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I got this car when I was 16, back in July 00, hanging out at a local performance shop, two cars leave a mark. One a 396 Nitrous C4 with a direct port hidden under the LT4 intake, the car makes mid 700s on spray. The other a black 95 Firehawk, 383 T-Trim, this car makes mid 700s on blower, they spray it and it makes 970rwhp. I want to build a stroker LT1, but I am a broke kid who can no way afford that. Fast forward, I get an opportunity to buy a 398 stroker that was built by Dave Diluca, he had left ARE and was on his own at this point. Sadly, passes not long after. The guy I bought the short block, never finished his car, so I ended up sending the short block to Erik K of HKE. The motor gets Hell Fire rings, new bearings, and is reassembled. Phil at A.I specs the cam, a hydraulic roller.
I wanted to reuse the LME Dart Pro-1 heads I had, we knew the compression was questionable, it ended up being 14:1, on MS109 the car makes 473rwhp at 5K rpm and is plagued with valve train issues. Later the car gets hit on the way to dyno it after removing the Morels link bars for a set of GM LS7s. The car gets fixed and repainted, it sits a while longer, I am sick of the car because nothing ever goes right. Noticing after having it repainted that the paints bubbling on the quarter. I should have taken it back to the body shop but I was sick of the car and its like why try? My dad got me the car for my 16th Birthday and at the start of 2020 he has dementia and is at the end of his life, he still remembered the Trans Am and would ask about it. It would be a hard car to sell, I look back and think I should have done that many years ago, but I still held on to it.
9 years later……
My buddy Michael Delong who owns Serious Horse Power is tired of seeing the car sit in my garage. I say ok, lets pull the Gen 2 LT1, and go to a Gen 5 LT1, I wont LS swap it. He doesn’t work or like Gen 2 LT1s because most are old and junky, but he knows what’s in the car and suggests keep the LT1, put it back to pump and let his engine builder who is also the shop foreman go back through the entire motor and car. So it begins, I did the engine math correctly this time, you can’t head gasket thickness your way out of this, so a set of AFR 210 LT4 Eliminators with the Competition CNC port are ordered, with a 65 cc chamber and essentially stock thickness head gasket, the quench is goodish range and the car would be right under 12:1 compression. I am sure a set of TFS heads done by Lloyd Elliot could have made more power, but at this point, its just get the car running again.
The Clutch is also slipping, McLeod no longer services my ancient Street twin, so it gets an RXT and Push Conversion. Lance J at SHP who is a friend of PonyHuntry (Josh Hamming blower LT1 guys who was on here) goes through the entire car, and begins re-assembly of the LT1. He found several issues and leaks, both intake and exhaust, corrects it. Michael who owns the shop and tunes, begins tuning, I am convinced that the car is going to be out of fuel, it has a Walbro 255 and a ancient 39# racetronix injectors. Its not and the old LT1 is finally happy... First time driving it after, my impression is that this thing just absolutely rips, the car has so much torque on demand. The tires were 11 years old prior so it now has a fresh set of Nittos, drag radials on the back, its very manageable but you can break them lose pretty easy.
That's corrected, no tricks, we didn't take the belt off or pull the filter, left the 17X11s on it. Car has a Strange 12 Bolt with a Spohn steel drive shaft. I remember there was a dyno at an import shop, that we used to use, and this car would make 20 rwhp more on that dyno then on this one, kinda funny looking back.
Motor Specs
Short Block: 398 LT1 - Callies Dragon Slayer Crank, Compstar rods & Ross Pistons.
Top End: AFR 210 LT4 Eliminators Comp CNC, AI Custom Hydraulic 244/254/110 LSA .604/.602. GM LS7 Lifters. Motown Single Plane with 90mm TB.
Other: Standard pressure Melling Pump, GZ vacuum pump.
Exhaust: Kooks Stepped LT1 Long Tubes. Custom 3" Y Pipe in a Borla cat back.
Computer: 24X EFI Connection with a 99 LS1 PCM
Transmission/Rear: T56 / 12 Bolt 3.90
What's left?
The car got a set of Baer Brakes, that's more of a childhood dream than anything. But I took it back to the body shop that painted in 2015, they're currently fixing the rear quarter panels on it.
The slippery slope now is what we always knew, the car needs a bigger collector in the Y pipe and 4" exhaust, with that I think it could make over 500rwhp NA. The problem in that is that these cars with the Borla have been so ingrained in me, that taking the Borla off a Trans Am hurts my heart. That and I like how quiet the car can get. The car also has a Nitrous Outlet spray bar system, at this point I just want to charge the AC and enjoy it, but part of me is like, it would be cool to see the car make 700+ like those original LT1s that left a mark so many years ago. But at the same time, I am equally close to retirement as I am being that age, so I don't want to build another LT1 or hurt this one to where it sits another 10 years.
I also realize this board has little to no traffic, but I spent my teenage years and early 20s drooling over cars like Injuneers Formula, the black blower Z28 on the Wolfe Racecraft site, George Baxters 97, Joe Overtons 94 Trans Am, Chris Sikoras blower 96 Z28, Stefan’s 93 Trans Am, Tony’s 93 Z28, Jordan’s black 94 Z28, Dave Lewis’ black LT1 Firehawk, Taner’s 96 SS, so screw it, cool to finally get to make a thread that I got what I wanted so many years later and it now finally runs and makes clean pulls
Nice car Neil. Before he died, my grandpa loved watching me do burnouts down the street as I left his house. This was the last car he saw do that before he went to a home, also dementia, so I totally get it. Funny enough it's also an LT1 Trans Am with a Firehawk hood.
I was going to ask what intake are you running then I saw the lid on on dyno video. I miss my Borla catback. I got the SLP 2otl but I'll always have a sweet spot for the Borla. Enjoy the car sir!
Nice car Neil. Before he died, my grandpa loved watching me do burnouts down the street as I left his house. This was the last car he saw do that before he went to a home, also dementia, so I totally get it. Funny enough it's also an LT1 Trans Am with a Firehawk hood.
I was going to ask what intake are you running then I saw the lid on on dyno video. I miss my Borla catback. I got the SLP 2otl but I'll always have a sweet spot for the Borla. Enjoy the car sir!
I have a major sweet spot for the SLP two on the left, for a F-body guy its a really cool exhaust and the comments they tend to get are pretty funny. "Is it supposed to be like that..." Dementia is a terrible disease, I have nightmares about living through that to this day, I would never ever wish it on anyone.
Hey man i got my car in 01 and still have it also! Its a 94 z28. Man i miss those years on fbody.com and here drooling over the same cars and talkin about modding fbodys. Seems like ancient history and yesterday at the same time! Im gona try getting back on this forum more often like old times
