1968 Firebird 350 vs 350 Ho differences
 

I picked up a basket case 68 last night. the last owner had very little info on the car as it was payment for services due from a relative involved in a divorce. The ex-husband kept the vette, and left the torn down firebird for the Ex-wife. I was fortunate enought to buy it for slightly more than what the gentleman was owed. It has alot of great parts, just no original block or trans. I am going to crawl under the rear tonight for that clue, but the gentleman was failry certain it was non posi. It surprised me he knew that, but little else. I need to confirm.
I am not sure i want to get the phs for it as i am farily certain, given the clues remaining on the car, trans cross member, motor mounts that it was originally born a v8 two speed car., becasue a turbo 350 was not available in 1968. Although I did get one with the car. That should preclude it being a 400 car assuming the trans mount is orginal. crossmemeber appears to have never left its location to be honest. So that would make it a 350 car by default. Is there any fuel line or other clues/differences, i could tell that may indicate it was a HO car? If there is a chance then it becomes more obvious to spend the $85
thanks in advance.
this is my first 68 and I would love to keep it but i have a garage full as it is. most likely it will be available after i sift through the boxes of parts i got with it. Lol

Have you decoded the VIN yet? Maybe some clues in there. You mention the car is a basket case. Not knowing how far along,...have you pulled the back seat? I found a build sheet under the rear seat in mine.

no back seat. i have not decoded vin but it is an late april build v 8 22378u

pics
 

pictures from 68

See "Distinctive H.O. Equipment" in the '68 Sales Guide https://firstgenfirebird.org/1968-in...al/series/a-4/
So, maybe clues to a dual exhaust?

it does have rallyes with bias f series tires on the rear. i guess it is some how possible that is a clue. i might just get the phs its only $85 i guess

As a roller missing its original drive train, does it really matter if HO or not?

no, but yes. agree without matching numbers it is mostly irelevant, but a ho roller shoud be worht a little more than a 2 barrel roller. maybe maybe not

Your question interests me. My 68 was a V8 stick but so much is missing I've written off being able to determine the same thing. Previous owner claimed it had a posi rear but sold it out of the car before I bought it.

i just emailed for the packet. rare and valuable arent the same thing, but it would affect my desire to keep it, a little. i think by the numbers it would be rarer than a standard 400, but no original drive train,means little.

PHS docs indicated my 69 started life as a 350HO where as I always thought it was a base. It'll be nice to know and the PHS docs aren't all that expensive of course, but I think unless the car is put back to stock, value wise it's not going to matter. The way the market seems to be, the car may actually be worth more as a mid to high quality restomod than a factory stock 350HO.

Were the RA exhaust manifolds standard on the 68 LeMans/Tempest 350 HO? Thought I read somewhere that they were.

Just regular exhaust manifolds on the 350, 350-HO, 400

The main difference on a 350-HO in 68 , is it was a 4bbl vs. 2bbl ,
and got dual exhaust system.

In 69 they (350-HO) also got better heads (#48) with screw-in studs.
Not sure which heads the 68 350-HO came with

These cars had such a high tendency of getting modified / parted out and built back - the PHS can have welcome surprises sometimes.

"...Not sure which heads the 68 350-HO came with..."

#18

http://www.wallaceracing.com/enginesearch4.htm


This really has almost nothing to do with this thread. But, since I'm a drag racer, when I hear about a '68 350HO, I now automatically think of Adam Strang's '68 Bird Stocker. He tried a 350HO in it & ran some 10.80's, IIRC. Did I mention that this has almost nothing to do with this thread ? :)

Within the parts it has a 326ho distributor and a 9794234 intake. Weird eclectic parts mix
I assume it was sold as somers Pontiac I’m new haven ct as I found a cool emblem with a Pontiac chief on it. And a wings down horn button. Not in great shape but there it is. Lol

I own 2 69 350HO convertibles and neither of them have the original engine. One is a 4 speed and one is an automatic. The 4 speed has a 3:55 posi and the automatic has a 2:56 (I think) peg leg. I searched forever to find a 350HO automatic block and came up empty, so I put a 68 400 big car engine in it with 70 RA #62 heads. For the stick car, I found a 350 HO engine in really good shape, but of course it's never going to be "numbers matching" though all the codes will be correct. The 350HO is a niche car. The intent was to get close to a 400 in power for insurance reasons, but keep the lower cubes. With the standard 6, the Sprint 6, the 350 2BBL, 350HO and 400 and Ram air cars, if people wanted go-faster cars they bought the 400, so the 350HO, while rare, is rare for a reason, because the public didn't embrace it.

Let's say you find a 350HO block with not much else. By the time you pony up for all the parts to make it correct, it'll be way more than a 70 400 out of a Grand Prix. My advice is to get the PHS docs (should be interesting), but ditch the 350HO build... it's really not worth it. They made 400 2BBL GTO's, but no one wants them. The 69 350HO is a cool car and is plenty fast (for me anyway), but so is a non-Firebird 400. /2cents

"... 70 RA #62 heads..."

I've always heard that the #62 heads were used on '69 model year engines, and that #12 heads were used on '70 model year D-port RA engines.

http://www.wallaceracing.com/enginesearch4.htm

Don't mean to be picky. BUT, it's been my experience that on most of the Pontiac forums & FB pages, if you get the year model and/or part numbers wrong somebody will correct you.

So, if #62 heads were used on RA engines, or any engine, in 1970 model year cars, somebody please post links to online proof.

Pontiac part number police. :D

I HAVE read that the production of '69 Firebirds was extended past where it would have ended, because of an auto workers strike, or something.

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/201...-136-days.html

Here's a quote from another article.

"...Due to engineering problems that delayed the introduction of the all-new 1970 Firebird beyond the usual fall debut, Pontiac continued production of 1969 model Firebirds into the early months of the 1970 model year. while the other 1970 Pontiac models had been introduced on September 18, 1969..."

If this statement is true, what heads did the '69 Birds, which were produced after most 1970 models had been introduced, have on the 400 D-port engines ? Did they run out of #62 heads & begin using #12 or #13 heads ? I have no idea.

That brings up a similar question for each model year. Did they ever run out of older # heads & begin using the next model year heads ? Or did they make more heads than they could use every year ? If they had lots of left over heads, did they ever use 'em on the early engines used in the next year's models ?

I know I read that somebody found a 5C head on one side & a 6X head on the other, on a '75 model car. Don't know how often engines got the wrong parts. But we've all read of things that happened on the assembly line that was not supposed to happen. I assume that rather than hold up a car that was on the assembly line, they would often substitute parts that weren't exactly what was called for. Have no idea how often this kind of stuff happened, on Pontiac assembly lines.

Its gotten to where a lot of newer'ish enthusiasts call any 68-70 D-Port head that came with screw-in studs, 2.11/1.77 valves = RamAir heads.
Especially if selling them on eBay or CraigsList.
Its not far from the truth in physical aspects.
Just literary aspects.

I think it has been reported that some 69 Ram3 Automatic Birds/TA came with #62 heads.
Forgotten now whether that was correct or fake news
The Basic 400 Auto's used #62 for sure

Maybe Mystic's new Bird will come back from PHS as RamAir 1 car.
It wasn't built late enough to be in the running for RamAir 2

I passed on a really great local car in the early 90's because it was "only a 350-HO".
68 Bird Vert /Triple Black /Deluxe Interior /350-HO 4spd with #'s Drivetrain.
Damn sure wish i had it now though

the steering wheel definitely needs refurbished as i thas th eusual cracking. can anyone advise me on approximate value? i found two sets of air deflectors in the parts last night too. I am going to guess it comes back as a 350HO car but will find out soon enough.

Has anyone heard of Somers Pontiac in New haven ct? cool badge too bad its deteriorated so much.
also has a 97954 crank which is an unsual crank?
block is 70 YD 400 1 year only casting drilled for 4 bolts but only 2 bolt cap
one 62 head and one 16 head
it was a hot mess

The baffles for the radiator support were for A/C and 400 cars.
But they could have come from anywhere

Cracked up wheel depends on intensity and amount of cracks.
If it seems fixable enough to a DIY'er, it could sell for something.
$400-500 to have them re-cast ... cores bad enough that re-cast is their only option might get $25-35.

Cracked medallion will be low, but at least you have something versus nothing.
$10-20

If the dates on the Intake and single 16 head align with 3rd week April build, that could be useful.