1971 Firebird455 - Project

[tones2SS]

Very nice. Looks like a nice build. She should handle great.
Keep us posted.

[gto406]

Looking great Leigh!

BR/Brian
'72 GTO.

[tazzz25906112]

Looking great Leigh,,,, you'll be enjoying that beauty before you know it my friend...

[LeighP]

thanks guys.....slight pause in the project....I've bought a house and have to move my fiance in with me for a few weeks (her house sold quick), then all move into the new house....probably be a couple of months before I can get properly stuck back into the car in the new house (all those little "Honey, can we just....." jobs).
I picked up some free 15" tyres for my spare set of Rally IIs, so shes back on her feet and I dropped in a column and the steering wheel...easier to move that way.
But now she's sitting out in the garage all loaded up with parts inside...waiting...

[vsefiream]

Good luck with the move Leigh!

[LeighP]

Thanks...

[LeighP]

well....time to resurrect this thread.
Time flies when you're having fun...or moving/setting up a new house.
I was getting withdrawl symptoms....had to do something while I'm waiting to finish the workshop area.

The other day I stripped down the inner fenders, marked all the unused holes and dropped them off at a panel shop to get the holes filled and a couple of small dents worked out.....
I stripped the rad support panel down and when the fenders come back, all the parts are off to the powdercoaters for a nice coat of satin black to match the job they did on my subframe.

Tonight, while I was on nightshift, I broke out my list of bits and pieces I've been meaning to order and made some calls to the US.
I ordered -
1. Pypes hockey stick exhaust tips in 2.5" T304 stainless steel.

2. RobbMc fuel pickup/sender unit and pump prefilter

3. The new Stainless Steel version of the 1970 GTO optional VOE (Vacuum Operated Exhaust) from Waldron Exhaust....driver control of exhaust flow path through the mufflers for normal sound or louder/deeper full flow sound.


and I had to get some Bling....
4. Fesler billet door vents for 2nd gens....I really think they look the part, more so than the factory black plastic ones.

5. Marquez Design stainless steel hood bumpers and door strikers

[68400BIRD]

Nice parts. Looking forward to seeing some progress again.

[syborg tt]

Little more details please

2. RobbMc fuel pickup/sender unit and pump prefilter

[LeighP]

70-73 F-body fuel pickup with 0-90 ohm sender unit.....
1/2" pickup with the sock filter deleted. 1/2" return line for injected use, or use with a reducer for mechanical pump vent line or regulator return line if needed.
$169 from RobbMc Performance.

[Doug1]

70-73 F-body fuel pickup with 0-90 ohm sender unit.....
1/2" pickup with the sock filter deleted. 1/2" return line for injected use, or use with a reducer for mechanical pump vent line or regulator return line if needed.
$169 from RobbMc Performance.

Leigh! Glad to see your build thread here. Just ran across it for the first time. Looking good!

I also use the RobbMc sending unit in my Blue 79 since I ran 8AN lines. That pickup looks like a fire hose compared to a straw when the new unit and the old are placed side by side. I went with the AN fittings to make it easy to bolt up. I think they come with or without AN fittings if I remember.

Very cool work! I will subscribe to keep up with your project.

[LeighP]

Thanks mate....I'm in the bush leagues compared to your build....awesome.
I thought about the AN fittings, but for my use I was planning on quality EFI rated fuel hose and clamps - so I went the standard hose barb ends.

[POS71RS]

...a few coats of my home made insulating paint.
The paint is a mix of epoxy anti-rust paint and micro-balloons (aka micro-spheres).....50/50 by volume. I turned 500ml of paint into a litre of this stuff, then coated the firewall until it was all used up.
The micro-balloons are tiny glass spheres that are hollow...suspend them in a paint base like this and it forms a nice insulating layer. There is a commercial product called Lizard Skin that uses this method, but they use a latex based paint and are way more expensive....

I'll have to look into this! I can't afford to spend that kinda $$ on Lizard Skin and the like! Where do you get these balloon particles??

Amazing work you're doing!

[LeighP]

Those microballoons are available from anywhere that stocks fibreglass supplies...they're a filler for resin used to fair a f'glass surface of creat fillets in corners etc.

[formula]

Hey Leigh, if you have a spare second in the future, can you do me a huge favor and snap a quick shot that shows how the swaybar brace and your front bar interact at their mounting locations? I've been thinking of picking one up, but am concerned that, since my car pushes the bar through such a large range of motion in its bushings, the two may interfere.

[LeighP]

Heres what I have handy....let me know if you need another view and I'll shoot more pics.

[twoformulas]

Leigh, nice car! My '75 Formula is set up similar with allt the goodies from an '81 WS6 T/A, the "stop flex kit" from pro-touringf-body.com, 1LE front brakes and the 17x9" snowflakes from Year One. I haven't pushed it to autocross cornering yet but on the street it handles great! Keep up the great work. Rick

[Doug1]

Thanks mate....I'm in the bush leagues compared to your build....awesome.
I thought about the AN fittings, but for my use I was planning on quality EFI rated fuel hose and clamps - so I went the standard hose barb ends.

I wouldn't agree with that. You are using a lot of skill, creativity and cool parts where it counts to get what you want.

[LeighP]

well.....after falling in love with some Schott wheels that I thought would suit my car's style nicely, I got a rude awakening when I got a quote for them
.....I really can't see my budget stretching to wheels that'd cost me a thousand dollars a corner (but man, aren't they nice!)

I had other choices that were on my list, including the NewGen Fivehundred, which is better priced than the Schott, but was still a stretch....this car is supposed to be a budget build....

Then I just happened to come across an American Racing wheel...the Hot Rod Custom 500. Two piece alluminium wheels with just about any offset or width you'd like....built to order.

So these are what I've ordered for my project.....I really wanted something that felt "old school" and wasn't tied to current design trends.

Hot Rod Custom 500 series -

I think they are the right style....classy. 17x8" with zero offset and they fit my budget.

[OLDFLM]

Perfect for your build my friend!! Just put a PMD or 'bird decal in the centercaps! LOL

I know a company that can make them for you if need be too... any colors you want...