White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Hey guys. I figured I'd start some sort of build journal to add to occasionally as I modify my car from here forward. As some of you know, I used to have a 99' Camaro that I modified some but then sold in 2006 due to some circumstances in life. That Camaro was insanely clean and well taken care of. In hindsight, I wish I never sold it.

Fast foward to August of 2007 and I purchased my current vehicle- a 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am M6. The previous owner did some mods like long tube headers, true duals, poly motor mounts, and some other misc things. The car was in decent shape for being as old as it was and with the mileage it had. It certainly wasn't as clean as my 99' Camaro, but in overall good shape. The Trans Am was more appealing to me at this stage of my life with the different interior and timeless body lines. As soon as I got it home, I began to think "how can I modify this thing?". That's common among all gear heads I suppose. The car was 4x4 status, slow and had ugly OEM wheels.





Let the modding begin......

The first mod was my favorite to the car- the infamous "hump delete". Most question it's intent and purpose. Every 4th gen f-body I've ever been in had that horrendous hump in the passenger floor. You had to have your legs fully extended, and it was just awkward for me (or anyone for that matter) to sit there. So I took some initiative and enlisted a good friend of mine to help me modify the floor.

We cut out floor area and unibody assembly taking extra care into where and how much to cut. We retained as much of the unibody bracing as possible, welding it all back. Then the floor was patched before painting and putting the carpet back. Search for my thread on this for more info/pics.




You can see in this pic how much lower the floor is- similar to the driver side:


No more hump!


After we did this, I began the quest for more power. Thankfully a local LS1Tech'er by the name of Chris (nhra_crazy) was kind enough to let me use his home workshop/tools/time/etc and help me through the heads/cam swap. This was my first attempt at internal engine work on a vehicle of my own, so this was all new to me. Not to mention my experience in other engines was with friends' old school Buick 455's and Chevy 350's.

I went with some PRC 5.3L Stage 2.5 heads through Texas Speed, pushrods, Cometic gaskets, a custom cam by Predator-Z (230/234 613/598 111+0 as ground), ARP head studs, and any other supplemental "heads/cam" type stuff. I think I even had some 42# injectors on there that were a PITA to tune- see the 30# red SVO injector swap later. Haha.





Some time after that, I had a crazy ticking noise. I thought I blew the engine or something. Turns out it was the Harland Sharp stock rockers that were on the vehicle. HS had a bad batch of bearings that they had used for some production pieces. Long story short, they repaired the set I had free of charge! Search for my thread on this for more info/pics.




Then I was in for another surprise. I went to a local bar/restaurant in the car to watch an 8pm football game. I head home and wake up early since I had the following day off. I decided I wanted to detail the car that day. I start getting the car washed and as I come to the passenger side I see a long *** mark from someone "keying" my car. The mark went from the mirror to the quarter panel where the bumper starts. It had to be at the bar/restaurant I was at the night before. I quickly call the police station from that area and meet and officer on site to file a report. He was kind in that he was a gear head himself, and understood my frustration. I then went right to a body shop for an estimate. They quoted repairs at like $1400.00 or something. Another call into my insurance company led to an agent coming to look at the damage and issue me a check for the repairs. Their estimate was only like $700.00. I was floored. Needless to say, I didn't have the cash to cover the difference so I tried repairing it myself with touch up paint, wet sanding, and buffing. It took "most" of the mark away. But it still is visible and needs painting to this day.

Before repair:



After my repair attempt:



Needless to say I was really, really, really mad!

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Having some tuning issues, I concluded it must have been the fuel injectors I was using. So I switched to an injector with PLENTY of injector data out there- Ford 30# red injectors. While doing the swap I also had the stock fuel rail powder coated.





Next up was a better wide band 02 gauge. I was using an AEM UEGO unit for quite some time, but it was very "jumpy" with its readings and I read several people question its accuracy. I then purchased an NGK AFX wide band 02 gauge with the infamous NTK 02 sensor. Supposedly it's the most accurate "street" version of a wide band that you can install. Of course dyno's and other "pro" grade 02's will read better/more accurately. I am very satisfied with the NGK and it's operation.






Then I decided I wanted to swap heads on the car. The car didn't feel like it was making the power it should. I sold the PRC 5.3L Stage 2.5 heads online and purchased a set of LS6 243 heads w/ sodium valves. They also had the PAC beehive springs and were recently cut/decked by LME. It was basically an even trade cash wise- selling and buying. I also grabbed some new lifter trays while I was in there. Brien (The Alchemist) helped me throughout this process.




The next stop on the parade was a clutch upgrade. I was running an LS7 clutch that the previous owner had installed. It was performing well, but once removed you could see signs of heat transfer and lack of clutch material. After a quick scramble I sourced a used, low mile, Spec3 clutch/PP/flywheel from a friend of mine. It had very little miles on it and was basically brand new. Brien (The Alchemist) helped me throughout this process as well!!!

Old flywheel:







I then did some reading and after I scored a set of cheap "truck coils" I swapped those over. I sold my stockers for almost the same price as the truck coils. Worth it to me!






Now that the car was mechanically sound I turned towards some appearance mods. I started with re-doing the flat CETA mod the previous owner did. I ended up going with a gloss black to match the trim on the car.






Much better. Still looks like the car has 4x4 status though??!?!

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

In an effort to fix that 4x4 status I enlisted Sam Strano to sell me some of his infamous lowering springs. I had already installed the Koni 4/3 combo in the car earlier due to stock shock failure. This was the best mod I have done to the car. I believe every car needs to be stanced, have wheels, and some window tint.








Then I wanted to address the lack of lighting performance. Brien sold me his BLS projector lighting brackets and thermoformed covers. I sourced the HID kit and projector housings on my own. I went with 5,000K HID kit.






The most recent thing I've done to the car is added smoked turn signals to the car. The stock red/yellow ones were annoying looking. These went with the overall 'theme' of the car and looked nice! I also used VHT Nite Shades spray 'tint' on the 3rd brake light. There is an eBay LED replacement, but it was crazy expensive. I chose the $7 spray can route.








To date, here is the most current list of "mods":

Exterior Modifications:
CETA rear bumper
Tint 35% doors 20% hatch
18x8.5/18x9.5 Ruff Racing 278 wheels
255/40-18; 295/35-18 BFGoodrich KDW2 tires
Gorilla locks
Smoked turn signals

Interior Modifications:
Hurst leather shift ****
Wheelskins charcoal leather shift boot
Raptor shift light
Passenger HUMP delete
Lloyd Mats embroidered floor mats

Performance:
LS6 243 heads w/ sodium filled valves, PAC beehives
Comp 230/234 613/598 111+0
Comp 7.400" pushrods
Cometic 0.040" gasket
ARP head studs
LS6 oil pump
LS2 timing chain
FRPP 30# injectors
LS7 lifters
D585 truck coil packs
LS2 red spark plug wires
LS6 Intake
QTP long tube headers w/ high velocity merge collectors
Kook's ORY
Magnaflow catback exhaust
SLP lid
SLP smooth bellows
"Edster" tensioner

Suspension/Chassis:
Strano Performance lowering springs
Koni SA 4/3 shocks
Polyurethane motor mounts
Edelbrock torque arm w/ poly mount
Stock rear LCA's w/ 1LE bushings
UMI rear LCA relocation brackets
BMR adjustable panhard rod
BMR rear sway bar
Polyurethane front sway bar end links
ATE Rotors (F&R)
Hawk HPS pads
Energy Suspension poly bump stops
UMI boxed subframe connectors

Drivetrain:
Spec 3 clutch and billet flywheel
Tick Performance adjustable clutch master cylinder
Pro 5.0 shifter
UMI short stick
TA girdle w/ stud kit
CAGS delete

Electronics:
Kenwood Excelon KDC-X679 head unit
eDi 6000s v.2 Component speakers
JL10W6 V2 in a Subthump enclosure
eDi Nine1 1,000 watt mono amp
!Wire mod
AutoTrix passenger window fix
NGK AFX Wideband gauge
Autometer fuel pressure sending unit
BLS low beam projector lights
VVME 35w 5,000K HID kit

I plan to continue to add to this thread as I do things to the car. At least now I can look back and see how much hard work I did with the help of some good friends. Thanks Paul, Chris, Brien, Rick, Jon, and anyone else who had a part in the evolution of my pride and joy. Thanks for reading!

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

There were more things on the list that I have done during my time of ownership, but what I posted were the "main highlights" of the build.

TNTramair

iTrader: (15)

its coming along nicely. still think you should leave it a 6-speed and put a WS.6 hood back on it...

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Thanks Rick. I've thought about pulling the clutch disc, contacting Spec and getting a 2+ disc instead. The PP and flywheel have like no miles on them. I can just install the new disc and get rid of that "on/off" style puck disc.

In terms of the hood. Half of me says the stock Firebird hood is damm stealthy. Add a turbo and people won't expect anything from my stock looking T/A. The other half of me wants the WS9 Outlaw hood. It's flat out mean looking.

We'll see as time goes on. I have no money right now. We're planning a house warming party, my sister gets married next month, and then the holidays are among us. Stay tuned!

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

So the question of the year is........

Do I convert to a 4L80e automatic transmission, or do I keep the T56 and rebuild it?

End goal for the car, like I've said, is single or twin turbos. It would be a street/strip/show/cruiser car. I'd attend car shows, beat the car up on the street, hit the strip from time to time. I want more power and like what turbos offer. I also want to build my own turbo kit so I can say I did that as well.

Thoughts?

ramairetransam

iTrader: (18)

very nice, sucks with the door .

stevo92z28

iTrader: (22)

If it's not a drag car leave it 6 speed. Even if it is a drag car i'd leave it a 6 speed. Having spent a lot of time in stalled auto and a 6 spd cars...i would never trade a 6 speed for an auto. Really takes just about all of the fun out of street driving for me.

Hands down Strano/Koni 4/3 is the best upgrade for these cars, not many actually get to enjoy the benefits but it really makes these cars handle like they should, like a sports car. Great looking ride, i enjoyed the pics and mods it has come a long way!

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

I've been in a few cars that were making decent power.

Examples:
-03 Cobra, T56, KB blower, built engine, 650-ish rwhp. Car was almost "stupid" on the street. 600 ft-lbs of torque at like 3000 rpms and not much traction at all.
-87 Monte Carlo SS, 4L80e, 383sbc, Procharger D1sc, 650-ish rwhp. The car would hook with M/T ET Street Radials and pull like a freight train. A different kind of power than the Cobra above, but still rolled the F out.
-97 Supra, HKS twin turbo, 6 speed, supporting mods, 900-ish rwhp. Once again, car was stupid on the street. Turbo lag, boost, massive power, no traction.

I see a trend here that the manual transmission cars I've been in were a lot more hassle to deal with on the street. Constantly banging gears and losing traction.

The Alchemist

iTrader: (19)

Don't forget a 2000 Trans Am, D1SC Procharger, 15psi, 700?? hp, t-56, 3.73 gears. 1st and 2nd gear useless (for now) but 3rd gear was a blast. First and second you just need to be smart and recognize that as soon as the tires break loose, it only gets worse. I pick up the 305/30/19 R888's tonight:


I say add the power now, or first, then decide if you want to get rid of the t-56.
If the clutch is the issue right now, a new clutch disc is relatively cheap and we can swap the disc in my garage in an afternoon.

TNTramair

iTrader: (15)

^^those are nice Brien...what did ya do with the other wheels ya just got?? the ccw's?

The Alchemist

iTrader: (19)

Sorry for the confusion, I'm mounting the r888's on my ccw's, I just did a google image search for r888 305/30/19s and that picture popped up.

Sorry to hijack your thread Andy...

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Those tires look PIMP. If twin turbo Gallardo's have luck hooking with them, then you should as well.

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Well, I finally had a chance to work on the car for a bit today......

For the longest time, ever since I had to mess with the gauge cluster to get the speedometer to work, my fuel level needle was off by a decent amount. I would fill up and it would show about 7/8 full. I just forgot about it and left it be. The needle would then be on empty, when in fact I had about 1/8 of a tank of gas left. The low fuel light never came on, but being the perfectionist I am, I decided to re-calibrate it today. That meant a trip to the gas station with the cluster taken apart, and then re-install the needle to read full, when in fact full.

After I got done that I pulled over to the air compressor to fill up my tires. They all were a little low. The main reason for the trip to get air was I re-installed my spare tire and jack. I've been driving the car more to car meets and what not, and the last thing I wanted to do was rely on a tow truck to get home due to a flat. I had taken the spare tire and jack out back when I purchased the car to install the subwoofer amplifier in that cubby. I plan to relocate the amplifier to another spot in the back hatch area. That's a mission for another day.

I've been having a random "musty" odor in the car. Initially I thought it was just from the car being closed up and not driven much. One night, reading a detailing thread, a light bulb went off in my head. I had some issues with window alignment one summer. I noticed it when I would wash the car. The spray from the hose (not direct, nor high pressured) would allow some water to enter the rear line of the driver door window. When I would be drying the car off, you would see drops of water which passed down the inside of the window and on to the rear floor. We must have gotten a good rain around that time too, because the rear floor was soaked. I pulled the floor mat, vacuumed it dry, and let the car breathe for a few weeks when I was home. This was probably about a year or two ago. I would put air fresheners in the car and the smell was rarely noticeable. Needless to say, I think everything is 100% dry now, but the jute must have held enough water to begin some mold growth. It isn't as bad as it sounds. One of these weekends, I'll yank the whole interior out and remove the jute in that area, and steam clean the whole carpet.

After that I jacked the car up to inspect an exhaust noise that would happen randomly. It turns out that my over the axle pipe was close to a piece of the unibody. I grabbed an old exhaust hanger, sliced off a ~1/4" piece of the rubber, and zip tied it to the exhaust pipe. That allowed enough to dampen/space the pipe to not allow it to bang anymore. Seems to have solved that issue.

I need to pull my intermediate pipe between the y-pipe and axle. I am going to have a 3" bullet muffler that I have laying around welded inline with the intermediate pipe. We all know that LS1's can be "raspy" when running long tube headers and an offroad ypipe. The bullet, being a resonator, should clean up the exhaust tones some. It's just another one of those things I am picky about and want to try and solve.

yourbeat

beautiful car man, cant wait to see what other things you do to it. i just got my 2000 TA a few months ago and im starting to put all my ideas in motion for her. hopefully she will come out half as nice as your car.

yourbeat

and i see your in Philly? i have never seen your TA around and i know for a fact i would remember seeing something like that haha

TNTramair

iTrader: (15)

he's not quite in Philly...he lives in Conshy just outside the city. i live in the NE philly...right by cottman ave.

GoodSpeed150

iTrader: (7)

Great read! Keep up the good work. Love the car!

White.Lightning

iTrader: (53)

Thanks! I will get back to work on the car in a couple of weeks after my sisters wedding is done. Then I can have some time to work on my own stuff.

I moved to Delaware County this past summer Rick. You'll have to cruise by the new place and check it out.