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By Tommy Parry
A resourceful young man, Evan started browsing forums while tinkering on one of his first major automotive projects. During this time, he was finishing high school, and being a technically minded, proficient wrencher with a knack for finding the right information, he was confident enough to take on a big project: this ‘68 Firebird.
Evan purchased the car as a rusted tub with a title and VIN back in November of 2018. It wasn't much of a start, but it's what he could afford at the time. Most wouldn’t give such a rustbucket a second look, but on that rainy November day, he felt compelled to give this sad heap another chance.
An optimistic outlook helped him view this corroded Pontiac as a fresh canvas to paint his picture on. When you get a complete car, all the work has to go into disassembling it and hoping that there is still a solid base underneath. With the tub, he knew what he had to start with, and he knew what it needed to be done right.
Evan worked very hard his last few years of high school for extra money—and a lot was needed for new sheet metal to replace the floors, rockers, etc. However, with college beginning soon and most of his time dedicated to his studies, it was hard to tear away from the books to tinker.
Then, in March of 2020, he was finally able to start, largely due to the help of his dad, who gave the car the pandemic-inspired moniker "COFIRE-20.” If it weren’t for the world getting put on pause, the Firebird would probably still be a tub sitting on the ground, however, as fitting as the nickname was, Evan redubbed it "Dark Phoenix" for his love of Marvel comics and movies.
Realistically, this was never going to be a high-dollar show car, and Evan was well aware of that. Rather, he focused on turning it into a reliable, enjoyable car that he could take to autocross or the track. That said, he hoped it wouldn’t be a battered but quick track toy; he wanted to tweak the aerodynamics slightly for a little more visual impact, but without altering the car’s original shape much.
Thus far, he’s dedicated most of his effort to beautifying the Firebird. Sandblasting, applying coats of Raptor Liner, excising rusty patches, adding new body panels, and repainting parts of the body took up most of his time while the car was still in its formative stages.
When he was able to start moving in a definite direction, he picked up a subframe with a '72 Z28 Chevy 350 and a Powerglide. Then came a set of DSE mini tubs and a refreshed front suspension. More recently, he grabbed a set of Cadillac CTS-V 4-piston front calipers and Camaro rotors, as well as a Ford 9” rear.
Currently, he’s debating how much narrower the Ford 9” needs to be. Following that decision, he’ll add Big Bearing Torino housing ends, rebuild the axles, install a Helix Suspension 4-link kit, consider a new differential, and mount those big front brakes.
Eventually, he’ll duct those front brakes and pick up a set of beefy rears to match, install the Roadster Shop chassis, fit side skirts and a rear diffuser, install a Vintage Air system, and make a few cosmetic changes to put his signature touch on the build. It may not be a show car, but Evan’s got a right to savor the shape of his creation—he’s certainly put enough work in to warrant that.
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