Lunati roller rockers and Comp Cams springs, retainers, and locks are used in conjunction with custom-made Trend 3/8-inch, 0.080-inch wall, 9.500-inch pushrods. Rick admits that the cam is a little too big for the lower-compression ratio, but Greg had the camshaft already and he loves the racy idle.
As mentioned, the Wenzler tunnel ram was sold off, as it wasn't right for the engine build. The heads are now topped off by a factory Ram Air V dual-plane intake, which Greg purchased from The Parts Place.
With the insane level of rarity and prices for some of the original Ram Air V accessories, such as carburetors, distributors, and exhaust manifolds, Greg wisely turned to the aftermarket for more up-to-date and better-performing componentry. For example, a box-stock 780 Holley works just as well as the original, albeit, without the correct Ram Air V stampings. Rather than spend enough money for a new Kia on a factory Ram Air V distributor, Greg opted for a more accurate MSD Pro-Billet ignition system with a 6AL box.
He also passed on trying to find a set of factory Ram Air V manifolds for his engine, wisely choosing to go with a set of custom headers, fabricated by Mike Maddox. They feature 2-inch primaries and 3-inch collectors and feed a custom 2.5-inch dual exhaust system featuring Flowmaster mufflers.
The resulting power level is very impressive-530 horses at 6,200 rpm, with 523 lb-ft of torque at 3,500. Sure, it's possible to come out with that level of power with a less exotic engine, but that wow factor is what makes an engine like this so special.
The Car
When it came time to find a car for this unique powerplant, the decision to move away from the GTO Judges he was so familiar with was bolstered by the handling advantage that having 100 pounds less on the nose would bring to a Trans Am. After searching for an early Second-Generation Firebird, he happened on this 68,000-mile original example in December 2008 on, you guessed it, eBay. It was in very good original condition, but the factory-installed engine was long-gone, making it a perfect recipient for this exotic piece of Pontiac history. It did still have its original Muncie M20 four-speed and 12-bolt rearend with 3.55 Safe-T-Track gearing. The winning bid came in at $22,000 and Greg was an owner.
The engine was subsequently swapped in, along with a Centerforce II 11-inch clutch, and the Trans Am was repainted in its original Polar White with reproduction stripes from Stencils and Stripes. Its interior was still in very good original condition so it was left alone.
Greg Teeters' '70 1/2 Trans Am is yet another one of those vehicles that gives us a glimpse of what might have been. It also shows the level of determination that Pontiac's engineers had back then, pushing against a seemingly endless gauntlet of corporate red tape and politics to achieve excellence for Pontiac in spite of itself. Forty years later, the end result of GM's corporate gauntlet came home to roost big time-and Greg Teeters keeps on driving . . .
The author wishes to thank Ken Crocie, Alex Hiller, Rick Johnson, Tom Nell, and Tom Schlauch for their help with the preparation of this article.
The classic lines of the '70-'81...
The classic lines of the '70-'81 Firebird remain one of GM's most iconic shapes. Then, as now, they turn heads and generate an endless amount of smiles and thumbs-up responses.
This view of the lifter galley...
This view of the lifter galley shows the liberal amount of reinforcement around the bores to prevent splitting of the block or breaking a lifter bore. This was a very heavy-duty piece once it was correctly prepped and it's too bad it wasn't given a fair chance to perform on the track or on the street.
Unobtanium times two: Greg...
Unobtanium times two: Greg holds up his second aluminum Pontiac-Sevakis block, which weighs a mere 94 pounds. Chances are he'd have a tougher time holding up a production iron block like that!