[Transamric]

Obviously we are talking about two different Red Firebirds then. No one named Keith nor anyone who lived in Spokane, ever owner the one I'm referring to.
Too bad we have to be so careful & "secretive" here, that we can't use peoples full names & the car's VIN's.

[68bird400HO]

That would be two red RAIV birds that came out of Bud Meadows in Seattle then. I suppose it is possible. It is also possible he was telling a tall tale, but, he did know details about the car and that it had very low mileage. Was the one you are referring to ever owed by the GM collection?

[Transamric]

It was not a part of GM's collection. Do you have the VIN of the FB you're talking about. If yes, & you'd prefer not to post it here, PM me with it. I seriously doubt anyone knows more about the RAIV car I owned than me, other than the current & long time owner from New York. The guy I sold to & the next owner (both from CA.), did not have it very long.

[roundportponchos]

I think the red one in N.Y, came from Bud Meadows...

Originally Posted by 68bird400HO

That would be two red RAIV birds that came out of Bud Meadows in Seattle then. I suppose it is possible. It is also possible he was telling a tall tale, but, he did know details about the car and that it had very low mileage. Was the one you are referring to ever owed by the GM collection?

[68bird400HO]

Originally Posted by roundportponchos

I think the red one in N.Y, came from Bud Meadows...

Exactly! Matt's car (the red one in NY) came from Bud Meadows and the one that was owned by the guy I talked to also came from Bud Meadows. I assumed that it was the same car but it is looking like they were two different cars.

[Transamric]

But just to clarify, Matt's (mine previously) RAIV was not ordered by Bud Meadows. It was ordered by the Portland OR. Zone as a special use, promotional vehicle, & was put into the Zone Car Pool. When a Zone was finished with a car's use, they were put up to "auction", in affect, to all dealers in that zone. In Portlands case, Zone 325. Any interested dealer could then buy, at a discounted price, these Zone Pool cars, usually as used vehicales. That's how it got to Bud Meadows, who puchased it at a 30% discount. This was noted on the car's invoice. This car never actually went in to Meadows stock for resale, as it was purchased to be sold to one of their mechanics.
I find the possibility that there were two similarly equipped '69 FB 400's sold through Bud Meadows Seattle fascinating. Makes me wonder if the other was handled in a similar fashion. Hopefully the owner of the other will step forward with some info on this other car. Or contact me directly, if you'd prefer to remain anonymous.

[68bird400HO]

Well, I called the other guy again. In his conversation with Matt, they verified that the car he owned is indeed Matt's car. He did tell me that the car wasn't MSRP'd? until '73 or something like that. I asked him again about when he owned it. He said he bought it in '79 out of Centralia, WA. He lived in Olympia at the time. When he sold it in the early '80s, it went on a transport to MI. I guess it went into a collection owned by the General Mills corp., not General Motors.

I am sending you a PM with a few other things he told me about the car as well as his contact info if you wish to call him.

[fiedlerh]

I'd like to add an ex-RAIV '69 Firebird. A friend had a body shell behind his garage. This was about 8 years ago. It was the rustiest F-body I had ever seen. Hardly any floors left and nearly a foot of rocker panel gone on each side. I think he said he bought it for parts out of the Detroit area and managed to get at least a few good parts for his 69 Firebird project. The drivetrain was long gone before he got it.

I mentioned it to him a few months later and he said the PHS came back as a RA-IV car. I told him they were really rare. Too late, the junk man hauled it away and it was so rusty the body broke in half hauling it on the flatbed. I guess you can't save 'em all, but nowadays people would find a way.

[roundportponchos]

was it a good color? options? shame.......... not many left.....

Originally Posted by fiedlerh

I'd like to add an ex-RAIV '69 Firebird. A friend had a body shell behind his garage. This was about 8 years ago. It was the rustiest F-body I had ever seen. Hardly any floors left and nearly a foot of rocker panel gone on each side. I think he said he bought it for parts out of the Detroit area and managed to get at least a few good parts for his 69 Firebird project. The drivetrain was long gone before he got it.

I mentioned it to him a few months later and he said the PHS came back as a RA-IV car. I told him they were really rare. Too late, the junk man hauled it away and it was so rusty the body broke in half hauling it on the flatbed. I guess you can't save 'em all, but nowadays people would find a way.

[fiedlerh]

All I remember was that it was Windward blue. Are all the VINs known for all the RA-IV cars? I can ask him if he still has the PHS if anyone is interested.
Believe, me this car would have needed a new body and complete drive train to be restored.

[ramair2]

Fiedlehr,

With the possible exception of Jim Mattison and Fred Simmonds, no one has all 69 RA IV Bird/TA Vins.

As such, I -strongly- suggest that you at a minimum post the VIN for that car on this forum. Better yet post the pertinent PHS papers right here as an attachment.

The car is crushed. It no longer exists.

That way if he car ever 'appears' on ebay/auction houses etc as a matching numbers real ra iv bird years down the road, we will have this thread as proof that such a 'cloned' car is BOGUS.

I for one will document the information you present just in case someone tries to pull off a high (or low) profile rip off down the road....

Plus it will be good for the registry guys (John/Geoff of FGF) to document the car/VIN.

[ponjohn]

I can add one only from a story standpoint.

A local guy saw I had judge parts for sale about 6 years ago. He thought I might have some ram air f-body parts..I did not.

Turns out he had a 69 firebird vert he was going to make a street/ strip car out of. Before he did this he ran the PHS, turns out it was a raiv vert. At the point I spoke to him he was dead set on restoring it.

He called me a few months later and wanted to see if I wanted buy some parts. He ended up selling the car to a collector in the midwest for mid to high 20's.

I THINK it was red.

[roundportponchos]

interesting, never heard about that one.... did you have the PHS?
on the hardtop on the thread, I agree w/RAII, the PHS on the hardtop should be posted..

Happy New Year......

Originally Posted by ponjohn

I can add one only from a story standpoint.

A local guy saw I had judge parts for sale about 6 years ago. He thought I might have some ram air f-body parts..I did not.

Turns out he had a 69 firebird vert he was going to make a street/ strip car out of. Before he did this he ran the PHS, turns out it was a raiv vert. At the point I spoke to him he was dead set on restoring it.

He called me a few months later and wanted to see if I wanted buy some parts. He ended up selling the car to a collector in the midwest for mid to high 20's.

I THINK it was red.

[roundportponchos]

it just hit me, i remember that car, it was painted red, but was originaly a midnight green car...now owned by a collector near Chicago...

Originally Posted by ponjohn

I can add one only from a story standpoint.

A local guy saw I had judge parts for sale about 6 years ago. He thought I might have some ram air f-body parts..I did not.

Turns out he had a 69 firebird vert he was going to make a street/ strip car out of. Before he did this he ran the PHS, turns out it was a raiv vert. At the point I spoke to him he was dead set on restoring it.

He called me a few months later and wanted to see if I wanted buy some parts. He ended up selling the car to a collector in the midwest for mid to high 20's.

I THINK it was red.

[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

I can add one only from a story standpoint.

A local guy saw I had judge parts for sale about 6 years ago. He thought I might have some ram air f-body parts..I did not.

Turns out he had a 69 firebird vert he was going to make a street/ strip car out of. Before he did this he ran the PHS, turns out it was a raiv vert. At the point I spoke to him he was dead set on restoring it.

He called me a few months later and wanted to see if I wanted buy some parts. He ended up selling the car to a collector in the midwest for mid to high 20's.

I THINK it was red.

Pon John I sold that car. It was my buddys car and it was NOM and non original anything but tags for the most part. It was either myself or chuck you spoke with on that car.

[ponjohn]

T69bird- YES...it was Chuck. In fact the second time he called he told me he knew where the original motor was but they wouldnt sell.

[The Boss]

The original motor is a garden planter and well beyond recovery.

Sad - but makes for a great story.

Anybody know if a numbers matching block has found it's way back into that car?

[roundportponchos]

that car was red..., but orig midnight green..

[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

T69bird- YES...it was Chuck. In fact the second time he called he told me he knew where the original motor was but they wouldnt sell.

Thats true they wouldnt sell it It was pushing up daisies litterally.

LOL

My buddy derick knows the original owners really well.

He grew up with the (gasp) girl who owned it.

The block had major damage from her brother early on and ended up yanked and planted in the nearest convienient spot. The garden.

Mom made it a flower pot since she couldnt move it.


Its been there since the early 70's out in the CT winters, summers, springs and falls.
getting rained on and snowed on.

funny thing is my buddy also had a 273 carb that got thrown in the woods from his GTO judge RAIII.'
Last year he went out to look for it.

HE FOUND THE DAMN THING!

Hes having it restored now.
What luck.

Unfortunately the block was not so lucky or it would be in my car!

you can bet on that.

[turbo69bird]

For the block to be useful it would have sleeved in all cylinders, sleeved in the lifter bores restamped cause its super crusty, line bored cause there no caps, and it would still be all pitted and nasty.

JUNK!

It kills me.

WH block sitting there for my car useless!