1968 Firebird Sprint

HobieMarty · 11-29-2021, 10:10 PM

https://youtu.be/S5gWSWH053Y

This is an interesting and somewhat rare Firebird Sprint, anyone ever seen one in person or driven one?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Heel n Toe · 11-29-2021, 10:57 PM

Pontiac put that same engine in the Le Mans for awhile and called it the Sprint, too. Of course, it was a much more appropriate engine for the size and weight of the Firebird.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_LeMans

drcoastline · 11-30-2021, 12:19 AM

Pretty interesting.

manbridge 74 · 11-30-2021, 01:20 AM

Bad execution as I recall. Things required 1968 premium and, I imagine, would detonate themselves to an early death on todays fuel. They changed the stroke for the Firebird which made it less of a revver. Low HP for 3.53 liters.

manbridge 74 · 01:54 AM

And the Firebird was a porker, weighed 40 lbs more than the LeMans.

Lots of info on Ate Up with Motor….

Eric 951 · 11-30-2021, 02:31 AM

guy in the neighborhood has a LeMans Sprint convertible 3 speed manual/hood tach light blue with white int/top. Very interesting car

ckelly78z · 11-30-2021, 02:48 AM

I remember riding in my Aunt's brand new 1968 convertible firebird (one of my first memories)...but with the 326 V8, and auto trans, a much more satisfying car to drive, and listen to than the I6/4 spd.

Interesting indeed.

asphaltgambler · 11-30-2021, 03:48 AM

When a teenager, saw a Lemans Sprint in the junkyard outside of Culpeper, VA. It was all there, with a few dents - a shame really.

sc_rufctr · 11-30-2021, 04:45 AM

Jay has the coolest cars and that straight six was ahead of its time!

Great video, Thanks.

oldE · 11-30-2021, 04:50 AM

I remember drooling over the Pontiac Firebird brochure in the fall of '67 and believing at last domestic automakers were going to do it right: light, higher specific output engines. It took a bit longer than I thought. I even imagines what a Corvette would be like with the OHC six but didn't find out until much later that Pontiac had built a show car. (Banshee?)

I loved seeing Jay's episode on this car. I had been eating up the restoration updates on it for a couple of years.

Where's that Racoon pic?

Best
Les

herr_oberst · 11-30-2021, 05:03 AM

Up until a couple of years ago when I saw the shop tour on JLG I had no idea this car existed. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.

Imagine a high school kid in the 70's swapping out the OHV 6 for a SBC.
50 years later finding out what you'd had and diminished.

schamp · 11-30-2021, 12:00 PM

I am redoing a 67 Pontiac Tempest Sprint now. Total restoration. Car needed everything. Should be done in a month.

pwd72s · 11-30-2021, 12:06 PM

I remember looking at one and wondering why anybody would buy one. 1/2 century or so later?
A rare collectable. Go figure.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

If I had one it would get a pissed off 400 crammed in there

rjp

911boost · 911boost's Garage

That was cool, as my '66 Mustang is a 200ci straight six, of course it has 3x1 barrel Webers on it and a 6 into 2 header.

Steve Carlton · 11-30-2021, 01:13 PM

First car I had was a base 4.1L OHC ‘68 Firebird with a three on the tree. Immaculate, red on red, 99,000 miles for $1,100 in 1972.

ckelly78z · 11-30-2021, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schamp

I am redoing a 67 Pontiac Tempest Sprint now. Total restoration. Car needed everything. Should be done in a month.

We will want pictures, and a story here when it is finished !

schamp · 11-30-2021, 03:49 PM

Ok. Will post pictures when done. I put a hotchkiss suspension under it. Totally. All the 1960's tie rods, sway bars, upper and lower control arms, ball joints, everything. Added A/C, added power steering. Rebuilt OHC 6 engine. Its a factory 4 barrel carb car which means a little bigger exhaust valves, a little hotter cam and maybe a couple of other things I can't recall.
People would find these and make GTO tribute cars out of them. Put in a 389 or 400 and GTO badges. All they did was make the Sprint rare and getting to be exceedingly so.
I sent the carb to All American Carburetor in Jacksonville Florida. That thing came back looking better than new.
All rust cut out and patched properly. Primed a couple of times and now in paint. Interesting thing about this car is we think it was used by a fire chief or assistance fire chief in California. Top of car originally was red and bottom white. We did find a hole in roof for a big red bubble gum light.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by schamp

Ok. Will post pictures when done. I put a hotchkiss suspension under it. Totally. All the 1960's tie rods, sway bars, upper and lower control arms, ball joints, everything.t.

Where did you go for interior pieces? I got a 70 LeMans sport that needs pretty much everything.

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

My mom bought a new '67 Tempest with an OHC 6. We were moving and our old station wagon broke down in front of the Pontiac dealer driving from South FL to NC and it was not economically repairable...or at least that what the salesman convinced her. It was a pretty and sporty car. We did not have it long because she was later hit by a dump truck (full of gravel). It was pretty bad, but she survived with a lot of neck and back pain. I never realized the care was anything special. She probably did not either. It sat out in the yard all crushed up for a long time...and eventually someone bought it for parts (I think). She eventually got better and drove our pickup to work.