project 71'fbird

[71fbird]

i got a 1971 firebird 4 years ago from my dad and immidiately started working on it, saved what i could over the summer took the car to a body shop to get it painted and that turned out to be a very big mistake they said it would take them about 2 months to have it painted and boy was that a lie it was there for over a year and they never even thought about starting so i got ripped off and got my car back in worst condition then when i dropped it off guess thats what i get for not taking my dad with me(i was 16 at the time) so finally after getting over the anger and some problems iv decided to give my baby some attention. I'm still not quite sure what direction i wan a go with my project but iv been getting some nice ideas from you guys!
the original plan was to paint it black and keep it completely stock since its a numbers matching car and its got 52,xxx original factory miles iv got tons of paper work for it thats what every one thinks I'm going to do BUT i want a badass pro touring car..ill try n post some pictures

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ill figure out how to make these bigger

[LeighP]

Welcome.....cool stuff, another 71 Firebird project!!! Outstanding. :)
Keep us up to date with your plans.

[71fbird]

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thanks and iv started some work on it and even though I'm not a preoffesional i learn fast and its moving along great!
i was surprised to see it so clean the body had quite some rust!

[LeighP]

Was thinking it looked pretty clean underneath....that'll save some $ and time.

[NOT A TA]

Welcome to the forum! Looks like a great project.

[71fbird]

Welcome to the forum! Looks like a great project.
thanks, its gone be tough building this one but I'm dedicated i want to see the fbird back on the road and in showroom conditions, i get made fun of a lot by my cousins and friends because they have some neat cars and i have my "old piece of junk" but i know for a fact I'm going to end up with something more unique, and rare then they're cars...(05 mustang gt with the cervinis c-series kit, a 69 camaro SS project, an 08 saleen s331, 06 saleen s281"mustang", 99 cobra, and the list goes on...
so tomorrow morning I'm going to the shop and taking my car home, I'm also taking all the tools and car parts that are in it(its being used as storage) that way the guy has to look for me and i won't hive him anything back till he gives me some $$...he has bumpers paint guns some materials like fiberglass, bondo, clear, some tools and a whole lot of parts that belong to other customers. yes its not the right thing to do but nobody likes being screwed over...and this is the only way i can assure myself that ill get some cash back

[71fbird]

how can i get some renderings done? i can draw pretty damn good but id like to see ho it would look with the ideas i have

[LeighP]

Theres a forum for multimedia....check out some of the guys doing renderings in there and contact them for prices etc.
Some guys may photoshop something up for you as a favour if you ask.

[71fbird]

I'm trying to get everything that i need for the body before i paint it, i was also wondering if gto seats would fit, they look a bit wide but I'm in love with them i drove my buddies 06 gto yesterday and they just feel right, if i get them can i make them function, up down forward and back??
also is it a bad idea to run my exhaust right next to the gas tank?(heat wise?)
here are some pictures..
i didn't have anything to do at 2am so i drew my friends mach 1..
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ok so for the hood i love the stock look but with the paint job I'm going it just won't work so I'm building a custom one i was gonna go with a regular 4" cowl but I'm trying to build something somewhat unique so this is what i have so far..
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[WS6]

Slope it up more of the sides and you'll have a good look going. Looks like a box right now with those vertical sides.

[71fbird]

it looks square in the pics but theres a bit of a slope, i tried to keep the slope on the hood and I'm trying to make the front look like the nose to keep the theme going it'll look a whole lot better when i weld in the front!! I'm currently working on my exhaust tips but I'm still no sure if it would be safe to run the pipes between the gas tank and the "roll pan"?? I'm also confused about the dash it has a few cracks and i don't know how to take care of those should i sand it down and use fiberglass to fill them and paint it or should i take all the vinyl off and reupholster it it just seems like the hardest thing in the world.. like i said I'm new to all this but cars are my passion =)
another question how close would an 06 gto dash fit and what would i need to tweak of fabricate to make it look like it belongs there??

[srh3trinity]

I think there is a build thread on here with a GTO dash and it came out really nice. I will do my best to remember who had done this. It is towards the end of that thread.

[71fbird]

i have another question i can't figure out how i would make the gto gauges work, I'm not swapping the engine for no so the transmission stays too , my current speedo uses the cable system and the gto speedo uses the pulse system i know theres a way to convert the pulse into rotation with a small motor, but is there any way to do the opposite? and with that said can i get the fuel, temp, and rpms working too? i have a plan b if that doesn't work ill just keep mu original gauges ill just have to make a custom carrier so it'll look like it belongs..

[srh3trinity]

Looks like you found the thread since you posted in it, but this is the same one I was thinking of: https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?85340-Trans-Am-Bandit-1975-to-1977/page2

[71fbird]

yeah it took me a while but i finally found it, looks good, i found a wrecked 06 gto 15 min away from my house but the guy won't part it, its missing seats engine and transmission.. so not worth buying... i really want all 4 of those gto seats, but they're so expensive and unfortunately have a budget..

[LeighP]

I believe the GTO seats will fit, but they're a little bulky....if you aren't too tall, they'll work.
I used mid 80's Corvette seats in my 71...they adapt to the factory sliders very easily and they give more headroom if you're tall...and good support. Anpother advantage, they're probably pretty cheap to locate a set....the foam/leather parts are clip in inserts - you just buy new ones in the colour you like and clip them into the plastic seat frames...no labour costs to trimming the seats. :)
A cheap fix for your dash is to use a "dash cap" which basically glues over the whole factory dash....done right, they look fine and a lot of people won't even know there is a cap on there. Google up F-Bodywarehouse and have a talk to the owner, Pete....they have probably the best dash caps for 2nd gen Firebirds.

I like where you're going with the hood...clearance on these cars is tight under a stock hood.....check out pics of a 68 Shelby GT500 for some ideas on that style of hood you're working on.

[PonchoJohn]

On the hood- if you were to close off the front center of it, it'd sort of resemble a Formula hood... or a '69 Trans Am hood. Might be worth looking at some pix to see what I mean.

[71fbird]

i will close of the center of the hood to get that formula look, and keep the looks of the nose going on the hood, I'm not a very tall person so i don't ming having limited head room but ill try my best to make them look right, I'm still trying to figure out a couple of things like how to make the gto speedo work with the cable system..i will post some pictures of the parts that came un as soon as i get home

[LeighP]

You can buy cable to digital pulse sender adapters.....a lot of the gauge companies sell them. Try Classic Instruments.

[71fbird]

nice ill have to do that, every one iv asked has told me I'm crazy, theres no such thing as a cable to pulse adaptor...(employees at auto zone and local shops).. but anyway they've started the body work for the 3ed time and this time I'm making sure they do it right!! i go some parts for the fbird as well..i really want the steering wheel controls to whorl and I'm trying to make the paddle shifters work with my auto transmission i want to hide the actual shifter so no one will know how to shift the gears599425994359944599455994659947599485994959950

[71fbird]

excuse the bad pictures ill post lots more tomorrow!

[71fbird]

ok its been a while, iv had A LOT of problems with the body shop and now it looks like I'm moving the right direction and are very very exited!! well after a few months of arguments and false promises i finally got them to sign me a contract and had them start working on my car.. i also got a few more parts..
oh one more thing, since this is a project on a really low budget I'm trying to use parts from other cars, so theres lots if different things goin into her(camaro steering wheel, rsx seats, gto seats, etc...)
here are a few..
the dash..wish there were more posts with gto dashed and lots of advice but ill have to try my best!
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seats..just need to cover the fronts in leather/vinil..
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this is the idea.. but rounded off corners on the stripes before they hit the bottom of the spoiler(excuse the horrible photoshop skills)
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[cdoggy81]

good luck with your project!

[LeighP]

Glad it's progressing for you.

[71fbird]

ok well after a 13hr day of body work, rust repair, and painting bumpers I finally got somewhere and the excitement returned now I'm pumped up too bad i can't feel my arms or legs otherwise i would of kept at it!683156831368314

[71fbird]

so after a really long time i finaly came closer to making my bird road ready!9275192752927569275592757927589275992760
now some small details and to start the interior work!

[cdoggy81]

Nice! You are inspiring me to do the same :) I hope to see more updates on your progress!

[NOT A TA]

Good to see you kept going with the project. Do you have more pics of the hood? Is the stock hood cut under the grafted on section?

[71fbird]

the car still has a lot of work but its getting there slowly I'm trying to go back to school at the moment and have to go to my sisters wedding down in Jalisco Mexico so thats going to hold it for a few more months. i already started working on the interior and but keep in mind this is my very first build and i am doing all the work myself from the paint to the engine, interior, and everything else there is I'm learning as i go and trying to score a job in a body shop so i can learn and hopefully one day start my own business! here are a few more pictures so you can see where it currently sits. 97862978639786497865

[lucky13firebird]

certainly looks interesting with those 68 shelby hood scoops grafted on. looks like you've been getting a lot done, thats good, get after it ;-) looking good so far.

[71fbird]

certainly looks interesting with those 68 shelby hood scoops grafted on. looks like you've been getting a lot done, thats good, get after it ;-) looking good so far.

many might think it doesn't fit my car well but its mine and i love it! haven't had time to work on it in the last few months sent the car down to Palm Springs CA. where my parents live and ill be moving down there in a few weeks so ill have a lot more time to work on it! i do have one question, i pressure washed my block and let it sit over night whats a good way to remove the surface rust so i can get it shot as soon as possible!? also i might be looking into swapping transmissions because the one currently in there has been giving me problems lately its a turbo 350? i believe i could be wrong but I'm interested in getting a 5 speed in there are there any transmissions that are direct bolt on? and require minimal work?

went to the local "Cars and donuts" in Huntington Beach California and i was surprised how many compliments sand thumbs up i got! met a few awesome people from the forum as well.
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https://www.pro-touring.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=103758&stc=1

[driveit]

I like the custom touch on the hood. I though of doing something similar on my chevelle at one point. I think I am leaning a different route now, but it is hard to just make up my mind. Nice work, keep it up.