When you think big city automotive, you normally think of either big luxurious sedans and SUV’s, or those new ridiculous, but improving green city compacts that are filling up the roads. However, when we take a closer look, there are remnants of a still avid American Dream. For a while, many of us believed that the current economic situation was well on its way to killing this dream, but there are still believers out there who beleive that the dream is still alive and roaring down the highways. I think it was pretty interesting that I happened to find such an example on a college campus.
Driver and Muscle Car fan Jake Hodgeman is doing just that with his Firebird. The UW-Milwaukee sophomore got his first car, complete with a gta appearance kit, with his father when he was just 17 for a bargain deal at $2600. I asked him what made him want to take this one off of the lot. He stated that “I’m into american muscle. It was new enough for me to modify it and do what I wanted to it so that people wouldn’t ask why I didn’t [fully] restore it. I’m a fan of hatchbacks, and I like to stand out, and the back seats were somewhat useful, more-so than a corvette.”
But don’t think Jake simply signed the dotted line and drove off; he wanted to make the car his own, so I asked him about the modifications he had made to the Firebird since he bought it. He gave me a list of mechanical updates; a new fan, a new fan motor, water pump, Bosch titatium racing spark plugs, new wires, suspension, exhaust, a new racing steering package, and interior cosmetic fixes are among the list of things he has done to the car; and this according to his ambitious plans for the car, is just the beginning.
In addition to mechanical fixes and upgrades, he also beefed up the audio performance as well. He took out the stock stereo in favor of a much stronger Sony XPLOD system, complete with a 500 watt amp, and the ability to defen ears courtesy of a 1000 watt Kennwood sub. The entire set only cost Jake $200; which is a great deal for a great sound. This car screams good times, and I asked him just what the best memory he’s ever had with the car was. I kind of anticipated an interesting story.
He actually gave me a few good stories: his best memory, he stated, was “The first time I got it to top out before I replaced everything. I had just gotten the car, and wanted to see how fast It would go. It was limited to 115, while I was topping out, I went over the crest of a hill, and as I went over and started coming back down, the wind lifted the front end of my car off of the ground.” Needless to say, this would get anyone’s heart racing, and keep it that way for the duration of the mini-shock that anyone would have in this situation. Another fond memory he has with the Firebird comes the day after receiving a citation for going 30 mph over the speed limit. “It was the day after I got the ticket for going 30 over, and me and my buddy actually pulled off a race that spanned a 7 mile stretch of road. The road forks at the end, with my lane going right and the oncoming lane going left. A cop happened to see me and flipped on his lights. After he realized that he wouldn’t be able to catch me, he simply turned off his lights.”
Of course, everyone loves their first cars, but there are always the lingering set of questions that hovers throughout everyone’s head: his favorite and least favorite thing about his Firebird. His answers were pretty simple and straight forward. “[my favorite thing about the car] is the V8’s rumble from the straight-piped catback exhaust. [my least favorite thing] is that it’s not fast enough from 0-60 in under 6 seconds. Jake knows that he’s got a while before he can make the Firebird his very own unique Pontiac, but that hasn’t stopped him from dreaming.
I asked him what his plans were for the muscle car, and he responded with a list that came from what seemed like hours of avid dreams and ambitions. eventually, he hopes to put a twin-turbo-charged 427 motorblock in her, which will produce over 900bhp. He plans to couple that motor to a Trimac t60 6-speed manual transmission, and plans to mount the motor and tranny on a Corvette under-body. Just like the Vette, he plans to put a torque tube underneath the car, along with magentic ride suspension. In the back, Jake plans to put a corvette differential in as well. to complete his custom performance package, a hidden roll cage will stiffen the chassis and improve handling. Cosmetically, he wants the car to be a real head-turner. A 3-inch fender flare wide body kit will give the car a lower and more aggressive appearance, and LED lights will keep up this aggressive image when the sun goes down. He plans to surround himself with a custom interior, including custom gauges and 3-tone upholstery. He plans to finish the car with a carbon grey paint job, along with orange accents throughout.
Jake is a mechanical engineering student, who is going to Arizona in the fall to finish school. He’ll be staying with relatives, which means he’ll be spared the expense (and drama) of living in the dorms. He believes that these benefits, along with consistently nice weather will accommodate him better, and that he will be able to focus more on getting his degree figures he will be much more accommodated with his new home, and with all of that saved money, he’ll be able to focus on making turning his dream car, into a reality.
Gallery: Grizzly’s Firebird
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