1971 Firebird455 - Project

[LeighP]

Well, I've finished converting a 75+ Camaro subframe to a 71 Firebird frame and added WS6 spec braces for the rear lower control arm mount.
Camaros have the mounts for the sway bar brackets tapped into the chassis metal. Due to the higher loads applied by the larger Trans Am sway bars, Firebirds use Rivnuts to anchor the sway bar brackets.
I drilled the original holes out to fit Rivnuts and set them with hand tools....easy and cheap if you are only doing a few.
Heres all you need....

Here are the Rivnuts set on one of the front frame rails....

I located the correct position for the WS6 control arm brace mounts using a 79 subframe I have spare here. The factory only taps the subframe for the mount, but since I had some Rivnuts, I fitted one into the chassis. The control arm rear mount is drilled for a 3/8" bolt....

The chassis is going by a small engineering shop down the road to get the late model rear body mount locations plated over, then its off to the powder coater for blasting and coating.

[LeighP]

Got the heater unit fitted up .... holes in the firewall etc. Fits in very nicely, though I've now got it out again while I sort out insulating the firewall, at least the bit behind the heater unit.
I hit the firewall and toe board areas with my angle grinder and wire brush.....should have seen the stuff fly....dirt everywhere, lol.
All cleaned up with wax and grease remover then got stuck into 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'm not even sure you can buy it here in Australia.
Anyway....I'll get some Dynamat Xtreme sheets to go over the paint and add a firewall pad over that of Dynapad....which is a multi layer noise and heat barrier.

[LeighP]

Awwww, I broke it.....


Waiting on the new subframe which is away being welded on then powdercoated.....

[LeighP]

Subframe is back from the engineering shop.
New set of custom made WS6 style control arm mount braces...

The unused late model rear body mount holes all plated up, top and bottom...

The slightly rust thinned front body mounts re-inforced with a ring of steel plate, fro munderneath so it doesn't alter the body to frame distance...

Its off to the blaster/powdercoater later on this morning.

[LeighP]

Some gear back from the powdercoaters....Subframe in satin black (control arms are getting done right now...) sway bars and crossmember in silver metallic.
I painted the new GM B body spindles in POR15 Cast Grey finish.....I'm using B body spindles so I can run 12" 1LE discs off a late 80's 3rd gen optional brake setup.

[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!

[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.