Home built 67 Firebird - Lateral-g Forums

**rickpaw** · #1 09-23-2013, 08:20 AM

Back in 2009, I got bitten by the muscle car bug, eventhough I've always drawn to imports most of my life. After search CL/ebay, I found a 67 Firebird in Puyallup, just east of Tacoma WA. It was a 400/T400 car, with complete interior, but front end was either missing/unusable. It needed new quarters, front end sheet metal, and trunk pan. The plan was restoring the car back to stock with upgrades to front discs.

After getting the car home in Vancouver, I did research on farming it out for rust repair, and quickly learned that for the labor cost of one quarter panel replacement, I could pick up a welding set up/tool to do it myself, so I dove head first into metal repair/body work.

Since I have not welded before, I've decided to practiced on scrap pieces of sheet metals first, then welded on the car where pretty welds are not required, such as floor pans and trunk pan.

Repaired rear floor pan

Repaired trunk pan

**rickpaw** · #2 09-23-2013, 08:28 AM

Now that I was comfortable with the welder, I tackled the quarters. The pass side got a full quarter, and driver side got a skin. I also replaced the piece between the trunk and rear window. I used SEM panel bonding adhesive on the full quarter and the trunk filler piece.

Pass quarter removed

Pass quarter mocked up

Driver side quarter removed

New skin screwed in place

Welded.

Replaced trunk filler piece

**rickpaw** · #3 09-23-2013, 08:31 AM

Started on the bodywork

Worked on the gap between the trunk lid and the filler panel between the trunk and rear window

Removed the sub frame and had it blasted

**rickpaw** · #4 09-23-2013, 08:35 AM

Car with all the sheet metal back on. I repaired the original doors with patches, patched the rust hole on the DS fender, and used repo fender on the pass side.

Sprayed primer on the car in my garage.

Wet sanded

**rickpaw** · #5 09-23-2013, 08:37 AM

Since I have not painted a car before, I decided to farm out the final paint/clear coat.

On the trailer to the paint shop

Painted

**rickpaw** · #6 09-23-2013, 08:41 AM

I got lucky as one week after I had the car painted, the paint shop got burned down.

Had the Pontiac engine rebuilt at AC Nutter in Vancouver, Wa

AC tried to talk me into going LS engine, but I was restoring it to semi stock so I had him rebuilt the block with forged internals/roller cam etc...

**will69camaro** · #7 09-23-2013, 08:42 AM

Car is looking good! Kudos for taking on the sheetmetal work! I couldn't bring myself to do that portion of it.

**Edit** Answered before I could post!

**rickpaw** · #8 09-23-2013, 08:44 AM

Dynamatted the car (3 boxes total), replaced all wiring with American Autowire, put front/rear disc brakes from an 02 Firebird in the car. Installed VA a/c, Mark 8 fan, Hotchkis subframe connectors.

Got the car running and entered it in a car show in Vancouver, WA. That was back in 2011. Almost 3 years after I started.

**rickpaw** · #9 09-23-2013, 08:49 AM

September 2011 we decided to move to Houston from rainy NW. The wife and kids left first with the movers. They left me a couch/table/TV and my tools in the garage.

One month later, I found a job in Houston and joined the family.

My Firebird on a trailer somewhere in eastern Oregon, with the Uhaul packed to the roof with my tools/stuff from the garage.

**rickpaw** · #10 09-23-2013, 08:51 AM

The car at its new home in Houston. In 2012, I put in Gear Vendor O/D, Dakota Digital VHX gauges (awesome piece), and drove the car around for almost a year.