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View Full Version : 68 Firebird and 65 Catalina Projects



Bulldog455
10-25-2004, 08:49 PM
Here is my temp site at Webshots http://community.webshots.com/user/murphs314 me and a friend of mine are doing resto/mods to our vehicles although my friends is alot farther along than mine, my Firebird was in more of a get it clean and moving for my big move to the sunshine state, my friends ride is more of a lets kick :machine: and take names. More update photos as the become available and anyone with any advice for me and the 68 bird :help: , feel free to chime in.

Drewhelm
10-26-2004, 12:02 PM
Welcome! Nice to see another First Gen FB joining the ranks!

Drewhelm
10-26-2004, 12:14 PM
BTW, how's those rattle cans get in the gas tank? LOL

Bulldog455
10-26-2004, 01:19 PM
Hardy Hardy Har Har..You would not believe how many times Ive herd that one Drew. I didnt have alot of time to do my ride the way I wanted it. I weanted to do it with the same attention as the Catalina but Uncle Sugar wanted me to PCS to Florida and with only 2 1/2 months to do what you see in the majority of the pic Im suprised with my limited knowledge that I could have gotten that far. I have to attribute ALOT to my good friend Garth and his brother and friend, they really came through when every thing looked bad.
I wished I had alot more knowledge and could corrrect some of the minor things that I dont like, for example, when I did the front disc brake upgrade I put the line going to the rear on backwards by mistake but either way there are no instructions and so I didnt know where to mount the prop valve. I know you have to put it after the distro block but thats all I know.
Drew, do you know how the bushings go on the radiator support. Is it one bushing under the frame and one on top of the rad support or is it one on top of the subframe and one on top of the rad support with a bolt through the subframe?
And by all means anyone with any suggstions or comments please chime in. :icon996:

Drewhelm
10-27-2004, 10:03 AM
Hehehe, I'm sure you have heard that quite a bit.....you set it up so nicely though!

The core support bushing should be half between the core support and frame and the other insude the frame. I inserted the bolt from the top so the bolt head and washer rest on the core support and the other washer and nut are in the frame.

Washer
Core Support
Upper bushing half
Frame
Lower Bushing half
Washer
Nut

With bolt passing through the middle. :)

D

Bulldog455
10-27-2004, 06:40 PM
D, I appreciate the info very kindly. How is your Firebird doing? As far as the cans in the the trash can, I actually used a ship load of Brake Parts cleaner when I cleaned the entire car of almost thirty yuears of North Carolina red clay, grease, grim and lord knows what else.

Bulldog455
04-11-2005, 06:57 PM
If you look on the web link http://community.webshots.com/user/murphs314 you'll see that Im going in reverse with my 68 Firebird project car so I can soon turn it into one of the sickest birds possible. After seeing the fine work of a few friends on anothers 65 Catalina, also found at the link above, it was pretty plain to see that I had to do what Im doing. :firefire:

Roadrage David
04-13-2005, 02:41 AM
Its good to see a 68 bird with a PONCHO engine, got a 68 myself with a 462 engine

Bulldog455
05-03-2005, 06:08 PM
Thanks Roadrage, After doing alot of looking for crs to beuild a couple years ago I decided on a Firebird, well because I loike them and I was in luck my father gave me his. I drove it once when I was 15 years old, now at 35 Im ready to get it together right and drive what should have been mine almsot 20 years ago.
I wished I had bored my engine to 30 over but I didnt think about it until after I had it overbored and sleeved so I can put some psi to it later. I wished I had actaully thought about it more, I looked at the figures the other night with a friend and it will be a behatch to hook up if I ever put a 100 hot of NOS on it. At only 2000 rpm it would be 681 ft-lb TQ and I dont havwe nothing right now but the stock 10-bolt in the rear... :banghead:

Roger Poirier
05-03-2005, 06:24 PM
Looks to me like your going full out. Very nice start. Don't worry about the rights and wrongs. You still end up doing things 2-3 times by completion of the project anyways. Heck, I believe I'm on three myself.
The important thing is to stay focused. Six months turns into a year, a year turns into two years, etc. Let me know if you need any sources for parts. R.P.

Bulldog455
08-11-2005, 07:25 PM
Give an update, my buddies Catalina we have been working on was finished just in time for the POCI Nationals in Greenville, SC during the week of July 16th. Everyone had their rides out for most of the wek but my buddy and his son only got his car in there for viewing on the last day and still won 3rd in his class. :3rd: He then took the car directly to Atlanta where on the drastrip he ran a 13.02 at a little over 105mph...pretty good for a two ton car with a 455 in it.

Oh did I mention the guys at High Performance Pontiac Magazine saw the car and after it went down the strip they said they wanted to do a full spread on the car. If you havent seen the Catalina check it out on the website I lsted 2 posts ago.

CDJr
08-11-2005, 08:36 PM
Wowee, youve come a long way with that 68 Bird, Murph. Lookin great! That lil ricer engine sittin in front of it kinda startled me though...til I read your caption. :eek:

Bulldog455
10-08-2005, 08:01 PM
Sorry for the late reply, just redeployed from Iraq and just now checking out the site again.
CDJr - you will not find no finger prints of mine on that ricer engine btw. Im going to bring my front subframe with my engine and tranny on it home so I can get it out of the way at the shop and try to tweak the engine more and see what improvements I can make on it.
CDJr - you didnt get hit hard by Hurricane Katrina and Rita did you.

Bulldog455
12-20-2005, 06:43 PM
The 65 Catalina had a 5 page spread on it in the current issue of High Performance Pontiac Magazine. The editor spotted it when it was taken to the drags in Atlanta after the Pontiac Nationals in S.C. in July. The Cat was sitting out there for only one day out of the whole week and got third place in the popular vote for its class then at the dragstrip without any tuning to the carb and with standard airpressure in the tires it went 13.02 at 105mph, all 4,000 pounds of it.

Hammered
12-21-2005, 03:52 PM
Congrats AJ - I didn't make the connection that that was your car. If I do another project it will likely be a big Pontiac.

John

Johnny Blaze
12-21-2005, 05:48 PM
I just read the feature on that catilina the other day. That is a sweet ride! I have always loved post cars!

Bulldog455
12-21-2005, 07:36 PM
John, thats not my car thats my best friends car, I just helped with it a little. I met him when I first moved from VA to FL, and I notd he lived in my area of FL on the Performance Years website forums. Long story short, his son and sons best friend opened a little Resto/Mod shop off old Hwy 54 down here and my bird is over there right now while her front subframe, engine and tranny are here at my place. I have to say for a 4K-lb car that Catalina of his really scoots. Any of you all down near central Florida drop me a line and Ill take you by these guys shop and show you there stuff, they are really talented for their age.

hotroddr
12-21-2005, 10:24 PM
Im on my 5th engine, 2nd transmission, and 2nd rear end in my 68 bird. For sure do it right the first time because what you think is saving you money will end up costing more in the long run when you have to redo it. I know this is a while after you first posted this but welcome and its great to see another first gen firebird
-Dennis

Bulldog455
06-18-2007, 07:23 PM
I know it has been a long time on this project but hey Ive been to the desert twice since then, so a year and a half later and thanks to Frank and the guys at Prodigy Customs I have my bird back with all body work complete. http://rides.webshots.com/album/559398812pbOmyD



Frank and his guys did an excellent job and I couldnt have beat the price anywhere else.



Thanks Frank, now I just need to figure out a color for it and I really liked that shade of blue on the other Firebird at your shop...what color was that?