Old Cars Reader Wheels: 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible
Proud owner, Leonard Pittman recounts the story behind his 1968 Pontiac Firebird.
By Leonard Pittman
A good friend of mine was a high school classmate of the original owner of our car. My friend had been trying to buy this car for years and finally convinced her (the owner) to sell; however, when the time came, he decided he had too many projects going on to take on another. My friend knew that my “first car” was a 1969 Firebird; same color, same engine (but it was a coupe), so he called me to gauge my interest, and I immediately said of course, I wanted it! My wife and her twin sister shared a 1968 Firebird convertible in high school, so there was a strong affinity for this car from both of us. Ultimately, my buddy was able to make arrangements to have his friend (the owner) sell the car to me.
Beyond my personal affinity for Firebirds, my wife’s family has been in the car business for going on 100 years. Her grandfather started an Oakland franchise in 1929 which of course in time became Pontiac. In the 1930’s he added Cadillac and at one time was the oldest Cadillac dealer east of the Mississippi. In 1975 they added Honda. The dealership is now GMC/Buick/Honda in Rocky Mount, NC and is still in the family and managed by the third and fourth generation. My wife worked in the business for almost 20 years and obtained her dealer certification from NADA, but when our daughter was born, she “retired” from the car business.
The car was originally purchased in June of 1968 from Lexington Motor Sales in Lexington, Virginia (approximately 35 miles from where we live in Staunton, Virginia). The car was purchased by a dad as a gift for his daughter’s high school graduation. It never left the area and was daily driven by the daughter until 1991 when it was parked in the family’s dairy barn. The daughter retained ownership of the car until we purchased it in late 2020 after it had been sitting for nearly 30 years, with 42,250 actual miles. The car is “matching numbers” with a 350 c.i. 2-barrel V-8 with a two-speed automatic transmission. Factory options include AM radio, floor console, rear speaker, door edge guards, remote mirror power steering, power convertible top, custom trim group, and floor mats. The exterior color is Verdoro Green with Ivy Gold interior.
The car is almost entirely original, including paint, interior, and convertible top. I even still use the original floor mats. I had a paint correction performed along with an application of ceramic coating. Unfortunately, during the time, the car was parked in the barn it sat alongside a lime truck which caused some surface rusting, particularly on the trunk lid, which got into the paint. Nevertheless, I have decided not to do anything further to the paint as most of the car looks fantastic for its age. The top only needed a good cleaning and coat of protective sealant. The interior needed cleaning and some touch up on the kick panels and the panels on the back of the seats, which had turned brown with age. I did replace the carpet but in hindsight probably could have saved the original. Fortunately, the car did not suffer from any serious mouse infestation. I am told by the mechanic that worked on the car originally that he was able to get the car running before we did any enhancements. I got a chance to look underneath the valve covers during the initial renovations and it looked like new. I would say the majority of the cosmetic improvements were underneath the hood. I painted the engine bay and the engine and replaced (with period correct OER parts) all of the hoses, hose clamps, belts, etc. and added a Delco “battery topper” and period correct battery cables. The original hood insulation was still there and completely intact.
Aside from cosmetic enhancements and replacement of certain limited-lifetime components, the engine and transmission have not been touched. I replaced suspension bushings, front springs, rear leaf springs, and installed period-correct Koni adjustable shocks. For safety and drivability, I installed power front disc brakes. I also period-correct dual exhaust. Vintage Rally II wheels and period-correct redline radial tires were installed (I went to 15-inch wheels and tires to accommodate the disc brakes), and the original deluxe steering wheel was restored. All updates were done using period-correct components when possible. The original “space saver” tire and inflation can is still in the trunk.
The car is a “driver” and we are certainly enjoying it! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the original owner of our car and was able to get some neat photos of her with the car, one of which is a photo in her graduation gown and cap. The car won it’s AACA Junior award in Gettysburg 2023 and it’s Senior award in Hershey 2023, and in February 2023 received a “Judges Award” at the Motorama show in Harrisburg, PA.
Owners: Grace, Julie, and Leonard Pittman, Staunton Virginia
*Images courtesy of Leonard Pittman
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