1968 Pontiac Firebird

Description

1968 PONTIAC FIREBIRD COUPE | 250 CI INLINE 6 CYLINDER OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE W/ HURST 3-SPD MANUAL TRANSMISSION | RARE 2-OWNER COLLECTOR QUALITY FIREBIRD
YEAR:
1968
MAKE:
PONTIAC
MODEL:
FIREBIRD
STYLE:
COUPE
ENGINE:
250 CU. IN. INLINE 6 CYLINDER OVERHEAD CAM
TRANSMISSION:
HURST 3-SPD MANUAL TRANSMISSION
MILEAGE:
63,848
VIN:
223378U613058
STORED IN CLIMATE CONTROLLED PADDOCK | METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED | STILL HAS CHARACTERISTIC GM INTERIOR "SMELL" | HEAD TURNER | PHS DOCUMENTED W/ WINDOW  STICKER
OWNERSHIP HISTORY:
The Firebird was a summer driver by the first owner who was a family friend in his 60s who summered in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Cape Cod parking permit stickers from the early 70s still adorn the side windows.
During his ownership, the car was garaged year-round in their summer home (stored winters as they wintered in FL).
He passed in 1993 and we purchased the Firebird from the estate.
As the paint showed signs of fading after 28 years, we opted to repaint the car in 1996.
During the time we've owned the Firebird, the car has always been stored in a climate controlled garage with routine maintenance performed.
We would exercise the car on an occasional summer day when the weather was perfect - never driven in rain.  All fluids changed bi-annually and non-ethanol racing fuel only.
The Firebird is a rust-free car with original body panels and chassis. PHS documented numbers matching on all items: motor, transmission, exterior, interior.
All original interior in excellent condition.
We recently replaced the plastic arm rests and pads.
We kept the original rests and pads.
The engine is finely tuned and runs beautifully.
No rebuilds or ever the need for a rebuild on either the engine or transmission - no surprise given the ownership history.
We changed the timing belt last year per manufacturer specs at 60K miles. The clutch functions perfectly and the car shifts smoothly.
We are confident this Firebird is one of the finest examples of a well-preserved 6-cylinder OHC Firebird in the country.
EXTERIOR COLOR:
Code Q – Verdoro Green
Pontiac’s “Magic-Mirror” finish is achieved by a special Thermo-reflow painting process, utilizing acrylic lacquers. The result of baking the paint at an extra-high temperature, just long enough for the paint to reflow, is an exceptionally smooth surface that retains its “showroom-new” look far longer than ordinary finishes.
INTERIOR TRIM:
Standard Interior – Expanded Morrikide – Strato-bucket Seats
SEAT TRIM: Code 251 Medium Gold Vinyl Bucket Seats
DOOR TRIM: Code 251 Medium Gold
HEADLINING: Code 251 Medium Gold Bedford Pattern Vinyl Coated Fabric
FLOOR COVERING: Code 251 Medium Gold Nylon Blend Loop Pile Carpet
RADIO:
AM/FM Stereo Radio (Code 388).
For exceptional performance in AM/FM or FM stereo reception.
Two rear speakers and a front speaker. AM and FM reception are both controlled by the extreme left and right pushbuttons (including stereo if station is broadcasting in stereo). Balance control know governs playing through all speakers.
ENGINE:
250 CU. IN. OHC INLINE 6 CYLINDER ENGINE (1 bbl carb) 175 bhp @ 4800 rpm, 240 lb-ft @ 2400 rpm.
Pontiac’s famous European sports type engine with its celebrated overhead cam drive has been redesigned for 1968. Now boasting a new standard displacement of 250 cubic inches, the engine provides more torque in all driving ranges, has excellent idle characteristics and performs exceptionally well at all speeds.
An all-new 1-BBL Mono-jet carburetor, designed to significantly reduce exhaust emission and specially calibrated to substantially improve fuel flow for added driving economy, is standard on this engine with manual transmission. With this carburetor, the rated brake horsepower is 175 at 4800 rpm, and engine torque is 240 pound-feet at 2600 rpm.
Cylinder Head and Block
– The chromium iron cylinder head is cast with integral valve guides. The wedge-shaped combustion chambers are deep, and fully contour-machined, as in Pontiac V-8s. This feature promotes smooth, efficient burning of the air-fuel mixture while maintaining a relatively high compression ratio and makes the engine less sensitive to octane ratings of regular fuels. The engine block is unusually rigid, and features short crank-throw span, ideal journal overlap, short forged connection rods and deep skirt design.
Special Cam Drive
– An outstanding feature of the OHC 6 engine is the belt-driven cam. This belt has a tension member of fiberglass with both sides surrounded by specially compounded chloroprene rubber. The meshing sides has a woven nylon fabric surface which is impregnated with the rubber. Fully oil-resistant, the belt connects the crankshaft, camshaft and accessory drive sprockets. This application permits the belt to drive the distributor, fuel pump and oil pump as one external drive assembly. Clearly defined timing marks make ignition timing extremely simple.
Camshaft
– The camshaft for this engine is made of a special heat-treated metal alloy known as “hardenable iron,” which has exceptional wear characteristics. Bearing surfaces on the camshaft are extra wide for low-contact pressures to contribute to longer engine life. The “Sprint” engine camshaft lobes, of hollow flank design, help improve performance throughout the entire speed range without the need for roller followers. This special design provides excellent idling characteristics without sacrificing the high-performance built into the engine.
Rocker Arm and Valve Train
– Special heat-treated metal alloy rocker arm have excellent wear characteristics. And the automatic zero valve-lash adjustment is another important feature of this engine. This means that the lash adjuster is designed to permit the rocker arm and valve to operate virtually as one unit, without loss of compression, and with minimum noise, roughness and wear. The lash adjuster is hydraulically actuated, receiving its fluid from the engine lubrication system. The adjuster maintains proper relationship of rocker arm to camshaft lobe so that proper valve action is assured at all times.
TRANSMISSION:
HURST 3-Speed Manual – Floor Shift
Available at extra cost on Firebirds equipped with 1-BBL OHC 6. Features a new plunger-type, self-adjusting backup lamp switch for fast, positive operation of the backup lamps when shift lever is moved to reverse.
POWER TRAIN:
Transmission Type: 3 SPEED MANUAL FLOOR
Item No.: 1
Car Order Engine Code: 341
Engine Size (Cubic Inch): 250 6 CYL.
Carb.: 1 Bbl.
Engine Ident. Code: ZK
Trans. Ident. Code:
FK
Horse Power: 175
Comp. Ratio:
9.0 REG FUEL
Standard Axle: 3.5
CHASSIS FEATURES:
FRONT AND REAR SUSPENSION
Front Suspension
– Firm sports-car handling and excellent cornering characteristics result from the short and long arm independent front suspension system which utilizes coil springs and direct, double-acting shock absorbers. This big-car front suspension design minimizes front-end sway for increased road stability at all normal highway speeds.
Rear Suspension
– Mounting from the rear suspension and Salisbury-type rear axle is provided by special rear frame elements integrated into underbody. New 56-inch, multi-leaf rear springs with rubber-mounted spring hangers substantially reduce vibrations to provide a smoother, quieter ride. Rear shock absorbers are mounted astraddle the rear axle (right shock is mounted forward of the axle, left shock at rear of axle). This unique arrangement provides a smoother, softer riding car with improved handling and road stability, but still retains the sports-car feel.
Brakes
– The dual master cylinder, self-adjusting brakes with warning light.
The front and rear brakes are separate and independent of each other, they are both actuated by the dual master cylinder. A hydraulic problem in either the front or rear brakes will not affect the other. Should a hydraulic problem develop, the brake warning lamp in the instrument cluster will light when the foot brake is applied and the parking brake is disengaged. This lamp will also light if the parking brake has not been released.
Wheels and Tires
– 14-inch safety rim wheels with F:70 x 14 Wide-oval Redline Firestone tires.
Additional photos upon request.