[Zig'sbird]

Why did I buy my year of TA?

I went out to visit my family in AZ looking for a Firebird to buy. I was open to anything between 67-78. Ideally, I wanted something with a 455 and a 4spd. While I was there I did not find any manuals, but I did stumble across a 1974 TA with a 455. Cash was exchanged after a short test drive

[Karch]

Originally Posted by Jeff R

Fell into it.

The mother of one of my son's friends came over to pick up her son one day. We were just BS'ing for a few minutes and somehow we ended up talking about cars. I mentioned that I'd like to get an old muscle car some day. She said they just happened to have an old muscle car they needed to sell. They were moving and couldn't afford to take it with them. All she could tell me about it was that is was an early '70s Firebird. I've always been fond of early 2nd gen f-bodies, and when I finally saw the car a few days later I did one of these.

I was not expecting to find a '70 Trans Am.

You $uck

[Jeff R]

Originally Posted by Karch

You $uck

Thanks.

[68GTOKeith]

I "Fell" into my GTO. I used to deliver parts for a local Chevy dealership, and had spied a farmiliar rooftopline amongst this place I delivered some parts to. After the transaction, I asked asked if "Any cars here for sale?" I got ahold of the owner, and he said yes. Prompting him, we went over to look at the GTO ( I honestly thought it was a Chevelle! All I saw was the back window, and roofline!) We went over to it, and through the very cramped confines of his "yard" I did the quick A-body lookover for rust, under the hood (no engine/trans) and even though it wasnt a "Chevelle", I asked how much.
"I think I can get 7 for it," was his response. I was flabberghasted, seeing as how this guy wanted 7 "Grand" for this car! He gave me the story it was an old local streetrace car, but "Had" a blown BBC/4-Speed in it when he started work on this car. Owner fell behind on paying for rebuilding the BBC, then the Gulf War happend, and the owner (A Kuwaiti, or Saudi, cant remember) took the blower, and told the owner to keep the car, as he went home quick fast and in a hurry. Then I saw the car several years later.
We were talking about the car, and he was trying to sell it to me. He explained it had a Ladder Bar suspension welded onto the 12 bolt rearend, yaddida yaddidah. I felt more like I should go, than waste this guys time, when he said he would throw in a 455 and 4 speed Saginaw with the deal. I went over to his storage place to look at the "engine"...after some talk, he said, and I remember it to this day "Yeah, I think $700 is a fair price for this car."

Needless to say, I bought it. It wasnt my first Pontiac, a '70 Lemans had that honor. (I sold it, and it died horribly in a head on to someone taking a left turn in front of it.)

Same thing with finding my father's '65 Grand Prix: Delivering parts, waiting for a check, and look down at a list of "Cars for sale" on yellow notepad....Bingo, '65 Grand Prix. I asked to see it...$200 later, we owned it.

[Bronze66]

I wasn't even looking for a car when I found the goat, actually it found me. Used to travel to Silicon Valley a lot. I went to a big car show/swap meet at the Alameda county fairgrounds one weekend. When leaving a girl handed me a huge auto trader paper. Got looking at it later and found a redone 70 240Z car. I wanted it bad. Then saw the goat for 5k. Figured a tow car. Tow the Datsun back w/goat then sell goat to a friend. Went back out 3 weeks later with both car info. Never got w/Datsun guy. Went to look at goat. ALL original right down to nuts & bolts. It now was 4k obo. I bought it for $3500. Tuned it up, put shocks on it and drove it home to Cleveland, OH. What a trip!! That was 94. Always liked the 66/67 body lines. That's when I became a Pontiac guy and will stay that way.

[bob67firebird428]

67 is my birth year ,,

[1967Clone]

Originally Posted by bob67firebird428

67 is my birth year ,,

Sweet, we are classics now ya know.

[firebirdcrazy1959]

I bought my 80 firebird because the guy was drunk and said i have a 1980 firebird for sale,i gave him $250 picked the car up the next day.He would not give me the title so i did a garagemans lien on it,cost me $125.Total back in 1995 i think was $375 for a nice 80 bird,with a dead 301 4bbl motor.I buy what i can when i can,still want a 70-73 bird!!!!!!Thats why i put 70-73 noses on my cars.

[kookykrispy]

in '67, my father walked in to Pontiac and ordered a Tempest convertible with a bench and a 4 speed, safe-t-track rear and heavy suspension. The car was sold to my uncle (his younger brother) and subsequently totalled (broken frame and everything).

There is an old picture of the tempest in the family photo album and always thought it was badass. I now have a gto of the same year... I consider it a family tradition and I can't wait to finish the car so I can cruise it with the ol man.

[fyrebird68]

easy ... Love them cozy wings!

[MrPushrod]

I originally wanted a 1st. Gen Camaro or a 70 Chevelle.
Then I got into pontiacs, but still liked Camaros. So the logical thing was
a Firebird. It's basically a Camaro with a pontiac engine in it. I still looked for
the chevelle but never found it. I found the bird first and I got it the day
I saw it for sale in the local paper. $2400 for a running all original 400 Firebird.
My car was really beat up though, it sat in a field under a tree for 10 years.
The old guy I got it from was slowly sanding on it and trying to restore it.
He just didn't have the time to do it.

[bob67firebird428]

hey firebirdcrazy , will a 70-73 nose fit a 79-81 bird ? will it work without changing fenders ? how much will a nose cone go for ?

[george kujanski]

My first car was a hand-me-down '63 Dodge Dart 4-door. in '69 I went looking for a '65 Dart GT with a 4 speed, 273 V8, white interior....that's what I wanted.

Was at a Pontiac dealer one day and saw a '67 Lemans Sprint, Linden green, 3 speed, white interior. Really didn't want the 6 but took it for a drive..liked the way it ran and bought it for $1600.

In '80 I restored & painted it, drove it every day, and 1 day in '83 a moron illegal crossed over the center line in front of me. The frame was bent so I stripped everything off & scrapped the rest.

I '85 I came across a '67 GTO. Bought it for $2500 since all my parts would fit and it had no visible rust.

Still have it...I need to start doing the cosmetics on it.

George

[Region Warrior]

Originally Posted by MrPushrod

I originally wanted a 1st. Gen Camaro or a 70 Chevelle.
Then I got into pontiacs, but still liked Camaros. So the logical thing was
a Firebird. It's basically a Camaro with a pontiac engine in it. I still looked for
the chevelle but never found it. I found the bird first and I got it the day
I saw it for sale in the local paper. $2400 for a running all original 400 Firebird.
My car was really beat up though, it sat in a field under a tree for 10 years.
The old guy I got it from was slowly sanding on it and trying to restore it.
He just didn't have the time to do it.

Your starting to scare me dude.
We seem to have alot in common. Then and now.

Was look'n for a 67-8 camaro ss/rs.
All where to high, or bad shape.
One morning dad said he saw a 68 FB in the news paper bout 15 minutes away.
Went and checked over, test drv, etc.
Verdoro grn 350 H.O. for $500. Got it for $400.
Owned 1st gen's since. No camaros.

1.5-2 yrs later bought a 70 malibu dailey driver cause power in the FB was get'n up there
It lasted 3 days...hit 5 trees...that's another story.

When the new 68 is ready for color, it's going back to factory color...yep...Verdoro grn

[goatmanmitch]

My first was a 70 LeMans, always loved Pontiacs- first experience was at around five years old when my sister and her boyfriend let me sit on his lap and help steer his gold 4 speed GTO (semi vivid memories make me think it was a 66 for some reason), or around six years old seeing a new 75 ish white T/A FLY past us and being very impressed. Saw it pulled over by a state boy about ten minutes later.
But most impressionable in my mind was grade school 3rd-8th grade. Everyday walking through the parking lot there was 70 LeMans in that mint green color. I stared at that car everyday, I even loved the style of hubcaps. In 87 when I was 16 there was a 70 at the local car lot and I jumped at the chance. I had $251 in my bank and the salesman worked it out with all taxes and fees to $250. Foolishly sold it 3.5 years later.

[Pontiacdaver]

My Dad had a 66 LeMans 326 4spd he bought used in 1970. I learned to drive in that car, and in 1975 I got my first Pontiac, a 1967 LeMans 326 AT for $795. Linden Green with a Black vinyl top and bucket seat interior. That was 60+ Pontiacs ago, and I just got a car a few months ago that I had been wanting since 1999, when we first got a home computer. It was on Classical Pontiac, and was owned by a fellow board member, BVR421.
It's a 1968 Grand Prix 428 AT with 8 lugs and Saf-T-Track. Needs a complete resto, but is all original and solid. Since it isn't driveable as is, it took all this time to get to a place where I could buy a project, instead of a driver. I guess I like the 68 because it was the last year for the fullsize GP, and for 8 lugs, but mostly because it is such a unique bodystyle. My tastes run to the unusual, I've owned 3 73 GTOs, and 3 79 Grand Ams, 1 with a factory 4spd.

[BVR421]

check out Dave's avatar. That Toro reminds me of the Hurst Toro with 4 wheel drive and two 455s one in front and one in the back.

My first Pontiac back when I was 18yrs old was a 58 Chieftain 2dr sedan w/3sp I really loved that car. The 63 SD was the car of my dreams in my youth.
I still like the 63s styling the best. Like a 65 Tempest grown up.
Dave's 68 GP looks like a 68 GTO all grown up LOL

[Stuart]

I imprinted on '61 Pontiacs at an early age - my dad bought a '61 Catalina in about 1963 when I was seven, and it was the family car while I grew up. By the time I was 16 he bought a '71 Catalina and the '61 became the second family car, so it was the one I got to drive when he'd let me.

When I bought my first car, it was also a '61 Catalina, almost identical to Dad's car. I've always owned at least one '61 Pontiac ever since, although I've since moved up to Bonnevilles. (I eventually bought that '71 Catalina from my dad and used it as a winter car for many years, so I have a soft spot for that year as well.)

[Mark C.]

I was sitting in the office of the gas station I worked at. I decided I wanted a new car. Of course it had to be a Pontiac.....the year was 1976. The rest is history.

[YVEYANT]

I found mine by chance on Ebay. i recognized the car because it was for sale locally for a while, but they were asking too much for it. When I found it on Ebay it was less than half the price it was at the dealership so I grabbed it. Funny how your taste changes over the years. When I first got into GTO's I would not look at anything but a 65. I never liked the 66 or 67. Now the 67 is my favorite. I think it has the best looking front of any of the GTO's and I like the rear a lot better than the 66. JMO