73 Firebird

[jp455]

Looks great- love the gauges. I hope my 72 comes out half this nice.

Thanks! Yeah I'm really happy the way those Speedhut gauges came out. There's another phase planned for the dash but it's a total rework. So this will be the setup for a while.

[jp455]

You went with a 295/35 for the rear on a 10" wheel but what backspace did you go with again?
Where are you worried about it rubbing? Does it stick out a little past the fender? Do you or can you roll the inner ender lip ?

What sub frame connectors are those as I really like how they tuck up in there?

The fronts are 5" backspace I have to check the build sheets for the rears. It's nothing that hasn't been done before but in that last pic it looks like the tire is level with the fender lip. Once it settles we shall see.

EDIT- Had a look at the specs, Fronts 18x9 5.25" bs Rears 18x10 6.00" bs.

This pic has 18x9 with 5” bs and 265/35/18. The rear on the Camaro is minitubbed and mine isn't so pay no attention to the rears. My fronts then tuck in around 6mm more compared to the Camaro. So pretty safe there. I'm just slightly concerned about the rears. If anything I´ll have to roll the lip.



The connectors are Hotchkis. They did tuck in quite nicely!

[jp455]

The oil vapor catch canister arrived...looks really nice! Its the ADD-W1 one. It has a little dip stick too to see if it needs to be emptied out. Im liking the black accent look, unfortunately only a 9" air filter fits due to the scoop/carb combo. Im thinking of making changes there (think LS) so Im not too worried about it for now. Its just too bad I can only get a chromed filter lid! Maybe I'll scuff it up some or something like that. In any case...the engine bay is done. On to the interior! Took off the two brackets for the center console...going with a console-less look so the only thing on the tunnel will be the shifter. Maybe later a remote for the stereo but thats it.

[mklinger]

Hey, is that a CVF pulley set? How is that working for you? Considering their set up on a current build. Thanks for the reply.

[jp455]

It's a March setup but I'm running an electric Mezier water pump so had to eliminated that pulley. It's straight forward, I just mention it because you won't see the exact set up on their website.

I've ran this system for 20 years with zero issues!

[jp455]

Almost nearing completion! Of this stage...

The carpet is pretty much all done, and the dash is in! Theres a couple little quirky things I did to start the engine, first I have to flick a switch, then turn the key, and then hit another switch. Sort of a theft deterrent thing but I also like the procedure of it. The trans tunnel was left bare...I dig that look and I never really had anything in the center console.





The seats are the stock tombstones for now. I may swap them for something more supportive later or maybe reupholster the central part in cloth or something. I had Sparcos for a while and although the seats were super comfortable they sat way too high so ended up being uncomfortable. I have a really thin stock seat in mind but not sure how comfy those would be for longer journeys. We shall see.

[jp455]

Its aliiive! The exhaust system is done and the first firing went smoothly! Its going through breaking in and test driving to check all is ok. So far only one thing has come up...the rear studs were too short for the new wheels so longer ones were put in. The exhaust system is one of the things that's temporary...there's actually a completely different exhaust/fuel tank combo that Ive planned which will go in later on. Thats sort of phase 1.5...



Wheels are looking sweet! Went with 265 and 295 in the end. Didn't want to have a huge difference between front and rear and didn't want to mini tub either. The rear is higher than it was right now because its been hanging on a lift for a while. It will drop lower soon.

[jp455]

Hi all...so going through the test drive phase now to find any niggling problems. So far just one has popped up but it has me pretty stumped. The engine has a March pulley system that has had the water pump pulley deleted as Im running an electric Meziere pump. The power steering pump is the stock one using the pulley that came in the March kit. Ive never had any issues with the steering but now it seems theres no power assistance. Tried putting in a new pump and hoses and nothing. The steering box is the stock Pontiac one. Theres no leaks or anything so can't really think of what it could be. The steering used to work fine before I took everything apart.

Any thoughts?

[NOT A TA]

Pump rotating the wrong direction due to changes?

[vwmopar]

I love those wheels. I like that you kept the chrome. That's what i want on my 77 Buick LeSabre Coupe.

[jp455]

Pump rotating the wrong direction due to changes?

Hi John...nope, it's had this pulley set up since 94, always worked fine. I'm starting to suspect the issue is air in the system...

http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=8997.0

[jp455]

I love those wheels. I like that you kept the chrome. That's what i want on my 77 Buick LeSabre Coupe.

Thanks! Yeah with that paint job pretty much the only thing that would match would have been polished/chrome or the black. These turned out awesome!

[jp455]

Turns out it wasn't air. Took the steering box off and it was full of gunk. The car has been sitting for over 6 years so the internals were just sediment and junk. Replaced the box and it's all good now.

[jp455]

Been a little while without updates...just been driving it around to see if any other faults pop up before shipping it. Got it aligned properly to drive on the highway since all driving so far was slow speed stuff to check for leaks etc. Other than that got the rear bumper re chromed and thats it...its done! I´ll post better pics and videos later on.

[jp455]

Just a very short update...car is off to be loaded on the ship! Should be back on the road in about a month between shipment time, then getting it tested, registered, etc. so it will be just in time for summer!

[NOT A TA]

Looks good Manuel! Enjoy it!

[jp455]

Thanks John! Certainly will. Will put better pics up once its here.

As always there are still things to do...theres 3 body mods that will get done once its in the UK (think hand made metal panels and carbon) and 2 other mods involving fuel tank and gauge cluster. Will keep this thread going as each one of those progresses.

On another note, just read your latest posts...glad to hear youre back to being in good health!

[lbsurfer11]

Yo Holmes you need to update this page with some new pictures around the english countryside!