Watch and listen as a 4th gen Firebird with a built V6 works out on the dyno.
The majority of our Dyno Blast Wednesday videos features Camaros, Corvettes and Firebirds with massively built V8 engines, but this week’s clip takes a very different approach. The 4th gen Pontiac Firebird in the video below is powered by the standard 3.8L V6, but it has been heavily built from the bottom up to make far more than the stock power ratings.
In stock form, this 4th gen Pontiac Firebird with the standard V6 would have offered 200 horsepower and 225lb-ft of torque at the transmission, which with a 15% drivetrain loss ratio would yield approximately 170 horsepower and 191lb-ft of torque. This 4g Firebird has been fitted with ported cylinder heads fitted with larger valves, a ported intake manifold, a custom camshaft, 11:1 compression pistons, long tube headers, a true dual exhaust setup and a custom tune for 91 octane gasoline.
As this Pontiac backs its way through the shop to the dyno, it has a surprisingly V8-like grumble, but the license plate reassures us all that it is Not a V8. When the first dyno run begins, we can hear the higher pitched roar of the worked V6 and on a less-than-great run, it lays down 223 horsepower and 239lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels while running very rich.
After some tuning adjustments, the V6 Firebird made another run and on this second blast, the numbers rose to 247 horsepower and 268lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. This represents an increase of roughly 77 horsepower and 77lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels and when we take into account that assumed 15% drivetrain loss – this built Firebird V6 is making around 291hp and 315lb-ft of torque.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
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"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
