I ended up deleting my other thread as it had grown into 25ish hard to follow pages. The plans for the car changed soo many times it was hard to follow. It went from a cam only setup, to a H/C setup, to a stock bottomend nitrous, to a stock displacement boost, back to a nitrous setup, then finally carbed. AND now the ls1 stuff is gone and we are putting a nitrous BBC in the car...
I figured I would just go ahead and create a new thread, get rid of all the worthless crap in there and make something that was easier to follow.

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The goal of the car is to see how fast we can go with nitrous and a stock bottom end. Once the engine gives up the ghost we are going to replace it with something a bit more serious that we are working on in the background.

Mostly everything that has been done to the car is being done with the idea of putting a more serious engine in the car down the road. We probably will take the 6 point bar and convert it to a 10 point, just because with the raceweight I can see this car having the ability to dip past the 10.00 ET, even with the stock bottomend engine.



Here is what we started with.

2000 formula firebird, 9" stock length rearend, MS4, six speed, etc etc. This car served as my DD for awhile, with a more tame cam. We orginally tore into the car to swap in a coan built TH400 that I had purchased to replace my destroyed T56. While at it we were also going to redo the fuel system and replace the 4.11 gear with a 4.33. We wanted to see how fast we could go with some nitrous on this setup.


Pulling weight out, cleaning up the engine compartment...


More disassembly, pulling the T56


Stock width 9", 325 radial, prostars all around. Getting ready to have the TH400 installed.


First real big change of plans. Let's pull the engine and put a good piston/rod combo together.


Second change of plans. Let's see how fast we can go with a stock displacement turbo setup.


Stock brakes were ground for the prostars.


Six point bar was added at this point. Everything was simple, and I was happy. I hadn't invested much money at this point and we figured we could be out racing in no time.





We decided to put the stock bottomend shortblock back into the car with a worked over cylinder head.


Engine back in, have to crank the coil overs back up...but we are almost there.

From here things started to snowball and the car got away a bit from what we orginally started out to do.


Let's go with a single plane


Let's ditch all the wiring and stock computer and put a carb on it.


Ditched the stock tank and racetronix pump idea and decided to go with a fuel cell and an A1000 setup.


New hood to clear the carb/intake. Lift off VFN hood. This didn't stay long as I like to spend, sell and spend again. Story of this build. Anyone starting something like this ...take note.


We then sold the rearend out of the car, sold the suspension, sold that hood, sold the new 325 drag radials I had on the car and bought everything again. The hood was sold, and replaced with the new style VFN extended ram air hood. The stock brakes were sold and replaced with Strange brakes. The 9" was sold and then replaced with a narrowed, backbraced 9" with 35 spline axles, 5/8ths studs and a 35spline pinion pro gear setup. The suspension was sold and replaced with some pieces from Wolfe, BMR, etc that I was able to score from a member on here. The coan built TH400 was sold, only to be replaced with a two speed powerglide. Also, the prostars were sold and magnums were put on the car.

I'm glad I am patient and was able to find good deals on the parts I had to purchase a second time for the car. If I would have just stuck to a plan in the first place I wouldn't have bought and sold only to buy again so much crap. I could have actually been out making passes this season. I've bought headers, wheels, heads, etc only to turn around and sell them because the plan changed. Then I had to go out and buy parts to fit the new plan to replace the pieces I just sold. It sucks.

Anyway, here is how the car sits today. We still need to wire it, mount the fiberglass dash, mount the hood, plumb the brakes, plumb the fuel, convert the 6 point to a 10 point and then carpet the interior and put some of the plastic panels back in.





Here is a quick recap of the setup as the car sits today

-Engine-
stock bottomend
ported stock casting head
MS4
Ti retainers, dual springs, etc etc
meziere race electric water pump
1 3/4 header
edlebrock single plane
APD 870 CFM carb
NOS pro 2 stage plate

-Trans-
Built powerglide, reverse pattern
Transbrake
TCI deep pan
B and M carbon fiber something or other shifter

-Fuel-
A1000 pump
3 gallon fuel cell
Aeromotive regulator
all underhood line done with black earls prolite? hose and fittings

-Chassis-
qa1s up front
stock springs out back
CE rear shocks (KP inspired, lol)
BMR LCAs (thanks promod)
Wolfe torque arm (thanks promod)
6 point bar, soon to be converted to 10 point. Put together on a budget out of a jegs kit.
Moser housing 9", narrowed 6" total. 35 spline axle, 5/8th studs, spool, 4.29 pro gear, 35 spline pinion setup.
Steel driveshaft.
Strange brakes
15x3.5 magnums, 15x10 5"bs magnums
28x10.5 ET drag

I'm sure there is a ton that I'm missing.

 

it does suck when plans change and you have to end up rebuying parts. good luck on the build though it looks like your making good progress and next season you should be making some good passes.

 

The car is coming along, and has made some good progress in the last few weeks. The bigger things are starting to get checked off the list. It's nice to see it sitting down on the ground again. Can't wait to get it all back together!

 

Pulled the rear out today, painted it and then I got the calipers on. Everything is ready to go back up under the car and have brake lines made up.

 

That car is sexy as hell I love the hood on their

 

I went back to my old (well paying) job. Sold all the LS1 engine stuff and have started piecing together a BBC to stuff in the car. Burkhart is supplying the motor plates, mid plate, trans crossmember (powerglide) and parachute mount. As soon as that stuff shows up we will get all that setup with my set up 9.8deck block and go from there.

Also just spoke with Jeanie today and we will be making the trip the 20th to pick up my dash and new style sloped WS6 extended lift off hood.

 

New hood and dash were picked up Saturday. We have a mock up 9.8 deck height BBC ready to setup the motor plates and mid plate as soon as my stuff shows up from Burkhart. Going to pick up the "race" shortblock this Saturday. Getting there!

 

what you guys doing for headers? custom? or the hookers from a 73 camaro?

 

It appears like we are going to pick up a set of coated 2 1/8th stepped to 2 1/4th" primary custom headers that came off a local guy's car.

 

the 2455's are about 170$.. hard to beat for the price.... we plan on going to a custom 2.25 soon with the bigger motor but didnt have the coin to drop at the time...

good luck with the BBC build... its challenging at times.

 

The price for these, coated, with bullet style mufflers and turndowns all ready to go really makes it hard for me to go any other route.

This is my first venture into messing with BBC stuff. Up until this point the only thing I've been around has been Windsors and LS based stuff.

Should be interesting though. It appears very easy to make power with this stuff. Everything we are using is off the shelf parts, nothing fancy, 14:1 9.8 deck height production block, filled, pro1 head, single kit direct port, mid .700 lift roller, backed by a powerglide and 9".

 

sounds real close to my old setup... rain 5.70s with 275's on a very easy tune up and if the season had been a little bit longer could've made 5.50s.... a progressive and/or programmable box is a must.

 

How did the 275s work for you? We have a set of 28x10.5s on the car now. I haven't given too much thought to running the car on a progressive, but I haven't ruled it out either. This is my first venture into the BBC and large n2o hits so I'm feeling it out as I go.

 

the 275 size tire is fine.... big blocks create so much torque plus that of the nitrous... a progressive or multiple kits and a programable 7 box is pretty much mandatory...

we have both on my car and even with the 481 we had in it we had to kill a lot of power on the starting line with the progressive and box... leaving on about a total of 16* timing and 20% on the progressive over about 1.8 seconds.... this was also on some shitty tracks... but you get the idea....

was on a rich tuneup with a 32 pill.

 

Not anything crazy, but my parts from Burkhart showed up. We are trying to get as much bolted back onto the car before we load it up and take it down south to finish the cage work and set the motor plates/mid plate up.


Yes, only 3 bolts per side. I need to drill out the 4th hole on both sides. The metal behind the tire also needs trimmed up a bit, then I'll toss the bumper cover back on. Slowly but surely.

 

if the paracute gets ripped off becuase of that, you have larger issues.... i'd leave the 6 bolts

 

It isn't more than 30 seconds worth of changing a drill bit out and drilling, no big deal to get that 4th nut and bolt in place on both sides.

 

who's drag chute kit is that? looks nice.

thanks for any info!.

 

It's burkhart's setup. Very nicely done IMO.

 

looks great man .... that thing is going to fly for sure !!