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.
Body - Sheet Metal
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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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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.
- Used coupe quarters (relatively rust-free) are easier to find — check Southwest wrecking yards (e.g., Stan’s Boneyard). For a near-seamless factory look, some cut the sail panel off a rust-free 1968 coupe quarter and butt-weld it on.
- An NOS Camaro quarter physically fits but you must graft in the louvered (chevron) area and cut the marker-light hole.
- One member who fit Camaro coupe quarters on a ’68 convertible found it required extra seams — the quarter-window reveal differs between coupe and convertible (height, width, angle, length), forcing a seam below it that later cracked from body flex. The strong recommendation: find a convertible quarter (even a Camaro one needing a chevron patch) for a far better long-term result.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Short answer: Two tricks make fender alignment work, both done with no load on the subframe and body:
- With the fenders off, the front end sags because the fenders are a major part of the front structure. Support the subframe and body so there’s no sag before bolting the fenders back on, and align the frame to the body with a 5/8″ rod through the front frame-to-body alignment hole.
- The fender fits best at the top when stretched a little beyond its at-rest shape. Get the top gap right, then add spacers at the bottom to spread it until the center crease lines up with the door.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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.
Lessons learned:
- Do one side at a time; brace a convertible (angle iron or square tubing, dash to rear seat).
- Cut around the forward body-mount brace and the leaf-spring front-mount bracing and use them to locate the front and back corners of the floor.
- The seat support has many spot welds and must come off to reach the body-mount welds beneath it.
- Before cutting, measure from the old floor to the door sill / bottom of the rocker, and use factory holes in the transmission hump as references; leave 3–4″ overlap so you can position the new pan.
- Set the new floor over the old, scribe the edge, and cut 3–4″ below the line. Check for level often — the pan twists easily. Tack-weld in scattered spots, then seam-seal when done.
Step-by-step (one side):
- Note the gas/brake line locations (if not a frame-off). Prime and paint the new pan.
- Remove the seat pedestal and the rear-seat floor brace.
- Remove the bottom of the old pan; clean the belly brace and leave the welded support pieces in place.
- Set the new pan, scribe a line onto the old metal (sit it tight on the belly brace, screws if needed), trim ~1″ below the line, refit and recheck.
- Mark the seat-belt, rear-subframe, and brace locations from underneath; trim to 1/2″ of the scribe line; cut the seat-belt and frame-attach holes.
- Drill holes to plug-weld through the pan to the underbody brackets. Tack every ~4″, then fill in until welds are 1–2″ apart, then weld solid.
- Reinstall the rear brace and seat pedestal; caulk between the new pan and inner rocker. Repeat the other side. Take your time.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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.
- Turned-up: air-chisel along the edge of the old pan, flatten what’s left, drop in the new pan, scribe and trim to ~3/8–1/2″, hold with sheet-metal screws, weld solid, then 3M seam sealer.
- Turned-down: same removal, but spot-weld along the original pinch-weld seam so it looks factory from below; keep the tunnel-side repair seam as high as possible to hide it. Don’t forget the seat-belt holes.
- Remove the seat pedestal first (cut it out, salvage as much old pan as possible), match the original pan imprint so the seat sits level and square, and locate the subframe-bolt hole. Done with care, it’s hard to spot even on a lift.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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.
Key tips:
- On a convertible, brace it and support it evenly side-to-side before cutting; mark the alignment of the seat support and frame brace before removing them (measuring afterward is very hard).
- Inspect the front floorboard supports — they’re often badly rusted and may need rebuilding with heavy-gauge steel.
- Replacement pans come two ways: rocker lip folded “up” (easier — weld from the top) or folded “down” to match the original (needs welding from underneath at the pinch-weld). The turned-down style was sold by C.A.R.S. Inc. (714-525-1956 CA / 248-398-7100 MI, www.carsinc.com).
- Don’t remove the spot welds along the bottom of the rocker — air-chisel along the 90° bend instead, then hammer the old edge flat and pre-drill the new pan’s lip to mimic the factory spot welds.
- Mock-fit the pan and set the pedestal in place with self-tapping screws (pre-drill the outer layer) before welding. Lay the new pan over the lower-firewall lip so you can’t set it too low. Use the pre-drilled subframe-bolt hole or the tunnel-side bend as reference points; trace the pan and never cut above that line.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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.
Answers to the common questions:
- Seat perches: spot-welded in — cut them out. Also remove the rear reinforcement plate; both hide a lot of rust and can usually be repaired and reused.
- The convertible reinforcement plate bolts to the belly brace/frame, not to the floor pan.
- It’s easiest to remove the floor while leaving all the underfloor bracing in place (assuming the floor rusted from the inside out and the bracing is good).
- Cut the subframe-bolt holes after the perches are welded in; the captive nut floats and the hole has clearance for alignment (drill a small pilot from inside through the nut to center it).
- Classic Industries pans (made by American Design) fit acceptably for a non-concours job. The Jason Scott Camaro book has little on this — the list archives are the better reference.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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.
- The clip is held by: two bolts from the core support to the front of the subframe; one bolt each side under the fender (pointing up); and two bolts each side by the hood hinges to the cowl (one down on top, one back into the firewall). There are alignment shims at all of these — bag and label every bolt and its shims (“passenger side, top of fender at back of hood”) so it goes back the same way.
- Hidden bolts: inside each fender well there are three attaching to an inner bracket (often easiest to remove that bracket entirely). Pull the front tires for access.
- If you do remove the clip, get a helper and don’t twist it — the radiator support is the only thing holding it together. Reassemble in order: set the doors even and straight first, then align the fenders to the doors.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
Content last modified: June 9, 2026 at 7:10 am
