1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible - Drive A Little Dream

So far, the Firebird has only run the eighth-mile on street tires, where it posted a 103.5-mph trap speed on motor only, spinning the tires much of the way. Since this eighth-mile trap speed converts to a quarter-mile speed of 128 mph, Frank feels his wife's Firebird should easily run 10-second quarter-mile e.t.'s on slicks-this is not to say that it's NHRA-legal to do it, but it has the capability.

Creating A Luxury Interior
Lisa wants to race her Firebird, so Frank says a rollbar was a necessity. "It was fabricated using a pair of tubes arched to match the windshield frame and boxed with 1/8-inch plate," he says. "It uses hidden stanchions welded to the rockers, has hidden back bracing into the trunk, and is tied into the rear suspension crossmember, making it a functional and structural part of the Firebird." To turn the rollbar into a light show, Frank installed a 36-inch LED strip that activates when either door is opened.

The Serafines had plenty of experience creating luxury interiors for customer vehicles, so Lisa made the fiberglass dash, door panels, and console herself. William Fonsaka from One Off Rides of Orlando worked with her on the fine details and covered the interior in blue leatherette and Ultrasuede. Meanwhile, Howard Kruse of Complete Auto Upholstery in Altamonte Springs, Florida, modified four Corvette C5 bucket seats and covered them in matching fabrics.

Frank installed a polished-aluminum Ididit steering column and a Momo Millennium Sport wheel to "put control in Lisa's hands." A set of Auto Meter Cobalt gauges monitor the engine's vitals, while a Vintage Air Gen IV A/C system keeps Lisa cool on hot Florida days. Other interior comforts include Electric Life power windows, controlled by a switch in the center console; and a 2,000-watt audio/visual system featuring a JVC DVD head unit, Infinity Perfect 6.1 speakers, and 10 Kicker Solo-Baric L5 square subwoofers for concert sound.

Autocross And Road-Course Prep: Ride, Handling, And Brakes
Lisa really wants to drive the Firebird at Road Atlanta," Frank says. "We set the engine back 2 1/2 inches from stock, putting the No. 1 spark plug behind the centerline of the front spindle. It made the Firebird's weight balance ideal for road courses. Ride and handling were engineered for competition, while not sacrificing comfort."

A Speedtech Performance subframe-with rack-and-pinion steering, tubular upper and lower control arms, and a NASCAR-style splined 1.25-inch sway bar-is tied to the body with Detroit Speed and Engineering (DSE) subframe connectors. An Air Ride Technology Shockwave 3.0/Airpod system replaces the vehicle's original coils and shocks. Lisa adjusts ride height with a LevelPro e2 system controller. "We can put the rockers on the ground if we want to," Frank says. "But for most driving, Lisa keeps the ride height 4 inches lower than stock."

The Firebird is outfitted with a Prodigy Bar triangulated four-link rear suspension and a 0.625-inch rear sway bar. A Moser GM 12-bolt includes a Detroit True Trac limited-slip differential, 3.73 gears, and 33-spline Moser axles.

Braking duties are dictated by a Prodigy Customs Total Car G Machine Brake Package, including Wilwood 14-inch front and rear rotors with Superlite six-piston (front) and four-piston (rear) calipers that were powdercoated blue. It's controlled by a Wilwood Tandem master cylinder designed for manual brake systems.

Forgeline TA3P wheels 19x10.5 front and 19x12 rear with 295/30ZR19 front and 345/30ZR19 rear Michelin PS2 tires give the Firebird the meaty tread it needs to carve the twisty asphalt of professional road courses.