Much like our cover story this issue, the Schenk family also falls under the category of father-and-son Pontiac hobbyists. Son Michael, a 24-year-old construction worker from Rydal, Pennsylvania, his brother, William, and father, Gary, embarked on this project in July 2002 after plunking down $4,000 on a clean, green '68 Firebird out of South Carolina through an ad in Hemmings Motor News. According to Michael, "It was everything that was anticipated" when it arrived. "Its body was in good condition along with good green paint. The interior was dry-rotted, and the engine had 97,000 hard miles on it."
Michael, his brother, and their dad got right to work stripping the Pontiac down to its bare essentials and planning for modifications and rebuilding.
Bucking the trend towards ever-increasing cubes for Pontiac build-ups, the Schenks delivered the Bird's factory YJ-code 265-horse 350 two-barrel powerplant to JD Performance in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania, for a rebuild and a power injection. The block was bored .030 over and fitted with a cleaned-up stock crank and rods and fresh replacement pistons. Oiling is handled by a Moroso pump and pickup drawing from a stock pan. The No. 17 heads were ported, polished and decked, and then rebuilt. Compression ratio is a pump-gas friendly 9:1. As part of the power program, a Comp cam featuring 250/260-degrees advertised duration (206/212-degrees duration at .050) and .432/.444 lift directs hardened pushrods and Comp 1.50:1 roller rockers and valvesprings to bump the 1.96/1.66 valves from their respective seats.
The induction department is aptly upgraded with a 600-cfm Edelbrock carb featuring box stock jets and settings and a Performer intake manifold. Spark is provided via an MSD Pro-Billet distributor, 6AL box, and wires; a Blaster coil; and Champion plugs. Spent gases are carried away by a set of coated Hooker headers featuring 1.625-inch primaries and a 3-inch collector. A set of 2.5-inch twice-pipes ferry the fumes to a pair of Flowmaster 40 series mufflers, and the tone is emitted from twin tails with chrome tips.
Torque multiplication is facilitated by a TCI converter with a 3,000-rpm stall and a Turbo 350 trans that was rebuilt and fitted with a B&M Transpak and a TCI cooler by Bux-Mont Transmissions in Ivyland, Pennsylvania. Gears are mixed with a Hurst Pro-Matic II shifter and a set of 3.73:1 cogs, an Auburn posi and 32-spline Moser axles tucked inside the stock 10-bolt housing puts the twist to the tarmac.
To ensure that the power is not wasted by a poor suspension system, the undercarriage of the Bird was fortified with a few goodies as well. Lakewood traction bars tame the actions of the rear on launch with aid from Edelbrock shocks, and Energy bushings tighten up the feel and improve handling through reduced deflection. The factory front stabilizer bar remains, and the front springs were trimmed to lower the nose. Out back, stock multileaf springs are employed.
For a classic "big and littles" street machine look, a set of 15x7 Rally II wheels are wrapped in 205/65R15 BFGs up front, and chunkier 245/60R15s are in the rear on widened 15x8 Rallys. Master Power Brakes four-wheel power disc-brake kit featuring vented 11-inch front and 11.125-inch rear rotors was employed to vastly improve stopping power.
To provide some show with the go, the factory green gave way to a PPG Cadet Blue finish featuring a purple flame job performed by Carlson Auto Body in Huntingdon Valley. Once the dings and minor rust issues were resolved, the refinishing process began. Standox products were used throughout, including three coats of primer, a sealer, and three coats of base, followed by the application of the flames. Two coats of clear and a final wet-sanding using 2,000-grit paper completed the task. To set off the new hue, fresh bumpers and bright trim were purchased from YearOne.
Given the attention to detail and the extent of the mods, you may think this was a long drawn-out buildup. But careful planning by the owners and proper execution by the shops involved resulted in great success in very little time. "This Firebird took exactly one year to build using the ideas from my father, my brother, and me," Michael tells HPP, "and it placed in the Top 50 out of 500 cars in the first show it entered." It has garnered a few more Top 50 awards in the three years since its completion, as well as Best Flames and Best Interior.
Currently, Michael and family regularly cruise in their Firebird 350 street machine. The fact that the project's success came about through a combined effort of a father and his sons makes enjoyment on the road and at the shows that much more meaningful.