2000 Pontiac Trans Am - Westbound And Down

As it turned out, the decal didn't work. The Ram Air hood had too many curves to allow for a smooth and professional installation. Undaunted, Todd enlisted the help of his good friend Gary Morgan from Morgan Signs in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to paint the gold hood bird on the Trans Am. The result screams for itself. The bird totally changed the T/A's character and exudes the same sort of bravado that its forebears possessed.

Inside, the "Bandit" treatment is also carried out to the max. Todd carefully cut the dash apart and inlaid the required gold engine-turned material around the gauges. The stock instrument cluster was also bolstered with a full complement of Auto Meter gauges.

With a look as aggressive as this Trans Am, there had better be some power to back up the "in your face" graphics package. Even though any WS6 Trans Am would rank as a formidable performer, Todd decided to up the ante dramatically.

For the transformation, he commissioned the folks at Livernois Motorsports in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, to build him an engine that would deliver on all fronts. The approach was the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove-a Vortech-supercharged 383 LS1 stroker that retains the driveability of a stock car yet delivers a massive punch.

The stock-bore aluminum LS1 block was fortified with SRP forged pistons and rings. Eagle forged steel 6.125-inch rods swing from an Eagle forged crankshaft with a 4-inch stroke. The production LS1 heads with their 2.00/1.55 valves were retained and left essentially stock, but are held to the block by way of ARP studs. Likewise, the cam is also a stock LS1 grind featuring 209/198 degrees duration at 0.050, 0.500/0.500 lift with 1.70 rockers, and a 119.5 LDA.

An upgraded Vortech V-1T centrifugal supercharger works with a matching dual-pass, air-to-liquid intercooler, which in turn blows a maximum of 16 psi into a Weiand Lingenfelter intake manifold. Though a stock 75mm throttle body and MAF remain, big 60-lb/hr injectors are fed by twin Walbro fuel pumps. The PCM was upgraded by LMS to handle the tremendous increase in fuel and air delivery. A Nitrous Express 100-horse nitrous system is also available just in case the need for speed becomes just too unbearable.

The compressed mixture is lit with a stock crank-trigger ignition system firing NGK spark plugs, and the spent gases are expelled by full-length Kooks headers with 1.75-inch primary tubes, 3.5-inch collectors, and a full 3.5-inch Borla exhaust system.

All of the top-end exotica certainly paid dividends in performance, to the tune of a retina-popping 661.5 hp at the rear wheels without the nitrous. That is not a typo. The power is transferred to a S.P.E.C. Stage 3 clutch on to the Hurst-shifted T56 transmission, then to a Hires Performance aluminum driveshaft, and a Moser 12-bolt rearend with 3.73 gears and a limited-slip differential. A line-lock is also employed for racing use.

Subjecting the stock Firebird unibody structure to that much horsepower is tantamount to vehicular cruelty, so a set of BMR subframe connectors was utilized to keep the flexing in check. BMR also supplied lower rear control arms and an adjustable Panhard bar. Stopping power is provided by six-piston Wilwood disc brakes all around.

As one might guess, Todd and his '00 "Bandit" Trans Am garner a lot of attention wherever they go. He has successfully taken the spirit of the Limited Edition and Special Edition Trans Ams of the '70s and infused it with the performance of an LS1-powered, Fourth-Gen Trans Am, giving this Bird a unique personna of its own.