Frosty

OK - now that I know that you have shaved door handles, I know what you need. Street rodders and hot rodders have been shaving door handles for well over 50 years and they install either a mechanical or electric shaved door handle kit. You need to a couple of basic things, one is a mechanism that unlocks the door and pulls on the door latch mechanism. These days that is usually a wireless key fob. The second is a spring loaded door "popper" to push the door open enough for you to grab it and pull it open.



There are lots of kits out on the market but these are generally universal kits and it will be your job to make it fit and work in the Firebird doors. There is no kit made to fit the Firebird.



Another thing to consider, especially if you purchase an electric kit, is what happens if the car battery goes dead? Does the kit allow for any sort of remote manual release mechanism like a cable pull or push button (most street rodders hide something like this under the frame somewhere). So do your homework, ask questions of the companies that make these kits or who sell them. Calling hot rod shops would also be a good idea to see which kits they recommend, sell, or install themselves.



Here is one such kit and the associated door popper from Summit Racing - as an example



http://www.summitracing.com/parts/eli-99800

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/eli-99520



You can Google shaved door handle kit and find lots of these type of kits on the market.



Here are some videos to give you an idea of what you need to do to install a kit into the doors.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XECVXw3Qqe8

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecdQEx2fAP0

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR9OZlAtTAE







Your dash pad is beyond the help of a simple Eastwood repair kit. I would contact Just Dashes and see what the cost is to have it rebuilt.

http://www.justdashes.com/



Based on your picture, it looks like your window felt weatherstripping needs to be replaced. Anymore weather stripping you need to replace? Steele Rubber Products has you covered.

http://www.steelerubber.com/beltline-weatherstrip-80-0687-57



What is the situation with the rear spoiler? Which one are you looking for?

It is an interesting engine/body combination, but it is definitely not original. The 428 was never offered in a '70s Pontiac of any size. They were only offered in the mid-60s large B & C platform cars. They are as reliable as any other Pontiac engine if built and maintained properly. If yours is in need of a rebuild at this point, I would definitely give consideration to the LS motor only because the 428 is not original to the car and you do not have a numbers matching car at this point anyway.



That said, the 428 is a strong motor and it is a somewhat desirable motor in the Pontiac world, especially if it is an 428 H.O.. It can be bored and stroked to a larger displacement if you so choose too. You can probably sell it rather readily too, in its current state, assuming the motor isn't permanently damaged (no crack block or heads).



The choice is yours.



Other things to consider with the LS3 will be the wiring harness for the engine and the ECM, a higher pressure fuel pump for the motor, possibly a return fuel line to the gas tank. Also, the LS3 uses the Chevy transmission bolt pattern so you will have to use an adapter kit to re-use your original transmission or you will have to get a different transmission for the car that bolts up to the motor. If you change transmissions, you made need an ECM for the transmission if you get a more modern 4L60E/4L80E. This may also require changes to your driveshaft. The yoke on the transmission side may need to change and you might need to shorten it. There is also transmission tunnel clearance considerations too.



I am not trying to scare you, I am just being realistic about what a modern, fuel injected motor may need in terms of re-engineering the car. LS engine swaps are very popular for a reason. They work - very well.



Perhaps an interesting compromise could be a rebuild the 428 then add something like a Fast EFI kit (about $2-3K) that replaces the carb. That way you can use the existing engine and tranny and still get many of the benefits of modern fuel injection.

External sheet metal parts are often unique to the body or platform. I would not expect a fender or door from a Chevy Caprice or Buick Electra to match your Catalina. So I would stick to looking at 77-81 Bonnevilles and Catalinas to replace things like doors, fenders, and grilles. Frames you might have more luck with Olds and Chevy chassis as well, still there should be plenty of Bonneville and Catalinas lying around, especially out west.



The 77-81 Catalina and Bonneville are the 5th generation and the last truly full-size cars. This was also the final generation for the Catalina nameplate. After 1981, Pontiac discontinued the Catalina name and the Bonneville name continued on with a redesigned model. So these would be the years to look for dash, glove box, fender, and doors, in my opinion. I would also scrutinize Bonneville parts very carefully since the Bonneville was the more luxurious model, they might have more trim than the Catalina model and you might need to remove, fill, or fiddle with.