This is the car page (what you wanted to know about the car, but probably shouldn't have asked). Dean said that I needed to have some pictures and stuff of the car. Enjoy.
Tech information:
1967 Pontiac Firebird Convertible
Engine and Stuff
Chevy 350 V8. It's actually the GM crate engine ZZ4 based on the older Corvette LT1. It was just put in the car in January 1999 and has about 1500 miles on it. It's rated at 355 hp and 410 ft-lbs of torque. I've got a Holley 750 cfm carburetor with vacuum secondary sitting on top of it (chrome plated). It also has one of the cleanable K&N air filters. It has Hooker headers with the high temperature coating, and they vent out to a set of 2-chamber Flowmaster mufflers. It can be loud and obnoxious, especially when you're riding in the car for several hours.
Transmission and Gearing
It has an original Muncie M20 4-speed transmission. The rear-end gear is a 3.55, with posi-track. At 70 mph, it's running about 3600 RPM. It needs an overdrive transmission and will probably get a Richmond 6 speed in a couple of years.
Other Stuff
The brakes are front disc and rear drum. Anti-sway bars were added to the front and rear, and the suspension system has been completely re-done. It probably handles better than when it was new. I found an original set of Pontiac Rallye II wheels a few years ago, and they're on there too. A gauge set was added for oil temp, water temp, oil pressure, and voltage. A tach has been added as well. From the casual observer's perspective, the car looks original (expect the guages and the AM/FM radio), until you open the hood. The seats were just re-done a couple of weeks ago, and they look great, and the carpeting is new too. The convertible top was replaced last year. It came with factory air conditioning, but the compressor is sitting on my garage floor. The car is presently getting about 13 mpg on the highway. I had the car registered with a classic set of 1967 Texas license plates.
What It Started Out As
The car has definitely been transformed. In 1967, the car started out as a puke green color with parchment interior. It had an overhead cam 6 cylinder engine, a 3-speed manual transmission, drum brakes on all 4 wheels, and an ugly set of hubcaps.
About 18 years ago, a guy from Missouri bought the car. He changed the engine out to a Chevy 350 (from a '74 pickup) and replaced the tranny with a Saginaw 4-speed. He also made an attempt (heavy emphasis on attempt) at outfitting the front wheels with disc brakes, but that's another story in itself. He also had the car painted black and had the interior all changed to black too. Some things were done okay, but there was a lot that was wrong. The car had no power and the suspension was shot. He also put a 3.23 rear end gear in it, which gave it no power and no torque.
But it was the car that I had always wanted. In the spring of 1993, I bought the car. It was basically the only thing that I had seen in a year of looking that was in my price range and that wasn't a rust bucket. From 1993 to 1999 it mainly stayed in the garage, and I think I put a total of 1000 miles on it. Then in the end of 1998, I got extremely frustrated with it, and decided to replace all of the mechanicals on it. I found an excellent mechanic to do the hard stuff. I had most of it finished in January 1999, and have been working on bits and pieces since then. The paint job is still about 18 years old, but still looks great. It was one of the things that had been done right. I had the rear end gear changed to a 3.90, but it was just too many RPMs on the highway. I comprimised with a 3.55, and I miss the torque. The experience taught me that small boxes of parts are $100, and complete systems come in $1,000 increments.
I took the car on a weekend road trip to Austin just a couple of weeks ago. I learned a few things: the importance of sunscreen, it's best to stop every 2 hours just to take a break, and in 1967, cars just weren't that comfortable.
Anyway, I really like my car now, and I hope you do too.