1974 Firebird Formula "Heavy Duty"

[zouk52]

Hi all, this is my first project, a 1974 Firebird Formula 400 I bought for $2000 in 2012. It currently has a 301 that doesn't work and a TH400 or TH350 (I haven't bothered actually checking), a stripped interior and plenty of Canadian rust. The plans are pretty ambitious and this is definitely a VERY tight budget build. The plan is to build a driver with good reliability, fuel economy, great handling and a good base for future performance increases. Due to my budget I'm doing literally every possible thing myself, and I'll most likely run the body as is or in primer for a good while!

The plan (which changes constantly )at the moment is:

-Custom full chassis with structural roll cage
-Fabricated IFS
-Fabricated 3-link rear suspension
-2003 5.3 from my totaled Yukon ( more on that at some point)
-2.66/.50 T56 from a Firebird
-Megasquirt II Extra fuel/spark control
-14" CTS-V 4-piston Brembos mounted on 2010 Camaro hubs and custom rear axles for 5x120mm bolt pattern
-18" BMW M-Parallel wheels

The day I brought her home:



Note the Grant steering wheel bolted in sideways and shag carpet.


I lost my sense of direction with the project before I even finished tearing it down, so I didn't work on it for a year. This summer I finally decided to go Pro-Touring and started creating a plan and now here I am, ready to get started. I'm working full time until New Year's Eve, but on the first the car is being moved to an empty shop and the real work will begin

[reedld]

Love the shag.....

Nice car! I love the Formy hoods from those years! I can help with some advice on the LS based swap.

Where is the rust? Pics make the rust hard to see.

[qnitro]

Love seeing the Birds getting some love...

[zouk52]

The body doesn't have any rust that's too bad as far as I've seen yet, but the floors are pretty bad. I'm contemplating making a flat raised floor to clear the chassis but that depends on how much I'll need to drop the car.

[srh3trinity]

We needed another 74 Bird or two around here.

[andrewb70]

Great project.

Those floors don't look bad at all, unless I am not seeing something. They look like they just have some surface rust on them, which is easy to deal with.

Andrew

[Munssey]

I don't think i've seen a single one with the console armrest in one piece!

Camel Tan Medium interior takes me back to my 79 Camaro. F Bodies are a great platform. Good luck with the build.

[zouk52]

Andrew, the pics are a bit unclear, but under the seats the metal is full of pinholes and there are some more under the fenders. It won't bee too bad to repair considering I'm replacing the floor for the chassis anyways and maybe I'll flare the fenders eventually so I can fix them then.