Discussion and photos on Performance Years Site 67 and 68 are the same 8-track. It was mounted either on top of the console or under the ashtray. It is unclear as to when which mount was to be used, because some console cars had the unit mounted under the ashtray. I suspect that manual transmission cars did this, while automatics were mounted on the console. With patience, you can find a Firebird 8 track on ebay. A totally restored system will cost more than a new high performance system.
Here is the ebay auction that was mentioned: 8 Track on ebay
Thanks for the pics. I have a friend that has a couple of these sitting around, but we were not sure if they were the correct matches for my bird. Plus, we needed to see how it mounted in the car.
1967 RA convertible 1968 H.O. coupe - sold 1976 Trans Am - sold 1985 Trans Am - sold
The one I found shown in the picture below was made by Lear Jet. I was told that this particular model was made specifially for Pontiac hence the identical burlwood face. I'm not sure how true that may or may not be but nonetheless it matches perfect and sounds good and looks good so I am happy with it...
Which bracket are you interested in- the ashtray mount or the console mount. One of them at least is available as a reproduction- but I don't see it on ebay now.
I have the ashtray mount on mine, but I can't provide pix. I'm building a house right now so my unending Firebird project is in storage right now. I can, however, describe them, if that helps.....
The ashtray mount is a hanging mount, similar to the CBs and accessories of the 70s. its about 1.5" wide and spans across the top of the unit, and attaches to both sides, with one or two screws. It mounts just below the ashtray, centered up with the burlwood of the center panel.
The console mount is actually two brackets, one on either side. They are typical "L" brackets, about 2" wide, using 2 screws each, about 1" apart. This is why, on some Firebird consoles, you will see four holes in the back of the console.
All the hardware is stamped steel, painted flat black.
When mounted, the distance between the unit on the console and the upper dash is so tight, it's hard to tell which mount is being used. Obviously, if there is no console you have to use the ashtray mount. I'm pretty sure I found a Pontiac document somewhere on this site that said manual trans consoles had the bracket on top, while ATs had it mounted on the console. When I bought my car in '81, the 8-track was long gone, but I am certain that the original console did NOT have those four holes.
Some interesting trivia- the Lear 8-track is from the Lear Jet company- Mr. Lear was instrumental in advancing the 8-track technology in those days, and was one of the first to go into production. Obviously he had better luck with the jets. There is no connection to Pontiac- it was strictly aftermarket. 1967 was the first year that GM ever offered taped music in ANY car. FM radio was also very new, with only a few stations in the country at that time. So, these "premium" audio systems were very swank and very cutting edge technology for the times. The 67-8 units were huge boxes, and every GM car used the same core unit, they just changed the trim and mountings. 69-70 was a much more compact underdash design, and by the mid 70s, they had the in-dash units, but cassettes were already killing 8-track by then. Right now, there is a small niche of people who restore the audio in their cars, but most are turned away by the cost, especially when they know they'll have a crappy sound when its done. IMHO, tho, given the history, these audio restorations will gain in popularity and will enhance the value of restored cars. BTW, there are many internet sites dedicated to 8-tracks, and you can get a wide variety of used or even new-in-box 8-track tapes from the era. If you look hard enough, you can even find the original GM demo tape that came with the car, as I did. Good luck and have fun!
I not thank all of you enough for your help on this one. I do have one question. I noticed the lower bracket does not include 67, was there another bracket used?
1967 RA convertible 1968 H.O. coupe - sold 1976 Trans Am - sold 1985 Trans Am - sold
The one I have in my car (Lear Jet) works perfectly. In fact, I bought it at a small car show where an older man had a small table set up. I walked up saw the 8-track, saw the identical burl wood design to the 68 Bird and I asked how much. He went on to tell me this long story about Lear Jet etc., he had the wiring harness, the original manual etc. Now I am thinking $100 bucks at this point. Finally he says how about $15.
My wife had just given me a $50 just a few minutes earlier to go get us some lunch. I gave the old man the $50 and I told him I was sure he could get more for it on Ebay and he said "what's Ebay". Mind you this was only a few years ago so I said don't worry about and take the $50.
The old man couldn't beleive I was giving him more than his asking price. I walked over to the car, wired the thing up right there at the car show and bang, the thing worked perfectly. In fact I had to walk around and keep asking people if they had an 8-track I could borrow to try it.
I am now getting ready to spring for the new am/fm unit that a few people on here have been talking about. They are the only ones on the market that look 100% correct for our cars, yet have newer guts and supposedly sound great. Can't wait...
I not thank all of you enough for your help on this one. I do have one question. I noticed the lower bracket does not include 67, was there another bracket used?
I suspect that was a Camaro only thing- note that the auction there mentions Camaros only and not Firebirds. I know the upper bracket is correct, because it looks like mine, but I suspect that the lower bracket is specific to Camaros that mounted the 8 track in the back of the console, with an armrest pad on top of them. (Firebirds always had the 8-tracks in front, under the dash. I'm afraid I can't say for certain now what a lower Firebird bracket looks like. Hope this all helps, but btw, don't thank me- I don't want to ruin my reputation of only posting bad jokes and never offering anything useful....... ;-)
If you guys hadn't already guessed, I got a little nutty for 8-tracks after I first saw it on my PHS. I can't wait to restore it and hear that crappy 60s sound, just as it sounded back then!
If you guys hadn't already guessed, I got a little nutty for 8-tracks after I first saw it on my PHS. I can't wait to restore it and hear that crappy 60s sound, just as it sounded back then!
I still looking for an 8 track tape player Delco 7305602 For my 1968 Firebird with factory A/C I would like to see a picture of this particular one, If somebody has one, I will appreciate some pics and information about mounting place ...!