Mid-engine 3rd Gen Firebird

[Daverri]

My first post here after just discovering this forum. I'm a mechanical engineer, retired now, with 47 years at GM's former Electro-Motive Division where I designed railroad locomotives and their sub-systems. But ever since I was a kid, I've been a car guy starting with go-karts, racing dirt track stock cars, and doing engine swaps and mods for myself and friends. 27 years ago in 1992, I started the longest project I've ever done which still occupies me to this day. I call it Daverri.

I started with an 82 Firebird SE I bought for this purpose 3 years earlier, along with a Toronado I bought for the transaxle and a junkyard big block Chevy for mockup. I started by gutting the Firebird, and built a rotisserie around it. I then designed, using a primitive 3D modeling program, a back half frame and suspension and eventually a set of 180 deg headers. About a year in to the process, I found a styling kit resembling a mid-80's Testarossa and since I'm not a body/fender guy decided to incorporate it into the build. In 2004, I finally had the body mounted and the car running and I took it to a Corvette restoration specialist who massaged the body panels and painted it. It took me another year to finish the dash and interior but in 2006 it was on the road. I didn't like the way I had done the rear suspension (I used the Toronado spindles with a fixed tie rod) so in 2008, I tore out the suspension and fabricated a new one with upper and lower unequal length arms incorporating Chevy 4WD 8 lug hub bearing units and Wilwood 6 piston calipers and 14" rotors all around and Z06 replica wheels with 245/40ZR-18 front and 345/30ZR19 rears. The engine is a tall deck big block bored and stroked to 604 cu in. and has port fuel injection with a Holley Dominator ECU, my third ECU since 1996.

I know many won't like the styling kit on it, so flame on. Here's some pictures:

[Daverri]

Some of the pictures are out of date, I can post more if anyone's interested. There are several videos others have posted such as this one from the Street Rod Nationals in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq3MW_pFfT4

This one is from the Morris, IL cruise in 2016:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfKSW9ePQiM

Dave

[stevehoj]

You did the headers, awesome work.

[dhutton]

Very cool. You’ve got some awesome skills.

Don

[Sbeck09]

Wow I never expected to see a 3rd gen done up like this! The body kit actually seems to work pretty well. Nice work.

[FormTA]

Killer work! Would like to see some pictures of the rear of the car too.

[jlcustomz]

Well Dave , that's one of those projects that if somebody doesn't like it, too bad for them , someone else will like it more than they don't. The 80's styling kit to me just means it was built in that time period , but it just has a certain retro cool to it now. Pretty hard for most of us regulars here not to appreciate the work it took to build& rebuild parts of it.
With all the hard work I can see it took for the whole package, I gotta really love the headers. They just look like the design & functional aspect of it flows out so well, not strained looking like many 180 headers look.
Dave, you may have noticed a few other mid engine projects here, one just starting up is a 2nd gen bird that I drew a few sketches for.He's got a long road ahead to catch up to you.....

[Mr Nick]

Cool build. I bet it sounds nothing like it looks!

[NOT A TA]

Welcome to the forum! Very cool car.

Since the new Corvette was confirmed I keep wondering who's gonna be the first to get a wrecked one & use the drive train in a PT car .

[Daverri]

Thanks to all for the kind words. Here's a list of all the info on the car that I know of on the web:

One still shot as we are driving in to Arrowhead Stadium at the start of the Hot Rod Power Tour in 2017:
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/top-...wer-tour-2017/

Featured in a couple of places in this video:
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/shoc...17-power-tour/

A video shot a Morris, IL Car show in 2016:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfKSW9ePQiM

A video shot in my garage and on the road during the insurance appraisal in 2015:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GCBrw3kIjw

A video shot at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq3MW_pFfT4

A video shot at the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKv0qAeaUgU

Pictures posted to ridetech's website in 2011:
https://www.ridetech.com/info/82-fir...gallery/page/2

Here's a shot of the rear of the car, the taillights are the giveaway that it's a Firebird.

This is a screen shot of the CAD design of the headers and my first rear suspension done in Cadkey in the late 90's.


Dave

[FLYNAVY53]

Dave, I personally think its brilliant, right town to the "terrible 80s" inspired body kit. Have you given any thought to going with a wider wheel and tire combo to push the face of the wheel out more in line with the fender lip? I would think a custom set of Foregeline wheels in something other than chrome would go a long way towards "updating" the aesthetic a bit while not ruining the 80s awesomeness. To me, the wheels and tires just look too tucked the way it sits at the moment.

[jlcustomz]

Sure, wheels could be changed, vented tail light panels, & many other small changes could make it look more like a modern mid engine build without totally redoing anything major. That just means it's a true hot rod, because no true hot rod is ever finished.
On the other hand , it could aptly be enjoyed & viewed as is. To anyone that's never seen it , it could be brand new & that's part of what makes it cool.
New to all of us.
If I were to be the lucky new owner of it. I would freshen up a few things. First & foremost would be odometer reading. Looks like it needs to read a few more miles.

[Daverri]

Dave, I personally think its brilliant, right town to the "terrible 80s" inspired body kit. Have you given any thought to going with a wider wheel and tire combo to push the face of the wheel out more in line with the fender lip? I would think a custom set of Foregeline wheels in something other than chrome would go a long way towards "updating" the aesthetic a bit while not ruining the 80s awesomeness. To me, the wheels and tires just look too tucked the way it sits at the moment.

I can't really push the wheels out further without getting into tire rub on the wheel opening lip. The wheels are 8.5X18 front and 12x19 rear. I could cut down the width of the lip to space the wheels further out but I'd give up some stiffness on the fender, I'll have to think about that. What is on the list to do is open up the surface at the end of the recesses in the doors to get more air into the engine compartment. As it is, I have two 7" fans that pull air from the door jamb and blow into the engine compartment but with the headers up high to clear the suspension, it gets stinkin' hot back there, hence, there's heat shields on the underside of the hood.

Dave

[Chad-1stGen]

I like it! You put a lot of hard work into that thing and it shows. Do any of the videos show it running? I want to hear those headers!

[Daverri]

I like it! You put a lot of hard work into that thing and it shows. Do any of the videos show it running? I want to hear those headers!

Thanks. This one has it driving but filmed inside the car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GCBrw3kIjw

Dave

[LS1-IROC]

So cool! I dig it. Looks like a quality build for sure.

[Yelcamino]

I like it. The paint looks awesome, the headers are awesome, the fit and finish looks great, it's definitely unique, nice job!

[F-Body International]

Seen this car years ago on youtube. An amazing piece of work!

Jon

[Revvv]

It's definitely different.
I really like the headers on that engine. I'm curious to know how well they flow.

[Daverri]

It's definitely different.
I really like the headers on that engine. I'm curious to know how well they flow.

The headers are made with 2.12"OD J-bends welded with welds ground smooth. 3" and 6" centerline bend radii were what I had available at the time. The tubes are equal length but very long, 51" to get the 180 deg firing order in the collectors. I used merge collectors, don't recall the brand, with 3.5" outlets and first 90 deg downward, then 3.5 to 3 reducer cones into 3" elbows now into a Magnaflow X-pipe muffler. The CAD model shows how I had it set up originally with Edelbrock turbo-style mufflers but those only had a 2.5" internal diameter, where the single Magnaflow muffler is true 3" thru. The 180 deg configuration gives it a higher pitch sound than you expect from a big block.

Dave