THE "Firechicken"
 

Ok, here it is. My official project log for my 68 firebird. I've owned this car for 18 years this coming august and it's my baby.
It's been sitting now for about 2.5 years since I put 2 rods through the oil pan on the built Pontiac 455 that was in it.
Time for a serious update to bring the car into this century and make it more fun/useful. Follow along if you care :)

Here's some shots as it sat this morning, finally back in the garage after 2.5 years. Ignore the dirt, sitting outside on dirt ground for that long will do that to you. Paint really is shiny underneath.
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/ff78970b.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/cd921765.jpg
Here's a good shot of the whole car sitting outside right after I scattered the motor:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/22aad490.jpg

Engine bay shots. Still got half the motor there. Already sold off the ported aluminum head, intake, carb, and big solid roller cam to fund other projects:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/6eb12b01.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/be6cacf3.jpg

And here's a couple of the interior. Kind of a mess from sitting but a lot of it's getting changed anyhow so whatever:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/5a0a9b0d.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/c43db543.jpg

And here's how far I got today. Got most of the interior torn out. Seats are going bye bye for something more comfy and rear downtubes of the roll cage are getting reworked so I can put a rear seat back in it.
I have kids now and they need to have somewhere to sit when we go out cruising :)
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/276ccb74.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/19edf9b1.jpg

And that's about it so far. Just spent some time clearing junk out the interior and then pulling all the stuff I don't plan on keeping.
I'll update this as I go. Should be fun.

SAWEEEETT!!!!! Cant Wait to see this fucking thing breathing fire down the track again!!!!

You and me both :D

I like my other toys, but this car is just a part of me.

You're going to break it!!!

^^^^ hahaha soo true

i know ill be following

I'd tell ya to take pizza's motor, but....


lol


GO BIG OR NO GO!!!

Yes, yes I will :D

Not counting what's going into it this time in the years I've owned it I've been through 5 rear ends, 4 transmissions, and 6 motors, so yes, I'm quite sure I will break it again lol.

Enjoy the story to follow :)

It's getting an lq4 and a turbo this time around. I want efi and boost :)

I say do a piston swap on the lq4 and upgrade the rod bolts that way you can throw more at it and not trash your motor. I think with that you will be able to get almost all you may NEED out of the motor before failure. plus it gives you the chance to do rings and bearings while your at it

Looking good so far Matt!

I thought about it but for now I'm just planning on tossing the motor in. Only thing I'm planning on doing is a cam.
After scattering a motor I had 10g's into I'm a little gun shy to spend money on a bottom end for now. If I tear up a couple quick then maybe I'll upgrade but at $6-700 a pop I'll treat them like fuses for now lol.

A few years down the road after the body is done I may build a real motor and shoot four four digit power numbers but for now this will do :)

I was just thinking get a used set of pistons and just doing rings no rods no crank just so it will take a bit more beating but ya the stocker is good if its tuned right

If u unbolt the pan and put rod bolts in you will probably be able to get like 750 hp reliable

I've been considering changing the rod bolts too but don't want to get any deeper but them and a cam.
I am going to have the pan off anyhow since the truck pan isn't going to work for me. They would be cheap insurance. Hmmm...

And more progress today :)

Got it off the ground on stands:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/62ddb3ce.jpg

We pulled the wheels, fenders, front bumper assbly, and radiator support.
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/26ea3915.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/2a18d200.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/bfc1ae7d.jpg

And brought the fenders upstairs to keep them safe lol. Yay lightweight race parts :)
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/3d2a1080.jpg

And that's all for now. More to come soon :)

KICK ASS!!!! Great Progress! not bad for a couple of Juckets! hahaha JUST Kidding Jami. Matt yeah your a jucket!

Anyway LQ4 rod bolts are a DEFFINATE! everything else your good. Sam has done some amazing shit with his car Stock LQ4!! there a tough fucking engine!

wow sam has stock pistons what about heads?

he did the porting on his heads

Yeah, I probably should at least do rod bolts too since I'll be right there anyhow. Cheap insurance

Did some more tear down today. Cars starting to look empty:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/3ab27dde.jpg
No more wilwoods. Zo6 binders coming soon...
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/28485f71.jpg

Pulled the rear, springs and all. Hopefully it'll sell soon and it's hello 9"/truck arms :)
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/340cf74a.jpg

Anybody want a 3.5" mandrel bent header back exhaust? I love it but I don't think it's gonna clear the new suspension:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/6142db7f.jpg

And that's all for now. Hopefully finish gutting everything this week. Waiting on some other stuff to arrive and it's on to the rebirth :)

And just to add them to this thread here's a pic of the new wheels:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/92afc6b8.jpg

And the hot rods to hell truck arm kit sitting in the crate :)
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/f852a838.jpg

SAWEEETTTT!!!!

Finally opened the trunk for the first time in 2 and a half years the other day.
A bit of a mess, but it's all going bye bye:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/7eb83f48.jpg

Got the old fuel system torn out and ready to move onto it's new home. Traded all this and some cash for my pickup :)
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/03a23af0.jpg

And the empty hole. Going back to a stock trunk floor and stock style tank so I can have some storage space back. I plan on going on a lot more road trips once it's done.
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/b3a6fdc2.jpg

And just cause I had too. This is inside my wheelwell. I don't burn out, ever lol.
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/b69d0727.jpg

Looking good!!!! Those wheels look terrific!

Nice Matt! It's getting there! That last pic kinda looks like my wheelwells in the monte! lol

thats awesome its getting done, i like the last pic, how many years of rubber build up is in those wheel wells. hahaha thats freakin great.

Well, I've owned the car for almost 18 years, it's been sitting for the last couple but there's 15 straight years of summernationals burnouts and other random playing around here and there. I've purposefully never cleaned them out lol.
Gonna have to now though. It's mini tub time to clear the 295's I'm planning on running in back. Guess I'll just have to start over :)

So, after waiting a few weeks I finally got my shipment from S&W race cars.
Steel tube formed rear frame rails, new front subframe tie in bars, new rear down bars so I can run a back seat, and some extra tube for a diagonal on the main hoop and whatever else I may need.
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/736b179d.jpg

Also, finally picked up the vette :) Ignore the trailer strapped to the roof, my landlord wanted me to grab it lol
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/8b86dc1c.jpg

And started tearing it down today. Looks pretty simple with all the plastic and fiberglass parts torn off:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/1f9bf478.jpg
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/3bce7a8e.jpg

Did a bunch of measuring today too. Think I figured out a game plan. Believe it or not the frame rails before and after the control arms on a c5 and a first gen are actually within a half inch of eachother.
Tomorrow I'll most likely get the front clip cut off and finish stripping the vette chassis. Once I get them side by side I'll be able to finalize some things.
This should be a huge improvement over the 40 year old technology that was there:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/d860a64d.jpg

gay

Awesome!!!

nice!!

YOU'RE GAY!

sweet I can't wait to see this thing

Me too lol.

Well, skipped yesterday cause of the rain but got back at it today. I got to be that guy who chopped up a perfectly good zo6 frame :D.
10 minutes with the torch got me this:
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/db4f2bd4.jpg
And my new front clip :)
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/54653a02.jpg

And, to further my productive day I finally sold off my 12 bolt rear. And, in a stroke of luck, my landlord happened to have a nice 9" rear core housing I scored from him. Yay!
http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...8/8b8202bf.jpg

Now, just gotta get the front end mocked up, order my tires, and see if I need to have it narrowed or not. It's close either way. That and decide on what gear ratio to run.
Moving along slowly but surely :)

SICK!!!!!! 9" Score FTMFW!!!!! hahaha its the heavy housing too!!!

Yup, 80 something ford truck :)

pre 86 i think

NICE!! lucky catch on the 9"

Nice!