I finished late last summer and never really had a chance to post Pics. Just got the car back on the road last weekend and it is grand

Many thanks to booboosean who was very helpfull during the build.

Here are 10 pics of the final. I have many more of the process, but i thoght to start here... 3 at a time.

 

3 more

 

Dayumn, sweet! Congrats!

 

3 more

 

Last one

 

I love the basic look of the car and the engine install. I HATE gauges being outside the car like that. I've never understood the appeal of that. What do you expect that thing to do in the 1/4 mile? How much power does it throw down? Engine specs?

 

Can you get us a dead on side view, showing the vertical clearance between the top of the front tire, and the top of the wheel-well? Also, what size are the front tires, and what front springs are you using, and did you shorten them?

 

The springs are the lowered ones from Summit. I have blocks in them to help maintain ground to exhaust clearance. I have the part number at home... will get if you like.

The tires size eludes me right now... again i will check when i get home.

 

no need. I now see you're too far from stock for it to be any good reference for my '84 T/A. Thanks anyway.

 

Hate is such a strong word... however the gauges are mechanical, if they spring a leak, i prefer them outdoors.

It's a fresh but mild 454 (+.030) 4bm so call it 461. Flat tops, Comp Cam Magnum 280H, large oval port 781 heads valve opened up to 219"/188" decked to keep it to about 115cc and compression to 9.2:1. Very streetable

Had dyno tuned with 750 Holley came to 352HP @ 4820 rpm at the rear wheels... So maybe it's a 400 HP motor. Had no times with the big block yet, but it went 12.81 @ 112 mph with the old 355 SBC in it... so maybe a lower 12 now.

 

I remember quite a few cars in the mid 80s sportin' gauges on the outside cowel. Rare thing now days.
Did you go Hooker swap headers & after market Kmember?

Ol' booboosean sure put a LOT of very detailed info into his threads!!!

 

I have one pressure gauge for oil pressure and it's inside the car fed by a steel braided line. Fuel pressure inside a car is a no-no unless you use an isolator to keep the fuel outside the car.

I'm down to 4 gauges that I need to rely on. Oil pressure and a large low oil pressure warning light. Coolant temp, oil temp and voltage. I use a data logger to log oil pressure, fuel pressure and MAP just to see what they do during a run. All the other gauges can tell you information but are not really required on a regular basis.

 

are those patriot h 8013 headers?? i am mocking my motor up now, and those look just like the ones i have`--drivers side ok- did you have to trim the floorboars/lower firewall to get the pass side to fit??

 

Yes they are the patriots, but the H8012-1. They have 1 3/4 tube. And yes the passenger floor got "persuaded" with a BFH. Amazing actually... the driver side looked as though it would be the issue and it basically dropped right in.

At the end of the day, for the money they worked out quite well. Thanks again to booboosean.... they were his idea.

 

See my last post. Booboosean recommended trying The Patriots and i did. They worked out fine

 

FOR THOSE INTERESTED, HERE'S THE LIST OF PARTS AND RUNDOWN ON
1982 PONTAIC TRANS AM / GTA PRO STREET



BODY

• 1992 GTA , fenders & front clip
• US Body Fiberglass hood with Ram Air Scoop
• 1989 GTA ground effects, bumper, tail lights dash
• Custom spoiler by Stan's Fiberglass
• Custom made rolled aluminum trunk compartment by LJ Chassis
• GTS taillight covers, tinted glass all around, custom Black on Black tape graphics (very subtle)
• The car was prepped with Sikkens 2 part epoxy primer and finished in 5 coats of Sikkens custom mixed black acrylic with a blend of silver & gold metallic added to the paint.

CHASSIS / WHEELS

• Back Halfed, tubbed & caged by LJ Chassis (steel tubs & 6-point roll cage)
• Bear's rear clip, 4-link & panhard bar
• All steel floors and tubs
• Coil-over adjustable rear shocks
• Vehicle has been lowered by 4"
• Monroe front struts & boots, power steering pump & pressure hoses, new front pads, rotors, calipers, bearings & flex hoses.
• Weld Racing Pro Stars 15 x 6" with P205/75 R 15 A/S Radials up front
• Weld Racing Pro Stars 15 x 14" with 31 x 18.5" Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro out back

ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN

• Chevy 454 rebuilt bored .030" over (461 c.i.d)
• 9.2/1 compression, Comp Cams Magnum 280 hydraulic cam, true roller timing chain & gears.
• Cast 781 Large Oval Port heads with 2.19”/1.88” valves, Chrome Valve covers with new re-enforced rubber gaskets
• Rebuilt TH350 tranny with B&M Stage II shift kit, B&M Mega Shifter, B&M Holeshot 3000 stall converter and transmission cooler kit
• Narrowed Ford 9" rear-end with Strange axles, Richmond Gears 4.55 ratio
• Milodon Oil Pan and one piece rubber gasket.
• Edelbrock Air Gap aluminum intake, Holley 750 double pumper,
• MSD ignition with adjustable rev limiter, MSD Distributer, MSD coil, MSD wires, and ignition set.
• BECOOL Radiator and 2 aux. electric fan
• Harwood 10 Gallon Fuel Cell
• PowerMaster starter , Moroso high volume electric fuel pump, Holley regulator, Fram hi-flow canister fuel filter kit with aluminum fuel lines & Earl’s fittings
• Patriot H8012-1 Headers with brand new 3” custom welded stainless exhaust with polished Magnaflow mufflers that exit in front of rear wheels with chrome tips.
• March Serpentine pully system

OTHER

• All Auto Meter gauges (tach, water temp, oil & fuel pressure)
• Pro lite, line lock, Grant steering wheel
• Pioneer CD Player, subwoofer and Sirius Satellite Connected to Stiletto 100
• Fire extinguisher, overhead console, auto-sensing rearview mirror.
• Lots of chrome like timing cover, valve covers, master cylinder cover, strut tower covers, hood lift supports, dip sticks, trans pan, flywheel cover, Billet aluminum pulleys etc. etc.

I'm sure more was done and more $$ was spent, but memory fails me. Just as well... i don't know if i want to remember

 

Here's a few other pics of inside... Oh Yeah... NOS is empty bottle... just there for the mall shows on the weekend

 

and underneath

 

im diggin the paint

 

thanks for the info --i appreceiate you pm,ing me back---cool ride-- maybe someday ill get mine done!!

 

im doing a 454 right now in an 84 bird my problem is the y-pipe did you make one? or did you find one?

 

Actually no Y-Pipe at all. Exhaust exits at the sides in front of rear wheel. The car is back halfed and tubbed, there was no room to bring exhaust all the way back.

This is one of the things that I dislike about the car, but it has nothing to do with the BBC, I had a similar set up when it had a small block to.

 

well im about to start doing mine im pulling it out of an 80s suberban.....what are some of the problems that ill have to look forward to? parts and so on

 

The biggest issues i had were with cooling (what rad, what fans, waht pulleys, what pump). They all link together and your decisions affect each of them one way or another. this site has most of the answers.

Then exhaust, and frankly were it not for the thread booboosean has in the bbc swap area, i'd have been screwed. you should read that if you haven't.

i'm guessing there are other issues, like wiring etc., but i added a separate panel for my gauges and fans and pumps to avoid messing with the OEM harness.

Every swap is different in one way or another. I ha to deal with fuel lines and tranny cooler lines etc etc... My suggestion is to plan it all out before you start, get advice when your thoughts hit a wall and then start buying parts.

 

thanks good advice

 

Very nice build!

Only thing that is a little scary is the exhaust to ground clearance.

 

yeah, it's about 3 inches max. Been lucky so far, no issues on the road or getting in my driveway which is really steep. I'm just carefull.

 

Sick ride man. Love what you did with it.

 

Thanks, I got a lot of help and ideas here on this site. The car was pro-streeted with a 355SBC, but after reading the pages here i had to build a new engine and find a way to make it work.

One of these days I will find the time to lay out how the process went. i think i have pics of each step along the way. It all took about 3 months from Finding a good 454 to getting it back on the road.

It's no daily driver, just a friday nite cruiser and car show entry. My wife and i enjoy chewing the fat with other car buffs.

 

Here are the latest pics. Just got it out of the garage.

 

A few more under hood

 

IT'S SOLD

 

I'll take the engine, you can have the rest of that silly thing, lol.

Well, guess I'll take the paint job too. :P

 

no no no you havent even broke her in yet

 

Maybe you're right. Had her out last night for local cruise nite. Had some fun between lights. It'll be hard to sell anyway as it is pro street, and young fella's aren't into that sort of thing anymore... but if the right guy comes along who knows what he's looking at and can appreciate the build, then maybe it will find a new home.

 

Car looks great. I am not a fan of the pro street look either. Have you ever thought about replacing the wheels with large 20x15 in the back with the low profile tires? Jegs sells wheels and tires to make that look more current.

 

Funny you should ask... yes, but i was struggling finding them online... thanx for the lead... I will check jegs out

 

Awesome, I'm not really into the pro-street thing normally, but this is just so clean looking. So tuff with the big tyres out back. Love it