[Ron Landis]

Found a Primavera Beige [code T-T] with Medium Gold interior [251] car with the 350 four barrel engine and air conditioning. How rare is this color? I thought four barrel equipped 350s were HO cars. Is there a "standard four barrel" engine? This one is a code WP with #14 heads. Firebirds are not my forte' so I'm drawing on the brain trust here. What would this car be worth restored? Factory tinted glass and Deluxe interior along with the air and power steering but NO power brakes. First air equipped car I've seen without power brakes. Would the air option have a bearing on the cylinder head as it did on some later RA III cars that got the "62" instead of the "48" casting heads? Just curious. Thanks. Ron

[Jeff]

Ron, interesting color certainly! From the research I have done on my 69 350HO, it doesnt sound like this car is an original 350HO. The WP block could have been from a 1969 Non Fbird, but it codes out as a 2 barrel car. Not sure what to make of the #14 heads, cant find a reference to them. The WP block would have most likely had 47 heads and would have been a manual trans.

I attached a pic of the production #s and codes from my PHS.

[Jeff]

Ok, I rescind my earlier statement about the 14 heads.. I just did a little more research until I found the answer! There are other WP engine combos out there from different years, but this was the closest:


WP Engine: 1969 350 265 HP WP M 9.2 254 47 1-2 7028071 30 degree int. Block Casting # 9790079

14 Heads: 1968 400 265HP 14 1.91/1.61 8.6 c.r.

[Ron Landis]

I may get the PHS on this car, but I need to delve into the numbers a little further. Someone painted it Verdoro several years ago. I'm still an A-body guy, so I'll probably pass on this one. Thanks again. Ron

[Inagaddadavida_loca]

Sounds like a nice color combo. And while not an F-body guy, I think the only 4bbl. with the 350 is the 350HO. HO stripes should be on the car but they could be deleted.

[Ron Landis]

that's what I thought. The 4bbl and the factory chrome covers were indicative of the HO engine, but the codes are not supportive of that. I really do not have enough interest in the car to spring for the PHS. Might go take another look at it. Thanks. Ron

[keith k]

I once owned a beige/gold '68 400 car. I've seen or heard of maybe 5 or 6 in my life with that color combo. Funny thing is that every one of them was equipped with air conditioning. Odd...

[frankyboy455]

my 68 400 th400 came factory with ac, power steering and non power disc brakes. Once had a 68 350 HO 2 speed auto and it had 18 heads.

[RR67GTO]

I believe, all HO cars had the 18 heads. But, I'm never one to say never. I never saw a HO without the 18 heads though.

[PONTIAC LARRY]

Originally Posted by Ron Landis

Found a Primavera Beige [code T-T] with Medium Gold interior [251] car with the 350 four barrel engine and air conditioning. How rare is this color? I thought four barrel equipped 350s were HO cars. Is there a "standard four barrel" engine? This one is a code WP with #14 heads. Firebirds are not my forte' so I'm drawing on the brain trust here. What would this car be worth restored? Factory tinted glass and Deluxe interior along with the air and power steering but NO power brakes. First air equipped car I've seen without power brakes. Would the air option have a bearing on the cylinder head as it did on some later RA III cars that got the "62" instead of the "48" casting heads? Just curious. Thanks. Ron

I know this is old but curious who or where was this car for sale? I sold a project 20 years ago to the Pontiac parts guy from Wisconsin (his name was Dale)
Car was a a hardtop 350 car Primavera Beige Ivy Gold Custom interior had tilt wheel. I had just stuck a 8.5 3.42 posi under it and had my 69 428 w 68 #16 heads and TH350 in it but not hooked up. Had a Verdora green 400 hood.

[maxepr]

69 350 HO's had painted valve covers... Were 67 and 68's Chrome?

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by maxepr

69 350 HO's had painted valve covers... Were 67 and 68's Chrome?

My 67 326 HO was painted.

Here is a image from the net of a 68 350 HO, also painted:



The advertising for the 1967, 400 Firebird mentions a chromed engine, however the 326 HO advertising says nothing about chrome on the engine.

[gtobird]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

My 67 326 HO was painted.

Here is a image from the net of a 68 350 HO, also painted:



The advertising for the 1967, 400 Firebird mentions a chromed engine, however the 326 HO advertising says nothing about chrome on the engine.

I don't know whether or not the 350 HO had painted valve covers in 68, but the engine pictured looks like it has a small snout air cleaner. Would that make it a 2 barrel setup and therefore less likely to be an HO engine? Of course the intake, carb and valve covers could have been changed.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by gtobird

I don't know whether or not the 350 HO had painted valve covers in 68, but the engine pictured looks like it has a small snout air cleaner. Would that make it a 2 barrel setup and therefore less likely to be an HO engine? Of course the intake, carb and valve covers could have been changed.

The picture is captioned 350 HO, It's off the net, I didn't take it.

I owned a 326 HO, it had no chrome on the engine whatsoever. Pontiacs sales literature also only says, the 400 has chrome, no mention of 326 HO, or 350 HO having chrome.

I can only speak from experience on the 27,000 mile 67 326 HO, I owned in 69, no chrome.

[Sirrotica]

Another picture from the net, numbers matching 350 HO for sale on E Bay. The picture looks pretty unmolested, still has all the vacuum lines for emission controls hooked to the thermostatic switch on the intake. They show the block code, so it's an original engine to the car.



No chrome either, (unless you want to count the oil fill cap, which isn't original) and you can clearly see it's a 4 bbl.

I also found pics of a 69 350 HO Lemans with original engine, no chrome.

FWIW, I worked at a Pontiac dealer in 1970, the parts department stocked chrome valve covers, and if he stocked them, they had to turn inventory over quick enough to justify stocking them. Lots of Pontiacs that never had them from the factory, got changed back then.

Plus junkyards sold them off of GTO core engines too. You could go to the core pile and probably find at least one core engine with chrome valve covers to pluck off and put on your pride and joy. There was a lot of cheap used chrome valve covers, and air cleaners back then floating around used.

A pair of new chrome ones from the dealer were only about $30 at that time list price.

[Sirrotica]

Here's a 68 Pontiac Lemans brochure featuring a picture of a 350 HO engine, notice the picture in the factory brochure has no chrome on the engine. Click on the picture to enlarge it.