1968 Firebird Convertible 400, 4 Speed Original Triple Black PHS Documented

1968 Pontiac Firebird Black Bucket Seats Description

Car is listed Worldwide and I will assist with pick up. Buyer is responsible for making all shipping arrangements. Car is located in Houston, Texas. Clear title in hand. Sold as is with no warranties written or implied. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time. A $ 1,000 deposit is expected within 48 hours of auction ending and full payment (via wire transfer preferred) is expected within 7 days of auction ending.
For auction is a highly desirable 1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible 400, 4 Speed Triple Black from the factory. The car is PHS documented and complete details are provided below. Triple black convertible cars from the factory in any era are rare and highly sought after. I have only seen one similar Triple Black Firebird sell at Mecum Auctions Indianapolis in May 2017 for $ 75K. The reserve on this car is way below that car. The previous owners maintained the car well and added numerous new parts to the car, and I have receipts totaling over $ 15.6K. Key upgrades/fixes are rebuilt engine and full front suspension rebuild.
On the eve of its 50 year anniversary, this would be a great addition to someone's collection.
I am selling this 1968 Firebird as well as a 1970 Mach 1 (Grabber Blue, White Interior, 4 speed, 351 Cleveland, Shaker car from factory), so check out my other listing. Reason for selling: As most car collectors will attest to, this is always a difficult choice, but career and life changes dictate the sale of the cars.
In anticipation of questions on whether the cars were flooded/took water during the recent Hurricane Harvey...The cars did not get a single drop of rain and stayed dried as a bone. I have 4 collector cars that are stored in our garage and we experienced no issues in our neighborhood/house with rising water. Inspections are welcome.
Body Tag Information:
11E: Built the 5th week of November (Time Build Code)68: Beside the ST letter 1968 (Model Year)22467: Pontiac (2), Firebird Standard Interior (24), Convertible (67) (Division Series)LOR: Lordstown, OH (Assembly Plant Code)2697: Fisher Body Unit Number 2,697 (Consecutive Build Number)253 besides the TR letter: Black Vinyl (Trim Code)A-2: Starlight Black with Black Convertible Top (Paint Code)
PHS Documentation:
345: Firebird 400354: 4 Speed Manual Floor Shift361: Safe-T-Track Rear Axle382: Radio, Pushbutton Manual Antenna Front391: Rear Seat Speaker434: Tachometer, Hood Mounted442: Rally Gauge Cluster453: Rally II Wheels472: Console474: Clock, Electric481: Dual Exhaust521: Disc Brakes, Front532: Soft Ray GlassTires: F70 x 14 Red Wide Oval731: Air Cleaner, Dual Stage H.D.
Engine Block: "Born with" numbers matching 400 engine block as verified by WZ (400 Manual) Code and 234302 Engine Unit No. on PHS documentation (see picture). Engine was rebuilt on 1/2/10 at 63,701 miles. Current miles on the car are 65,167. So, engine has approximately 1,500 miles since the rebuild. Engine runs very strong with plenty of power and torque, easily exceeding the factory rated 330 HP and 430 ft-lb of torque due to Ram Air induction and headers. Cam specs are unknown but the engine has a very nice muscle car rumble. See the attached video.
Cylinder Heads: "Born with" numbers matching # 16 Cylinder Heads, date code of K (November) 03 (Day) 7 (1967) on both.
Axle: "Born with" numbers matching ZM code 3.36 axle ratio, Safe-T-Track (Limited Slip Differential). This is the highly desirable 4 pinion, Nodular rear end (N cast on top of carrier case). The ZM code is stamped in the axle housing just left of the carrier case and stamped with a Julian date of 323 besides it. The Julian date decodes to November 27, which is the date the axle was assembled and is consistent with the car being built the 5th week of November. The center carrier case (pumpkin) casting number is 9793020, correct and unique to a 1968 Pontiac Firebird Nodular rear end. The Julian date code on the center carrier case is 265, which decodes to September 22, which is the date the center carrier case was casted. I have found out that the Nodular rear casting numbers are stamped quite different than a conventional Pontiac Firebird rear axle. Only the Julian Day is cast or stamped on the axle and center carrier case and to determine the Year you have to go by the casting number that is stamped on the rear of the center section (pumpkin). Again, all consistent and correct to the car. I have pictures of the above and can forward to those who are interested. Not sure what current gear ratio is in car currently but RPM's are about 3000 at 55 MPH. So, it is probably geared shorter (higher numerical number) than factory.
Transmission: 4 Speed Muncie with upgraded Hurst Shifter, designating as not original to the car. P9R17 date code casting # on side of main case: Decodes as P (Muncie), 9 (Year, 1969), R (October, Month), 17 (Day). Thus, the transmission was assembled October 17, 1968 for the 1969 model year. Main transmission case casting # 3925660, Side Cover casting # 3950306, Tailhouse casting # 3857584, consistent for a 1968-69 Muncie transmission. Note that a Muncie dated with a September to December build date was actually built the prior calendar year relative to the date code. An example would be a date code of P8T13, meaning Muncie (P) 1968 (8), December (T), 13th. The transmission was assembled December 13, 1967 for the 1968 model year.
Per the previous owner's document file, documentation says that the last 6 of the VIN # are stamped on the transmission. I looked it all over (except the top end) and could not find it. The 9 stamped looks like a bit like an 8, and if so would fall within the appropriate date range for the car. However, I don't want to claim it is the "Born with" transmission.
Intake Manifold: Not original to car, casting code # 485812
Distributor: Could not find a code, since hard to look behind the distributor unless removed. Thus, designating as not original to the car.
Carburetor: Not original to the car, casting code 7040262 XA2209, which decodes for a 1970 Pontiac with a 455.
Exhaust Manifolds: Have been replaced with aluminized headers.
Body: The body of the car is solid with minimal rust. There is some rust through on passenger rear quarter panel (see picture) and bottom of rear wheel wells. Floor pans have been replaced. Rest of car is solid.
Paint: The car is finished in its original Starlight Black paint. Paint quality is a "10" footer and upon closer inspection shows some defects, blemishes and some cracking (see pictures). There are a couple of door dings on the passenger side door and some small scratches on the car. I have touched up the deeper scratches and buffed out other minor scratches. Overall, car is straight and shows well. Most of us would wish we would look this good at age 50...
Interior: Finished in its original Black Standard vinyl and shows extremely well. There is a new dashpad and the door panels show like new. The driver seat has some minimal wear (see picture) but the passenger and back seat are in great condition. Carpet is black with some slight discoloring in some areas. New Firebird floor mats.
Radio: HighQuality AM FM Stereo Reproduction radio with Auxiliary input for Ipod from Mike Hagan Antique Auto Radio. Nice sounding center speak in the dash.
Cluster/Instrumentation: Highly desirable Rally Gauge cluster showing Fuel Gauge, Temperature, Oil pressure and Gen reading. All other components work: horn, lights, wipers, etc.
Convertible Top: Manual top finished in its original Black Vinyl color. Top is in overall very good condition, with the exception of a small tear on the passenger rear side that has been professionally repaired by an upholstery shop with a patch (see picture). Goes up and down with no problem. One person can lift it up and down.
Power Steering: Not original to car and all correct power GM power steering components added afterwards; however, a required upgrade if you want to truly drive and enjoy the car. Works like new and effortlessly steers the car.
Tachometer: Works well and one of the coolest features in the muscle car era.
Ram Air Intake: The previous owner converted the car to a true Ram Air Induction by installing the appropriate kit. Very desirable set up that increases horsepower by feeding cooler air to the carburetor through the functional twin hood scoops.
Brakes: Original front disc brakes with rear drums. Stops well with no wandering.
Exhaust: AluminizedHeaders with Magnaflow mufflers and stainless steel exhaust. Nice sounding exhaust. (see video).
Wheels and Tires: Looks like original Rally II 14" wheels with BFG Silver Red Line Radial Tires. Wheels show well with no curb rash and trim rings have some small dents, minor scuffs.
Glass: Glass is in good shape with no significant scratches, with some small chips on the top end.
Driving Impressions: The car is a joy to drive and has plenty of power. The car starts right up, and you can steer it with one hand so the upgrade to power steering is a plus. The car shifts well and the clutch operates as new. The car goes down the road nice and straight, if you let go of the wheel it continues nice and straight with no wandering (even when braking). The car does not overheat, even in the hot Texas days.
Best of luck bidding and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I have a perfect 100% Ebay rating because I go to great lengths to accurately and honestly describe the items I sell. If you need additional information, please feel free to reach out.

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