2000 Pontiac Firebird - Street/Weekend Warrior build

In reply to WarShrike:

Here is the Ohio Mile website http://www.ecta-lsr.com/

but I believe you have a Texas Mile closer to you https://www.texasmile.net/

Yeah, TX Mile and the Big Bend Open Road Race are on my bucket list.

Modified the Force Fed Fabs longtube headers to run a different collector design I ordered from Davis Headers. This venturi style collector will help with keeping the exhaust velocity up, something I’m concerned about since this is a higher compression engine. Turn down tips are by Kooks. Needs a few finishing touches like the O2 bungs and retaining springs.

Needless to say, I was a bit concerned about cutting into a very uncommon set of headers, but I went for it anyway.

Test Fit:

Comparison between the two designs:

Turndown tip for driving with the open headers, keeps the O2 sensor a little happier...

Headers should be completed today, excited to see them. Can't believe this is getting so close.

Waiting on axle tube shims for the watts link, need to do the pcv catch can mod, top off the fluids, bleed the brakes/clutch lines and get it ready.

Wheels come in tomorrow, oh yeah forgot to mention that. I'll post pics when they come in. I really dig them, kind of a mix between a Z06 Spyder wheel and the CTS-V monoblocks.

are there plans for a dyno session once its together? id never seen a 300whp 3800 na but Id really like to see one

Yeah, dyno session will be in the works.

Doss Wheels FF1's, 19x9.5, ~21lb flow formed wheel, waiting on a few odds and ends including tires before I can get this finished up.

Mitch Walraven at Total Engine Service added the O2 bungs and welded on the retention springs to these modified Force Fed Fabs Longtubes. Really nice welds, good placement of the springs and O2 bungs. The pics just don't do it any justice!

Had a productive afternoon, installed the headers, plugs and wires as well as connected other odds and ends. Waiting on a couple fittings so I can do a PCV catch can, taking care of a few loose bits right now.

Slip on turn-downs so it will help keep the O2 sensors a little happier without getting a lot of air reversion back in there and making it dump fuel or not idling right.

While I waited for some stuff to dry, did a test fit with two wheels. I need open end lugs since I am running long ARP wheel studs for racing duty. I know it'll look a whole heck of a lot better once it's on the ground.

I think I would throw on a Flowmaster 10 at least on those things.

They're only temporary. Have Kooks true duals, just running these until I can get the mid section between the headers and x-pipe modified.

Been busy, had some minor issues crop up but back to full steam ahead!

Started doing my PCV catch can stuff. I've searched high and low for a twist in oil cap that had a fitting that I could route to a catch can. Without really having any luck, I decided to mod the existing oil caps and just make it work.

These are just stamped metal w/ a rivet holding it all together. Well, after only a couple uses, the rivet would work loose in the metal and it would all twist easily. I drilled out the rivet and then used a drill press with a step drill to open up the holes on each individual layer.

Initial test fit with a -10AN fitting, this is the same size line on the catch can I'll be running to.

Next hurdle involved the retaining nut for the AN fitting. This was a bulkhead fitting for fuel tanks, and I got it so I could sandwich everything together cleanly. This nut needs to be ground down to fit inside the neck of the stamped metal cap.

A big friggin pile of aluminum later, the nut is a press-fit inside the neck and used locktite to make sure everything stayed in place after the test fits:

Final product!

I'll post more on the catch can stuff later.

Great work!

Watts link completely installed, took a little bit of fine tuning. I'm glad I had an angle indicator. Following that, I downloaded the old tune to back the timing off and adjust fuel accordingly with the new injectors. I'm blown away that the Optima Redtop was still holding a full charge after sitting in my garage for a year and a half. I've had that battery since ~2010!

Here's hoping I can fire it up tomorrow!

What is there not to love about this car? Nothing, it is awesome! I had a V6 camaro before my Z28 and it was great. The balance is a lot lighter on the V6. With almost no engine overhang past the front axle it does not want to plow like the V8. It surprises folks who look down their noses at F-bodies in general and dismiss the V6 out of hand. These are the underappreciated gems of their time. There was an acura commercial that was out when these were built. It touted the handling and that it had 200hp (in the top of the line trim). I always thought GM should have done the same commercial and then emphasized that it was the base model. Great car!

I had a 97 Firebird V6 as a company demo vehicle for a few months. I enjoyed it.

I have considered finding a 3800 Camaro or Firebird to build as a challenge car/mile car. There are some out there under $2K with high miles

Thanks guys, I had a lot of fun with it at the last event before the engine went pop. It handled amazingly well last time, it should be quite the animal this time around.

Continental DWS installed, still need to dress up the sidewalls and stuff. Can't wait to fire it all up. Just waiting on catch can components right now :)

Please have a sound clip and/or video for us

this is going to sound wicked when its fired

Absolutely. I've done video of the different phases, it's been pretty cool hearing the changes. Will certainly post video of the fire up.

Love this car, keep the updates coming!

While waiting on other things, got the car cleaned up a little, got the transmission to finally shift the way it needs to and tried to get some things ready to fire it up.

Felt really good to clean it up as well as for something to finally go my way with the transmission since I had been worried that it might need to be pulled out...again.

Catch can finished by my friend at EPS Tuning, came out really nice! Laptop was dead so couldn't load my tune and it got late so I didn't want to fire this thing up with open headers after some neighbor's bedtime. I'm already that guy, I don't want to become THAT guy.

IT LIVES!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVqWC3Em9AM

Still have some little odds and ends to work out as well as get it warmed up and burp the coolant.

Then it's off to: • Get exhaust connected • Inspected/Registered • Alignment • AC Charged • Dyno tuned

First time out on the ground w/ the new wheels. Needs an alignment bad! The front Toe-in is so much that it made it hard to push the car out of the garage, lol!

Wow, the wheel/tire/brake setup looks amazing! I love this build.

Outstanding!