This beautifully restored Pontiac Firebird convertible is from the car’s encore year (1968), left the factory with an inline-six engine, and has since been upgraded to a 400 V8 with a 4-speed. Some of the work, such as the paint, was done as recently as three months ago. Located in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, this Firebird looks like a turn-key car that you could take anywhere. Available here on eBay, the bidding has reached $31,200 but the reserve has not.
General Motors got into the “pony car” market in 1967 with two automobiles, the Chevy Camaro, and the Pontiac Firebird. The Camaro was intended to compete with the Ford Mustang, while the Firebird would target the new-for-1967 Mercury Cougar. The Cougar would gain the sales edge by 30% over the first three years, but the Firebird would still sell more than 277,000 cars for 1967-69. Out of 107,112 Firebird assemblies for 1968 alone, 16,960 would include convertibles like the seller’s sweet ride. Its current owner has had the car for more than five years, so he/she should likely get credit for how well this makeover has turned out.
We’re told there was some rust in the car before the restoration began. The front floorboards have been replaced while the rears and the trunk were solid, to begin with. The doors and fenders are what the car was built with 53 years ago. The rear quarter panels were also crusty, so they had to go in favor of new ones and the shiny blue paint job was applied earlier in 2021. We don’t know if it’s the original color, but it looks stunning regardless. All the chrome pieces are new as is the convertible top with a glass rear window. On the downside, there might be a chip in the paint on the right side of the rear spoiler and the driver’s side of the hood doesn’t seem to sit flush.
Under the hood now sits a date-correct 400 cubic inch, 335 hp V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor and working Ram Air induction. While a 4-speed manual is there now, since this was a six-banger before, we’d guess there was a floor-shifted 3-speed there originally. Front suspension parts were changed to accommodate the larger engine and the rear-end was upgraded with posi-traction. There is a functional tachometer on the hood as you could have gotten were this a 400 Firebird from the git-go.
We’re told the vehicle runs great and is not regularly driven, which might be why it’s for sale now. The odometer reading is 87,000 miles, but the seller cannot document if that number is accurate. The interior pieces look to be new as well and the black/white combination contrasts nicely with the exterior color. The seller says that a video and pictures of the car’s undercarriage are available upon request, although those could be added in the form of links from YouTube or photo buckets like DropBox.
This is a beautiful car that seems destined to trade for north of $40,000, but that’s a guess. Since this Firebird is not original mechanically, that may or may not be a factor with the purists out there. What we see here and now is a car that may likely be better today than it was when it was brand new.
Nice and tastefully done. I also would have been happy to see the original OHC engine. Especially if it was a H.O. Version. At least there was an attempt to keep it period correct. In not sure if that is a correct color for 68 or not. Almost looks like a Corvette color. 67 and 68 Firebirds remain one of my favorites. I also like what Pontiac did with the side marker lights vs. other makes for the 68 model year.
I agree the OHC 6 would have been nice, the usual GM put out something special and kill it a few years later!
I will jump on that OHC 6 bandwagon. A funky engine pretty much unique in American cars. The Pontiac 400 is a great engine but V8 swapped F bodies aren’t exactly rare.
A swap to a 400 was a logical choice for several decades. If the 6 cylinder wore out in the 70’s-early-90’s sourcing OHC 6 cylinder parts, pre-internet, wasn’t easy and was often very expensive. Contrast that with the availability and cost of procuring a 400 engine. There were several You Pull It yards within an hour drive, each brought out several rows of cars every day, V8 engines, irregardless of make or size were less than $100 carb to pan. It’s easy nowadays to say keeping the 6 was the “right” decision, however, that didn’t square up with the reality in the ground.
This is a nice car, it stands on its own merits, that’s why interest is strong.
Steve R
I agree Steve, the OHC didn’t always get the love. Everything has a trend and all points you make are valid ones. It’s often easy to forget how hard things were to source pre internet. One of the main reasons I chose to move to a dealership over an independent as a tech. It was difficult learning the trade before the internet. Those who had the knowledge held it close and did not share.
We all know we want to be driving this with the top down on a warm summer night, with Foghat, Boston (sorry Steve R), or The Who coming out of the cassette player…
Why would you think I have anything against the group Boston? Theirs was one of the first albums I bought.
Steve R
Well done conversion to a 400 however 2 things stand out to me. First the front bumper is missing the Pontiac crest at the front so it is a standard bumper. The interior is a great color to go with the exterior color. The parchment interior is a mish-mash of trims. The seats are premium and the door cards are standard. I’d make it mine and consider upgrading when I found the correct pieces.
If this car was born with an OHC 6 the vin would start with a 1. Since the VIN starts with a 2 it rolled of the line with one of the six V8s offered that model year. If this were a legitimate HO 400 convertible it would be worth close to six figures. The current bid ($31k) for this mishmash of parts is approaching what a real 1968 HO 350 convertible would sell for.
Is that a real poncho or a Sears poncho? – FZ
The 1 is US build 2 is North American–other–in this case probably Canadian. The first digit has nothing to do with the engine.
Nice driver, and good for a debate about the OHC engine… but there are thousands of restored non-original cars out there and this one is no more special than any other. With all due respect to the authors that bring these to our attention every day, this is a long ways from “barn find” material.
I like the 4bbl six for what it was, but put a ls6 m22 in my rag( gone years now. My freinds parents said no more burnouts, leaving a party someone said light em up, 600 feet of posi later i said oops, tire smoke wirh a top down is always a thing of beauty. Many years with 400 and 455 67 pontiac, well balanced beautiful machines. Another ding ding ding for John Delorean, i love the ssrs camaro , pace cars , ect . But to me the pontiac has more stying.
I’ve always been a ragtop guy!! This is just the way I would want it!! 400, 4 speed and the drop top!! Doesn’t get any better than this until your girl is next to you and your on your way to your destination!!!!
Enjoying the debate about the drivetrain, but what makes this a “barn find” candidate? There’s thousands of these restored-modified cars out there.
The 1 is US build 2 is North American–other–in this case probably Canadian. The first digit has nothing to do with the engine.
You are correct about the first digit. For some reason I was thinking of tri-5 Chevys. The eighth digit indicates this car was indeed a six. Thank you for the correction.
This is a nice build, and in addition to the above comments I am not a fan of the Camaro rear spoiler on a Firebird. I’m generally not a fan of any spoiler on a convertible, it’s kind of a contradiction of terms. The addition of that glass back window has some merit, but it in my opinion just looks horrible. The originals had plastic windows that extended down to the pinchweld chrome, providing a much larger window area. This treatment makes it look like a 1950’s custom. Before people start the bashing of plastic rear windows, take care of them properly and they can last a good long time, especially on a collector car with limited use. I’ve had over 30 convertibles, glass and plastic, and installed many myself. A zip-down rear plastic (also on some glass models) window makes for a great cruising car. Rear windows can also be replaced fairly easy. Just my opinion, car needs very little to put it over the top, no pun intended. Overall very nice and the bidding reflect it.
I think the big thing overlooked in the comments is simply, driving the car.
Who wouldn’t want to drive a first gen f-body convertible with a 400 4-speed. As far as those 6 figure original cars, how many actually get driven. I am speaking from my biased point of view as I purchased a similar car. 1969 Firebird convertible that was originally a 6 cylinder car that had the 400 4-speed swap done. It was affordable (below $20k) and I have replaced floor pans and trunk floor. I want to upgrade to power disc brakes, and a posi rear. Car is fun to drive and awesome with the top down. Not an original #’s matching car, but not afraid to drive it as the paint is driver quality too. Just get them out and drive them, before you can’t buy gas anymore.
I had a Poncho with an OHC 6. It drank oil. A quart every time I stopped for gas, and in those days I couldn’t afford to tank up so I stopped a lot for a couple bucks worth. Then I’d get a quart of oil from the trunk and pour it in.