I've done some reading through past posts here, but there are still some questions I would like answered.
I would like to apoligize in advance for sound like a total newb; mainly because I am.
I would also like to apologize for my restoration ideas being "crazy". I bought this car to have some fun with it, not to put it back to factory specs.
1) The 69 I have has 4 wheel power drum brakes. I think I would like to convert to at least front disc brakes. Or it is advisable to go all 4 wheels disc? Where are the best place for the conversion kits, or can I strip disc brakes off of a donor vehicle?
2) In the interest of safety, I would like to make the front seats have 3 point belts (with shoulder harness). Is there a conversion kit to make this possible, or do you have to replace the whole seat? If you must replace the whole seat, what is the preferred replacement?
3) I also want to add power door locks and power windows. Has anyone had experience with these kits and how well they work?
4) Since the engine is a stock 350, what would you recommend for upgrades to help enhance performance? I am not looking to a drag racer, just a simple boost of power. I do not think I was to bore out the cylinders, just keep those stock. Are there any articles previously published on the Net that would cover this?
5) What is the best place to get replacement bolts/rubber spacers/etc that are destroyed due to time or break when the part is removed?
Oh my I didn't know this got to long. I will stick to these questions for now. The rest can wait.
Thank you in advance for helping out a brand new Firebird owner.
For the kinds of parts your looking for get a Firebird cataloge from Classic Industries, Ames, Year One or a similar supplier. They have between them pretty much what ever you will need as far as disc brake kits, seat belts, bushings, rubbers, etc. Power windows and locks are kind of a big item to find. Might be easier to train your girl to do the locks and windows for you. If you pull your door panels and grease the window tracks, the windows will go up and down pretty easily. Personally, I roll the windows down in May and leave em down till September and don't bother locking the doors. Mild power can be added with a new recurved distributer, electronic ignition, 4 barrel and intake, headers and exhaust. You can also play with tire sizes and rear end gear ratios to get there a little quicker until you want to go internal on your motor. In the meantime enjoy your new ride.
trauschu , I see thats a Texas car, your pics looks like its in Texas too, whereabouts are you? There`s a fairly good size group of us w 69 birds here i Houston (if you`re here by chance), we are prob. 12-15 FGF owners locally....
and we`ll set you straight on how to pronounce "Firebird" , not Camaro...lol
and Yes , I know that Niklas in Sweden added 3 point belts, I can prob, get pics from him ....discs are available as kits and you can get used from other cars , I think i have heard Novas , to replace...rubber parts you can get from parts houses , you should get catalogs from Classic Industries, Ames, NPD, Paddock etc here are also used p[arts places... power locks appear sometimes on EBay.... on engine you can get other heads ( prob. should get some input from Q and /or Banshee on this ) , OR put a 400,428 or 455 in it ,its a direct swap pretty much , same size exterior on engine and motormounts...
you can email me direct at bsefeldt@mhinc.com and I can forward some of my "favorites' of parts places, online catalogs etc...
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">UUhh new owner of a 69' camaro should'nt that be firebird ??</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oops! Thanks for catching my error! Looks like 1am last night got to me.
Bjorn, I am in San Antonio, but I grew up in Houston. I would love to chat if you have the time. You can reach me at trauschu@yahoo.com, to swap phone #'s.
1) Disc brakes on front can be had from several donor vehicles. You will probably have to replace everything from the firewall onward. If you do decide to go for a copmplete kit, there are several good kits, and - unfortunately - one to avoid. (SSBC, I believe is the correct acronym.) Many of the guys here have done their own swap and can highlight the pitfalls. Rear discs are cool (talk to Brett "1stgenbirdman" about his) though not totally necessary.
2) Shoulder belts were an available option in 1969. You can get them from repro houses. There are no mods to the seat for this. You simply bolt a second buckle to the floor on the console side. I forget where the shoulder belt goes. (I have a convertible and I'm pretty limited in my knowledge of body, trim and interior details.)
3) PW were an option, also. Terry (69firebirdman) probably has a set - ask him. PDL, I am not so sure about.
4) 350 upgrades have been talked about extensively this week. (Must be your lucky day.) Check some of the other posts in this section.
5) If you want original parts, 69Firebirdman and FirebirdBill will probably be able to come up with everything you need. Otherweise, go with 230Sprint6's suggestion of picking up Ames, Classic Industries, NPD and PY and catalogs. (Sorry if I left out anyone else's favorites.) There are also a bunch of places to get hardware, most of whom visit this site regularly.
Don't worry about your ideas being crazy. You're way, way down on a long list in that respect.
2)I once saw a website that had this exact conversion for 1st Gen Firebirds but I can't find it now.
3)Firebirds came with power windows as an option, not sure on the power locks though. If you used "stock" parts for the power windows conversion it would be expensive.
4)I run the 350 in my 1968 Firebird, at the bottom of this post you can click on the link and it has a full rundown of what I've done to my engine. Converting to a 4 barrel would be a big step in the right direction.
5)My personal favorite is Ames Performance: http://www.amesperf.com/ they always seem to have the right price and the part actually fits when you get it. I've had fitment problems with Classic Industries: http://www.classicindustries.com/ in the past (no a Firebird is not a Camaro especially when dealing with the engine/trans) because they try to sale Camaro parts for the Firebird. There's National Parts Depot (NPD): http://www.npdlink.com/ which I haven't used but they have a good selection, Year One: http://www.yearone.com/ is expensive when it comes to their resto parts and they don't have much of a selection compared to the other Pontiac specialists, and last but not least The Paddock: http://www.paddockparts.com/Paddock/assets/html/homepage.asp?URLCheck=1 again they tend to sale Camaro parts for the Firebird so be careful.
All of these companies have PDF files you can download that have their latest catalog. Or you can contact them to get a hard copy of their catalogs. They all have websites also.
Hope this helps you get pointed in the right direction.
Thank you all for the good information so far. I have a few follow up questions (sorry!).
1) I am kinda confused after reading up on these disc brake conversion kits. Since my Firebird already has a power booster, do I need to get a new one, or can I use the existing booster, and simply replace the rest of the parts?
Unless someone can tell me that this is a bad idea, I would like to end up with power disc in the front, and power drum in the rear. How best to accomplish this starting from 4 wheel power drum brakes?
2) Thank you for the info on the seat belts; I will definitely have to look around the internet more to find them.
3) I'm not really interested in keeping everything on my Firebird original. I would be more than willing to look at an aftermarket power window kit. Has anyone has any experience with the power window kit from ClassicIndustries?
4) I think I've decided to stick with my stock 350 motor for now, and just upgrade pieces and parts to make it better. Does brand really matter? Is there a big difference between the brands of headers, carbs, and manifolds?
Also, how the @#$* do you get to the spark plugs on a 69 Firebird (Sorry!) w/ factory air?!? Do you have to come from the underside of the engine? Becuase it seems that the compressor is right in the way.
5) How do I get in contact with 69Firebirdman or FirebirdBill? I hate to sound really stupid, but I'm new to these forums.
The best way to get to the spark plugs on a 69 CAMARO is to drive out and roll the car on a country road. Make sure it ends up on its roof. Then you can reach in from above at your leisure. Wait until the exhaust pipe cools, though.
Now, on a 69 FIREBIRD, you take off the front right wheel and reach in through the wheel well opening with a socket wrench with a universal joint on it. To help keep the universal from flopping around, wrap a couple layers of electrical tape on the joint.
To send a private message, simply click on their name where they post. Their profile will come up and you will have to click on "Send New Private Message." You can also go to the top of this page and click on "Directory" and type their user name in the box.
There is a difference in brands when it comes to fit and performance. Make sure you run your choices past a few of the guys here before you part with your cash. Headers and dash pads are two of the items that seem to generate a lot of polarity.
The brake booster might be different between power drums and power discs. I don't know for sure. I've got non-power drums all around, so I am replacing EVERYHTING all the way out to the wheels.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The best way to get to the spark plugs on a 69 CAMARO is to drive out and roll the car on a country road. Make sure it ends up on its roof. Then you can reach in from above at your leisure. Wait until the exhaust pipe cools, though. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oh my Gosh, I did it AGAIN!!!! Argh!!! Sorry!!!
Sounds like you have some subliminal issues going on with the 69 Camaro. A good way to solve this is to have lots of picures of 1st generation Firebirds all around you. Go to any and all web pages with pictures of Birds. You need to purge this Camaro fettish.(lol)
Seriously, welcome! The power window conversion is not too bad. You have to drill some mounting holes for the hardware. The good part is GM made dimples where the holes need to be drilled. Another good thing is you can use your original door panels because the power window swithches cover the window crank holes. The handest part about the conversion is buying the kit. As you already know, it's not cheap. Good Luck! Jim
and on the spark plugs,( notice I have anon A/C car NOW , had one w a/c before once! LOL), on no 7 you do as Quenton said.....I could NEVER reach no 8 w my tools ( in 1969), left that plug in the glove box!
the brake power booster is the same. you need to change the master cylinder. there were two different length pushrods. make sure you have the one to go with your master cylinder.
You want to make sure you have the correct proportional valve too. It mounts below your junction block that is below the master cylinder. Also, calipers and rotors are available at the cheap parts stores. Jim
As far as the tough to reach spark plugs, snap on makes a spark plug socket that will get in just about anywhere. It is a double jointed ball socket arangement. This tool has saved me much aggravation!
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 1) Disc brakes on front can be had from several donor vehicles. You will probably have to replace everything from the firewall onward. If you do decide to go for a copmplete kit, there are several good kits, and - unfortunately - one to avoid. (SSBC, I believe is the correct acronym.) Many of the guys here have done their own swap and can highlight the pitfalls. Rear discs are cool (talk to Brett "1stgenbirdman" about his) though not totally necessary. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was considering order the disc brake kit from ClassicIndustries for $849, and I think that it is a SSBC kit. Does this mean I should stay far away from this kit?
Trausau , I've got a set of how to instructions on converting your drums to disc if you want them email me your address and I'll get a copy out to you. My email address: drustin1@hotmail.com
Just ran across these guys! Ken Plantz sent me this link, and they are right here in my back yard. But they make conversions for drum to disc kits, much different than the other guys out there and well worth a look!
Mild power can be added with a new recurved distributer, electronic ignition, 4 barrel and intake, headers and exhaust. You can also play with tire sizes and rear end gear ratios to get there a little quicker until you want to go internal on your motor. In the meantime enjoy your new ride.
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