Not every classic has to be a numbers matching show car, and this 1969 Pontiac Firebird is a good example of one that was built to be driven and enjoyed. The seller describes it as a solid car that turns heads and is ready for cruise nights right now. It is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the asking price is $22,000, presumably in Canadian dollars. The car was posted today, and you can find it here on Craigslist. Curvette has been on a hot streak finding good listings for us to review. Let’s take a closer look at this one.
Firebird buyers in 1969 had a wide range of engines to pick from. The base engine was Pontiac’s 250 cubic inch overhead cam six rated at 175 horsepower, and the Sprint package added a four barrel version with more power. 1969 was the last year for the overhead cam six. V8 choices started with a 350 two barrel rated at 265 horsepower and a 350 HO rated at 325 horsepower. The Firebird 400 was rated at 330 horsepower, the 400 Ram Air at 335 horsepower and the new Ram Air IV at 345 horsepower. The Pontiac engine is long gone, and the car now has a stock Chevrolet 350 small block backed by a Turbo 350 automatic. It has power steering, manual drum brakes, Flowmaster mufflers and 17 inch Torq Thrust wheels.
This Firebird is finished in white, and the seller describes the paint as driver quality, not perfect but good enough to turn heads. The interior appears to be custom. The seller says it runs, drives, rides and stops well, and the lights, brake lights and turn signals all work. The wipers do not work, and there are a few small leaks, mostly from the transmission. The seller replaced the pan gasket, which helped, but it is still seeping where the speedometer cable goes in. The odometer shows 82,124 miles, and it has a clean title. Pontiac offered a long list of colors for 1969, including Cameo White, Starlight Black, Carousel Red, Liberty Blue, Windward Blue and Verdoro Green, along with standard and deluxe interior trim.
Pontiac introduced the Firebird in February 1967 as its version of the Chevrolet Camaro, giving it Pontiac engines and its own split grille styling. The 1969 Firebird received a substantial restyle, with a new front end, revised rear styling, new rooflines, flatter wheel openings, simulated louvers behind the front wheels on most models and a new interior with high back bucket seats. The 1969 cars were also built well into 1970 because the second generation Firebird was late, which helped push 1969 production to 87,708 cars, including 11,649 convertibles.
IMHO I would NEVER put another manufacturer’s engine in a car and for me, that just kills the value. It doesn’t say in the ad when someone dropped the Chevy mill into this car, but back in the day, a Pontiac V8 was not difficult to source. Someone flagged the ad, so something was fugazi with the ad.
The manufacturer is General Motors, but I get what you are saying. I researched and discovered the GM small block, beginning in 1957, is the worldwide winningest engine in racing history. That is a huge title to hold!
All 3 Pontiac engines during this car’s era were a small-block. The 326, 400 and the 455 all shared the same block. The crank, cam, heads and intake setups were all that changed.
If this car had a Ford engine, then we have a HUGE red flag!
Really nice car. Love their deviations from original. Seems priced very accurately as well.
As of 8:20PST this post has been flagged for removal.
Steve R