Certain years of that body style are very aerodynamic, like really good, I was watching a Bonneville land speed racing documentary series and they really dived deep on one of those firebirds
Foxbody Tbirds are cheap. I have had several Turbo Coupes given to me. They do weigh a little more than a Mustang but have a decent trunk. Turbo Coupes come with either a 3.73 or 3.55 8.8 limited slip. Automatics had the 3.73 and manuals had the 3.55.
If memory is right, '87 was the last year for the Screaming Chicken. This poncho needs one (please ). Cheers, Harv
Rear leaf springs. large engine bay. As light as can be. Spend no money. Strong criteria. I would suggest an older 1/2 ton pickup. Many have decent rear axles and disc brakes on the front. There's enough room under the hood for a turbo and plumbing and a large frontal opening for engine cooling and intercooling. Most have enough trans tunnel to do whatever. Putting in a turbo with space limitations can hurt the efficiency of the unit. You will also need space for the electronics to run the efi and have laptop tuning. You have less to strip from a truck cab than a passenger car. You will need a stronger frame for 1000 hp. We've all seen a bodied car twist radically off the starting line with out a good chassis and some cage work. If a truck is off limits, then I would try to maximize the points you laid out in the beginning.
I have a truck, but it's way too heavy for what I want to do, has no room inside (can't lock stuff in the bed in hotel parking lots), etc. It's not what I want for this project. I've already spent a lot of time considering it. I'll get an update next week. Other stuff going on now.
@SilverJimmy Have a question on reason for the Neck Down Scoop , Was it to reduce air to engine ? Or increase air pressure & the speed of air ?, Or a higher air pressure closer to noise ? Pro Sock / Door Slammer used that scoop for years , but not in that configuration.
ALways want to build something outta one of these !! 351W are a bolt-in.... Stroke-able (zatta word?!) to 427+ Ease to lighten up Really cool body style and AC and such come standard... 6sally6
Scoop is designed that way for a couple reasons. 1) At the speed I’m trying to go (200 mph!) the scoop opening only needs to be large enough to supply the air that the engine can use. The way it was explained to me was that if the scoop opening was too large air would pack into the scoop and then start coming back out and cause turbulence and drag. A friend of mine who was a lot smarter than I am designed the size and also the shape of that aluminum piece that I call a “Schnozzel”! It actually has NACA airfoil shapes on the inner and exterior surfaces. I think that my scoop is pretty much invisible to the air that I’m trying to go thru in my quest for 200! 2) The reasoning on the tapered design is also based on the speeds I’m trying to reach and the distance that we race over. By having my scoop get larger past the opening the theory is that as the air expands it will slow down before going into the engine which should help with fuel mixtures and making power. 3) SCTA rules limit how high your scoop can be above the hood and also how far forward the opening can be. All of the above is for land speed racing, it seems to work as my Firebird has a 302 CI GMC inline 6 and I was able to set the record at ElMirage @ 165.545 mph and was able to go about 190 mph at Bonneville! Hopefully Jim gets what he wants and then we all get to watch the fun again!
@SilverJimmy Thats what I was thinking , Packing air , (parachute) & also small cid , Thank you for the response
How about a Ford Granada with a LS. It's another fairly mundane car, I believe they are the older Mustang / Maverick chassis so there is also a ton of parts availability I believe some of them came with 9-in axles and if you're real lucky you can find a Lincoln Versailles and it's even disc braked in the rear. I mean if you want to go stupid fast and win the cheering part of the zip tie drags You're going to need mismatch fenders maybe a little cancer on top of the wheel wells You know standard stuff that makes the car look like it's ready for the trash heap.
The LQ4 in my 2000 Silverado said adios this week, I just ordered a rebuilt, cash and carry. A LOT OF CASH, haven't got the total $$$ or expectation of delivery date yet.
SN 95 six cylinder Mustangs are everywhere and cheap here in Tucson. The LS fits, and the 8.8 will bolt in if it doesn’t already have one.
Focus on the robots Jim. We still be here to tell you how we’d spend your money when it’s our turn again. The Firebird has to be a real contender as anything you can dream up is probably available to buy or look at for inspiration on how to build your own. And the LS works well in them.
What do you want to run in it? LS or how about an in-line Chevy 4200…easier to turbo, I would think…plenty of HP!
I looked into the Atlas engines, seems like a difficult way to go, although it would be neat. There are just too many issues with them....not fitting, blowing up, etc. And not easy to find an engine, when I looked.
A 4 door G body would likely fit the parameters other than leaf spring rear... The olds and buicks are much less pretty than the Malibu and could possibly be much cheaper if you could find one. A 4 door 70's Nova or BOP equivalent?
Vegas are few and far between these days, too. And they take a lot of work to get capable of going fast, not much useful rear suspension, etc, not much room in the engine bay or tunnel either.
The 3rd Gen Trans Am had the same drag coefficient as a modern C7 and C8 Corvette [0.32] The Firebird was slightly less at 0.33 So they are pretty good They can also be gutted out to weigh next to nothing I had a 3rd Gen Z28E [Euro] that weighed 3000 lbs with all the road legal requirements
3000 is pretty light for a newer (remember I'm into 1960s stuff) V8 RWD car. this is the Cherokee...pretty interesting. The weights might be with the 4 cylinder?
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