Pontiac did a decent job with the interior in the Firebird, so Jason just enhanced it with the addition of some pillar gauges (boost and fuel psi). The NHRA compliant 6-point rollbar with removable sidebars was color matched to the leather interior.------>
The budget didn't get spent entirely under the hood; Jason did a nice job of fortifying the drivetrain and suspension to handle the engine upgrades. The T56 6-speed was upgraded to Viper spec by Liberty, and has had the gears faceplated to reduce internal friction and to improve shift engagement quickness. The original 3-inch driveshaft was tossed in favor of a custom 3.5 aluminum piece. At the rear, the glass-jaw factory 10-bolt was scrapped for a beefy Moser 12-bolt axle with 3.73 gears and a spool. BMR suspension components were installed, along with a custom torque arm and some QA1 12-way adjustable shocks. For track duty, the car rolls on a set of lightweight 15-inch Bogart D6 racing wheels. When cruising the streets it rolls on polished Torque- Thrust 17s from American Racing. This proven setup has netted a best 60- foot time of 1.55 seconds, with both front wheels hanging.
Jason's Trans Am has some subtle styling enhancements that you might not even realize upon first glance. Check out the removed side marker lights, the smoothed Firebird logo on the front plate, and the removal of the "Pontiac" script from the driver-side headlight. The hood is a Suncoast Creations "Raptor" fiberglass piece, and flows well with the body lines of this car.------>
All of those fancy go-fast parts mentioned above are cool, but what really sets this Trans Am apart from the rest is the level of detail and custom craftsmanship found on the car. Subtle touches like the removal and relocation of most of the wires from the engine bay, the symmetric layout of the twin-turbo system, and an exhaust system that has been completely ceramic coated in silver-all showcase the amount of detail and time that went into this project.
Gone is the large "Pontiac" script that was once across the top of the bumper, it was filled in and smoothed. The Firebird logo was also removed from the taillight centerpiece, and the power antenna hole was filled and smoothed. Side marker lights were also axed, just like up front. These Bogart D6 billet drag racing wheels are works of art. The car runs on 15x3.5 wheels up front, followed by 15x10 wheels on the rear. Mickey Thompson drag radials put the power to the pavement.------>
On the exterior, the Pontiac and Firebird logos that were embossed on the driver's headlight door were shaved and smoothed, along with the license plate hole. The Trans Am logo was removed from the taillights, and the Pontiac script that goes across the upper bumper area was filled and smoothed. Going even further, the door keyholes were removed and filled, as well as the front and rear side marker lights. Jason didn't even show any mercy to the power antenna, which was also removed and smoothed. To the untrained eye, these cosmetic enhancements wouldn't be apparent, but this also means that the modifications were done tastefully and cleanly. This is something that can't be said for most people that try their own hand at customizing a car. This level of detail garnered Jason an Editor's Choice award from GM High-Tech Performance at the LSX Shootout car show in Memphis, TN. It also landed his car on the pages of this magazine for a feature, which is further proof that more of you should plan to attend next year with your own cars! Ten years of self-indulgence with a single vehicle is very rare nowadays in the era of disposable goods. Most guys choose to swap cars almost yearly, always trying to build something more outrageous than the car they just replaced. That philosophy didn't work for Jason Pfitzner. He has truly enjoyed this decade of decadence alongside his Trans Am. And who knows, it might even be more impressive 10 years from now. Only time will tell.