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I Bought my Firebird new in Feb 1975 and I Turbocharged it in 1979 and somewhere in the 80s, I ran the firebird in a autocross event in the parking lot in the Haney Mall, The car was too modified to run in anyone's class so I was only running against myself but I had a wonderful time being able to use the HP in a safe environment. I wasn't particularly fast but the commentator was impressed enough with the first run that the announcement for my second run was particularly enthusiastic, insuring people were watching. The car made a wonderful noise that stopped the traffic on the street next to the parking lot. There was no sport for drifting at that time so watching me exit each corner sideways and light the tires up down the straight to the next turn had people interested to say the least. The car made a sound that people weren't use to at the time, the massive suckingof air, the whine of the big turbo and the exhaust note of two straight pipes. Unfortunately I had to leave early to the shagrin of the organisers. The car broke down shortly after that event and I never was able to do it again.
I stored the carin my garage for 15 years and started working on it again in 2005, I decided to do it right this time so it won't break so often. I built a bottom end capable of handling 1400 hp and similarly changed any component that might break from running about 800 hp. I finished the car in 2013 and put it in the tradex car show and got an Honourable mention but I had several problems that needed to be resolved like a leaky rear main. Anyways that's the story now for the question, I want to run it again but I realize it doesn't really fit in any class but that is OK, I just want to enjoy the car again. So what class can I run it in (even though it is not competitive). It is a 462 cubic Inch motor that has a big single turbo running a bout 15 PSI. It is fuel injected and intercooled. The rear suspension is an Art Morrison Triangulated 4 bar with Wilwood Brakes, coil over adjustable shocks. The front suspension is similarly prepared. It has a double disk clutch with a scattershield. (sfi rated) a 5 speed tremec transmission, with driveshaft rated for 1000 hp, the 9" ford rear end is also 1000hp rated with a 3.5 ratio. The chassis is strengthened with a 6 point roll bar that ties front subframe to rear clip. The harmonic balancer is also SFI rated and the racing seats have 5 point 3" harnesses. If you have any questions about the car you can see the whole build in facebook under "Johns 1975 Formula 400 Firebird" it is open to public. Sorry if this is too long but I wanted to tell you about the history of the car in autocross.
I stored the carin my garage for 15 years and started working on it again in 2005, I decided to do it right this time so it won't break so often. I built a bottom end capable of handling 1400 hp and similarly changed any component that might break from running about 800 hp. I finished the car in 2013 and put it in the tradex car show and got an Honourable mention but I had several problems that needed to be resolved like a leaky rear main. Anyways that's the story now for the question, I want to run it again but I realize it doesn't really fit in any class but that is OK, I just want to enjoy the car again. So what class can I run it in (even though it is not competitive). It is a 462 cubic Inch motor that has a big single turbo running a bout 15 PSI. It is fuel injected and intercooled. The rear suspension is an Art Morrison Triangulated 4 bar with Wilwood Brakes, coil over adjustable shocks. The front suspension is similarly prepared. It has a double disk clutch with a scattershield. (sfi rated) a 5 speed tremec transmission, with driveshaft rated for 1000 hp, the 9" ford rear end is also 1000hp rated with a 3.5 ratio. The chassis is strengthened with a 6 point roll bar that ties front subframe to rear clip. The harmonic balancer is also SFI rated and the racing seats have 5 point 3" harnesses. If you have any questions about the car you can see the whole build in facebook under "Johns 1975 Formula 400 Firebird" it is open to public. Sorry if this is too long but I wanted to tell you about the history of the car in autocross.
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