Mike Kozar's FIRE-AM
Mikes' W72 engine was also mildly modified on the top end but retains its original short-block. The driver's side of the VSE front-structure kit is visible near the power brake booster. The V-shaped, two-piece tubular bracket runs from two points on the firewall to the cross-shaft of the upper control arm, thereby triangulating the area from the subframe to cowl, reducing flex. Mike added a currently offered WFO Performance core-support structure kit to further that cause.
Fitted with most of VSE's Stage I package (see sidebar, "Fire-Am Packages"), Mike's Fire-Am was built on what was already a great platform-namely, a '77 W72 200-hp, 400-equipped, Y82 SE Trans Am with a four-speed trans and 3.23 Safe-T-Track rear. Other options include A/C, PW, and Hurst Hatches. Mike ordered the Pontiac in August 1976 and waited until March of 1977 (talk about patience) to get it. He paid $7,786.06 for the privilege.
If you've ever wondered how much influence a magazine article can have over your buying decisions, ask Mike. Like many Trans Am hobbyists, he was drawn to the '77 black and gold SE by the August '76 issue of Motor Trend, which featured the famed machine on its cover. Mike further explains, "Though it was a very sweet ride, after a few years of everyday driving, my SE needed body and paint work. If that weren't enough, in the late '70s and early '80s, there seemed to be black and gold Trans Ams everywhere, and I had bought mine for its uniqueness at the time. I was looking for something different but still wanted to keep the essence of the SE Bird." Enter the May '78 edition of Motor Trend that featured Adams' '76 Fire-Am development car. "After reading about the Fire-Am conversion, I decided that was for me," Mike recalls.
"To go along with the performance enhancements, I talked my cousin into doing a custom paint job that reflected the merging of a Fire-Am with the Special Edition T/A. The result was a clearcoat finish over a black base with yellow pinstripes [instead of factory gold stripes]. The 'Bionic Firebird' was painted on the hood, with reflective Fire-Am decals finishing the look."
After many more years of vehicular bliss, the Fire-Am was ready for another restoration. That responsibility was placed on Jason Daugherty at Transformation Restorations in Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania. He patched the rusted trunk floor, fender heals, doors, and quarter-panels, restored the chassis and floorpans, and detailed the engine, trans, and rear. On the body, Jason employed Dupont's urethane Chromasystem, applying three coats of Starlight Black, and after wet-sanding, three coats of clear. Following wet-sanding of the clear, final buffing and polishing was done with 3M products.
Under the hood, the W72 400 engine remains stock in the bottom end, including its 274/298-degree duration cam with 0.364/0.364 lift, but the 6X-4 heads were previously milled, ported, and received a three-angle valve job. H-O Racing's Accuracy kit for the Q-jet, with 0.073 jets, 0.046 rods, and 0.055 secondary rods, had been added, and the hoodscoop was opened up to let in fresh air. To evacuate the fumes, a set of R.A.R.E. 2.5-inch outlet manifolds and a 2.5-inch Pypes dual exhaust with an x-crossover and a crossflow muffler were bolted in. The clutch was upgraded with smoother adjustable spherical rod-end linkage, and the trans and rear remain stock.
Minor mods to the stock engine combined with the VSE upgrades lead Mike to conclude: "My Fire-Am has just the right combination of power, handling, and looks. Sure, the car was a good handler for its day before, but with the Fire-Am parts, cornering is much flatter, and though ride harshness has increased, it's not objectionable at all."
The future plan is to simply enjoy the Fire-Am as he has since he first built it.
At TransAmCountry.com, you can see the full resto of Mike's Fire-Am.
A set of Flofit seats was added to Mike's car this past winter, and the rear seats were recovered to match. Owner-customized '74 gauges with white faces and blue backlighting add a modern touch. The remainder of the interior, with the exception of the Kenwood stereo, was restored to stock by Jason Daugherty and retains the gold dash insert (restored by Randy Combs) and gold wheel spokes of the Y82 package. Grant Banta did the custom seat embroidery as seen on the headrests on pages 50-51. | 
Part of the VSE lowering kit is shorter, solid-aluminum, subframe bushings (and radiator-support bushings), which reduces subframe deflection and lowers the center of gravity. Mike also added a set of subframe connectors from Pro Touring F-bodies to further stiffen his T-topped Fire-Am. | 
The large, 1 5/16-inch stabilizer bar and unique, hardened-steel, spherical rod-end-equipped end links are from VSE, as are the three-way adjustable shocks. Front springs were cut per Adams' instructions to lower the front end. Mike added further upgrades such as polyurethane bushings, a 12.7:1 steering box, and tubular upper control arms with solid bushings. |
Mike's Fire-Am employs 15x8 Snowflake wheels shod with modern Goodyear 255/60R15 tires. | 
Notice the thick, black, tubular, V-shaped bracket that attaches to the firewall and wraps around the A/C unit on its way to the upper control-arm cross-shaft attaching point. This is the other half of the VSE front-structure kit. | 
The VSE rear stabilizer bar is 1-inch thick to reduce body roll in the corners. Also, a set of modified rear-spring hangers move the front attaching point of the leaf spring up into the body 31/44 inch to increase the antisquat of the rear suspension for more traction. |