2000 Pontiac Trans Am

As an attendee of the inaugural Fbody Gathering in Atlanta in 1997, Tim LeGros of De Ridder, Louisiana, caught his first glimpse of the to-be-released '98 Trans Am, and instantly knew he had found his next car. But while others may have gone straight out to order, Tim's first priorities were to support his family and assist his daughters in completing their degrees. Although the anticipation was difficult, Tim ultimately toughed it out until 2000, when he found the exact TA he was looking for at CBG Pontiac in De Ridder: a brand-new '00 Pewter TA with an automatic transmission. Although the car was eve-rything Tim hoped it would be, it didn't take long for those years of waiting to manifest into an overwhelming desire to bolt on additional performance. Like so many enthusiasts, alas the slippery slope from stock daily driver to weekend specialty car began. Fast forward seven years and the stock Pewter paint still glistens-but when unleashed now, the 'Bird takes flight with a picturesque wheelstand, tripping the traps at 130 mph en route to 10.12 quarter-mile times. No juice, no power-adder, just an LS2-based 402 and a well-sorted-out suspension package. "Since I had to wait to purchase the car for a few years, I knew that a few well-placed modifications would take the loaded TA from the stock mid-13-second times and get it into the 12s," says Tim. "My first call was to Thunder Racing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where I ordered up a Hypertech Power Programmer, Borla Cat-Back, and Vigilante 3600 stall torque converter. In addition to being rewarded with a 12.95 ET, it also started a relationship with Thunder Racing that has resulted in joint efforts to progress the car to its current state."

After the initial bolt-ons, the changes came at a more leisurely pace, and included mid-length headers without cats, along with an aftermarket torque arm, weld-in subframe connectors, and upper and lower control arms. It wasn't until early 2004 that the motor was opened up. After swapping out the LS1 intake for an LS6, a small aluminum throttle-body insert found its way into the engine, resulting in a knock. Thankfully, the car was towed to Thunder, where the heads were pulled and it was determined that no damage had been done. While the heads were off, it was the perfect time to step-up the performance with a heads/cam swap. Gallant Technical Performance Stage II LS1 heads were ordered, and a lightly used Thunder Racing camshaft measuring 224/224 at .050 duration and .563/.563 lift on a 112 LSA was installed. After a custom tune by Thunder's Geoff Skinner, the car routinely ran 11.60s at the local track. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until the car broke an aftermarket panhard bar at the 2004 Thunder Shootout that the second important factor in the TA's transformation took place. As expected, Thunder came to the rescue with a BMR panhard bar, but there to offer mechanical assistance and chassis expertise was Brian "Madman" Jeffery, of Madman & Co. Racing in Houston, Texas. Brian noticed that the car wasn't launching optimally on the MT ET Street Radials, and in addition to replacing the damaged panhard bar, he reset the pinion angle on the rearend. Not only did the car launch better, but it also put down personal bests in both 60-foot and quarter-mile times of 1.49 and 11.49, respectively (at 115 mph). Fast-forward a year, and after changing out the torque arm, replacing the 10-bolt with a Moser 9-inch, blowing up a head gasket on the original motor, and running a budget forged LS1 and a larger cam to the tune of 11.21 ETs, a rod on the then-street-licensed car let go, necessitating a replacement short-block. After consulting with Thunder and Madman, which joined forces in Baton Rouge, Tim decided to take the car off the street and build a nasty budget drag car that would consistently run 10.50s.

Lying in wait under the Suncoast Creations Ram Air hood is 402 ci of LS2-based Gen IV fury. The forged motor's internals are built for high revs, with a stroked Callies DragonSlayer crankshaft and Lunati Pro Billet rods. The power lies in the GTP Stage III heads and a custom Thunder cam, measuring 253/260 at .050, .661/.664 lift, and 112 LSA. A TPIS 90mm throttle body and FAST 90mm intake flow air to the engine, while cracked and refined hydrocarbons are atomized by Ford SVO 30-pound fuel injectors. A close look reveals a Meziere electric water pump, along with a Burkhart Chassis ABS delete plate.

Tim warms up the Hoosier C06 Radial Drag slicks in preparation for a quarter-mile assault of State Capitol Raceway in Port Allen, Louisiana; burnouts are done with the precision of a seasoned pro. Traction has to be consistent, especially when putting up the wheels. Luckily for Tim and GMHTP, the fine folks at Thunder Racing, Madman, and State Capitol Raceway pride themselves on going the extra mile to ensure a well-prepared launch surface and Bayou hospitality.

The 30x10.5x15 Hoosier meats are wrapped around Weld Pro Star Aluminum Drag wheels measuring 15x10. A Moser Engineering Ford 9-inch rearend swings 35-spline axles from an aluminum-spooled center section, and provides rapid torque multiplication via 4.30 gears. Since pulling the TA down from speed at the track safely is paramount, lightweight Strange Engineering Pro Race four-piston front and rear billet calipers with Strange directional slotted rotors and race pads were chosen.