Not having a build go according to plan isn’t something new in the racecar game — it happens any time there are custom parts involved or something new is being tried. Ed Page had his heart set on building something quicker than his friend’s car…then things escalated quickly and his best-laid plans went off the rails. The 1969 Firebird that Page is now building known as “The Raven” is going to be a boosted Drag Week bruiser with a one-off Pontiac powerplant that should make it a hoot to drive.

Originally, Page had plans to upgrade the driveline in his 1969 Camaro so he could show his friend Steve McConnell that the Camaro was faster than his 1967 Firebird. Before Page knew it, he was working on a project that morphed into something that could survive the brutality of Drag Week, while still being able to run well in other classes. That led to the acquisition of twin turbochargers, Ram Air-headed (RAV) Pontiac motor, and that changed the game even more for Page.

Since the decision was made to go with a Pontiac-based engine, it was only natural for Page to put it in a first-generation Firebird. But that’s when things got even more interesting for this build.

“I found a 1969 Firebird rolling chassis with an expired 7.50 certification out of Long Island, New York on RacingJunk to use for the build. I towed it home thinking it would need some minor updates to the suspension and chassis, but the cage turned out to be mild steel. So, at that point, I figured if we’re going to build the first twin-turbo RAV-headed Pontiac engine, let’s do it right and put in in a chassis that would be able to handle the power. I enlisted Mike Hall of Hall’s Custom to design, build, and paint the rolling chassis along with fabricating just about every other custom component on the car,” Page says.

The 25.2B certified chassis wears an all-steel body except for the hood and bumpers. The factory firewall and core support remain in the stock locations as they came from Pontiac in 1969. The rearend was custom built by Hall and uses a Strange Engineering 9.5-inch Ultra-Case and 40 spline axles. The custom 4-link suspension that Hall fabricated is held in place by a set of Strange Engineering double-adjustable shocks that take care of the rear dampening. Up front, the stock framerails are a part of the stock-style suspension that utilizes Smith RaceCraft tubular control arms.

The engine in Page’s car is truly unique since it’s the first twin-turbo Pontiac RAV engine ever built. The 535 cubic-inch mill uses a dry decked IA-II block with a Crower billet crank, Callies Ultra Rods, and Ross pistons inside. The special RAV heads are from renowned Pontiac engine shop DCI Motorsports and are teamed up with a DCI intake bottom. Luhn Performance added the Holley Hi-Ram intake top to the DCI bottom unit to finish the induction system out. A custom turbo system was fabricated and uses a pair of Turbonetics Y2K88 turbos, NewGen HP waste gates and Godzilla blow-off valves. A Chiseled Performance IC3000 intercooler keeps all the boosted air nice and cool as it enters the engine.

A Holley Dominator EFI and Holley digital dash will be controlling the engine, providing data, and governing all of the boost the big Pontiac motor will produce. Transferring the power to the ground will be a Rossler 210XHD transmission and 9.5-inch PTC torque converter.

With a stout chassis and a ton of boosted Pontiac power on tap, Page’s Firebird should be one to watch when it debuts at Drag Week in 2018. Page also intends to race his Firebird in as many classes as it will fit in at his local track, New England Dragway. One thing is for sure, Page’s Raven will fly when he lets off the transbrake and turns up the boost!