I cannot believe I finally found my Firebird. It is everything I wanted and more! The car was up for sale on Craigslist for over 3 months and I could not get ahold of the owner until just last week. I sent my boyfriend to go pick it up in Ontario, California (along with our amazing friend Danny) and next thing I know, the car is sitting in our garage back home.
The car is a 1971 base model Firebird that the previous owner had made to look like a Formula. I’ll repeat that for the people who glazed over that last line: This is not a real Formula car. It has a rebuilt 350ci Pontiac engine that we know nothing about. The guy we picked it up from did not have any information on the rebuild, but after a 90-mile drive home we realized it runs flawlessly and is completely gutless.
From the doors back, this thing is beautiful! The paint is just faded and scratched up enough to the point where I won’t have to worry about it. The front end is an entirely different story. My valence is shot, the front fenders are a different shade than the rest of the car (with a massive dent), and the bumper is absolutely thrashed. The Formula hood on this car is definitely cool, but since it does not actually belong on my base model Firebird, I feel no attachment to it. I plan on swapping it with a fiberglass Formula hood along with a fiberglass front clip from VFN to drop weight and also make the front end of the car look a little less terrible.
The car photographs really well so you may question my definition of what “thrashed” is, but take a look at this car in person and you’d understand. I specifically bought this Firebird with the intention of building it into a drag car and it really is the best candidate. The long term plan is to swap in the LS1 we have sitting in our dining room and bolt up a 4l60 behind it. If the car had come with a 400ci Pontiac, I would have probably ended up building it, but I really can’t justify sinking a dime into the 350. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford the Pontiac stroker engine build I’ve always dreamed of… but as of right now, the LS1 is way more cost effective. (Side Note: I’m not going the power adder route. This car will be N/A)
I am really excited to get started on this build and appreciate all the support I’ve gotten on Instagram! Since the plan is to eventually turn the Firebird into a race car, I am looking to partner with aftermarket companies who could benefit from advertising. I work with a few smaller automotive groups already and would like the opportunity to market more products. Email me at: olivia.scaffidi@gmail.com if you are interested in partnering up!
Follow along with the progress on Instagram @livscaffidi
