#81  
Old 04-23-2013, 10:01 PM
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I've always thought 235 or 245 tires look a little "balloon-ish" when mounted on 6 or 7 inch wheels on first gen Birds. (I know many others think they look great... so I'm probably in a minority).

My preference would be the 15x7s with either 225/60 x 15 or 215/65 x 15.

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  #82  
Old 04-23-2013, 10:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by keith k View Post
I've always thought 235 or 245 tires look a little "balloon-ish" when mounted on 6 or 7 inch wheels on first gen Birds. (I know many others think they look great... so I'm probably in a minority).

My preference would be the 15x7s with either 225/60 x 15 or 215/65 x 15.

you are not alone. Sizes I like best are 215-70-15 on 15 by 7 wheels (all four wheels) OR 215-70-14 on 14 by 7 wheels...but I'm 47 and used to be younger and liking bigger tires...over now.

  #83  
Old 05-05-2013, 04:17 PM
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The car is coming together, but progress has slowed due to things we need to sort out.

As an example, here is a photo of the kickdown switch that was on the car previously. It's incorrect, very difficult to depress, and the bracket was modified to make it fit. Thought this would be easy to fix, but I haven't had any luck finding the right switch. Anyone have one for sale?
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  #84  
Old 05-21-2013, 06:13 PM
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Went with 225 70 14 Radial TAs. They appear to fill the wheel wells much better than the 205 60s. The plan is to have the car buttoned up soon, perhaps by this weekend. After it's running and the bugs are worked out--it will go to another shop for the interior work--replace dash harness, gauges, steering wheel, and some minor top and upholstery stuff. Then back to my friend's shop for adjustments, detailing, etc.
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  #85  
Old 05-21-2013, 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Gator67 View Post
Went with 225 70 14 Radial TAs. They appear to fill the wheel wells much better than the 205 60s. The plan is to have the car buttoned up soon, perhaps by this weekend. After it's running and the bugs are worked out--it will go to another shop for the interior work--replace dash harness, gauges, steering wheel, and some minor top and upholstery stuff. Then back to my friend's shop for adjustments, detailing, etc.
You're killin' me Jeff. You do realize that a lot of us are now too old to stand on our heads any more aren't you?... lol

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  #86  
Old 05-21-2013, 11:59 PM
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You're killin' me Jeff. You do realize that a lot of us are now too old to stand on our heads any more aren't you?... lol
I know I have start acting my age....seriously, I have no idea why the photo appears upside down in the thread.

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Old 05-22-2013, 01:44 AM
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Here you go.... You're right. That tire size looks great. i have some 14" Rally I wheels on my '66. Wish I had that size tire.


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  #88  
Old 05-22-2013, 02:55 PM
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That looks better, thanks Greg!

We're really looking forward to getting the car back and seeing how the refurbishment and enhancements add up to change the driving experience. The car will look basically the same, but I suspect it will "feel" a lot different.

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Old 05-22-2013, 09:33 PM
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Great progress, Jeff!

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  #90  
Old 05-25-2013, 12:05 PM
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More progress...
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  #91  
Old 05-25-2013, 12:29 PM
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Really nice Jeff. My FB is an A/C car and didn't have any A/C stuff on it when I bought. I finally just bought a complete top end that included all the plumbing, brackets and compressor, etc. that came off another FB. I didn't realized how much stuff there is.

It's crazy how Pontiac crammed all that in with the outer case and everything. Yours looks really nice though...curious, does your wife ever drive your 4-speed cars? If so, is it easy for her and does she like it?

My car isn't running and she only remembers driving a VW Bug and starting from a stop was terrible. I'm trying to convince her that they are completely different and the FB will be so much smoother from a stop.

Anyway, nice car and thanks for the updates.

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Old 05-25-2013, 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted by 67gtojones View Post
Really nice Jeff. My FB is an A/C car and didn't have any A/C stuff on it when I bought. I finally just bought a complete top end that included all the plumbing, brackets and compressor, etc. that came off another FB. I didn't realized how much stuff there is.

It's crazy how Pontiac crammed all that in with the outer case and everything. Yours looks really nice though...curious, does your wife ever drive your 4-speed cars? If so, is it easy for her and does she like it?

My car isn't running and she only remembers driving a VW Bug and starting from a stop was terrible. I'm trying to convince her that they are completely different and the FB will be so much smoother from a stop.

Anyway, nice car and thanks for the updates.
Thanks!

You're right about the factory A/C taking up a lot of real estate....it almost completely hides the engine on that side of the car, and it makes servicing/changing spark plugs pretty difficult. If the car wasn't so original and complete, I would have gone with a vintage air/classic auto air set-up.

My wife can drive a stick, but I don't think she "enjoys" it. My 67 GTO is my only 4-speed car that's finished, and between the size of the car, and the fact that it's got a lumpier than stock cam with tons of torque (engine is stroked), there's a lot going on, if you know what I mean. Plus it's fully restored with nary a scratch or ding, and I think she's nervous about damaging it. This is precisely why we didn't go ahead and paint her Firebird even though it was torn down so far. The beauty of this car is that she can turn the key and go without stressing about anything.

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Old 05-27-2013, 12:25 PM
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Getting real close now. My body guy spent a lot of time on panel alignment/gaps, and everything looks much better now. The bottom of both fenders near the doors were tucked in too far before, and now they're straight. There are still wider than ideal gaps where the top of the fenders meet the windshield trim, but rather than spending more time chasing perfection, I asked him to press on. For some reason, it's more noticeable in photos, and we can always address it if we decide to paint it some day.
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Old 06-04-2013, 09:38 PM
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We'll be starting her up for the first time tomorrow...
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Old 06-05-2013, 10:46 PM
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The engine started right up. No leaks or surprises. The carb from Cliff performed well right out of the box--no adjustments necessary except idle speed. Nice smooth idle and very snappy throttle response--can't wait until the maiden voyage.

Correct battery cables, R59 topper, and a few other detail items are on the way. Still have to tackle the gauges. Hopefully by the end of next week she'll be ready to come home.

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Last edited by Gator67; 06-05-2013 at 10:54 PM.
  #96  
Old 06-12-2013, 12:08 PM
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With the interior apart to install the new dash harness and gauges, some broken ducts were discovered. They cracks were covered with black duct tape and the ducts functioned fine, but they'll be replaced with some nice ones that a friend and neighbor gave me.
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Old 06-12-2013, 01:43 PM
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We'll be starting her up for the first time tomorrow...
Where did you get the kickdown switch from? And the cruise control setup? And what is that green thing on the other side of the carb?

Looks great. congrats on getting it started.

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Old 06-13-2013, 11:00 AM
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Gauges and wood wheel are installed and everything appears to be working. Just a few more things to sort. I'll be taking it for it's first drive later this afternoon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rohrt View Post
Where did you get the kickdown switch from? And the cruise control setup? And what is that green thing on the other side of the carb?

Looks great. congrats on getting it started.
Thank you.

I got the kickdown switch from Tim Doonan. He sells and rebuilds these units...advertises in Smoke Signals. The piece on the car is actually for a '65 GTO (which I hope to get to someday)--the only thing that's different from the correct switch is the arrangement of the electrical contacts (they're offset as opposed to aligned).

The car came with cruise, though I had to find a few parts to complete it. I got the servo end plates (which I had plated) and compression spring from a member. I bought the reproduction bellows from our host or Ames. Pete Serio supplied the clip that holds the ball chain to the carb. I also found an NOS control unit on eBay that I installed to replace the one that came with the car. We'll see if it works when I take it for a drive.

The green thing is a vacuum advance valve. It's actually used on '68 cars with MT, so it will be coming off. It got mixed in with the parts from my wife's car and it looked like it belonged.

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  #99  
Old 06-15-2013, 07:47 PM
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The test drive went very well. No leaks. Good oil pressure. Water temp never moved above midpoint on the gauge, even in traffic, and it's 110 degrees here. No unusual noises--suspension and brakes work great. Much tighter than before. The car also has more zip than before--though, I think there's more to be had with a bit of tuning. It cruises much better with the 3.08 gears and taller tires.

Still a few issues to sort out so the car's still in the shop. Here's the punch list...not bad considering how much work was done...

The A/C, which is set up for 134, doesn't blow cold enough, and the condenser gets too hot in traffic...I think I'm going to go back to R12.

The cruise control works when I use the button on the turn signal, but for some reason it doesn't disengage when I hit the brakes (I have to use the button). I can hear air escaping from the vacuum release, so it's probably one of the wires on the brake switch.

The battery died (new)--may need an alternator.

Both convertible top cylinders are leaking--ordered new ones (and a hose kit) from Hydrp-e-lectric.

The windshield wipers work sporadically--ordered a new switch.

Couldn't replace the a pillar molding without removing the windshield--we'll live with it until i have to replace the windshield or we decide to paint it.

It's pretty dusty after living in a body shop for 6 months, so we'll have to detail it before I give it to my wife. I think she'll be pleased.
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  #100  
Old 06-15-2013, 09:25 PM
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Your Firebird is outstanding!

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