Drag Racing Firebirds Lot#1

Drag Racing Firebirds
Lot#1

This section is devoted to the pros and amateurs who build and modify their birds for serious strip duty at the drag races!

1977 Super Pro Trans Am

owner: Richard Fish

Engine: Pontiac 455 bored 0.60 and stroked to 473 cubic inches. The monster poncho block is built with 4-Bolt steel billet main caps, a chromed crankshaft by Crankshaft Specialties, Ross pistons, an Ultradyne roller camshaft, and Eagle 6.80 long rods. A pair of the new 72cc Edelbrock Aluminum heads sit atop the block. They've been race ported and built with 1.65 Harland Sharp Roller rockers, titanium retainers, Ferrera racing valves (2.11 intake & 1.77 exhaust), and a custom JBP stud girdle. To gulp air and pour fuel into the intake a 1050 Holley Dominator sits atop an Edlebrock aluminum "Victor" intake manifold. A Meziere aluminum electric water pump provides efficient cooling and a set of 2" Hedmann Racing Headers vent the exhaust out the rear.

Drivetrain: A Hughes Performance Turbo 400 tranny with a manual valve body handles Richards shifts. The torque converter is a TCI unit with a 4200rpm stall speed and trans shield. The drive shaft is a custom 3" drive line with a Mark Williams yoke and U-Joint. A ladder bar suspension keeps the tires on the ground and you'll find a narrowed 12-bolt rear end equipped with 4.30 Pro gears at the rear of the car.

Body & Interior: The body is stock save for a Harwood fiberglass hood and scoop and Lexan windows all around. To accommodate the large slicks Richard likes to use a set of wheel tubs were installed in the trunk. The interior on the other hand has been completely modified for racing. For beginners a full roll cage was installed, factory gauges were replaced with more accurate competition gauges. A B&M Pro-Ratchet shifter has been installed in place of the stock unit. Other goodies include an MSD 6 AL and Autometer tachometer.

Best quarter mile time: 9.96 @ 136mph

Richard would like to thank Jim, Rodney and Dave Butler of Butler Performance. They selected this combination and their predictions have been right on the money!!
Richard's wife owns a stock 48,000 mile 1973 455 Trans Am (seen at 73' Firebirds Lot#2).

1970½ Super Pro Firebird Formula

owner: John Wallace

John's Website: Wallace Racing

Engine: 455c.i. engine with RA IV heads. Short block was prepared by Jim Butler with an Ultradyne Roller cam, Eagle long rods, Ross Pistons, and a Canton oil pan with an SD455 oil pump. The heads are stock RA IV with Competition cams 999 roller springs. A Warrior intake with an 800 Holley carburetor provide the fuel/air mixture and a Mallory 250 electric pump provides the fuel pressure.

Drivetrain: Turbo 400 tranny with a 12 bolt rear end with a spool and 4.88 gears. The Turbo 400 is a reverse valve body with tranny brake. A TCI 8" 4000 stall converter is used for torque conversion. The rear end was narrowed and ladder bars were installed along with Art Morrison coils. John usually runs a set of Firestone 14x32 F30 slicks. The front end remains stock. Car weight comes in at 3380lbs driverless.

Body & Interior: unknown

Best quarter mile time: 6.58 @ 102mph (1/8th mile track and pump gas)

E-mail: John Wallace

1989 Pro Firebird

owner: Billy Baker

Engine: Chevy 406c.i. bored .030. Its built with Keith Black pistons, Childs and Albert rods, a stock 400 crankshaft, a Crane cam and Crane roller rockers and Brodix Track 2 heads. Providing the air/fuel mixture to the heads is an Edelbrock intake modified with a 1" rise and a Barry Grant 750 carb that flows 900cfm. Heads have been angle cut to .075 to increase the compression to 13:1

Drivetrain: A Dana 5.14 12 bolt rear end is installed out back and is equipped with a set of 33x15 Mickey Thompson slicks. A Powerglide transmission sporting a 1.76 low gear and a 4500rpm TCI stall converter with a 5600rpm flashpoint handles the shifting duties.

Body & Interior: The chassis is a round tubbed chassis built by Steve's Corvette shop in Wilson, North Carolina. The body is completely fiberglass, including the roof and was painted by Rick Patterson. Total weight without driver comes to a trim 2000lbs.

Best quarter mile time: 5.82 @ 116mph (1/8th mile track)

1975 Pro Street Trans Am

owner: Billy Baker

Engine: Chevy 328

Drivetrain: A Chevy 12 bolt rear end with 5.14 Richmond gears provides motivation to the rear wheels. The rear end was narrowed by 4" to accommodate a set of 29.5x12x15 Mickey Thompson drag slicks. A Powerglide tranny built with a Turbo Action stall converter with a 4500rpm stall and a 5600rpm flashpoint transfers the power from the engine to the rear end.

Body & Interior: The chassis is the original chassis with some modifications. Sub-frame connectors were installed and extra support was added to stabilize the rear end. The car was stripped of all unnecessary weight and tubs were added. A roll cage was also installed including a roll bar which runs through the firewall and down to the front end. Lastly the cross member under the motor was narrowed for ease of engine removal. The body is a stock all steel '75 body with the exception of a fiberglass hood installed for ease of removal. The paint job was designed on a computer and sprayed on by Billy and his father. For that matter all work on this car was performed by Billy and his father save the machine work on the motor.

Best quarter mile time: 6.58 @ 108mph (1/8 mile track)

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1968 Firebird

owner: Ed Olson

Engine: 455c.i. bored .30 over, Ross pistons 0.10" down the hole to get approx 9.9 to 1 compression with # 62 heads ( home ported), ram air 4 cam with 1.65 rockers, comp cams springs, run full floating pistons with no bushings in the rods approx 4000 mile so far, rods are stock cast 67 oil squirters that have been polished, shot-peened and have ARP bolts, a welded to repair it stock 4.21 crank that's .30 under on both the main and the rods. I also have a 50 to 225 hp adjustable N.O.S system which is good for about 6 or 7 additional tenths and 7mph with the 125 hp jets, should run 11.4s at about 120mph.

Drivetrain: Turbo 400 trans with a lot of line pressure, so drive doesn't get knocked out from the shifts to drive, cheap Hurst trophy taker converter 12" can hold the car to about 2200 rpm and then the car is going to move but flashes to about 3200 if you nail it in drive at say 2600rpm, 9" Ford with 3.70 gears, 28 spline traction lock, Trick leaf springs that have 3 of the 4 leafs going all the way to the front spring eye, and no other traction control ,4 wheel disk brakes, welded sub-frame connecters and a 6 point roll bar, and mini tubs because after bolting in the '79 Lincoln versilies rear end with disk brakes from the factory, it was about 3" narrower overall.

Body & Interior: The car has a complete interior, the back seat is narrowed some because
of the mini-tubs that were installed. The rear quarters have small fiberglass flares :-( that I put on back in the 70s, but they do help keep the car clean do to the big tires. The front end has road race springs and urethane parts from HO racing so it will go around a corner and with 4
wheel disk brakes it will stop also. No significant changes made except the tubbed rear end.

Best quarter mile time: 12.09 @ 113mph with sticky DOT tires and a 3" exhaust. Car weight is roughly 3600lbs driverless.

E-mail: Ed Olson

1987 Super Comp Firebird

owner: Mike Sawyer