Mike Matenkosky's 1969 Firebird

Year: 1969; Model: Firebird; Exterior: Goldenrod Yellow; Interior: black, deluxe; Engine: 1970 455 (replaced the 400) .060 over, TRW forged pistons; 1962 vintage forged rods; Competition Cams camshaft with 228°/236° duration @ .050 and 472 lift; port-matched '6S' heads; stock cast-iron intake; 800 CFM Quadrajet built by The Carb Shop; Hooker Competition headers with Flowmaster mufflers and it's all backed by a Turbo 400 transmission turning a 3.00:1 gear in a Ford 9" rear end.

Acquired: in 1987 for just $500.

Usage: the car is driven mainly on weekends to Yosemite where Mike does lots of hiking, to church on Sundays and of course the usual trips to the grocery store. The car hasn't been to the track since the last rebuild, so there's no current ET. In past years the car was good for an ET of 13.09 @ 104.9 MPH.

Future plans: installation of a 200-4R transmission, re-installing the factory A/C and break into the 12's.

Mike Matenkosky, Atwater, California
mike@thebackcountry.org