FIREBIRD on the ALASKA HIGHWAY - The Craziest Road Trip Ever!

We embark on an ambitious project to build an epic sleeper out of our old firebird with a 1000% increase in roadtrip-ability! We then take it on an insane road trip from Anchorage, Alaska to Pleasanton, California for the Good Guys West Coast Nationals car show. 3,100 miles, in only one week. This trip is about testing one of the weirdest swaps we've done, and to experience as much of the continent as possible.
Cool hose clamp tool: www.amazon.com...

[@pattybeeman]

At first, I didn't like the idea of swapping in the 2.0 turbo, but after watching to video and its flawless performance and economy mileage..... What a cool build. I also have a 67 firebird.

[@kf5op]

Yeah😄 -at first... but then i realized i can afford to drive this more than once a summer to store and back😅

[@davidvu4366]

i was just thinking while starting this video, what if someone swapped in a 2.7 I4t from a cadillac or truck from GM, torquey lil thing

[@NaruSanavai]

More power, better MPGs, better balance, parts that're easier to find (and even more space to work on the engine, should the need arise), still RWD, still manual, and it makes turbo sounds? I see this as an absolute win. I'd still miss the classic rumble and roar of a V8, sure, but everything else considered? I'd certainly have no complaints.

[@Valverde713]

I'm more interested in knowing where they found a completely intact first Gen firebird for $5k....

[@GRIM.2002]

I don’t have a 67 firebird

[@jeromeirving4770]

Being a former gm tech and having a love-hate relationship with those engines. I'm extremely impressed with the build and love the originality. Y'all now have a new subscriber.

[@arifeenaushad9287]

Same!! As a ex gm tech we all hated the 2L motors and all the 3.6L motors specially when it's in a gmc acadia 😂😂😂

[@Rattle_canned_restorations]

@@arifeenaushad9287currently a GM tech, FUCK THE TRAVERSE/ACADIAS🤣🤣🤣

[@TehShadowDeath]

@@arifeenaushad9287 My sister has a GMC Acadia with the 3.6L, fuck that thermostat.

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

They're definitely better than the turbo 1.4s. If those things werent leaking coolant, they had none.

[@jacobwebb8818]

​@@jacobrzeszewski6527arent the 1.4 Daewoo or Daihatsu engines? I cant remember which of the 2 but pretty sure GM bought the blueprint from them

[@sanjkustoms9122]

two guys building a neglected classic to perfection and drive it a millennium of miles? hell yeah subscribed!!!

[@zachsmids3374]

Another bird on the road and not rotting ! Subscribed keep it up

[@shockracer]

Two guys build it. Only one gets to drive it.

[@MrSequa]

“99 problems and fuel ain’t one” great stuff guys!

[@bjaminrun]

99 problems and a girl ain’t one

[@SouthSideChiTown]

Really like the way you guys tackled that complicated issue of solving all the fitment for the new motor, drivetrain, subframe, and interior! Way to make a hard job look simple.

[@completeconcepts]

Thanks! 👍

[@Torquematterz]

I have never seen this channel but the quality of work, filming and editing is really impressive. Hope this channel gets all the attention it deserves

[@jamiesamphere1275]

This is far better than watching people build their Subaru WRX's. You guys deserve a larger audience!

[@gigovaxvaxishvili7261]

Don't do my boys at doughnut media like that

[@matzrat5006]

Way to go guys, and thinking outside the box and getting it done.

[@ridingwithyogurt]

As an older generation car guy, I was at first not on board with the motor choice. However by the end of video, I became a fan. I remember the days of doing things differently and having a blast. I love seeing the new generation doing the same thing with their own twist. Great build, great adventure and great friends. Enjoy your journey, I think I will tag along for the fun.

[@allenhay4811]

I like it, it's different yet fuel efficient. Plus it's not the same ole boring LS engine everyone else is doing.

[@alexsimon9083]

That engine is such an underrated swap a few mods and this bad girl can push over 300hp not bad at all and fairly reliable. Well done

[@Joeshomegarage]

How is there only 15k views on this video? This is awesome. Glad I found the auction. Wish I could bid on this car👍

[@ThunderAppeal]

Sometimes here is justice in the world and the masses come to their senses and realize stupidity and ignore it. This is one of those rare times. Try to not be such a moron.

[@hammersgarage]

Cool video. Not often you see a 4 cyl swap!

[@completeconcepts]

Thanks!

[@kyledavidson9961]

The old gas tank is full of rocks cuz that's a cheap old school way to get the rust and build up out of tank you fill it with rocks and water and roll it around a bunch then rinse it out and it kinda works to the point u can use it with a few extra fuel filters or course

[@Ittybitty-o6y]

Yes but you should always add marbles, and then jack up a different wheeled vehicle, strap it to the wheel, put it in drive and let the spinning do the work. Works excellent for a budget, esp with a tank cleaning chemical agent.

[@Brock_Landers]

This thing with a bigger turbo (like the new Garrett G25 turbo), a proper set of injectors, and a good dyno tune would be alot of fun. I mean, not that 275 HP isn't enough fun for that chassis, but that engine can do better. On E85 that thing would easily make 400-450 whp on a GT25. Edit: sorry guys, I'm 41 and I've built alot of high horsepower turbocharged imports. My last build was a 1997 Civic coupe that made 709 whp at 34 psi. It was ridiculous on the street obviously, and I smoked a C8 Corvette on the highway from a roll, but it ran 9.55 @ 155 MPH with slicks. I was maxing out the GTS3582 turbo, but it DID make 709 wheel horsepower out of 1.85 liters. I can't wait to see what this Firebird can do on the autocross track with that engine and suspension.

[@kurtcocktoasten4592]

Great job with the build and with the video production and editing. Excellent use of other clips, both video and audio, to make the story funny. You guys are cheerful, positive and always show that problems can be solved. This is a perfect testament to the mixing of old style with new tech. Pontiac 326 engines CAN be made to produce quite a wallop; however, they are thirsty and expensive to do that with. Excellent mileage and performance. Good luck!

[@completeconcepts]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@spliffburger]

Pole barn garage could've done this with the old engine for 1000$.

[@LordSamuelJ]

Wait... You got that car for $5k? Ive seen much worse examples selling for much more where I live!

[@swaptimeusa]

Great job guys! Its great to save a car like this. Whats cool is with the ltg swap you have a economical drivetrain allowing you to enjoy driving the car.

[@MegamanEXEv2]

Boomers punching the air rn

[@The_Don_Beverage]

I watch tons of car shows, and I gotta say, this is the first video I have seen from you guys and it's fantastic. I can't believe I'm 22 minutes in and the car is built. The pacing of the video is perfect and I love your ideas. I was actually looking into doing a cadillac L3B swap into one of my bmw e30s, but I have 6 projects ahead of that one so we will see if that ever happens. But this is fantastic content guys, keep it up.

[@completeconcepts]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed!

[@bandwagon240]

Thank you algorithm for bringing me here. Throughly enjoyed the build and the journey.

[@PatientXero607]

That portion of the Alaska Highway between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson is sparse for gas stations. Always make sure you have enough fuel. I think the only stops that were open were Watson Lake, Muncho Lake, and Fort Nelson. It was clear after that. And yes, the rig pigs always drive 130-140 KPH on that stretch of highway between Fort Nelson and Fort St. John.

[@completeconcepts]

Yeah for sure! We planned ahead and filled up in Watson Lake, but lunch at Liard River was nice and we made it to Fort Nelson without issue.

[@SUMTlNGW0NG]

Kinda reminds me of the overhead cam inline 6 they produced in near microscopic numbers for the same generation of firebirds.

[@dizzle123able]

I get a big bang theory vibe with these two. “Sheldon’s” Nice work Fellas 🤓

[@openhighwayproductions]

First, let me say this is a very cool build. I commend you on making a huge transformation. Surprised and confused as to the weight gain... I would have liked to see more details on actual installation of all those shiny new components.

[@stephencooper5040]

25:04 yeah! The MCM swag.

[@Canadian_Icecube]

Loves those “will they make it” road trips !

[@eriknelson45]

Appreciate the new angle on a swap, im 52 and have owned 14 v8 coupes, firebirds, Lemans, Chevelle's, and others. But also had 2 Honda Civic hatchbacks, a 91 SI with a obd zero b16 with type r head and Y1 limited slip, would do 13.1s on 195/50 street tires, 7800 rpm all day, embarrassed many a v8 at lights, vtec at 5600 is when you got left

[@spamanator666]

45:46 USS Plainview, US Navy's first hydrofoil ship. It is a prototype from the mid 60s.

[@aaronjokela]

Wow! That's really interesting. Had no idea it was a hydrofoil, I certainly had to research that one . Thanks for sharing

[@bmxbobby1]

I just the uss plainview out🤯🤯🤯

[@93muller]

I'm a simple man. I see fellow Alaskan car enthusiast. I subscribe to fellow Alaskan car enthusiast.

[@MnLandWork-pk5qu]

I’ll have to go back and watch a little bit more event. I can’t figure out why he didn’t make the trip back with him? Great video guys thank you.

[@mrnobody6573]

A 1st year F-bird with A/C & rare fold down rear seat option. I was amazed at how rust free it was. How much $$$ do you have in this build?

[@completeconcepts]

We were amazed too! That's the main reason we went ahead with the project. More about the build here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnOolXZva7eli8U

[@ianhoyt2638]

I know I'm 6 months late, but when you drove past the old blimp base you spelled Tillamook wrong.

[@SightsNjunk]

Did they make you wear masks at Walmart in Alaska?

[@jasonzitt6408]

Love this video, You guys dont seem like car guys on the surface but you really are everything that is great about it. You made this car your own and created some great memories.

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

MCM 'chopped' sticker in the window,... You made it heavier? That weight bias will be a big improvement to handling and to ride, and the LTG is a pretty good choice, faster then stock, but no V8 is going to match that cruise fuel usage figure. This is equal to swapping a Slant Six for MoPar 3.8 V6, or dropping the new Hurricane six in to a Duster.

[@davevangemert9853]

next time we can find a V.W bus and put in a 4200 chevy barra inline 6 with a turbo the size of a dog house and set it up for felivering flowers on mothers day?i bet that left a bad taste in your mouth! yes, switch to a 195 90 12 ?tire. that would be pretty cool,ha?you can make your own wheels out of play dough? maybe?

[@kylecline3039]

I think it'd be cool to do the 6 spd lf4 engine out of the ats-v or even the lf3 out of the cts v-sport twin turbo v6 atsv makes 464hp vsport makes 420 hp. Super capable engine easy to make 500whp with tune downpipes and maybe fuel cam

[@jhawk1985]

This car is so cool. Love the IRS and the engine choice. Really would love to build a car similiar to this. Id like to see a Corvair with this engine setup in front. Good job guys

[@gizmofrek]

39:18 MightyCarMods will be Proud with that chopped sticker...

[@jasonbenson2655]

Hey! Your vid popped up and I thought your Firebird looked familiar so I had to watch. I remember meeting you guys briefly. That is my Monte Carlo doing stand-in chores while my other car is being readied. Awesome car and sorry I didn't get a chance to talk more but love the video and the road trip!

[@completeconcepts]

Thanks! Next time I'll bring better tires, but we had a lot of fun and it was great to meet you briefly!

[@brendonhearn8778]

Was that a "Mighty Car Mods" chopped sticker, around 51:42? Loving the journey, and the car Gents. cheers

[@clorb6311]

No idea if you’ll see this or not, but at ~48:12 when you mention it looks like something in a movie, I’m fairly certain The Goonies was filmed there and that exact turn was part of it. Also great work on the car, I wish I was able to do this kind of stuff.

[@izzyplusplusplus1004]

Sure would love to build one of these for my 4wd. Edit: Great editing and cool car! No one else is doing it = cool project.

[@brianlackie5093]

The patina on that car looks great, can't ask for a better color. Cool build, glad you didn't put a 2jz in there

[@Chewie374]

That was awesome. I was.going to buy a 92 camaro with a 305 motor. I was going to swap for the same motor.

[@slowlearner984]

That rear end is a direct rip off from Jag IRS. But I will say, I like IRS.

[@jayburrough4308]

This is awesome 2 friends working in the garage.keep the video's coming

[@danerasmussen6468]

Aw nah what a waste of an iconic car. Obviously put in a 6 speed and crate ls… gotta be a liberal from the north

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

@ 1:01:18 - The commentator going *_"wait wait wait wait wait .... seriously?"_* had me laughing. 😄

[@lugnut2612]

Was a great video,you all are a little strange, but built a cool car.Whats with that goofy grin on his face all the time😂

[@LethallyReptarded]

'We've simplified bread and removed the filling' proper got me 😂

[@obadel5092]

A mean smooth Firebird with the scars of a long life and the gas mileage of brand new Toyota corolla 😂

[@thestarlightalchemist7333]

I think this should become a new tuning genre: old American cars with junked engines getting modern inline engine swaps

[@mechticulous8202]

Small Displacement + Turbo + Fuel Efficiency = The Future of Hotrodding and Smiles per Gallon (or all you V8 guys better start looking at alternatives like 15:1 compression and water injection or wood gas?)😅

[@TheCptTrenchfoot]

V8's can get 30 mpg without being boosted to within an inch of their life

[@frbrbrgrblgrr7777]

They do look like they'd own a 2.0L Firebird to be fair.

[@Cheezn4urdreams]

I can't imagine how much all these parts and shipping prices are

[@sarahdell4042]

This was a treat! I love different

[@RoadHeros610]

Dude that was an amazing video ..but damn why your man have to leave you like that ..to tread back solo 😞😲🤔🤬

[@BillyBob38846]

Really a good video, I like what you did to the old Firebird. At first I thought a big Chevrolet 500 engine should go in it but after the long trip with great gas mileage it's pretty cool. Great job guy's and I can't wait to see what's next! 👍

[@completeconcepts]

Thank you very much!

[@JohnJohnson-dv1ds]

As an owner of a 23 230i BMW, I can appreciate four cylinder performance. Also, it kept me out of jail while still delivering grins.

[@Sergeantgrunt]

I don't care what people are going to say. What you did was cool. More HP and better handling equal success. Now you need to fix the body.

[@completeconcepts]

Thank you!

[@netob6826]

The engine platform seems pretty robust! Some led projectorheadlights would be great for night driving!

[@mrkeopele]

amazing! so smooth and quiet! if you can't go electric.. GO WITH THIS!!! I LOVE IT.

[@TheMoldyOne]

Tight budget 50k later yea very tight.

[@Carl_Jr]

I was actually considering doing this swap in my 1986 El Camino. You guys have convinced me that this is the route I should go. Great video!

[@Braskus]

I don't like V8's so i loved the idea of putting in 'not that'. This thing having IRS aswell is so good! Muscle car looks without the muscle car problems!

[@Str8sixfan]

Absolutely love that you weren't afraid to joi the off-beat hot rodding crowd! Absolutely love the combo!

[@hughiemaceachern5282]

Id be saving the Pontiac 400

[@nicholasselvaggi54]

My brother in law inherited a numbers matching 67 Firebird 400ci when he bought his grandmothers old house. Rusted and needed restored, he got $9k for it. What a heresy I see here, but extremely cool, also. 😁

[@pmcquay1]

Guys, you're doing this whole youtube thing wrong! You needed to split this up into 10 videos that are 20 minutes long each, with 3 minutes of sponsor reads, plus youtube ads! (sarcasm aside, this is an amazing video and I love the car and the swap. Keep it up gents! You've got my subscription!)

[@lukepence1028]

When engineers decide to be mechanics😂

[@couchguy707]

What a trip. I grew up in Eureka California and seeing my old stomping grounds on your drive was really cool. Awesome car and great journey. Hope to see more!

[@robsorgdrager8477]

The hose clamp tool when well worn will turn those pesky little clamps into a shop claim in a hurry.... " Tink!!! - wizzzzzz - crash " ah man now I need a windshield.

[@gkauto1959]

Guys doing something this far fetched co$ts MONEY, how much did all this come to? Im guessing like 30K? were these parts laid on you for free or did you have to buy it yourselves?

[@toddthompson8254]

When money is no object...... ....

[@hughiemaceachern5282]

How u guy's aford to do this anyway

[@jimlove4541]

Thank you for showing How it's done. Almost all of the builds on the hot rod shows fail because the build quality is crap . this was the first time watching and I have to say bravo. Your work was excellent..

[@DirtE30]

What an awkwardly nice couple of guys! Lol Kickass build dudes!

[@denvera1g1]

I'd like to LTG swap my 96 fleetwood 6 door limo, giving me extra space to convert it to a PHEV with FWD electric, and RWD gas, completely independent drive trains. Similar HP, notably less torque from the LTG, but looking to add 50HP 75tq to the front axel. Though, it would probably easier wiring to do FWD gas RWD electric, replace the pumpkin with a 200HP direct drive motor and set the batteries in the trunk& rear passenger area closer to the axel.

[@ToastyToastiness-z3x]

If you want a better tire for autocross, that's still a 100% street tire, the Achilles ATR Sport 2 is the best I've used for grip (again for 100% street tire category). I don't find the treadweaer ratings to be accurate across brands, and Nitto I've never been impressed with for street tires (they have some good drag radials and higher grip tires avail). The nitto 555's I compare with the Dunlop DZ101's, which both are only mediocre. A slight step up from 555 and DZ101 would be the Kenda KR20's and Federal 595's (both comparible grip, and only very slightly better than Nitto 555's). But again, a step up from the Kenda's would then be the Achilles I mentioned. This is all from personal experience use. Anything with more grip the the Achilles ATR Sport 2, and you're going into stuff like the Falken RT615k's (better when hot), Federal RS-RR (have better cold grip than Falken 615k, but less that 615k when hot), Toyo Proxes RA-1 (AMAZING tire), etc. Which aren't good for road tripping or daily driving, and they're all a whole different ball game from standard street tires.

[@jesslittle7110]

Did you guys see the one log house ?

[@Kenya-Kikuyu]

mpg?

[@Abraham_R_]

This gave me Roadkill vibes! 🔥

[@vwdmc16]

Hardly, these guys actually prepared the car and gave themselves more that 6hrs to do it!

[@melissasavage1553]

Great video! Really cool build. Love the LTG engine

[@izwandyibrahim488]

i dont know, but i guarantee u guys keep that smiling all the way.. that really positive minds whilst driving to ur destinations

[@gpl422sda]

Thank you guys for using an old car 😊I lived in Alaska for two years and drove the Alcan five times in 1974-1976, and flew out, but I have taken the same trip both ways. Good to see the same views, took some of the same pictures too. Thank you.

[@Fitzinyourhead]

Hey guys Just found your channel and what a treat. Felt like I was right there with you guys. Because I’ve done both, though not together. I owned a 68 Firebird for a couple years and I’ve driven the ALCAN highway from Juneau Alaska to California. That was beautiful and a life-changing experience but I can’t actually say I wouldn’t wanna do it again. Intrigued as hell about the motor you put in that thing I love the content keep up the good work

[@joeyjojojr.shabadoo915]

Do just 1 or both of your families each own their very own Alaskan Oil Field and/or Diamond Mine ? I am going to have nightmares now just thinking about the total of your Summit Racing parts invoices and misc stack of bills after watching this 'quick' build. Not sure if I can make it through a 'full build' that may really cost some cash ;)

[@johnnygeorgopoulos4072]

You guys are confusing the hell outta me with your kilometers and liters talk when you're American, driving on a desolate highway at "well over _100kmh_ and everyone passing us" (yes, because I thought the typical HW speed regardless of postage was 80mph lol, you guys are puttering).... I kept thinking you guys were Canadian and were just traveling through Alaska through to the States, hit your channel and it says nope, you guys are American, kinda like me as an American, going to the UK or Liberia and saying KMH 😅

[@johnnygeorgopoulos4072]

Reminds me of the old 67-69 Firebird Sprint's, but better lol .... only question or concern I really have, and I don't know if it's unfounded as I haven't seen the return trip yet, but why did both of you guys build this cool Firebird, but only one gets to drive it? Only 30mins through, I'll edit if something changes, but as of now, if I was the other guy, I'd be pissed just sitting there 😅 Edit: um, where are your rear rotors and calipers at?

[@pizzamagee6220]

This is making me rethink the motor swap for my 61 thunderbird. It's no performance car so I'm starting to think a 2.3L ecoboost with 10r80 would be nice especially if I'm going to do hotrod power tour. Also I drove my wife's 2017 kia Sedona through that tree in June of 2023 makes that firebird look like it has tons of space.

[@jfv65]

If you had swapped in a modern commonrail direct injected 2.0L turbo DIESEL you would have easily scored 55mpg. Without it being slow.

[@christianbattestin9747]

I was once in a garage where we were working on a '67 Firebird convertible. Maroon with black top and interior. Pontiac 350 with some aftermarket parts, TH350, stock drum brakes. The rear end was from a GM coil spring car but it had monoleaves on it, and the factory right rear traction bar that all 1st gen GM F bodies had to counteract axle twist on launch.

[@KTSLAY]

The Clearly Canadian drinks you had in the trunk....I fukn live them so much, couldn't find them for 10+ years and I'm from BC. Raspberry and cherry are the best. The car is sick, I'm subscribing now

[@davidl546]

This is what I want to do to a firebird/camaro. Don't get me wrong, I like v8s, but when people ls v8 swap a rwd mazda, nissan, toyota, it makes me want to turbo 4 an American classic.(or turbo L6) I do understand the ls swap in an rx7, it's cheaper and more available than a rotary.

[@RossMalagarie]

What was the starting HP and TQ on the 2.0L engine you put in the car? And what did y'all tune it to? And what was the mpg after the tune? Y'all said between 35mpg and 40mpg at stock HP and TQ. The exhaust sounded so quiet but I didn't see any mufflers? Did y'all do straight headers nothing behind?

[@davidetchellsetchells4692]

Mistake #1 not rebuilding the factory poncho engine, see butler performance, yeah, that's why😂😂😂😂 besides you can shave a couple hundred pounds off the poncho engine with aluminum heads and intake, nice headers, and all the lightweight but extremely strong components that can be installed in the short block. That's #1. The crossmember I can understand as it will upgrade handling to a new level. Personally I've never had any problems driving a firebird or any pony car for that matter but I actually know how to drive without all the abs, traction control, and fancy new suspension. I learned to adjust the factory suspension to do exactly what I want instead of cutting and welding in non factory parts. However, it's your budget, your build, so make it your own! It aint gonna win any trophies at pebble Beach but if it is a joy to drive then who cares right?

[@McSpeedAlaskanAdventures]

Enjoyed the video. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully we run into each other at some of the local car events. We are in Palmer. I’m actually building a replica fall guy square body to launch off the glacier view cliff this July 4th. I’m searching for some doors and other parts. Maybe you guys know who has some usable square body parts? Keep up the good work! We rebuilt a 68 firebird - number of years ago for a giveaway. Seeing yours brought back memories of road tripping that one before the give away. We did a Pontiac 400 and 3 speed trans. Made it to 16 mph at one point!!!