When you see diameters staggered, it's because the diameter used in back won't turn in the front wheelwells and in the case of a first gen, you can turn with an 18 up front so If you want a slight rake or want to stagger overall diameters, I'd do it with the tires and run the 18s all the way around. A good example of this can be seen in pictures of a red 69 Camaro convert in the Good Year booth at SEMA. It was running 17s and 18s and the rear was filled out nicely but the front tires were swimming in the wells with gaps all the way around.
If new Chevy Malibus, Mazda 3s and Pontiac Solstices come with 18s, you can squeeze them on your Firebird. New cars like that and particularly new performance cars are also good examples of contemporary styling cues that should always be referred to when going to as much trouble as you've already done getting your car looking good.
Just my $.02 but it comes from experience.
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