2001 Firebird Project

[JoeliusZ28]

Looks like you were doing good work on the car from what you posted before. I "saved" a red 96 firebird a few years back in similar shape, pretty sure that car's next stop would have been the scrapper had i not bought it. Another member bought it off me and LT1 swapped it i think its still around.

[Drdave88]

Thanks, as soon as the weather warms up a bit more, I'll start on the donor door/hood for paint prep. Until then, it will be some engine work and a few suspension components. I got pretty much everything off of the donor car that I want other than under hood. I plan to start that this weekend, in between family stuff for Easter. That engine looks like a PITA to get the heads off due to being so far under the cowl......

[MP81]

It's not the easiest, but it is doable. I managed to get an LT1's heads off, with the car parked on the grass/dirt of a yard.

[JoeliusZ28]

Its a PITA. Doable, but no joke id rather drop the entire k-frame just because it takes about the same amount of time and about 300 less curse words

[ktl711]

Its a PITA. Doable, but no joke id rather drop the entire k-frame just because it takes about the same amount of time and about 300 less curse words

^^THIS^^

Your 50-year old self will thank your younger self for not putting your lumbar through that torture!

[Drdave88]

I'm considering that for when I put the heads on the project car, since I have to work on the suspension as well. Been pulling apart the front/top of the engine so far, to get to the heads. Looking like the exhaust manifolds are staying on the heads until I pull them out, those are impossible to get at in the car for sure.

[Drdave88]

Got the heads off the parts car as well as a bunch of random interior odds/ends that I need/want. As soon as I get rid of the parts car, I'll start putting the parts onto my car. If the snow ever goes away and it warms up, I'll start prepping the hood and driver door to be cut in before installing them on mine. I am also going to do the head swap by lifting the car off the K-member since it's just much easier to access everything, and I also have a bunch of front suspension work to do. Might as well make it all easy to get at and work on.

[MP81]

Dropping the K-member is definitely the way to go.

[Drdave88]

Now that the parts car is gone and out of the garage, I started tearing into mine to swap the heads and a few other odds/ends. I found the exhaust system is completely welded together so that makes dropping the K member a bit tougher since I have no way to weld it back together. I decided I'll just leave it and pull the heads while the rest is still in the car. It's still fresh in my head from the parts car so it's pretty easy to do now lol.
I also am going to experiment with plasti dip for the car since I kind of need to get this thing on the road sooner than later. My wife and I are both driving leases and due to job and other changes, have been racking up miles on them. I'll have to hold off on a proper paint job for a year or so. I know the feelings about plasti dip from some, I'm not the biggest fan either lol. It beats driving around a half sanded, 3-4 different color car though.
I also found both of the connectors for the headlights/motors are all corroded, the passenger side doesn't work. So I'll have to repin those and get those working again.

[MP81]

If you prep it and do it right, and don't choose some ghastly color, Plasti Dip is fantastic - and rugged as all hell.

[Drdave88]

Lol, I picked up a can of gunmetal gray to shoot one of the headlight housings first. Something small to experiment with. I'll see how it goes and decide from there if I really want to go that road or not.

[MP81]

I, personally, like it a lot. It goes down really even. It will not, however, be shiny. And don't bother with the Glossifier stuff, it sucks.

[Drdave88]

I like the flat paint look, when done right and on the right car. I've seen pics of a couple of 4th gens, they dont look too bad. I had thought about doing the sail panel/roof black, but I have the dreaded sail bubbles and going black would just make them pop worse.

[Drdave88]

Been a work in progress, also working on getting the K member dropped, too many boots on this one aren't coming loose doing it from the top lol. Hoping to get it dropped this weekend.

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[MP81]

Nice work!