71 Firebird Project

js292

js292

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
228
Location
Canyon Lake, TX
Well I sold my 71 LS5 vette and got another project. So I guess Marc and I can hang out in the trailer park together:wink:

I picked my 71 up about a month ago off ebay, paints pretty poor and the interior was in pretty bad shape. It's got a Olds 455 and TH400 and 3:55's.

So far I cleaned all the rust up in the trunk and repainted it (parts of the trunk pan willl have to be eventually be replaced), had the seats redone. I've also pulled the old carpet out and all the old padding/insulation, there is one dime size hole under one of the back seats that I will be patching before I seal and paint the floor pans, other than that one spot the pans are solid.

I was going to have the door panels redone, but I'm not totally happy with the way the seats came out so i just ordered new ones from E&A today. I dont know what i'm going to do with the arm rest section shown in the picture below, I can't find any reference showing they are correct for my car. So I should have the interior wrapped up in the next couple weeks once all the parts come in. Then I just need a presentable dash pad

This weekend I'll be installing poly body mounts and sub-frame connectors.


2qk1c9t.jpg

eq9yky.jpg

oh8nf7.jpg

2llypv8.jpg
 
Got the interior all out and have one small rust hole to repair under the rear seat, other than that the floor is solid.

2ih1deq.jpg

2ezprgo.jpg

29fwocl.jpg

2hs89hf.jpg

You can see the dash is toast, so if any of you guys someone parting out a 70-81 bird let me know.

33elxmw.jpg
 
Never owned a F body, strange as it seems, but had a '70 Lemans/GTO convertible some years ago....Pontiac 455, almost same color valve covers as your pix....you sure that's Olds?? I"m unsure due to aftermarket intake....the stock Olds covers were gold, I think, no??

far as the dash is concerned, I"d recover the one you have....via a outfit that used to be out in California....JUST DASHES....they did a beautiful job on my Lemans back 22 years ago.....lasted some 12 years....

:drink::drink:
 
mrvette said:
Never owned a F body, strange as it seems, but had a '70 Lemans/GTO convertible some years ago....Pontiac 455, almost same color valve covers as your pix....you sure that's Olds?? I"m unsure due to aftermarket intake....the stock Olds covers were gold, I think, no??

far as the dash is concerned, I"d recover the one you have....via a outfit that used to be out in California....JUST DASHES....they did a beautiful job on my Lemans back 22 years ago.....lasted some 12 years....

:drink::drink:
Click to expand...


Yep I'm sure it's a Olds, I grew up racing Pontiacs so I'm real familar with them. I got a quote from Just Dashes for $1250:shocking: They list a repo but they aren't availible yet fro $400. The Gold was for the Rocket engines, the later 455 were blue, doesn't really matter as I'm looking for a 455 Poncho to build.
 
How many valve cover bolts? Pontiacs always have 4, a little like SBC, the olds has 10. The heads look a little like pontiacs w/ the extended exhaust ports w/ siamesed middle pipes though. Looking at the thermostat housing and the PVC breather, it sure looks like the olds 455. Olds engines were used in ponitiacs up to 81 I believe. Like the 403 instead of the 400.
 
js292 said:
mrvette said:
Never owned a F body, strange as it seems, but had a '70 Lemans/GTO convertible some years ago....Pontiac 455, almost same color valve covers as your pix....you sure that's Olds?? I"m unsure due to aftermarket intake....the stock Olds covers were gold, I think, no??

far as the dash is concerned, I"d recover the one you have....via a outfit that used to be out in California....JUST DASHES....they did a beautiful job on my Lemans back 22 years ago.....lasted some 12 years....

:drink::drink:
Click to expand...


Yep I'm sure it's a Olds, I grew up racing Pontiacs so I'm real familar with them. I got a quote from Just Dashes for $1250:shocking: They list a repo but they aren't availible yet fro $400. The Gold was for the Rocket engines, the later 455 were blue, doesn't really matter as I'm looking for a 455 Poncho to build.
Click to expand...

Grand and a quarter?? holy shit man...holy shit....my dash cost like 400 and I thought that was high....but it was perfect when I sold the car....

455 Poncho...use #96 '71 goat 400 heads....that's what I had on a '70 B body 455 block....used RA3? headers...put DPFI on it...ran like a bandit....
1000 cfm tbody, open that puppy up and just listen...instant torque at idle...all 550 ft lbs....o68? cam.....the better one from GM....
obviously the whole car was significantly updated, but still a 400 tranny 12 bolt 323 gearset....ran the sox off that thing for some 12 years....
had '78-79 Firebird basket weave rims on it...still have one of them....for sale if interested....15x8 if memory serves....

:mobeer::drink:
 
Twin_Turbo said:
How many valve cover bolts? Pontiacs always have 4, a little like SBC, the olds has 10. The heads look a little like pontiacs w/ the extended exhaust ports w/ siamesed middle pipes though. Looking at the thermostat housing and the PVC breather, it sure looks like the olds 455. Olds engines were used in ponitiacs up to 81 I believe. Like the 403 instead of the 400.
Click to expand...

Yep it's got ten, yeah Pontiac started using the Olds in 79 i beleive because teh factory burned down if I remember right. if any of you guys have any info on the olds motors I'm all ears. it's prob be a year till I build the Pontiac motor for it.
 
mrvette said:
Grand and a quarter?? holy shit man...holy shit....my dash cost like 400 and I thought that was high....but it was perfect when I sold the car....

455 Poncho...use #96 '71 goat 400 heads....that's what I had on a '70 B body 455 block....used RA3? headers...put DPFI on it...ran like a bandit....
1000 cfm tbody, open that puppy up and just listen...instant torque at idle...all 550 ft lbs....o68? cam.....the better one from GM....
obviously the whole car was significantly updated, but still a 400 tranny 12 bolt 323 gearset....ran the sox off that thing for some 12 years....
had '78-79 Firebird basket weave rims on it...still have one of them....for sale if interested....15x8 if memory serves....

:mobeer::drink:
Click to expand...

Yep when i heard the price I almost fell over. The Edelbrock heads are a copy basically of the RAIII heads so I'll prob go with those.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
js292 said:
mrvette said:
Grand and a quarter?? holy shit man...holy shit....my dash cost like 400 and I thought that was high....but it was perfect when I sold the car....

455 Poncho...use #96 '71 goat 400 heads....that's what I had on a '70 B body 455 block....used RA3? headers...put DPFI on it...ran like a bandit....
1000 cfm tbody, open that puppy up and just listen...instant torque at idle...all 550 ft lbs....o68? cam.....the better one from GM....
obviously the whole car was significantly updated, but still a 400 tranny 12 bolt 323 gearset....ran the sox off that thing for some 12 years....
had '78-79 Firebird basket weave rims on it...still have one of them....for sale if interested....15x8 if memory serves....

:mobeer::drink:
Click to expand...

Yep when i heard the price I almost fell over. The Edelbrock heads are a copy basically of the RAIII heads so I'll prob go with those.
Click to expand...

RA3 is the #96 head now that I think of it, NO??, and I"m amazed Edel finds enough old Poncho nutz around to buy enough to keep in production today....last of them left the factory as '78 production run, sold in '79 birds as the last of them...400's....

check with Ron Johnson, Potomac Pontiac.....very old friend from another life....25++++ years ago....

:D
 
If you paid $400 some 22 years ago it was probably more money than today's $1250.... :D

Awesome car, I always liked the early 70s Birds and Camaros - TT seems to like the mid 80's better :lol: (flamesuit "on")

any details on those wheels ???
 
IMO, '68-72 were the years for GM cars....A and F body...'70 was the last good year for a B body rag top....when them fugly bumpers came out, it was just silly looking....I wanted to retract that front bumper on the '73 Grandville rag top, SO badly...but everyone kept saying to not mess with the impact shocks....I was tempted to drill them, but the junkyard friends kept tell me it would be super bad news....still think they were rong on that....

:stirpot::lol:
 
js292 said:
Twin_Turbo said:
How many valve cover bolts? Pontiacs always have 4, a little like SBC, the olds has 10. The heads look a little like pontiacs w/ the extended exhaust ports w/ siamesed middle pipes though. Looking at the thermostat housing and the PVC breather, it sure looks like the olds 455. Olds engines were used in ponitiacs up to 81 I believe. Like the 403 instead of the 400.
Click to expand...

Yep it's got ten, yeah Pontiac started using the Olds in 79 i beleive because teh factory burned down if I remember right. if any of you guys have any info on the olds motors I'm all ears. it's prob be a year till I build the Pontiac motor for it.
Click to expand...

Pontiac had the oldfartsmobile engine in 77 remember the T/A 6.6 on the shaker that meant it was a poncho motor and if it had 6.6 liter it was a oldfartsmobile 403
 
JeffP1167 said:
js292 said:
Twin_Turbo said:
How many valve cover bolts? Pontiacs always have 4, a little like SBC, the olds has 10. The heads look a little like pontiacs w/ the extended exhaust ports w/ siamesed middle pipes though. Looking at the thermostat housing and the PVC breather, it sure looks like the olds 455. Olds engines were used in ponitiacs up to 81 I believe. Like the 403 instead of the 400.
Click to expand...

Yep it's got ten, yeah Pontiac started using the Olds in 79 i beleive because teh factory burned down if I remember right. if any of you guys have any info on the olds motors I'm all ears. it's prob be a year till I build the Pontiac motor for it.
Click to expand...

Pontiac had the oldfartsmobile engine in 77 remember the T/A 6.6 on the shaker that meant it was a poncho motor and if it had 6.6 liter it was a oldfartsmobile 403
Click to expand...

I don't think 77 man.....78 and certainly by 79 for sure, as the Poncho engine were dropped from production except for that bastard 301? with the messed up engineering what a shame and such an ignominious end for a grand old torque monster.....:crap::cussing:
 
You could still get the pontiac 400, 79 was the last year for the pontiac 400 and only available w/ a manual tranny. After that pontiac is represented by the lowly 301 :D
 
Try the NA 301, that one is even slower, the turbo is a nice cruiser though
 
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