1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible - Pining For A Ponycar

Restored and then port-matched, the stock intake manifold was retained. An N.O.S. fuel pump sends high-octane fuel through reproduction stainless steel fuel lines to the original 750-cfm Quadrajet carburetor.

On the exhaust side, the 350 H.O.s didn't share the long-branch manifolds of the 400 R/A-III cars, instead relying on cast-iron, log-style pieces. After restoring the manifolds, an Eastwood high-temp coating was applied, and a dual exhaust was sourced from Stan's Restoration of Welcome, North Carolina. Factory dual exhaust is composed of dual 2 1/4-inch pipes that flow into a reverse-flow resonator on each side. The dual pipes tie into a single cross-flow muffler and pump the gases through dual tailpipes.

The original Turbo 400 transmission was removed and rebuilt using an N.O.S. transmission rebuild kit, while the stock torque converter was flushed and reused. After the stock driveshaft was rebalanced, new N.O.S. U-joints were used to transfer the power back to the original ZH-code, 3.55-geared, Safe-T-Track 10-bolt, which was disassembled and rebuilt by Roger.

Inside
Worse for wear describes the Custom Deluxe interior. The vivid blue dashpad, seats, and interior panels were faded and cracked. Everything had to be either restored or replaced. The dash went to Just Dashes; reproduction door panels, seat covers, and carpet were provided by YearOne; and used front kick panels were located. Sheldon Medlin of Reflections Custom Refinishing prepped and redyed the interior panels to achieve a perfect match before Jeff Helms of Helms Auto Upholstery of Indian Trails, North Carolina, installed the interior.

Since the Firebird was heavily optioned, the majority of switches, as well as the air-conditioning control panel, were replaced with N.O.S. parts collected over the years. Tunes are courtesy of the optional push-button AM/FM Multiplex stereo that was restored and includes factory speakers in each of the front kick panels and dual speakers in the rear.

Roger rebuilt the hydraulic system along with replacing the electric motor and lines for the convertible top, which was sourced from YearOne and installed by Helms Auto Upholstery.

Conclusion
Restored over a 14-year period, the countless hours the owner spent pursuing parts combined with the attention to detail and quality of the build are testaments to the skill and perseverance of the build team.

According to Nick, "The damage to the body was much more extensive than Roger or I ever dreamed. Had Roger not graciously agreed to restore the car, the expense of having a body shop complete the restoration would have easily doubled the $30,000 invested in returning the convertible to its factory appearance. Without Roger, this car would likely have been abandoned due to its poor condition and the general lack of knowledge in the hobby regarding the 350 H.O. package. Amazingly enough, when I purchased it for $2,500, the Bird still had the matching-numbers drivetrain right down to the distributor and carburetor."

Since its completion in 2001, the 350 H.O. Firebird has racked up an impressive resume of awards and accolades, including achieving POCI Gold status at the 2002 POCI Convention and a Junior Gold at the 2005 POCI Convention held in Greenville, South Carolina. Price says, "Although it took a mere 33 years to bring the convertible back to the way I first saw it when it was delivered from the Lordstown, Ohio, plant, the wait was worth it." After seeing this Pontiac on the website and in the pages of HPP, we think you'll agree with him.