Frequently Asked Questions

Short answer: The canister with the vacuum hose is the vacuum reservoir for the A/C system’s actuators (it stores extra vacuum for the controls); the stray wire/plug is the radio antenna lead.

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Short answer: Use a trunk-mounted CD changer that plays through the dash FM radio — tune the radio to a set frequency (e.g., 89.1) to hear the CDs, and control the changer with a remote you mount discreetly. That way you keep a stock-looking radio in the dash.

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Short answer: You can upgrade sound with little or no cutting. The no-holes route: a vintage Audiovox AM-FM converter that fits inside the ashtray, wired to the back of the factory AM radio — open the ashtray to change bands/stations. Period-correct, cheap, and fully reversible.

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Short answer: In 1969 (unlike the 1968’s plug-in multiplex), stereo used a separate radio, and the AM/FM Stereo needs its matched external multiplex (MPX) unit to work; the plain AM and AM/FM radios work standalone (power + speaker only).

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Short answer: The 3-tab connector on the back of a 1967 radio, reading left to right, is: speaker, speaker, +12V.

     +------------+
     | --  --  -- |
     +------------+
       ^   ^   ^
       |   |   +----- +12V
       |   +--------- Speaker
       +------------- Speaker

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Short answer: Yes — the factory AM/FM radio came with a “shorting plug” in an auxiliary socket; the dealer removed it when installing the FM multiplex (stereo) adapter. The plug has a vacuum-tube-style pin layout carrying the volume, balance, and tone controls.

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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: Reference photos of the factory A/C kick panels and factory kick-panel speakers:

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Short answer: Factory radio part/model numbers:

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Short answer: There’s little room to upgrade in the factory kick-panel location — the cowl brace gets in the way of any magnet larger than the original Delco, and no aftermarket speaker matches that magnet shape.

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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: 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: It should be a simple drop-in — on the 1967 (and the 1968 is similar) the AM and AM/FM radios share the same mechanical mountings and the same electrical connections, so the AM/FM goes right in place of the AM.

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Short answer: No — the 1967/68 dash differs from the 1969, and the radios are different in every way. (The 1967 and 1968 radios are virtually identical except face color — 1967 black, 1968 blue.)

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Short answer: Amplifier whine/pop comes from resistance in the power, ground, and signal paths acting as a noise antenna — the cure is clean, isolated power/ground and good shielding (plus quality components).

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Short answer: Firebird radio numbers and ID notes:

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Short answer: Known Firebird radio part numbers (1968 has only a part number; 1969 adds a model number):

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Short answer: Before buying a generic in-dash radio, check how it mounts — the 1967–68 Firebird radio is unusual. It bolts to the dash by two tabs on the front of the radio (one each side); the volume/tuner shafts do not support it (unlike most cars of the era, which use the shafts plus a rear bracket).

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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: Same color as the rear package tray (black stays black, parchment/white is painted black, red stays red) — and use flat, not semi-gloss.

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Short answer: A single rear speaker goes on the right side. The assembly mounts under the top-storage well, and the grille goes on top so it’s visible through the rear window. Yes — cut a hole in the well cover at least as large as the speaker opening, then attach the grille over it.

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Short answer: No — a mesh package tray with no grilles is not correct for 1967–69 (that’s a 1970-and-up thing); that’s vendors dictating “correct.” Factory rear speakers used the cardboard tray with speaker-shaped openings cut from underneath, covered by GM speaker grilles.

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Short answer: All 1967–69 Firebirds with the single rear-speaker option had it on the right side (coupe or convertible) — never center-mounted. Stereo cars had 4 speakers (2 kick panels + 2 rear).

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Short answer: It depends on the radio. AM and AM/FM (monaural) came with one dash-center speaker; you could add a single rear-seat speaker (right side in convertibles, hung on the seatback support facing the window, grille in the top-well). AM/FM Stereo or 8-track got the 4-speaker system with kick-panel fronts (convertibles had two rear speakers through the top-well, left and right).

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