Buying a First Generation Firebird

Q: Buying a First Generation Firebird

What do I need to look for when I buy an old Firebird.

A: To buy a first generation Firebird, you will want to first decide what year you would be interested in. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. For little long run headaches, you will want to look for a solid car. Then you will want to decide if you want a car to fix up or someone else’s project car. The last will cost you more but should be cheaper in the long run. Then there are two schools of thought to what an old car should be, factory original and modified. You will want to decide which you would like.

Buying a car that you want to do little work on and is near factory original, look for the following:

1. The body should have little rust. Get on the ground and look on the back of the body panels for patch jobs and quicky fixes. Look for signs of repairs which occurred from an accident (drill holes, lots of bondo, and/or bent metal supports/parts).

2. Read the body tag and vin to make sure you are getting an authentic car (Paint, trim, numbers). I have pages on the web site to help do this for the 1967, 1968, and 1969.

3. Look the equipment, engine, and accessories over. Determine if they are near original and not been replaced with incorrect parts. Make sure they are in good condition and do not seem to have excessive wear. For example, make sure the engine is a 350 if the owner said it was a 350. There a specific codes on it that will help you determine this. Look at the axle to determine if it is original or has been replaced with another axle, say from a Skylark. Again, I have a few web pages to help you determine this on a 1968. Avoid cars that are missing a lot of original equipment since their value will be less. The most valuable cars are the ones with the original equipment.

4. See if the owner has original documentation for the car. Billing history, invoice, window sticker, manifest, etc.. A billing history can be purchased from Pontiac Historical Services (found on the links page) if there is time. The billing history tells you some of the original equipment that should have come on the car.

5. Take the car for a drive in a number of conditions. If something seems wrong, there probable is something wrong. If you need to, take it to a knowledgeable friend or mechanic to have them look it over. They might find something you overlooked or determine that you should not buy the car.

6. Avoid a car that seems to have seen a lot of wear and millage. You should be able to determine this from the undercarriage since most quick fixes for a sale focus on the exterior body. I always look at the front end to see if it looks loose and worn.

7. Take a soft-sided magnet to check for excessive bondo in the body panels.

The above won’t guarantee you a successful purchase but it will help you be a better informed buyer.

A: Potential Problems to look for:

• Research Pros and Cons for 1967’s 326 V8 vs. 1968-1969 350

• Dash heater controls, cowls, convertible wells

• Non-functioning back-up lights on 1967s

• Match the VIN with the engine number on 1968 and newer

• Replacement parts for special options are hard to find (Ram Air, Sprint, etc..)

A: For All Models:

• You should also check the rear wheel wells. Feel around the lip for rot or bondo oozing through. Look where the wheelhouse connects to the rockers. This is a common area for rust

• Crawl under the back and look at the trunk drop off (this connects the trunk to the bottom of the rear quarter panel). There should be a body drain plug behind the wheel house. Sometimes you’ll just find a large hole. Look carefully at the trunk reinforcement rails. Rust is common around the front edge of these and at the back where they attach to the inner valence panel.

• Look carefully inside and out at the replaced quarter panels. GM quarters have long since been discontinued and there are many types of replacement or patch panels available. I’ve seen some really bad ‘hack’ jobs where the patch panel is quickly riveted over the top of a rusted original. A good inspection from the trunk side will usually reveal the quality of the work (in addition to the wheel lip/housing area. Also, if quarters were repaired, look at the floor pans for rust/repairs as well. Especially near the drivers feet and trunk/shock tower area.

For Convertible:

• From the trunk, check where the convertible top is bolted and look for rust or rust repair around the edges.

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