1980 Pontiac Firebird Turbo - Wow, Is That Thing A Turbo?

At The Shows
How does Kim still have fun keeping the mileage unbelievably low? Easy. She and Ron log only 1,500 miles per year on the Formula, mostly traveling to national and regional car shows. "I love watching people's faces at car shows when they realize it's a Turbo," she says. Last year, her Formula was a class winner at the Great Lakes Regional Firebird Gathering. Her biggest thrill was when her Firebird took HPP magazine's Editor's Choice at the '05 Trans Am Nationals.

But most memorable for Ron was when in 2005, Kim attended the AAAA Show in Harbert, Michigan, where her Formula took First Place. It was 105 degrees outside, and she was not acclimated to the temperature. When she went up to the award stand to receive her First-Place trophy, she passed out and had to be taken to the hospital. But here's the good part-though Kim was unconscious, she never dropped her trophy.

Conclusion
Kim returned a huge compliment to HPP when she found out her Firebird Turbo Formula would appear in this magazine. She renamed her Firebird, "Maggie." So if you see Kim with "Maggie," don't forget to ask what everybody does, "Wow, is that thing a Turbo?" And remember, Kim, they're not asking about the 737s and DC-9s you see every day. They're asking about your low-mile, original, and beautiful '80 Firebird Turbo Formula.

Inside The 301 Turbo Engine
The irony of this engine's development would make Rod Serling blush. Pontiac's 301 turbo was derived from the basic 301 engine whose sole purpose in life was to increase the economy of Pontiac models through reduced weight and low rpm operation, which are two philosophies that are diametrically opposed to a performance-bred powerplant.

When the 301 debuted in 1977 as a two-barrel model, it produced 135 hp. However, it weighed just 452 pounds as compared to the 350 Pontiac that checked in at 579 and the 400 at roughly 675 pounds. How did Pontiac do it? Well, it was important to retain the same general configuration of the traditional Pontiac engine to keep tooling cost down so the block was very similar but the deck height was reduced and cylinder walls were thinner. The crank featured just two counterweights. Connecting rods were also shorter and lighter.

The intake manifold was a single-plane design with small, computer-designed ports that provided peak efficiency at low rpm, so weight was saved over the heavier and traditional-for-Pontiac dual-plane design. Siamesed intake ports and small 1.72/1.50 valves were used in the lightened heads as well, which was a complete departure from the norm at Pontiac. It killed upper rpm flow, but that didn't matter to an engine that was supposed to produce low-rpm power.

Pontiac's 301 was offered in a four-barrel from 1979 through 1981, with horsepower ranging between 140 and 155 depending upon the year and application.

Bottom end changes alone for the 301 turbo added 5 pounds to the engine. Total 301 turbo engine dressed weight is unknown.

Turbocharging the 301 required many changes. The economy engine would be forced into performance duty, and Pontiac knew some reinforcement was required for durability. To that end, the block was cast with thicker bulkheads, 11/42-inch bolts were used for the mains, and the deck was made thicker to improve head-gasket sealing. The normally aspirated 301 pistons with transfer slots in the ring grooves gave way to slugs with reinforcement struts in the grooves, and the piston top featured an offset disc for a better burn. Pistons were counterbored to lessen the chance of pin bending, and the pins were made from thicker material. Piston rings were changed for Moly units, and a low-tension oil ring was employed. The crank got rolled fillets.

Moving up, the heat crossover on the intake was eliminated to keep the mixture cooler as it entered the chambers for a denser fill. The AiResearch TB03 turbo featured a 69mm housing and a 0.82-area radius for the impeller. The unit took exhaust gas via a pipe from the passenger-side manifold to drive the impeller and compress the mixture that was drawn through the carb into a plenum on the intake. Said plenum was surrounded by a waterjacket to facilitate engine warmup, and a wastegate bled off excess boost once 9 pounds was reached.

Though the 301 looked pretty good on paper, performance was not as crisp as the 400 it replaced. The engine ran out of breath above 4,400 rpm, and the mandatory automatic trans and 3.08 rear didn't help matters. Horsepower was rated at 210 in 1980 and 200 in 1981.-Thomas A. DeMauro, as published in the May '04 issue of HPP