1969 Pontiac Firebird - Status Whoa

As the disassembly process commenced, Blake found several unwelcome surprises. While the car looked pretty solid during the initial inspection, thick layers of undercoating concealed floors that were in poor condition overall. Furthermore, just about every panel ended up being replaced. Considering it was the first time that he tackled any real metalwork, Blake admits that he made plenty of mistakes. "At first I tried patching the floors and quarters, but I later realized I had to replace the entire panel," he explains. "The doors, fenders, and trunk were also no good, so the only original metal that's left is the roof and firewall. All I had to work with was my Sawzall, cutoff wheel, electric grinder, and MIG welder, and I just learned as I went along,"

With the bulk of the repair work complete, Blake rigged up several custom tweaks to distinguish his car from the pack. Although he likes the look of the twin-snorkel Trans Am hood that many Firebird owners install, Blake felt it was too generic. "I just started out with a blank of sheetmetal, a dolly, and a hammer, and came up with a custom design using nothing more than my pea brain. People ask me where they can buy my hood all the time, and I tell them 'you can't because I hand-built it,'" he says. Likewise, the instrument panel is a custom one-off as well. "After two weeks of messing around with some 22-gauge sheetmetal, body filler, and fiberglass, I had a custom instrument panel."

Elbow deep in bodywork, Blake enlisted the help of Nickens Brothers Racing Engines-best known for their work in NHRA Pro Stock-to assemble the Poncho's powerplant. As plans called for beating on the setup hard, and potentially breaking parts, opting for big-block Chevy power was an easy choice to make. "I know you can make some power with Pontiac motors these days, but I went with a Chevy because if something breaks, I won't have to sit around waiting for parts," he explains. He settled on a 540ci combination based on a World Product's Merlin block, which was fitted with a forged Scat rotating assembly. It's topped with a set of RHS 320cc aluminum heads, an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold, and a Holley 950-cfm carb. The combo kicks out an impressive 738 hp and 679 lb-ft of torque, but even more impressive is the fact that it gets the job done with a modestly sized 256/264-at-0.050 Ultradyne solid roller cam and a 4150-style carb. Backing up the Rat is a TH400 trans and a Strange 9-inch rearend.

Packed to the brim with go-fast and comfort goodies, the Firebird weighs in at a chunky 3,600 pounds without driver. Nonetheless, it still manages 10.41-at-130-mph passes at the track on 28x12x15 slicks. If that doesn't get your attention, what the car runs in full street trim most certainly will. "With drag radials, 17-inch [Pro Touring] wheels on all four corners and 3.25:1 rear gears, the car ran 10.50s at 127 mph," Blake explains. "As I put more gear in the car, the big 17s wouldn't transfer weight back quickly enough, so I had to go with skinnies up front." While the Bird's 1.52-second 60-foot times are respectable, they're clearly indicative of a stiff suspension setup that hasn't been optimized for the dragstrip, further proving the car's street credentials.

Speaking of suspension setup, Blake's primary goal was improving the Firebird's ride and handling on the street, so he installed a full Detroit Speed and Engineering setup. Up front are tubular DSE upper and lower control arms, coilovers, and a sway bar. To make sure that back end grip keeps pace with the front, the stock rear leafs were replaced with a DSE four-link conversion. "The DSE parts are some of the best I've ever installed," says Blake. "They just flat out work. I didn't build my car to road race, but when I see a road sign in front of a curve that reads 40 mph, I go 80."