1971 Firebird455 - Project

[LeighP]

Started in on the seat shells this morning......had to mask up and paint some parts on them, then while all that was drying, headed off to the hardware for some thick shadecloth to use over the piano wire in the seat bases...and some other stuff.

Got back, had to scrub the shells, then dry and warm them in the sun. De-grease and prep them for vinyl dye....not changing colour, they were just tired looking from sitting around for years. A few light coats of VHT Satin Black later, and they look great.....added the shadecloth and they're ready for the pre-covered foam inserts.

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While they were sitting around curing, I got stuck into the kick panels.....another of GM's "why the heck did they design these like this???" disasters. The passenger side went in OK, but the driver's side was a pain....and it didn't help that the repro kick panel is, again, not exactly as easy to fit as an OEM piece. At least they're in, and the emergency brake is fitted....still some stuff to hook up on that, though.

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[AusMarty]

I am in so many ways - jealous, and in awe.

That is an incredibly clean install of your interior.


Wish I lived next door to you! haha

/not threaded up here..

What's the little red "PULL" tab for just behind the console?

[LeighP]

Thats the quick release mount for the extinguisher....just PULL, and the bottle is in your hand.

You wouldn't have been too awestruck if you could have heard me going off at the idiot who designed these kick panels with integral vent, lol.

[LeighP]

Some more progress....fitted up the seats and inserted the trimmed foams....had to make a tool to clip the foams into the shells, but after that it wasn't too hard.
Also got the sill molds on finishing off the carpets and mounted the steering wheel properly. Horn not working, have to look at that.....theres power at the wheel, so the problem is downstream from there. :roll:
At least its looking more like a car now.

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[72blackbird]

Leigh,
Nice work on the interior- definitely a unique spin on a 2nd gen Firebird cockpit.

Your steering wheel is nice, but ever consider a Formula steering wheel? I think one one would look good with your interior.

Geno

[LeighP]

Thought about that, but I wanted the 60's-70's GT vibe, and thought the wood made a nice contrast to all the black.

[AusMarty]

Although it does look nice - thicker spokes would suit the car better - less italian race car, more solid muscle in my opinion.

Each to their own though - looks mint mate. :-)

[WS6]

The C4 seats look good in there.

[Doug1]

You are getting very close Leigh. Great work!

[LeighP]

Thanks. Slowly getting there......big US car show here in January, hoping to have it finished and on the road to show off there for it's first outing.

[LeighP]

Started on the door trims this afternoon, passenger side first.
Not finished, but you get the idea. I think they look pretty good. New OER repro door handles, Clayton Machine Works window handles and Fesler billet lock buttons with OER repro ferrules.

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[LUV2XLR8]

car keeps looking better and better.... nice job!.... where did you get the "a" pillar pod from?

[LeighP]

Anvil Autos....its one of their carbon fibre accessory parts.....lists for a Camaro, but they fit the Firebird, of course.

[cdoggy81]

Looks good Leigh!
I too think a formula wheel would really look nice in there but suum cuique pulchrum est :)

[LeighP]

Thanks....... esse vera ad teipsum
(google translator....the last time I spoke Latin I was 14, lol)

And heres the finished door trim.......

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I didn't like the press on clips much....fiddly things and attempting to line them up going to be a pain....plus theres no clip mount around the speaker enclosure area, where it needs to be solid to the door. So, I used some small sheet metal screws and trim clip covers to neaten it up, only needed 4 screws. The weight of the panel is taken on the glass guides at the top, and the panel is pretty much retained on the door by the inside door handle. I used UHB (ultra High Bond) double sided tape strips to retain the insert onto the panel, but its also clamped by the fitting of the inner handle. I also had to trim some of the rubber seal at the top/rear of the door so the panel would sit far enough forward.
Its a bit tight closing the door now, I think the new seals need to squash a little more to take up the thickness of the panel.

[LeighP]

And the driver's side door trim is finished.

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Still waiting on the darn motor trimmer to finish my rear seat.

[LeighP]

Had the mobile auto electrician who did my alarm come out today and fault find why theres no horn. Turns out the wiring harness, which I thought had a horn relay in it, didn't....so all the power for the air horn compressor was running through the column switch....which fried the little springs in the top of the column and they lost their tension.
One new spring, a reset of the other spring and a relay later....I have a nice loud horn! Cool!

The rest of my day was spent making fascia panels for the centre console.

Template time....
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The upper panel with the two instruments in the Autometer angle gauge mounts.
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Epoxy etch primed.....thats it for the day, it came over wet and really humid...can't spray anymore.
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I cut a 2nd set of these panels that I'll be sending to Randy Combes to have engine turned, like a T/A dash....something for next year, when I'm on holidays.
This set will be painted satin black.

[TEMP GTO]

Really looking good Leigh! Keep up the good work.

[LeighP]

Thanks. :)

Movement on my rear seats....guy turned up this afternoon to test fit the modified rear seat.....they're going to be done in a similar style to the front seats (Corvette).

They're mostly foamed (still some bolstering to do), then he has to make the patterns for the covers, then the covers themselves. I'm hoping early next week now.

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[ryeguy2006a]

Looking good Leigh. Those seats will look great when they are done.

[syborg tt]

I can't wait to see these seats finished


Thanks. :)

Movement on my rear seats....guy turned up this afternoon to test fit the modified rear seat.....they're going to be done in a similar style to the front seats (Corvette).

They're mostly foamed (still some bolstering to do), then he has to make the patterns for the covers, then the covers themselves. I'm hoping early next week now.

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[LeighP]

Finally got the centre console fascia's finished.....muggy, hot day to be out in the garage, but I needed to pull the rear drums to have a few millimeters machined off the back of them for clearance on the shock mount plates (I'm running B body HD finned drums on the back).

While the machine shop was cutting the drums, I got stuck into the last of the wiring for the AFR and outside temp gauges.

Finished Dash
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Console - please excuse the dust all over it...thought it was clean till the flash picked up all the dust....lol.
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[qnitro]

Car is looking great... Keep us informed on the rear seats, Im very interested in the look.. that is something Im looking to do as well

[LeighP]

Rear seats were finished, we fitted them this morning. They look pretty good and the styling reflects the front ones...as much as it can for a flat rear seat.

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[ryeguy2006a]

Those look really good Leigh.

[LeighP]

Well....stress filled afternoon getting the inspection done, then crossing my fingers that it'd get through the paperwork jungle that is our Roads and Traffic Authority.

Success.....car has plates and registration.

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Now, all I have to do is find out why the RH rear drum is still dragging after you drive the car a few miles......it all "looks" OK, but it gets warm and the brakes then grab on....and these are all new brakes.

[72'Monte]

great looking firebird.how she run?

[LeighP]

Plenty of power.....jsut have to fix the dragging brake issue...but I've got a lead on something that may be causing it.....tomorrow's job.

[ryeguy2006a]

I wasn't there that long ago and remember my first ride in a fully "legal" car. Which didn't include my drive there in the car... Big Congrats to you, great looking car.

[LeighP]

Thanks Ryan, yeah its pretty cool knowing I can take it out on the road now.

Found the problem....it was the operating pin in the booster...there wasn't enough clearance to the piston in the mastercylinder. Easy fix, works fine, now. I like it when you can track down a problem.

BEFORE -

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2.5 years later - AFTER - the 17" Honeycombs are back on.....

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Reasonably chucky meat for only a 255 width.

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Better pics to come later.....its too darned hot now, and I've got home chores to do, lol.

[jp455]

Awesome! Always great to see a project that starts off like that come to a great conclusion! One quick question though...whats that on the trans tunnel between the rear seats?

[LeighP]

Seems I never finished off this build thread.....
The item on the trans tunnel is a billet QR mount for a fire extinguisher.

Heres some pics of the finished car, been on the road for a couple of months now.

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[qnitro]

Man thats a great looking car

[aronhk_md]

Beautiful car Leigh, and great job at getting it there! Now if only I can finish the tilt front end hinges tomorrow I too can move toward getting mine on the road this spring. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Must feel great to get out there and turn the key...

[LeighP]

Thanks guys. Yeah, its good to have it done (when are they really "done"...?)

Went to a big American car show last month...first outing with the car....won a prize for best modified Firebird. Now if someone local had some Autocross happening, I'd love to get into that! I've just been out looking for winding roads, lol.

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[qnitro]

That's awesome I'm hoping for some hardware too with my Trans am, but I just want to drive it

[Skylark]

This is probably the best restoration thread I've evr seen. Great Job! Awesome car.

[Rocker75]

So, are you going to have rear seats in it?

[NOT A TA]

Yes it had rear seats. He sold the car a year or so ago and hasn't been on the forums much since. So I figured I'd answer.

[LeighP]

Thanks, John.
Yep, the car went to a collector in another state......I'm having fun modifying and driving a Jeep Wrangler at the moment.....perhaps I'll be back into a Pontiac at some stage.
The rear seat was a modified custom seat that reflected the style of the Corvette seats used in the front.....check the pictures above. :)

[ryeguy2006a]

Isn't that the way that it seems to go. You spend all the time, effort and money to restore them. Then we sell them for another rusted car haha. Beautiful car Leigh!