Frequently Asked Questions

Q: 2-Bulb Corner Lamps

Was there a certain number of turn signal assemblies that had two bulbs in it versus single bulb?

A: Early model 68s had the 2-bulb markers,which were phased out in the first couple months of production. Any models had this not just one or another. As near as I can tell its sometime in Sept. that it changed to a single bulb.

I think that alot had to do with the new government requirement to have side impact markers in 68. The Firebird didnt have a separate marker like the Camaro did ( much cleaner look than the ugly step sister) so they put a separator and bulb in the turn signal housing. Later it was modified to illuminate from the side and front with one bulb thereby saving money. Doesnt sound like much of a savings but one dollar each car and it justifies that cost engineers position.

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Q: 400 Bumper Emblem on a 1968

Does anyone have a template for mounting a 400 bumper emblem on a 1968 Firebird?

A: I found a dimension template for the 1967 – 1968 400 bumper emblem that you might be able to use on the Generation-1 Registry web site.

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Q: 400 Grill Molding for 1967-1968

Can someone explain the two different types of grilles on the 1967 bird? One type has a chrome strip running down the center that extends out toward the nose and on the other, the chrome piece ends at the louvre part of the grill.

The ones on my bird are the latter, but the previous owner gave me an extra set that is like the former.

It looks as if I can remove the chrome strip and attach it to grilles on the bird since thay are just bolted on.

A: In regards to the 1967-1968 Firebird Grill Chrome….

The “400” Firebirds had seperate chrome moldings in the grills (covering the center bar, extending towards the nose) and the non-“400” cars did not; you would just see the molded in plastic center bar. It sounds like some are implying that non-“400” cars had the ‘flat’ chromemolding when infact, this ‘molding’ is actually a part of the plastic grill and not chrome at all. The grills themselves were identical; you can take std. grills and drill them for the moldings (which are unique for RH and LH).

A: The extended mouldings, along with the arrowhead emblem on the front chrome “beak,” 400 emblem on the right rear trunk lid, and scooped hood were 400 items exclusively. They are not correct on non-400 cars.

A: The 400s came with the twin scoop hood, Pontiac arrow head on the nose of the bumper, and chrome ring around the inside of each grill (look at grill and notice the mounting holes). All models (350, 350 HO, 400, etc.) used the same grill but the chrome ring was added to the 400.

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Q: Bumper Filler Gasket for 1968

Two questions: Is the rubber gasket around the front of the 1969 that seperates the headlights housing and grill from the fenders and hood suposed to be black or is it O.K. to have it body colored. Will paint stick to it or flake off soon.

A: The rubber should be black and yes paint will flake off.

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Q: Chrome Inserts (Hockey Sticks) for a 400

Does anyone know who sells these chrome overlay pieces that go in the middle of the gille and continue all the out to the nose of the bumper?? Do any of YOU have some for sale?? HELP!

A: Chicago Muscle Parts in Island Lake, Il. show these in their catalog. part #893774, $79.00/pr. These are a reproduction item. I called and the price is still good, but the parts are now out of stock, having sold the last pair to me. The sales guy didn’t know when they would get more in stock, but said that if we could get together an order of 10 or more, they could get them in in less than 3 weeks.

Chicago Muscle Car Parts
(847)526-2200
912 E. Burnett Road
Island Lake, IL 60042

The partnumber for the 400 grill trim is #893774. I called then today and found that they once again, have only one pair in stock

These are the hockey stick trim pieces that fit horizontally in the400 grill.

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Q: Correct Grill Color for 1969’s

Does anyone know the correct grill colour for 69’s. I read the FAQ on Geoff’s site and it covered 1967-1968 but not 1969. Are they all silver or do they have a black center?

Do you paint the grill black (in addition to the silver) or does the whole insert stay silver. I have seen some 69’s with the centre all silver and others with the centre painted back?

If it is does have a black center is it matt or semi gloss?

A: It’s all silver (Argent Silver).It should be the same shade as the 1967-1968.

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Q: Front Bumper Gap

I just bought a 1968 coupe here in Oklahoma and the front bumper has a gap of 1/2 to 3/4″ between the rear of the bumper and the front bodywork (fenders and hood). Is there supposed to be a filler strip between the bumper and bodywork, or is the bumper too far forward?

A: There should be a rubber filler behide the bumper.

A: My 1968 has a black rubber filler and is the same distance. I also found this in the Dealer Technical Bulletins that sounds like it applies in this case:

I did not find any reference to the rubber filler in the 1968 Service Manual and Fisher Body Service Manual.

A: First, there is a black filler strip that goes around each edge of the chrome bumper. It attaches to the plastic grill assembly. Look at section 14 of the 1967 Firebird Service manual, it tells exactly how the bumper is to be attached.

Second, be aware of the possibilty that your front bumper is twisted. This is VERY common for the 1967-1968 bumpers. They are long and easily twisted without noticeable dents or other clues. Fortunately they can be muscled into place if the twist isn’t too bad, but from personal experience I know that even putting a true, straight one on correctly is a process requiring patience.

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Q: Front bumper/wiper valence sheet metal removal

I need the list expertise. I need to remove the valence or sheet metal between the windshield and the hood, any ideas?. Also the whole bumper and grill arrangement.

A: To remove the cowl panel (the sheet metal between the hood and the windshield), first remove the wiper arms then the four screws in the front of the panel under the hood.

As far as the bumper, you should be able to remove it in one piece. Look behind the bumper and in front of the radiator. To the left and right, you should see the bumper horns that are attached to the front of the frame. If you remove the bolts behind the bumper the whole assembly should come off in one piece.

A: I haven’t done the control arms yet, but the valance isn’t that bad. The hardest part is to remove the wiper arms. It’s best to use a special tool for this (I know JC Whitney sells it for about $10). Otherwise, you can use a screw driver to move the locking clip underneath. As the name implies though, the screw driver will probably screw up your paint job (that’s up to you whether it’s worth it or not). The locking clip is on the bottom of the wiper and presses against a knotch on the shaft. Once you have the wipers off, there are several screws along the front edge where the hood overlaps. On mine, once those screws were out, I could lift up on the front edge and slide the whole thing forward and out from under the chome window trim. This way, I didn’t have to remove the trim.

A: Whenever I find myself in a situation where the paint job might get scratched, I put some masking tape followed by a layer of duct tape down on the area that could be damaged. The masking tape protects the finish from the duct tape glue while the duct tape absorbs the scratch. After removal, some denatured alcohol should eliminate any residue.

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Q: Front Clip Removeal

Can anyone give me a qick summary or secrets (hidden bolts) to removing entire front clip from my ’67. I have removed the bumper and radiator thus far. I would like to keep front end in as few pieces as possible for ease of re- assembly.

A: I would advise against one piece front clip removal mainly for alignment reasons… and the potential for bending, scratching, or otherwise strangely stressing your fenders and core support (not to mention it is really akward). However, I believe it would be possible to do (you know how you always see’em in swapmeets and junkyards and all… but those parts are not always in the best of shape either.

All that holds the ‘front clip’ on is the two bolts from the core support to the front of the subframe, one bolt on each side under the fender (down underneath going upward), and the two bolts on each side by the hood hinges to the cowl section (one on top going down and one pointed back into the ‘firewall’). There will be shims around all of these bolts that were used for alignment. Remember where they go. With LOTS of practice you can learn to fix bad alignments as few GM cars are put together perfect. But, once it is done right it makes all the difference!

Although I don’t know why you want to do this removal, if your clip has not been apart before it might not be a bad idea to take it appart piece by piece so that you can clean, remove and treat rust that is hidden and protect (paint) things that are not usually accessable.

A: Sorry about the last note. When you sais “bumper” and “radiator”, the “front clip” part didn’t register.

As far as the front clip, he had some good points. The main thing to need to remember if you want to remove the front clip is to properly document what bolt and shims go where. Buy a box of re-sealable bags and as you remove them, mar them like “passenger side – top of fender at back of hood”. put the bolt and shims in the bag and place it where you can find it later. Do this with each bolt you remove. When the car goes back together, all the proper alignment pieces will be there.

As far as hidden bolts, inside the fender wells you’ll find three that attach it to a bracket on the inside. I usually try to remove this bracket entirely to get it out of the way. Once you’ve done this and the other obvious bolts, remove the front tires to get them out of the way, too.

Get a buddy and CAREFULLY start to remove the clip. Try not to twist it because the only thing holding it together will be the radiator support.

When you go to reassemble the car, start with the doors and get them even and straight. then align the fenders to the doors. I hope this helps.

A: I just removed mine from my 69. I don’t know hoe different it is but from what I’ve seen it very similar.

• Remove the air dam

• Remove the A/C baffles (If applicible)

• Un-plug the headlights

• Remove the bolts that attach the support bracket to the front of the fenders.

• Look between the radiator support and the bumper support. The bumper support bolts to the frame horns (the pieces that curve up from the frame) in three locations and possible to a couple of places on the valance panel. Remove these bolts and the bumper assembly will come off.

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Q: Grill Color for 1967 or 1968

I am getting two different answers from restoration veterans about the correct grill insert color on a 1968 with a 400 (RamAir or otherwise). Several guys have told me that the silver/gray was the only color available and that the extra chrome strip was the only difference. To back this up I have found an article in Januarys High Performance Pontiac Magazine about a purple 1967 RamAir 1 restoration. The magazine called the car “one of the most correctly restored 1967 Ram Air Firebirds”. It has silver grills. Still other people have told me that the 400 option included grills painted an almost black charcoal gray with the extra chrome on top. Evidence of this can be seen on the cover of the spring ’98 Year One Catalog (also a ’67). I need to paint my grills soon, so I can get the car back together before spring.

A: The 1967-8 Firebird grilles were identical, except for how they were painted. The correct grille colors for the 1967-8 Firebirds are as follows:

1967 – Argent Silver outer, with a Black center.

1968 – Charcoal outer, with Argent Silver center.

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

For both years, only the Firebird 400 came with a chrome (hockey stick) bar in the center of the grilles.

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Q: Headlight Pull Switch Removal

Help! I would like some info about how to safely remove the headlight pull switch to replace the bezel on a 1969 bird. Thanx.

A: There is a small button on the side of the switch that releases the knob and arm.

A: There is a button on the side of the switch that faces the door. It is next to impossible to reach from underneath the dash without removing at LEAST the ball vent tube. I took a piece of welding rod and kept bending by trial-an-error until I could slide it through the gap between the dash panel and the windshield pillar (on top) and was able to press the button from the top. Take a flash light and shine through the gap and peek through the bottom of the windshield. You may be able to see it.

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Q: Parking Lamp Housing for 1968

I am confused about the one-bulb or two-bulb parking lamp housing.

A: Awhile back, there was much speculation about which 1968 Firebirds got the two-bulb parking lamp housings vs the one-bulb. I found the answer while reading the tech bulletins at firstgen. It was a mid-year change as well as a service swap-out.

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

A: Actually, it wasnt a midyear change…. more like a false start in production. Ive had several late Sept cars that had the single bulb and some early Sept cars that had the 2 bulb. This leads me to believe that it was used only for a few weeks in early production and when they ran out they were replaced with the “cheaper” version.

Here’s how this all happened. Model year of 1968 was mandated several safety changes/additions, one of which was front and rear side markers. PMD was unsure whether the front turn signal- parking lamp would be accepted as a side marker. When it was apparent that the side marker was legal without a separate bulb the first design was phased out. It was then that a replacement part superceded the earlier one.

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Q: Rechroming Bumper

I am looking for some info about getting my front bumper on a 1967 firebird 400 convertible. re-chromed. Can anyone give me names of some places that do this and are good?

A: Try TriCIties plating in Tenn. They do good work at a reasonable price. Sandblast the inside of yours and knock off the rough edges and sharp edges at the rear portion and you will get a nice job.

A: make sure that you tell them to buff the sharp edges where the dies cut metal off on the backside or trailing edge. It gives the bumper a nicer finish.The only part I wasnt thrilled with was the rear at the tabs with holes(that serve no purpose once installed) the plating didnt get all the way under neath the tabs. Franks says it wont as by design the plating comes from underneath in the tank. I noticed the originals didnt have any there also. Just clean off the surface rust and repaint with silver POR 15.

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Q: Parking Lamp Housing for 1968

I am confused about the one-bulb or two-bulb parking lamp housing.

A: Awhile back, there was much speculation about which 1968 Firebirds got the two-bulb parking lamp housings vs the one-bulb. I found the answer while reading the tech bulletins at firstgen. It was a mid-year change as well as a service swap-out.

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

A: Actually, it wasnt a midyear change…. more like a false start in production. Ive had several late Sept cars that had the single bulb and some early Sept cars that had the 2 bulb. This leads me to believe that it was used only for a few weeks in early production and when they ran out they were replaced with the “cheaper” version.

Here’s how this all happened. Model year of 1968 was mandated several safety changes/additions, one of which was front and rear side markers. PMD was unsure whether the front turn signal- parking lamp would be accepted as a side marker. When it was apparent that the side marker was legal without a separate bulb the first design was phased out. It was then that a replacement part superceded the earlier one.

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