My "To Do" List and Project Direction

[OLDFLM]

Hello Everyone!

Hope the Holidays have treated you and yours well…

Just some thoughts on my “to do” list for my 71 Firebird and direction on where I think I want to go with it… let me know what you think…

I got some cash for a new dash pad for Christmas and I hope to do my Autometer gauges next week.
I’ve also got new weather stripping for the car… I just have a bunch of little projects I need to do:
- Vinyl dye kick panels (they’re already black but I cleaned the rears and shot them with SEM Landau Black and they look brand new!)
- Paint interior pillars and window top trim
- Repaint grills/ram air openings in my Formula hood (just to freshen them up)
- New Formula emblems
- New outer window felts
- New doors sills
- New carpet
- Battery hold down & tray
- 3-point Morris concepts retractable seatbelts
- 12” b-body spindle/1LE swap (may also add hydroboost as my car was a factory manual disc/drum car)
- Change speedo gear to match 3.42s in rear
- 12.7 to 1 steering box
- Poly body bushings

Once all that’s done I’ll start looking at a cheap 18” wheel/tire combo so that I can run the C6/Z51 brake kit. Just want to visually fill those big wheel wells. I’ve been thinking that since I almost bought a new C6/Z51 Corvette that I’d try to go with C6 sized wheels/tires and brakes on my bird. C6 wheels/tires are 245/40/18 front and 285/35/19 rear… I’m thinking of taking those specs 10mm wider front and rear though… I’m pretty sure they’ll fit without issue.

SWs red 73 TA had 255/40/18s (4.5bs) and 295/35/18s (5.5bs) on 18x8f & 18x10r TTIIs without any mods to the car and they didn’t rub. But then again I like to run a taller tire with more sidewall… I guess I could run a 295/35/19 out back and have the same sidewall as the 255/40 up front… that would get me to 26”f & 27” rear diameters. But a 45-series on the 18s would get me to 27”front and 28.5” rear and would probably work better when street driven too. Rim choice is tough though… any thoughts? I’ve been looking at TTIIs, Bonspeed and Budnick… etc. I can get 18/19 Cannons with tires for around $2900.

I’d also like to install a vintage air system to make driving the car in the summer down here in Georgia more enjoyable.

Just want a straight forward driver that looks mean.

To that extent I’ve been thinking about a 4-speed auto for the car too… just need to find an inexpensive 2004r & 2500-ish stall.

To give my car some direction my thoughts are that I want C6/Z51 performance and braking…
The C6 specs are 400hp/400lbft, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, 60-0 in 125ft and ¼ mile in 12.4 @ 116mph.
Too get my heavier 'bird to run those numbers though I’ll need 500hp (100+ more). The C6 has 7.94lbs/hp and at 500hp my car would have 7.6lbs/hp.

I initially started out thinking of C6 Z06 specs (0-60 in 3.7, 60-0 in 108ft and ¼ mile in 11.3 @ 125) but that would take way more hp (600) and much bigger brakes than my budget would allow… even then I don’t think that I can get it to stop 60-0 in under 108ft! But I think 60-0 in under 125ft is doable. We’ll see. I may even try to attain that performance with my stock Rally IIs… might be more fun/interesting that way IF I can do it.

What do you think?

Let me know your thoughts/suggestions...

V/R,
Ty

[trapin]

Ty....you got so much stuff there I'd just start at the top of the list and work your way down. LOL!!!

For suspension I would just to Air Ride front and back. Takes out all the guess work and they're fantastic systems.

[OLDFLM]

Tony,
I think I'm just gonna take it in stages:
- Get the laundry list done first
- Then get the engine combo upgraded for more power
- Then get the big wheels/tires/brakes at the same time
It doesn't seem like that much when you break it up...
The first stage will be easy it's the next two that'll hurt my wallet! LOL
As always, I'm open to comments/suggestions...
V/R,
Ty

[PonchoJohn]

I'd do all the painting first- this will be a simple weekend update.
Give yourself another weekend for the interior- I know Horsepower TV and the like make a carpet change seem like a 10 minute job, but I've never been so fortunate. I usually end up spending the better part of a day doing it (painting, glueing padding, trimming, doing it all again, etc.), then you can properly locate your seatbelts and sill plates.
While the engine is out, it'd be a good time to clean up the subframe and paint all the inaccessable areas.
When you do the brakes/suspension/steering box, just have everything painted and preassembled, that way it'll be a quick R&R process.
You might want to consider solid mounts if you're gonna have big HP (you're gonna need subframe connectors at that level, and the solids are supposed to be the way to go).
I'm in the same boat, only I'm starting w/ a shell (that's it...., well I do have a cracked up dash pad...)

[OLDFLM]

I did the carpet in the early 90s but it's time to do it again and I think I'm going to go with the later one piece style this time. I think I'll get all the dynamat I'll need and the carpet/sill plates around and do the kicks all at the same time as you suggest... great points!

I'm gonna brake the engine up into two stages as well... 462 stroker kit first along with the machining of the short block first. Using my current ported #13 heads with dished pistons and obviously a bigger hyd cam. Second stage will be 300+cfm aluminum heads and an even bigger solid or roller cam to take advantage of the flow...

Big wheels/tires/brakes will probably come last as I think 18s with small stocker brakes just don't look right and you can't put 13+inch rotors inside 15" Rally IIs! LOL

Laundry list will get done first along with more cubes...

Thanks for the comments/suggestions!

V/R,

[MadBadger]

That list looks A LOT like my list...amazingly similar...My next things are the Vintage Air, getting the power steering fixed up ( I have a 3rd Gen box, I need the pump and hoses, etc.), new wiring, and getting the engine compartment cleaned up. I want to ge the solid body mounts and sub-frame connectors oo.

Then I will work on the interior. I am seriously considering getting some Line-X sprayed on the interior rather than using Dynamat or anything similar. I am also going to try to get a custom console figured out since I like cupholders and the armrest most newer cars have. I have the new window felts, and I definitely want the three point seat-belts.

After the interior I plan on working on the body and paint. There is some body damage currently hidden by the paint job the prior owner had done. I want to change the color anyway.

I don't like the wheels/tires I have now, I am looking for ideas in this department. I know I want them wider though :razz:

I am not planning on any engine work for now, I want to get this other stuff done first, then I may look at upgrading...it seems like a lot of people are running much newer engines, at least with fuel injection rather than a carburetor.

I am always looking for suggestions or feedback too, I don't want to "get the cart before the horse" so to speak...I have already changed my game plan several times, then went well over a year without even starting the car....but I'm going on it again now...

[DarkBuddha]

Hey, did you email or PM me about old photochops recently? I bought a new mac and haven't been able to get access to emails from the last few weeks, and I really don't wanna mess with the half dead pc anymore to check again. The good news is that I probably archived the old photochops, so you may be in luck if you did want them.

[OLDFLM]

Wyatt,
Yes I did... if you could send the old chops to [email protected] that would be great and we could go from there and discuss the wheels I have in mind...
V/R,
Ty

[OLDFLM]

That list looks A LOT like my list...amazingly similar...Vintage Air, power steering solid body mounts and sub-frame connectors,custom console w/cupholders and wheels/tires.
... suggestions or feedback ...I have already changed my game plan several times...but I'm going on it again now...

Man does all that sound familiar! Give me a shout anytime to discuss all the options: [email protected]

V/R,
Ty

[MadBadger]

Ty,

In reading the theads on here, it's nice to know I'm not the only one struggling with this stuff. The thing I really want to watch out for is doing something, and then having to tear it apart or completely re-do it because of another step in the re-build...Like if I get sub-frame connectors welded in, will it be a lot harder to replace the body mounts with solid ones? I haven't done enough research yet to know a lot of this and this is the first project car I have done this much work on...so I'm learning and trying to get as much info as possible so I don't make any big mistakes. I read one thread on here about planning the build and that helped a lot.

Not to mention that the car has been sitting for well over a year now without me touching it...time and money....I am afraid to start it now without draining the old gas out of the tank (I think I'll ask about that in another thread)...

[OLDFLM]

Two of my biggest pet peeves:

Doing something twice

Time and money... never having both at the same time! LOL

Seems like when I was younger I had the time but no money, now I have the money but no time!

Still trying to get my car where I want it on a budget... 22 years later!

[Second Skin Rep]

I would highly suggest not using a bed liner in place of a sound deadener like Dynamat Extreme.

Here is a link to a recent and brief conversion about that exact topic:

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38531

Bdd liners are very heavy and do very little for noise countrol.
Great for protection however.

ANT
www.secondskinaudio.com (http://www.secondskinaudio.com)

[MadBadger]

ANT, I had seen that product in several threads on here, but I haven't had a chance to really read up on it yet. I will do so before I decide on the sound deadener...thanks.

[MadBadger]

Two of my biggest pet peeves:

Doing something twice

Time and money... never having both at the same time! LOL


:lol: EXACTLY!!!!!!

[Second Skin Rep]

ANT, I had seen that product in several threads on here, but I haven't had a chance to really read up on it yet. I will do so before I decide on the sound deadener...thanks.

Whether you use Second Skin or not, always use the right tool for the job.
Bed liners have their place, as do sound deadeners, but to substitue one for another is a loss for both products.

If you have questions about Second Skin or sound deadening in general I am always happy to help.
Sorry for the hijack

ANT
www.secondskinaudio.com (http://www.secondskinaudio.com)