BlkBird

Hey guys, Ive been checking out this site for awhile now and decided to join in on the fun. I dont own a 'Vette but I do think they are one of the best looking cars ever made, especially the C3s. I have a '73 Pontiac Formula. The reason Im in a 'Vette forum is because I recently purchased an IRS and rear-frame section from a '78 'Vette that was wrecked hard infront. I am going to install the IRS and frame section in my '73. The plan is to attach the remainder of the 'Vette frame to the Formula's front sub-frame, making it a full frame car. I know there will be lots of floor pan mods to acheive this but I like the idea better than have a tube-frame made for the IRS. When its done I want it to look like something GM did...on a day when they got a wild hair up there butts. I plan on taking other aspects from 'Vettes(and other GM cars as well) and incorporating them in something special. It will still be Pontiac powered(nothing against the Bow Ties, but Im pretty much "dyed in the wool" when it comes to Poncho powerplants) but will be attached to a 5-speed sending power back to the IRS with 3.55 gears. I have lots of future plans, but nothing going on right now, the IRS is going to be taking up a large amount of time/money for awhile. The car is tenatively being called a "Formula Grand Sport". I hope you dont find it offensive to have that name linked to a "non-Vette" but I definately have plans to make it live up to that name.

Im open to any suggestions for prepping the IRS, you guys know them alot better than I do. I plan on having quite a bit of hp when Im done and dont forget Pontiacs are know for their torque.

Thanks :D

PatsLs1vette

well welcome and i know about those pontiacs i had a 70 firebird formula 400 with 455 heads 3000 stall solid lift cam and a ton of other mods..torque was unreal..anyway welcome aboard :cheers:

Scott78

Welcome, I too once upon a time had a '73 formula 400 with 4 speed. I wish I still had that car :yesnod: had to part it out after breaking the rear subframe off the uni body. So I can see the full frame idea having a purpose.
Good Luck
Scott

BlkBird

Thanks for the welcome guys. I was'nt really sure how Id be recieved. Some forums can be kinda close-minded when it comes to other makes. From what Ive already seen/read you guys seem to be pretty cool with that kinda stuff. Good to see Im not the only one whose had some Pontiacs in their pasts('course for me its current). Someday, I'll get a 'Vette too but for now Im still having fun with my Pontiacs. :D

paso

Welcome Blkbird Lot's of us here have other project cars and other makes,
At least your project's a cousin to the vette :D

67HEAVEN

Welcome aboard from a C2 owner.

73 LS-4

Can't really help you much with your project, but I can wish you the best of luck, sounds like a very cool project.

:cheers:
Pat Kunz

joeveto

It sounds like you have a great project there. We'll take anyone in this group. If my presence isn't proof enough, I don't know what is. It's good to have you here. :yesnod:

MIKER

Welcome aboard BlkBird. :cheers:

I'm also an ex-Pontiac owner. While in high school I had a '74 Formula 400 with the functional Ram Air hood. It was white with red interior, white vinyl top, and OEM Pontiac wheels. Cosmetically, it was no cream puff but the drive train was STOUT to say the least. That was over 20 years ago.
Nowadays, it gets even faster with each passing year!!! :lol: By the time I'm sixty years old I will be able to claim that it broke the sound barrier once after installing a new set of points. :D
Seriously though, I have always wanted my '80 Vette to pull as hard as my old Formula used to. It was a great street racer in my small Texas town. At the very least, I can't overstate my Formula's durability. I abused that car on a regular basis and it NEVER let me down. I sold the car for $750.

Good luck on your future modifications. Sounds like a very worthy project to me.
Oh yeah, don't forget to post pictures. WE LOVE PROJECT PICTURES! :yesnod:

BlkBird

Thanks guys! :cheers: Pontiacs do pull hard dont they! If mine ever runs maybe it'll refress my memory hehe:lol:

Pat: Gorgeous car! I have a thing for orange. :yesnod: And I think the ol' chrome bumper C3's are my farvortite 'Vette.

Oh, as far as pics go, I dont have a digital camera :nonod: but I was looking at them today so maybe in the future. :)


[Modified by BlkBird, 5:56 AM 4/14/2002]

GDaina

Welcome

If you're in the market for some ultra rare Ram Air heads, I know where you can get them.

Desertdawg

Welcome BlkBird.

And do be careful if you wander out of the C3 area. Other sections will chastise you for wasting vette parts on your project...

Fleetwood

Welcome,don't forget to take lots of pictures,I love pictures :)

78Vette-SA

Welcome...

If you need help with the IRS, many here of torn them apart and put em' back together.

SuperFast80

You sound like a car nut. That makes you welcome here any time. :yesnod:

Tom454

"Im open to any suggestions for prepping the IRS, you guys know them alot better than I
do. I plan on having quite a bit of hp when Im done and dont forget Pontiacs are know for
their torque"

Check the ring/pinion backlash. Don't mistake side yoke spline clearance for backlash.
Also check the side yoke endplay... if it is excessive, now is the time to replace the yokes and install new seals.

If the half shafts have not been recently serviced, it's a good time to replace the U-Joints.
Even if they feel "smooth", they can still be chewed up on the inside.
Most people are replacing the U-Joints with either BruteForce or Spicer non-greasable (no zerk fittings) for durability reasons.

Tom

BlkBird

"And do be careful if you wander out of the C3 area. Other sections will chastise you for wasting vette parts on your project..."

If anyone could have put the car I got the stuff from back together, Id love to see it!:eek: And Id hardly call it a waste of parts, the car would've been crushed. That would've been the waste. :yesnod:

Tom: Thanks for the tips. My plans for the IRS do include new U-joints. Other than that I plan on getting a new spring(cant see any sense in setting up the suspension around a 20+ year old spring) all new bushings, seals, gaskets, etc.(the basics). I had'nt really though about the yokes though. I will check them out. I see your from NC, maybe well run into each other sometime...not literally of course. :eek: :jester

Flareside

Welcome BlkBird!

The Vette IRS you have came from a small block car, so you'll want to upgrade the differential side yokes ("stub axles") to the big block style. They are interchangable, but the big block yokes used caps and bolts to retain the u-joint instead of the weaker U-bolts on the small block diff.

What kind of usage? Any 1/4 action or slicks? On the street, the stock IRS holds up pretty well for most of the guys here, but if you bolt on slicks with your 5 speed, stronger parts are in order.

Check out http://www.tomsdifferentials.com They have as many heavy duty IRS parts as your wallet can handle ;)

Good luck!

BlkBird

Flareside: Thanks for the tips and link. I did'nt know there was a difference in the SB or BB rears. So that was a very good tip. :yesnod: I dont know if it will ever end up with slick on it...but knowing me it probably will. The plan is to do some SCCA racing with it, but I can never stay away from the 1/4 either so its best to plan for that too.

GDaina: Which heads are they? I have stock(crappy) 6X heads on it right now. I had some RA3 heads on a previous project(code 62) and loved them. Its a long sad story what happened to that car so I wont go into it right now :cry I plan on getting some Edelbrock heads(theyre based on the RA4, but aluminum) but Im always open to other ideas. Find out what code they are, I might be interested. If not me, I know other Pontiac guys who probably would be! I kinda want side pipes on this car(the Formula Im working on now) but Hooker does'nt make sidepipe headers for the RA4 heads(or therefore the Edelbrock heads) only the D-port heads, which I currently have but am not happy with. Luckily(?) Im far from that point so I have time to think about it.

joe73vette

This sounds like a cool project. You should post it on http://www.classicalpontiac.com too. There is a guy there named Will who is doing the whole SCCA thing with a 2nd gen FB, and he probably has some tips you could use, too. I, too, had a 70 Formula 400/4-speed/tripower that no other car could match as far as mid-range torque. Definitely one of my most fun cars. Joe