Photography by John Jackson
ARTWORK by Victor Fulton Designs
f you grew up near a dragstrip you always dreamed of having a dual-threat hot rod. You know your dream ride, one that would get you back and forth from school in “kool” style and one that was quick enough to have fun on the weekends. Brad Sather has such a hot rod. His ’69 Pontiac Firebird can be driven on the street, but its goal is a bit loftier than a dragstrip. You see, his ’69 Firebird is very capable of registering speeds into the triple digits. To be exact, the Firebird has seen 199.027 mph (203 mph past the traps) at the “flying mile” Harvest 2022 event hosted by ECTA Motorsports.
There are plenty of street-quick Firebirds, but we doubt there are many, if any, that are as proficient as Brad’s Pontiac. Not only is it capable of 200 mph and can be street driven, but it too is a truly amazing build and is a champion on the street, under the lights, and the track. You see, it is a multiple-award-winning ride. The Firebird has captured a Top 10 at SEMA’s Battle of the Builders, PPG Street Machine of the Year at Goodguys, and most recently the Triple Crown of Rodding’s Best Street Machine. We are looking forward to see how the ’69 Pontiac Firebird fares against the competition for the Barrett-Jackson Cup in late January.
Since we’ve made a “big deal” out of the performance aspect, let’s begin with the V-8 powerplant. Butler Performance has an extensive history of building potent Pontiac V-8s. The big-block sitting under the hood and between the Roadster Shop framerails is a 1,200-plus horsepower twin-turbo 482-inch Pontiac. Butler Performance used its 1AII aluminum block (all 138 pounds) and topped it with more aluminum via Edelbrock cylinder heads. (The Butler block in its stock configuration comes with a standard deck height, lifter bores, cam bore, and features a 4.245-inch bore, maximum 4.350-inch bore. The block can handle upwards of a 4.750-inch stroke. For the “dream wheel fans this block could see 564 inches.)
You can always count on turbocharging to bring about mammoth horsepower. In our case, there are a pair of Twin Precision Turbo & Engine 6870 turbos (68mm) managed by a Holley Dominator ECU and tuned by Carma Performance, yielding the 1,200 hp. Inside the Ross reverse dome pistons (-33.75-inch dish) are a custom-ground LSM billet cam and plenty of ARP hardware holding matters together. Getting the spent gases out falls to the custom exhaust system by BBT. BBT worked the Vibrant Performance stainless steel tubing, bends, and accessories to match up to a pair of Borla ProXS mufflers.
The power is then moved rearward through a Bowler Performance Transmissions–modified T56 (six-speed) transmission, McCleod Racing RTX twin-disc clutch kit and pressure plate, and then onto an Inland Empire Driveline driveshaft. From here the Roadster Shop independent 9-inch rearend employs Moser 35-spline axles and a set of 3.08 gears. Wilwood can be seen in the rear with 14-inch rotors and four-piston calipers operated by a Tilton 76 series master assembly and a Tilton 600 series underfoot pedal assembly. More Penske coilover shocks are used in the rear. The powertrain rests within a Roadster Shop FastTrack chassis that is outfitted with Corvette C6 front spindles, Penske coilover shocks, Roadster Shop 1-1/4-inch sway bar, and Wilwood 14-inch rotors with six-piston calipers. Steering comes by way of a Roadster Shop rack-and-pinion that is wheeled into service through an ididit steering column. More corner appointments include the EVOD Industries unique wheels and the Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber. The 19-inch (9.5 and 12 inches wide) wheels are wrapped with 265/35R19 and 345/30R19 super performance tires.
Once the body mods were completed then it was off to spend numerous hours in the BBT body shop working and reworking the sheetmetal until it was flawless. From here it was then delivered to Mitch Mumbower of Relic Restomods so that he could apply the PPG McLaren Racing Green. Once painted it was then up to Advanced Plating to add their subtle touch.
When it comes to having the ideal hot rod, it doesn’t get better than this triple-threat ’69 Pontiac Firebird. It is a winner on the street, under the lights, and at the flying mile.