One issue often facing enthusiasts hunting for a first-generation pony car project is that many have been consumed by rust. Addressing such problems can be expensive and time-consuming, resulting in some potential buyers consigning candidates to the too-hard basket. The new owner of this 1967 Pontiac Firebird 400 doesn’t face those challenges because it is rock-solid. It looks tired but has a strong heart beating below the surface. The Firebird is listed here on eBay in Farmington, New Mexico. Bidding sits below the reserve at $7,300, although interested parties have plenty of time to stake their claim on this promising project.
Ford stole a march on the opposition when it introduced the original Mustang, but history shows that Plymouth beat it to market by a few days with its Barracuda range. It was the first genuine pony car, although Ford typically receives the credit for creating the sector. General Motors responded in 1967 with its Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird cousins, both proving worthy opponents. Both were based on the same platform, but I’ve always felt the Firebird holds an indefinable styling edge. That view is purely subjective, and yours may differ from mine. The original owner ordered this car in Montreux Blue, and years of exposure to the New Mexico sun has left it looking pretty baked. However, the same climate that destroys paint is excellent for metal preservation. There are a couple of small rust holes in the lower fenders, which are ideal candidates for patches. The floors and rails are rock-solid, with nothing beyond the dry surface corrosion typically seen in this region. The exterior trim condition ranges from restorable to requiring replacement, but the glass looks pretty good.
The Firebird’s interior is complete but is as baked as the exterior. A retrim is required to return it to a presentable state, and complete kits to achieve a showroom-fresh appearance are easily found. This aspect of the build will consume around $2,000, but the result is worth the investment. It can be viewed as a one-off expense because a high-quality kit should look good for decades if installed correctly and treated respectfully. It isn’t loaded with factory options, although the console adds a luxury touch. I am surprised the original owner didn’t order the car with air conditioning. Addressing that potential shortcoming shouldn’t be a hurdle if the new owner lives in a warm area.
Lifting the hood reveals a 400ci V8, with the original owner specifying a three-speed automatic transmission and power assistance for the steering and brakes for a relaxed motoring experience. That V8 should produce 325hp and 410 ft/lbs of torque, putting a 14.2-second ¼-mile ET within the driver’s reach. The seller indicates the car has spent over twenty years hidden in a barn. They recently cleaned the fuel system and installed a new carburetor. The engine roared to life, and is in good health. It requires a tune-up to perform at its best, but the embedded video in the listing reveals no nasty problems. The previous owner stated that the transmission doesn’t select reverse, so budgeting for a rebuild may be wise. The brakes are inoperative, but there are no signs of other problems that would prevent returning the Firebird to a roadworthy state from being an achievable short-term goal.
Understanding why some classics generate significant interest when they hit the market can be challenging, especially those requiring thousands of hours and dollars to address severe rust issues. However, I’m surprised that this 1967 Firebird has only received twenty-two bids. It is a promising restoration candidate ideal for an enthusiast wishing to be hands-on. It remains below the reserve, and there is time for interested parties to ensure their financial ducks are in a row before submitting a bid. Are you tempted?
Other than the 400 hood, there is no indication the car is a factory 400 Firebird, let alone has one installed in it now. The grill are wrong, it has a 2bbl carb, it doesn’t have the panels between the front bumper and the radiator support to channel air passing through the grill into the radiator, most importantly there is no PHS documentation to verify it’s pedigree. PHS documentation is relatively inexpensive, but is a must for any seller claiming a car is a performance variant, it’s presence will return multiple times it’s cost. Potential bidders should bid on it assuming its a 326 car until proven otherwise.
Steve R
Engines the wrong color, intake doesn’t look right, at least for an 326, and there is no Pontiac logo at the center of the front bumper.
This has LS written all over it !
While this car is a 400, it has a two barrel carb on it, so it’s not the 325 horse version. I’m not a Pontiac expert, but I know they offered two barrel 400’s as a credit option in other years, so it’s possibly original?
While the car does have an automatic and power steering, it does not have power brakes. The fact that it doesn’t have AC is not surprising to me. In the 60’s AC was still considered a luxury item by many people, even in warm climates. I bought a new Trans Am in 74 that didn’t have AC and my brother bought a new Z28 in 78 without AC.
I didn’t see any casting numbers or block codes, that would be the only way to verify if this is a 400. The 400 2bbl was an option on the GTO, but wasn’t listed for the Firebird, which had two possible 400’s, both 4bbls.
Steve R
These are really good looking cars. I had one briefly. I only bought it to save it from getting ruined under a tarp outside in the owner’s back yard, and moved it on to a Pontiac guy as soon as I could. It was a very odd car —
White, red deluxe interior, with console, and fold down rear seat
PS
PB
A/C
PW
Tilt
AM/FM
400 engine
Posi rear with dual radius rods (factory traction bars)
And …….. a floor shifted 3-speed manual trans!!
All the above was confirmed original on the PHS documentation.
I tracked down the 2nd owner, and he said the story that he was told was that the car was special ordered and the customer asked for the “3 speed and console”. He meant he wanted the Turbo-Hydramatic Automatic 3-speed trans with a console. But the salesman didn’t understand (and didn’t clarify), so he ordered it with the floor shifted 3-speed manual by mistake. Customer refused delivery, and made them order another one that was correct. Then the car sat on the lot for a long time before being sold since it was expensive with all the comfort options, but not attractive to many “loaded” car buyers with the 3-speed manual.
Don’t know if the story was 100% true, but the big time lag between the build date of the car and the sales date was confirmed by the trim tag date versus the sales date in the Protect-o-Plate book.
Not hard to believe a car salesman was a non car guy. It’s amazing sometimes how ignorant these sales people are. Wouldn’t you at least try to learn the basics? Again and again the answer (in my experience) is “no.” My brother and I just talked about this recently. Me going down to a Chevy dealership and him going to another dealership to drive a mustang. Ford guy didn’t know basic information about available engines and packages and chevy guy seemed surprised 2024 last Camaro for now. What the heck?
And no 400 emblem on the trunk lid, maybe it had one but the spoiler effed it up.
Real on not real means more money or less money.
Super nice car with or without pedigree!
Would rather pay less if it’s a plain Jane and no welding or hours wasted, THATS HUGE!
My car started as a rat, a piece of 3×2 box channel fits into the front subframe so you can take out the bolt and make a rear frame and connect real easy( mine was rotted).
Instead of the 400 I put in an Ls6.
The bird is a very special car.
I’m gonna say the hood paint doesn’t match the fender, im going to say it’s definitely a clone, But I’m not there looking at it so it could be a 400 car with a newer hood, I’ve seen the paint wear down to primer and the look is phenomenal.
Probably a ton of rotted 400 cars just waiting for a GM body to come up( cowl swap)
I don’t care if it comes with casting numbers, block codes, or documentation. If I could get it for 10-15 grand or less, I would. Then I’d tear it down all the way while coming up with the documentation. I’d bring her back to pert near showroom beauty a good chunk at a time. Then drive it and enjoy it and keep it as Pontiac poncho as possible. Then when I got ready to kick the bucket I would do like Clint Eastwood in GranTorino and give it to someone deserving that would take care of it and enjoyed it as much or more than I.
It’s not worth $10-15k as it sits. That’s what you might have to pay for a real 400 car in this condition, but not a 326 car with a 400 hood, which this car more than likely is. That’s the point I was making. It’s foolish to pay a premium on an unsubstantiated assumption. The guy who listed it, who is “selling it for a friend” has the engine size listed in the ad, that and the 400 hood are all that remotely suggest it’s a a400 car. No other equipment that came on a real 400 car is either missing or not shown in the pictures. Pontiacs from 1961-1986 are among the easiest cars to document, any claim that is made about a car without PHS paperwork should automatically be discounted.
Steve R
One of my top 10 favorite cars & that Pontiac 400 was a beast when done right. I went to Mid Florida Tech in the 80s and trust fast cars were driven by guys learning to get certified as automotive techs & I’ll never forget a Red 1967 firebird 400 all tricked out that was always in the warehouse road grand prix not to mention a Chevelle 396, Mustangs, Demon 340 the usual cast of characters the good old days !
Hi, steve r has it down. I had a real 400. and WOW…no. blue valve covers? doesn’t even look like a pontiac engine! so, no “V”! I’m so sick of fakes!…the flare on lid hiding the letters sucks! us old kids got these cars at a real steal all of them! cars like these are like night of the living dead!! how many have date coded engines to begin with!? If I contact a seller that won’t give info?
And no one mentioned the wrong shifter and console …
So as others have said…not a 400 car. Grills are wrong, front bumper doesn’t have the arrowhead emblem, steering wheel is a 1968 unit, console is 1968 or 1969…but shifter is 1969. There is a code on the cowl tag that denotes 400 that isn’t shown. Lastly and most importantly is the vin number…see the 6 right after the U for Lordstown Assembly plant? That means it was a 6 cylinder car originally. V8 cars numbering sequence after the plant code was a number 1.
I took find the style better than the Camaro. A buddy had a first gen Firebird. For me, I’m not (at least my bank account says) a purest when it comes to vehicles. I dabbled into some custom work and found more people liked the bizarre over showroom looks. They don’t want to pay though. I like what I see. I would get it back on the road and drive it until the bank says it’s a rebuild.
Why waste the time . Buy a ZL1, then you will be 10 foot tall and invincible!
Yeah, its crazy what classic cars are going for now. And they keep going up. You used to be able to get stuff for $500. So you would go out and see one for $800 and say “your crazy” and walk away. A couple of years later you kick yourself in the butt for not jumping on it cause now you can’t find one. That’s the way its always been. An ounce of gold used to be $35.00. The question is do you like the car and are you able to do the work or get it done like you want to see it? If so, then go for it! If not, then let someone else have it. Bean counters are always going to put something down because they just want to steal it. Lol! But like they say, hindsight is 20/20 and these Firebirds are sweet when done. And yeah, put in an LS.
One word, inflation.
id say this bird is easily worth15,000 + the way she sits. reason being if you were to strip her down to individual pieces it could sell easily 20 – 25,000.
the only prob with this scenario is time and proper storage for all the parts , and thats a big factor. now if you choose to install half quarters on both sides ( figure 15 hours worth of work to install ) and then floors might have a few pin holes and you figure replacing the floor 30 hours x 2 individuals = double time .(patch the pin holes and keep practicing welding.) this would be just a weekends worth of time. NOW if were going to make it a driver you would set up period projects say left quarter work just before spring cause enjoying her has a big portion of value figure 2,000 to do the rear quarter in patch work right cause the body shops do get slow periods of time . scheduling would be a factor of use time.what im trying to say is how much is that cruise time worth . some would say im taking her home and im going to do a righteous rebuild . so lets say space needed to do the rebuild figure a 3 car garage to tear her down and fix her up x 3 years storage time if you stay with the project and nothing in your life gets in your way. now at this point the car is in 50 million pieces and you cant find the correct door screw and bolts…and this point its up for sale cause you never thought through how it all was going to be done. then the next thing its up for sale for 1500.00. this car looks like a 2 year old eastern snow vehicle. its got so much under coating the only thing this car could be is all metal underneath. your going to miss a golden opportunity and the next time you come across a 67 firebird all melted away from snow and salt you will say. i should have bought this blue 67 bird when i had the chance…so if your the kind of person who does not get life events in your way then restore it . if there are always life events in your way i say go and cruise it and make winter time body shop time because happy time is sometimes hard to come by. and when you sit behind old blu that smile will be worth more than gold