1998 Pontiac Trans Am - Decade Of Decadence
06-22-2008 | 10:10 PM
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1998 Pontiac Trans Am - Decade Of Decadence
Vehicle: 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
Owner: Jason Pfitzner, Springfield, Missouri
Block: OEM cast aluminum LS1, 5.7L
Compression ratio: OEM 10.1:1
Heads: OEM cast aluminum, unported
Cam: Hydraulic roller 224°/224° at .050, .563/.563 lift,114 LSA
Pushrods: COMP Cams chrome-moly
Rocker arms: OEM roller body
Pistons: OEM hypereutectic cast aluminum
Rings: OEM
Crankshaft: OEM
Rods: OEM
Intake manifold: Edelbrock Victor Jr. EFI carb-style inlet
Throttle body: OEM, ported and polished
Fuel injectors: Mototron, 60 lb/hr
Fuel rails: Edelbrock billet aluminum
Fuel pump: Walbro twin 255-lph pumps, in tank
Ignition: OEM coils, MSD wires
Engine management: OEM with HP Tuners 2-bar speed density tuning
Turbo system: Twin 64mm custom kit by 417 Motorsports
Exhaust system: 417 Motorsports custom 3-inch stainless
Transmission: Liberty T56 6-speed manual, faceplating, Viper output shaft
Clutch: Spec 3+ w/ billet steel flywheel
Driveshaft: Custom 3.5-inch aluminum
Front suspension: OEM K-member and A-arms w/ QA1 shocks and springs
Rear suspension: Custom adjustable torque arm w/ BMR relocation X-member, BMR control arms, Panhard bar, QA1 shocks, cut OEM coil springs
Rear axle: Moser 12 bolt w/ 3.73 gears and spool
Brakes: Slotted rotors w/ Hawk pads in front, OEM rear pads
Wheels: Bogart aluminum D6 15x3.5 and 15x10 (track)
American Racing TT2s 17x9.5, 17x11 (street)
Front tires: Mickey Thompson 26x7.5-15 Sportsman front (track)
Nitto Extreme 555 275/40-17 (street)
Rear tires: Mickey Thompson 275/60-15 ET street radials (track)
Mickey Thompson 315/35-17 ET street radials (street)
Fuel octane: 93
Race weight: 3,700 pounds with driver
Best e.t./mph: 10.92 at 126 mph
Best 60-ft. time: 1.55
Dynojet results: 571 rwhp and 563 lb-ft SAE (8.5 psi boost)
------------------
Pontiac began an aggressive advertising campaign in 1997 to showcase the redesigned Firebird and all of its iterations. Those of us in the GM scene back then will remember the WS6 Trans Am commercials where the ferocious Firebird snacks on exotic cars and whips would-be challengers at red-light encounters. Mottos such s "The Musclecar Still Lives" could be found written below a black WS6 in just about every automotive magazine. Jason Pfitzner of Springfield, MO, remembers them well, as they were enough to get him to plunk down his cold hard cash for this killer Trans Am you see gracing our pages. That was back in December of 1997, and Jason's love for this car hasn't faded a bit in the last 10 years.
Jason and his 1998 Trans Am have gone through all of the popular LS1 modification eras, a bonus for being one of the first to jump into the LS1 scene. First came the typical bolt-on mods in the early years. Sometime around the year 2000, nitrous systems became all the rage for the LS1 world, no doubt from the lack of serious modifications that were available at the time. Jason jumped on the dry nitrous bandwagon, eventually stepping it up with a wet kit later on. That bottled-up throttle setup put him in the 10s at the local dragstrip. This combo worked well for about five years, but Jason eventually got tired of refilling nitrous bottles to get his dose of adrenaline.
In order to satisfy the speed bug, gearheads do some crazy stuff. Some guys gut their cars into what appears to be a theft recovery. Others stuff huge cubes under the hood, with loud exhausts and bucking-bronco cam lopes that are borderline driveable. Jason didn't want any of that mess, so he decided on going with the forced induction trend. While several guys were playing with superchargers and custom single-turbo systems, he wanted something more exotic- without sacrificing the street manners or comfort features of the car.
The decision was made to go with a twin-turbo system, but also to retain such things as air conditioning and power steering. The custom turbo setup was designed and fabricated by 417 Motorsports (Springfield, MO) to meet these criteria. It utilizes two T3- flanged 64mm turbos, a single 50mm TiAL blow-off valve, and twin 38mm TiAL wastegates. The custom header manifolds were built using 1.75-inch tubing and merge into 3-inch collectors.The exhaust system consists of dual 3-inch downpipes into a 3-inchY-pipe, and expel through a bullet muffler. That is all the muffler that is needed, thanks to the twin turbos for working as the best 'mufflers' available. Another trick setup is the horizontal front-mounted intercooler that sweeps its airflow up from the ground. This was done in order to preserve the function of the fog lights, and to avoid any holes in the nose of the car. The current engine is mostly stock, save for an Edelbrock carb-style intake manifold and a mild 224/224 hydraulic cam. Until the upcoming LSX ironblock engine addition is completed in the spring of 2008, the stock engine only sees 8.5 psi of boost in order to keep the kaboom away. This combo puts down a safe 571 hp and 563 lb-ft at the rear wheels, enough to propel this car to a current best quarter-mile of 10.92 seconds at 126 mph. Not bad for a 3,700-pound daily driver with a mostly stock engine!
The budget didn't get spent entirely under the hood; Jason did a nice job of fortifying the drivetrain and suspension to handle the engine upgrades. The T56 6-speed was upgraded to Viper spec by Liberty, and has had the gears faceplated to reduce internal friction and to improve shift engagement quickness. The original 3-inch driveshaft was tossed in favor of a custom 3.5 aluminum piece. At the rear, the glass-jaw factory 10-bolt was scrapped for a beefy Moser 12-bolt axle with 3.73 gears and a spool. BMR suspension components were installed, along with a custom torque arm and some QA1 12-way adjustable shocks. For track duty, the car rolls on a set of lightweight 15-inch Bogart D6 racing wheels. When cruising the streets it rolls on polished Torque- Thrust 17s from American Racing. This proven setup has netted a best 60- foot time of 1.55 seconds, with both front wheels hanging.
All of those fancy go-fast parts mentioned above are cool, but what really sets this Trans Am apart from the rest is the level of detail and custom craftsmanship found on the car. Subtle touches like the removal and relocation of most of the wires from the engine bay, the symmetric layout of the twin-turbo system, and an exhaust system that has been completely ceramic coated in silver-all showcase the amount of detail and time that went into this project.
On the exterior, the Pontiac and Firebird logos that were embossed on the driver's headlight door were shaved and smoothed, along with the license plate hole. The Trans Am logo was removed from the taillights, and the Pontiac script that goes across the upper bumper area was filled and smoothed. Going even further, the door keyholes were removed and filled, as well as the front and rear side marker lights. Jason didn't even show any mercy to the power antenna, which was also removed and smoothed. To the untrained eye, these cosmetic enhancements wouldn't be apparent, but this also means that the modifications were done tastefully and cleanly. This is something that can't be said for most people that try their own hand at customizing a car. This level of detail garnered Jason an Editor's Choice award from GM High-Tech Performance at the LSX Shootout car show in Memphis, TN. It also landed his car on the pages of this magazine for a feature, which is further proof that more of you should plan to attend next year with your own cars! Ten years of self-indulgence with a single vehicle is very rare nowadays in the era of disposable goods. Most guys choose to swap cars almost yearly, always trying to build something more outrageous than the car they just replaced. That philosophy didn't work for Jason Pfitzner. He has truly enjoyed this decade of decadence alongside his Trans Am. And who knows, it might even be more impressive 10 years from now. Only time will tell.
Owner: Jason Pfitzner, Springfield, Missouri
Block: OEM cast aluminum LS1, 5.7L
Compression ratio: OEM 10.1:1
Heads: OEM cast aluminum, unported
Cam: Hydraulic roller 224°/224° at .050, .563/.563 lift,114 LSA
Pushrods: COMP Cams chrome-moly
Rocker arms: OEM roller body
Pistons: OEM hypereutectic cast aluminum
Rings: OEM
Crankshaft: OEM
Rods: OEM
Intake manifold: Edelbrock Victor Jr. EFI carb-style inlet
Throttle body: OEM, ported and polished
Fuel injectors: Mototron, 60 lb/hr
Fuel rails: Edelbrock billet aluminum
Fuel pump: Walbro twin 255-lph pumps, in tank
Ignition: OEM coils, MSD wires
Engine management: OEM with HP Tuners 2-bar speed density tuning
Turbo system: Twin 64mm custom kit by 417 Motorsports
Exhaust system: 417 Motorsports custom 3-inch stainless
Transmission: Liberty T56 6-speed manual, faceplating, Viper output shaft
Clutch: Spec 3+ w/ billet steel flywheel
Driveshaft: Custom 3.5-inch aluminum
Front suspension: OEM K-member and A-arms w/ QA1 shocks and springs
Rear suspension: Custom adjustable torque arm w/ BMR relocation X-member, BMR control arms, Panhard bar, QA1 shocks, cut OEM coil springs
Rear axle: Moser 12 bolt w/ 3.73 gears and spool
Brakes: Slotted rotors w/ Hawk pads in front, OEM rear pads
Wheels: Bogart aluminum D6 15x3.5 and 15x10 (track)
American Racing TT2s 17x9.5, 17x11 (street)
Front tires: Mickey Thompson 26x7.5-15 Sportsman front (track)
Nitto Extreme 555 275/40-17 (street)
Rear tires: Mickey Thompson 275/60-15 ET street radials (track)
Mickey Thompson 315/35-17 ET street radials (street)
Fuel octane: 93
Race weight: 3,700 pounds with driver
Best e.t./mph: 10.92 at 126 mph
Best 60-ft. time: 1.55
Dynojet results: 571 rwhp and 563 lb-ft SAE (8.5 psi boost)
------------------
Pontiac began an aggressive advertising campaign in 1997 to showcase the redesigned Firebird and all of its iterations. Those of us in the GM scene back then will remember the WS6 Trans Am commercials where the ferocious Firebird snacks on exotic cars and whips would-be challengers at red-light encounters. Mottos such s "The Musclecar Still Lives" could be found written below a black WS6 in just about every automotive magazine. Jason Pfitzner of Springfield, MO, remembers them well, as they were enough to get him to plunk down his cold hard cash for this killer Trans Am you see gracing our pages. That was back in December of 1997, and Jason's love for this car hasn't faded a bit in the last 10 years.
Jason and his 1998 Trans Am have gone through all of the popular LS1 modification eras, a bonus for being one of the first to jump into the LS1 scene. First came the typical bolt-on mods in the early years. Sometime around the year 2000, nitrous systems became all the rage for the LS1 world, no doubt from the lack of serious modifications that were available at the time. Jason jumped on the dry nitrous bandwagon, eventually stepping it up with a wet kit later on. That bottled-up throttle setup put him in the 10s at the local dragstrip. This combo worked well for about five years, but Jason eventually got tired of refilling nitrous bottles to get his dose of adrenaline.
In order to satisfy the speed bug, gearheads do some crazy stuff. Some guys gut their cars into what appears to be a theft recovery. Others stuff huge cubes under the hood, with loud exhausts and bucking-bronco cam lopes that are borderline driveable. Jason didn't want any of that mess, so he decided on going with the forced induction trend. While several guys were playing with superchargers and custom single-turbo systems, he wanted something more exotic- without sacrificing the street manners or comfort features of the car.
The decision was made to go with a twin-turbo system, but also to retain such things as air conditioning and power steering. The custom turbo setup was designed and fabricated by 417 Motorsports (Springfield, MO) to meet these criteria. It utilizes two T3- flanged 64mm turbos, a single 50mm TiAL blow-off valve, and twin 38mm TiAL wastegates. The custom header manifolds were built using 1.75-inch tubing and merge into 3-inch collectors.The exhaust system consists of dual 3-inch downpipes into a 3-inchY-pipe, and expel through a bullet muffler. That is all the muffler that is needed, thanks to the twin turbos for working as the best 'mufflers' available. Another trick setup is the horizontal front-mounted intercooler that sweeps its airflow up from the ground. This was done in order to preserve the function of the fog lights, and to avoid any holes in the nose of the car. The current engine is mostly stock, save for an Edelbrock carb-style intake manifold and a mild 224/224 hydraulic cam. Until the upcoming LSX ironblock engine addition is completed in the spring of 2008, the stock engine only sees 8.5 psi of boost in order to keep the kaboom away. This combo puts down a safe 571 hp and 563 lb-ft at the rear wheels, enough to propel this car to a current best quarter-mile of 10.92 seconds at 126 mph. Not bad for a 3,700-pound daily driver with a mostly stock engine!
The budget didn't get spent entirely under the hood; Jason did a nice job of fortifying the drivetrain and suspension to handle the engine upgrades. The T56 6-speed was upgraded to Viper spec by Liberty, and has had the gears faceplated to reduce internal friction and to improve shift engagement quickness. The original 3-inch driveshaft was tossed in favor of a custom 3.5 aluminum piece. At the rear, the glass-jaw factory 10-bolt was scrapped for a beefy Moser 12-bolt axle with 3.73 gears and a spool. BMR suspension components were installed, along with a custom torque arm and some QA1 12-way adjustable shocks. For track duty, the car rolls on a set of lightweight 15-inch Bogart D6 racing wheels. When cruising the streets it rolls on polished Torque- Thrust 17s from American Racing. This proven setup has netted a best 60- foot time of 1.55 seconds, with both front wheels hanging.
All of those fancy go-fast parts mentioned above are cool, but what really sets this Trans Am apart from the rest is the level of detail and custom craftsmanship found on the car. Subtle touches like the removal and relocation of most of the wires from the engine bay, the symmetric layout of the twin-turbo system, and an exhaust system that has been completely ceramic coated in silver-all showcase the amount of detail and time that went into this project.
On the exterior, the Pontiac and Firebird logos that were embossed on the driver's headlight door were shaved and smoothed, along with the license plate hole. The Trans Am logo was removed from the taillights, and the Pontiac script that goes across the upper bumper area was filled and smoothed. Going even further, the door keyholes were removed and filled, as well as the front and rear side marker lights. Jason didn't even show any mercy to the power antenna, which was also removed and smoothed. To the untrained eye, these cosmetic enhancements wouldn't be apparent, but this also means that the modifications were done tastefully and cleanly. This is something that can't be said for most people that try their own hand at customizing a car. This level of detail garnered Jason an Editor's Choice award from GM High-Tech Performance at the LSX Shootout car show in Memphis, TN. It also landed his car on the pages of this magazine for a feature, which is further proof that more of you should plan to attend next year with your own cars! Ten years of self-indulgence with a single vehicle is very rare nowadays in the era of disposable goods. Most guys choose to swap cars almost yearly, always trying to build something more outrageous than the car they just replaced. That philosophy didn't work for Jason Pfitzner. He has truly enjoyed this decade of decadence alongside his Trans Am. And who knows, it might even be more impressive 10 years from now. Only time will tell.
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