Did I just Ruin My 1968 Firebird? Iola Car Show Part 1

we are at Iola car show and swap meet in Iola Wisconsin they're supposed to have 120 000 people through the gate this weekend and it's one of the largest swap meets there's a car show area there's camping there's food and music and vendors and I'm going to do something really unique something I've never done before I'm going to be doing a car build right here at the show in front of everybody essentially live and since you couldn't make it we brought the camera it's going to be a three-day event we're going to be thrashing on the 1968 Firebird we're going to be putting a five-speed transmission in it and patching up the engine hopefully by the end of the show we're driving it back on the trailer or maybe down the highway I don't know [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] all right so here we are in our tent and as I was explaining we're going to build this car folks could come by interact have fun Chit Chat who knows maybe I'll talk them into helping this is the 1968 Pontiac Firebird I call snow bird we picked it up from Eastern Michigan I think it was a couple years ago time has just been flying by I traded it actually for a Corvette and it had some issues freeze plug came out right by the motor mounts I had to lift the engine up with an engine hoist try to repair that but the biggest concern was the transmission in this is shot I found like a quarter inch of clutch material in the pan and we nursed this thing over 700 miles back home I want to use this car it's a beautiful car but the transmission is shot so instead of putting another automatic back in it I'm going to be putting a tkx five speed by silver sport Transmissions a new clutch by McLeod we got a new Drive pole for the thing and then I want to patch up this 350. it runs decently good but it just needs gone through resealed we got to permanently fix that freeze plug baby change the intake fuel make it happener do some other things it's also running off of a Milwaukee battery right now for a fuel pump so we got to fix that I got three days to do this and it's not really three full days with interactions and signings and things like that we've probably got 12 15 hours to try to pull this off so we're going to dig in I'm going to get the hood off start stripping all the accessories off first step grab this 350 and turbo 350 yank it out of here get it on the ground and we can figure out where we're going from there [Music] [Music] nice and easy paint job so once I get the engine and transmission out we'll split the automatic off of this 350. and I got to clean this up like I was saying fix that freeze plug then we've got to fit the bell housing and flywheel on here and do a bunch of measurements and then we'll put our clutch on we're going to attach the five speed I think on the ground because I'm working on the asphalt here and just have a Jack and a couple jack stands and I think I'll fit everything in at once and then we'll cut the floor and try to figure out the shifter and all that stuff hopefully today we can just get everything out assess what we got start going through all the parts make sure we have everything there's an O'Reilly Auto down the road about 20 miles that's really our only option for parts but I know they're going to have everything we need to make this happen I probably even get an intake different carburetor stuff like that but uh I don't know like I say we got three days to do it hopefully we can pull it off so I've got to get all the ignition off I'm going to drain the radiator get all the electric off gotta undo the headers got to get the motor mounts out got to take the transmission cross member Drop the drive shaft get the linkage off and then we should be able to finish prepping this come on out [Music] thank you that's good [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] slipping off I should say there's plenty of people to watch and then pull me out afterwards you know I don't really like that but it'll be good enough Maybe I don't know you guys can pull me out I got craters in the ground here I could really easily lose Hardware so I'll be sure to do that oh my women things are happening this looks like a like a exhaust kit something you would put together you know in your own garage it sounded pretty good though no the other side [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] because yeah whoa there's a jack there what yeah the devil I don't like the shape of these headers can't fit my meat mitts in here oh you smell is bratwurst oh it's too early I gotta keep working being bratwurst comatose [Music] I wonder if I should bring the whole car up but then we increase the death ratio this is where I dropped the car on the ground [Music] what do you think about it right there good no move it there we go anybody sees any Firebird tail lights that look good let me know I need some oh oh yeah she's not going anywhere [Music] wires get rid of those huge licorice stick ones we need a fuel pump we needed an intake which Riley probably has some but if not we can go to swap meet I'd like to get a Holley carb instead of the edel broken if we can yeah it's a legend I don't know about that there's a huge list we're gonna go to O'Reilly's and try to get all of this and come back and hit this thing I gotta make another sign went on Parts run [Music] hasta la vista foreign [Music] just headed back from O'Reilly Auto Parts we got a hall everything we should need fluids all the little doodabs and whatnots and oils and lubricants and got some kitty litter that's important drain bucket set the kids out to the swap meet they came back with a nice porcelain one but it's not big enough for coolant so we're gonna head back to the firebird see if we get that radiator dropped we still got to pull that engine transmission today wow it's busy I like that fuel pump oh it's sold that was quick [Music] [Music] let's put aside for you okay I'll uh [Music] it's either 48 or 49. yeah [Music] oh I got holes drilled in them all right Eric hello it's a mobile of course out here it's really sweet how you doing bud hi Derek hi [Music] it's the way to go [Music] okay we're back in biz foreign close to getting this drive shaft out [Music] oh it didn't even leak huh [Music] okay [Music] [Music] oh okay [Music] foreign [Music] yes where oh sure not the liquid we'll ignore that yeah there where else is that up okay oh the transmission's not even bolted in there's no bolts in here oh I lied to you there's an adapter while the adapter plates bolted to the thing but the thing isn't bolted to the cross member so in essence it's still not bolted to the stuff is what I'm saying so that's neat I drove the 700 miles like this I had no idea and that's weird because I dropped this pan I must have stared at it I just ignored it so I'm just under here looking there's a giant hole in the floor already so there's some evidence that it was a manual at one time and then I got to thinking the brake pedal as a skinny pedal not the wide automatic pedal so this could have been a four-speed car right from the old factory which is pretty neat because I don't have to cut a hole in the floor I'll just have to take the center console out and reopen this big gash I don't know it looks like a glacier lake or something it's not really symmetrical but it could work [Music] whoa still had juice in it I'm draining this right now oh there comes the wind right in my face so when I yank it out with the cherry picker the oil doesn't come spilling out the tail shaft and make a giant mess that I've already made on the ground that's what we're trying to avoid I guess it's not really working very good that's a pizza pie oh no [Music] very nice [Music] and then you put it right back up [Music] [Music] how many people spit in here just one just you [Music] all right what's up I'm getting ready to pull this engine out get the cherry picker ready I got the transmission drain rad out hopefully I could just slide this whole thing out as one unit and save a bunch of time might have to modify the cross member for the five speed but we'll cross that River when the bridge gets here or whatever I got like eight minutes seven minutes and then I gotta go to a signing for like an hour maybe a little bit more than that and it's getting late in the day so I'm trying to get this thing out so we hit our goal for today at least and stay on schedule I always love meeting folks that's a new thing trying to wrench and meet folks and whatever else but it's been a lot of fun oh my jack stands are in a horrible place but we're gonna try to roll with it [Music] yeah whoa for snagged up [Music] [Music] we got wires in the way [Music] oh boy oh wow okay yep got a gush here what is this not even a [Music] that's an old stool starter blanket if I ever see one right there [Music] okay [Music] why is it doing that [Music] nope nope [Music] easy oh got it [Applause] anybody want a bad transmission sure oh no too much nothing happened I think he's packed everything for me I had one box in here and it was full and she's somehow got all of the parts in here which is great you look like a breaker bar kind of guy foreign we probably need that what oh wow and two spark plugs who wants a spark plug you want you want a spark plug go up I got more Sparkle lighters I don't know why these are so special they're in they're in super young lady you want a sparkle later there you go you want a sparkle later yeah let's go down here got any more kids down here there we go I want a super special Sparkle later in a case all right you get one too I've been looking for that plate for a long time found it we got coil springs [Music] I guess I was going to put gears in the rear never got to it 355. sure enough and a mini spool [Music] window cranks [Music] inspection camera cable I don't know I think that's from the Revival I did oh there's some more double a batteries opinion yoke okay well now we know what's in here [Music] this is from the original Revival a couple years ago just the remnants jump box it's it's dead [Music] imagine that still got the thing on it let's give that away who actually needs a jump box you do there you go you're very welcome well that's cool 1968 Michigan plate [Music] and I need these and these we could probably use that oh Sprayway that was a good haul sometimes you just gotta open your own trunk where did I put the keys no they're in my pocket got him I hope not all right probably black widows in these gloves just got to put them on quick and squish them so mistakes were made I'm gonna be honest here's what I did wrong I should have separated the flex plate and torque converter when this was in the car because the car was holding it right well I got in a hurry and did not do that so now I'm lazy and don't want to lay on my back so I'm going to dangerously dangle this in the air as high as I can and then put my face under there and try to get these bolts out so we can separate this th350 transmission that needs rebuilt and the engine and let me just say this now we might just spiff this thing up 50 50 raffle will be over fifteen hundred dollars to the winner well that's the number are zero one six nine seven five again that number one all for Pete's sake please come to the Tower and claim your prize congratulations you are at least a fifteen hundred dollar winner we can play again tomorrow thanks for playing today I think he's done now so we may spiff this engine up a little bit there's also a small chance I actually attempted to order a uh crate motor essentially from O'Reilly's yeah they have Motors ready to run out of the box short blocks long blocks fully assembled because again I really wanted to do this Firebird right and we've been waiting a long time to dig into this thing with some good parts it just deserves that it has a really good suspension already in it we got it that way the body's really straight it just needs interior and some fixing I didn't think we'd be able to get it that quick so I was going to spiff this one up but I got a phone call they might have this tomorrow potentially so I don't know we're gonna pan it up we may be using this we may be putting some sort of crate motor in from O'Reilly you're just going to have to you're just gonna have to wait and see is what I'm saying for now let's get these separated just in case this one's ready to go we can get to five speed on [Music] you want it to bounce like that as much as possible there you go more down is less outage there you go there you got it give us a smile [Laughter] get back to work are you gonna clock out if you're gonna get hurt okay all right that's good there you go thanks buddy that's a temporary fix I had to pull this up on an engine noise pop this off Oh that's oh okay I wonder if the other ones another one's kind of goodish the more you know uh what this is it is Sawdust huh wow these little smell nice around here very Piney [Music] somewhere I saw ah there it is this one you see that shirt pretty accurate battered dead from gasoline this thing just won't stop foreign rebuilt lost the receipts for sale cheap I know what I got it's hard to see but I spilled a little over there [Music] all right [Music] [Music] stop it drunk garbage junk junk garbage junk garbage [Music] thank you [Music] I think I gotta pull this in because the wall goes where the pipe is right I think that's a pop top that's really old I got two lights okay one is actually on the wall and lit the other one's kind of a first one well that's my day one I hit my goal we got the engine transmission out got them split apart got a few parts today from O'Reilly's but I'm still short some so we're gonna close up the 10 here for now gotta shut this down for the day it's getting late into the evening but gonna get on the cart go cruise around the swap meet see if we can find some parts I got a pretty good list here yet memory [Music] so right now we're cruising through oh look at all these gas pumps that is really cool we gotta turn around ready we're trying to get through the swap meet but I'm you know like a goldfish we're looking for small block Chevy valve covers but there's so much good stuff here we get like 10 feet and I'm wheeling and dealing on stuff but we gotta find valve covers I want to get rid of those edelbrocks they've been spray painted and all sorts of stuff change the look of the engine whether we use the existing one or we go to a new one I just kind of am going for a vintage you know late 60s early 70s something that matches that era kind of style so hopefully I can find some valve covers maybe even an air cleaner but we'll see what happens there's so much out here it's going to take forever to go through all this never mind we're coming back again [Music] [Music] all right now [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] yeah this is the worst [Music] uh [Music] boy that is a really crude [Music] would you take 50 bucks 50. okay would you take a bad check or a cash only okay 20 40. 45 you got change very kind of you we'll see if we can get these on the firebird tomorrow sweet thank you awesome thank you so much we got valve covers [Music]

Channel: Vice Grip Garage

Views: 502,368

Keywords: motortrend, roadkill, vice grip garage, vise grip garage, vgg

Id: 4L7MSyWPwAU

Length: 35min 54sec (2154 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 07 2023