All good info, thanks for the tips. I have a 68 350 that came with a 2 barrel. I'm wondering if there was a difference between two and four barrel cables and/or pedal assy. The previous owner put in a different 350 with a quadrajet and when I bought it, he said it never did make a whole bunch of power. Found with the pedal to the floor, it just fell short of starting to open the secondaries. Might be something to check.
Thanks for these additional perspectives. I've rebuilt my Rochester 4BBL and eliminated the restrictor flange on the secondaries and rebuilt my stock throttle linkage to remove the play, so I can eliminate these two factors.
Remaining factors are: a. the plastic bushing on the firewall bracket is worn and has flex, and b. the accelerator pedal which I cannot adjust (may be welded in place!). I'll replace both the firewall bushing and the accelerator assembly to try and get to closure.
FWIW I have seem a few aluminum accelerator assemblies that are more adjustable but $20 is a lot for a gas pedal and I do not want bling under my feet for a weekend driver. I will try the $60 assembly on Classic or Firebird Central (cannot find better quality).
I belong to the Alamo Area chapter. There is about an even split of 1st Gens and GTOs here. The newer members of the club have later 2nd Gens and now 3rd Gens. With that said overall membership is down as many of our members sell their cars and/or age out. I last had my car at the convention in 2013 or 2014. My cars are more show quality and so I generally only take them to local shows where I know the roads I’m taking.
I have worked on many vehicles with that Locar pedal. I was never aware that they charged that much for a total piece of dog doo doo. They are just a cheap design thats made poorly and has as much slop as as worn out factory pedal. You would be better off fixing the factory firebird pedal. They restricted the amount the secondaries opened on the Q jet. Thats how they did that.
SOLD! I do have two more 68 Pontiac quadrajets for sale if interested. Both have been stored for 30 years and are in excellent shape, with nothing warped or stripped. One is a 7028262 by Carter with original round tag with P/N on it in place, the other is a 7028264 Rochester, both professionally cleaned and rebuilt and ready to be installed. I'm asking $900 for the 62, and $1250 for the 64, contact me if interested.
Have you considered modifying the rod linkage? It seems to me length of the carb rod and the lever Throttle arm lever can be changed for better travel and geometry.
I read that some Firebird carb linkages were intentionally made so they would not open all the way. GM was afraid the Firebird would infringe on their darling GTO. They had the same exact engines, but were restricted from making the same power. What I don't know is exactly how they did it. Your problem may be that restriction.
Can you recommend a well made /adjustable aftermarket pedal set up to use with my stock 67' throttle linkage? Given that I've already rebuilt the throttle linkage it will be fastest and less costly just to adjust the pedal clearance. Thanks.
I am replacing the 14" stock wheels (and very old tires) on my 67' 400/4-speed Convertible.
Seeking advice in three areas:
1. For brakes, I'll probably stick with my stock drum brakes vs. upgrading to disc brakes. Assume offset is 0 and back spacing is 4"? The actual offsets and back spacing disclosures are a bit confusing. Is the disc brake conversion worth it for a weekend driver?
2. For wheels, I like Wheel Vintique's 60 Series Rallye II wheels, but not sure if 15x8 or 15x7 wheel size is best for my application? Will consider lower cost alternatives if you have suggestions as WV has significantly increased its pricing, requires expensive caps, etc.
3. For tires, plan to go conservative with BFGs (225/60/R15 on front and 235/60/R15 on back) to mitigate well rubbing. I've had a good experience with these tires and the sizes on my stock 68' Firebird Coupe.
I have never been to any event or function. It always seems to be very far away from me. There is a Long Island Chapter that does some cars-n-coffee events but I have never been to any. I will say this- since HPP bit the dust, the Smoke Signals magazine is tops for Pontiac information. Plus there is a 'For Sale' section that is for members only, so no Craigs list ghosts. There is even an OHC-6 club/chapter. But what I said is true. Where are all the 1st gens? We have an informal car show every Friday night at the Belmore train station. My old primered hardtop was the only 1rst gen car there ever. Camaros, yeah. Maybe a 2nd gen Bird now and then. I find it strange.
I've thought about joining POCI but have not yet done it. We have a very good 1st Gen Firebird Midwest Firebirds club here that has many activities, cruises,and participates in a lot of events. There are even opportunities to join up with the Crusin' Tigers GTO club here for activities and an annual big all-Pontiac show, with hundreds of Pontiacs of all models and years. Several 1st Gen Birds are always part of that annual Indian Uprising show.
I have been a POCI member for the last 20 years or so and have been to a half dozen or more National conventions. There are always some 1st gens there but nothing compared to the GTOs. That is just the way it always has been and will continue to be. I never do the judged part of the show. They have a category called "Road Warriors" that is very relaxed with no stupid display rules. The national Solstice event "NASSAM" is a much more enjoyable and a lot more fun. It is a driving event not just a five day car show.
I belong to the Pontiac Oakland Club International. As I look at pictures of meets and conventions, I rarely see a 1st gen Firebird. In the 'For Sale' section, never a 1st gen. Maybe once a year there 'may' be a 1st gen article. Why is this? Are we not members, or just not involved? My own 1st gen isn't even running, but I see plenty of sweet looking Birds posted on here. I know the GTO is the darling car and gets plenty of coverage. But they made a LOT of 1st gen Birds. The side bar says this site has 8,786 registered members. There has to be some P.O.C.I. members among us.
I don't drive mine every day. It has no heater core, has a 461 with 3.73 gears, so I am good for about 9-11 mpg. My 67 is not factory, not museum, not perfect, but it does race, it does need a paint job and some rust remediation on the rear quarters. I think someone else said it.... It's your car, do what you want. But for me, I refuse to have a classic that I don't drive or I am afraid to drive. It's why we have them.
Hey- I ran the Body tag analyzer and got confirmation on all my options- but tried to respond to the request for more information but I keep getting the spinning wheel of death/ wont send. So I thought I'd add it here- I ran the body tag analyzer and 3 D came back as unknown. All the other options were present on the car- including the fold down rear seat, which I didn't even realize was there! Anyways- the only other options that the car has that I can think of that might be "D" were: Deluxe steering wheel, power top, Boot Cover for top, And it had the PMD hubcaps. I will try and attach build sheet-
After breaking too many of the '68 cable throttles, I actually went and backfitted the '67 throttle. The rod linkage just seems much more sturdy and dependable. I didn't have to modify anything but that set-up came off a '67 400HO car. Maybe it was a bit different?
My wife had a doctor appointment in Merrick. I am right off the Cross Island at Jamaica Ave. Some rubberhead took a truck onto the Southbound Cross Island, smashed it at the LIRR overpass to Belmont, caused a huge fuel spill, and they shut it down completely. I had to get South and East right past where the clusterfuck was. Everyone from Northern Blvd down was bailing onto the side streets. Every street was bumper to bumper trying to get around Belmont. I wiggled South on some little used side streets to get past the LIRR, and made it to the Southern State. Which was bumper to bumper crawling all the way to the Meadowbrook. We left two hours early because of the closure, yet got there with minutes to spare. You wonder why I am not thrilled to drive a 1968 car in Wrong Island traffic? Sheesh.
