Formula for Badassery: The_Blur's 2000 Pontiac Firebird Formula NHRA Special Edition
 

Situation
I can afford a Camaro, but I can afford a better one after I pay off my college loans. In the meantime, I'm going to play with my Firebird using the suggestions of my peers and the plethora of cheap F-body parts on the market.

The Firebird needs some work. It wobbles at high speeds, and my guess is that the wheels are out of balance or possibly damaged. The driver side headlight grinds due to a stripped gear, which would be an easy fix if I had any tools.

Mission
Let's make this beast fast. Appearance is less important than performance for this vehicle, so all parts initially installed have to contribute to reduced ETs and faster 1/4s.

Obviously, my Firebird needs some performance and cosmetic improvement. The following is necessary:

• WS6 or similar hood
• extensive suspension work
• tune that will work anywhere I can be stationed

Execution
I know that several of these parts or similar ones and more are available used. Please help me find them!

Here's the plan.

• Founders Performance Strut Tower Brace $46.85
• Founders Performance LCA Relocation Brackets $47.25
• Founders Performance Non-Adjustable Panhard Bar & LCA Kit $120.20
• Founders Performance Weld-In Subframe Connectors $108.62
• Flowmaster muffler mated to custom exhaust at Top Gun Performance Muffler $380.01
• bright lights everywhere, preferably LED
• Eibach Pro-Plus Kit Lowering Kit (incl. 35mm rear & 25mm front sways and 1.5" drop) $485.00 from TireRack
• Corvette-style LS1 manifolds or aftermarket headers
• EGR delete and tune update (incl. approx. 15# weight reduction) $0

I will require the assistance of people with more wrench time than me. I'm not the most experienced mechanic, and I wouldn't mind a few buddies joining me to participate in as much of this build as possible.

Administration
When I do get a spectacular deal with a company or shop, I will advertise them here. I will only do my work at reputable shops and with companies I trust. The prices to beat are posted publicly besides the parts I've listed. If I get a special deal, I won't advertise it unless the company allows me to do so.

The goal is to get most of this work done before the next C5F in hopes of attending and winning against people who can't drive their clearly superior Camaros.

Command
The goal is to complete the entire build before I change commands. I will be stationed as a Student Naval Aviator in Pensacola for up to 2 years.

IBTL :iono:






































:smiling1::laugh::lol:

I can lock it on him, but it won't do much good:laugh:

If you lock this thread, I'm going to end up bumping it wondering why no one ever posts in here. :sad0147: :facepalm: :pound:

How close are our factory wheels to the Firebird as far as bolt pattern... If they will work, I have all four factory wheels and tires ill give you...

If they won't work, you can sell them a use the funds to buy some that will work... They are taking up space in my shop...and I'll never use them again... Fronts have 23k miles, rears have less the eight all tread is still good... And they have been tested to 200 mph...

And:needpics::needpics::needpics::needpics::needpi cs::needpics::needpics::needpics::needpics::needpi cs::needpics::needpics:

Worthless thread is worthless:laugh:

Here are your stinking pics! :pound:

This first one makes me want to upgrade the headlight and fog light bulbs to LEDs.

Attachment 545066

For the love of NHRA, this car needs some mods!

Attachment 545067

Take note of the less than awesome exhaust tips. It needs straight pipes.

Attachment 545068

This angle is clearly crying for a big snout on that hood.

Attachment 545073

Catback Exhaust

Since I'm budgeting a lot of this work, I've found a good catback at the lowest possible price online. Unless someone can beat $250 for an exhaust, it looks like I'll be using JEGS (30419).

If anyone in Pensacola can hook me up with good tuning on a budget, I'll get some headers, too.

EDIT—this exhaust has 2.5" piping. I'd rather upgrade to 3" piping. I'm going to probably talk to a local shop and see what kind of kit they can produce for me.

that looks like a pretty decent exhaust for that price

Can i ask what NHRA has to do with this car?

It's a limited kit commemorating the NHRA. There were only 215 NHRA Formulas made in 2000.

B easy To run 11s with just bolt on with that

The mechanic at the NEX shop on base said that the wheels were "grossly unbalanced." Mechanics don't use the term "grossly" very often to describe how jacked up a car is, so I was relieved to know that my wobbly drive would be an easy fix. While it was up, they did a Mobil 1 oil change for me, and I picked up some Budweiser Black Crown to celebrate later.

Tomorrow, I anticipate a trip to Top Gun Performance Muffler to help me with a custom catback exhaust. The existing exhaust is pretty badly dinged and disgustingly rusty. It's about an hour away from here, so I look forward to the smooth drive from my newly balanced wheels and the custom exhaust on the way back.