1967 Pontiac Firebird "Black Widow"

Shortly after building the car, it was featured on the cover of Gulf Coast Motorsports Magazine (January 2021 issue) after being spotted by the editor at its first car show. The car, along with the shop, was also the spotlight of an article on the website of The Leather Hide Store.

Due to being garage kept in a disassembled state since it was first taken off the road 20 years prior, we had our work cut out for us. Rust repair was needed in both quarters, rear wheel wells, around the rear window, in both front fenders, and cowl before customization and bodywork could even begin.

The center of the rear spoiler was modified to give a custom look.

1/1

The side vents were sank in and gills removed with an added hole as a brake duct.

1/1

The middle of the front valance was removed to improve engine cooling. Driving lights were added, and the front spoiler was modified to match the rear spoiler's "one-off" look.

1/1

The underside of the car was coated in a bedliner and topped with an epoxy paint for durability. The exterior was sprayed in Merlot, Bordeaux, and Champagne Gold basecoats, topped off with six coats of clearcoat before multiple stages of wet sanding and polishing.

1/1

Inside this two-tone Brazilian leather interior resides Dakota Digital gauges, Vintage Air A/C with automatic temperature control, power windows, a double din radio with a backup camera installed in place of the trunk lock, and Rockford Fosgate Punch speakers driven by a Punch four channel amplifier. The one piece headliner, modified 2005 GTO power seats, custom full length center console, dash pad, door panels, and trunk enclosure were covered in seven and a half hides of leather. There is very little on the inside of this car not covered in leather. Even the carpet and floor mats are bound in the same leather used on the rest of the car.

1/1

Gen III LS engine with shaved 799 heads and a Lunati camshaft with link bar lifters, mated to a 4l60E overdrive transmission, breathing through a FiTech fuel injection system, and polished stainless 2.5" exhaust with an X-pipe.

1/1

The rear wheel wells were widened to allow room for the Foose 18x9" rims wrapped in 295/40/ZR18 tires, with a RideTech 4-link rear suspension with QA1 coilovers hooked to a Ford 9 inch rear end with 3.50 gearing and posi-traction to put the power to the ground. Up front, the entire front subframe was replaced, now holding a Checkered Racing front coilover suspension with tubular control arms and power rack and pinion steering. Four Piston Willwood brakes sit on all corners. All suspension and brake components were painted in Champagne Gold to match the color scheme.

1/1

The car can be seen in the final picture with the award won at its first car show. The first of many awards.

1/1