Make: | Pontiac |
Model: | Firebird |
Type: | Convertible |
Trim: | 400 Convertible |
Year: | 1968 |
Mileage: | 91,000 |
VIN: | 223678U170432 |
Color: | Burgundy |
Engine: | 400 |
Cylinders: | 8 |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Transmission: | Manual |
Drive type: | RWD |
Interior color: | Black |
Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Item location: | Thorndike, Maine, United States |
1968 Firebird Convertible.
This is a matching numbers 400 4 speed. The original owner had this car for the first 38 years, from 1968 to 2006. There is a meticulous notebook that will go with the car that covers all of the maintenance during that timeframe, including mileage of the car when things were done. I have spoken with the original owner and he provided me with a lot of information about the car. The second owner had the car painted in its original color Flambeau Burgundy. The car has had only 1 re-paint since new. There are a couple of small chips in the paint but no scratches or dents. The engine has been re-built twice, the first time in 1972 was due to a common issue with Pontiac timing gears that were plastic and would break off. The second re-build was done by the second owner. The car, at that point, had 85,000 miles so I assume it was a little tired. The odometer now has just over 91,000 miles, which I believe is the accurate original miles. The second owner unfortunately passed away, but I did speak with his best friend, who confirmed the things that the second owner had done as well as confirmed that the car was not driven much by the second owner. The heads are original to the car as well as the intake and exhaust manifolds. The carburetor and air breather are also original. Somewhere along the line the distributor was changed, as the numbers on it indicate that it is not an original unit.
Along with the notebook that has all of the maintenance, I also have the original folder that came with the car, when it was new (see the pictures). This includes the original owner’s manual and Protect-O-Plate, among a lot of other interesting documents. The original owner had the build sheet and it was passed on to the second owner but unfortunately it has gone missing.
The car is in great shape and has never had a complete restoration. I noticed that the front inner fender wells have been replaced and the rear leaf springs as well. Originally, it had steel wheels with hubcaps, but these were replaced by the second owner with period correct aftermarket Pontiac wheels. I just put new tires on it this year.
This car runs and drives great. Everything functions as it should. All of the gages work as well as all of the lights, horn, wipers, radio, etc. It has the original shifter in it. It was getting a bit sloppy and vague, so I had it re-built and now it shifts great. It has stainless steel exhaust and new shocks. The clutch is strong and the brakes work good. They are Vacuum boosted discs front and drum rear. The steering is manual, with no play at all. Overall, it drives and handles very nicely. It goes down the road nice and straight, if you let go of the wheel it continues nice and straight with no wandering (even when braking). The car does not overheat, even on the hottest days. I recently took it on a 400-mile round trip, without incident. The new convertible top works great. It is manual, but is super easy to put up and down.
There is a YouTube video of the car running. If you search ‘1968 Firebird Maine’ it is the first video that comes up. I AM OPEN TO TRADES, SO EITHER EMAIL ME OR CALL ME WITH WHAT YOU HAVE. Robert 207-649-3519