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From: Franklin, KY near Beech Bend Raceway, Corvette Plant and Museum.
Car: 1992 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 5.0L L03 TBI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73
Re: Doing the shaker assembly mod for real
Wow your 1989 Formula looks sharp.
All it needs now to complete the look is a set of 1985 to 1990 Trans Am front fenders with heat extractors and the front and rear wheel spats from the 1988 RPO Z20 Firebird Special Appearance Package.
Last edited by Airwolfe; May 25, 2026 at 02:23 AM.
All it needs now to complete the look is a set of 1985 to 1990 Trans Am front fenders with heat extractors and the front and rear wheel spats from the 1988 RPO Z20 Firebird Special Appearance Package.
I actually have an 82 front and rear bumper and driver and passenger fenders with the vent holes, and the 82 front GFX and the rear GFX in front of the back wheels already. Just need to prep and paint them, and modify the body around them. Those wheel slats would look pretty nice on my car.
I mean no, it can be done much easier with an 86-90 Firebird taillights, but I didn't want those Firebird tail lights, they are lame. The challenge for the 82-84 is there is a transparent layer, and a black piece that fits under the transparent piece. So I had to figure out a way to isolate the light to just behind the bird without lighting up the entire panel and had to modify the bird emblem so that the lines had gold transparent paint in them. Took me about a year of trial and error to make this work, and another 2 years to make my current shaker setup work as functional
makes me want to do this to my 86 as my next mod..did you take pics along the way?
.be my luck the auto hatch pull down mechanism would be a no go lol.
makes me want to do this to my 86 as my next mod..did you take pics along the way?
.be my luck the auto hatch pull down mechanism would be a no go lol.
My auto hatch pull down works just fine with mine, I had to remove a spacer on the lock cylinder so the center section would fit flush, but it works just fine. Is your 86 a Firebird or a Trans Am?
No, no donor hood, I measured the visible area of the scoop, then I did a lot of research on 2nd gen TA's, and then took about 4 tries of laying out the opening with masking tape until I found something that looked right. Finding the '77 shaker was part of the program, since I thought it looked best with a 3rd gen hood. Getting a good one at a reasonable price was impossible, so I took a beat up one from ebay and repaired it. However, someone cut out the rear of the scoop, and I haven't yet come up with something for it. The opening doesn't look awful, but it doesn't look finished, either. I think some sort of screen insert may be how I take care of that.
The measurements went like this....
I made a template of the scoop from corrigated cardboard and positioned it until I came up with this...
Rear edge of hood at centerline to back of opening - 7 inches
Left & right edge of opening to edge of hood
rear of opening - 24"
Front of opening -23.5"
front of opening to front edge of hood at centerline - 32"
I've attached a simple schematic of the measurements I got.
These measurements would only be applicable if a 77 shaker was being used. (obviously)
Hope this helps....
TT
So this is a very old post but did recently compare my measurements to this diagram..Most dimensions are spot on except where they have the " 24inches from rear shaker opening to edge". I have 23" upon measuring mine..this will put the correct taper on the opening therefore matching the shaker lines.
Now I do believe the 32" from the front is more accurate than my 31".. Way back then I had no access to a 2nd gen t/a and just based all of my hood cutout dimensions on the shaker I bought. I regret that it will set my hood bird decal a bit lower than I'd like.
So this is a very old post but did recently compare my measurements to this diagram..Most dimensions are spot on except where they have the " 24inches from rear shaker opening to edge". I have 23" upon measuring mine..this will put the correct taper on the opening therefore matching the shaker lines.
Now I do believe the 32" from the front is more accurate than my 31".. Way back then I had no access to a 2nd gen t/a and just based all of my hood cutout dimensions on the shaker I bought. I regret that it will set my hood bird decal a bit lower than I'd like.
I used that exact diagram to cut my hood. Then I based the whole construction off of making sure the shaker would be able to line up with TBI and still be able to seal against the hood when closed. I used a Fiberglass replica shaker, and a 1/4 inch thick aluminum plate cut to the shape of the shaker, which sits on top of the open air cleaner element to seal against that, then I built a custom top air breather, and opened up the back of the shaker so its functional. The aluminum plate, air element, and the air cleaner tray sit on top of a 3 inch spacer ring, cut to a 5.5 degree tilt, then notched the ring so it lines up perfectly with the center ridge on the hood. The plate attaches and seals against a 3 inch open air filter element, and through a lot of trial and error, lined up the mounting hole just right so the shaker lined up with the hole and the center ridge in the hood. Also, the plate has a second mounting stud I installed in an open bolt hole on the manifold which helps anchor and balance the shaker. I then drilled and tapped four 1/4 inch 20 threaded holes for the shaker to be bolted to the aluminum plate. As you can see in the pictures I previously posted, it turned out perfect. I used the rear weather seal from a 2000 Ford Explorer as the sealing rubber attached all around the shaker's edge.
I've got a freshly rebuilt 350 that im gonna drop into my Formula, which will require a complete refabrication, but we will get to that once the engine is installed.
My auto hatch pull down works just fine with mine, I had to remove a spacer on the lock cylinder so the center section would fit flush, but it works just fine. Is your 86 a Firebird or a Trans Am?
That's good to know..yes an original trans am it is..I assumed the auto latch was an option that would hinder my progress ha..do got to say Im pretty stuck on my Spidey man grid tail lights ha
I used that exact diagram to cut my hood. Then I based the whole construction off of making sure the shaker would be able to line up with TBI and still be able to seal against the hood when closed. I used a Fiberglass replica shaker, and a 1/4 inch thick aluminum plate cut to the shape of the shaker, which sits on top of the open air cleaner element to seal against that, then I built a custom top air breather, and opened up the back of the shaker so its functional. The aluminum plate, air element, and the air cleaner tray sit on top of a 3 inch spacer ring, cut to a 5.5 degree tilt, then notched the ring so it lines up perfectly with the center ridge on the hood. The plate attaches and seals against a 3 inch open air filter element, and through a lot of trial and error, lined up the mounting hole just right so the shaker lined up with the hole and the center ridge in the hood. Also, the plate has a second mounting stud I installed in an open bolt hole on the manifold which helps anchor and balance the shaker. I then drilled and tapped four 1/4 inch 20 threaded holes for the shaker to be bolted to the aluminum plate. As you can see in the pictures I previously posted, it turned out perfect. I used the rear weather seal from a 2000 Ford Explorer as the sealing rubber attached all around the shaker's edge.
I've got a freshly rebuilt 350 that im gonna drop into my Formula, which will require a complete refabrication, but we will get to that once the engine is installed.
okay so I've read your post more than a few times and I think I understand your design ..just realized by your open hood pic that you bypassed the stock air cleaner base all together..I like the fact that it appears you have an original type seal on there.. mine was so close to hood surface that I attached some thinner home window weather strip along the shakers perimeter. You know if this was an active popular thread I'd suggest a deconstruction with pics lol..So is that pulling in both air sources, fresh and under hood air?
okay so I've read your post more than a few times and I think I understand your design ..just realized by your open hood pic that you bypassed the stock air cleaner base all together..I like the fact that it appears you have an original type seal on there.. mine was so close to hood surface that I attached some thinner home window weather strip along the shakers perimeter. You know if this was an active popular thread I'd suggest a deconstruction with pics lol..So is that pulling in both air sources, fresh and under hood air?
It is pulling air in from both sources. That was the intention. It seals up perfectly against the hood, and I found that using the original housing was really restrictive, so through all of the trial and error, I was able to make this setup work, and I have a custom solution for the top breather element directly under thew shaker. Was thinking about fabricating a snout inside the shaker that would sit on top of the top air element and attach to the back of the shaker opening to further tighten the airflow from the top. But, as with all of this, it's a work in progress. I can do a deconstruct picture session here soon.
That's good to know..yes an original trans am it is..I assumed the auto latch was an option that would hinder my progress ha..do got to say Im pretty stuck on my Spidey man grid tail lights ha
The grid tail lights are pretty nice too. Those ugly Firebird tail lights are the ones I wanted nothing to do with, so I switched them out to the 82-84 TA lenses. It comes together much cleaner, but I did have to do some wire modification since the Firebird lights have more sockets than the TA's do.
It is pulling air in from both sources. That was the intention. It seals up perfectly against the hood, and I found that using the original housing was really restrictive, so through all of the trial and error, I was able to make this setup work, and I have a custom solution for the top breather element directly under thew shaker. Was thinking about fabricating a snout inside the shaker that would sit on top of the top air element and attach to the back of the shaker opening to further tighten the airflow from the top. But, as with all of this, it's a work in progress. I can do a deconstruct picture session here soon.
I think the main thing here is that you have the correct "look" in the way it sits just right..the old Pontiac engineers would've been proud
The grid tail lights are pretty nice too. Those ugly Firebird tail lights are the ones I wanted nothing to do with, so I switched them out to the 82-84 TA lenses. It comes together much cleaner, but I did have to do some wire modification since the Firebird lights have more sockets than the TA's do.
so IIRC the base and formula used the same taillights..too many blocks of color lol..well I can say I never thought the 82-84 would appeal to me but now after seeing it used for a shaker themed firebird it just fits..So did you ever consider the exhaust splitters like the 2nd gens?
so IIRC the base and formula used the same taillights..too many blocks of color lol..well I can say I never thought the 82-84 would appeal to me but now after seeing it used for a shaker themed firebird it just fits..So did you ever consider the exhaust splitters like the 2nd gens?
ABSOLUTELY!! Once I get this painted, that was going to be the final touch! I already have my 77 Trans Am SE, that is the Bandit, was gonna call this one "The Snowman" but i'm sure another one will come to mind. The early third gen tail lights are a perfect compliment to the overall aesthetic I'm going for. I'm eventually going to replace the wrap around spoiler with the "Aero: spoiler from 1982. I've got plans for the interior too, add a gold machine turned bezel effect on the dash, a Tan and gold 2nd gen Formula steering wheel, and I already have the 1982 only PMD seats installed. i have a set of Lexan (plastic) T-Tops I was going to paint them white so that when I use them, my car would look like a hardtop. Up next is swapping the front and rear bumpers and the 2 front fenders.Still a work in progress.
so IIRC the base and formula used the same taillights..too many blocks of color lol..well I can say I never thought the 82-84 would appeal to me but now after seeing it used for a shaker themed firebird it just fits..So did you ever consider the exhaust splitters like the 2nd gens?
Yes, they are ugly, and they have more sockets than the standard TA ones do. So, I took the sockets that were wiring the running lights, and modified them so that they would be the power source to light up the bird emblem on the light up bird project.
The hood bird decal arrived today..I think its gonna position pretty close to where I was hoping for..Good timing too budgetwise thanks to memorial day sale and Discover cash lol..
I got the shaker cleaned up and sanded before applying several coats of duplicolor base and some clear ..After cutting it a few times with
the rubbing compound i managed a decent gloss(flag reflection on wall) but unfortunately I got the typical yellowing in some places..Not sure what to do about it because its not noticeable at all when the car is parked outside..well laters!
ABSOLUTELY!! Once I get this painted, that was going to be the final touch! I already have my 77 Trans Am SE, that is the Bandit, was gonna call this one "The Snowman" but i'm sure another one will come to mind. The early third gen tail lights are a perfect compliment to the overall aesthetic I'm going for. I'm eventually going to replace the wrap around spoiler with the "Aero: spoiler from 1982. I've got plans for the interior too, add a gold machine turned bezel effect on the dash, a Tan and gold 2nd gen Formula steering wheel, and I already have the 1982 only PMD seats installed. i have a set of Lexan (plastic) T-Tops I was going to paint them white so that when I use them, my car would look like a hardtop. Up next is swapping the front and rear bumpers and the 2 front fenders.Still a work in progress.
Snowman would've fitted nicely..Sounds like a bunch of plans ahead for your ride..So did you keep the black and gold 82? I only saw photos and couldn't read into whether you got rid of it or not
ABSOLUTELY!! Once I get this painted, that was going to be the final touch! I already have my 77 Trans Am SE, that is the Bandit, was gonna call this one "The Snowman" but i'm sure another one will come to mind. The early third gen tail lights are a perfect compliment to the overall aesthetic I'm going for. I'm eventually going to replace the wrap around spoiler with the "Aero: spoiler from 1982. I've got plans for the interior too, add a gold machine turned bezel effect on the dash, a Tan and gold 2nd gen Formula steering wheel, and I already have the 1982 only PMD seats installed. i have a set of Lexan (plastic) T-Tops I was going to paint them white so that when I use them, my car would look like a hardtop. Up next is swapping the front and rear bumpers and the 2 front fenders.Still a work in progress.
Nicely documented project, but I have to admit that I am confused about the chain link fence mod.
Haha..are you talking about the junkpile the spoiler is nested on? ..Man it is great to still see you're still in charge here..Back then you were the Knowledge in these complicated(to us) electronics we were dealing with ..especially the e4me CCcarb.. and you're still the Goto im sure
