[unruhjonny]

I stumbled upon this listing today, and am wondering what these are really worth.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363434401032

I have this exact kit, except my box has a slightly different label (same colours, just no model information).

I realize that some put listings up with large BIN prices to see what interest it might garner, but this listing in particular has me wondering if maybe I should consider parting with this kit.

[Norwood]

Watch the auction. Don’t think it will be selling anytime soon at that price. Being an owner or dealer installed part I don’t see the value anywhere near that. I’d say it would prices at 3-400. Just my thoughts, I could be way off on this one.

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by Norwood

... I’d say it would prices at 3-400. Just my thoughts, I could be way off on this one.

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

With the value of some underhood components, I was a little paranoid over twenty years ago...

[Norwood]

I have one on my car just because of what you stated

['ol Pinion head]

The slider style lock was less problematic on the '71-72 Pontiac accessory hood release than on Old's version... that noted, the plastic levers tend to snap off on both. Years ago had a local 442 friend who machined replacement levers out of steel. I've had two of the same boxed accessory pkgs as Kurt currently has listed & have sold them both. Just couldn't see drilling the holes to install the first one.

The Olds setup was much more common to find on boneyard cars 30-35 years ago, still have a few left, the control head under the dash is the same, it's just the cable connects to a cable operated latch versus a slider setup.

[Norwood]

Mounted

[unruhjonny]

There's another one right now on ebay, it's a different part number;
According to my MPC this one (Old's style that Norwood and I have) is listed for 1972+ Firebirds, while the other one is listed as 70-71 Firebird.
The other listing appears to be incomplete, but has a whole latch mechanism which has me wondering if the setup I (and Norwood) have is significantly different, since a replacement latch mechanism isn't included.

If my memory serves me, the other "70-71" kit is 988834.

[Formulabruce]

We ( GM Dealer ) stocked just the lever assy and mount that mounts under dash. Lots had cable bind and this part got broke. This set up is not that hard to build and put release in console, or on a key fob. Also people don't lube their hood latches either.

[John V.]

988993 was the Accessory Package for the A & G series. Not sure how the Firebird Accessory Package differed.

But if it was a correct fit for the Firebird, I would think Pontiac would have listed it as such and reflected the F body usage on the box.

Since it wasn't, I think the eBay listing shouldn't show it for the F body.

I'm also not sure when it first became available, Eric White listed it for '72 but not '71 in his GTO Reference book. Doesn't mean it wasn't originally offered for '71 but whatever Eric used as a resource apparently didn't list it for that year.

I don't have similar resources for the Firebird Accessory Packages but it looks to me that the 988834 was correct for the early 2nd gen Firebird and probably correct for all 2nd gen Firebirds at least until an Inside Hood Release was made standard equipment if ever.

Eric's book lists an Accessory Package for the '70 A body, 988817. Not sure how it compares to the later kit.

Many Accessory Packages were just like the factory option, allowing you to add various options that the build didn't get ordered with.

The Firebird package 988834 may have been equivalent to a factory option, though I'm not sure if an Inside Hood Release was a factory option on the 2nd gen at any point.

But my impression of the A-G package 988993 is like so many Dealer Accessory Packages. Profit adding trinkets that Dealers could offer but which were often no different from the trinkets you could get from retailers like J.C. Whitney except the dealer sold them for 50% more than J.C. Whitney priced them.

Some guys like to outfit their rides with these embellishments. Nothing wrong with it. In a hobby where mass produced cars such as Pontiacs are differentiated by the minutest of options, dressing one up with Accessory Packages can be fun to do and interesting to see at car shows.

Don't know if anybody wants to spend $1000 for this Package but when new, the dealer retailed it for about $12.

[Norwood]

Jonny and mine use the stock latch. There is a bar that when locked keeps the latch pull from being pulled. It physically blocks it

['ol Pinion head]

Grp 20.000 ACCESSORY PACKAGES, DEALER INSTALLED


988735......69-70 76 (GP)

988799......70 All Pont (B series)

988834......70 23 (F series)

988993......71 A,F,G series

988994......71 42 series (GTO)

<source: 3/71, 3/72 MPC's>

last one....
989156 ......73 F

<source: 1/73 MPC>

[unruhjonny]

@ oph - thanks!!

@ John - I am guessing that the 993 ened up superceding the 834 & 994;
My box label (again same colours as the ebay listing) does not indicate one or two body styles;
It has instructions and templates for F, A, & G vehicles;
Mine has the heavy paper template for use on a Firebird cut out, but it's apparent it was never used.

I did notice that the Parts Place makes the "Olds" cable, so for people like me and Norwood, that's a nice option incase the cable goobers up.

It would be nice if someone had instructions for the 834 kit, as the different cable and appearance of the hood latch being included has me really curious.

[Aus78Formula]

Good info. It should have been an option for all years, or to move the hood release inside instead.

[John V.]

Roger, good work. I should have known to check in the MPC, I knew Accessory Packages are listed in the '66 MPC.

I gather you didn't spot the 988817 Package that Eric White shows in his book for the '70 GTO (and I assume A body in general). Curious if it is a valid p/n.

For anybody that didn't see it, here is the 988834 kit on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32472265996...UAAOSwzTZg-E7E

I assume the 988994 kit was related to the unique '71 GTO bumper? While the 988993 was specified for all other A body models?

No idea if the 988994 was superseded by the 988993 kit or simply obsoleted without an available substitute. Would be interesting to compare those 2 kits side by side.

But if the 988993 kit works on a '72 GTO, hard to imagine it wouldn't work on a '71 GTO. Unless there were differences between the 2 years? Or if perhaps Eric White listed the wrong kit for '72 in his book?

I checked the Accessory brochures in the GTO Source Book. Shows a pic for '70 with the pull handle, describes both the '71 and '72 (no pic) as having a pull handle.

That suggests the kits for those GTOs were more like the 988834 rather than the "slide control" seen on the 988993. Unfortunately, the brochure only says they were available from the Dealer, doesn't provide the Package p/n.

I didn't pay close attention, but the brochure indicated that the Inside Hood Release was standard equipment on big Pontiacs starting in '71 and available on all other Models as a Dealer Accessory (big GM models had a major redesign for '71).

Given the outside pull handle hood release used on the '73 Firebird, I always thought it would have been a relative no brainer to modify it into an Inside Hood Release.

[Norwood]

Without question you could make that work on an f body.

[Aus78Formula]

I mocked up a custom interior cable on my 78 many years ago when it was complete, to test if it would work. Instead of being a side-pull, the Firebird catch is from the front. I added two 90 degree pipe bends for the cable to pass through, were actually heater hose offcuts. One was just behind the driver's headlight, opposite on mine but no difference, to keep cable free of kinks, across towards the centre support, where a second smaller hose directed it back to the latch. It used a locking clamp and could be cut to length, but it worked fine with the length I had. With the hose sections cable-tied to solid areas, the pull handle worked. But the 2-stage latch is where it got tricky. It was perfect with a second person, or by a few attempts to get it to sit right when lifted slightly and then returned to cabin to pull again. Often, the hood pop spring was enough to create tension to pull it twice from dash.
But it had potential, could add an anti-theft access panel below the cable behind the bumper, at your own peril...

I also have the old Cal Custom Hawk hood lock cable push-pull set and an Aerocatch set, neither are what I want use. But the Cal Custom Hawk setup can also be modified to interrupt the stock latch from being pulled, rather than their own locking setup which is a touch too industrial and back yard! Plenty of room for aftermarket ideas that bolt up without major mods but nothing really seems to have come of that.