Update on my rusty firebird

[67rstbkt]

Long overdue for an update so here we go:

Fuel system: complete (used a Tanksinc pump setup, ROBBMC regulator, 3/8 stainless feed and return

AAW wire harness, installation underway

Pedals refurbished, modified to work with new clutch, and old butchery welds cleaned up

Lincoln Mark VIII fan installed

Bought an American Powertrain x-member that was supposed to fit.....of course it did not, so had to modify to make it work

Ordered a RideTEch 4 link and coil-overs, waiting on getting the wheels and then I'm going to attempt to narrow the Ford 9" I have in waiting.

I've also been continuing to work on the body and will be attempting an initial start of the motor real soon to get the cam broken in and make sure nothing leaks


On to the pics:

[GregWeld]

That's how they get done --- one step at a time! Looks good!

Keep pounding away at it!

[67rstbkt]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

That's how they get done --- one step at a time! Looks good!

Keep pounding away at it!

Thanks, I appreciate the words of encouragement

[67rstbkt]

Got the motor started for the first time. Found 2 issues:

1: I will need to rethink the fuel pump setup, maybe reposition or cut and weld in a small sump section for the bottom of it. With 4 gallons of gas, it started cutting out on me, so I put in another 5 gallons and it was good to go.

2: Little oil leak that I need to investigate. It looks like it's either the rear main or the oil pan. I'm kind of pissed about this because I used the high-dollar BOP seal and followed the instructions exactly (if that's the cause). The other possibility is the oil pan. It's the Canton pan and it was way off out of the box, so I had to massage it into shape. I thought about exchanging it after I got it, but at the time, my machine shop was using the same pan on a Pontiac and it fit exactly like mine did. It's like it got warped a little when they welded to bottom portion onto it.

Anyways, here's a video of it running. This is after I ran it for about 20 minutes at around 2000 rpm. It's idling at about 1000 in this video

[Tuske427]

sounds awesome! I guess you'll be driving it soon now

[67rstbkt]

Originally Posted by Tuske427

sounds awesome! I guess you'll be driving it soon now

Thanks! Still a lot of work to do before it sees the road. I'm going to be removing the front sheetmetal for paint. I wanted to make sure that everything is ok with the motor before I get to paint and re-assembly. Depending on where that little oil leak is, I may have to get the motor back out.

[67rstbkt]

These came in today, 18x8 and 18x9, new on the market