1995 Firebird 4.8L Street/Strip Turbo Project
12-13-2015, 04:57 AM
#261
Going to the PRI Show gave me the itch to work on my hot rod again. Had a fuel line leak that took a bit to isolate. I thought it was a particular fitting, but replacing it didn't fix the leak. As it turned out, the braided line the suspected fitting was on had a pinhole in it. All fixed, and still tries to fire after sitting untouched for over a year.
01-03-2016, 06:01 AM
#266
Yep, still a kickin' 
I know I'm taking forever to get this thing finished up. It'll only be 9 years in March, so quit rushing me LOL Spent all my free time building my garage last year, and this year doesn't look much better.....replacing windows and siding the house. I still have the '00 to have fun with whenever I want, so I'm not having any huge withdrawals
Thank you! Moving at a snail's pace, but I'll get it done.
That's putting it lightly I'm in the middle of putting new plugs in it right now. I did the hard side (driver's-side) a few days ago, and I may just get the other side finished up this week
I know I'm taking forever to get this thing finished up. It'll only be 9 years in March, so quit rushing me LOL Spent all my free time building my garage last year, and this year doesn't look much better.....replacing windows and siding the house. I still have the '00 to have fun with whenever I want, so I'm not having any huge withdrawals Thank you! Moving at a snail's pace, but I'll get it done.
That's putting it lightly
I'm in the middle of putting new plugs in it right now. I did the hard side (driver's-side) a few days ago, and I may just get the other side finished up this week Last edited by y2k_ta; 01-19-2016 at 03:47 PM. Reason: Dropped sig pic
01-11-2016, 04:40 PM
#267
Five Star Bodies Polycarbonate Windshield and Hatch install. This post includes the first batch of pics I've taken with my phone's camera (longer and more narrow) rather than my old digital camera (pics 14 thru 19)....just some useless information I thought I'd share.
1) Laying the windshield into place to see where it will need to be trimmed. I am awaiting a cowl delete from Midwest Chassis before I do any cutting on the windshield. Photos for windshield are out of order, so go to #14 if you want to see more.
2 & 3) The hatch glass didn't put up much of a fight. I started prying it loose when it suddenly shattered. You could hear the glass crackling for several minutes afterwards. I think the only reason it didn't completely shatter into little bits was because of the window tint.
4) Please take my advice and wear safety equipment. I don't care how silly I look as long as I'm working safely.
6) Initial test-fitting of the hatch polycarbonate to see where it's going to need trimmed.
7 & 8) I used tan masking tape to mark where I'd planned to make my initial cuts. Then I went back and marked it with blue tape the second time to get it a little closer. I took the time to even do this a third time to get it to fit to my liking. No reason at all to get in a rush....it's gonna be on the car for a long time.
9) I had to read and then re-read the instructions provided by Five Star for the trimming procedure. It said to use a COARSE jigsaw blade. After doing a little research, I read where a finer tooth would just melt the edge of the polycarbonate requiring additional cleanup. Well using the coarse blade worked like a charm. I actually just used the blade that came with the jigsaw. Picked up the jigsaw for $30 bucks at Home Depot.
12) I used masking tape on the outside to mark off where I'm going to be painting the underside with black paint. I'll flip the hatch over and tape it all off with painter's tape.
13) Hole-sawed this hole into the hatch for access to the fuel cell. I'll be putting an access door over the hole, and modifying a fuel filler neck to meet up with the opening. I did remove the factory hatch latch to cut out about an inch of it for more clearance. Otherwise, it's right over part of this opening. I considered putting the access over toward's the driver's-side of the hatch, but that just requires a longer fuel neck. No need to put any more weight than necessary back into the car.
14) Took the opportunity to try the "porcelain busts windshield" trick I'd recently seen on the internet (type "break windshield with spark plug" into your favorite search engine and see all the videos that come up). I tried every way imaginable from just tossing the porcelain chunks into the air to flat-out throwing them at the windshield as hard as I could.....nothing happened. So, I smacked it with my baby sledgehammer and started prying it free with a chisel.
15 & 16) Folded the glass back as I chiseled it loose.
19) Folded the windshield up into a small enough shape that I could tape it up in a box for disposal. 01/19/16 Update: The hatch glass was put into another box of similar size. I sat them out by my trash can on Sunday. My trash pick up is on Thursday, and I really wasn't sure if they'd pick up the boxes or not. When I came home on Monday, I noticed that someone had stopped and picked them both up. I know it wasn't an early trash collection because it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the rest of my trash was still inside the trash can. The "alley rats" are good for getting rid of that unwanted stuff that otherwise has no value. I'm sure the person that grabbed those boxes was rather disappointed when they found a bunch of broken glass and some empty oil jugs.
1) Laying the windshield into place to see where it will need to be trimmed. I am awaiting a cowl delete from Midwest Chassis before I do any cutting on the windshield. Photos for windshield are out of order, so go to #14 if you want to see more.
2 & 3) The hatch glass didn't put up much of a fight. I started prying it loose when it suddenly shattered. You could hear the glass crackling for several minutes afterwards. I think the only reason it didn't completely shatter into little bits was because of the window tint.
4) Please take my advice and wear safety equipment. I don't care how silly I look as long as I'm working safely.
6) Initial test-fitting of the hatch polycarbonate to see where it's going to need trimmed.
7 & 8) I used tan masking tape to mark where I'd planned to make my initial cuts. Then I went back and marked it with blue tape the second time to get it a little closer. I took the time to even do this a third time to get it to fit to my liking. No reason at all to get in a rush....it's gonna be on the car for a long time.
9) I had to read and then re-read the instructions provided by Five Star for the trimming procedure. It said to use a COARSE jigsaw blade. After doing a little research, I read where a finer tooth would just melt the edge of the polycarbonate requiring additional cleanup. Well using the coarse blade worked like a charm. I actually just used the blade that came with the jigsaw. Picked up the jigsaw for $30 bucks at Home Depot.
12) I used masking tape on the outside to mark off where I'm going to be painting the underside with black paint. I'll flip the hatch over and tape it all off with painter's tape.
13) Hole-sawed this hole into the hatch for access to the fuel cell. I'll be putting an access door over the hole, and modifying a fuel filler neck to meet up with the opening. I did remove the factory hatch latch to cut out about an inch of it for more clearance. Otherwise, it's right over part of this opening. I considered putting the access over toward's the driver's-side of the hatch, but that just requires a longer fuel neck. No need to put any more weight than necessary back into the car.
14) Took the opportunity to try the "porcelain busts windshield" trick I'd recently seen on the internet (type "break windshield with spark plug" into your favorite search engine and see all the videos that come up). I tried every way imaginable from just tossing the porcelain chunks into the air to flat-out throwing them at the windshield as hard as I could.....nothing happened. So, I smacked it with my baby sledgehammer and started prying it free with a chisel.
15 & 16) Folded the glass back as I chiseled it loose.
19) Folded the windshield up into a small enough shape that I could tape it up in a box for disposal. 01/19/16 Update: The hatch glass was put into another box of similar size. I sat them out by my trash can on Sunday. My trash pick up is on Thursday, and I really wasn't sure if they'd pick up the boxes or not. When I came home on Monday, I noticed that someone had stopped and picked them both up. I know it wasn't an early trash collection because it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the rest of my trash was still inside the trash can. The "alley rats" are good for getting rid of that unwanted stuff that otherwise has no value
. I'm sure the person that grabbed those boxes was rather disappointed when they found a bunch of broken glass and some empty oil jugs. Last edited by y2k_ta; 01-19-2016 at 03:47 PM. Reason: Added verbiage and an update
01-23-2016, 03:59 PM
#268
Spent some more quality time with the car today Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I decided to fabricate my own cowl delete. If you've been a longtime follower of my build thread (or just read it all up to this point), then you'll remember that I had previously trimmed the cowl back up to where it met the factory windshield. This time it is nearly flush with the firewall thanks in part to the polycarbonate.
1) The windshield was oversized similar to the hatch, so I had to trim off the corners first in order for it to sit flush against the windshield frame.
2 & 3) Placed the hood on the car to see where it would sit against the windshield. Marked this location with masking tape. I do not want the cowl panel to either be too high or the windshield too short.
4 & 5) The blue masking tape marks where I'd like the cowl panel to be once the fabrication is complete.
6 & 7) I once again cut the polycarbonate with my jigsaw. With the windshield mocked back into place, I can now mark the steel for cutting.
8) Marked the cowl steel that's left with masking tape in the location I want to cut it.
9 & 10) Covering up the best I can to prevent making a mess and damaging anything.
11) The top part has been cut away.
12 & 13) Cutting the bottom of the cowl overhang out.
14) Everything's cut out and ready for a pattern to be made.
15 & 16) Placed the windshield back on the car, and used a piece of leftover plexiglas to draw out a pattern to be transferred to steel.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I decided to fabricate my own cowl delete. If you've been a longtime follower of my build thread (or just read it all up to this point), then you'll remember that I had previously trimmed the cowl back up to where it met the factory windshield. This time it is nearly flush with the firewall thanks in part to the polycarbonate.1) The windshield was oversized similar to the hatch, so I had to trim off the corners first in order for it to sit flush against the windshield frame.
2 & 3) Placed the hood on the car to see where it would sit against the windshield. Marked this location with masking tape. I do not want the cowl panel to either be too high or the windshield too short.
4 & 5) The blue masking tape marks where I'd like the cowl panel to be once the fabrication is complete.
6 & 7) I once again cut the polycarbonate with my jigsaw. With the windshield mocked back into place, I can now mark the steel for cutting.
8) Marked the cowl steel that's left with masking tape in the location I want to cut it.
9 & 10) Covering up the best I can to prevent making a mess and damaging anything.
11) The top part has been cut away.
12 & 13) Cutting the bottom of the cowl overhang out.
14) Everything's cut out and ready for a pattern to be made.
15 & 16) Placed the windshield back on the car, and used a piece of leftover plexiglas to draw out a pattern to be transferred to steel.
01-24-2016, 08:22 PM
#269
11 Second Club
Nice build
04-11-2016, 03:50 PM
#271
Let's jump ahead a bit in the progression, and share the car running under control of Holley Terminator EFI. This clip is from the initial start up.
Decal removal, bodywork, cleaning & repainting with Rustoleum Gloss White for the second time. The car sat outside for seven years with the last Rustoleum paint job I did, so it holds up well. I look to get a lot more good out of this paint job since the car is stored inside now.
1) Adjusted nearly all of the hood fastener locations so they'd close properly.
2) I screwed this furring strip to the hood to maintain the curve. Since this hood was originally a VFN extended pin-on hood for their fiberglass Firebird body, I had previously cut out the underside hood support structure closest to the windshield. Since I'm making this hood open on hinges, it was time to add support back into the hood.
Decal removal, bodywork, cleaning & repainting with Rustoleum Gloss White for the second time. The car sat outside for seven years with the last Rustoleum paint job I did, so it holds up well. I look to get a lot more good out of this paint job since the car is stored inside now.
1) Adjusted nearly all of the hood fastener locations so they'd close properly.
2) I screwed this furring strip to the hood to maintain the curve. Since this hood was originally a VFN extended pin-on hood for their fiberglass Firebird body, I had previously cut out the underside hood support structure closest to the windshield. Since I'm making this hood open on hinges, it was time to add support back into the hood.
Last edited by y2k_ta; 04-13-2016 at 04:23 PM.
04-10-2018, 12:54 AM
#278
Teching In
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have been reading the story about your T/A build with much interest since I just bought a white 1998 T/A roller last week that was started three years ago but owner lost interest in this project and went a different route.
I love the way you've documented the story with the photos. My car will be street legal since I got a title, but really is just for the drag strip. It came with lots of fab work completed but still a few minor items need finishing on the chassis. Wiring is my next step. I'm using a Painless race car system and trashing almost all of the GM harness. Engine will be an LQ4 408 stroker with a TH400 transmission. Single BW T6 88 turbo and Holley Hi Ram intake. Haltech engine management and Race Pak for gauges and data logging. Hope to have it running by September 2018.
Congratulations on what I think is a great project car and hope to see you at the drag strip sometime. If mine is half as nice as your car I'll be a happy man. I'm just east of Louisville about 50 miles.
I love the way you've documented the story with the photos. My car will be street legal since I got a title, but really is just for the drag strip. It came with lots of fab work completed but still a few minor items need finishing on the chassis. Wiring is my next step. I'm using a Painless race car system and trashing almost all of the GM harness. Engine will be an LQ4 408 stroker with a TH400 transmission. Single BW T6 88 turbo and Holley Hi Ram intake. Haltech engine management and Race Pak for gauges and data logging. Hope to have it running by September 2018.
Congratulations on what I think is a great project car and hope to see you at the drag strip sometime. If mine is half as nice as your car I'll be a happy man. I'm just east of Louisville about 50 miles.
04-10-2018, 03:33 PM
#279
I have been reading the story about your T/A build with much interest since I just bought a white 1998 T/A roller last week that was started three years ago but owner lost interest in this project and went a different route.
I love the way you've documented the story with the photos. My car will be street legal since I got a title, but really is just for the drag strip. It came with lots of fab work completed but still a few minor items need finishing on the chassis. Wiring is my next step. I'm using a Painless race car system and trashing almost all of the GM harness. Engine will be an LQ4 408 stroker with a TH400 transmission. Single BW T6 88 turbo and Holley Hi Ram intake. Haltech engine management and Race Pak for gauges and data logging. Hope to have it running by September 2018.
Congratulations on what I think is a great project car and hope to see you at the drag strip sometime. If mine is half as nice as your car I'll be a happy man. I'm just east of Louisville about 50 miles.
I love the way you've documented the story with the photos. My car will be street legal since I got a title, but really is just for the drag strip. It came with lots of fab work completed but still a few minor items need finishing on the chassis. Wiring is my next step. I'm using a Painless race car system and trashing almost all of the GM harness. Engine will be an LQ4 408 stroker with a TH400 transmission. Single BW T6 88 turbo and Holley Hi Ram intake. Haltech engine management and Race Pak for gauges and data logging. Hope to have it running by September 2018.
Congratulations on what I think is a great project car and hope to see you at the drag strip sometime. If mine is half as nice as your car I'll be a happy man. I'm just east of Louisville about 50 miles.
Gutting the factory wiring is the only way to go if you ask me. Especially if you're building street/strip cars like ours. Sure you spend a little on the engine management system, but it's totally worth it in the long run.
I'm currently researching on whether or not I need the kickdown switch to be active on my TH400. I'm seeing both sides of the arguments, so I need to dive in a bit deeper on the topic.
I've been working on mine for just over 11 years now. It has been a very good learning experience. I've done all the work myself so far, and have had to take the time to learn a lot of it as I go. I wouldn't have done it any other way.
Once again, thank you for the kind words. My car is what I'd call "good-looking from the bleachers" lol. It's rough on the outside, but I think it adds character. I don't feel bad the times I've scratched or nicked the paint as it's easy to touch up.
I'm about an hour North of Indianapolis. Ironically, my car came from the Louisville area. I've been toying with the idea of emailing the seller a current photograph of the car. He asked me what I was going to do with it when I bought it, and I just said "fix it and drive it". That wasn't a complete lie
The attached thumbnails are from this past weekend, and a few weeks ago when I got new wheels & rear tires. The wheels are Jegs SSR Spike Wheels. I went from a 325 Mickey Thompson ET Street (see Post #25) to a 275 Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S on the rear. The front M/T tires were a swap-over from the previous wheels. I sold the front wheels & rear wheels/tires on facebook in March 2018.
Last edited by y2k_ta; 12-24-2018 at 10:21 AM.
04-22-2018, 03:40 AM
#280
TECH Enthusiast
1) My "PCV" system lines hooked up
2) Lots of minor details to finish up the engine bay. Routing of wiring and securing them out of the way is very important.
3) A close up of the underside of the fuel line tray that I fabricated for the driver's-side. It attaches to the valve cover where the coil brackets attach.
7-9) Moroso plug wires and Lingenfelter plug wire boots.
2) Lots of minor details to finish up the engine bay. Routing of wiring and securing them out of the way is very important.
3) A close up of the underside of the fuel line tray that I fabricated for the driver's-side. It attaches to the valve cover where the coil brackets attach.
7-9) Moroso plug wires and Lingenfelter plug wire boots.