Undiscovered Builders is Sponsored by Amsoil
For the 2016 Summer Nationals Car Craft has again called out for undiscovered builders to step up and be counted. We’re giving them some love to showcase their builds and to spotlight their unique talents for a boost to launch them toward their dream of building muscle cars for a living. Yes, we know that’s a crazy, but not unobtainable, goal for all of these builders. Or maybe it’s not. Here’s one of the five we are featuring:
Jason Vega
Eau Clair, Wisconsin
1978 Pontiac Firebird
Jason wanted the challenge of taking a mostly rusted away hulk and bringing it back from the dead. He admits this Firebird should have been sent to the crusher it was so bad. How bad? When the 10-bolt let go, he yanked it out by hand as the leaf spring mounting supports had rusted away from the floor. The car needed different doors, front fenders, a new floor, rockers, rear quarters, and more—so much more Jason can’t remember everything he replaced or repaired. Yikes! He got his wish, as the car looks like a creampuff plucked from a dry desert region.
Originally a 400ci automatic Trans Am with T-tops, Jason started the long trek to completion in 2002, finishing up in 2007. Starting at the rear, he slowly worked forward. The Firebird now features a Ford 9-inch rear with QA1 coil-overs. Tying the rear to the front, he retained the stock front stub and power steering, utilizing Detroit Speed upper and Speed Tech lower A-arms with original Firebird spindles and QA1 coil overs. Wilwood Drag Lite disc brakes are at all four corners. Jason built the roll cage from a universal kit. His friend Danny handled the bright red paint.
The engine is now an original 455 block .035 over with a 4 ½-inch stroker crank nets 495ci, and features Edelbrock aluminum heads, Ross pistons, roller rockers with a flat tappet cam. The engine spins a modified 200R4 by Extreme Transmissions. With a 5600 rpm rev limiter and two passes to date, Jason has run a best of 12.2 with stock trim in the quarter, but fiancé Esmeralda is vibrating for Jason to beat that time by plenty tomorrow night at the Car Craft Midnight Drags at Great Lakes. A biomedical services professional, Jason thinks he might be past the point that he can reasonably expect to break away and start building, but he says, “If this was 20 years ago and I had this opportunity I would jump at the chance.” As it is he does work for friends, and has a fully equipped shop at his house where he can build what he wants, when he wants.
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