Well, been home for like 8 months now, but still back. Be ready for the long story of my car.

I bought this car way back in 2001. I had bought a giant piece of crap car from CarMax and they ended up buying it back. I had cash in my pocket and was driving home from college with my girlfriend (now wife) and we drove past a dealership that a family friend owned. This car was sitting there beside the building all shined up. It had 60k miles on it and was almost mint. It was odd because this place really only sold boring Hondas and Toyotas and stuff. We talked to the owner and he said some guy just traded it in a couple hours ago and they probably won't keep it on the lot. He gave me the keys, told me to take it home for the weekend and see if I liked it. Well, already liked it but took it home to be sure it wasn't a total pile. We drove it around all night and in the morning I went back and bought it. Bone stock 305 TBI automatic car. Slow and all but I loved it.


I only had it for about a year and a half, but we took it everywhere, left our wedding in the car, etc.

I started a business and needed a truck, so I sold the car to my parents for my little brother to drive as his first car. Well, he didn't have his license yet so it sat in the garage. My dad would start it up every now and then. Well, one time he started it and left it running and forgot about it and the car sat and overheated and smoked the engine. I brought it back to my house, worked on it a bit, drove it around a bit before realizing the engine was dead. I even met @Abubaca while I had the car and he ended up becoming one of my best friends. I didn't have the time or space to do an engine swap, so I had a "friend" back home who built engines. He said he could swap in a 350 with TPI. Notice the "friend" part. He was a friend who became a "friend" after this. Well, he destroyed the car. He put a good engine in it but then proceeded to hack the wiring beyond recognition. There were like three harnesses in the car when we got it back. It had cracks in the GFX and the interior was filthy and headliner was ruined and all. He basically gave us the car back and disappeared. I never saw him again. We worked on the car, took it a few places to try and get them to sort it out but in the end we just decided to not drop any more money on it and sold it to @shadow315 . Also became good friends with him after the deal. Well, he fixed it up, redid the wiring, cleaned it up and got it running. I pestered him for the next like 10+ years to sell it back but he never wanted to. About a year ago my wife and I were talking and she asked me who I was always getting bored with cars and selling them, and why not just get cars that I wanted to keep. She asked what cars I could have that I would be happy with. I said my 98 TA (have owned for 16 years) and getting back my 92 Firebird and my 76 TA (which I actually found and bought back recently after having sold it like 20 years ago). Not 2-3 months later, Len calls me and asks me if I want my 92 back. Of course I jumped on it. Traded him some parts and cashed out some Bitcoin profits (seriously) and went and got my car and brought it home. Luckily I didn't also give him COVID because two days later I tested positive and got really sick for a couple weeks.



Well, it was currently not running. Barely wanted to start and when it did it coughed and died. When I finally got it running it ran like crap and couldn't get it tuned up right and after a while the starter finally gave up.

I went into the attic and started digging up parts. I found an old LT1 starter and rebuilt it. Installed it in the car and it now started, but still ran terrible. At least it ran. I again dug through the attic and found a new set of spark plugs, so got them all gapped properly and installed. Car ran better but not great. Again into the attic and dug up a new cap and rotor. The old cap was cracked so a replacement was in order. The car ran better but still not great. It was drivable at least.

I then took the old wheels and tires off of my ex-daily driver S-10 Blazer and put them on the Firebird. Totally changed the look from the old 15s. They are 18x9.5 XXR 531s with 275 35 18 tires all around.

Well, got tired of messing with a carb on it, so into the spare parts pile yet again and dug up an FITech GoEfi system I had and dropped it on the car. After some tuning and other dumb things with it like having massive RFI and stalling issues, it has been running awesome for a while now.

Got tired of the 4x4 look, so I installed a set of BMR rear lowering springs I had from when I converted my 98 to coilovers and then cut the front coils to drop it down. They were soft stock springs anyway so they really didn't make it ride rough, just dropped it perfectly. Then we did a little cleanup on the interior, did a ton of paint correction work and had it looking really good. It still needs a ton of work, but definitely getting there. Paint is a good 30 footer, but still looks like a good survivor car.

I'm getting ready to address the main frustrations I have with the car. The fact it has a 2.73 open rear and a boring automatic. I can't stand automatics.

I am picking up a bunch of stuff soon. A 9-bolt 3.27 posi rear from my buddy along with some Founders LCAs and some Alston SFCs. Then my T56 in my 98 TA (car was also an automatic that I swapped to T56) started making bearing noise so I ordered a Magnum T56 from Tick Performance and was going to rebuild my old T56 to fit behind the 350. As luck would have it, I found an LT1 T56 local for a killer deal so bought that too. So this winter, that'll be going in too. Just gotta source the rest of the parts.

I'll keep this thread updated as I go. This thing is staying forever, so might as well make it exactly how I wanted it. Once the new T56 is in my 98, I'd have pretty much maxed out what I wanted to do to it so time to focus on the 92.

 

Yo.
I'd make a comment, or ask a question, but since we IM on FB all day.....I don't really have anything new. I'll just say "YO!"

 

That quiet the story and a very interesting read. Sounds like everything is going in the right direction. Enjoy the Birds 🐦 😉

 

Thanks for sharing the story. I'm partial to the styling of the 91-92 Firebird since a 91 was my first car, also back in 2001. I'd sure like to have one again, only a stick this time. I'll leave the auto for the turbo.

 

Nice work...

 

Great story. There are cars from my past that I'd love to have back. Like finding an old friend.

 

Great looking car and glad you getting it sorted out and roadworthy again.

 

Very cool man.

 

Nice story hope the wife and the car stays around for many many years

 

I've always thought the 91-92 Firebirds were the best looking Thirdgens, I'm not biased at all
Seeing a red 91 like mine with the side moldings removed has sold me on removing mine, good looking car and I look forward to seeing more of it.

 

2nd best. '82-'84 looked the best. I definitely like the front facia on the '91-'92. I prefer them without the ground effects trim...

 

Nice car, I like those rims on it. I cannot help to ask but in the 3rd pic, is that a bullet hole in the lower fender trim in the front?

I bought a derelict `91 that looks just like that but a V6. You can read about my decent into something beyond insanity here if you`d like. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...ird-thats.html

 

😂 well we can agree to disagree 😂

 

Nope, just a hole busted in it.

 

Quick update. Hadn't really been doing much but driving it. Until now.....swapped in a T56. So much more fun....

 

congratulations on getting your firebird back and in better shape! I love the way it looks.

How do you like using the EZ-EFI? I wanted to do something similar and if you have any advice to share on your install would be helpful.

Any pictures from your T-56 swap?

 

I hate it, like REALLY hate it. Maybe it would be different in another car, but in this one it has terrible RFI and the only way I could get it to run and work ok is by constructing a tinfoil hat over the distributor and wiring. Even now it still randomly stalls nd runs like crap. I'll probably reuse it on my 76 Trans Am and hopefully don't have the same problems, but for now I'm swapping on a TPI setup.

Don't really have any pictures from the T56 swap either. It was super easy, I can answer any questions anyone might have. I swapped my 98 TA to a T56 a while back and this one was easier, in my opinion. Or at least this time I had a little experience.

 

So a few more updates. Since I dislike the FITech so much, I am going to swap to a TPI. I found a complete Edelbrock setup on FB Marketplace for a killer deal so I snatched it up. I spent the last week cleaning and powdercoating it, so it is almost ready to go on the car. I have a DynamicEFI to go with it, just need to clean up this harness a bit and I can get it installed in the car.


I also am getting a new 3.27 gear 9-bolt off my good friend @Abubaca along with some chassis and suspension bits, so hopefully will be getting those in the car soon too. Picking those up this weekend!