Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
After it was damaged in an engine fire in July 2022, owner Ferdi Raquelsantos had his beloved 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350 taken to JSK Custom Paint and Auto Works in Marulas, Valenzuela City for restoration. JSK proprietor Johnson Tan promised that like a phoenix – the mythical bird that got burned in a pyre and then rose from the ashes – Ferdi’s Firebird will be restored and made better than it was before.
The biggest fire damage was in the engine compartment where the firewall, cowl, various rubber components and large portions of the wiring harness were singed.
The JSK mechanics and technicians removed the hood, front windshield, engine, radiator, doors and other components to gain access to the damaged parts as well as to repair the rusted portions. With the Pontiac 350 V8 out, the intake manifold was removed to visually inspect the cylinder heads. The distributor and attached high tension wires were fused together by the fire. Portions of the wiring harness around the engine compartment were found to be severely burned and need replacement. Rusted portions of the doors, roof, front cowl and hood were prepared for repairs.
The rubber parts of Pontiac 350 V8 engine mounts were perished by the fire and brittled by age. These needed to be replaced.
Ordering Replacement Parts
After the teardown of the fire-damaged parts, the JSK body shop technicians started work on the rusted portions while owner Ferdi started making a list of parts that he’ll need to purchase or import. The initial parts list included the engine bay wiring harness, engine mount, brake master cylinder and brake booster, which were all damaged by the fire. The fire also cracked the front windshield, which will be replaced along with its attendant weather strip.
A couple of the spark plug wires were fused to the ignition distributor when the fire engulfed the Firebird’s engine bay.
Ferdi was contemplating on ordering a complete High Energy Ignition (HEI) or Petronix electronic distributor kit with spark plug wires.
Johnson then suggested to order a weather strip kit for the doors and the trunk since the old ones were already brittle, as well as a new aircon compressor and condenser to improve the interior cooling. Ferdi added a front suspension repair kit to replace the damaged and aged rubber components, and since the engine is already out, he added a top overhaul kit to replace the worn gaskets for the cylinder heads, intake manifold, and exhaust.
Even the windshield wiper motor with the “hide away” park features was not spared by the fire.
If the burned wiper motor cannot be restored by a local specialty shop, Ferdi plans to ship in a brand-new wiper motors from the U.S.
Adding a Hood Scoop
To replace the burned and partly molten carburetor, Ferdi decided to order a brand-new Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor. Since the hood will be stripped to repair its warped and rusted portions, Ferdi decided that he wants a bug catcher style hood scoop for the new Edelbrock carburetor, that would proudly peek out the hood. This modification will require a taller intake manifold that will not only provide the correct height and aesthetics, it would also increase the velocity of the air/fuel mixture from the carburetor, which would enhance engine performance.
After seeing the fire damaged hood, Ferdi decided to cut a hole and install a “bug catcher”-style hood scoop for the new Edelbrock carburetor.
The hood opening should be made just large enough for the bug catcher-style hood scoop to peek through.
Ferdi suddenly realized that his parts list was growing wildly and he still has to include a brand-new radiator, distributor, ignition coil and other components. But that’s how most restorations go – it starts with a simple “Let’s clean this up and make it run” that will soon evolve into “Let’s add some speed and beauty parts and make this baby fly!” We’re excited to see what this Firebird will turn out to be.
