68 Firebird Homecoming
04-28-2008, 05:39 PM
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68 Firebird Homecoming Hey guys just wanted to post up about the new addition to the garage. My wife and I went and picked up her 68 Firebird project car that was initially purchased and owned by her mother since 1968....she has been in storage for 14 years. This will be a complete restoration with a possible twist....she may get an LS motor/tranny swap...this is to be determined at a later date. Hopefully as the project progresses I can post up pictures and such...Wish us Luck!!
04-29-2008, 06:40 AM
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Too hard to find parts for that motor but we will keep it around as a paper weight of some sort..haha. I'm going to let the Wife decide what she wants to do.....it will be her baby. The LS swap would be fun but not guaranteed.
Got any pics yet? Trending Topics
04-29-2008, 09:19 PM
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At this point the plan is to return it to as original as possible with a bit more power. The poncho will stay if we are able to do so.
05-15-2008, 08:15 PM
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Sorry, no can do....the wife has her mind set on it and far be it from me to take it away. Unfortunately my Father-in Law has a big say in how this gets done as he is making the biggest investment in the restoration of the car...so it looks like it will stay as close to original stock condition as possible. I have pics but need to figure out how to get them on here....besides who wants to see a basket case?
Anybody have an idea where I can find inside trim pieces/moldings for around the rear window and such? Also thinking of changing to a 4 barrel and intake manifold(preferably stock not after market)...and put aside the 2 barrel. Let me know.....thanks.
05-16-2008, 03:01 AM
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You can get most replacement parts at places like classic industries or year one... They had everything for my 2nd gen that I needed.
When you say sticking with the poncho, if you mean sticking with the 350, and maintaining a stock look, you're going to be disappointed in power. Those things are rated at something like 170hp, and you're gona be hard pressed to make more and look/sound stock. If you want to retain stock appearance, best thing to do would be to swap out the 350 block, for a 455. And put all the stock parts on the 455. The heads, intake, EVERYTHING, bolt right up. You may need to go with dished pistons if your heads are high compression heads. But nobody would ever know its not the 350.
When you say sticking with the poncho, if you mean sticking with the 350, and maintaining a stock look, you're going to be disappointed in power. Those things are rated at something like 170hp, and you're gona be hard pressed to make more and look/sound stock. If you want to retain stock appearance, best thing to do would be to swap out the 350 block, for a 455. And put all the stock parts on the 455. The heads, intake, EVERYTHING, bolt right up. You may need to go with dished pistons if your heads are high compression heads. But nobody would ever know its not the 350.
Last edited by IRONFIST; 05-16-2008 at 10:50 AM.
05-16-2008, 08:57 AM
#13
OER makes those reproduction trim pieces that you can buy from places like Classic Industries, Paddock or Year One. Problem is they don't fit for ****. I just put new interior in my '68 and the upper windshield trim fit decent (not perfect) but got better with a heat gun and some persuasion. But the back window trim doesn't fit worth a **** even with alot of heat, bending and cussing. Almost everything I've used from OER is junk. Good luck.
Craig
05-16-2008, 10:26 AM
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Thanks I appreciate the info...I finished removing most of the interior except for the door panels and dash...floor boards were rusted through at some point in her life and my Father-in Law did some temporary patch work on them...this is going to be more work than I thought...however we have been at this point with a 68 Cutlass S Convertible 14 years ago. Both cars being original owner up till now.
05-25-2008, 11:08 PM
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My Father-in Law wants to keep the 350 however he wants to convert to Electronic Ignition and do a Fuel Injection setup on it along with a 4 wheel disk brake system.This car won't be built for speed but a nice cruiser for the wife.
Any other suggestions are welcomed.
Any other suggestions are welcomed.
05-26-2008, 01:45 AM
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man you are one lucky S.O.B, I wish I could have a wife get a '68 Firebird from her mom and her dad help her restore it, and the best part is she wants to. Good Luck with the restore keep us posted 
05-26-2008, 03:31 PM
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Great Find and Project!
Listen, it's jmo, but the fuel injection thing will bring the cost up considerably.
Why not think about the following idea, since the plug & play harness makes it so. (Also, I may just be in the same age bracket as your father in-law)
IMO,a smart move will be an LS1/L460E Auto.($4K?) Trans swap or MM6 w/Floor shifter and boot (if not a console equipped 3 speed car) Trans swap.
You build car up stock & original except you've pulled the Poncho 350/tranny combo & parked it in your storage after running it. (or making sure it turns free & prepping it with an oil change, turning the distributor gear to oil it up, and lastly hit it with few shots of lubricant into the spark plug holes. etc).
Now add a clean (inside) looking used LS1 motor and the trans.
I have owned a few cars in my time, but a buddy did a swap like this on a '67 326 Bird. What a nicey nice combo!
These things blow away the 455 idea on gas mileage alone, but this setup netted 13.3's stock (headers & nice exhaust) into a 3.55 stock 10 bolt rear. Let me tell you that a warmed 455 will also do that, but not with 17-18 mpg avg. & 22-24 hiway. No matter what anyone says.
The beauty of this is that when it's time to sell an original 350 Firebird (Since it's not the more desirable 400),
you can pull and swap the stock carbed 350/3 speed numbers matching combo version, and sell it to the Poncho purist. Or include them in the sale.
My experience what it is, tells me you'll get "all the money" on an early NON ORIGINAL 350 Bird with a stock appearance, yet w/ the late model 350*, no?
(*346).
Remember also that if it was a real 400 c.i. Firebird Musclecar, we wouldn't be having this convo. But the market for an antique Bird, w/modern power is up, But a 350 Bird won't likely ever be worth what its counterparts are, as with all prized smallblock Ponycars. (ie: Z/28, T/A 340 Challengers, 340 Cuda's, W31 Olds Cutlass, cars etc).
Also, GM never offered a smallblock early Firebird that is sought after like the 400 version is (other than the rare 4 barrel equipped OHC 6 cylinder that Bird's & Lemans unit's of 1967 were available with...
Bottomline is that I don't feel an original 350 equipped '68 Firebird would bring any more money down the line than one with modern LS series power, and besides you do have the original moptor and trans. available.
Again, JMO.
Best of luck on your project irregardless of your final decision!
Listen, it's jmo, but the fuel injection thing will bring the cost up considerably.
Why not think about the following idea, since the plug & play harness makes it so. (Also, I may just be in the same age bracket as your father in-law)
IMO,a smart move will be an LS1/L460E Auto.($4K?) Trans swap or MM6 w/Floor shifter and boot (if not a console equipped 3 speed car) Trans swap.
You build car up stock & original except you've pulled the Poncho 350/tranny combo & parked it in your storage after running it. (or making sure it turns free & prepping it with an oil change, turning the distributor gear to oil it up, and lastly hit it with few shots of lubricant into the spark plug holes. etc).
Now add a clean (inside) looking used LS1 motor and the trans.
I have owned a few cars in my time, but a buddy did a swap like this on a '67 326 Bird. What a nicey nice combo!
These things blow away the 455 idea on gas mileage alone, but this setup netted 13.3's stock (headers & nice exhaust) into a 3.55 stock 10 bolt rear. Let me tell you that a warmed 455 will also do that, but not with 17-18 mpg avg. & 22-24 hiway. No matter what anyone says.
The beauty of this is that when it's time to sell an original 350 Firebird (Since it's not the more desirable 400),
you can pull and swap the stock carbed 350/3 speed numbers matching combo version, and sell it to the Poncho purist. Or include them in the sale.
My experience what it is, tells me you'll get "all the money" on an early NON ORIGINAL 350 Bird with a stock appearance, yet w/ the late model 350*, no?
(*346).
Remember also that if it was a real 400 c.i. Firebird Musclecar, we wouldn't be having this convo. But the market for an antique Bird, w/modern power is up, But a 350 Bird won't likely ever be worth what its counterparts are, as with all prized smallblock Ponycars. (ie: Z/28, T/A 340 Challengers, 340 Cuda's, W31 Olds Cutlass, cars etc).
Also, GM never offered a smallblock early Firebird that is sought after like the 400 version is (other than the rare 4 barrel equipped OHC 6 cylinder that Bird's & Lemans unit's of 1967 were available with...
Bottomline is that I don't feel an original 350 equipped '68 Firebird would bring any more money down the line than one with modern LS series power, and besides you do have the original moptor and trans. available.
Again, JMO.
Best of luck on your project irregardless of your final decision!
Last edited by RapidRick; 05-26-2008 at 03:58 PM.
05-27-2008, 02:01 PM
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Great Find and Project!
Listen, it's jmo, but the fuel injection thing will bring the cost up considerably.
Why not think about the following idea, since the plug & play harness makes it so. (Also, I may just be in the same age bracket as your father in-law)
IMO,a smart move will be an LS1/L460E Auto.($4K?) Trans swap or MM6 w/Floor shifter and boot (if not a console equipped 3 speed car) Trans swap.
You build car up stock & original except you've pulled the Poncho 350/tranny combo & parked it in your storage after running it. (or making sure it turns free & prepping it with an oil change, turning the distributor gear to oil it up, and lastly hit it with few shots of lubricant into the spark plug holes. etc).
Now add a clean (inside) looking used LS1 motor and the trans.
I have owned a few cars in my time, but a buddy did a swap like this on a '67 326 Bird. What a nicey nice combo!
These things blow away the 455 idea on gas mileage alone, but this setup netted 13.3's stock (headers & nice exhaust) into a 3.55 stock 10 bolt rear. Let me tell you that a warmed 455 will also do that, but not with 17-18 mpg avg. & 22-24 hiway. No matter what anyone says.
The beauty of this is that when it's time to sell an original 350 Firebird (Since it's not the more desirable 400),
you can pull and swap the stock carbed 350/3 speed numbers matching combo version, and sell it to the Poncho purist. Or include them in the sale.
My experience what it is, tells me you'll get "all the money" on an early NON ORIGINAL 350 Bird with a stock appearance, yet w/ the late model 350*, no?
(*346).
Remember also that if it was a real 400 c.i. Firebird Musclecar, we wouldn't be having this convo. But the market for an antique Bird, w/modern power is up, But a 350 Bird won't likely ever be worth what its counterparts are, as with all prized smallblock Ponycars. (ie: Z/28, T/A 340 Challengers, 340 Cuda's, W31 Olds Cutlass, cars etc).
Also, GM never offered a smallblock early Firebird that is sought after like the 400 version is (other than the rare 4 barrel equipped OHC 6 cylinder that Bird's & Lemans unit's of 1967 were available with...
Bottomline is that I don't feel an original 350 equipped '68 Firebird would bring any more money down the line than one with modern LS series power, and besides you do have the original moptor and trans. available.
Again, JMO.
Best of luck on your project irregardless of your final decision!
Listen, it's jmo, but the fuel injection thing will bring the cost up considerably.
Why not think about the following idea, since the plug & play harness makes it so. (Also, I may just be in the same age bracket as your father in-law)
IMO,a smart move will be an LS1/L460E Auto.($4K?) Trans swap or MM6 w/Floor shifter and boot (if not a console equipped 3 speed car) Trans swap.
You build car up stock & original except you've pulled the Poncho 350/tranny combo & parked it in your storage after running it. (or making sure it turns free & prepping it with an oil change, turning the distributor gear to oil it up, and lastly hit it with few shots of lubricant into the spark plug holes. etc).
Now add a clean (inside) looking used LS1 motor and the trans.
I have owned a few cars in my time, but a buddy did a swap like this on a '67 326 Bird. What a nicey nice combo!
These things blow away the 455 idea on gas mileage alone, but this setup netted 13.3's stock (headers & nice exhaust) into a 3.55 stock 10 bolt rear. Let me tell you that a warmed 455 will also do that, but not with 17-18 mpg avg. & 22-24 hiway. No matter what anyone says.
The beauty of this is that when it's time to sell an original 350 Firebird (Since it's not the more desirable 400),
you can pull and swap the stock carbed 350/3 speed numbers matching combo version, and sell it to the Poncho purist. Or include them in the sale.
My experience what it is, tells me you'll get "all the money" on an early NON ORIGINAL 350 Bird with a stock appearance, yet w/ the late model 350*, no?
(*346).
Remember also that if it was a real 400 c.i. Firebird Musclecar, we wouldn't be having this convo. But the market for an antique Bird, w/modern power is up, But a 350 Bird won't likely ever be worth what its counterparts are, as with all prized smallblock Ponycars. (ie: Z/28, T/A 340 Challengers, 340 Cuda's, W31 Olds Cutlass, cars etc).
Also, GM never offered a smallblock early Firebird that is sought after like the 400 version is (other than the rare 4 barrel equipped OHC 6 cylinder that Bird's & Lemans unit's of 1967 were available with...
Bottomline is that I don't feel an original 350 equipped '68 Firebird would bring any more money down the line than one with modern LS series power, and besides you do have the original moptor and trans. available.
Again, JMO.
Best of luck on your project irregardless of your final decision!
I do appreciate the info and your incite on this project especially since my original plan was to do an LS motor/tranny swap, however ; I must reiterate that my Father-in-Law being 62 and the major money investor for the project not to mention the car once belonged to my mother-in-Law...my hands are pretty much tied and I'm at their mercy as far as what goes and stays. The car once finished will never leave the family much like the 68 Cutlass S Convertible out in the garage. So my wife will have to live with whatever the project turns into and be happy until such time...heaven forbid the in-laws pass away and we can turn it into the beast she wants. Thank You for the luck...we definitely need it!!
05-27-2008, 07:40 PM
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I hear ya'...but atleast you and I are pretty much on the same page on this.
btw, Dad has 12 yrs on me, and has every right to be a 11-15 mpg purist. Hey there's always a 4.33 rear gearset and a gear vendors unit overdrive!..lol
btw, Dad has 12 yrs on me, and has every right to be a 11-15 mpg purist. Hey there's always a 4.33 rear gearset and a gear vendors unit overdrive!..lol
05-27-2008, 09:46 PM
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If I could only get the credit card away from my wife...I would buy..buy..buy all the goodies and deal with the consequences later..haha. You have me by 10 years and yes we are pretty much on the same page but alas my frustration will continue with this car until the end
