Utah's coolest cars: Layton man restores 1970 Firebird using persistence

Utah's coolest cars: Layton man restores 1970 Firebird using persistence

(Eric Villadsen)


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Editor's note: This is part of a new series at KSL.com featuring some of Utah's coolest cars. If you own a customized vehicle — from sports cars to semi trucks — email fjolley@ksl.com with a photo of the vehicle and a brief description for consideration.LAYTON — When Eric Villadsen first saw his 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 in KSL Classifieds, he couldn't believe his eyes. He had been searching for some time, mostly in vain, to find a rust-free early second generation Firebird.

If you've ever looked into building any second generation F-body, you'd know that most examples these days are riddled with rust and damage. But when Villadsen saw the car in person, he was shocked. Everything looked great. The floor pans, the rear quarter panels, even the rockers seemed to be in solid shape. But, unfortunately, looks can be deceiving.

Villadsen bought the 'Bird and brought it home, unaware of what awaited him under the mundane white veneer of his new project car. The first order of business was to give the car a fresh coat of paint, but as Villadsen began the disassembly process, he noticed that things were not quite right —the sub-frame was bent and most of the original parts were missing.

Then, he discovered that the Pontiac had, at some point, suffered through an unfortunate encounter with a curb, ditch or some other unmovable object, and the car's entire frame had been tweaked. The former owner had even gone as far as ovaling the mounting holes for the body panels in an attempt to get them to line up correctly.

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"Once I had the front sheet metal off of the car and pulled the engine and transmission, I realized the car was much worse than I thought," Villadsen said.

At this point, most people would call it quits with the car. A bent frame is serious business and frequently can't be repaired. But Villadsen isn't a quitter and refused to give up on the damaged F-body. He immediately sought out a capable frame shop that could help him straighten the car out. After a little cutting and pulling, the Firebird was square again.

Once the car's frame was in suitable condition again, Villadsen sent the car out for media blasting and discovered the car had considerably more rust than he anticipated. The rockers, door skins, floor pans, rear quarters and part of the cowl had to be replaced. Having been a body man for a portion of his career, Villadsen set to work sectioning and replacing the oxidized sheet metal. The original Ram Air III hood was also damaged and required sourcing from a donor car, as did most of the body panels.

After the car was solid metal (and fiberglass) again, it was prepped and sprayed in a paint booth set up in his very own garage. A brilliant shade known as jade green was selected and combined with a subtle hint of gold flake that only makes its presence known when the sun hits it just right. Five coats of color and five coats of clear gave the paint a depth unparalleled by any factory coating.

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In the meantime, a 400 out of a '78 Trans Am was selected to take over motivational duties. The engine was refreshed and received the coveted Ram Air III camshaft; bestowing the Firebird with a nasty little lope. The original Ram Air III air cleaner insures that fresh atmosphere is piped straight to the throat of the quadrajet carburetor.

The stock Turbo 400 transmission was utilized at first, but was later replaced by a built 700r4 4-speed automatic in order to allow the Pontiac to cruise easily at modern freeway speeds.

A B&M Megashifter gives the driver absolute control of the Formula's shift points. The original 12 bolt, loaded with 3.08 gears, handles the torque split to the rear wheels, and a Pypes 2.5-inch dual exhaust tames the Pontiac's bark, while retaining a throaty burble throughout the RPM range. The original Rallye II wheels were recently swapped in favor of a set of 15-inch Cragar Eliminator 500s.

All said and done, it took Villadsen about a year to complete the project. A real feat considering the extent of the damage he had to repair. And, as he lifts his garage door to take his prized second generation out for a cruise, one thing is certain — he is glad that he never gave up on this Firebird.


Chase Christensen is a wildly successful bench racer who believes life is better with regular oil changes. Follow him on Twitter at @ChaseChris8.

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