OLDFLM's (Ty) 71 Firebird comes to Fletcher's Customs!! Giving back for my Freedom!!

[OLDFLM]

It's the little things like your billet hood pins that take cars to the next level!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your generousity!!!

V/R,
Ty

[Birdman]

VERY cool project! Glad to hear there are people helping out with this, if I come across anyone willing to help you out I'll let you know.

How about posting up a list of stuff you might need to see if any of us have it lying around?

[fletcherscustoms]

Things we've came across that are needed:

-full poly bushing kit for the whole car
-Upper A-arms, either a set of used ones, or a set of tubulars
-body bushings
-rear leaf springs shackles, the rear oneshad to be cut off because the bolts were so rusted

Those are the needed things, for sure. There are still plenty of wishes Ty has that his budget just won't allow!

[syborg tt]

Not a problem it's the least I can do.

ps - email sent

Originally Posted by OLDFLM

It's the little things like your billet hood pins that take cars to the next level!

As an enlisted family man on a very tight budget I can't tell you how much I appreciate your generousity!!!

V/R,
Ty

[fletcherscustoms]

A little history: Ty is 23 year active duty Air Force guy, with 4 kids, a wife and very tight budget. He contacted me, gave me his situation and his budget. My heart told me "it's the least I can do". This guy has helped defend my freedom, I can give back to him and touch his life. His budget is only about 1/4 of what I should be charging. I was simply going to rescue the car from the previous paint jail it was in and do a simple scuff and shoot!! But then I wanted to give back. So it's turned into a full on build. Complete strip of car, rust repair, lots metal work, bodywork, paint, strip and paint subframe, refinish underside of car with bedliner, etc, etc. You figure I am already 20 plus hours into the car now @ $50 a hour; that's half his budget already! And I've still got to buy a ton of materials.

I am doing a lot of stuff he didn't ask for, but its my way of giving back. Hoping that he and his family can enjoy the car and maybe he can use it in his daily life to show other active veterans how much we appreciate them!

There are a ton of things we need for the car!! I'm not a big high dollar shop!! I am simply a two man operation. No big budgets to throw at this car. So any help I can get on parts, etc is much appreciated and let us all give back! If there is anything or if you would just simply like to help out please let me or Ty know. Thanks from Fletcher's Customs!

[OLDFLM]

I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or humbled by all the attention this project is getting… but I am truly grateful!

(I thought) The car was a pretty nice “restomod” but I wanted to go the pro-touring route… call it my mid life crisis…

As Chad described, his part of the project started out as just getting it out of a local 4 month paint jail… a scuff-n-shoot job that was quoted to take only 3 weeks. That was mid-June. Fast forward to the present and I think “good things do come to those who wait” because I’m certain I’ll end up with a MUCH nicer car in every aspect than if it had stayed where it was! I can’t thank Chad and Jerry enough for taking on this project and the deal Fletcher’s Customs is giving me on the car!!! He’s literally doing the entire car for what the local guy originally quoted me for just the scuff-n-shoot! About 1/4th of what he would normally get for the same job! These guys are amazing!!

Even taking Chad’s generous discount into consideration I’m still trying to avoid project creep as I am on a budget. I’m certain that the car has never been taken this far down before since it’s a 71 and I bought it in 1985 and it shows. It seems that nothing on the car has ever been apart and nearly everything needs to be replaced. Chad’s doing a great job of staying focused on what’s really “needed” to do it right this time and not letting me get carried away “dreaming” about what I’d like to do to the car if the budget allowed.

Here’s what we know is “needed” to continue:

- LUGNUTS! LOL I've misplaced the lugs that came from DriverzInc somewhere!

- Master Cylinder... either a 77 Malibu manual MC or the Wilwood deal

- Body bushings… Chad said the original rubber core support bushings crumbled in their hands when they took them out!

- A-arms… bushings weren’t installed correctly back in 1990 (PST kit) and the A-arms were bent

- Bushing kit… A-arm bushings, sway bar bushings etc.

- Ball Joints and Tie Rod Ends… 18 years old and need replaced.

- Rear spring bushings and shackles… the bushings are the original rubbers and the shackles had to be cut to get them out!

- Bolt/fastener kit… 90 percent of the bolts they touch either break or have to be cut out!


Here’s a laundry list that I had already started before Chad got the car… what I “wanted” to get to give it a deserved facelift:

- New shocks… the KYBs were put on there in 1990 along with the PST rebuild kit… it’s gonna be a driver!

- Gas tank/sending unit… had to buy new fuel and brake lines when they cracked while patching rust in the rear frame rails…

- Morris Concepts 3-point retractable seatbelts… front belts are inop... 3-points provide added safety factor!

- New glass… original side glass is badly scratched… front and rear glass is pitted/scratched… needs replaced

- Vintage Air… it’s gonna get hot down here next summer and I plan to use the car as my sunny day daily driver

- P O N T I A C emblem for trunk filler panel… Formula 400 emblems for the fenders…

- Hedman 28150 headers… freebie Summit 4-tubes are showing their age and one hangs an inch lower than the other

- Trans cooler lines… just prebent replacements needed…nothing fancy

- Overflow jug… junkyard find doesn’t seem like it’ll fit the car when done any longer!

- New Carpet… Original carpet is badly faded and smells like dead mice! LOL

- Dynamat/Hushmat/Second Skin… something to put under the carpet and quiet the interior

- New sill plates… just the $25 repops… no need for expensive NOS stuff here…

- New seats… even though they’re in good shape the stock seats don’t offer much support or bolstering

- Battery tray… the stocker is only about half there! Or we could move it to the trunk?

- Dash pad cap… the stock dash is badly cracked as is common in 2nd Gens…

- Washer bottle, hose, filter… missing in action… the car hasn’t had one since I’ve owned it.

- Interior trim screw kit… would like to replace all those dry wall screws

- Dome lens kit/bulb… again it’s MIA and has never been in the car since I’ve owned it.

- Remote battery kit (trunk mount)

- Bright Driver Headlights

- Upgraded altenator

- Selecta-speed wiper kit

Now, IF I weren’t on a budget and could build my dream: (c:]

- 463 stroker kit for the Poncho 400, KRE 290cfm D-port heads, Hyd Roller cam... OR...

- LS2/3/7… with a Schwartz drive by wire TBI intake and a repop Ram Air air cleaner to work with the hood…
(and Pontiac baby blue valve covers!)

- TKO600 5 speed

- 9" rear or 12 bolt

- Full Tubular Arm package

- Coilovers

- 4 link rear

- Aluminum Radiator

- Upgraded Seats

- 5 point cage

- Power windows, locks and an alarm system

- Killer stereo system

Again, I truly appreciate and am humbled by all the attention this project is getting! (c:]

V/R,

Ty

[tony byram]

Boilermaker, you and your shop are a class act. Pure and simple. Its people like you that restore my faith in people. Other acts from people (and you know who you are..... are straight from the heart) Makes me proud to be a member of this site. When we help one another, we help ourselves and our hobby.

[fletcherscustoms]

Originally Posted by tony byram

Boilermaker, you and your shop are a class act. Pure and simple. Its people like you that restore my faith in people. Other acts from people (and you know who you are..... are straight from the heart) Makes me proud to be a member of this site. When we help one another, we help ourselves and our hobby.

Thanks!! And I do it out of love and respect!! Nobody makes our vets and enlisted protected us. They do it because they want to!!

[L n L]

Too Cool!

I first met Ty about 11 years (I'm guessing, you know, "memory"....) over at www.classicalpontiac.com. Not very often you meet someone so genuinely a "good guy", you gotta hang on to friends like Ty when you find them

A few years ago, my son and I took a road trip in my '03 Mach 1, and drove up through Colorado Springs, where Ty was stationed at the time. Ty gave us a key to his house, and graciously let us "base camp" out of his place! My son still speaks fondly of the experience.

I know there are alot of flakes out there, but Ty is NOT one of them! He is an all-around great guy/friend/dad/husband/serviceman/gearhead. To all of those helping out on this, I congratulate you for doing a wonderful deed, and assure you that Ty is a very deserving person.

Thanks,
Lee Atkinson

[fletcherscustoms]

Thanks to SPCHIV for coming through with a gracious gift!

He donated a full Prothane poly bushing kit and a full Totally Stainless bolt kit from Year One!!!

Thanks to Syborg TT for his gift of a set of locking billet hood pins from hoodpins.net!