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Finally-one Bird done, one more to go woohoo

Started by oldcarnut, January 04, 2009, 07:52:42 PM

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oldcarnut

Ok it's a Bird of a different feather but the wife's project is pretty much done and she's happy  :2thumbs:. Soooo now I can start working on my SB clone.  This is her 68 Firebird Sprint.  Engine is the Overhead Cam 6cyl 4 bbl (OHC-6).  Tranny is 2spd auto. Originally it was fairly low optioned except the power top. I added pwr disc brakes, pwr steering, Vintage Air, classic radio (modern guts), 400 style hood, and did a lot other things.  The only things I did not do myself was the top, hang the left qtr. panel and some of the paint work was completed by someone else when I got too busy with life to get to it myself.  But, that ended up being some stuff I now got to go back in some future point and redo their paint work  :brickwall:. It was at times a real pain to get parts for.  Even the motor mounts aren't avail.  A fair amount of the Tempests and Firebirds had the 1 bbl 6cyl but not that many with the Sprint package 4 bbl.  It's not 100% factory correct but neither will be my Superbird clone.  Lets see how long it takes Wingcharger to spot the mopar part on it?  :think:  Just thought I'd share it as it's not your typical 8cyl pony car.
David

tan top

nice job  : ..always liked 68 firebirds ... hard tops though  :yesnod: ...can't of been many built in the combination  :popcrn:
Feel free to post any relevant picture you think we all might like to see in the threads below!

Charger Stuff 
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,86777.0.html
Chargers in the background where you least expect them 
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,97261.0.html
C500 & Daytonas & Superbirds
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,95432.0.html
Interesting pictures & Stuff 
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,109484.925.html
Old Dodge dealer photos wanted
 http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,120850.0.html

vancamp

nice lookin fire chicken, is that a mopar tach/clock on the console.

WingCharger

Quote from: vancamp on January 04, 2009, 07:58:26 PM
nice lookin fire chicken, is that a mopar tach/clock on the console.
:iagree:
I outsourced. :icon_smile_big:

Charger-Bodie

I was thinking that the air cleaner looked like a Mopar piece?
68 Charger R/t white with black v/t and red tailstripe. 440 4 speed ,black interior
68 383 auto with a/c and power windows. Now 440 4 speed jj1 gold black interior .
My Charger is a hybrid car, it burns gas and rubber............

oldcarnut

Quote from: vancamp on January 04, 2009, 07:58:26 PM
nice lookin fire chicken, is that a mopar tach/clock on the console.
Nope, it's a Pontiac clock option.  Her car wasn't optioned with it but she wanted one so Ebay she went.  Actually I have to credit this car with her getting interested in the hobby.  All the years I had my cars, she didn't understand the enthusiasm at the shows, price of parts, etc. After I got her this, I barely could hold the reins tight enough to keep her off the internet researching and buying stuff.  Before for my cars it was "that thing cost how much"?, then it went to "ooh I need one of those so i ordered it"  :yesnod:.

oldcarnut

Quote from: 1hot68 on January 04, 2009, 08:08:09 PM
I was thinking that the air cleaner looked like a Mopar piece?
:boogie:  You would be correct. It's a chromed unsilenced cleaner.  Forgot where I got it.  Maybe from a late 60's Barracuda  :shruggy:  Sorry the pics are jagged edged.  I resized them to post but don't know why they turned out like that.

Sublime/Sixpack

1970 Sublime R/T, 440 Six Pack, Four speed, Super Track Pak

oldcarnut

When I bought it as a birthday present about 7-8 years ago I didn't know much about GM vehicles.  I was looking for a Chally or Barracuda vert but prices and avail. were outta reach.  I got this one as a driver/fixer because I liked the looks--sporty and thought ooh cool a 6cyl too--but didn't realize how hard many of the parts are to come across.  Regular Chevy 250 part 6ers don't hardly interchange and very slim pickings for Sprint engine part suppliers.  Almost swapped it out for a V8 but since everyone else had a V8, I kept it to be a little different.

Sublime/Sixpack

Yes, I see very, very few Pontiacs with that engine, glad you didn't swap it out for something else. It makes the car quite unique.
1970 Sublime R/T, 440 Six Pack, Four speed, Super Track Pak

Charger_Fan

In the 80's, I had a friend with a hardtop version of that car. He swapped that engine for a 455 Goat engine within the first month he owned it. I bet a lot of those OHC's had a similar fate back then.
Pretty cool. :icon_smile_cool:


The Aquamax...yes, this bike spent 2 nights underwater one weekend. (Not my doing), but it gained the name, and has since become pseudo-famous. :)

Sublime/Sixpack

Interesting timing on this, just yesterday I was thumbing through the September 1965 issue of Hot Rod Magazine and was reading an article on Tempest's "TALL SIX" as they called it. The engine is on display with a rather young John DeLorean standing right behind it. Good article.
1970 Sublime R/T, 440 Six Pack, Four speed, Super Track Pak

Ghoste

Didn't Pontiac put a fair amount of engineering into that engine hoping it would take off a lot better than it ever did?

Sublime/Sixpack

I'm not personally familiar with the engine but based on this article I'd say it was engineered quite well. I'm sure Pontiac had high hopes for it to be popular.  The high perf. version was rated at 207 horsepower (not bad for only 230 cubic inches) @ 5200 RPM but said it could rev to 6500 RPM. 
I don't know, I think had it been put into production earlier, say like the early '60's it would have been more attractive to buyers. But in 1966 (its first production year) most Pontiac guys wanted the 389 engine, and badging as in GTO.   :Twocents:
1970 Sublime R/T, 440 Six Pack, Four speed, Super Track Pak

Ghoste

They threw the marketing at the OHC too.  There were a lot of ads for the Firebird with the six and a lot of road tests too so they must have been pushing them onto the magazines.

Rolling_Thunder

I always had a thing for the OHC Sprint engine...    not sure why - just oddball enough to be cool -   :D 
1968 Dodge Charger - 6.1L Hemi / 6-speed / 3.55 Sure Grip

2013 Dodge Challenger R/T - 5.7L Hemi / 6-speed / 3.73 Limited Slip

1964 Dodge Polara 500 - 440 / 4-speed / 3.91 Sure Grip

1973 Dodge Challenger Rallye - 340 / A-518 / 3.23 Sure Grip

oldcarnut

Delorean developed the engine.  Kinda ahead of it's time. The 68 4.1 liter (250) rated at 230hp. I seem to remember back in the early 70's and maybe late 60's several of the local dirt track racers used them in their cars.  Biggest downfall from what I've gathered is that the engine had oiling problems in the top end that wiped out a lot of cams.  They make some kind of oil restricter that can goes in the head that gets the oil pressure up. From Pontiac High Performance "Fans of Pontiac's Overhead Cam Six, which was built between 1966 and 1969, frequently lament the missed opportunities with the sophisticated powerplant. The four-barrel Sprint version was the first high-performance six since the Hudson Hornet of the '50s. It was dropped after the '69 model year due to production costs and packaging problems-the engine was too tall to clear the hood of the '70-1/2 Firebird without a bubble. Had the engine lived just a few more years, it could have been installed in the Ventura to make for a nice budget-performance car in the Sprint tradition that would have been perfect for the OPEC-beleaguered '70s."  For those that would be interested in the engine here a link to a rebuild.  There are also articles for other cars if you go back to the home page.
http://www.webrodder.com/index.php?page=showStories&search=Pontiac%20OHC

Just 6T9 CHGR

Very refreshing to see something "different" 

Kudos to you!  :cheers:
Chris' '69 Charger R/T


PocketThunder

Nice bird!  and i have a soft spot for sixes..  :icon_smile_big:
"Liberalism is a disease that attacks one's ability to understand logic. Extreme manifestations include the willingness to continue down a path of self destruction, based solely on a delusional belief in a failed ideology."

TruckDriver

NICE! :drool5: :drool5: :drool5:

I have a 'ol high school buddy that owns two '68 Firebird coupes. Both are 400ci cars. One is stock, the other is a mild custom.
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

Sublime/Sixpack

1970 Sublime R/T, 440 Six Pack, Four speed, Super Track Pak

Charger_Fan


The Aquamax...yes, this bike spent 2 nights underwater one weekend. (Not my doing), but it gained the name, and has since become pseudo-famous. :)

TruckDriver

Actually I ment they are 400 cars. My bad, lol. Force of habit I guess. I corrected it now.I got a picture of his blue one, but not the white one.
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

mikepmcs

Life isn't Father Knows Best anymore, it's a kick in the face on a saturday night with a steel toed grip kodiak work boot and a trip to the hospital all bloodied and bashed.....for reconstructive surgery. But, what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger, right?

oldcarnut

Thanks Guys  :cheers:.  The wife has been real pleased driving it and satisfied she has her own car now.  I just hope she takes good care when out parking and while out and about at stores and work. It's going to be her full time regular transportation now. I'm 6'7" and it's a slightly a little tight for me room wise.  The 70 Chally I recently sold looks like the same size car but I had more room in it and sorta wish I hadn't sold it. It's kinda hard to think about how much work I put into this one and the possibility some smuck could wipe it all out  in a few seconds of stupidity  :'(.  Reckon it could happen to any car and I have a hard time just having one to just sit in a garage and look at but still it makes me cringe at the possibility.  Maybe that's the difference between just buying one done and doing the work yourself.  Makes you appreciate it that much more.