Run Notes:
1) Street tune, spun hard, 2) Less spin, felt good, more heat in the tires, 3) Good run but spun hard in First 4) Best run, good 60-ft, 5) Big burnout for camera, spun after for camera.
Owner Bio: Les Iden
At 70 years old, Les has been drag racing for 10 years and road racing for 20. He tells HPP, "I bought this base-model Firebird for the express purpose of creating a T/A clone to use for local track days at Willow Springs, and for local canyon carving, since the real thing has become too expensive to thrash on a road course or to daily drive on SoCal freeways." His favorite moment in his Bird thus far was "lapping the 2.5-mile Willow Springs circuit in under two minutes the very first time I competed with the finished car." Now retired, when not spending time with their 4 sons and 11 grandchildren, Les and his wife, Sharren, enjoy, "criss-crossing the U.S. in our vintage Pontiacs ['66 GTO and '68 GP] and attending national Pontiac events, all in complete comfort."
Strip Specs
| STRIP SPECS |
| Year/Model | ’72 base Firebird, (orig. 350 motor/ 350 trans) |
| Race Weight With Driver | 4,430-lbs (LACR scale) |
| Curb Weight | 4,180-lbs |
| Fuel Level When Last Weighed | 1/2 tank |
| Fuel | Shell premium, 91-octane |
| Engine | 455, ’75, ZC-code |
| Cubic Inches Before/After | 455/462 |
| Engine Built By | Owner |
| Induction System |
| Air Cleaner | WFO shaker kit with pleated paper filter |
| Carburetor | Q-Jet, 830 cfm |
| Jets, Primary | 0.074-in |
| Metering Rods, Primary/Secondary | 0.044/0.035-in |
| Spacer Plate | Mr. Gasket ½-in sandwich-style |
| | insulator, aluminum |
| Intake Manifold | Pontiac 455 H.O. aluminum |
| Fuel System |
| Pump | Master No. 40931 AC-type with vapor return |
| Lines | Stock 0.375-in, 0.25-in vapor line |
| Regulator | None |
| Heads |
| Casting | 4X-7H, ’75 |
| Head Porting | Bowl-ported by owner, crossover filled |
| Flow Numbers | Untested |
| Valves | Ferrea stainless, 2.11/1.77-in |