Learning curve. My 72 Firebird adventure.

[HO455]

At the suggestions of Raggedjim and Tempest67 I will start posting the trials and tribulations of me resurrecting a 72 Firebird. This won't be a fast moving thread due to the other priorities that always seem to happen in my life.

I bought the car back around 2003 or so. I noticed the for sale sign on my way home from work asking $1400. I called and after meeting up with the girl who owned it we made a deal and I drove it home for $1000.

It had no front valance (Well actually the original plastic valance was in the trunk in 3 pieces.) The front turn signal lights were off a 70' vintage ford pickup and mounted on some 1 1/2 angle iron. It had a P4B manifold with a 750 Holley double pumper on top of a Pontiac 350. It ran so rich a black cloud followed me all the way home. It had a early Formula hood and only the drivers side door and front fender was still the original Lucerne Blue the rest of the car was gray primer. The girl said they ran out of paint and never got back to painting the last part.

Once I replaced the intake and carb with factory pieces the car ran great. It was my daily driver for a couple years and made trips to Tiger Run in Bend OR. Made a few passes at the strip where it ran 14.8's on the non posi rear end. We're pretty sure the engine had a cam and some head work done to it.

Then it got parked, and loaned out, and parts from it got loaned, then got disassembled, and now it's 2024. The engine got installed in a 68 Lemans that I bought with a cracked block and then I sold the Lemans. The first photo is of the car from last summer. One of the reasons I'm not part if the "In crowd" in the Pontiac world.

I've been collecting parts for it all through covid and have started installing the front suspension upgrades. That started by having the front subframe sandblasted and then grinding out a lot of the factory welds and re-welding them. They were some of the worst I've ever seen from GM. It must have been training day when my subframe went down the line. (Photos 2-5) It took a sold 8 hours for me to get thing how I wanted them. Once that was done I chained the subframe to a welding bench and using a port-a-power I jacked it around until it was square and true again. (Assuming it was when it left the factory)

[HO455]

As part of the subframe resurrecting one of the subframe bushing mounts was quite rusted and to repair it I made a custom washer replace the missing metal. I started out by cutting the bad area out with a hole saw. Then I made the custom washer on my lathe so it matched the hole perfectly. Once done it welded it in place from both sides. Unfortunately I don't have a "completed photo" of this at present.

I also didn't take any pictures of the wooden jig I used to hold the pilot bit of the hole saw in place when I drilled the bushing mount out. Basically it was a piece of cabinet makers plywood clamped to the under side of the mount. Then I used a compass to find the center point of the hole. Then I drilled the center point out and that hole kept the hole saw from walking as I drilled. I also replaced the regular pilot bit in the hole saw with a piece of 1/4" round stock so it couldn't waller out the pilot hole thus allowing the hole saw to wander.

[HO455]

According to the interweb the front sway bar mounting is a weak point. Apparently the threads are fairly easily pulled out when a stiff sway bar is installed. Now was the time to address this possibility. I made a pair of plates and tack welded grade 8 nuts on the one side.
I prepared the frame by grinding it smooth in the area and enlarging the factory holes for the fasteners. That allowed me to set the plates and nuts in place and then weld around them to complete the modification.

At this point I would like to acknowledge my friend 2nd gen Firebird guru John Paige for his insight, intelligence and patience with my questions. He passed from our world too early.

https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...?highlight=Rip

https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...ght=john+paige

[Tempest67]

looks like a great project and you are off to a good start.

Remember, don't look at the entire project, "just 1 piece at a time"

I had a 73 Formula in High School and loved that car

[raggedjim]

Alright! Another second gen Firebird build!

You are obviously doing a better job than I am! I do plan to pull my subframe eventually but I know I won't be driving it for a while when I do.

Great work, Rg

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by HO455

As part of the subframe resurrecting one of the subframe bushing mounts was quite rusted and to repair it I made a custom washer replace the missing metal. I started out by cutting the bad area out with a hole saw. Then I made the custom washer on my lathe so it matched the hole perfectly. Once done it welded it in place from both sides. Unfortunately I don't have a "completed photo" of this at present.

I also didn't take any pictures of the wooden jig I used to hold the pilot bit of the hole saw in place when I drilled the bushing mount out. Basically it was a piece of cabinet makers plywood clamped to the under side of the mount. Then I used a compass to find the center point of the hole. Then I drilled the center point out and that hole kept the hole saw from walking as I drilled. I also replaced the regular pilot bit in the hole saw with a piece of 1/4" round stock so it couldn't waller out the pilot hole thus allowing the hole saw to wander.

Ingenious method for finding center hole, I've run into that problem and had no solution,TU

Those welds from the factory are unbelievable, wasn't there an inspector on site

[Lokin4AReason]

hey , its coming along

looks like a fun project along w a cool back story , imo

keep the update(s) coming . . .