1968 Firebird "Project: Dark Phoenix"

[xEvan_]

Hey there everyone,

Intro:
I'm not particularly new to the forum, but decided I wanted to start a build thread of my 1968 Pontiac Firebird. I've never really posted here, but have been viewing dozens of threads over the years on various subjects and appreciate the vast array of knowledge. I have been meaning to start a build thread for a while now, but just haven't sat down and taken the time.

This thread will hopefully be a good way to be to showcase my car, as well as have something to look back on in the future to see all the progress and use as motivation. The added benefit of having a large community of people with similar passions and more knowledge than me will also be nice, so any struggles that will inevitably arrive down the road will hopefully be easier. With that being said, I know the build may not be some people's particular style, or it may not even look like a car yet to some, but if there is any negativity building up within you, please take that elsewhere, thank you.

Background:
Before I talk about the car, I always enjoy the threads that talk a little bit about the person behind the wheel. My name is Evan and I am a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I know a lot of you out there have probably been wrenching longer than I have been alive, and while I may not be an expert on any particular thing, I have been learning along the way. The great thing about the internet and utilizing resources like this forum, YouTube videos, etc. is that I can go into a project with no background knowledge and be able to complete it a few weeks later with some dedication and elbow grease.

I purchased the car as a rusted out tub with a title and VIN back in November of 2018. It wasn't much of a start as you can see from the pictures I will post later, but it's what I could afford at the time and I knew it would work for what I wanted. The way I looked at it was that I had a fresh canvas to paint my picture on. When you get a complete car, all the work has to go into disassembling it and hoping that there is still a solid base underneath. With the tub, I knew what I had to start with, as well as knowing that it will be done right. At first glance, I don't think anyone would have given the car a second chance at life, even the previous owner was planning on just taking what was left to the scrap yard since it was already parted out, but on that cold rainy day in November, I knew that I had found the one. I still remember my dad asking me, "Are you sure you want this big of a project?" but I am definitely happy with my choice and glad to be able to have some of his help throughout this project. It has been a great bonding experience and it has definitely taught me many things.

I worked very hard my last few years of high school to start getting some extra money around to go towards new sheet metal like floors, rockers, etc. and was able to get most of it, however I had no time to do anything. Then, in March of 2020, I was finally able to start all my long awaited projects with the help of my dad. He conveniently gave the car the nickname "COFIRE-20" because without the pandemic, it would probably still be a tub sitting on the ground. I prefer my nickname "Dark Phoenix" because of my love for Marvel comics and movies.

Goals:
Since I am in college, I am trying to make the best out of utilizing my resources such as time and money to best continue my project. I never intend for this to be a high-dollar show car, but I would like it to eventually be a reliable and enjoyable car that I can take to auto-cross or the track every so often and still have a fun time. I was able to get an amazing deal on a subframe with a '72 Z28 Chevy 350 with a Powerglide, but would eventually like to go with a modern Gen V LT for reliability and comfort. The Roadster Shop SPEC Chassis will be my best bet at getting a more rigid car, while still being able to have a comfortable ride, so I will eventually go with that when I can afford it. I definitely want to take some design inspiration from the modern Camaros and Corvettes with ground effects and other little features, while still keeping the car retaining the original lines. Although it's mostly for looks, I would like to still have some aerodynamic purposes, although it is fairly difficult to accomplish both while retaining the original lines.

Completed Projects:
- Purchased (9/9/2018)
- Sand-Blasting and Sealing the Tub (9/11/2018)
- Misc. Small Repairs (December 2018)
- Rear Spoiler Construction (June 2019 to February 2020)
- Front Subframe, Engine, and Drivetrain Purchased (3/3/20)
- Outer Rocker Repairs/New Inner Rockers (3/10/20)
- New Floor Pan (3/16 to 3/18/20)
- Sand-Blasting and Painting Subframe (3/19 to 3/21/20)
- New Firewall, Door to Rocker, and Cowl Repairs (3/19 to 3/26/20)
- Painting Cowl/Firewall (3/27/2020)
- Subframe and Engine Install (3/28/2020)
- First Startup (4/1/2020)
- Sand-Blasting Misc. Pieces (4/1/2020)
- Rear Diffuser (4/4 to 4/8/2020)
- New Dash and Cowl Repairs (4/16 to 4/19/2020)
- Trunk, Rear Frame Rails, etc. (4/23 to 4/25/2020)
- Raptor Liner Interior and Trunk (4/27/2020)
- Trunk Drop Downs and Misc. Rocker Repairs (4/30/2020)
- DSE Mini-tubs (5/1 to 5/4/2020)
- Sand-Blasting, Powder Coating, and Mounting Wheels (5/5 to 5/7/2020)
- More Rust Repair Panels (5/8 to 5/14/2020)
- Prime and Raptor Liner for Underneath (5/18 to 5/23/2020)
- Outer Rear Wheel-wells (5/25 to 5/28/2020)
- New Driver Door (5/29/2020)
- New Tail Panel (5/31/2020)
- Driver Quarter Alignment and Raptor Lining Bracing (6/4 to 6/8/2020)
- Moving Car, Wooden Blocks, etc. (6/29/2020)
- Passenger Quarter (9/19/2020)
- Front Windshield Channels (9/19 to 9/27/2020)
- Engine and Transmission Repaint / Reinstall (10/3/2020)
- Misc. Used Pro-Touring Suspension and Steering Components (10/11/2020)
- Front Suspension and Steering Refresh (10/12 to 10/21/2020)
- Front End Install and Fitment (October to December 2020)
- Rear End Alignment and Welding (December 2020 to January 2021)
- More Rear Spoiler Work (January to February 2021)
- Flush Mounting Rear Bumper and Hidden Mounting Bolts (February to March 2021)
- Sand-Blasting and Powder Coating Rear Bumper (April 2021)
- Rear End Body Work and Primer (May 2021)
- New Carburetor, Fuel System, and Tanks INC Tank (June to July 2021)
- Front Splitter (July 2021)
- First Car Show on Trailer (7/23/2021)
- Moved to New Garage (September 2021)
- Ford 9" Teardown (September 2021)
- CTS-V1 4 Piston Front and Gen 5 Camaro Rotors Purchased (9/13/2021)
- Headlight Mockup (9/19/2021)

Current/Upcoming Projects:
- Narrow Ford 9" (I haven't decided whether or not to go narrower than the 60" factory width, but it is currently 65.25")
- Big Bearing Torino Housing Ends and Axle Master Rebuild
- Helix Suspension 4-Link Install
- Limited-Slip (Tru-Trac? Other options?)
- Front CTS-V Brake Install (Need new hubs, brackets, etc.)

Future Projects (Phase 1):
- Rear Brakes (CTS-V? C6 Z06? Other Options?)
- Brake Booster, Proportioning Valve, Lines, etc.
- battery Relocation
- Running and Driving
- More Splitter Work (Instead of the Current Aluminum Siding)
- Side Skirts and Mount Rear Diffuser
- Custom Exhaust with Dual Tips on Each Side of Diffuser
- Partial Custom Interior (Maybe BRAUM Seats, Custom Center Console, and NRG Steering Wheel)
- Dakota Digital HDX Gauges
- Vintage Air System



Future Projects (Phase 2+):
- Functional Brake Ducts
- Roadster Shop SPEC Chassis
- Gen V LT Build (Maybe Gen VI will be out by then)
- Dual Clutch Transmission?
- Full Custom Interior / Trunk
- Sound System w/ Double DIN Dash

Thank you all for taking the time to view my progress. I'll be posting some memorable pictures in the comments and trying to update this regularly so you can see the progress. Good luck with your builds, and have a wonderful day.

Evan

[xEvan_]

[Kuhlhaus]

Keep it going! Some heavy lifting already done. Way to go!

Look forward to following along.

[rohrt]

Nice.

The bumper looks like it needs a bit of tweaking. Almost looks to short on each side.

I'm doing this now on my 68. Not much after paint and chrome.

[ryeguy2006a]

Looks great! I'd look into Flynbye for your hubs and brackets to make the brakes work with your stock spindles. I have their aluminum hubs and they are a really good quality and came with Timkin bearings. Kudos to you for getting the car up and running. It's such an easy thing to get sidetracked and let the scope creep kick in.

Another thing is I would suggest going with a Gen4 over a Gen5 motor platform. I say that because I feel there are more obstacles to overcome than there are benefits. Stock engine accessories lack PS, more expensive ECU's/more complicated tuning because of VVT and DI, more limited cam selection and etc. The LT motors are gaining popularity, but aren't substantially more powerful or efficient than the LS motors so don't justify the extra $$. Again just my opinion. Love the project and it's amazing how far you have already come.

[813Demon340]

Great job so far Evan! Thank you for deciding to post a build thread, its great to look back on your progress. Your Firebird has come a long way in a short time and it looks really good, I love the smoothed bumpers! Keep up the great work, I look forward to seeing your future progress.

[xEvan_]

Nice.

The bumper looks like it needs a bit of tweaking. Almost looks to short on each side.

I'm doing this now on my 68. Not much after paint and chrome.

I haven’t had a chance to work on the front bumper yet, but I plan on making it transition a lot better with the fenders. It’s an original bumper with aftermarket fenders, so I figured the alignment would be off. I am going to run an accent color like black for bumpers, so luckily I won’t have to worry about chrome prices.

[xEvan_]

Looks great! I'd look into Flynbye for your hubs and brackets to make the brakes work with your stock spindles. I have their aluminum hubs and they are a really good quality and came with Timkin bearings. Kudos to you for getting the car up and running. It's such an easy thing to get sidetracked and let the scope creep kick in.

Another thing is I would suggest going with a Gen4 over a Gen5 motor platform. I say that because I feel there are more obstacles to overcome than there are benefits. Stock engine accessories lack PS, more expensive ECU's/more complicated tuning because of VVT and DI, more limited cam selection and etc. The LT motors are gaining popularity, but aren't substantially more powerful or efficient than the LS motors so don't justify the extra $$. Again just my opinion. Love the project and it's amazing how far you have already come.

I’ve been trying to reach out to them to ask some questions, but they haven’t responded to any of my phone calls or my email, so I don’t know if I’ll end up going with them.

Thank you for the recommendations about the engine! I haven’t looked into it much since it’s not directly on my horizon, but I’ll definitely consider a Gen IV if it would be easier.

Glad you enjoy the project, I’ll try to continue updating everyone along the way.

[oldschoolmuscle]

looks like a solid start so far.

[xEvan_]

I apologize for not updating this thread as much as I originally intended. Although I haven’t been updating it, I still have been busy working on some larger projects.

- 4-Link Rear Suspension and Ford 9”
I finished up the 4-Link kit from Helix Suspension. The install wasn’t the smoothest, however I got everything working with my Ford 9” and will just have to dial on my pinion angle. My Moser axles came in and I am very impressed with those so far. I just have to get a rebuild kit for the third member and change out the gear ratio to something around a 3.50:1 and the rear axle should be all set other than getting a custom driveshaft made.




- 700R4 Transmission
I decided to swap out the Powerglide for an Overdrive transmission. I chose to go with a 700R4 due to the price and availability. I got a good deal on one nearby on Marketplace that seems to be in reasonably decent condition, but you never know with stuff like that so I will just have to wait and see when I get it on the road. The install of that went surprisingly smooth other than the fact that the torque converter he provided was the wrong one. Luckily, a friend of mine had a spare stock one that will work for now. I may eventually get an aftermarket one, but this one should be fine for now.


-Exhaust System
The exhaust system has taken up the majority of the last month or so, but I have basically wrapped it up. I swapped the stock manifolds over to some headers my friend had, and surprisingly they fit perfectly other than having to slightly dent near the AGR Steering Pump.

The entire system is mandrel bent 439 SS with .063 wall for long term durability. Most systems are slightly thinner at .055, but the additional weight isn’t a huge deal for me. There are 3 main sections that are all connected by V-Bands for easy disassembly. The Header Collectors to X-Pipe, the Mid-Pipe to Muffler, and the Over-Axle Tailpipe are the main sections right now. Eventually, the Y-Pipe and tips will be welded in once I finalized my diffuser location.

The system is 3” out of the collectors and then is sized down to 2.5” before going into an X-Pipe. The X-Pipe worked perfectly to tuck the system tightly down the driveshaft tunnel. After the X-Pipe the system goes into Dynomax mufflers that are tucked up in the pocket by the rear seat. The over the axle piece is made in two sections due to the fact that the mandrel couldn’t bend the entire pipe in one piece.