Adrienne Janic's 1968 Pontiac Firebird - Lady Bird

Overhaulin's Adrienne Janic Builds A Lightweight Highway Flyer '68 Firebird With Help From Year One.

By Liz Miles - Photography by Robert McGaffin

Many of us get into our cars after work and try to wipe our minds clear of the business day. It forms a division between your work and home life, usually a necessity for maintaining sanity. This wasn't the case for Adrienne Janic (or A.J. for short), former co-host of the popular TLC program Overhaulin'. A.J. spent countless hours overseeing the modification and restoration process performed on the show, and realized she had to have a hot rod of her own.

When she first started on Overhaulin', A.J. didn't know a thing about cars, and she was perfectly honest with the production and build team about it. She didn't want to fake the car girl thing because she knew no one would buy it. Just like a 12-step program, the first step is to admit you have a problem. "I knew absolutely nothing about cars, but the show turned out to be the best school I ever had. The build team spent a lot of time showing me the ropes and getting me more and more involved," she shares.

In season five of Overhaulin', A.J. was given a special assignment. "It was like the final exam, to see if I had been paying attention," she says. She was to be responsible for the design of a young lady's '63 Comet. At this point, A.J. had a lot of time to absorb the information presented to her on the show, and came up with an amazing design. Getting to see the final product and to receive praise for her vision gave her the confidence to build her own car.

There was no doubt in A.J.'s mind what car she wanted. The Overhaulin' episode titled "Uncle Sam's Nephew" featured the build of a 1968 Firebird. "This was the most stunning car ever. When introducing David, the owner of the car, I whispered, 'You know, if you don't like it or want it, ill take it.' He faked a little smile at the joke. I leaned in again and told him I was serious; he clenched his keys a little tighter. That's when I knew a 1968 Firebird was the car for me," says A.J. She felt it was the perfect blend of masculine and feminine cues. It has the potential for brutal power and handling, yet has smooth styling, and all in a compact, lightweight package.

The next step was to find the perfect place to have her dream realized. Hollywood hot rodder hubby and Overhaulin' producer, Bud Brutsman, knew exactly where to go. He had his 1969 Mustang fastback built by Year One a couple years ago, and the build turned out phenomenal. A.J. took a trip to Georgia, home of Year One, with a clear vision of what she wanted. The guys there suggested she might do a Mustang or a Camaro, but she knew the Firebird was meant for her.

At the risk of sounding clich, we had to ask A.J. how she felt about working with all the guys. It was obvious in her voice that she couldn't have had a better experience. She knew she could be herself around them, and suggests that girls looking to get into the car world needn't be intimidated, and that the majority of the guys in the business have nothing but support to lend to women with the automotive bug. In this case, however, the roles weren't the norm and A.J. was in charge. "She stuck to her guns on everything," Phil Brewer of Year One told us. He was impressed with what she had in mind for the car.

A.J.'s main objective was to have it drive and run like a new car, but with classic looks. With those requirements, Year One introduced her to the Detroit Speed and Engineering (DSE) suspension system. They've installed several of these setups and had full confidence it would deliver the driving feel she was after. She wasn't looking for the rock-hard hyper suspension of a race car, nor did she want the sloppy feel of the original Firebird suspension, and the DSE was a happy medium.

The color of the car was a very important thing to A.J. "I drove everyone nuts! It took me a whole month to come up with the right color. I wanted it to look black at night, but shine like a blue sapphire in the sun," she says. She looked at dozens of paint chips to find the right color, and ended up with a custom BASF Midnight Blue pearl.

To keep it simple, A.J. wanted an LS2 powerplant, but that was already out of production, and an LS3 was used instead. A step up in power from the LS2, this alloy jewel makes an effortless 430 hp with the economy of a late-model fuel-injected motor. A.J. and Year One considered taking the LS3 apart to make some changes, but then decided it was better left undisturbed. A.J. didn't want something that would have problems down the line. To a lot of people, including A.J., 430 hp is quite a bit of power, and more than she's used to. "I didn't realize what I was getting myself into with this engine. I have to relearn how to drive," A.J. explains.

   

   

   

   

     

     

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