Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions for First Generation Firebirds that have been asked and answered on FGF. Special thanks needs to be given to all the FGF members who took the time to respond to other member's questions.

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Engine - 326 and 350 Specific

Short answer: A car is considered “numbers matching” if all the part numbers and casting codes are correct and pre-date the car by the usual 1–3 months. Use the year-specific drivetrain ID pages on FGF as your guide:

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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am

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Short answer: The “best” build depends on your goals (match all the components to them), but for a normal streetable 350 the short version is:

  • Intake: a 1967–72 4-bbl intake
  • Carb: Quadrajet
  • Cam: around .450″ lift; consensus is no more than 214/224 duration at .050″
  • Heads: if virgin, you can mill up to .060″ (removes about 12 cc from the chambers)

A good order of operations: set general goals, then tune what you have (cheap gains), then address gearing, tires, and transmission/converter, and then the engine. For the full discussion, read Jim Hand’s articles and search the Q&A archives at classicalpontiac.com.

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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am

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Short answer: For a 350 2-bbl converted to 4-bbl that you want streetable with low-end torque and decent mileage, use a mild cam — the Pontiac 067 grind or a Summit 204/214, and go no bigger than the 204/214.

Pontiac engines like a wide lobe center (about 110–114°) for a good idle, and the heads favor low lift (factory cams are around .406″, and the ports don’t flow better at higher lifts) — so adding lift is mostly wasted. For deeper reading, work through Jim Hand’s Pontiac articles.

Any proposed updates, changes, pictures, and/or corrections, please use our comment section below (may need to click on permalink to access comments feature). Information is subject to change and offered as is without any warranties or guarantees. Please review our Term's Of Use for more information.

Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am

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Content last modified: June 9, 2026 at 7:10 am