According to the PHS, my 68 400 car came with disc brakes and F 70 14 red line tires, and no custom trim option. When I bought the car it was wearing Cragars and also came with a loose set of PMD 14" wire hub caps. Did this car originally come with steel wheels and poverty caps, or could the wire caps be the originals?
The PHS codes 45_ and 46_ should show the optional wheels and covers from the factory. If none, they were likely steel wheels and standard (aka poverty) caps. Who know what a dealer may have swapped out.
So, with disc brakes the plain steel wheel would've been 14 x 6?
Yes.
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
I've been reading the fine print on my PHS and unless I'm reading it wrong it says: Deluxe Wheel Disc - standard w/custom trim - req w / 345 - 348. So, all 400 cars in 68 came standard with the Deluxe Wheel Disc?
Or does that mean; the deluxe hubcaps are standard with any '68 Firebird with the Custom option but if you are ordering a 400, you can also order them as an option?
Note that the PHS section "Additional no-extra cost equipment distinctive to each 1968 series", the list of additional stuff that you get with the Firebird 400 series is quite detailed but the deluxe wheel covers are not mentioned.
I think you might be onto something Duff. My memory not being what it used to I can't say definitively but I seem to remember red lines being the standard tire on the 400 sport and ho option cars so maybe the deluxe wheel discs were the lowest option wheel cover with that package instead of the normal base hub cap. As far as what you see on your phs meaning that the deluxe wheel disc were available as an option on those cars without the custom trim package I don't think that is plausible because they were available to all the cars with the hub and lug centric standard wheels. But again my memory and deduction skills have been greatly diminished since my strokes so take this all with a grain of salt or sugar which ever works best for you. When I get some time I will go through my materials and see if I can confirm
Yes, the PHS says deluxe wheel disc are included in the custom trim option, and are required with the optional 400 and 400 HO. My car doesn't have the custom trim pkg, but does have F 70 14 redlines listed in the option row, but instead of the cost, it has TMC. I don't know what that stands for. Maybe some more people will get out their PHS paperwork and help out.
Required or requires, either way Pontiac obviously wanted the deluxe wheel covers and the 400 option to be together, I'm guessing you could upgrade or change from there. I'm too young to have ordered this car, but in the 70's there was still some leeway when it came to making changes on the order form, from what I've read, it was almost anything goes in the 50's and 60's. Today, ordering a new car is boing, they have you corralled into taking option packages and colors that you're not too crazy about, there's no way to make it "your" car. I think the hubcap thing will always be a mystery.