Author Topic: Firebird and the Trans-Am series  (Read 203882 times)

Jon Mello

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #90 on: July 30, 2012, 11:22:31 PM »
Hi Jon, I will have to check on the above advert. Is that Paul Lamar's company ? i know he did some 'consulting work on the later Firebirds, and also the earlier race cars , but whether he actually made the parts I'm not sure.

Bruce.

Bruce, I don't know if it was Paul Lamar's company but it sounds reasonable. Maybe Doug would know.
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Bruce302

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #91 on: July 31, 2012, 05:55:12 AM »
It was indeed Paul Lamar's company, he made the front bumper/grill surrounds for the T/G cars.

Bruce

Jon Mello

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #92 on: July 31, 2012, 12:17:21 PM »
Thanks for the confirmation, Bruce.

Here are a couple of photos of Craig Fisher's Firebird taken at Le Circuit Mt Tremblant, site of the '68 St Jovite Trans-Am race.
Many thanks to Mike Scott for sharing these with us.


Mike Scott photo


Mike Scott photo
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Bruce302

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #93 on: July 31, 2012, 08:17:07 PM »
Great shots, thanks Jon and Mike Scott. This must have been very early in it's existence being in white with darker stripes and hood. I see it has a T/G racing arrowhead decal under the drivers door mirror.
Bruce.

Jon Mello

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #94 on: August 04, 2012, 06:08:42 AM »
Bruce, the car was all white at Meadowdale on July 7, 1968, then on July 21 it showed up at St. Jovite in the color scheme seen above. Just two weeks later for the Bryar Trans-Am it was painted Godsall yellow with black accents.
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Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #95 on: August 13, 2012, 04:26:42 PM »
This is a Great forum!  Does anyone know or have information about the Motor Trend  article "The Great Conspiracy" and picture of Jerry Titus and the TG racing Trans Am and the Silver Trans Am in that picture?  I and trying to get as much information about the Silver car as I can. I found that car in Simpsonville Ky 2 years ago. Here is what I know.
1969 Trans Am ....#2 vin 223379U109398 Silver Prototype

The origin for this car starts when John DeLoren picked this Lordstown built high option Palladium Silver(his favorite color according to Gene Winfield the designer of the first silver prototype Firebird Trans Am with a 4speed)Firebird 400 automatic to create the TRANS AM. Pulled from the pool it went to GM Engineering. The team of engineers headed up by Herb Adams & Bill Collins went to work by first removing the 400 engine and installing the new RA IV 345 HP 400 and the PQ coded transmission, Then they installed the rear pedestel spoiler, prototype fiberglass “Trans Am” hood, frt. fender ectractors, 1 inch sway bar, removed the dash and install the "stacked gauges and tachometer" then put it out for press testing and development. Under pressure and being behind of the GTO Judge that was tobe introduced for the 1969 Pontiac line-up along with the Trans Am, John DeLoren called his friend at Hot Rod magazine Steve Kelly and asked if he would do a "test drive" article on the NEW Trans Am. According to Steve Kelly, John D himself delivered the car to him in California.  While Steve Kelly had the car he took it to Riverside Race Track for press exposure and testing twice. After two weeks with the car Steve returned the car to Royal Pontiac. From here I am not sure of the events or time lines other than the articles that appear of the Riverside test are in December of 1968 and the Steve Kelly test had tobe done December 1968 and by January 1969 tobe in the March 1969 Hot Rod article. The Silver TA also appeared in April 1969 Car Life magazine. Testing was done at Riverside Raceway in the winter with the writer referring to the RA IV engine and the 1 inch frt. sway bar. The most significant connection comes from the June 1969 Motor Trend article written by Eric Dahlquist. Eric and Jerry Titus where friends and the articles focus was on the racecar and the new 303 engine that Al Bartz was working on. The article made No mention of the Silver TA at all but on page one, the first picture shows Jerry Titus(Trans Am racing series superstar) standing between the Silver Prototype and his Trans Am racecar. According to Rick Titus(Jerry's Son) Jerry bought 6 cars from Royal Pontiac in early 1969,5 cars that TG Racing turned into race cars that would be sold and raced. The Silver TA was in the group and wrecked in the left frt.wheel area and it is unknown how or when that happened. According to Rick Titus, Jerry himself repaired the car and evidence of that is his signature "welded washers" to the subframe that bolts the steering box to the frame was something he did to the race cars to keep the 3 bolts from pulling through. This is present and welded subframe damage as well as the steering box that has the "p" (prototype) stamped not cast into the box as well as the blueprinted internatels. Doug Innes an TG Racing employee from 1969 - 1972 says that Jerry would weld washers to the subframe and change steering boxes on the race cars. Sometime after Jerry purchased the car Paul Lamar of Paul Lamar Engineering took the car to areo test it. Paul says that he took the car to El Miarge drylake in Mojave California and to Star Dust Raceway in Las Vegas as well as the TG racecars to test areo lift & downforce of the spoilers. Sometime after that the car was used as the dailey driver by Jerry Titus. According to Rick Titus he drove the TA to his Senior Prom. Something he recalls in the summer of 1969 is Annie Titus(Jerry's wife) traded the TA to Hollywod Datsun(the first Datsun dealer in the United States) for $2500 for a new Datsun. Rick said that made him so mad when he would drive by and see it sitting on the Used car lot and was upset that Annie did that. Thats when it went from a "Prototype ..Test Car..Trans Am Superstar's dailey driver" to another used musclecar sitting on a car lot.

Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #96 on: August 13, 2012, 04:29:55 PM »
Car today

Jon Mello

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #97 on: August 14, 2012, 02:06:53 AM »
Big Moe, thanks for posting the info and pictures on your very neat and significant Firebird Trans-Am. I don't know as much about these cars as I would like to. Did they make any others in different colors other than white? What was the #1 car like? Are you saying it was a silver 4-speed car? We have already posted "The Great Conspiracy" article on page 3 of this thread. Bruce302 has studied the Firebirds a lot and might be able to tell you something more about your car. Maybe he will chime in.
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Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #98 on: August 14, 2012, 10:51:41 AM »
The only colors I know of are the (2) silver cars(one 4 speed and one auto) and the 697 in white.  The first prototype was built by Gene Winfield and is very different in appearence.  The hood is more like a Olds. 442 with sharp edges and hood pins, the fender extractors are sharp and angle down, the rear spoiler is  arced and the it did not have the Ram Air pans etc. It appeared in only one article that I have found and had the Ram Air IV 4 speed . These differences in design you can see in the pictures.  My car, Ram Air IV automatic, was the second one and resigned  more like the production style with smoother edges of the hood and extractors.

Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #99 on: August 14, 2012, 11:08:51 AM »
This appeared in April 1969  Drag Strip magazine

Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #100 on: August 14, 2012, 11:10:05 AM »
.More

Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #101 on: August 14, 2012, 11:10:52 AM »
.#2

Big Moe

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #102 on: August 14, 2012, 11:11:43 AM »
Rarely known

Bruce302

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #103 on: August 14, 2012, 06:58:37 PM »
Hello Big Moe,
We have spoken in the past and I learnt so much about the silver T/A that Jerry had. The car still looks amazing.
 Interestingly my car does not have the washers welded on the front sub frame for the steering box, but I believe it did have a very fast ratio box originally. When Ron Grable ran the car at Bay Park Raceway, the steering was definitely not suited to NZ's smaller race tracks. I would think that the steering box was just way too quick. It was swapped out for a production item.

I think I have just found one of the original T/G front hubs. It has been hiding for 40 years after they were swapped out for some reason, possibly one failed, or ran a bearing.

Bruce.


Jon Mello

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Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series
« Reply #104 on: August 15, 2012, 03:48:17 AM »
Thanks for posting that article. So, is that prototype #1? Is that car still around?
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