Poncho, there were several checks on these cars before they arrived to the dealer, As they were delivered by indipentend truckers who could be very dishonest.
Excellent true point. And another fact is that the most common way of stolen things leaving the plants are in vehicals. We once caught a contractor stealing new engines in the back of his dump truck. There's a steady stream of cars and trucks coming and going all day and night at these plants. They all get the trunk searched.
Jim way back in the day (LOL) I ran a small repair shop with my dad...Often a car hauler would pull up and try to sell us 4 spares for 20.00 I will not say if we took advantage of this or not......ALSO, the same thing happened with a rent a car place and the price was the same 5.00 for a new tire and wheel.
Jim, In referencwe to the HPP artical...That stated the RA pans in the trunk...That article is SO wrong about the car in it why would anyone beleive the part (in that artical) that the RA pans were removed?
The matter was about the hood scoops, NOT about that car. The author nor publisher claim it is a "documented or numbers matching car". The owner does by his Ebay purchase.
Anything could have happened to those cars from flat hoods being replaced with a 400 hood to make the sale..Very possible, yes.
As well, there were 65, 65! RA cars to leave the line within a 6 week production run for the L67 RPO production. One has to realize that the L67 option was a last minute, hurried change by Pontiac and came to fruition within a few weeks. All that was required was special machining to an already abundant 670 head, a camshaft that was readily available, an air cleaner lid that was readily available. Only items that needed to be made was an open hood scoop (very easy to replicate as the molds for closed scoops existed. New upper pans and the carb tub remained. The poor fit of the upper RA hood pan is the likely reason one side of the upper hood frame needed trimming (rush to produce) It was easier to trim a piece of the under hood frame rather than make an entirely new run of hoods for 430 RAI&2 68 cars and 65 RA cars in 67.
What happened to the pans missing? Who knows, who cares? It was a 67 only instance which failed to manifest itself during the 68 RAI and II production and failed to replicate itself after the 67 RA pans in the trunk. Reason? The open scoops, pans and lid were installed on the hood at Lordstown and not placed in the trunk.
What Godly reason would an independent truck driver need or want or have to go into a trunk on a 67 Firebird??? What reason and why? The only other loose steal able items were full size spare tires, jacks, inflater bottles and space saver spares. You do not hear stories of those items being stolen from independent truck drivers or GM security do you? This fact supports again the pans in trunk removed and taken back to the parts bin. (By GM security or line workers) because this was a new, fast last minute change and word through a "service advisory" either failed to make it to everyone or does not exist regarding the L67 RPO change.
I am compelled to believe 40 years of a story whereas 65 1967 Firebirds left the factory with "extra" RA pans in the trunk. If a "independent truck driver" took them, for what reason? Back then, those pans were nominally $40-50 for the scoops and pans. Yes, they are $2k today, but back then were not. Very cheap, inexpensive 1967 ONLY Firebird 400 item. If the independent truck driver owned a 400 car, maybe yes, one or two were stolen. But the chances of a truck driver owning a 67 Firebird 400 AND was delivering 1 of 65 cars is highly improbable. Thus we return back to the 40 year old story as highly accurate and true.
One has to be forthright, realistic and factual based on what many reliable sources inform. Nobody here I believe can actually state with 100% conviction what happened to one, two or ten of those L67 packages left in the trunk, only to not make it to the dealer. Were the pans replaced? maybe yes, maybe no. But the RA carb, cam and 997 heads were still on/in the engine (part of L67 package)
I am bound to believe that what happened with line workers removing and returning the pans back to parts bin as 100% accurate. Was I there? NO. But I have personally spoken to 3 different GM sources, one published, and two who actually worked for GM at the time...and all three in person. They all assert the same "myth" that as true.
Unless someone knows and can prove the existence of a shift supervisor, line worker or GM security personnel that was at Lordstown from June to August of 1967 with first hand irrefutable proof of this pans in trunk "myth", there is no factual or idealistic basis to otherwise believe the "story" as told since 67 regarding this matter.
Si Vis Pacem Parabellum
1967 Starlight black PMD Engineering 400 Auto 1968 Alpine Blue 400 4 speed 1968 Verdoro Green 400 HO 4 speed 2013 1LE 2SS/RS Inferno Orange Camaro.
Tom's Quote: You do not hear stories of those items being stolen from independant truck drivers or GM security do you? NO. You aren't reading this. Security removed them from the trunk (possibly) because it's their job. They weren't stealing. They were following a procedure that stops stealing. Go to a GM plant and watch security for a few minutes and you will get the idea.
Banshee The other regards the RA packages in trunks. Jim asserts that this in part is true and those packages were sent back to GM parts bins, only to be resent back to the bill to dealer after the L67 RPO coded RA cars left Lordstown.
I already asserted that a few posts ago I believe.
Si Vis Pacem Parabellum
1967 Starlight black PMD Engineering 400 Auto 1968 Alpine Blue 400 4 speed 1968 Verdoro Green 400 HO 4 speed 2013 1LE 2SS/RS Inferno Orange Camaro.
I wasn't really thinking so much about the pans, but the open/closed scoops. Since there was no provision in 67 for flappers to close off the intakes, wouldn't the RA car be shipped with both open and closed hood inserts? Closed installed on the car and open ones for the dealer/customer to swap to?
