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1968 Pontiac Firebird 428, 4 Speed, Factory Verdoro Green Car! on 2040-cars

Year:1968 Mileage:93000
Location:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States

Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States
Advertising:

I have up for sale my 1968 Pontiac Firebird coupe. This car started life as a factory Verdoro Green car with a factory white vinyl top and deluxe parchment interior. Originally this car was a 6 cyl Sprint with a 3 speed manual transmission.

I purchased the car from a father and son who owned a body shop in Central New Jersey. The story I got from them is as follows: About 10 years ago, an older woman brought the car into their body shop because she had scraped up her passeneger 1/4 panel backing out of her garage. When they told her how difficult it would be to match up 30 year old paint she decided to sell the car rather than pay to have it repaired and then have it look incorrect. So the father and son team purchased the car from her and decided to restore it. The car received a brand new passenger 1/4 panel along with new floors. It was completely stripped of paint and repainted the factory color of Verdoro Green along with a new white vinyl top as original from GM. Along the way they swapped out the factory flat style hood for a "400" style hood. The only minor flaw in the entire body of the car is a slight bubble where the vinyl top meets the top of the passenger 1/4 panel. The previous owner told me that they were SO careful to not have an area where water would build up but apparently they missed this area. The bubble is smaller than a quarter and I make sure to keep the area clean and dry. It has not grown at all in the 2 years I've owned the car.

The body of this car is in fantastic condition. After being painted it has ALWAYS been stored inside a garage and the paint looks great. Any and all rust was removed and replaced with fresh metal. New floors were put in along with a new passenger 1/4 panel. The frame rails were blasted clean and shot with a semi gloss black to look original. You will NOT find any rust on the undercarriage of this car. All the door gaps were lined up correctly and everything was re-installed before shooting the car with the factory color of Verdoro Green. I do still have a small 1/4 container of the mix they made. The car was painted with a base coat and then clear coat and it looks fantastic. The shine is very good and the Verdoro Green looks fantastic in a sea of red, black, and blue cars at a cruise night.

The 6cyl motor was pulled and a correct for 1968 400 was installed along with a Muncie M-20 4 speed. The 400 was a stock 2 barrel 290 HP motor from a Bonneville. It was given a basic rebuild with a factory cam, and converted to 4bbl carburetor along with a factory cast iron intake. When I purchased the car a little over 2 years ago it had the stock 400, the Muncie M-20 and a 10 bolt open rear with 3:08 gears. The car ran fantastic and looked great but it wasn't anything special performance wise. Since it is strictly my weekend cruiser I wanted to bump up the performance of the 400 a little bit with a slightly hotter cam and a set of better flowing cylinder heads. So I pulled the 400 over the winter. I was going to do a cam swap along with a set of new heads but I figured it would be eaiser to pull the motor, swap out the cam and heads on my engine stand and also check out the bottom end and re-gasket the motor while I was working on it. Plus, if you've ever swapped a cam with the motor in the car you know it can be a pain. After I pulled the 400, I got wind of a local guy selling a newly rebuilt Pontiac 428. Swappng motors was NOT part of my original plan but when I got some more info on the 428 I figured why not.

The story on the 428 is as follows: It's a 1969 Pontiac 428. It was built by Paul Spotts at Spotts Performance (Google them, they are an extremely well known Pontiac only machine shop here in PA). The motor was bored .030 over with new forged flat top pistons. The cylinder heads are later model 6X-4 heads which have been mildly ported to match the intake and the bowls were cleaned up as well. The heads have new stainless steel valves along with hardened valve seats. The 6X heads along with the flat top pistons yield a nice pump gas friendly 9.5:1 compression. I run 93 octane in this car and I have zero pinging. It has a set of Harland Sharpe roller rockers, double roller timing chain, hardened push rods and much more. The cam is a Comp Cams XE 284. It's an agressive cam with a nice healthy lope to it. Trust me when you pull into a cruise night or a show with this car it WILL turn heads with it's idle. I love the idle of this car. The intake is an Edelbrock Performer RPM and the car runs a Holley 750 double pumper carb with mechanical secondaries. When I dropped the new motor in I installed a set of Doug's ceramic coated headers that run back to a 2-1/2" Flowmaster exhaust system. The car sounds healthy at all ROM ranges. I was told that this motor was built to put out approximately 450 HP but I've never had it dyno'd. The car runs STRONG. What a difference from a stock 400 to a healthy 428. I've tuned the car to the best of my ability, the Holley carb hasn't been too friendly to me. It tends to run a little rich. I've played with the idle mixture screws to get max vacuum but I think it's possible that the carb may need to be re-jetted.I truly believe that an experienced engine tuner who knows Holley carbs well can really set this car up right and have it really nasty. When I installed the motor I installed all new parts at the important areas. The new motor has a brand new water pump with stainless steel divider plate, a new high flow fuel pump, new AC Delco plugs, new Accel wires, new belts and hoses, new 195 degree thermostat, brand new fuel filter, and a new cap and rotor.

The rest of the drivetrain is outstanding. The transmission is a Muncie M-20 4 speed with a Hurst Competetion Plus shifter. When I installed the 428, I had the flywheel resurfaced and I installed a brand new Zoom clutch along with a roller pilot bearing. The original 10 bolt open rear end with 3:08 gears was replaced with an 8.5 rear from a 77 Trans Am. The rear had the spring mounts moved slightly inward to fit the first generation springs. The new rear has an Eaton posi unit and a set of 3:73 gears. The 428 is a great motor for a 4 speed because of it's stroke. With the 4 speed and 3:73 gears this car is an absolute blast to drive.

While the car was being restored there were a lot of nice upgrades made. For starters the car received brand new rear multi leaf springs, new KYB shocks at all 4 corners and also a larger front sway bar with poly urethane bushings. The front brakes were upgraded to power disc, and when I installed the new rear I did all new shoes, spring kits, and 2 brand new wheel cylinders. This car is tight. It turns well, tracks straight and stops on a dime. I've also made several other creature comfort upgrades. When the previous owner re-did the body, he did away with the antenna in the body. He said he liked a smooth car. So I have installed an aftermarket stereo system which has an Ipod hook up that runs into the glove box. From the outside it looks like a correct for 68 stereo but it plays music from my Ipod. I've also wired in an aftermarket electrc fan in fron of the new aluminum radiator. It's covered up where you can't see it and the fan comes on at 200 degrees and goes off at 185. It's nice if you're sitting in traffic or waiting in line at a car show and the temp starts creeping up. It also has a set of period correct 15" American Racing Torque Thrust wheels along with new Cooper Cobra tires. The tires barely have 500 miles on them.

Overall this is a super solid clean 68 Firebird. It gets a LOT of attention at cruise nights and car shows because it sounds great and looks fantastic. It runs strong but as I said I think a good Holley tuning guy could get more out of it than I have. It needs NOTHING. Turn the key and cruise.

 I'm including 2 video's I shot of the car and I also have a lot of additional pictures of the car, the undercarriage, the motor swap, ect. Also I friend of mine lives a mile from me and has a lift in his garage. I will be more than willing to show the car on a lift or put it on the lift to take additional pictures upon request. This is a nice clean turn key Musclecar. It rides great and looks fantastic. Other than some fine tuning this car needs NOTHING. I have set a fair reserve. I am not giving it way but I am also not one of those idiots who watches Barret-Jackson and thinks my car is worth a mint. Please feel free to ask any additional questions and good luck bidding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDGrbtGeKgY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH0j9-ds7Ko

 

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GM recalling 778,000 Cobalts and G5s, six deaths reported

Thu, 13 Feb 2014

General Motors has announced that it will be recalling 778,562 compact cars after six people were killed in accidents, partially due to the airbags' failure to deploy. An issue with the ignition switch is causing the airbag issues, as well as causing the engine and other components to shut off without warning. The recall covers the 2005 to 2007 model year Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5. (Note that the Cobalt pictured above is a 2009 model.)
According to a report from Automotive News, a number of factors can cause the ignition to switch out of the run position, including weights on the key ring, rough or bumpy roads or other "jarring" events. Any of these situations could lead to some vehicle components not functioning properly.
There have been five fatal front-impact crashes that took the lives of six people, although as a GM spokesman noted, all five of the crashes happened off road and at high speed. In each of these cases, though, the lack of airbags wasn't the only lethal factor - alcohol and failure to wear a seat belt also played a role. Outside of the fatal accidents, there have been 17 other crashes where airbags didn't deploy. It's unclear if any of these crashes were caused by the engine shutting off.

Burt Reynolds’ former 1978 ‘Smokey’ Pontiac Trans Am in big auction by feds

Mon, Oct 21 2019

A 1978 Pontiac Trans Am once owned by Burt Reynolds as a memento of the car he drove in the film “Smokey and the Bandit” will be among nearly 150 muscle cars and luxury vehicles seized from the alleged perpetrators of an $800 million investment scheme that will hit the auction block this weekend in California. ItÂ’s said to be the largest single-owner car collection ever auctioned by the U.S. Marshals, seized late last year from Jeff and Paulette Carpoff, the founders of the now-defunct mobile solar generators company DC Solar. Two employees of the San Francisco Bay Area solar energy company, certified public accountant Ronald Roach, 53, and general contractor Joseph Bayliss, 44, both of the Bay Area. pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in what federal prosecutors say was a massive scheme that defrauded investors of $1 billion. Both men agreed to cooperate in the ongoing investigation. While the Carpoffs, the company's owners, have not been charged, they agreed to let the government auction their collection of 150 classic, performance and luxury vehicles, including the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am once owned by Burt Reynolds. The replica of the car the late actor drove in "Smokey and the Bandit" and the other vehicles are to be auctioned Saturday, with online bidding already pushing the accumulated value past $5.5 million. Bidding on that Trans Am alone had topped $65,000 by late Tuesday. The auction company said it had been driven less than 3,400 miles. It's the largest single-owner car collection ever auctioned by the U.S. Marshals Service. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Lasha Boyden of the Sacramento office called it "a stunning collection of vehicles" that also includes 1990s Humvees, 1960s-era Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros from several decades, plus older cars including a 1939 Buick Roadmaster, a 1951 Chevy Thriftmaster 3100 pickup truck and a 1941 Plymouth Special Delux with wooden doors and trim. “It is rare for the U.S. Marshals to hold an auction of such a stunning collection of vehicles,” Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Lasha Boyden in Sacramento said in a statement. ReynoldsÂ’ former Trans Am is a hardtop memento of the version he drove in the 1977 action comedy. It bears Bandit Run logos in the rear window and upper windshield and appears to have modified suspension components and bucket seats. It comes with a Florida registration with ReynoldsÂ’ name on it, and an autograph on the glove box that reads, “Be Safe!

A case for Pontiac's return

Wed, Apr 5 2017

Sadly, many brands have disappeared off of the automotive landscape over the decades. Many people have imagined over the years of restarting defunct automotive brands. A few of those dreamers even made prototypes to shop around and to established connections with investors. But, alas poor Yorick, however valiant an effort, many brands are shuttered for good, rarely to be heard of again except in historical tales or maybe seen in car shows. So, what do you do when you win the lottery? Not just any lottery... In fact, it is a lottery that takes care of you and your loved ones for life? You and your family don't have to work, ever. You can give to charity, pay other people to do those projects that you've been putting off, and so on and so on. But, you're still a Car Nut right? There begins the conundrum. Do you buy and fix cars, new premium cars, old muscle cars, or classics, or maybe, just maybe, do you buy the rights to an old departed automotive brand and bring it back to life. Hmm. Which brand? The problem with the old Pontiac was that it was an additional badge engineered vehicle in the portfolio of GM. The meant the brand was diluted by competition from its own parent company, in addition to the competition outside the camp. So, if it were to come back, it would have to be different. Yet, it would still need to keep true to its roots at the same time in order to wake up its armies of existing fans. Even those that aren't fans of Pontiac cannot deny that Pontiac has a long heritage of legendary vehicles. So do Packard, and Studebaker, and others. So, why would a lottery winner choose Pontiac as the marque to bring back? That's easy! Pontiac's long heritage is closely tied to performance vehicles that made many of a teenager drool. Even more important though is that Pontiac is still fresh on people's minds. The brand itself is only recently departed. So, Boomers, Generation X, and Millenials all would all be able to identify with it as opposed to brand names that disappeared multiple decades ago and that now have a more limited appeal. The return of Pontiac couldn't just be another launch of a badge engineered vehicle. It would have to be performance oriented, yes. But, it would have to be unique in some way, a niche brand. What niche though? Look at the automotive landscape now and you see that Tesla is the one out there grabbing at the wide open electric niche with success.