1968 Pontiac Firebird - Modified Ride with Pride

Sure, any Pontiac nut worth his GTO cuff links can appreciate a numbers-matching, restored First-Gen. Firebird 400. And just as easily, we aficionados of the arrowhead persuasion will cast an admiring eye toward a blindingly quick Firebird 400 race car or a corner carving Firebird 400 road racer. Well, this Pontiac is none of those things ... and its all of those things. Confused? Let me explain.

Hagerstown, Maryland resident Grafton Downs wanted to combine the sanitary look and attention to detail of a restored stocker, the drag strip prowess of a race car and the curve straightening attributes of a road racer into one neat and tidy package, based on a First-Gen. Firebird.

"Being a baby boomer (he turned 16 in 1963) and having a father in the used car business, I had the opportunity to drive many fast Pontiacs in the late '60s and early '70s," Grafton explained. "I also did some SCCA racing so I like to build a car that hugs the road." Downs located a proper candidate back in February 1998, quite by accident. This original 400, 4-speed 1968 Firebird actually found him. It was acquired in a trade for a Pontiac race motor that Grafton had listed for sale in Hemmings. The seat time in the variety of Pontiacs in the past led him to the conclusion that this early Bird was the perfect size for a do-it-all buildup. Once he towed home his new prize from Minnesota, the project began to take shape.

Engine Attributes and Drivetrain Ability

Though a 400 build-up using the factory delivered D-port heads atop the WZ engine would have been plenty potent, Grafton desired the added cache and flow of a set of vintage 1968 Ram Air II heads. After some mild porting by Jim Butler and a complete rebuild including stainless steel 2.11/1.77 valves, the heads flowed a maximum of 235 cfm on the intake and 215 on the exhaust at 28 inches of water.

The foundation for the engine remained the factory-installed 400, with upgrades. Its block was punched .030-over and stuffed with TRW forged pistons with Speed-Pro rings, and a stock reconditioned crank and rods were employed. The reciprocating assembly was balanced for smooth operation and long life. A Comp Cams roller stick is the brain of the operation with 244* duration at .050 and .366-inch lobe lift. When combined with the 1.65:1 ratio roller rockers, the total lift number is .604 intake/exhaust. Lobe separation is 110* and the cam was installed straight up. A 750 Holley mixes the fuel with atmosphere and delivers it to the heads via a Warrior intake manifold.

Spark is provided by a Mallory Comp 9000 ignition system with Hi-Fire IV box and the squeeze in the chamber is put to the mixture to the tune of 11.25:1, which was not Grafton's original intent. However, the Ram Air II heads had been milled to 62ccs by a previous owner and it would mean buying another set of custom pistons to get a streetable compression ratio. So for now, the engine runs on race gas.

On the exhaust stroke, spent fumes are ushered from the chambers via ceramic-coated Hooker Super Comp headers with 36-inch long primaries, 2-inch primary diameter and 3.5-inch diameter collectors. A complete 3-inch exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers tune the tones. The whole system was powdercoated by Phil's Auto Performance in Quincy, Pa., the same company that handled the engine machine work.

Retaining the stock M-20 Muncie was deemed a smart move and the aluminum-cased trans is connected to the high-winding 400 via a billet flywheel and Centerforce Dual Friction clutch wrapped with a scattershield. The twist is transferred through the driveshaft to a 12-bolt rear fitted with 3.42 gears, which replaces the factory Pontiac 10-bolt. Then it's up to the tires to hook it up and the brakes to slow it down.

Braking and Handling

Braking is another area in which Grafton wanted the Firebird to excel (or should I say decel). To that end, the early F-body was fitted with Aerospace Components' disc brakes at the four corners, consisting of 12-inch rotors and 4-piston calipers. The brake pads are from Carbon Metallic and promise shorter stopping distances and better fade resistance.

Regarding the braking performance, Grafton told us, "The Bird feels great on the road in any braking situation and on the drag strip when going through the traps I got on the brakes, and not that hard, and still made the first turn-off with ease. Another advantage of this system is price. It costs quite a bit less than comparable ones from other companies."

Now that you see how well this Firebird is equipped to go and stop, you may be asking, "How does it handle?" According to Grafton, the little Bird "... has the best feeling and most responsive steering of any worm and re-circulating ball system I've ever driven. With the quick steering Pitman arm from Rick's First Generation Camaros [Athens, Ga.], lock to lock is an incredible two turns. But even with the low profile front tires and no power steering, turning effort is not excessive. I particularly enjoy driving the Pontiac hard into turns, as body roll is nil and understeer is slight, even with the 58/42 percent weight distribution. The Pontiac handles nearly as well as my C5 Vette--the ride is stiff but not too stiff--it's not a cross-country car."

This handling superiority is thanks to a bunch of well-chosen components that work in concert to reach a specific goal. Beginning with the rolling stock, we find 17x8 Fikse wheels wrapped in 225-45ZR17 Yokohama tires up front and 17x9 Fikses sporting 285-40ZR17 Yokos out back. When you consider that the stock Bird came with F70 bias-plys on 14-inch rims in 1968, you can imagine how much lateral stick would be improved with these low-profile steamrollers. But Grafton was not about to stop with the wheel tire package in his quest for better cornering.

Proper spring rates are a must to provide a balance between all out stick and roadability. Grafton found that balance by removing the factory coil springs and mounting a HAL coil-over system that includes the shocks and coil springs rated at 450 lb. in a single unit up front. In the rear, a set of Landrum mono-leaf springs rated at 175 lbs. was installed. A 1-inch Herb Adams VSE front stabilizer bar with spherical ends was bolted in to reduce body roll and Competition Engineering Slide-A-Link traction bars were mounted in the rear to help put the power to the pavement. The Slide-A-Link system allows the bars to be lengthened or shortened to preload the chassis for a straight launch. HAL shocks are found in the rear as well and all are 12-way adjustable. Polyurethane bushings replace rubber at all attachment points and the chassis is tied together with owner-fabricated subframe connectors. Grafton said that he had installed a rear stabilizer bar but felt little difference in the handling, so he removed it. He also stated that the C-E traction bars add solid forward spring-eye bushings, which aid handling.

Body and Interior

Though the Firebird was originally painted Mayfair Maize and was traded to Grafton with Burgundy flanks, it now sports the eye-exploding hue of Blazer Blue Pearl. But that is the end-result. It begins with Grafton, who performed some bodywork on his own. He stripped the F-body to a bare shell and built a rotisserie for it. He then welded in new floors in the left front and right rear. But career responsibilities dictated the rest of the bodywork be turned over to a shop.

In June 2000, Downs delivered the Bird as a roller (he had completed the entire drivetrain and chassis modifications and installation) to Best of Show Auto Restoration Greencastle Pa. They finished bodywork and primed and painted it. One-off fiberglass pieces replace the hood and decklid. Both are prototypes from a company that used Grafton's steel units as templates but then decided not to go into production. The Camaro reproduction quarter panels were installed during an earlier restoration.

When all was said and done three coats of base, two coats of pearl and multiple coats of clear comprise the 3-stage Ditzler Acrylic enamel pearl paint job. The final touches were a rear spoiler from a Camaro of the same vintage, a set of rechromed bumpers and restored trim.

Best of Show Auto Restoration also performed the interior rejuvenation. With a new dash pad, dash panel and the retention of the as-delivered door panels, headliner and rug, a mostly stock Deluxe interior look was preserved. Grafton, however, did upgrade to an aftermarket steering wheel, a set of gauges and a set of Second -Gen. seats (from the same race car that gave up its engine) for more comfort and support. The seat swap was a piece of cake using the '68 tracks on the '78 seats. Only a couple of bolt holes needed massaging according to the owner.

At the Track

While many car features will tell you all about how great the subject vehicle is without offering any proof, this Firebird, though not put through its paces on a road course (though we would love to), was drag strip tested for this story. HPP had Grafton Downs drive over to Raceway Park Englishtown to show us how quick his Bird was in the quarter during one of our shootouts. Upon arrival, the F-body had run a best of 13.0 at 111 mph. Grafton freely admits that he is more a road racer than a drag racer and he feels that there was more in the '68 than was shown on that timeslip. He promised to bring a set of 275-50/15 BFG Drag Radials to ensure that the fierce Firebird hooked up at the line.

For the first few passes, Grafton tried to run the street tires. With all that Pontiac round-port power hitting tires with very firm very short sidewalls, trying to get traction was an exercise in futility. Looking like a Pro Stock burnout, the Blazer Blue Bird smoked 'em halfway down the track and the resulting 14.0 at 109 mph dictated the need for drag oriented rubber.

A swap to the BFGs brought hope. Leaving at 2500 rpm and feathering the clutch dropped 60 ft. times to the 2.0s. At the traps, the clocks showed 12.30 at 112 mph. Grafton later tried a 2-inch carb spacer and running without the air cleaner but was unable to best the 12.30 run. However, he did pick up 1 mile per hour posting a 12.36 at 113 mph. Perhaps fiddling with tire pressure in the rear, increasing front tire pressure and dialing in the shocks further would knock down that 60 ft. time and pick up on the top end. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. At 113 mph, this Bird has solid 11-second potential but, remember, it's built to do all things well, not one thing perfectly. When viewed in that context, Grafton's Firebird is a stout strip performer.

From the Driver's Seat

"With the combination of the torque and horsepower that is available with the 400 engine, and today's technology with brakes, tires, and suspension modifications, it makes for an exhilarating ride. My C5 Vette may handle marginally better and stop a little better, but it doesn't have the torque or sound of this Pontiac," Grafton explained.

"I took it to Cruising Ocean City last May and put on about 150 miles in four days. On Satuday night we were in bumper to bumper traffic for about 100 blocks and the temp did not go over 180*. There was no evidence of brake fade. The Firebird is fairly mild-mannered at idle and low speeds; I was able to creep around the cruise-in spots at idle (900 rpm). The 400 pulls strong all the way to 6500 rpm. It starts quickly, and the exhaust has a sound that reeks with attitude. At the track the Bird went straight and was very stable at 113 through the traps."

Conclusion

While many still build 100-point restorations and others build Pro-Streeters, the latest trend in the enthusiast car market is vehicles like Grafton Downs' 1968 Firebird. It's well balanced in all areas of vehicle performance and it can be driven on the street without too much trepidation, though the high compression will make pump gas a no no. "I wanted a musclecar with total performance: acceleration, deceleration, and handling," Grafton Downs told us when we met him. It would seem that he succeeded on all counts.