end stuff left over to sell to help get my money back.

[40STY]

Wish I had your fab skills, would make life so much easier. What seats are you using? The vette ones?

[jonesbs9]

I used the sport seats out of a 2014 veloster for mock up, they have big side bolsters and are very comfortable, but I had a 2014 focus st come in a couple weeks ago, and they actually feel a little better. so the seat choice is not a sure thing yet, ive created plenty of room for about any seat now. im using a 12 Camaro floor console and I can get my hand down beside the seat on both sides with the doors closed

[Bob in St. Louis]

Love that flush glass work you've done, very cool.
Great donor too!

[jonesbs9]

had a little bit yesterday to work on the bird, I had bought a brake mounting kit from Kore3 to use my rotors and calipers on the new 9"...the end result....15 inches of carbon ceramic rotor and 4 piston brembos. you know you are going somewhere when your new rear rotors are bigger than the original wheels the car came with. Just need to fine tune the park brake a little but the kit was as advertised and bolted right on. great product, for those of you needing it, and Tobin knows his stuff.

[instro84]

man thats some serious stopping power right there!

[jonesbs9]

Had been holding back on posting these until I had a little more done, Several months ago I bought a Sniper front sub from No Limit, and had Rob make me some hub adapters and caliper mounts for my zr1 brakes. got them in last week and got it bolted together for mock up. all I can say is , its pretty impressive. Their work is top notch. This thing is gonna turn and stop. 15.5 inch carbon ceramic rotors with 6 piston brembos.

[jonesbs9]

few updates, machined my own solid body bushings, got the sub assembled and bolted in. loosely fitted fenders and core support. starting to look like a car again.. the only rollers I could find to clear the brakes were a set of new camaro wheels. looks a little goofy but it rolls now..the offset sucks, fronts on the back and backs on the front.

[Motown 454]

Nice update. It looks good.

[lucky13firebird]

Serious hardware right there

[jonesbs9]

worked on the bird a little more this weekend, this is with the bumper mounted in the stock location. now starts the work of getting it tucked in, going for a more integrated look instead of an afterthought.

[jonesbs9]

ive seen several guys modifying the firebird valance to install the 69 Camaro lights. my original valance had been poorly repaired in the past. I bought a new Camaro valance. after a few test fits it looked like just using the upper outer corners from the firebird would allow the Camaro to bolt in. ive got it trimmed and fitted. just needs welded up. I also trimmed the top edge that goes in behind the bumper because it would interfere with the grille. pretty easy mod, I wont have more than a couple hours in it. you can see in the pics that the lights are behind the bumper . this week I will modify the bumper on each side to open the lights up. ive welded up the jack holes and the bumper bolt holes.. coming along.. did I mention turning radius!!!!!?????

[jonesbs9]

heres a little update... getting the bumper a little closer to fitting, have the holes cut out for the fog lights, now just have to weld in a filler, have the bumper tucked back to the body pretty close to where it will be. now for lots of filling and trimming. in the one photo you can see where ive extended the fender body line down onto the bumper then it trails off into the front contour. the trailing edge of the bumper is actually rounded down, not a big deal when you have a 1 inch rubber filler on the original car. not going to get it for this one though. im welding up the entire back edge to make it fit the fender and hood the way it should.

[jonesbs9]

the forgeline test wheel came today, looks like it will fit fine. that's an 18x11 tucked inside the fender with the No Limit sub. It will be getting a 315 30 tire. one more bumper shot showing some of the mods and wheel fit.

[AtomicFirebird]

119722

ok, I am officially done posting pics. I know this it's not a competition, but I can not compete with the great work and money I see on these threads. I am officially a car build watcher. JK

[AtomicFirebird]

Love the Firebird!!!!

[jonesbs9]

almost have the front bumper done. for those of you who have a 67 or 68 bird, you can probably appreciate the difference in the fit. the center of the bumper where it meets the hood was nearly a half inch short of meeting the hood. I now have a uniform gap between the bumper and hood/ fenders and when you look at it from the front its a smooth transition to the sheet metal

[chirst]

That looks incredible! You obviously spent a lot of time and effort, but I'd say it was well spent. Love the build!

[mbw]

Nice progress. I love the build.

[hotrodneb]

look through my '68 Bird thread. I did the same to my bumper. Before/after pics
---Or have you already and was I your starting point??

[jonesbs9]

look through my '68 Bird thread. I did the same to my bumper. Before/after pics
---Or have you already and was I your starting point??

I remember seeing your thread, different approach and the results are diff. both of us obviously trying to improve on the "afterthought" Pontiac thought was good enough. where you removed chrome to get it , im adding material to get the shape I want, both are much better than where we started. mine is back a little over an inch, but I didn't remove anything, I then added material to the back edge so that when you are looking straight on from the front, you cant see the front edge of the hood or fenders, very smooth transition. that's what I like the most about these threads, is seeing everyones different takes to get where they want to be... makes it fun and I think we all learn from others

[hotrodneb]

Good to see you found another path to an improved outcome. I was hoping however that I could charge you a royalty on my idea. CRAP, looks like I need to find another source of funding for the next project.

[jonesbs9]

new forgelines came last week! they are killer, having trouble now finding a matching set of tires, front to back. have to get that figured out, but going to look very nice 19x12 and 18x11https://www.pro-touring.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=121481&stc=1https://www.pro-touring.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=121482&stc=1https://www.pro-touring.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=121483&stc=1https://www.pro-touring.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=121484&stc=1

[CamaroJesse]

Nice wheels! They look like mine! Good choice!

[Hound dog]

Keep it coming. The bumper tuck is a must on 67,68 birds

[Widetrax]

Nice job on the front bumper tuck! I always frustrated with the way these bumpers fit from the factory. Now I want to do mine for my 68. God! The project creep just keeps mounting!!

[jonesbs9]

Camarojesse you have good taste, I thought for sure those wheels would be unique.

[jonesbs9]

Nice job on the front bumper tuck! I always frustrated with the way these bumpers fit from the factory. Now I want to do mine for my 68. God! The project creep just keeps mounting!!

it takes a lot of time but it sure helps the look. if you go all around the car doing the same types of mods you can really clean them up

[jonesbs9]

couple quick pics of the last of the body mods. the flush windshield is now done, fender extensions and cowl extension done. just have a little more door gap cleanup to do. filled in around the fuel filler door, to make it a uniform gap. I noticed after I uploaded the picture that the lid isn't adjusted in the pic. it actually fits nice now and has a uniform gap..

[jonesbs9]

finally got my tires in last week, mounted up the forgelines and put the two right sides on to get a visual. not at ride height, but gonna look tough. that's a 335 30 19 on a 19x12 and a 315 30 18 on a 18x10. plenty of room in the back even with them tucked. the fronts I probably could have gone even bigger, lots of room lock to lock.

[jonesbs9]

first mock up of the headlights and grilles after all the bumper mods. im still on the fence on which lights I want to use, love the jw speaker lights but not so much on the price. I plan to use a honeycomb style mesh in the grille in place of the original bars. but at least its hung with all the mounts made and starting to look like a car again. engine should be back from the shop next week and can start getting it and the trans in

[Brocal]

great looking setup i really dig the wheels and sizing. How do the front tires fit with stock inner fenders? Do they rub when the stance is lower?

[jonesbs9]

great looking setup i really dig the wheels and sizing. How do the front tires fit with stock inner fenders? Do they rub when the stance is lower?

Im certain they will rub with the inners, i have a new set that i will modify after i get the engine in

[clueless69bird]

Your bird is bananas! As a bird lover, I appreciate all the subtle but noticeable touches. Definitely going to subscribe.

[Zoomin]

Mother F Bird!

[Hammered]

Your bird is bananas! As a bird lover, I appreciate all the subtle but noticeable touches. Definitely going to subscribe.

Ditto

[Rick2964]

Those Forgelines look awesome! Nice car!!!!

[jonesbs9]

Its been awhile since i've posted an update. It seems like every thing on this car has to be modified. The engine is back from the shop, its been one of the few things that hasn't given me fits, new cam, pushrods, springs and head gaskets, Lingenfelter snout and pulley, underdrive crank pulley. The new t56 was another story, everything is new, but fought me the whole way, I went with a big name in the business and bought everything from them, hoping to minimize downtime, or searching for parts. To make a long story short, its in and seems fine at this point but was way more stress than it should have been. In hindsight I would have gone a different route and saved money as well.

[jonesbs9]

I think I'm the first one to put an ls9 in a No Limit sub as well, so I'm the guy finding a way around the things that don't fit.. If you are going this same route, send me a message, I can save you a lot of time. I bought a set of Stainless Works headers for an ls swap, I had to modify two tubes on the lh side to clear the steering linkage, and basically built the entire rh side, all 4 tubes interfered with something. they are now done and wrapped with some nice DEI wrap. You can not run the factory engine oil cooler with this sub.. not even close. the AC compressor is as tight a fit as it would have been with any other sub. I ended up ordering the ls9 relocate kit for the ac from Concept One, it should be here next tues. If that goes ok, I will be ready to bolt the sub back into the car.

[jonesbs9]

new freshly wrapped headers with v band clamps added

[CamaroJesse]

im diggin the front bumper. very nice work!

[DualQuadDave]

I just want to compliment you on the build. Fantastic craftsmanship and you have a good eye. Clean, but not overdone. Love the Poncho blue on the LSA, nice touch.

[Brocal]

Awesome build. I'm really digging the 315's and ls9 for this thing

[jonesbs9]

I just want to compliment you on the build. Fantastic craftsmanship and you have a good eye. Clean, but not overdone. Love the Poncho blue on the LSA, nice touch.

thanks, that was the hope all along, just clean it up. most people wont be able to appreciate the mods without a stock model sitting next to it. I thought id throw a little old school at it with the engine color.

- - - Updated - - -


Awesome build. I'm really digging the 315's and ls9 for this thing

thanks

[jonesbs9]

the new ac compressor relocation kit came yesterday. I spent the evening getting it fitted, the craftsmanship is top notch. I had to remove a little material from the bottom of the bracket to clear the sway bar, but otherwise it worked great. Its pricey, but with the time involved in trying to build my own, still cheaper.

[jonesbs9]

a few more pics

[jonesbs9]

engine finally back where it belongs, hopefully working on cooling and inner fenders this weekend

[Josh@Ridetech]

Nice work man! I see you've already got the coilovers on there but let me know if you need anything else down the road. Thanks!

[jonesbs9]

look what came today.....Haymaker 2 with app control.......if this works as good as it looks, I will be very happy. I have used other brands in the past, I will have to say the quality of this box is far superior to others ive had.

[Zoomin]

What is app control?

Curious to see how it works. Why did you decide to try them?

[jonesbs9]

What is app control?

Curious to see how it works. Why did you decide to try them?

They call it " atmosphere" its an android app that lets you control the heat and ac controls with your phone or tablet. Cleans the dash up by getting rid of the controls on the dash. Everything about it seems better than the competition,.time will tell.

[Peter Mc Mahon]

Any updates on this?

[68Formula]

Yeah, would love to hear a followup on the install and operation. Some day I'd like to add air to my project.

[CamaroJesse]

where did you get your front bumper from? I just tried fitting my a/m front bumper tonight and the fit is terrible.

[jonesbs9]

sorry for the lack of updates, a divorce derails car building plans sometimes. I'm getting back to it now and will have some updates soon. The ac is almost done, exhaust is ready for final welding.

[jonesbs9]

where did you get your front bumper from? I just tried fitting my a/m front bumper tonight and the fit is terrible. I'm using my original bumper, but theres a good 20 hours of labor in getting the fit that I have.

[jonesbs9]

heres a cpl pics of the exhaust, 3" stainless duals through an x pipe into Black Widow mufflers then around the quadralink and fuel tank all the way out the back. Please excuse the straps, I needed to let the car down but didn't want to assemble all the pieces again. its all mocked up and tack welded, just need to get some stainless hangers and tig all the joints

[jonesbs9]

made brackets for the corvette power steering res. its all on and ready, but a friend has warned me that the stock pump wont keep up with the Sweet mfg. rack. I'm leaving it for now because I think trying to adapt my ls9 pulley to an aftermarket pump is going to be tough. anyone else been through this yet?

[jonesbs9]

I made these nifty little brackets to adapt the factory rad mount to my core support. obviously I'm not a pro fabricator but they work fine and don't look too bad. I'm using a rad and fan from a new G8 GT. I will either give these a deep cleaning and detailing or swap them out with new ones when I reassemble. I didnt want to get new ones dirty. Its been awhile since I looked into it but I'm not positive this fan will be compatible with my ecm. I may have to figure that out later as well, should be reasonably easy to swap a fan if I have to.

[jonesbs9]

decided to jump start the project and send it to a shop for fuel and brake line plumbing. hoping it will be running in a few weeks...been nearly a year since much happened with it. ready to get it done

[jonesbs9]

exhaust is all done, 3 inch stainless from the headers, through the Black Widow mufflers and out the back.. after putting a couple reliefs in the floor, we were able to keep it all up above the subframe...

[jonesbs9]

few more exhaust pics

[JayinMI]

Coming along nice. I'm also curious on your thoughts about the restomod air stuff. It looks way nicer than the Vintage air stuff, and all of their control options look SOOOO much nicer. The Vintage air stuff looks cheesy to me, like the (overpriced) Retrosound radios.

Jay

[jonesbs9]

a few under hood pics. its running and moving on a base tune. I ended up having a leak in the used intercooler I used for mock up. I ordered a new one yesterday, when it comes, I think we will be ready for dyno time. the main goal so far has been to get everything to fit and function. when it comes back apart for paint, I will detail, and powder coat everything. I'm hoping to tune it soon and beat on it a little this summer. take it apart in the fall and hopefully have it out of paint jail by spring.

[jonesbs9]

Coming along nice. I'm also curious on your thoughts about the restomod air stuff. It looks way nicer than the Vintage air stuff, and all of their control options look SOOOO much nicer. The Vintage air stuff looks cheesy to me, like the (overpriced) Retrosound radios.

Jay


I havnt used it yet, but the quality, in my opinion, is better. Ive used the other as well, that's why I tried this one. I havnt charged it yet, because I know the car is coming back apart, but its all in and hooked up.

[Buryingthesun]

This car is sure going to sing! What brand did you use for your front fenders? they look like they fit well.

[jonesbs9]

This car is sure going to sing! What brand did you use for your front fenders? they look like they fit well.[/QUOTE]

the hood and fenders came from Classic Industries, They probably fit as well as any aftermarket fender is going to.

[chiva]

Any updates? I'm doing a 69 Firebird. I have a bunch of questions for you. Most important on is I've narrowed my sub frame choices down between speed tech extreme and the no limit sniper. What are your impressions of the sniper sub frame? Quality fit and finish? Ease of use with different componentry? Etc. I'm very interested in what you think. Thanks!

Rob