1997 Pontiac Trans Am - To The Point

This 383 stroker LT1 ’97 Trans Am may be the quickest thing “arrowNd”—and it will make you quiver

From the August, 2012 issue of High Performance Pontiac

By B.K. Nakadashi

Photography by Randall D. Allen

Boil it all down and speed can only be obtained by controlling the air. The engine needs it to breathe and keep cool; the body needs to bat it out of the way so it doesn’t impede progress. Build for one and not the other, and trouble will follow; hit that sweet spot, that narrow harmonious sliver, and the world is yours.

Speed is the goal here. Let your gaze fall upon this ’97 Trans Am. There is no disguising its intent—its shape is too clearly defined, too aggressive, too boldly obvious. Its lines broadly resemble an arrow—pointy in front to cleave the atmosphere and penetrate its prey, and gradually widening toward the back for stability—a nod perhaps to the great Chief himself, who shares a name with this machine’s maker, and who unwittingly lent his name to the marque. Its color—a pure liquid silver, echoed on the wheels that blur so easily, whether the rest of the machine is in motion or not—does nothing to dissuade the comparison.

It was this Trans Am’s visage—clean, streamlined—that drew owner Danny Gomez to it in the first place. “I love the sleek lines,” the Oak Leaf, Texas-resident tells us. “I also like the ’97 nose better than the ’98 facelift. Seeing that nose is what prompted me to do my car shopping in late ’97.” The answer came on the lot of Jerry’s Chevrolet in Weatherford, Texas: a recent ’97 trade-in with less than 12,000 miles on the clock, and loaded with T-tops, Monsoon stereo, leather, and six-speed.

And so the battle with the air began. With larger-diameter Enkei Win wheels on lower-series Nitto NT 555 275/40ZR17 (front) and Mickey Thompson 315/35R17 ET Streets (rear), the Trans Am’s ride height remained stock. It took a set of Eibach Pro Kit springs (with factory shocks and struts) to lower it 1.3 inches, thus lowering frontal area and making it even more impervious to atmospheric forces.

Additional stability was built into the package as well. A set of Kenny Brown Double-Diamond subframe connectors help dial out any unwanted torsional flex created by the T-top-shaped holes in the roof, while a Spohn torque arm, Thunder Racing adjustable Panhard bar, and Jegster adjustable rear lower control arms aid in stability.

The only compromise made with the airstream here is the Suncoast twin-nostril hood, which reaches up ever so slightly, and only then to grab a snootful of cold, dense, sweet air for its own nefarious purpose. Tribal markings by Mecham Design—an old and respected name among the elder tribesmen—allow both identification and continuity among those in the know. This minor addition feeds the naturally aspirated beast tucked stealthily away between the strut towers.

And what a beast! A stroker crank, ported heads, a trick cam to get the valves opening higher still, an unimpeded exhaust, and air being rammed down its gullet from the outside, encourage this 383 small-block’s voracious appetite.

We all know that an engine requires air, fuel, and spark to get going; in order to react to (and properly utilize) all of that air, the fuel and spark end of the tri-quation must be solid. To that end, a descreened and polished MAF, a stock throttle body with twin 48mm bores, and 30-lb/hr FMS injectors were deemed sufficient. A genuine GM replacement Optispark has been treated to an MSD cap, rotor (with Loctite on the retaining screws), and wires, MSD 6AL-2 ignition box, ACCEL Supercoil “E”-core coil, and a set of Autolite 104 plugs gapped at 0.030-inch. Also, the tuning was optimized by the owner using Tunercat once the factory PCM was replaced with an OBD-I unit. (Tunercat was not available for OBD-II at the time.)

Inside, Gomez went the full stroker route with 383-cubes, utilizing a 3.75-inch-stroke Eagle cast crank with 6-inch Eagle forged rods and forged flat-top JE pistons. Dennis Wells Racing of Duncanville, Texas, did the machine work and Gomez built it.

Lloyd Elliot of Elliot’s Portworks of Red Oak, Texas, ported and rebuilt the LT1 heads with larger Manley 2.02/1.60 valves, Comp Cams beehive springs, and steel retainers and locks. His port work resulted in a 205cc intake port and flow of 281/194 cfm versus 216/156 cfm stock.