Hello all. A new member here with a ton of questions and needing advice. My Uncle past recently and left me his 1968 350 HO.

It has been stored in his garage since May 1986.
He had the HO stripes removed in 1979 as they were getting chipped up. He also retired the hubcaps (still have them) and added the mags at that time. In 1980, he had it repainted Mercedes silver. The original color was Autumn Bronze.
It was his daily driver from 1968-1986 with 107,000 miles.

I am hoping to bring the car back to it's former glory. However, I was shocked by a restoration company telling me it would be a minimum of $80k and a year to do so.

To me, this seems to be outrageous based on how much I see these sell for.
I have her original owners manual and brochures he got with the car in '68.
Also the first plates.
My Uncle also bought spare parts....both doors, rear panel, trunk lid and cowl. He had always wanted to restore it.

It has never been in an accident and there is no major rust. The Pearl white interior is shot and needs to be replaced.
It has drum brakes all around and given the mileage....a total rebuild needed.

I would love to know what Firebird guys think and any advice would be great. Ultimately, I would like to see her go to our Son.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome,
Nice car, totally deserving of a restoration- especially given the family history. 80k is possible, it depends on what level of restoration you are looking for, and your intentions for the car. Personally, I think that's way, way to high, considering you already have the parts to replace sheet metal if it is needed.

350HO cars are a good candidate for resto- so do not give up on it. For the price of a trailer, and some time from you to get it here- I know a guy in the northern part of the U.S. that can help you out. He can do any level of restoration you need or want- all with great results and way better pricing.

Private message me if you are interested and I will give you his contact info. Some others on this site have used him as well for their birds, that's how I got to know him. I hope you go back to original colors and put that HO stripe back on- nice combo!

Thank you for the reply.
I think the company that gave me the $80,000+ estimate was planning to take the car completely apart. However, when I asked....it seemed that 'other' companies would be doing the work....ie; sand blasting, engine rebuild, etc....
So, I couldn't understand what it was 'they' did.
He told me the new parts that are available today (from the US) are not very good and poor fitting. So, to keep as much of the original as possible. I consider the inner door panels worn out and instead of replacing.....he would spray them with some plastic paint coating......that sounds like something that will peel over time.

Being in Canada may be a problem taking across the line for restoration...??.

One other question......the antenna is a power antenna located at the right rear. However, I see some with the antenna on the right front fender..??. You can see in the '72 pic, there was never an antenna on the front fender.

There is no issue getting it across the line for restoration- just patience. Not that big of a deal.

The company you got a quote from would probably not be doing the blasting- "They" would farm it out -shuttle it to and from and pay for it then you would reimburse them as part of the bill.. As far as the sand blasting etc- yes the person who did mine can work all of that for much less than you were quoted. Mine was taken all the way down to bare metal- and every nut and bolt removed and re-done- total resto from ground up excluding the motor- it was already done at some point, so we just checked a few things on it. He can rebuild the motor as well however if needed.
As far as the door panels- it is hard to find repops that fit really well- some folks have brands they prefer- I would ask around. If the originals are in good shape I would try a really good cleaning before throwing them away. Personally I would not get them sprayed- i would replace them if they are truly worn out.
I would start by ordering the PHS document for your car- it will tell you exactly what it is supposed to have on it. It can answer your antenna question as well. The Bible for your car basically.

You should decide if you want to go original or resto- mod or somewhere in between. Only my opinion- but if you have the original motor in that HO I would stay original with the rest of the car.

There are many tricks for these cars, and things that you can do to improve performance and ride. I would ultimately take it to someone who knows these Firebirds instead of a normal resto- shop who may have not done one before. They will know what parts are missing and be aware of part resources and do a much better job in the long run.

Any questions you have as you progress can be asked on this website- they are LOTS of folks who have real in depth knowledge of these cars.

Antenna is correct, depended on the options that were checked off. I've had 68's with RF and RR Antenna's but I don't recall ever seeing a power antenna on the front fender.
80 grand is ridicules unless you want a concourse winner, car looks pretty solid as is. But no matter who you use make sure they turn cars around and not let them sit in their shop for months at a time.
Personally, I'd just do a driver restoration on it.

Gentleman, I appreciate your comments and advice. As I had told the man that came....'we are not wanting a show car. Our goal is to bring her back to an original, presentable car (as seen in the early pics).......nothing more.

The blueish paint would need to be redone on the engine and the seats (driver mainly) are worn. When I opened the door it has a strong musty smell inside. I don't think my Uncle opened the door once after he parked it.
At the time, it was running fine. He had bought a new T-Bird in 1986 and never used the Firebird again.
Funny, I remember driving with him in this car as a little boy. As far as I can remember....I don't think I ever drove it.
At 52, I may get that chance. As I wrote in the previous post....I would like my Son to get it. He is 19 and very excited about the car. The $80K + price really bummed him out (and myself). Just to reiterate....that price was a minimum and at least a year in their hands.
I have been away from cars like this for many years now and in my lack of knowledge expected a cost of $25-$30K to bring her back. I would have my Son would pay for half and give it back to him later....just so he appreciates it more.

The man who gave the estimate told me that price was about right......25 years ago.
He also suggested adding front disc brakes and a fuel injected carburetor system.

Personally, I would rather leave it as it came from the factory......even putting the hubcaps back on.

My Uncle passed away last month and I still haven't located the keys. I know they are here somewhere.

A mechanic I know has told me he would drop by and try and get the car running. He said that is the main thing to do now. Then, once on the road and running.....we can look at who can do what.

I just hope it doesn't cause damage to the engine.

Here are a few of the things that are original to the car. The salesman's card is stapled inside the owners manual.

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum section.

First thing you should do is evaluate all the major systems, engine, brakes, suspension and steering.

Any order you'd like, as long as the engine is first. No sense in being able to stop and steer, if it don't GO.

I agree with HO428, a driver quality resto to start with. Once you get her reliable and on the road, address the other issues body, paint, interior...etc.

Things tend to snowball when you start into them, so keep a budget and priority list in mind and on PAPER.

First off, nice car to start with. Second, $80k is ridiculous unless you are shooting for a 95 point show car.
Third, if you are really serious about a father-son thing, I am planning on selling my '68 400 coupe. It is an original Hollywood car, numbers matching... and the best part is that it's all done and ready to go.
It had a complete restoration, completed three years ago. All stock, restored with original or firebird reproduction parts.
I have $45k invested in it, (a lot of my own elbow grease) plus a lot of professional work along the way.
I am looking to sell her in the low $30k's.
I understand that this is your uncle's car and you have that personal link to her, but you could sell her to put $$ towards mine. (or have another one to slowly restore with your son)

If I am out of line about this, just tell me. No disrespect. I just wanted to throw out another option you may not have considered. I am 54 and have owned about 20+ '68 firebirds since 1979. I currently own four of them.

I have seen the car he is talking about, and it is NICE.....

I agree, 80k is too high. Maybe there is a currency translation issue?

Which he? The OP or 68tpls400?

Pretty sure he means me. He was out to my place this year, and I let him take a look at my flock of 'birds. I didn't let him touch nothin' though, you know, just in case.

Hi there fellow canuck!

I see your from Western Canada. Yes $80k++ is the going price to restore these cars up in here in Northern Alberta, however, with the slow down I have been able to get better rates.

I would plan to do father, son build. There are lots of things you can do yourself.

Where about's are you in BC?

I would not jump to fast to get the car started. Need to carefully prepare the engine before starting it up.
350 HO engines are rare, you don't want to wreck it.

Brian

Hey now! LOL Ya, that's the guy- has a whole bird house full of em! (a new bird house as well) 68's a good dude, been there a couple of times. Hope to be back up next year again with the car this time for some cruising and pics of yours, mine, and whoever else we can pull in.

We highly recommend the father / son approch! Much more gratifying and cost effective. The time you'll spend together and education gained on a project of this size is inmeasureable. Spending $80k for instant gratification is easy for some folks. But Teaching your child (and yourself) respect, paitence, mechanics, electronics, physics, etc. About how things work is priceless.
the bond formed between father and son on a once in a lifetime project such as this will last a lifetime.
best wishes to you and your decision to move forward.

Thanks for the offer. The car sounds very nice. However, the fact this car was my late Uncle's and therefore a family car.....we would like to try and get this one restored. I think "driving restored" is what we need to do. Others here locally have told us that 80K would be for top end show car restoration.
Another suggestion (since we are close to the US border), is to look for a shop in Washington State. So, if anyone knows or can recommend a shop there that is close to the border.....we would appreciate it.

Hello all,
I thought I would update the progress we have made on my Late Uncle's bird. It has been media blasted and primed. The floor pans have been replaced. The rear quarters are next.
In have restored the console and the original 8 track. I have decided to retain all the original wiring harness' from the radio and 8 track, however, because we are having the radio converted with the Aurora system, I have upgraded the speakers in both the kicks and package tray and have kept the original grilles. I will run new speaker wire with the originals.

The 8 track will be converted as pre-amp out and then into the new "aux" in the radio and run through the new amp.

The dash speaker and fader control will remain, but will be disconnected.

We are also looking at tires. We have decided to go with the correct size, but in a radial. The 1971 photo of the car clearly shows having white line tires. These are available in white and red. Since the car will be in autumn bronze with white HO stripes, we thought white stripe would be not only original, but nicer looking.

We would appreciate any thoughts on this tire issue.....red or white stripes..??.

The drive train will also remain stock with the 350 HO and two speed hydro glide.

The car should be ready by next Summer.

Just an update on our car. She is now painted back to her original color and ready for the bright work and interior to be installed.
We were also able to locate the broadcast sheet under the passenger seat springs. We now know this 350 HO has a 3:23 gear in the rear and a standard diff.
We expect completion by September.....it's been a long two years.

Nice work BB! From what I can see from the pics you have done and excellent job and keeping it as original as possible.

Do you have a 2sp power-glide? I would recommend going to a TH400 Hydromatic 3sp transmission. I have a core if you need it. I have a guy in Southern Alberta building 3 of these TH400's. Very stock but stronger and the driver has the ability to shift the transmission manually along with a 2400rpm stall. Makes you a bit of a sleeper but wakes up at the line an crushes the daily driver or street [censored] with a 4sp.

We decided to leave everything as ordered from the factory by my Uncle. So, the two speed will stay. The only change we made was radial tires.....however, the factory size.
Once the hub caps are polished and mounted, the wheels should look good.

New pics.....

I thought I would update the progress......after just over two years, the car is just about finished. Once the HO stripes are applied, she is done.
Should have her home for Christmas.
Turns out, we found two broadcast sheets in the car. One under the passenger bucket seat and the other under the back seat. The two sheets are identical...except for "P's" added to the ingnition key, brake, brake cylinder, I/P harness, radio type and air cleaner. I wonder why only the one sheet has P's added to the above..?.

Beautiful! Good job.
Where did the interior come from?

This is an awesome bird. Congratulations on a job well done - enjoy it!

That’s as nice as they come!!
Congratulations!

Thank you for the compliments. The car is now finished and home for Christmas. Just over two years later. We are so pleased how everything turned out. She certainly is a stock as possible. Also, we would like to thank all the members for taking the time to answer questions we posted during this process.
The only regret.....in order to meet the strict criteria for collector plates, all the early '70's sports decals on the quarter windows will have to be removed.

Thank you for sharing the details on this build. I really like this bird! Have you thought about buying a spare set of rear glass and putting it in to get the plates....? The stickers are worth saving given the family history of your bird.

Just noticed the discoloration on the heads and intake from heat. You might ant to make sure it's not running too lean. You might end up running a bit hotter than need be.

You did a great job on your car. Have fun.

I love those mags. Where did they come off?

They look like stock '68 wheel covers to me.

Yes, those are the original hub caps that came with the car. In 1977 my Late Uncle put on Appliance mags. They were still on when I started the restoration. Luckily, he put the steel rims (two had snow tires on) and hub caps in the basement for safe keeping. He did the same for all other parts....like the console 8 track, space saver tire, etc.... he installed a Sony console mount cassette player (which was stolen in 1980). From what I understand, this design "deluxe" hubs cap was only on the '68 model year.

Funny story I will share. In 1987, someone try to steal the car out of the garage. Now the car had no battery in it and they could not get it started. They were so dumb, they cut the wire harness up the steering column thinking the ignition was there. So, they tried to push her away....like a theft in slow motion. We found her a block down the alley. I guess they got tired....LOL!!!.
We put a battery in and drove her back home. After that, my Uncle had doors installed on the garage and she sat unseen. If a battery had been in her......she would have been gone for good or smashed.
So during the restoration, I found the cut harness that I had spliced together back then and replaced it with a new one.......memories.

Regarding the engine running "lean"......is this something I can adjust..?. I'm am not a mechanic but, can do basic things. Am I damaging the engine like this..??.

i did not think about replacing the quarter windows as we only found out now that the decals have to be removed. I may do just that. However, everything would need to be opened up again in order to do so.

I mentioned in a previous post that a second build sheet was found. P's seem to have been added to this other sheet.
I am posting them both here for your information.

Did you rebuild the engine? If so, has it been broken in yet? Do you have a 2bbl carb?

350 HO should be 4 bbl.

Yes, it is the original four barrel. The engine was rebuilt and I have been told to take it easy for awhile to break it in. I was told the valves may need to be adjusted at some point after I drive her for awhile.

Where did the interior come from? You're in Canada so I'm guessing Early Birds?

Rich/lean condition can be adjust on the carb if someone knows how. Not many do these days unfortunately. It could definately hurt your engine if it runs too lean ( especially during break in). You could end up with detonation, even if you don't hear it, which will beat the crap out of rod bearings and could eventually basically blow the motor. It's about your air fuel ratio. At least it looks like the heat is pretty evenly distributed between your cylinders so that's something.

There are 2 engine break-in's to be done on that engine. Initial one should be done by the engineer builder. The 2nd break-in is required for the the first 1000 miles. You need to start with new oil + additives and oil filter. You need to drive the car for 1000 miles varying the rpm's as you drive.
Make sure the engine is tuned properly (carb setup, timing etc.). You don't want to drive it as a race car for the 1st 1000 miles but you don't want to be a pussy with it or things will not seat properly.

What code do you have for your rear end? Did you get the PHS docs? It looks like your build sheet has it as a ZF (3.23) which will be good.

Thank you both for your break-in advice. I plan to take the car in to have the engine adjusted. However, with bad weather now almost everyday....she won't be out very much until Spring. We may get snow soon.

The interior is from Legendary Interiors. The installer we used finds their product to be well made and long lasting. To me, it looks and feels original. I even used the correct "small diamond" pattern material for the headliner/sail panels as original. This costs a bit more to use and install but, I wanted as ordered by my Uncle. I have attached some pics and also of the decals I will have to remove.

Yesterday, I was playing with the Aurora system installed in the AM radio. It is quite a good system and the bluetooth is very handy. Have the 8 track now as a satellite system into the back of the radio works very nice. This and the radial tires were the only changes I made to her.

I did get her PHS documents and she has a "G" code diff which is a 3.23 ratio. It is also a limited slip "XF".....I think. I was not able to find the markings in the diff axle.

Here some info on axles

Thank you for posting the PDF. If in fact box #33 "cluster" on the build sheet is the diff code "ZF"...then that's what the car has since it has never been changed. I assumed box #33 was for the gauge cluster. Box #19 "pos. axle" shows not installed with a dot.