That is definitely a Sprint. 4.1 Litre and can see OHC emblems on hood. If numbers match, that is one of the rarest Firebirds.. Only 200 convertible Sprints made (out of 1,200 total '68 Sprints), if I remember correctly. The Rochester Quadrajet 4BBL has been changed to a Holly and the intake is aftermarket, but if restored would EAT V8's in the quarter no problem (I know because I've driven one for the kill).
I tried to buy that car and the lady won't give her phone number out so you can call her and won't call you. I've asked questions and she won't answer. I wish people that would like to sell something would actually like to sell something. It is a OHC 6 with a power top. No other options. It says it has a racing manifold and a holly card. Hard to say it's a sprint without seeing the rocker chrome.
P.S. it would have to be a pretty tired V-8 to be beaten by the OHC 6. I've also driven a few of them. There is a reason that people run V-8 in the quarter mile.
Last edited by triplethreat; 02/17/1211:41 AM.
Restoring a 1968 400 4spd, numbers matching Firebird Coupe, Verdoro Green. Larry My old 68. Wish I had her back.
I've owned two Sprints and have to concur. When asked I always say they will hold there own with a base model V-8 from that generation, e.g. base Camaro V-8, base Mustang V-8, etc. If put up against a 400 FGF, it would be ugly.
sprintsmooth... where did you get the 200 sprint conv. stat from? Been looking for production numbers for a while on that topic. My 68 vert was originally a sprint. Didnt have the engine though so dropped in a 400.
Took a look at it today. Posted pictures to my photobucket : http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii106/colorado68/stuff/ They will be the last 21 pics or so (before the cruise ship pic). The body tag indicates paint was Cameo Ivory with Dark Teal interior. This is a custom paint and not usually seen on 68 Firebirds. Made in Lordstown Ohio 4th week of June, body number 3,890. It does have what appears to be a sprint engine, at least the manifold is for a sprint and has the split exhaust with a quadrajet. The q-jet number is interesting... 17054906 which would usually indicate it's a 1974 Chevy. Also, the date code is odd being 1892, which would have been built the 189th day of 1972. After looking up the number it appears this carb number was used on 68 & 69 firebirds, so a service replacement. Being a q-jet it would only have been for a sprint. The hood has the OHC emblems but no evidence of Sprint badges on the rockers. The owner has had the car 25 years and been parked since 1991, he’s the third owner. It has been repainted as I saw over spray underneath by the gas tank but appears it was painted exact same color. Maybe it was in an accident?. Some rust in the trunk but not all the way through. It did turn over and start for a second with ether, but wouldn’t stay running. He said it hadn’t been started for 5 years so more likely gas had gone bad. 3 of the 4 cocktail shakers are missing, radio was gone and the burlwood dash plate removed. Aftermarket speakers in the kick panels. Top is dark blue and power, weather stripping was shot throughout. Wheels look good. A PHS is needed to determine if it’s truly a Sprint, if it is and the driveline matches, this would be a decent buy. Otherwise, the car is overpriced. The owner didn’t seem to know much about cars and it’s just been sitting in his garage for years. He seemed a little cautious about doing business out of the area but did say I could circulate this information to the FGF group ( I told him about FGF). He’s interested in seeing it go to someone who will restore it. If someone wanted to run the PHS, enough info is shown in the pictures. The car is only 20 min from me, so if someone was really interested in this and needed more pictures, I could help out. Also, the owner said he bought the car 25 years ago with 34K miles and was sure the 44K shown on the odometer was original.. FWIW.
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure. I feel like I am diagonally parked in a parallel universe. 1968 400 convertible (Scarlet) 1976 T/A - 455 LE (No Burt) 1976 T/A New baby, starting full restoration. 1968 350 - 4 speed 'vert - 400 clone (the Beast!) 1968 350 convertible - Wife's car now- 400 clone (Aleutian Blue) (Blue Angel) 2008 Durango - DD 2008 GXP - New one from NH is AWESOME! 2017 Durango Citadel - Modern is nice! HEMI is amazing! 1998 Silverado Z71 - Father-daughter project 1968 400 coupe - R/A clone (Blue Pearl) (sold) 1967 326 convertible - Sold 1980 T/A SE Bandit - Sold
Definitely 143k mi. Engines got some blow by. Paint looks pretty good so it might be hiding trouble. Trunk and engine compartments confirm car has been rusty in the past (at least).
Engine Test Stand Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoxyUwptUcdqEb-o2ArqyiUaHW0G_C88 restoring my 1968 Firebird 400 HO convertible (Firedawg) 1965 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon 389 TriPower (Catwagon) 1999 JD AWS LX Lawn tractor 17hp (my daily driver) 2006 Sequoia 2017 Murano (wife's car) 202? Electric car 203? 68 Firebird /w electric engine 2007 Bayliner 175 runabout /w 3.0L Mercuiser__________________________________________________________
As a guy whose bought a few ohc motors that looks like a 1bl motor with a 4bl stuck on it, just a hunch. The numbers off the motor would be the best clue there as to what it is. No way its a 44k motor since the exhaust flappers are broke and there are many original parts missing in the engine compartment. To justify that price it would need to be way more original in my opinion.
The body and paint look way better then my 67 bought in 79 with 40-42k miles. Had rust bubbles in rr lwr fdrs, frt lwr drs, and rr lwr qtrs. By 48k miles(85-86) they where rust holes.
