New 68 Firebird Project
 

Picked up a 2-owner 68 Firebird 400 coupe in decent shape. Probably 1 of 2 or 3 remaining 68's here in Hawaii. Guy I bought if from did all the work, but lost interest/money a few years back so it survived with the cheapest parts possible since then. Usual rust items to be worked, etc. It's not a real 400 but a clone with all the right pieces. Motor is a .030 over Pontiac 400 rebuilt about 9 years ago. Has forged TRW 10.75-1 pistons, Crower Streetbeast Cam, roller rockers, Edelbrock Carb and Performer RPM manifold, Mallory ignition, headers, etc. Has a Tremec 5-speed with 3.36 posi. Hey, it's a good starting point.
To be honest, with all those mods, it doesn't pull that well. Seems to run OK but sure expected more power. Thoughts? Also, how can determine which version of Tremec 5-speed it has?

Thanx

Pete

Welcome to the board Pete. Hey, post some pics of your ride, it sounds great.

As far as not pulling too well, a few things you have probably already thought about:
-What gas are you running? The 10.75 flat tops need good octane.
-What shape are the rings and valves in? You may want to do a compression test. That setup (depending on the cam) should run in the 190 - 220 psi cranking compression which is too high for most premium gas. Octane booster helps.
-Assuming everything else is OK and you have good enough fuel, 400's like a lot of ignition lead. 36 - 40 degrees should wake it up with an advance curve in by 2800. Also, your carb may need some adjusting. Pontiacs tend to be "fuelish"...

Good luck with your project.

Speedster,
I run 93 octane pump gas w/octane booster. Gonna do a compression test this weekend. I already tweaked the timing and carb to the specs you mentioned but driveabilty really suffered. I'll look for a happy medium I guess. Man, gotta tell ya, shipping parts to Hawaii is hugely expensive ... to ship 2 door shells and decklid will cost me over $500 in shipping ... ouch

Hey Pete.

Overall driveability should actually be better with the changes mentioned. Do you have any idea what your air to fuel ratio is by chance ?

One of the earlier combos in the Firebird was built very similar to your car and ran very strong. 400 +.030, 11:1 CR, #16 heads slightly milled/mild port job, Isky hydraulic cam (later Crane), Torker intake, 800 Holley DP, Hooker Super comp headers, M-21, 4.10 gears. Ran consistent mid 12's on motor.

Bruce,
No idea on A/F mixture. Will look into that this weekend too. Thanx for the tip

Pete

Congrats on the purchase :) . Any pics?

David

Here's a few pix of my 68. Both doors have rust holes not only thru the skin but into the frames too. New door shells are in order. Same is true for the deck lid. Worst rust spot is on the drivers side windshield pillar, where it's rusted thru as well. Trunk floor and drivers floor are shot as well. Thanx to a couple tuning tips from Speedster, it runs OK. Have had the car a month so I'm just starting this project. Enjoy the pix

Pete

We have done a few Pontiacs and always defer to Butler Performance for advice. They are helping us with lisa Project EmptyNest monster. They are the absolute kings of Pontiac.

JBP-Pontiac.com

Congratulations on the cool project. We love those birds!

Thats going to be a great project! I have always been a firebird fan over a camaro just a sweet looking ride! good luck on the Bird!

Welcome, Pete. I see you've got the heater delete option. My 68 Camaro came from Hawaii as well; bought if from a guy in Waipahu in '91.