[cdoggy81]

Well, after buying, driving, & selling a few early 2nd gen F-body's (as well as taking a LONG time to figure out what I really want to do) I have finally decided to pull the trigger & start building my car.

Please welcome: Project New Bird - 1970 Pontiac Trans Am

Please sit back & enjoy the show as I take you through my long journey on building my piece of happiness




The car:
1970 Pontiac Trans Am (one of 1,339 built)



Color:
2006 Pontiac GTO IBM blue with correct white/black stripe
I wanted something a tad bit more blue than the original Lucerne Blue but still wanted to retain an original Pontiac color. The car was originally a white TA with the blue stripe.



Engine:
550 HP LS1 (original bottom end from my 2004 GTO)
90MM FAST Throttle Body
90MM FAST Intake
30lb SVO matched Fuel Injectors
Texas Speed 5.3 LS heads ported & milled to 59cc 2.02IV/1.575EV (flow 312 cfm @ .600")
Double gold Springs w/ Ti Retainers
Comp 7.35 Pushrods
Frutral F13 Cam 230/232 .595/.585 114*
LS6 Ported Oil Pump
LS2 Timing Chain
8.5mm MSD Plug Wires
NGK TR6 plugs
180* T-Stat
12577901 Cadillac LS1 Oil Pan
Aluminum Radiator 70-81 F-body w/ dual fans from a 2004 GTO set to 190* & 195*
BPR Plates & Motor Mounts for LS1
Hedman Custom Stepped 1 3/4" --> 1 7/8" Headers w/ 3" collector
2.5" exhaust w/ x-Pipe
Walker Dynomax 17276 Transverse muffler



Tranny & Rear:
4L60e tranny from my 2004 GTO
TransGo HD2 shift kit
TCI/Hughes/Derale deep trans pan
shift points reprogrammed for 6500 RPM (the rev limiter will be set to 6750 RPM)
Vigilante 3200 stall torque converter
TCI/Earls trans cooler
8.5" GM 10 bolt posi rebuilt with 3.73 gears ( the original 12 bolt long gone
TA aluminum gear cover as well as the perches & tubes will be welded up



Suspension & Rear End:
DSE upper control arms
DSE 1 3/8" front Sway Bar
DSE solid body bushings 1/2" drop
Varishocks front coil over adj. Shocks w/ 550# springs
Global West De-alum lower control arm bushings
original lower control arms
HOTCHKIS 1.5" drop rear leaf spring kit
Varishocks Rear adj. shocks
PT F-Body sub frame connectors
PT F-Body front suspension rebuild kit
WS6 box or Lee Eng rebuilt GM quick ratio steering box (12:1)



Wheels, Tires & Brakes:
Pro Wheels Stealth or Boost
18" x 8" fronts w/ 4.5" back spacing
18" x 10" rears w/ 5.5" back spacing
BFG KDW2 245/40/18 fronts
BFG KDW2 295/35/18 rears
13" front D/S corvette rotors w/ LS1 calipers & corvette brackets
12" rear D/S LS1 rotors w/ LS1 calipers using BRP mounts
2004 GTO master cylinder



Interior:
I will use the complete setup from my 2004 GTO (F & R seats, dash, steering wheel, center console, etc.). The seats will be recovered not to say GTO as well as the dash & gauges. The door panels & trim will be custom made to match. Inside will be covered with Dynamat or equivalent for noise deadening.



Sound system:
Pioneer AC3
US Amps 4x50 mids/highs (especially since they were hand made here in Gainesville
US Amps 1x200 sub
Seas/Focal mid & highs front
Seas/Focal mid & highs rear
2 10" Seas/Focal subs in custom enclosure
Escort SRX radar detector

Thanks to all who have helped so far as well as the many who still will. This site is a fantastic source of information & inspiration!!!

[cdoggy81]

Here is a pic of the cowl plate. You can see it was a white car (10/10) over blue (211). I am going to get PHS on it for Christmas.




As well as a pic of the all important "22887...."




I know a lot of you will not like this type of build/restoration/modification. Or the fact that I am doing this to a real TA. Had it been a #'s matching car I never would have done it. I found this one stripped with no drivetrain so it was perfect for what I wanted to do. Besides, I still have my #'s matching 73 TA to play with.

[72blackbird]

Sounds like it's going to be a sweet build up- but with this crowd you're not going to have alot of fans here since you're customizing a T/A (even though it's with late model GTO parts). I used to dislike LS1 conversions, but after reading up on them I think I could dig a 500 hp Firebird that got 26-28 mpg.

I like either style of rim, but you can get 18 x 9's (5" backspace) with 275/35R18's to fit on the front. Where are you buying the rims from?

Geno

[keepat]

I like it! I started out looking for a T/A to make into a Pro-Touring car, but the car I bought was all there, rust free, and #matching. good luck with the build!
Pat

[Thumpin455_GTO]

So why not get really serious and drop in an L92 or LQ4? Add a mild cam and headers and you have well over 500hp. If you are going to do that to a TA, you might as well do something worth doing. Yes I do own an LS1 and yes I am very impressed by it and others of the type, no I wont be putting LSx engines in my old Pontiacs.

I will however drop one in my C10 shortbox, and it will be a healthy L92/LQ4.

[cliffhanger]

you rock, great project, that interior looks awesome!

[Formula8]

I like it and if I ever grenade my 455, I will be going LS. Prefer L92/LQ4 or maybe a Kenne bell LS1. You probably will get some flack from some on the board but screw em. Do what you want and be proud of it. From the list of parts you want to use, there is certainly no reason that you will be disappointed.

[ta-kid]

I like your idea and having done a couple restorations on 71 t/a,s ,I always get bored with them afterwards when they are all done and sell them,then go look for another project.I get more enjoyment in getting them back to new condition versus driving them,not that I do not enjoy them afterwards.
But I have always wanted to do a custom or protour,whatever you want to call it.Even restored back to stock specs the 71 t/a,s are great,but honestly my 2004 Altima could run circles around it in the handling department.I will be interested how far you really go and your end result and issues discovered in doing your car.
One suggestion though,I would go with the new honeycomb wheels avaliable or originals,as it is real neat to have a stock looking car but all modern hardware hidden by original sheetmetal,but you proably have different ideas.Good luck with your project.

[FLYNLOW]

::drool::

Be interesting to see how you get that GTO interior in there... I'd love to do an update on my dash and doorpanels but don't know what I'd do. I'd like to keep some of the original "flavor" of the 2nd gen dash. It would be nice if it integrated into modern type door panels and down into the center console though.

It's kind of funny how many people are jumpin' into the Gen3/4 motors now. I remember when I first was tossing the idea around how much flack I got from the peanut gallery. I *think* I might have been the first guy to actually do it on any of the Pontiac boards, at least I'd like to say I started a trend. LOL!

[x-bird2]

Ian, you're still perma-banned for your temerity to bespoil a 2nd gen with C-letter power! How'd you hack your way in here ?????? ;~)

[cdoggy81]

Thank you all very much for the kind words & encouragement!

I thought about new honeycomb wheels but they are big $$$$. I am a vendor for www.prowheels.net so the prices are where I need to be VERY good suggestion though!

I also thought I would post some pics of the doner car before I start cutting it apart. It is a 2004 GTO with 19000 miles on it. Originally I was going to go with a stroked 400 or 455 with E-Heads. Then I got the quote from Butler. For the price I was going to pay for that alone I bought the entire running GTO

[FLYNLOW]

Originally Posted by x-bird2

Ian, you're still perma-banned for your temerity to bespoil a 2nd gen with C-letter power! How'd you hack your way in here ?????? ;~)

C - for Corporate, right? LoL. Seems my sickness is spreading! hahaha. When are we putting one in your car? I have my old 12.9x/106 LS1/4L60 sitting on the garage floor, you know? :P

As for hacking, beware the power of LS1Edit!

[FLYNLOW]

Oh, and as for those wheels, there snot much to be found on the net about them and I only see them available in 7 and 8 inch wide?

[cdoggy81]

oh no, they are avail from 17x7,8,9,10 then again in 18" & 19" all the way up to 20"x12" & 22" & 24" for the SUV guys PM me for good prices on USA made billet 2-3 piece rims!

[cdoggy81]

Here are my pics I posted a few weeks ago when I got the car back from the blasters. This was the day after Thanksgiving. It took me 2 full days of dusting, vacuuming, prepping, cleaning, mixing, painting, CLEANING UP SPILLED PAINT, looking for a new gun, putting everything away, getting everything back out, vacuuming, prepping, cleaning, mixing, painting, cleaning up, & putting things away for good. I hope you get the idea it was a real P.I.T.A. I think next time I am going to bring my car to Orlando or Jax to get soda blasted & primed all at once (Frank, know any good people to recommend?). I used a local guy here in town that uses a new sponge material that is very easy on the metal & doesn't have any problems associated with it like other media.









Day 2







Next post: start on metal work & GTO tear down

[cdoggy81]

Now that she was all primed over the holiday I can start to work on the metal repair.
1st up is a small piece on the upper 1/4 near the window.

















It might not be perfect but that's why I have one of the best painters in FL (Chris Dobbs - www.huegenics.com ) doing the final touches

Up next: smooth the firewall...

[giles]

Originally Posted by x-bird2

... bespoil a 2nd gen with C-letter power!

C-letter power? Chevrolet and Pontiac engineering were disassembled in 1985 (and homogenized into "CPC engineering"). The LS1 is a "GM Powertrain" motor, not a Chevy engine. Nothing interchanges between LSx engines and small-block Chevys.

As far as the project, I think an LS1 in a '70 is waaayyy cool. I have thought about building one for years! You have to bring it to the TA Nats when done.

[fbody_mike]

cdoggy81,

Wow, that brings back memories. I had to do the exact same area on my window channel. After a little grinding and some more welding, then a little more grinding, it was good enough to have the painter finish.

Thanks for the pictures, like I said, they are like porn for some of us.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

Originally Posted by giles

C-letter power? Chevrolet and Pontiac engineering were disassembled in 1985 (and homogenized into "CPC engineering"). The LS1 is a "GM Powertrain" motor, not a Chevy engine. Nothing interchanges between LSx engines and small-block Chevys.

As far as the project, I think an LS1 in a '70 is waaayyy cool. I have thought about building one for years! You have to bring it to the TA Nats when done.

Actually there is more Pontiac in the LSx motors than there is chevy, even if there is a bowtie on the block. Its easier to show what parts of the new engine are similar to chevy than what isnt. Starter, oil filter location and a press on balancer, the rest is Buick or Pontiac derived. Including number of head bolts, valley pan, passenger side cylinders being the forward set, and the cylinder heads and ports look like a symmetrical version of the RAV rather than the BBC. There is other stuff but its been a while since I compared them. To say its just a chevy is to ignore and discredit the heritage that our engines provided for the modern LSx engines.

That being said, I still wont be putting one under the hood of any of my pre 81 Pontiacs. Just isnt going to happen. This project looks interesting, and well when its all said and done its still your car. Although I would love to have whats left over from the 04 GTO, I know an L92 will fit in that thing, if it isnt bent too much.. as if I didnt have enough projects already and not near enough money for all of them...

[x-bird2]

Originally Posted by giles

C-letter power? Chevrolet and Pontiac engineering were disassembled in 1985 (and homogenized into "CPC engineering"). The LS1 is a "GM Powertrain" motor, not a Chevy engine. Nothing interchanges between LSx engines and small-block Chevys.

As far as the project, I think an LS1 in a '70 is waaayyy cool. I have thought about building one for years! You have to bring it to the TA Nats when done.

Ian read me correctly, C is for Corporate, were i to refer to a Chebby, i'd just type in POS--and no that doesn't stand for Point Of Sale ...

C-Doggy, those pics are deja-vu, mine had the same brazed metal over rusty original metal patches in the same places. Your patches match what i did to mine ten years ago to a "T."