I bought my '73 GT from Paul Schils in 2015.  He did the original V8 conversion to a Buick 215.  After a year of driving that around, with a few problems (broken rocker shaft, oil leaks), I made the mistake of driving Ted Lathrop's '76 TR6 with a 350 Chevy in it.  Well, that 215 just had to go, but it would take a while.

In 2016 I bought a Ford 306 crate motor from Blueprint (388hp, 383lb torque).  In the winter of 16/17, with an enormous amount of help from my brother Mike, we upgraded the motor, added a Tremec T5 and got that running.  To give credit where credit's due, Mike did 90% of the work.  Leading up to that effort I had replaced the wiring harness with one from Advance Auto-Wire.  Not only did we do the engine swap, we also added electric power steering, Fiero seats, new interior panels from Moss.

In the winter of 22/23 I added Holley Sniper fuel injection, a serpentine conversion with A/C.  Last winter I replaced the coilover shocks and went through the entire front end.

So here we are today, and the car is "almost" there.  This is the final push to get the version of the 'B that's always been swimming around in my head.  So, this is my project journal for the final refresh; a new paint job + some odds and ends.

The plan:
1 - Repaint the car - not me.  I have a guy.  This includes fixing a minor fender bender, plugging some holes, fixing some door dings.
2 - Upgrade the brakes.  The car has manual breaks that, frankly, I just don't like.  I'm sure they're fine, they are the upgrade kit with 4-pot Wilwood calipers in front, S-10 drums in the back.  They just don't feel great.  I'll be installing an electric brake booster and matching master cylinder.
3 - Upgrade the stereo.  I'll be putting a pair of 8" subs in the "pockets" in front of the tail light assemblies.  2 pairs of 5 1/4" speakers, one in the doors (or kick panels - haven't decided), one in the panel where a rear seat arm rest would be, if I had one.  Nothing crazy, just around 500W total.
4 - Fix the A/C.  I made some regrettable design decisions regarding air flow on the initial install that need corrected for it to work the way it should.  I'll address that while it's tore apart.

Before Picture:

Headlight bucket fixed.  Starting to fit the new valance.  The blue tape are holes that need filled.  There's a lot.

It's a blessing to have talented brothers!

Quote from: Dan B on January 06, 2026, 03:45:21 PMIt's a blessing to have talented brothers!

Indeed...

Mistake #1 was not blocking off the fresh air vent.  Hot air in the vent/heater box wasn't helping any.  We'll be filling this in with metal.  Like it was never there.

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Al, there is a decent alternative if you are interested.

That trim piece sits nicely in place without any clips to hold it and doesn't move around, I think you'd have to suspend the car upside down for it to go anywhere, but you can lift it out pretty easily with one hand. This is nice because the vendors make two handy things. They make a screen which is handy in moderate weather, and they make a magnet that is useful the rest of the time when you are using heat or AC. I keep my magnet stuck to the inside of my trunk lid most of the time.

When you fit the magnet (or the screen) the trim piece fits right over it and the magnet converts your airflow to the Recycle mode with the vent flap open as it blocks off the vent. Of course with the magnet in place and the vent flap closed there's no place for the fan to draw air from which is maybe why I don't use mine much. But you might want to look into that before committing to the irreversible mod. One advantage of retaining the vent is to be able to create positive pressure in the cabin, especially with a higher capacity fan.

Jim

Hi Jim,
I'm aware of the screen/magnet option, and seriously considered that.  But, in my case, I've removed the heater fan and use the heater box as part of the AC.  Air flows from the evaporator/heater core into the heater box and down to the flapper at the bottom.  This way, I can use the normal controls to direct the A/C or heat to the floor, to the defrost, or off.  The middle vents in the dash are directly connected to the evaporator/heater as well.  There is no vent air coming through that chamber.  That's what windows are for.  Sealing it up will allow me to insulate it better and eliminate any water issues. 

Body work continues.  I visited my body guy, Matt, yesterday.  We're ahead of schedule, should get the car back by mid-February, then I can start the reassembly.  I'll also be adding electric hydraulic power brakes, a new sound system, and some significant improvements to the A/C air flow.

Matt had to add some material to the end of the air dam to get it to mate up to the arc of the fender well.  Also had to straighten out the flange.

Still working on the brakes.  Looks like we have a good solution.  Split the original bracket in half, make it a bit wider, move if forward slightly.  Pedals are in good shape, activation is smooth.  Plumbing is going to be a challenge, but doable.


Making progress on the paint work as well.  All the old unused holes in the engine bay have been patched.  Primer on the front clip.  Could be seeing color within a couple weeks.


While the car's been in the shop, I've been doing some playing with the A/C air flow.  I modified the heater box slightly for better air flow, and installed a 2-speed high output fan from British Parts Northwest.  The idea is that air from the heater core/evaporator in the drinker side footwell flows into the heater box where it is redirected to the stock heat/defrost vents.  The problem was that the weak-ass fan of the Nostalgic Air box wasn't enough to deliver cooling to my feet.  Adding a secondary fan should suck the A/C out of the evaporator and launch it directly at my feet.  Should be nice.  I had to move a bit of the surround to make room for the bigger fan (green arrow).


Larger hamster cage more appropriate for the opening than stock, imo.