Engine And Drivetrain
When it came to the engine and the bulk of the work on the project, Kurt says, "I purchased the block, heads, crank and rods from Steve Barcak's Pontiac Heaven in 1997. Brian Duffee and his employee Jeremy of Duffee Motorsports in Phoenix built the engine over the last couple of years and completed the project for me, doing a lot of custom work in the process."
The 455 block is punched 0.030-over and a set of TRW forged flat-tops wrapped in Total Seal rings are pinned to refurbished stock cast rods. A factory nodular iron crank is held in with two-bolt caps using ARP bolts, and Clevite bearings are cooled with crude supplied by a Federal-Mogul pump sipping from a baffled Pontiac pan. The baffle keeps the oil at the pickup during hard cornering.
Bolted to the short-block is a set of ported 5C heads with 2.11/1.66 Ferrea stainless valves, a three-angle valve job, and hardened seats. The heads flow 240 cfm on the intake side. A Cam Motion stick provides a streetable 235/235 degrees duration at 0.050 and 0.494/494 lift. Prime One dual valvesprings from Pro Power Performance Parts were employed, as were 5/16 pushrods and 1.50:1 roller rockers. Edelbrock's recently rereleased P-65 dual-quad intake disperses the mixture provided by twin Edelbrock 600-cfm carbs, and a Mallory Unilite distributor with a Hyfire IV box lights it off once it reaches the chambers. A high-volume Carter fuel pump and oversized lines and in-tank pickup ensure adequate fuel delivery. Headers By Doug ushers the combustion remains into a Pypes Performance 3-inch X-pipe and exhaust system featuring twin Xlerator mufflers.
GM's 200-4R overdrive trans provides low revs on the highway to fit the Pro Touring tradition. It was built by Phil Hendricks at Ken's Transmissions in Phoenix and was fortified with upgrades like a TransGo shift kit and Blue Plate clutches to live on long road trips. A mild 2,200-stall converter features lockup, providing even more efficient operation on the highway. The Pontiac's 10-bolt rear was rebuilt and fitted with an Eaton posi unit and 3.55:1 gears to round out the drivetrain. Sure, the mechanics sound great, but what about the tunes?
Tunes
Being in the electronics business at a company called Sounds Like Music, which deals with "real music and theater systems," Kurt of course had to have a special stereo system for his LeMans, so he enlisted the services of Scott Owens of Edge Audio in Phoenix. Scott is one of the top stereo installers in the country, and he performed the custom stereo installation. This included a Rockford Fosgate head unit and eight separate speaker drivers. Focal 4-inch midranges and 1-inch inverted dome titanium tweeters were set into modified kickpanels where the air vents used to be. A set of 8-inch, mid-bass, dual-voice coil drivers were installed in custom enclosures in the front floors, while dual, 10-inch, Focal dual-voice coil subwoofers were mounted in a custom enclosure in the trunk that is sealed to the interior. And then there are the Rockford 800 a4c four-channel 4x100-watts power amps and an EPX 2 four-way active crossover and 28-band equalizer to tie it all together. Controls are located on the driver's visor.
Conclusion
Since completion of the project, which was literally minutes before this year's Pontiac Heaven event, Kurt's '66 won Best Modified at Pontiac Heaven and took the HPP Editor's Choice trophy. Not a bad start after years of work. Once some seat time could be had, Kurt related that the aggressive appearance and the firm but compliant ride is what he enjoys most about his '66. Future plans include lots of road time, while taking pride in the fact that his obsession enabled him to finish his project by the "next year" as promised and the LeMans is once again the hottest vehicle in his family.