The spirit of the 70s American muscle continues to live in the 4th gen Gen Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird models, especially why it comes to the high performance WS6 versions equipped with the LS1 V8 engines.
Yet, Juan, the owner of this black late model 2002 Pontiac Trans AM WS6 decided to take its already notable performance up a notch and converted his car into an ultimate drag machine capable of doing wheelies thanks to the insane output of more than 1300HP. Read on to see the full transformation path of this awesome vehicle.
WS6 Performance Roots
In 1969 Pontiac introduced the Performance and Appearance Package to the Firebird coded WS4 and called it Trans Am. This muscle car was built on the F-body platform shared with Chevy Camaro.
The Sports Performance Package WS6 was first offered in 1978. The legendary LS1 version of the fourth and final generation of the Firebird came out after a major restyling in 1998.
Even the stock configuration of the desired to this day 2002 WS6 Trans Am powered by a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 engine produced 325 hp and was capable of making the quarter-mile in just 13 seconds.
“Even though the Trans Am was discontinued after 2002, the model is still very much in demand among drag racing enthusiasts thanks to the LS1 V8”
Juan’s WS6 Drag Build
Even though the Trans Am was discontinued after 2002, the model is still very much in demand among drag racing enthusiasts. One of them, Juan from Texas, bought the wrecked 2002 WS6 in 2005 with low mileage on the clock. He has put it together himself in his garage. Juan and his dad are avid drag racers, so they started competing with each other resulting in a crash.
Realizing that some modifications had to be made to make the vehicle safer and more capable, Juan began his long journey of building the incredible Bullet WS6.
Roll cage, Dana S60 rear end, and FTI Turbo 400 transmission with Pro Torque converter and M&M air shifter were installed. At first, Juan used the car as a daily driver and didn’t race as much as he wanted, until he was able to buy a truck for that. And that’s when the period of serious modifications has started.
The car was completely stripped and rewired. A new, lighter cage, suspension, and transmission came in. The motor was rebuilt and upgraded with a Nitros kit.
A new Holley fuel injection system was added. The Trans Am now produced so much power that it started doing wheelies. But Juan didn’t stop there. He was still losing to turbocharged cars, which pushed him to the biggest transformation in the Bullet’s life.
BorgWarner S369SX-E turbo kit
With the help of his friends, he was able to install the full twin BorgWarner S369SX-E turbo kit on the motor still set up for Nitros. These experiments logically lead to the motor breakdown, so when nothing could be fixed anymore, Juan sold his other car to buy a new 427 CID LSX engine built by LME and other crucial parts to avoid previous mistakes.
427 CID LSX Engine by LME
It features a Callies crankshaft and Callies connecting rods, Wiseco custom pistons, new cylinder heads from Frankenstein Engine Dynamics, a Holley hi-Ram intake manifold, and custom American Speed Shops valvetrain and camshaft ground by Brian Tooley Racing. With a custom air-to-water intercooler setup, it produces around 1300 hp.
“The Trans Am now produced so much power that it started doing wheelies”
Midwest Chassis
The Bullet is running the lightweight Midwest Chassis Fabricated 9″ rear end with 3.25 gearing which helps keep wheels on the ground. The tubular suspension sits on Viking double-adjustable coilovers.
Fuel Delivery
Two Magnafuel MP-4303 ProTuner pumps were installed to deliver fuel (the second one comes alive under boost). A custom fiberglass hood was made featuring a clear plastic centerpiece and holes for uniquely combined dual exhausts and downpipes coming straight through the top.
The car is running on beadlocked Weld RTS racing wheels 17″ in the front and 15×10.5″ in the back wrapped in Mickey Thompson Pro tires.
The stock hatch was replaced with its VFN fiberglass counterpart that ends with a long Pro Stock wing. That what you can expect to see when Juan takes his 2002 Bullet WS6 Trans Am to street class drag racing events.
List of modifications
Performance
- 427 CID LSX engine built by LME featuring:
- Callies crankshaft and connecting rods
- Wiseco custom pistons
- Frankenstein Engine Dynamics cylinder heads
- Holley hi-Ram intake manifold
- Custom American Speed Shops valvetrain
- Brian Tooley Racing custom camshaft
- Twin BorgWarner S369SX-E turbo kit
- Custom air-to-water intercooler setup
- Holley fuel injection system
- Dual Magnafuel MP-4303 ProTuner pumps (second activates under boost)
- FTI Turbo 400 transmission with Pro Torque converter
- M&M air shifter
Suspension
- Midwest Chassis Fabricated 9″ rear end with 3.25 gearing
- Dana S60 rear end (initial build)
- Tubular suspension
- Viking double-adjustable coilovers
Wheels
- Weld RTS racing wheels:
- 17″ front
- 15×10.5″ rear
- Mickey Thompson Pro tires
- Beadlocked wheel setup
Exterior
- Custom fiberglass hood with clear plastic centerpiece
- Hood holes for dual exhausts and downpipes
- VFN fiberglass replacement hatch
- Pro Stock wing
- Unique top-exit exhaust configuration
Interior
- Roll cage (later upgraded to lighter version)
- Complete rewiring
Other
- Complete strip-down of vehicle
Conclusion
Juan’s WS6 Trans Am build demonstrates an overwhelming focus on performance modifications, with both Performance and Suspension categories maxing out at 10 points each, highlighted by the twin-turbo 427 CID LSX engine setup and professional-grade track suspension.
| Parts Category | Difficulty Rating* |
|---|---|
| Suspension Mods: | 10/10 |
| Performance Mods: | 10/10 |
| Exterior Mods: | 3/10 |
| Interior Mods: | 7/10 |
* Based on our build difficulty evaluation system ⓘ
The Interior scores a respectable 7 points thanks to its comprehensive racing setup with a roll cage, while the Exterior’s blacked out theme and relatively stock appearance add some points to the awesome batmobile look of this build.
Watch the progress and find out more about this Pontiac Firebird WS6 project by visiting the Instagram profile of the owner: @thebulletws6!
Stay tuned for more project reviews on Specs&Mods.com – Follow us on social media, and share this write-up if you enjoyed reading it!
Leave a Reply