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.
Suspension and Steering - Suspension
Short answer: The rear shakers bolt to the rail at the bottom edge of the trunk gutter (if there’s no welded nut on the shaker, they lay against the rail on the opening side). If they don’t line up, check the trunk floor for rust swelling.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Original shakers wear the same spatter paint as the trunk and blend right in — black (gloss level dulled with age) with trunk overspray. Members with documented-original cars confirm this finish.
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Short answer: The trunk and front “cocktail shakers” are vibration dampers used only on convertibles — there are four, one per corner (the front ones sit behind the headlights). Each is a sealed steel canister with a spring and a weighted ball in fluid; they noticeably reduce body shake and improve the ride.
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Short answer: For all-around comfort, the original rubber bushings work best. Steel/nylon bushings trade a little comfort for a noticeable handling gain. Polyurethane is not recommended.
From members’ experience: Polyurethane made the car almost as stiff as a hard-tailed motorcycle and squeaked constantly — the same problem turned up on a polyurethane-bushed ’66 GTO restoration. Graphite-loaded products (e.g. PST Polygraphite) are a hard sell for the same reason. Original rubber is the comfort choice; steel/nylon is worth it if you want sharper handling.
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Short answer: There is no single “best” body-bushing material — it is a trade-off between deflection (handling) and NVH (noise, vibration, harshness). Rubber rides best, polyurethane sharpens handling cheaply but adds NVH and can squeak, and steel/nylon eliminates deflection but adds the most NVH.
NVH stands for Noise, Vibration, and Harshness — what an engineer tries to limit in a street car, and what a racer worries about least.
Rubber
Measured in durometer (hardness). Most stock bushings are fairly soft — a compromise for reasonable handling with a smooth ride, since the factory sold to both enthusiasts and buyers who would dislike a harsh ride. (Pontiac used harder-durometer rubber on later WS6 cars to limit deflection.) Downside: rubber decays and wears out, especially under hard road or drag use.
Polyurethane
A relatively inexpensive upgrade that limits deflection; users accept more NVH for better performance driving. Downsides: prone to squeaking and sometimes binding (drill the shells for grease fittings and lube regularly to limit it), and “cold flow” — under hard use over time the material can slowly deform and eventually need replacement. Expect increased harshness.
Steel/nylon or aluminum/nylon (Duralum)
A sure-fire way to eliminate deflection — companies like Global West and VSE tout it for “slot-car” handling, and it is popular on dedicated road-race cars. Downside: the most increased NVH. Try to ride in a car already equipped before committing; some owners love it, others cannot live with it.
The writer’s own choice for a convertible (to cut squeaks and rattles) was stock replacement rubber (TRW), accepting some deflection for a nicer ride. Bottom line: decide what you want from the car and what you are willing to trade off, and the choice gets clearer.
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Bulletin 68-T-18 — Pontiac Motor Division Dealer Technical Bulletin, Section 3, dated August 16, 1968. Attention: Service Manager.
Subject: Never Pre-Load Front Wheel Bearings.
Short answer: Front wheel taper roller bearings must never be pre-loaded. This bulletin establishes new adjustment and lubrication procedures that supersede all previous procedures. Bearing “burn-up” caused by over-tightening is not covered by warranty if prior service is documented.
Adjustment
The following numbered steps correspond to the photographic illustrations in the original bulletin:
- Hand-spin the wheel.
- Back off the nut until just snug — just loose (1/4 to 1/2 turn).
- First seat the bearings; this overcomes any burrs on the threads.
- Hand-snug up the nut.
- Loosen the nut until a hole in the spindle lines up with a slot in the nut, then insert cotter pin. Note: Under no circumstances is the bearing to be even finger-tight.
- When the bearing is properly adjusted there will be from 0.001″ to 0.005″ end play (looseness).
Lubrication (New Recommendation)
Every 12,000 miles the bearings should be inspected and lubricated with a high melting point grease. The bearings should be cleaned and checked for signs of galling and damage from dirt.
Note: Before reassembly, put a slight amount of grease on the inside diameter of the bearing cone to ensure that the cone will creep, which will help prevent galling.
The seal should be inspected and replaced if there are signs of dirt or water entering the area.
Warranty
Reference:
- 1968 Pontiac Service Manual, Page 3-2, Figure 3-2
Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Bulletin 68-I-15 — Pontiac Motor Division Dealer Service Information Bulletin, Section 4, dated October 16, 1967. Attention: Service Manager.
Subject: Safe-T-Track Rear Axle Lubricant.
Short answer: Differential chatter on low-speed turns in Safe-T-Track equipped units is cured by a lubricant change; only Part No. 1050081 [Z] (Gp. No. 8.800) is approved — no substitute is recommended.
A number of cases of differential chatter on low speed turns have been reported in recent years on Safe-T-Track equipped units. Investigations prove that lubricant change is still the recommended fix for axle chatter.
Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: There are two camps. Experienced techs report you often don’t need a spring compressor on a first-gen F-body — the spring relaxes enough to pry out with a big bar and foot-press back in. Others strongly prefer a compressor (free to rent at many parts stores) for safety. Either way, a compressed coil stores huge energy.
Reinstall options (both compress the spring):
- Use an internal (middle-of-spring) compressor, set the spring between the A-arms, and bolt up the ball joints.
- With the spindle bolted to the upper ball joint, set the uncompressed spring in place, then slowly jack the lower A-arm (using the car’s weight) to compress it and bolt in the lower ball joint.
One no-compressor method: jack the car high, loosen (don’t remove) the upper and lower ball-joint castle nuts, give the knuckle a few brisk sledge taps to pop the joints, then jack under the lower A-arm, remove the lower nut, and lower the arm (spring chained) until the spring drops out.
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Short answer: One member’s KYB part numbers for a 1968 (used 10+ years as a daily driver): front 80-1914, rear 80-1915SPA1 (the rear is listed for a Camaro — no 1969 ‘bird listing — but fits fine). PST (800-247-2288) sold all four KYBs for ~$119 with free shipping.
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Short answer: The rubber bonds to the metal, so you can’t press or beat these out (and burning them is smelly and dangerous). The trick is a round (rod) hacksaw blade:
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Short answer: Members are happy buying rear springs from ESPO Springs ‘n’ Things (espo.com) or Eaton (eatonsprings.com) directly — both save money versus the usual restoration retailers, and ESPO lets you order stock, lower, or higher ride height by a specified amount (with U-bolts, pads, shackles, bushings, and T-bolts).
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Short answer: Aftermarket multi-leaf springs can replace a 1967 mono-leaf setup, but not with the mono-leaf hardware — the multi-leaf springs have a center through-bolt whose head sticks out the bottom, and the mono-leaf perches have no provision for it. Fix it with a spacer (drilled for the bolt) under the spring, or remove the old perches and weld in multi-leaf perches (which are ~1″ deeper).
To run multi-leaf on a mono-leaf car you need: leaf-spring/shock anchor plates (2, the multi-leaf type), 4″ U-bolts (2 pair, longer), rear shock extenders (2 — multi-leaf shocks sit ~2″ longer), spring shackle bolts (4, yours will likely break on removal), and leaf-spring pads (2). Classic Industries sells a complete kit (less springs) for ~$69.95; springs ~$179/pair (4-leaf) or ~$129 (5-leaf) — some report a stiff ride and taller-than-expected height with 5-leaf. Add new bushings and shackles too.
Alternative: a fiberglass mono-leaf (advertised in Pontiac magazines from time to time); one source mentioned is Vette Brakes (vettebrakes.com, under Camaro suspension).
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Short answer: A member’s front+rear refresh on a 1968 400 (new springs, bushings, front ball joints): the result was about an inch more ride height front and rear, tight steering, and no more bottoming out. Notes and one gotcha below.
- Front: standard MOOG bushings/ball joints and Classic Industries coil springs; a machine shop did the control-arm work. Lining the lower control arms up with the frame on reassembly is the hard part.
- Rear: Classic Industries leaf springs and mounting kit. The new spring’s extra bottom mounting plate made the stack too thick, so he removed it; he reused the original (shorter) U-bolts and the more-secure cinch-type shackle nuts rather than the kit’s plain longer ones. All bolts must be torqued with the car on the ground — a lift or pit helps.
- Stick with plain rubber (GM-style) bushings over urethane/solid mounts for a streetable ride.
The gotcha: a loud, very-low-frequency road noise at 30–40 mph turned out to be the new shackles rubbing the body — their bolt holes were ~1/4″ farther apart, so the bottom edge contacted the panel below the rear bumper.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Normally you rotate the shock so its flats line up with the flats in the lower control-arm opening, pop the clip nuts off the bottom, and it passes right through — a standard shock always fits that hole.
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Short answer: The Ride and Handling package (Code 621, UPC Y96) added extra-firm front and rear springs and shocks for improved cornering, plus a heavier stabilizer bar on Tempest/Pontiac series. There were two price points — about $4.21 with 400s (already partly upgraded) and $9.48 with 6-cylinder/350 cars — but it’s essentially the same package.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Most likely you torqued the front control-arm bolts while the car was still in the air (suspension unloaded) — that twists the bushings and holds the car too high (and rides poorly). Also check the spring is seated.
- Fix the bolts: with the car raised and suspension unloaded, loosen the control-arm through-bolts, set jack stands under the control arms so the car rests on the suspension, then torque to spec. Back on the ground it should return to normal height.
- Check the spring: make sure the bottom coil (pigtail) is in the molded pocket of the lower control arm — if not, it raises the car ~an inch (you’ll have to compress the spring, separate the upper ball joint, and reseat it).
Rear leaf springs (4 vs 5 leaf): Nova/Camaro/Firebird leaf springs all fit but don’t all give the right height — first-gen Firebirds sat lower than Camaros (some sellers pass off 5-leaf Nova springs). ESPO Springs ‘n’ Things and Eaton offer stock/lower/raised heights at better prices than the resto houses. New springs need a couple hundred miles to settle, and old springs sag — so a “stock” replacement may sit higher than your worn one. If the rear ends up too low, add a leaf or re-arch; too high, remove a leaf, re-arch, or use spacers. Front: too high, change to another spring (cutting a coil works but isn’t ideal); too low, replace it — spacers are a poor crutch.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: For using the original shifter with a 200-4R or 700R4 swap, the kits to look at are from Shiftworks (shiftworks.com) — their conversion kits even include new gear-indicator plastics so the PRNDL display matches the new transmission.
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Short answer: Correct numbered 1968 Firebird “spiral” (Delco) shocks are very hard to find. The basic configuration was shared across 1967–69 Firebirds/Camaros and 1968–72 Novas, so the closest you’ll get are NOS front shocks (mid-to-late-’70s date codes) sold in Hemmings for ~$120/pair — not exact number-matches, and ride comparison unknown.
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Short answer: A member’s price comparison (as of Jan 2000) for front-end kits:
PST (800-247-2288) basic kit — $149 (rubber) / $219 (polygraphite): 2 upper + 2 lower ball joints, 4 upper inner control-arm bushings, 2–4 lower inner bushings, 2 strut-rod bushings (if needed), 2 outer tie-rod ends, 2 stabilizer links, 2 sway-bar bushings (measure the bar — ~1.375″ or 1.625″).
PST larger kit — $289 (rubber) / $359 (polygraphite): adds an idler arm, 2 inner tie-rod ends, 2 adjusting sleeves, 2 upper inner shafts.
Classic Industries (800-854-1280) polyurethane kit ~$189.95 (no sway-bar bushings). Year One sells pieces separately. PST also lists 4 KYB gas shocks for ~$119.
(Prices are from 2000 and only illustrative.)
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: 1968s didn’t have traction bars. For 1967, what you got depended on engine, transmission, and rear-axle type:
| Engine / Trans | Bars |
|---|---|
| OHC-6 1-bbl auto | None (unless 3.23 or higher axle) |
| OHC-6 1-bbl manual | RH side |
| OHC-6 4-bbl auto | RH side |
| OHC-6 4-bbl manual | Both sides |
| V-8 2 & 4-bbl auto | RH side |
| V-8 2 & 4-bbl manual | Both sides |
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