[RAJ7395]

Sweet! Subscribing!!

[comanchefirebird]

Hi Dave, Thanks for starting this thread! I hope to learn a great deal as I plan to restore my 69 TA.
By the way, I will purchase one of your exhaust systems for my car when you get them bent out.
Regards,
Steve

[GoatandBirdCollector]

Great! Glad to see another T/A restored to active duty! Bring it on!

[pacekar]

im taking notes

[1RAMAIR1]

Originally Posted by comanchefirebird

Thanks for starting this thread!

Thank you Steve! I also want to express my appreciation to many other of the Members who have contributed to this project thus far. Eric Budre has provided some very rare parts for this Car along with valuable information to boot.

I have acquired a couple of parts cars that will help in providing original aspects to the project. One of the cars I bought was a low mileage1969 Firebird (57,000 miles) just to obtain the ALL original BLUE Interior. The carpet was even original to the car! I don't want to use any reproduction body panels so I had to find parts that were basically rust free and nice.

Along with these original components, I have also invested over $60K in NOS pieces. A pair of NOS Fenders was $4K and the hood was another $9K. I thought my Hemi Cuda was expensive but this vehicle takes the cake. (lol) I'll start posting the pictures of some of these parts as we progress. This project will also be the springboard for many new parts to be reproduced. In the mean time, please feel free to request pictures of any components of particular interest. THANKS everyone!!

[1RAMAIR1]

In another thread someone was discussing the Gas Tank and vent line for the 1969 Firebird. I was lucky to find a vehicle that still had its original Gas Tank that had never been dented, dinged or altered. It was undercoated by in 1969 so the original look and finish was preserved from day one. The Tank straps are also original and different looking than the "NOS" replacements & reproductions that are being offered.

Below are a couple of photos showing the Gas Line vent tube and the original floor pan "drips" when the car was submersed in the corrosion/primer after the Body was assembled. We will retain all of these "original" assembly line characteristics to make sure the finished project will be an accurate representation of an Assembly Line vehicle.

[RamAir]

Subscribed! Thanks

[1RAMAIR1]

Originally Posted by 1RAMAIR1

In another thread someone was discussing the Gas Tank and vent line for the 1969 Firebird.

Details....Details! (lol) Here are a few photos of the original rubber hose that connects the Gas Tank filler neck line to the tube that is routed in of the Trunk. Inside of the Hose there is a metal insert that allows the Hose to retain in its "U" shape configuration. After CAREFULLY removing 45 years of grime and preserving the original white lettering, here is what the Hose looks like.

[1RAMAIR1]

Originally Posted by comanchefirebird

I hope to learn a great deal as I plan to restore my 69 TA.

That makes 2 of us. (lol) Today we pulled the Rear Differential apart and found something unusual. The setup appears to have never been taken apart and the original GM part number stampings were found on the Ring Gear. The Build-sheet for the car says it came with 3:90 series gears. When we opened it up, the gears were 4:11. What are the chances that the Factory installed the wrong ratio gears for the car?

[Judge273]

That would be a first.

Since, the original owner would probably know what rear gear he had expected. Hard to NOT know the difference....

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 1RAMAIR1

That makes 2 of us. (lol) Today we pulled the Rear Differential apart and found something unusual. The setup appears to have never been taken apart and the original GM part number stampings were found on the Ring Gear. The Build-sheet for the car says it came with 3:90 series gears. When we opened it up, the gears were 4:11. What are the chances that the Factory installed the wrong ratio gears for the car?

I would think it's more likely been apart even though it doesn't look like it. Factory stampings are not unusual, either.

What would be unusual would be if it was stamped as a 4:11 but was really a 3.90 (or vise versa).

K

[1RAMAIR1]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

What would be unusual would be if it was stamped as a 4:11 but was really a 3.90 (or vise versa).

When we checked the numbers stamped on the gears, it was a 4:11 GM set up. When we turned the drums, the pinion yoke rotated a little over 4 revolutions. The housing is a 1969 issue (with the N casting) and flat spots on the top of the axle tubes. The Car's Build Sheet shows that it was originally a 3:90 setup. Pontiac did not offer a 4:11 ratio in the 1969 Trans Am. The next higher ratio would have been a 4:30 set up. I can't figure out what discerning advantage anyone would have received by switching from a 3:90 set up to a (non-Factory) 4:11 ratio?!

[trishieldchief]

Originally Posted by 1RAMAIR1

That makes 2 of us. (lol) Today we pulled the Rear Differential apart and found something unusual. The setup appears to have never been taken apart and the original GM part number stampings were found on the Ring Gear. The Build-sheet for the car says it came with 3:90 series gears. When we opened it up, the gears were 4:11. What are the chances that the Factory installed the wrong ratio gears for the car?

I started a thread a few months ago, asking everyone here, if anyone, had a 69 TA with factory special ordered 3.90 posi rear axle.

After a long thread, it was concluded that all 69 RA III Trans Ams were 3.55 Posi rear axle cars.

Do you have the PHS for this TA and does it show special order axle?
If so, please post the PHS to your car.

Thanks Rich

[1RAMAIR1]

Originally Posted by trishieldchief

Do you have the PHS for this TA and does it show special order axle?
If so, please post the PHS to your car.

Thanks Rich

Hi Rich! I was wrong about the 3:90 axle being on the Build Sheet. When I bought the car, the person who owned it had "wrote" that it had originally came with a 3:90 set up. I just found the PHS invoice and it only shows a 4 speed and tinted windshield as the options on the car. The weird thing is that it has an AM radio that appears to be original and is correctly dated for the car. It also has Rally II Wheels that appear to be original to the car and correctly dated for the vehicle. It came from a Dealership that was notorious for selling "race sponsored" vehicles and I think this T/A may have been converted when it was new. I have no way to know this for sure. Things just don't add up.

Here is a picture of the ring gear from the rear set up. What would a GM original 4:11 (37/9 stamping) set up be doing in an original "N" 1969 Firebird housing?

[RAJ7395]

The 2680 stamping on the ring gear is the date of manufacture and indicates that the ring gear was produced the 268 day of 1970. As the gear post dates the cars production by over a full year, it was obviously added at a later date and is not a correct "born with" component.

[1RAMAIR1]

Originally Posted by RAJ7395

The 2680 stamping on the ring gear is the date of manufacture and indicates that the ring gear was produced the 268 day of 1970. As the gear post dates the cars production by over a full year, it was obviously added at a later date and is not a correct "born with" component.

Thank you for helping clear that oddity up. I may never know the specifics surrounding the swap but at least it puts that scenario to rest.

Do you have any insight for the AM Radio and the Rally Wheels? Since both are considered "options" they should be listed on the invoice but they are not. Would they have been installed at the Dealership? I can understand how easy it would be to swap Wheels but the Radio has me baffled. Why would anyone want a mundane AM Radio added to the vehicle when it was new? Keep in mind that it looked Factory installed when we dis-assembled the Dash.