STEP BY STEP - HOW TO LS SWAP A 2ND GEN F-BODY - 1979 FIREBIRD FORMULA

UPDATE ON WHAT IT'S LIKE DAILY DRIVING THIS CAR AND HOW I GOT THE ENGINE:    • LS Swapped Daily?? - 1979 Pontiac Fir...  


All images and video was taken during the swap. 1979 Pontiac Firebird Formula. There are a few things I have left out. I did have to get a new 4 prong brake switch with one prong that has a constant 12v for the TCC switch. if car originally came with cruise control it should already have a 4 prong switch. I probably need to do a close up video of everything with a thorough explanation.

Little backstory of the car. In 2009 my dad found this car for sale on craigslist. $2500. Runs and drives. 301, TH350, white and blue interior. needs a paint job but very solid car. My dad sent me a link and said call him and see if he will trade you for your car. I had a 1995 Dodge avenger with the most hideous exhaust leak and smoked up any red light I left from. The car got me to point A to point B, but I wanted an F-body. I knew it from when I was a kid growing up in a car raised family I needed something that at least made a little rumble! so, going back to the Craigslist ad. I called the gentleman about the firebird, told him I could trade my 95 Avenger. He said okay drive it out to his shop where the car is parked and he would check out my car. my mom and I drove out to his shop and there it was, I fell in love. we beat him to his shop by about 3 minutes and here he comes pulling up in a suburban with his hand out the window holding the keys and didn't even say hello, how you doing, he says take it for a drive make sure you like it. my mom and I got in and went just a mile or so uo the road and the whole time I am ear to ear grinning. if I had thought I fell in love when I first saw it, driving it made the feeling that much better. I needed it! Got back to the shop talked with the gentleman didn't seem like it was a fair trade for my avenger for the firebird. called my dad during the process and he said see if he will trade his 1979 Dodge D50 (he bought for $250) along with the avenger. The gentleman said he would look at it too. we went home, the next day we went back. Drove the D50 and the Avenger over there and this time he had his mechanic with him. He test drove both of our cars, told us everything he had though was wrong with it, for the most part he was right, seemed very honest. The gentleman and his mechanic were talking for about 5 minutes. At that time I had a feeling it was still going to be a no. The gentleman called me over to his truck and said "you and I both know those two cars are not worth as much as that firebird" I replied, "I know, I had a feeling you were going to say that" and before I could finish that sentence he says, "but I'm going to let you have it." My heart fell into my gut I was speechless. He says, "this old lady did the same for me when I was about your age and it's only right I do the same." He said that his dream car was a lime green 1970 roadrunner. he found one in the paper for $800(back in the late 70s-early 80s) good condition, old lady's Sunday car, lime green 1970 Roadrunner, 440, and a 4 speed with the air grabber hood. He went and looked at it and same as I did with the firebird, fell in love with the car. He drove it and said "mam I love the car but I just don't have $800" the old woman's reply was, "well how much do you have." He says, $300 to my name." She says, "it's yours." Now that story has stuck with me now since 2009 and thankful for that old lady with the 70 roadrunner and thankful for the gentleman who traded me 2 busted up cars for my dream car.

All thanks to the friends and family for helping me wrench on the car and getting the car from daily driving it all through high high school and half through college to sitting for years with a blown engine to now daily driving once again.


Song: Getting Back
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Link:    • [No Copyright Music] Getting Back - A...   | Creative Common - Attribution ND 4.0