Frequently Asked Questions

Short answer: Despite the name, the “bird” isn’t etched into the glass — it’s a silkscreen-type paint that sits slightly above the surface and can be scraped off. If it were truly etched it would be engraved below the surface, not raised. Check yours: if you can feel it standing proud, it’s the painted type.

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Short answer: 1968 Firebirds came with two parking-lamp types — a single-bulb version and a two-bulb version. The two-bulb setup was very early 1968 only (a couple of months of production); in it, one bulb is the parking lamp and the second, side-facing bulb is a cornering light. The two versions use distinctly different wiring harnesses.

The two-bulb (cornering light) setup appears to have been a factory option. The more common version has the wrap-around lens with a single front-facing bulb.

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Short answer: Yes — 1969 Firebirds had special-order colors in addition to the regular palette. The full 1969 list (with Rinshed-Mason formula numbers) is below.

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Short answer: Early 1968 Firebirds (across all models, not just certain ones) had the two-bulb front turn-signal/marker housing. It was phased out within the first couple of months of production — around September 1967 — in favor of a single-bulb design.

This traces to the new 1968 federal side-marker requirement. Unlike the Camaro, the Firebird had no separate side marker, so a partition and an extra bulb were added to the turn-signal housing. It was later simplified to light from both the side and front with one bulb, saving about a dollar per car.

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Short answer: A dimension template for the 1967–68 “400” bumper emblem is available from the Generation-1 Registry website — shown below.

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Short answer: Yes — the “400” option on 1967–69 Firebirds included the full exterior treatment: decklid and hood “400” emblems, the scooped (closed) hood, a Pontiac Crest emblem on the front bumper (all three years), and of course the 400 engine.

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Short answer: The correct original front-bumper “400” emblem for the 1967–68 Firebird is a molded hard-rubber part (with an internal steel reinforcement that the studs attach to — no metal is visible). The metal “Crest” emblem some catalogs supply was only used on certain full-size Pontiacs and Grand Prix, not the Firebird.

The correct emblem is only available as a reproduction. Current quality is reportedly okay (early repros fit poorly). One member’s Ames repro looked very good installed; the only shortfall is that the original had extruded rubber around the studs for a snug fit while the repro does not — so you center it by eye, then tighten it down.

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Short answer: On 1967–68 Firebirds, only the “400” cars had the separate chrome grille moldings (the “hockey stick” pieces covering the center bar and extending toward the nose). Non-400 cars just have the molded-in plastic center bar — no chrome there. The grilles themselves are identical castings; you can drill standard grilles for the moldings (which are unique left and right).

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Short answer: Chromed scoop inserts aren’t factory — someone had the original inserts chrome-plated. They were originally painted body color (some have been painted black, possibly a dealer touch).

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Short answer: 1967 and 1968–69 hoods differ in the inner structure and the hood latch — not the hinges. All hoods can be made to fit across the years and look the same externally, but you must not mix the wrong latch with the wrong hood catch (that’s how hoods pop open at speed).

Note: a factory-looking hood-tach hole can be cut in about 30 minutes with a drill, jigsaw, and Dremel.

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Short answer: A dimension template for mounting the 1968 “400” trunk-lid emblem (passenger side, above the reverse light) is available from the Generation-1 Registry website — shown below.

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Short answer: Acid dipping works but carries a real risk: if the cleanup isn’t thorough, trapped acid in hidden nooks and boxed sections can bleed back out later and cause blistering or rust — and those hidden areas end up with no paint or protection. It’s a particular worry on thin sheet metal like hoods and body shells.

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Short answer: The factory front-end alignment specs (from the 1969 Factory Service Manual, page 3-18) are below. For modern radial tires, adding caster beyond the factory ½° helps noticeably.

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Short answer: Per the 1967 Firebird Service Manual supplement, the antenna should lean inboard about 4° when viewed from the front or rear, and stand vertical when viewed from the side.

This spec is given for both the front and rear fender mounts, and the 1968 is believed to be the same.

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All of these antenna parts are interchangeable across 1967–68 Firebirds. The mast itself (3934224) is the same for both the front-fender and rear-quarter mounts — what differs is the trim bezel, the ground ring, and the lead-in cable. The body, mounting nut, and mast are common to both positions.

Short answer: The antenna body and large mounting nut are the same between the 1968 Firebird and Camaro front-fender antenna. Members differ on the mast and bezel — see below.

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Short answer: The standard antenna location on a 1968 Firebird is the right-hand front fender. An optional right-hand rear-quarter antenna was also available. Which one your car came with is recorded on its Body Broadcast Sheet (if still in the car) or its Billing History. Reproduction parts are available for both.

There is no single “factory-correct” position for the rear-quarter hole — four original Firebirds measured no two exactly alike, because the assembly line stamped the hole using a hand-placed template rather than a machine. The figures below, gathered and cross-checked by members, get you as close as the factory did.

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Short answer: The 1968 Firebird used a telescoping (manual) mast, not a whip antenna — regardless of whether the car had an AM or AM/FM radio. GM did not use whip antennas on the 1968 (or other 1960s models); they were all telescoping until the 1970s.

The main variation is in the ball/tip design — some tips have one groove, some two, some none; some are round, some oval.

For a replacement, a good NOS mast is usually the better route, since rechroming an original is difficult and costly.

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Short answer: The standard antenna on all 1967–69 Firebirds (with the radio option) was a manual mast on the right-hand front fender.

A manual rear quarter-panel antenna (right-hand side) was optional on 1967–68 only. Late in 1969, an optional power antenna became available, also on the right rear quarter panel.

The manual rear antenna was not offered on the 1969 Firebird, at least not in any known documentation.

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Short answer: Yes — Autumn Bronze Iridescent (A-1996) was available on the Firebird, even though most books don’t list it. GM had offered it on some models since 1966. It’s a medium-to-darker red base with gold flake that shifts noticeably from bright sunlight to twilight.

Note: “Irid.” is short for iridescent — paint with metallic flake in it.

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Short answer: Clean the new bare metal with lacquer thinner to remove the machine-oil coating, then use a self-etching primer. Do all cutting and trimming before priming, and mask the areas you’ll weld.

After welding, clean the area with light sandpaper, then thinner, then self-etching primer (aerosol is handy) and paint. If you’re painting the whole car, it’s easier to just prime the panels now and leave the color for the full paint job.

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Short answer: You can replace the radiator-support bushings (and the other four body bushings) without disassembling the car — support the body at the front ends of the rocker panels and lower the subframe on a floor jack, doing it carefully step by step.

With all new bushings the car feels transformed — squeaks and rattles gone and handling much improved, especially combined with fresh suspension, shocks, and motor mounts.

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Short answer: There is a ~⅝” alignment hole in the front bushing mounting platform that lines up with a matching hole in the body. Slide a pipe or tire iron through both holes to vertically align the subframe when reinstalling it.

If you are only replacing the bushings without removing the subframe, this is not necessary — doing one side at a time with the front fenders bolted in place keeps the frame in the correct position, so alignment is not affected.

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Short answer: Replacing deteriorated body mounts is a doable DIY job. Inspect the frame perches first — rusted or cracked perches must be repaired before new bushings go in — then work one side at a time with a hydraulic jack and patience. Break all four bushing bolts loose first, lift the body at the front of the rocker panel about ¾”, and swap each two-piece bushing. Never remove both bolts on one side at once, and don’t fully tighten any bolt until all are installed.

Realigning the subframe holes with the floor can take some fiddling — the subframe arms may need to be squeezed together slightly to match. Doing this with the engine and front clip in place adds some difficulty but is still manageable.

On frame/subframe connectors: bolt-on connectors can be welded in (but you’ll lose access to 4 of the 6 cage nuts that retain the leaf springs); the manufacturer recommends cross-drilling where the subframe meets the connector and bolting each with four ½” bolts; and they will not fit a convertible without notching either the connectors or the offending brace under the car.

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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.

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Short answer: Those cracks at the top of the windshield pillar are in the body solder, not the structural weld — the weld and its reinforcement (about an inch below the roofline) are very strong. The fix is to re-solder the thin spot, which is far better than filling it with Bondo or All-Metal.

The solder is purely cosmetic (the factory used it instead of slow-drying filler because the cars were dipped about an hour after welding). It thins out past the welds after grinding, so it tends to crack at those thin points from stress.

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Short answer: A brake light that stays on after a master-cylinder job is almost always the brake-light switch on the pedal assembly under the dash — it usually just needs a small adjustment so the returning pedal opens the switch. Since tapping the pedal turns the lights off, only a minor adjustment should be needed.

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Short answer: The 1967 didn’t use the rubber fillers that 1968s have — many 1967s used a steel trim plate instead. The gap is adjustable: line up the hood and fenders first, then set the gap to the dimensions in the shop manual. The filler/plate keeps headlight light from leaking out the side gap (1968 switched to a rubber filler for the same purpose).

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Short answer: The rubber filler that separates the headlight housing and grille from the fenders and hood should be black, not body color. Paint won’t stay on it — it will flake off.

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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.

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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Short answer: The firewall and engine-compartment sheet metal are semi-gloss / eggshell black (not body color). Restoration-grade paint from suppliers like AMES or Year One works well; period-correct mixing formulas are below.

The above is for purists wanting the exact shade. A simpler approach that has worked well: three parts cheap chassis black to one part universal flattening agent — it comes out semi-flat and looks great on the firewall and chassis. You can also contact the paint manufacturers (online or by phone) with your color and year for codes or base/clear equivalents.

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Short answer: On the rear axle, the factory left the whole assembly (housing, pumpkin, tubes) essentially bare and gave it a quick shot of black from the backside — so the front faces are unpainted and the back is black. A good way to replicate that look while preventing rust is to coat the assembly with Seymour Stainless Steel paint first, then black the backside.

For dash paint, PPG Ditzler products mixed to the original paint charts are correct (any Ditzler supplier can mix them); reconditioning paint usually won’t have the correct gloss level. The official 1968 paint chart from the Pontiac Service Information Bulletin is below.

[pdfjs-viewer url=/dtb/docs/68-I-12.pdf viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true download=false print=true]

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Short answer: The 400 grille “hockey stick” chrome inserts are reproduced by Chicago Muscle Car Parts — part #893774, about $79/pair. They run low on stock, but more can be ordered if enough buyers (10+) group an order.

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Short answer: 1968 convertible wiper arms are different lengths left vs. right and are stamped “RH CONV” / “LH CONV” on the back (just past the casing). Measured on an original 1968 convertible: RH 12″, LH 11.75″ (about 1/4″–1/2″ shorter on the left). Reproduction arms are both the same length, unlike originals.

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Short answer: For a 1968 convertible right-rear quarter you have a few options: a used factory coupe quarter, repro patch panels, repro full quarters (if available), or an NOS 1967 Camaro coupe quarter. A used original convertible quarter is hard to find.

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Short answer: The “cornering light” in the catalogs wasn’t a true cornering light. On 1968s it was a two-bulb front turn-signal/parking/side-marker lamp — a partition in the lens with an extra single-filament bulb at the rear that acted as a side marker. It lit only when the headlamps or parking lamps were on (it’s not like the true cornering lamps on Bonnevilles and GTOs).

It was standard equipment on all 1968 models, not an option, and was phased out around early September 1967 as a running change. Some original cars were built without it, with the extra wire and socket clipped off and taped back into the harness (the parts book tells service to do the same). Early-September cars appear to be the last with the two-bulb setup.

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Short answer: The 1969 grille is all silver — Argent Silver, the same shade used on the 1967–68 grilles (no black or charcoal center).

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Short answer: A body tag may show I, SPEC, SHOW, —, or PRIME instead of a normal paint code. These flag a non-standard finish — a custom color, show car, special color, or primer only. Autumn Bronze (a Corvette color) is the one custom color that got its own code, “I,” rather than the “SPEC” designation.

Most “SPEC” paints were the spring-release colors (Pink Mist, Carnival Red, Marigold Yellow, and Windward Blue).

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Short answer: A loose “Custom” emblem could have come from several locations — the fastener type tells you which. Based on the fastener count, a rocker-panel location is most likely. It may have been part of a special paint package (Pink Mist), which shows on the body tag as paint code “special.”

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Short answer: The 1968 Custom Trim option (554) included: Custom seat covers (Morrokide + stitched knit vinyl), custom molded door and quarter trim panels, the assist bar above the glovebox, dual horns, deluxe wheel covers, deluxe steering wheel, custom pedal trim, front & rear wheel-opening moldings, drip-rail moldings (coupes), and windshield-pillar garnish moldings.

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Short answer: A few weeks’ gap between an engine’s date code and the Fisher Body trim-tag date is completely normal — nothing to worry about. The rule of thumb for drivetrain parts is roughly 2 weeks to 3 months before the body build date (about 6 weeks is the usual maximum), and generally not after, though exceptions exist.

As always with date codes, there are no absolutes — inventory control 30 years ago wasn’t what it is today.

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Bulletin 68-I-12 — Pontiac Motor Division Dealer Service Information Bulletin, Section 2, dated October 10, 1967. Attention: Service Manager.

Subject: 1968 Refinish Paint Specifications.

Short answer: Copies of the 1968 Pontiac refinish paint charts from Ditzler, DuPont, and Rinshed-Mason were attached to this bulletin; a complete listing of 1968 exterior and interior paint color names, codes, and stock numbers was scheduled to appear in the November Pontiac Chassis Parts Catalog.

Bulletin 68-I-24 — Pontiac Motor Division Dealer Service Information Bulletin, Section 7F (Two-Speed Automatic Transmission). Attention: Service Manager.

Subject: Two-Speed Automatic Transmission — Component Identification.

Short answer: This bulletin provides a comprehensive component identification table for the Two-Speed Automatic Transmission used in 1966–1968 Pontiac and Tempest models, listing the vacuum modulator, governor, valve body, spacer plate, converter assembly, and downshift timing valve part numbers along with their transmission model usage and identification markings.

¹ Service part number 1378257 is common to all 1967–68 transmission service usage.

² For service replacement, use 9776991 converter, identified by a Violet paint daub.

Bulletin 68-I-59 — Pontiac Motor Division Dealer Service Information Bulletin, Section 2, dated April 18, 1968. Attention: Service Manager.

Subject: Positioning of Inside Rear View Mirror — All Series.

Short answer: The 1968 mirror support has two ball sockets — one behind the mirror and one at the upper end of the bracket — allowing the entire assembly to swing fore, aft, and sideways. Many owners are unaware of this feature; dealers should inform customers who have difficulty positioning their mirror.

Short answer: A 1968 GTO remote mirror will physically bolt on to a 1968 Firebird, but it is not correct — the difference is in the mounting base/pedestal. At about $100, an NOS remote mirror is a very good price.

Beyond the base, the assemblies differ in the gap between the bottom of the mirror housing and the top of the base, the distance from the back of the housing to the inside curve of the base, and cable length (which varies by model). Many dealers will claim “they are all the same” — they are not. Other mirrors will fit and work depending on how picky you are; just account for the vent window, cable length, and the control knob/trim.

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Short answer: The original GM door edge guards for the 1967–69 Firebird were a screw-on type. Most “correct” or “original” guards sold today are actually the press-on style (a replacement also used on Camaro). NOS screw-on guards fit perfectly.

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Short answer: There were differences — original 1968 door glass has a straight line across the bottom and 1969 has a curve (not visible with the door assembled) — but the July 1969 parts book lists the replacement glass as the same for both years. The “bird emblem” glass on some 1968s is generally the straight (early) style, not the later curved one.

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Short answer: Door hinges do not interchange across 1967, 1968, and 1969 — the only cross-fit is 1969 Camaro and Firebird. If your hinge holes are worn oval, buy new or good used rather than rebuilding.

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Short answer: No — 1967 hinges are a 3-bolt design and 1968-and-later are 4-bolt, so they do not interchange.

Some hinges use a larger bushing than others, though there is no clear documentation tying that to a specific year or model. Some rebuild kits include both bushing sizes so one part number covers nearly all GM cars.

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Short answer: 1967, 1968, and 1969 Firebird doors do not interchange. 1967 uses 3-bolt hinges; 1968/1969 use 4-bolt; and 1968 vs 1969 differ in shape and character lines.

Aftermarket rear quarter panels work with a fair amount of bodywork (convertibles are more challenging). Rust-free used quarters from the Southwest are a good alternative.

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Short answer: Firebird doors and door skins interchange with the same-year Camaro, but not between model years — 1967, 1968, and 1969 doors do not swap with each other. Two Firebird-specific things to watch: some have “bird”-etched glass, and the hinges differ by year.

Reproduction door shells (e.g. Classic Industries) are just shells — you transfer the vent-window framework and all internal parts into the new shell, which is not very complicated. Aftermarket rear quarters work with a fair amount of bodywork (convertibles are more challenging); rust-free used quarters from the Southwest are a good alternative. For removal and weatherstrip steps, see the Jan. 2000 Chevy High Performance (“Just Wing It”) and your 1967 Fisher Body Guide.

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Short answer: The door latch (officially the “Door Lock”) assembly was different for all three years (1967/1968/1969). It is the same for Custom or Standard trim — but the inside-handle remote control (latch-release mechanism) and its link rod do differ between Custom and Standard.

If a latch is misbehaving, it may be defective or from another type of vehicle — confirm you have the correct lock assembly and the correct outside handle & button assembly for your specific car.

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Short answer: All 1968 Firebirds came standard with a left-hand (driver) side-view mirror; a remote-control mirror was optional. 1968 used two LH styles — a round (1st type) and a rectangular/square (2nd type), the rectangular phasing in around early 1968.

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Short answer: Yes, you can repaint emblems yourself. Unless you are doing a concours restoration, “close” on color is fine — at normal viewing distance most people cannot tell. Two proven methods are below.

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Short answer: Starting in 1968, every Firebird had an emission/tune-up label on the front bumper’s upper structure (a clear decal with white lettering, applied over the black-painted bumper area). The 1969 label differs from the 1968 but has the same content.

At the time of this discussion, no accurate reproduction of the 1968 tune-up decal existed (the common repros aren’t quite right), and the spare-tire inflator-canister label was likewise only a close copy. Members were working from NOS originals to make proper reproductions.

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Short answer: Yes, prime first. Think of primer as the glue that bonds paint to the metal — without it the paint chips or flakes off. But primer is not a rust preventative: remove all rust first (sandblasting or chemical stripping, not just grinding), since rust that comes back was never fully removed.

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Short answer: The “bird” logo on some 1968 front side glass is a special factory glass, but why some cars got it remains a mystery — a multi-year Registry survey found it across too many configurations to establish a pattern.

Documented original bird-glass cars include 400s and 350s, with and without A/C, with and without the Custom trim option, coupes and convertibles, clear and tinted glass, automatics and 4-speeds. (An earlier observation that they were all 400s was later contradicted by 350 examples.) The feature appears on early 1968 cars — the latest known build is around the first week of March 1968 — and may have been dropped for production cost. (See also the “Etched Bird Glass” FAQ on what the marking actually is.)

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Short answer: Two tricks make fender alignment work, both done with no load on the subframe and body:

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Short answer: The engine-compartment filler panels came on A/C cars and 400s — including Sprints with A/C (the 3.8-liter cars in 1967) and the base 1968–69 OHC-6 4.1-liter one-barrel cars with A/C.

Source: real GM sheet-metal panels (not fiberglass) have been available from Fabulous Firebirds in Missouri — ask for Charlie, 573-783-5702.

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Short answer: Vinyl bodyside moldings were not a listed factory option for the 1968 Firebird — they were a standard feature on the bigger Pontiacs (Catalina, Executive, Bonneville), not the Firebird. They were commonly dealer-installed (or aftermarket), and many period Firebird ads and articles show cars wearing them, so they’re not unusual to find.

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Short answer: Per Jim Mattison (PHS), the correct gloss level on the firewall area is 85% black.

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Short answer: Replace floor pans one side at a time to keep the body straight (on a convertible, weld in temporary braces from the dash to the rear seat first). Locate the new pan off factory reference points, tack-weld and keep moving to avoid warping, then seal the seams.

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Short answer: There are two replacement-pan types: turned-up rocker edge (drop in and weld entirely from the top — simplest) and turned-down rocker edge that matches the original (needs some welding from underneath at the pinch-weld). Removal is the same for both, and it’s one of the easier rust repairs.

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Short answer: The cleanest way to replace a front floor is to drill the spot welds along the top of the rocker, cut the pan across the front, back, and tunnel, and remove the seat pedestal still attached to the old pan — then separate them on the bench. Use a spot-weld cutter on the braces and an air chisel to rip out the old floor.

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Short answer: Yes — convertible floor pans can be replaced without removing the subframe (done on both coupes and convertibles), but brace the convertible well and measure the door gaps before cutting and again before welding. Use the “turned-up” pans for top-only welding; C.A.R.S. (www.carsinc.com) sells “turned-down” pans that mimic the factory pinch-weld.

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Short answer: On 1968s, only the coupe has the flow-through vents in the quarter panel at the door jamb — convertibles do not. In 1969, both body styles got them.

This flow-through ventilation replaced the wing (vent) windows. Convertibles did not need it — they leak enough air on their own.

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Short answer: The correct original front-bumper “400” emblem for the 1967–68 Firebird is a molded hard-rubber part (with an internal steel reinforcement that the studs attach to — no metal is visible). The metal “Crest” emblem some catalogs supply was only used on certain full-size Pontiacs and Grand Prix, not the Firebird.

The correct emblem is only available as a reproduction. Current quality is reportedly okay (early repros fit poorly). One member’s Ames repro looked very good installed; the only shortfall is that the original had extruded rubber around the studs for a snug fit while the repro does not — so you center it by eye, then tighten it down.

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Short answer: That gap is correct — proper clearance is 3/4″ (you can check it with a dime), and there’s a black rubber filler strip that wraps around each edge of the chrome bumper and attaches to the plastic grille assembly. Don’t try to close the gap by setting the bumper rearward.

Also be aware that the long 1967–68 bumpers twist easily without obvious dents; a twisted bumper can usually be muscled back into place, though fitting even a straight one takes patience. See section 14 of the 1967 Firebird Service Manual for how the bumper attaches.

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Short answer: To remove the cowl panel (the sheet metal between the hood and windshield), take off the wiper arms first, then the four screws across the front of the panel under the hood — then lift the front edge and slide it forward out from under the chrome windshield trim. The front bumper comes off in one piece: remove the bolts behind it where the bumper horns attach to the front of the frame.

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Short answer: It’s best not to remove the front clip as one piece — you risk alignment problems and bending the fenders/core support. Taking it apart piece by piece is awkward only once, and it lets you clean and treat hidden rust.

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Short answer: All 1968 Firebirds used the “finger-lift” fuel-door emblem — it isn’t flat; there’s an opening under the tail for your finger. The flat design was used in 1967 (though some late-1967 cars switched to the finger-lift version). Both are available as reproductions.

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Short answer: All three years technically had different glass. 1968 and 1969 look identical installed, but the concealed bottom edge differs — 1968 is straight across, 1969 has a curve. In practice they’re often interchangeable: the July 1969 parts book lists the 1968 and 1969 replacement glass as the same.

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Short answer: The 1967 and 1968 grilles are identical castings — only the paint differs. For both years, only the Firebird 400 had the chrome “hockey stick” bar in the center.

The Charcoal and Argent Silver are the same colors used on Rally II wheels, and should be a satin finish, not gloss.

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Short answer: To keep H.O. stripes from fading, a body-shop trick is to apply the decals before clear-coating, then finish the paint job as normal — sealed under the clear, they won’t fade.

(Opinions differ — see the “Stripe Material” FAQ for the case against clear-coating over vinyl stripes.)

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Short answer: Only the 1967 326 H.O. and the 1968 350 H.O. received the actual “H.O.” stripes (with the “H.O.” lettering on the front fenders). A 400 H.O. could be ordered with Rally stripes, but they wouldn’t carry the “H.O.” letters. If your PHS Billing History is blank in column 494, your car wasn’t ordered with Rally stripes.

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Short answer: There’s a small release button on the side of the headlight switch (it faces the door) — press it to release the knob and shaft.

It’s nearly impossible to reach from under the dash without removing at least the ball vent tube. One trick: bend a piece of welding rod and slide it down through the gap between the dash panel and the windshield pillar to press the button from above; shine a flashlight through the gap to spot it.

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Short answer: The one hidden VIN most people agree on is the cowl VIN, stamped below the cowl cover. Beyond that, claims of “secret” VIN locations are mostly speculation — suspected spots include somewhere on the subframe, along the trunk gutter, and on the floor pan, but these aren’t reliably documented. Non-factory weld seams are the easier authenticity tell.

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Short answer: The Rally Stripe (option 494, about $14.74) was available on nearly all 1968 Firebirds — the exception is the 350 H.O. (option 344), which came standard with the “H.O.” stripes. The 400 H.O. didn’t get them standard but could be ordered with them. Colors were red, ivory/white, and black, coordinated to the car’s paint and interior.

On 350 H.O. cars, the standard stripes could be deleted (a no-cost, no-refund delete). Originals were vinyl and held up very well. To verify whether your car had them, get PHS documentation (about $35) or find the original build sheet.

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Short answer: Correct hood-hinge finish is gray phosphate — not black paint or zinc. A plater can do it (cheaper if you submit many parts at once), or OEM Paints (oempaints.com) sells spray cans that approximate the phosphate/oxide look.

For concours-correct under-hood and under-car finishes, see the High Performance Pontiac “Pontiac Tech” article by Jim Dietzler (consulting Jim Mattison). DIY plating is possible (a thermostat hot plate and Pyrex/stainless pans), but prep is everything — poorly prepped plated parts can start rusting almost immediately, even in storage.

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Short answer: 1967 and 1968 each had two hoods (standard flat and scooped “400”); 1969 had four. There was no unique factory “Ram Air” hood for 1967–68 — that conversion was done at the dealer.

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Short answer: One member’s take: the hood tach isn’t very accurate, is hard to read, and lacks the dampener circuitry good tachs have — so you can’t reliably tell, say, 5000 from 5200 rpm.

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Short answer: The hood tach was mostly factory-installed (though dealers and owners fitted them too). The factory used a punch operation in a known location and added rivets plus nuts for security — so for a correct install, get the dimensions from a factory hood that has one. Today’s reproduction tachs work better than originals (circuits, lighting) but have a slightly “fuzzy”-looking plastic face.

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Short answer: To place an aftermarket hood tach (all references as if sitting in the driver’s seat — “right” = toward hood center, “front” = toward the bumper):

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Short answer: Yes — the hole size, mounting holes, and location differ between the 1967 (tall-style) tach and the 1968–69 (short-style) tach.

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Short answer: Two well-regarded hood-tach rebuilders:

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Short answer: On a column-shift automatic, the backup-light switch and the neutral-safety switch are combined in one housing. The purple wires are the neutral-safety circuit; the thinner wires are the backup-light circuit.

To troubleshoot: check for power going into and out of the switch, wiggle the shifter while you test, and jump the connector to confirm the backup bulbs work on their own.

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Short answer: On a coupe you don’t need to remove the interior — just take out the flow-through vents at the quarter panel to reach the chevron fasteners. Use a 1/4″-drive ratchet and back the nuts off carefully so you don’t snap the studs.

Note: 1968 used two chevron styles (early and late) with different stud sizes, so check which you have before ordering parts.

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Short answer: 1967–68 Firebird and Camaro front fenders interchange, but the turn-signal cutouts are different, so you’ll need some mild welding to make your signals work. Quarter panels do not interchange (the Firebird’s chevrons), and 1969 fenders don’t interchange.

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Short answer: For 1968, the bumper jack and jack stand are blue (a medium blue, not light blue) — the closest off-the-shelf match is Ford Engine Blue in a Dupli-Color rattle can. The jack handle is gray.

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Short answer: The lower front valance/baffle should be black — semi-gloss “under-chassis” black, the same black as the upper LH/RH filler panels — not body color. (It’s a baffle, not a spoiler; only the Camaro offered the front chin and deck-lid spoilers in 1967–69.)

Tip: POR-15 holds up very well here (nearly impervious to rock chips and bugs) but fades in direct sunlight, so it’s best on a car that’s garaged. Strip the part to bare metal (sandblast) and use POR-15’s metal prep first.

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Short answer: The luggage rack was dealer-installed, not a factory option, and on Firebirds it was trunk-mounted only (not the roof). It was the same rack as the Corvette’s except for a minor change to the feet.

Note: owners report the mounts can start leaking and are hard to clean around — one member removed his and fitted an undrilled deck lid.

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Short answer: A 1968 Bonneville remote mirror will likely bolt on physically, but it will not be exactly correct — the Firebird mirror base is unique, slightly different from the full-size and Tempest styles.

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Short answer: Use the correct mounting template for your mirror style — round (early 1968) or rectangular (late 1968). Both are below; they are large, high-resolution files meant to be printed and used as templates.

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Short answer: No — “bullet” mirrors were not used on any 1968 Pontiac. The 1968 choices were manual or remote adjustable chrome mirrors: round early in the year, switching to rectangular around December (for both manual and remote).

A mirror with no control knob is a first clue it is not factory — owners commonly swapped in more modern or stylish mirrors. The only first-gen Firebird to use bullet-style mirrors was the 1969, and only in very late production (the long 1969 model run started showing some 1970 features).

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Short answer: Yes — members have moved the antenna from the front fender to the rear quarter. The main work is welding in a patch where the old front-fender hole was and painting it; the rear mounting dimensions are documented in the site’s tech section.

The rear-mount antenna was a factory option, so a correct OEM unit is hard to find. A Camaro rear antenna will fit but is slightly different.

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Short answer: Don’t bother reworking the 3.8 Liter OHC hood emblems — it is not really feasible, and there are still plenty of NOS ones available. (The 4.1 emblems are harder to find.)

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Short answer: In 1968 the remote mirror was a left-side-only option (LH remote-control OSRV mirror, option code 424). Pontiac did not offer a matching RH “dummy” passenger mirror that year, unlike some earlier years. Both circular and rectangular styles were offered.

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Short answer: This is “matchsticking.” Use UNTHINNED lacquer touch-up paint (assuming your car wasn’t repainted in enamel) and build the chip up in dabs, not one fill.

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Short answer: Engine-compartment sheet metal is eggshell/semi-gloss black; the frame and suspension are a flatter black enamel; and the steering/suspension linkage is left natural (unpainted). Formulas below.

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Short answer: (Prices noted as of 1999.) For a basic “sand and paint” driver-quality job — no rust or bodywork, and you do the disassembly/reassembly — roughly $1000–$1500 was reasonable. A true strip-to-metal, high-quality job costs much more once labor is counted.

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Short answer: A common DIY-friendly choice is acrylic enamel — it sprays well and, with color-sanding and buffing, shines up nicely. Use a good brand (PPG or Sherwin-Williams), and avoid metallic-flake paints until you have real spray experience — they’re much harder to get right.

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Short answer: “Base/clear” isn’t a single paint — it’s a basecoat/clearcoat system available in lacquer, acrylic enamel, urethane, etc. The recommended choice today is urethane base/clear: about $100–$200 more, very durable, with a deep gloss. Don’t worry about matching the original paint type unless you’re going concours — just use an original color.

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Short answer: The two-bulb 1968 parking-lamp housing was used only very briefly in early production, then superseded by the cheaper single-bulb part. It was essentially a “false start”: some early-September cars have the two-bulb version while some late-September cars already have the single bulb, so it ran only a few weeks.

Why: 1968 mandated front and rear side markers. Pontiac was initially unsure whether the front turn-signal/parking lamp would qualify as a side marker; once it was clear the combined lamp was legal without a separate bulb, the two-bulb design was phased out and a replacement part superseded it. The relevant Pontiac tech bulletin is below.

[pdfjs-viewer url=/dtb/docs/68-I-17.pdf viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true download=false print=true]

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Short answer: Skip off-the-shelf paint stripper — it’s too strong for plastic. Two that work: brake fluid (soak the part if you can), and — the standout — Westley’s Bleche-White whitewall tire cleaner.

Soaking parts in Bleche-White for about 24 hours removed all the paint (even the factory silver on turn-signal lenses) with no ill effect on the plastic or rubber; an old toothbrush helps in the nooks. Wear rubber gloves — it’s caustic to skin.

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Short answer: Plastic needs special prep and paint. First remove all wax/Armor All with a strong degreaser, then wipe with cheap lacquer thinner a couple of times — this softens the surface so the paint “bites.” Then use a paint made for hard plastic (SEM, Mar-Hyde, FabriColor), not ordinary paint, so it won’t flake or peel.

Tip: use a lint-free cloth for wiping — the softened plastic grabs lint and makes a mess.

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Short answer: POR-15 works well on the undercarriage, firewall, and frame, but it isn’t as foolproof as advertised. The surface must be completely oil-free (it can have solid rust) — don’t use petroleum solvents like lacquer thinner, or it won’t stick. Etch bare metal with a metal prep and scuff any remaining paint. Brush or spray, and recoat in about 4 hours, when the finish is dry but still tacky.

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Short answer: The optional power antenna for the 1969 Firebird was part #9796289. The drive assembly was the same for coupe or convertible; the mast was unique to the 1969 Firebird (part #546557).

On reproduction masts: the only mast currently reproduced is the one common to the “A” bodies and full-size Pontiacs (original #541963). The Firebird used a shorter mast than the Tempest, Grand Prix, and full-size cars, so a repro may stick out a little more than original when fully retracted — with some modification to the bottom section you can duplicate the original length.

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Short answer: Sluggish power windows that draw a lot of current are almost always mechanical, not electrical — the grease has turned to a clay-like substance and/or the rollers are worn. High current draw comes from high mechanical resistance, so clean and re-grease the mechanism and check (replace) worn rollers before sending motors out for repair. The easiest access is with the quarter panels off.

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Short answer: If pressing on the switch makes the window work, the culprit is usually the wiring connector, not the switch — the hairpin-type connector loses tension after overheating (from a poor connection or a binding window/motor).

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Short answer: Hard-to-raise power windows are usually old grease that’s turned to tar, not an adjustment. Remove the motor unit, open it up, clean out the hardened grease (carb cleaner), and re-grease — they work much better afterward.

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Short answer: A small break in a printed circuit board can be repaired by soldering a short piece of bare stranded copper wire across the break. Use very thin rosin-core solder and a small tip on a low-wattage iron, and clean and tin both the wire ends and the foil before joining.

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Short answer: A rear window that won’t roll is usually hardened grease. On a 1968/69, pull the jamb vent, spray the tracks and regulator drive gear with Liquid Wrench, and work the window up and down until it moves; then lube the tracks and regulator with white lithium grease (both come in aerosol cans).

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Short answer: The harmonic balancer is engine color. The pulleys, power-steering pump, brackets, and air cleaner are gloss black.

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Short answer: Aftermarket rear quarters will work but need a fair amount of bodywork; convertibles are more of a challenge. Rust-free used quarters from the Southwest are a good alternative.

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Short answer: The half of the bushing with the metal sleeve goes between the frame and the radiator support, sleeve pointing up. The plain rubber half sits on top of the support over the sleeve — install it with its large hole facing down.

Note: some reproduction bushings are slightly large for the radiator-support hole and need trimming/filing, and the bolt can be too short. GM bushings are correctly sized and come with correct-length bolts.

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Short answer: The Rally Stripe and the H.O. stripe share the same door and rear-quarter stripes — the difference is the front-fender stripe: the Rally Stripe runs continuous through the center, while the H.O. stripe breaks for the “H.O.” lettering. The Rally Stripe was available on all 1967–68 Firebirds except the 326 and 350 H.O. (which got the H.O. stripes).

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Short answer: There was no separate “Sprint” stripe for Firebirds. The 1967–68 stripe was the Rally Stripe, available on any model except the 326/350 H.O. (which got H.O. stripes as standard). The “Sprint stripes” name is a misnomer — it spread from a photo in Michael Lamm’s The Fabulous Firebird and from the Tempest/LeMans Sprints carrying them as standard, which led suppliers to call them “Sprint Firebird stripes.”

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Short answer: Reproduction 1967–68 Firebird Ram Air hood baffles do exist but are rare. They trace to a Barry Martin (Sonic Motors) project — a Kirksite die that stamped fewer than ~100 pieces, originally around $375–$450 each, later through Performance Years. Quality was good (draw marks duplicated, laser-cut center hole).

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Short answer: No — there was no factory deck-lid spoiler on 1967 or 1968 Firebirds; the only way was to add a Camaro spoiler (some dealers did it new, but it’s never “factory installed”). On 1969, the only factory route was the Trans Am option — there was no standalone spoiler option, though you could add one through the parts department after April 1969 (or use the wider 1969 Camaro spoiler).

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Short answer: The correct 1968 rear-mount antenna mast is a three-section, oval-shaped mast with an oval, grooved tip. There was no separate AM vs. AM/FM antenna for the Firebird — that is a Camaro/Chevy distinction.

Reproduction bases and bezels are available, but there are no known correct reproduction masts. NOS masts for 1967–68 are model-specific and hard to find. (1969 is a different story, with a power mast also available.)

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Short answer: A rear quarter window that needs help usually has a worn or broken roller — there are three, and the middle one is the usual culprit — or a track that’s out of position. Replace the roller (available from a Pontiac dealer or the catalog companies).

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Short answer: Strange tail-light behavior after a bulb change is very often the wrong bulb in the wrong socket — typically a single-filament 1156 installed where a dual-filament 1157 belongs. Swap in the correct bulb and the odd symptoms usually clear up.

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Short answer: Repair a rusted rear-window channel by fabricating new channel pieces from 22-gauge sheet steel and welding them in.

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Short answer: The glass is set in adhesive, so you cut around it. Auto-glass shops use a special L-shaped blade tool, but it’s an art — a dull blade or a careless twist can crack the glass.

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Short answer: A sticking or off-track rear quarter window is almost always hardened 30-year-old grease and/or a broken plastic roller. Clean out the old grease, re-lube the track and rollers with white lithium grease, and replace any broken rollers (about $3 each from Classic Industries).

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Short answer: Rear windows that fall forward when lowered usually have a worn/broken roller — especially the inner wheel that rides in the slot — plus hardened grease. Replace the bad roller(s), clean off all old grease, re-lube with white lube, and work the glass up and down to spread it.

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Short answer: A recommended shop is TriCities Plating (Tennessee) — good work at a reasonable price. Prep helps: sandblast the inside and knock down the rough, sharp die-cut edges on the back/trailing edge for a nicer finished result.

Note: the plating won’t fully reach under the rear tabs with holes — that’s by design (the plating comes from underneath in the tank), and originals weren’t plated there either. Just clean off any surface rust there and repaint it with silver POR-15.

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Short answer: Take the mirror apart and pull the remote cable end through the mirror base and housing — that is the easiest way to remove it without damage (based on experience with second-gen mirrors).

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Short answer: You can do it yourself and save money (the glass runs about $150). The key is to bed the glass properly: use urethane sealer between the glass and moldings to keep moisture, leaves, and dirt out and prevent rust. For the header molding, gray “DuxSeal” (a clay-like sealer from Home Depot or an electrical-supply house, in 1- or 5-lb clumps) works well.

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Short answer: You should have two “one-inch” mounting strips per side (so a set marked “R” means you’re missing the left-side pair). One strip spans the front of the rocker panel and onto the back of the fender; the second mounts directly behind it on the rocker panel, lip side up.

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Short answer: For a car with a Dec. 14, 1967 billing date, it could have had either the round or the rectangular remote mirror — the changeover overlapped that period. The most reliable clue is the outer door skin, which differs between the two mirror types (different mounting-hole configuration).

Note also that the 1967 and 1968 Firebird remote mirrors are different: 1967 had a larger, longer base; 1968 is stubby. The round housing itself is shared across Pontiacs, but the base (and casting numbers) differ, and cable length varied by model.

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Short answer: A “Special” paint code means the car got a custom factory paint rather than a standard Firebird color. 1968 examples include Pink Mist, Carnival Red, Marigold Yellow, and Windward Blue. The “1” indicates the top: an ivory vinyl top on a coupe, or an ivory-white top on a convertible.

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Short answer: The factory used 3M Scotchcal vinyl, and 3M vinyl (now with a built-in UV coating) is still the best choice decades later. These are vinyl appliqués, not decals.

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Short answer: Before modifying or welding any body mounts, align the body to the subframe using two 3/4″-diameter rods slid up into the alignment holes in the lower cowl section from underneath the car. When correctly aligned, the rod sits perpendicular to the frame.

A small lengthwise discrepancy of about 2/10″ is minor, but the rod-and-cowl-hole method is the reliable way to check and correct the alignment.

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Short answer: You do not need to measure anything — the easiest tell is the steering linkage. The 1967 Firebird was the only year to position the linkage behind the front wheels; 1968 and later moved it in front.

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Short answer: The 1967–69 subframes have subtle differences but will functionally interchange. All three years differ in the steering linkage — not just 1969.

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Short answer: There were two factory options: a Tinted Windshield (windshield only), or Tinted Glass (all) — which meant all the side glass including the quarter windows. A single tinted door window by itself wouldn’t be original to either option.

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Short answer: Trunk floors vary in size — the larger (pricier) ones run all the way up the hump between the shock towers, which avoids a weld across the reinforcing ribs on the incline (easier to hide). A “kit” typically includes the trunk floor, floor extension, and two reinforcement ribs (the pieces under the floor above the gas tank), because the factory one-piece floor is too big to fit through the trunk opening.

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Short answer: The trunk used GM spatter (spackle) paint, not a rubberized coating — and it needs a clear coat over it.

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Short answer: On a two-tone car the roof is one color and the body another, with the color break falling at the stainless vinyl-top moldings — so it looks like a vinyl-top car without the vinyl. Both colors are listed on the firewall data plate.

Detail: on a single-color non-vinyl car the paint code is stamped twice (upper and lower the same); vinyl-top cars carry the vinyl-top code at the PNT designation.

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Short answer: The body color you see underneath is overspray, not an intentional coat. The shells were painted before assembly and the overspray was heavy enough to look deliberate — but it rubs off with steel wool or 400-grit wet sandpaper, leaving the solidly applied black underneath.

The overspray matches the body color (red on a red car), without the gloss, depth, or texture of the upper body. It reaches up into the transmission tunnel (though usually not the middle). There’s no red primer on any 1968s — look under the gas tank (a sheltered spot) and you’ll find the same overspray.

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Short answer: The correct factory look for the underside is black with low gloss — eggshell-black lacquer for the firewall and engine-compartment sheet metal, and a more durable black enamel (or a modern urethane) for the frame, suspension, and undercarriage.

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Short answer: To remove the old black tar-like undercoating, heat it with a propane torch just until soft, then scrape it off in strips with a cheap scraper whose corners you have rounded so it will not gouge the metal. Finish with a Scotch-Brite pad, mineral spirits, and a rag.

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Short answer: From the factory the underside was painted (semi-gloss black on everything except body-color overspray). Full-underside undercoating was a dealer-installed option, not factory — GM did not offer factory rust-prevention/undercoating until the 1980s.

On the GTO, a factory option let you delete the sound deadener and body sealer (“dum dum”) to save a little under 100 lbs — mainly for drag racers.

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Short answer: For the smoothest finish and best adhesion, sand- or bead-blast the parts first (if you media-blast, you can skip the separate metal prep). On parts you can only wire-brush or sand, use POR-15’s metal prep to etch and kill the rust.

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Short answer: The vinyl top was a genuine scheduled factory option — not a way to hide bad welds. But if a top was added after the body shop, it was installed at the dealer; there was no facility to apply vinyl at the factory. The factory did weld special trim-mounting studs to the roof of vinyl-top cars (the same kind of studs that hold the window moldings).

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Short answer: Yes, you can pull the vinyl top and repaint as a hardtop — but expect to find problems underneath. The factory didn’t finish the bodywork or paint well under vinyl tops, so you’ll often find rough lead joints at the tops of the quarters and sometimes hidden rust (one owner found his roof rusted through under the top).

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Short answer: Accounts of the factory finish under a vinyl top vary — some report full primer/paint with the roof seam filled by a Bondo-like product, others found body solder at the quarters and pillars, and a body shop reports bare metal under the top. The practical advice for replacement: protect the metal with a good rust-inhibiting primer (e.g., Eastwood’s), but don’t build up too much material (it can make the top lift), and lightly scuff the primer before applying the new top.

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Short answer: For a good-but-faded top, a professional vinyl dye brings the black back and holds up well. SEM vinyl & leather dye is the standout — durable, easy to apply, around $20 a pint (enough for a couple of tops).

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Short answer: Common DIY/plater finishes are black oxide, black phosphate, gray phosphate, tin plating, and to some degree white (silver) cadmium.

Sources: Carolina Chemco (864-246-3836) for supplies; Eastwood also carries plating products (pricier).

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Short answer: The wheel-well plug part number is GM #0480-5844.

The only difference between the original and the new plug is that the original had the part number molded into its back side; otherwise they are identical.

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Short answer: The rear-window guide mounts on three (possibly four) studs that let you adjust the window’s pitch (to make it parallel to the front glass) and its front-to-back tilt — it takes patience but it’s doable. First confirm the window moves smoothly; a broken or popped-off roller (often the center one, about $10 special-ordered from a Pontiac dealer) can throw off the alignment. There’s little adjustment in the front windows. Access by removing the back seat, armrest, and side covers.

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Short answer: First-gen Firebirds have no rubber molding around the windshield. Both the front and rear glass were set with butyl rubber tape (a tar-like sealant) — modern glass installers use even better sealants today.

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Short answer: A washer pump that runs whenever the wipers are on (without pressing the button) is usually a mechanical problem in the pump, not electrical — typically a worn gear or the pump needing a slight positional adjustment. There isn’t much adjustment room, but it’s a mechanical fix; swapping the wiper/washer switch won’t cure it.

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