When John Leland, a research engineer from Kettering, Ohio, bought his '67 Firebird 400 convertible in 1980, he didn't know it was one of the first 100 F-body Pontiacs ever built, nor did he know that 28 years later it would be a hot Pro-Tourer, as the classification had yet to be conceived. He was just happy to have a first-year Firebird convertible.
"I purchased it from a Colorado junkyard in 1980," John says. "With the inexperience and optimism typical of a 19-year-old, I bumper-towed the relatively rust-free but thoroughly battered and abused Firebird nearly 1,300 miles [to get it home] using another rust-belt-ravaged '67 Firebird convertible."
During the week of February...
During the week of February 13, 1967, production Firebirds rolled off the factory line in Lordstown, Ohio, for the very first time. Because date-coded components from the first week of production are extremely scarce, owner John Leland opted to turn his '67 Firebird 400 convertible into a Pro-Touring cruiser.
John's was built and invoiced by Pontiac on February 16, 1967, one week before the Firebird's official introduction on February 23. Its purpose was to serve active duty at Pontiac's Oklahoma zone office. According to Jim Mattison of PHS Automotive Services, "This Firebird was shipped to Charles Schwab Motor Company in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and billed to Pontiac Motor Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
It received a wealth of options, including a 400ci engine (code-WZ), a four-speed trans (code 784), a fold-down rear seat (code 654), a hood tachometer (code 701), power windows (code 551), power disc brakes (code 521), power steering (code 502), a tilt column (code 504), a custom sport steering wheel (code 471), a console (code 472), a power top (code 544), and an AM/FM radio (code 345). Although the Firebird 400 package included Rally II wheels, the billing history shows they were deleted from its build.
23 Years Later
In 2003, John received notice from the city that his storage building would be condemned. "I transported the two Firebirds 150 miles to Dayton with the intent to sell them both," he says. "I was stopped on the road by a Pontiac collector who spied one of the cars on the trailer, and we agreed on a price for everything. The buyer hesitated for a few days, which allowed me to discover numerous Internet forums and become enthusiastic about restoring this one. It also gave me precious time to convince my wife that restoring a '67 Firebird would be a great experience for our 2- and 4-year-old boys. I started the project in August 2003. My wife gave me five years to get it done, but I set the goal of 2007 because that was the 40th birthday of the Firebird."
This EFI-equipped Pontiac...
This EFI-equipped Pontiac 400/461 gets its dose of air from an original-style Firebird Ram Air setup. Dyno testing provided by Kauffman Racing Equipment showed this souped-up Bird pulls 529 hp at the crank.
Although the original motor and trans were long gone, the rarity and options on the Firebird compelled John to pursue a date-code-correct restoration. But as quickly as he entered the project, he found his engineering talents were stymied by the tedious task of searching out date-coded components. "I'm a perfectionist by fault," he says. "I like to be creatively challenged, but I really hate sourcing parts. Put those three things together and the result was that trying to do a code-correct resto caused me great despair. I decided concours-restorations were for other people, not me."
Body Building
John began the project in 2005. According to him, more than 20 years of indoor/outdoor storage without climate control had taken its toll on the Bird. What was once pinhole rust in the floors and trunk had turned into holes. In addition, prior driver's-quarter bodywork was so sloppy that the door would not close correctly.
He called upon Randy Smith of RPM Industries in West Carrollton, Ohio, to replace the floors, trunk pan, quarter-panels, and tail panel, while John worked out the front sheetmetal, doors, and decklid at home.
According to the owner, the only original exterior metal on the F-body is the panel between the decklid and the rear window. The fenders are N.O.S. replacements, and all the other panels are used replacements, except for the tail panel and quarters, which are reproductions. All brightwork was rechromed or polished by Metal Brite in Dayton.