Keith Alvarez Builds A Brutal Normally Aspirated Low-10-Second 427 Street/Strip '00 T/A
Everyone's definition of a street car is different. Not many would imagine that a Pontiac capable of 10s at the strip could even be street-legal, but this one almost is, according to its owner. Keith Alvarez, a 40-year-old metal fabricator from Tampa likes to think of his '00 Trans Am WS6 as a pure street machine. What's more, he says he drives it to work, a 60-plus mile round trip, several times a week. "I think one of the best parts about owning a car like this is being able to drive it on the street," says Keith.
He has loved and worked on cars since he was a young boy. "I always wanted a late-model to build as a race car, but I could never afford one. So when I had the chance in January 2000, instead of buying a practical family car like I was supposed to, I brought this car home," he recalls. Needless to say, his wife, Paula, wasn't too happy at first, but over the years she has warmed up to the car, and has been supportive during the build up. The new Trans Am, complete with the WS6 Ram Air package, was painted in Navy Blue Metallic and had all the options.
The Suncoast Creations hood replaced the factory WS6 model because Keith prefers Suncoast's more functional Ram Air system and the cowl opening that helps cool the engine bay. The low-sheen paint is a satin finish from Sherwin Williams in the factory hue of Navy Blue Metallic.
Drivetrain
Keith immediately began to create his dream car. He started small, adding the simple bolt-ons, but that soon made way for more power. He built his original combo, a 408, with the assistance of Greg Lovell from Anti Venom in Seffner, Florida. The iron block was filled with a forged Eagle rotating assembly and was topped off with a set of CNC LS6 heads. Then he injected a ridiculous amount of nitrous into it. A standard LS1 5177 dry nitrous kit from NOS was installed for an additional 150 ponies. Soon thereafter, Keith was able to procure a trick Fast 90mm intake manifold with a direct-port wet nitrous system modified by Al Jones of Tampa. When this second stage was activated, it forced an additional 200 horsepower into the Bird. It was enough power to send him into the 9s in the quarter-mile.
Early on, the stock 4L60E was rebuilt by Chris Mowris and Fernando Rosales at Transmission Physicians in Tampa. When Keith stepped up his game, he contacted them once again to build him one that was more suitable for repeated track use. This time, he went with a transbrake-equipped Turbo 350 with a 4,500-rpm stall Vigilante torque converter and manual valvebody. It's controlled by a TCI Outlaw shifter, and a B&M cooler keeps the temperatures down, reducing wear. Surprisingly, the stock steel driveshaft has been up to the task of repeated 1.35 short times on the bumper. Delivering the grunt to the pavement is a 3.73-geared Moser Ford 9-inch rear end with a Tru-Trac posi.
Chassis Upgrades
Along with the stout motor, Keith built the chassis to support the thrashing. The factory upper and lower control arms are attached to a BMR tubular K-member that sheds some weight off the front. QA1 adjustable struts and springs give him the ability to fine-tune the front suspension behavior and dial-in the weight transfer.
A TCI Outlaw 4-point rollbar creates a safe racing cockpit while a 5-point racing harness holds the driver in. The factory leather seats were covered for protection and add some color inside.
Out back, the factory control arms were replaced with billet-aluminum Metco pieces attached to a set of relocation brackets that Keith fabricated himself. QA1 adjustable shocks and generic lowering springs were used to control the amount of stress the Mickey Thompson 325/60-15 Drag Radials receive. A BMR Extreme Drag Sway Bar forces the Trans Am to launch straight with no fuss, while BMR subframe connectors and a TCI Outlaw 4-point rollbar keep the chassis from turning into a dishrag from the torque. A BMR Extreme torque arm also prevents the torque from being absorbed into the chassis and is adjustable for pinion angle.
The stock brakes have been modified to accommodate the smaller 15-inch wheels. "I haven't had any problem with the brakes on the car. They have done the job that I needed them to do so I haven't felt the need to upgrade," explains Keith.
A Bigger, Better Powerplant
After a few years, Keith got the itch to try something new. "I wanted to see if I could get into the 9s on just the motor and no spray," he says. He talked with Phil Joyner of United Speed World in Tampa and they conceived the current engine combo.