1997 Trans-Am WS6 Convertible - Light ’Em Up

Brian developed a true bi-xenon projector headlight kit for the 1998-2002 Firebird based off the design he made for his own car, and started Blackbird Lighting Solutions. Anyone who has driven a fourth-gen knows how terrible the headlights are, no matter which bulbs you use. Brian says, "While one-off setups have been created, many of them appeared a bit unfinished-typically leaving the projector lens naked to the elements. Others installed HID kits installed in sealed beam conversion housings, which put out a lot of light but glare was always a major concern." Enter Brian and his engineering background that was put to good use in developing a totally plug and play kit. After having sold enough of his '98-'02 Xenon kit (and later a '93-'97 kit and H6024 conversion), Brian finally had enough money to build his dream, but of course that was only half the adventure.

Lucky to have made plenty of friends in the New Jersey F-body Owners Association, Brian enlisted the help of his buddies to put his stockpile of parts to work. Starting with the heart of the operation, Brian had the LT1 block cleaned, blueprinted, and machined by Fonse Performance to accept a longer stroke crank and splayed 4-bolt main caps. Back in his garage the .030 over bore was treated to JE forged pistons built for boost with a -31cc dish connected to Callies Compstar 5.7-inch forged rods. The fresh bearings wrapped around a Callies Dragonslayer crankshaft to handle the abuse of a supercharger, which was secured (as was the rest of the motor) by ARP hardware. A Melling oil pump and Moroso 5.5-quart pan would keep the LS7 lifters and other moving parts lubricated, and minimize windage. The top-end work is owed to Lloyd Elliot who prepared a set of TrickFlow 21-degree 208cc LT1 heads, adding Patriot Gold springs and Manley valves, and ported the factory intake manifold to match. With one of Lloyd's signature cams adding 223-degrees of intake duration and 236-degrees to get the boosted mix out in a hurry, this bullet is certainly capable of handling pressure.

The chassis is also well-outfitted for a streetcar, thanks to Brian and company. A Wolfe 6-point roll bar is a necessary upgrade given its 709-rear wheel horsepower, which may not be up to NHRA spec should he chose to best his previous 11.73 with nitrous and a stock bottom-end. But it certainly adds some necessary rigidity to the chassis along with Kenny Brown double diamond subframe connectors. UMI keeps the rear end under control with a 22mm sway bar, lower control arms and torque arm. The front suspension and brakes are stock at the moment, but Brian says he plans to throw on some LS1 brakes he has in his garage here soon. Though the 18-inch American Racing wheels afford some substantially sized BFG rubber, it is no match for the speed the WS6 is capable.

With the eye of an engineer, you can bet there are plenty more modifications than we can afford to list here and plenty more great stories that we'd like to share, such as how Brian almost lost his finger dropping out the old motor or the lengths he went to retrofit a BBC crank hub from ATI. The custom laser-etched items have to be seen to be appreciated, and we won't even get into how amazing the factory paint looks. Clearly Brian has spent some time at car shows, and between the TA and his G8 GT you can bet he'll be going to plenty more. That is the life of a true enthusiast, destined to create many fond memories revolving around four-wheel dreams. None of which would have been capable without creativity, resourcefulness and the strong desire to push the limits-whether personal or mechanical.

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