Turbocharged 2000 Pontiac Trans Am is a Budget Street Brawler

Rebuilt title is the only downside to this sick LS1-powered Pontiac.

The 4^th generation Pontiac Firebird is a mean machine in stock form, but every aspect of a turbocharged Trans Am just screams ‘cool’. The LS1 engine is great engine in stock form, but it makes monster power with forced induction and when you add in the sleek lines of the final Firebird, there is nothing to dislike about a boosted ‘bird.

The only problem is that adding a turbo setup to an LS1 Firebird might be too big of a project for some people while being too expensive for others to hire a shop to do the work. Fortunately, “ZERO POLLO” listed this badass turbo Trans Am in the LS1Tech Marketplace back in October and it is still for sale today. It is pretty much fully-built from top to bottom, and it is being offered up for just $12,500.

The Introduction

When the OP first listed his 2000 Pontiac Trans Am for sale, he shared an array of exterior shots, a few engine bay shots and a lengthy list of the upgrades. In many cases, we share the introductory post, but this one is so long, we have only included portions of the mod list. If you are interested in reading the whole list, click here to read to post in the forum.

2000 pontiac trans am
Blue rebuilt tittle
Thompson Motorsports Forged piston and rod short block LQ9 370CI
Blueprinted GM 6.0 block seasoned core
Forged Diamond pistons -15cc dish
Thompson Motorsports 4340 forged H-beam connecting rod and ARP 2000 rod bolt combo
arp main studs ARP main stud set
rated to 800HP
Bore and Stroke: 4.030″ bore I 3.622″ stroke
ls6 intake
450 fuel E85 fuel pump with -6 feed and stock line as a return, Fuel Regulator, 127 lbs FIC Injectors
4″ CORE FMIC, 7875 BILLET HURON SPEED TURBO HOTSIDE DEI TITANIUM WRAP
3 INCH TO 4 INCH FRONT BUMPER EXIT DOWNPIPE
Tuned by Top Gun Performance

Transmission:
6 SPEED MANUAL WITH STAGE 3 MONSTER CLUTCH, TICK PERFORMANCE MASTER CLUTCH, SLP SHORT THROW SHIFTER

Chassis Details:
Moser F Body 9 Inch, 3 .23 gear ratio, nodular iron, 1/2 x 20 x 2 screw in wheel studs, standard length, standard brakes, standard , 4-3/4 bolt pattern
Moser Truetrac 35 spline upgrade
Koni adjustable shocks with strano springs

WHEELS:
FORGESTAR F14 drag setup combination
Fronts: 17X8.5 WITH MICKEY THOMPSON STREET TIRES
REARS: 15X10 WITH 26INCH MICKEY THOMPSON ET STREET SS

In other words, the owner hasn’t spared many expenses when building this Pontiac Firebird and based on the video that he later added in the thread, the car appears to run very well. We don’t get any dyno numbers, but it certainly sounds great.

Rebuilt Title

The only negative aspect of this marketplace listing is the rebuilt title. That generally means that the car was wrecked so badly that it was totaled out by the insurance company, but it was in good enough condition for someone to repair it to running order.

It looks like the area where the hood meets the driver’s side fender doesn’t quite line up correctly, so perhaps this car was wrecked in the past, but it looks and sounds great today. So, overall, it cleans up nicely, and certainly has enough power to throw down on the freeway, too, if that’s your thing.

Join the LS1tech forums today!

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com