1968 Firebird 400

[Rafterman]

heres the deal If i can make 5,000 dollars, my dad will sell me his all original, 1968 Firebird 400. i need to sell my car to make that much. but before i sell it, is it worth it? would any of you do this?

[BonzoHansen]

Depending on the shape, yes, that could be a very good deal. Or not. Got pics, etc?

[Rafterman]

I'll get some pics in a minute or two, gots to eat easter breakfast. mmmmm

[Rafterman]

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6223.jpg
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http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6226.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6237.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6228.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6229.jpg
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http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6232.jpg
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http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/rafterman/digipics6238.jpg

[WildBillyT]

Yep, worth it IMO... if it is NOT going to be your daily car.

[Rafterman]

it is, i would have to sell my 80 T/A to make enough money for it. Take into consideration, this thing is in better condition than my car as well.

[WildBillyT]

it is, i would have to sell my 80 T/A to make enough money for it.

Then it may be painful but I'd pass for now. Based on how dated everything looks I'd guess that this car may leave you stranded on the side of the road a little too frequently than you'd like.

If you have a few grand more to pour into it then it's a possibility.

[Rafterman]

it is somewhat restored and it has never broken down, it is jsut dusty and dirty casue it has been sitting all winter.

[WildBillyT]

it is somewhat restored and it has never broken down, it is jsut dusty and dirty casue it has been sitting all winter.

If you did get it, I'd start by dumping the fire-prone air cleaner, do a carb rebuild, ditch the electric fuel pump, reconnect the PCV, and probably a host of other stuff that I can't see from the picture.

It does not look somewhat restored at all to me.

[johnjzjz]

any first gen car that has power steering, power brakes, A/C , and a V8 with auto trans, Parchment interior from the factory is worth spending 10 /15 grand on , couple years work its worth 25 maybe 30 or more - do the color original to trim tag thats the - most cash return - its on the tag not what you like just what i seen bring the most money -- good luck with it -- jz

[BonzoHansen]

You make that your daily driver and you will wreck it. Get a job & buy it w/o selling your 2nd gen (or get a beater).

Looks like a good car for $5k. Buy it & store it and do it over time. :2cents:

[Rafterman]

I just wanted this car since my dad got it 8+ years ago. i didn't get it first cause he needed to see i was responsible. now that i have the opportunity, i wanna jump on it. whats wrong with that filter by the way? it seemed better than mine.

[WildBillyT]

I just wanted this car since my dad got it 8+ years ago. i didn't get it first cause he needed to see i was responsible. now that i have the opportunity, i wanna jump on it. whats wrong with that filter by the way? it seemed better than mine.

That style has been known to catch fire. I heard the rumor but didn't believe it until it happened to me (not a big fire but still).

[BonzoHansen]

Those filters are known fire hazards.

BTW, let me clarify my statement. Driving that car every day will wreck it. Rain, salt, other people, etc.

Maybe make it a nice father & son project to do over the years that will be worth more to you in the long run then just a car. Maybe you can wrok out a payment plan.

[WildBillyT]

Maybe make it a nice father & son project to do over the years that will be worth more to you in the long run then just a car. Maybe you can wrok out a payment plan.

That is a fantastic idea. Maybe you can pay him as you get the money, and you get the title once it's all paid off.

[WayFast84]

I think its a nice deal, but I wouldt get it till your out of school and can get a daily driver. Its your dads car, so if he needs to get rid of it or is thinking of getting rid of it, you will be the first to know.

Dont those filters have foam? I also heard foam gets sucked in the carb?? just what i heard

[JL8Jeff]

The car looks like a good deal for that price but trying to drive it daily will take some definite maintenance and safety upgrades. See what you can do to try and buy the car over time while using something else as a daily driver, that's your best bet.

[camaro2you]

Those filters are a bad idea, one backfire it lights up, catches things on fire and then the pieces from the filter go down into carb, then the carb needs to be rebuilt and so on....seen it happen to my cousin. Anyway back to the car, i would wait till u have the money to buy that and a cheap beater car to get you around.

[BigAls87Z28]

I wish I had a 3 car garage...id give your father the 5k for it!! Looks like its in restorable shape. I guess it would have to take someone to really go over it to see how far and wide the rust is. But a 68 Firebird 400 with the options you have is a great car to have. Probably could sell it for more in its current shape.

[maroman88]

my dad has a 67 firebird 400, we paid 13k for it resto/moded a few years ago and yes its a garage queen lol, gets dusted off not washed

[bad64chevelle]

its gonna be horrible to watch this car get ruined...

[j0n]

uh...i'd possibly give you 6k for it(give your dad the 5k and keep 1 for yourself)

[Rafterman]

the thing is, the 5k would be more of the family deal, i have no idea what he'd want for it for anyone else. and thanks bad64, for your wishful thinking.:finger:

[johnjzjz]

the thing is, the 5k would be more of the family deal, i have no idea what he'd want for it for anyone else. and thanks bad64, for your wishful thinking.:-x

unless you are able to understand that you are only a care taker of a classic that will only be less of in time - and over time what you do will either destroy another classic because, you are to young perhaps to really understand the enormous responsibility you have , as the custodian of a piece of automotive art work - if you don't get that than he is correct for some of us watching it end up in the sh#tter is what will happen -- my end hope is what ever you do you seek advise from the mature bunch posting on this site and their are lots of them -- they wont steer you wrong and in the end you wont have what otherwise will be a distaster -- jz

[Rafterman]

i have had my 80 for some time nowand have been treating it like the classic it is. i just hate when people think Teenager=bad driver. I understand that i have to baby this thing. jsut as i have my own car but even better. and i will seek the help of the people on here. thanks john.

[WayFast84]

you dont understand, its not the driving that they are talking about, they are talking about the actuall restoration. You can make lots of mistakes building/restoring a car, some times they can be deadly.

[Rafterman]

/thread

[JL8Jeff]

I've been there and done it several times with older Camaros. You have to be prepared to replace a lot of the mechanical things that go bad on a daily driver. If you sell your car and buy this 68, you will need to have some extra cash to make sure you can replace the parts that need replacing. It won't be cheap and you have to do it for safety reasons. And if you're driving it every day, you won't really be able to restore it at the same time. So we're just saying to try and work a deal where you can buy the car but still have another vehicle to rely on for transportation. Has your dad run the car through PHS to get the history report on it? That will show all the factory options on the car and it's nice documentation to have.

[bad64chevelle]

the thing is, the 5k would be more of the family deal, i have no idea what he'd want for it for anyone else. and thanks bad64, for your wishful thinking.:finger:

You can be mad all you want about my statement, but I am not so much worried about YOU wrecking the car...i never said you were a bad driver, did I? Rain/Snow/Sleet/Hail/Wind....MOTHER NATURE will take its toll on the car as a daily driver. Looks like it has a nice home where it is right now, until you can restore the car and treat it the way it should be. Another thing is you have no control over other drivers, we all take risks driving our cars...driving that on a daily basis is taking a huge risk. Like I said take what I say as you want, but my advice is to wait on driving that thing every day. I know what a full restoration entails, I know what the elements do to a vehicle, I know what the car is, and I know how other people drive....the odds are against you.

[SteveR]

It's a very nice car and a great deal, but I'd save up the cash and keep the TA as well, those Pace Cars are also rare and will only appreciate in value over time.