1969 Pontiac Firebird - "Routy"

[Steve Firebird]

It’s really hard to see a difference between the reds with my screen. I am going to try and get to a DuPont dealer and look at some chips in person.
Weather is pretty bad today I might not get up to the trailer for a while but I will let you know when I do. I have to go out and plow snow pretty soon so take care and I will talk with you later.

[ZeGerman]

If you're leaning toward painting it a shade of red, I really dig the darker burgundy colors on Firebirds.  I think Hot Poppy or Brandywine would look excellent.

I must admit, however, that I have a bit of an aversion toward bright red Pontiacs.   There are way too many Montero Red GTOs out there (mine included - saving $$ for paint job ).  It's not that bright red looks bad on Firebirds (quite the contrary, actually), it's just that bright red seems to be the default Pontiac color.

[Kevin O]

I think the red in the rendering is spot-on, the trick is to find a color to match.     I'll have to see what Hermance was going for.    He mentioned the Boyd Red, but I think that's a little dark.    Glad you like the project, I think it's going to be a very fun car to drive when it's done!

[fabriktor]

Hey Kevin,/ Steve,
                              Cool project.   Using any DSE products? Subframe, mini-tubs, quadra-link, roll cage, electric wiper?
       How long will the build be Kevin? 

[Kevin O]

Thanks Dan!   I think Steve already has a set of DSE rear springs, and we're not sure about the rest of the project.    I'd like to throw the DSE catalog at the car, but it depends on the budget, and It think Steve's already got most of the parts to build the car.     He can comment more on this.     The build time is going to be spread across 2009.   

[Steve Firebird]

I think I should take some time and explain my vision on this build. When I bought the 69 I did not really have a definite plan for it I just knew it was a good deal and a solid car. I thought about it a lot and decided since I just went through a Pro Touring type build on my 68 Firebird I wanted to do something different for this one. I also realized I had a lot of nice parts I took off the 68 that would work well on the 69.  I want to utilize a lot of the stock components just to make the build simple and easy.  I really liked to looks of the 69 Trans Am but did not really want to do a TA clone. I decided to go with the TA body kit and try to come up with a unique paint scheme. Ben really came through for me on that part. The plan is to use as many of the parts I have all ready have to do this car.   The engine came with the car so that’s what I am going with. It is a 1973 Pontiac 400 block with 1968 # 16 heads.  I will detail the engine build in a later post along with who is building it. The transmission is a M20 that has about 5000 miles on a rebuild and a Hurst competition plus shifter along with a factory console all of which I pulled out of my 68.  I also have a set of DSE 3” drop leafsprings and QA1 shocks I took off my 68. The JYD rims and tires have 16 miles on them and  came off the 68 as well. I picked up a steel repro Trans Am hood and all the parts to make it a functional ram air system. I found a set of 2002 TA seats on eBay that will go in the car as well and am having the back seat reupholstered to match the front.
I want the car to be fun, flashy and easy/comfortable to drive. It will have power steering and brakes as well as AC and I have been thinking about going to EFI if I can swing it. I want my Wife to be able to get in and drive it to shows and on cruises as well as my son when he turns 16. It’s not going to be a race car but a fun cruiser with some good power and a Routy attitude. I hope that gives you a quick idea of the general direction of the build.  There are still a lot of details to sort out on this build and we plan to do all of it right on this thread so everyone’s opinions are welcome.
 Steve

[Kevin O]

I think it will be cool to do more with less... like using Delrin bushings in stock arms, ported iron heads, and the like to squeeze as much as we can from what you've already got.     

It looks like the Dan (fabriktor) and the crew are working on a '69 Firebird for George Poteet... maybe we can steal some tricks off that car!

http://www.detroitspeed.com/projectpages/georgepoteet/gp1969firebird.htm

[Steve Firebird]

That looks like a super nice build. I will keep an eye on it for sure.
My son Clayton and I were able to get up to the storage trailer and pull Routy out and  transfer it to my car hauler. I was worried that if we got a big snow storm it would be tough to get to it. Temps started out a 0 but did get clear up to 12 by the time we were done.
We got a lot on nice parts with the car but what a mess. Very few things are marked and no organizaton at all to speak of. The parts sat in a pole shed and got very dirty before I bought the car. I found a couple of dead birds in one of the boxes and a bunch of straw in others. The new rear bunper has a couple of dents on it from something getting droped on it. I pulled some of the big boxes of stuff into my shop and will start to go thru them as I have  time. I guess thats one of the pit falls of buying a project some one else gave up on. Sorry Kelle.

[Kevin O]

Wow, I'm trying to get past the symbolic dead bird in the "dead 'Bird"....    At least you're being honest... usually we hear "Oh yeah, the parts are all there, pristine, ready to put together, all labeled and organized!" but it's actually closer to your situation.      We'll get through it!

[Farmgirl]

I will take a deep breath and dig right in Steve, if you don't have time to go through it, just make sure that if there are any little loose parts rolling around to put them in a bag so we don't lose anything else.  Dead birds and especially straw are no big deal to me either.
This is gonna be FUN!

[Kevin O]

Steve sent some pics from the weekend, loading ROUTY into the trailer... I don't envy you for this one.    Looks cold!   And that's probably more than a ton of parts!   

[speedster]

Hey Dr. Firebird...

Glad to see the new project is under way.  Very nice.     The rendering that Ben did fits perfectly.  Want to see this progress.  If you need any extra parts, I have a pretty large pile at the house. 

Take Care Steve.

[Steve Firebird]

Thats good to know Speedster. I might take you up on that before this is all done. How is your butt kickin car coming?

[Hdesign]

Thanks for including me in the project Kevin and Steve! Great project, I'm excited to see how it turns out!!

Red hot meltdown is a great choice!  I've spec'd it before.

[CanAmChris]

Its great to see another one being saved!! But what is all that white stuff on the ground.. we dont see much of that in Texas.