Tempting Fate

[Mr Mac]

A couple of days ago my better 9/10ths (Chey) and I went to buy her a Jeep and it just didn't work out. We discovered more problems in less than five miles of driving than we were lead to believe. We were taking it home and it over heated within just a couple of miles and there was steam leaving the head around the manifolds. Not a good sign. We then noted a few holes in the radiator while filling it up and the costs to repair just started to add up too fast for what we paid for the thing and when I suggested a lower price they passed and gave us a full refund. Lesson learned. Move on.

When we got home she got back on CL and started poking around again at other cars and one of her searches included Firebird's/Trans Am's and she called me to look at an ad she found for a '76 Firebird.

The ad was for a car that had straight sheet metal and a new interior. The 350 was recently rebuilt and a new set of brakes and dual exhaust. The big issues were a tire that won't hold air and a fuel leak from the carburetor that was bad enough to load the top of the intake manifold with enough gas to start a decent fire.

We got over there yesterday morning after a one and a half hour drive to the sticks. We saw the car with its aforementioned flat tire and the primer gray paint job. The body was pretty good with some dings but no real issues that I saw right off. We got it started and the engine sounded good and sure enough, there was a good amount of gas pouring out of the accelerator pump. The seller told me it was a new carburetor and that he was sure it was a simple fix. I was thinking $.30 gasket but you never know.

The interior was recently redone in what looked like a black velour, not the stock vinyl, with a new headliner. There was no carpet or underlayment so I got a good look at the floor boards. There was a hole (about the size of a dollar) that was previously patched with, I kid you not, a license plate in the driver's side floor and a couple of very small holes under the rear seat. All easy fixes with just the welding wire and patience.

Overall the car was pretty solid but the severe rainfall, hail and the lightning bolt that darned near caused a laundry problem for me precluded any more investigation. As an investment this car was pretty solid. The seller was an 18 year old youngster who bought the car based on its looks and never figured on having to pay for the gas that 350-4V is capable of consuming and needed cheaper transportation. Now I know his motivation for selling and, at $2,000 I could see a fair profit just by selling it in a populated area!

We had moved to the garage and Chey was going to move the van to the garage as well but then walked over to us saying something about the thing not wanting to start. The youngun's dad then said something about working for a towing company his brother-in-law owns and that we could always get home. She had it in reverse while trying to start it...common mistake but we did get some key info!

We decided to leave and think it over and as we drove in the rain we discussed the options we had and, since there are a number of hot rodders in our neighborhood we figured we could see a fast turn around and made a decision to offer no more than $1,200 for the car as she sits. I thought that was a fair price considering I still have to pay another $200-300 to get it moved to the house.

I called back to the owners and verified that the owners father did work for a tow company made an offer of $1,100 for the car and the tow back to St Peters. After a minute of them talking it over a counter of $1,150 was agreed to. The car will be delivered to my driveway this morning. Pictures, of course, will follow.

So, here we are knowing that for many, many years the big battle between the Blue Oval and The Bowtie ended in the "heartbeat of America" suffering cardiac arrest. The whole thing is revived when Chevy decides to bring the Camaro back from the grave and go for round 2 and I gotta go and slap a re-badged Camaro on the driveway next to a Mustang!

If we lose gravity it may be my fault.

 

[OLE PONY]

Nothing wrong with a nice Firebird. They are my second love.

 

[Don65Stang]

Congratulations on the next new old car.

 

[whitesoc]

At least it doesn't have Ban One on the license plate! I have to say that the T/A is my favorite car from the General.

 

[Mr Mac]

Today we took possession of the 1976 Pontiac Firebird. When Chey and I first decided to go look at the car we didn't say anything to the kids as they would have just said, "whatever..." or something to that effect. After we went to see it Friday we did decide to let them know what we were doing and what car we went to see and that we had made an offer that was accepted and we were the latest owners of the Firebird.

In the past I may have eluded to the fact that my youngest son, Jake, has always been enamored by the Firebird and, most especially by the Trans Am so his interest was certainly piqued as we told them what was going on since there was no way for them not to know when it showed up. With that in mind, Chey did tell Jake that this car was, first and foremost, an investment in our business venture and not to get attached to it as we would certainly sell it for the right money should it come along. He agreed and we went on about our day.

Saturday found us renting a storage unit so we could clear the garage to put the Mustang in it and subsequently have a place in the driveway for the Firebird. Jake had been his normal self in trying to get out of work and goof off rather than to concentrate on the tasks at hand. He did, of course do his work, but there was nothing different about his behavior until high noon when the flatbed arrived with the Firebird sitting pretty on deck. Without warning I was wearing a 140 pound kid on my back hugging me and making odd giggling kind of noises.

We met with the soon-to-be previous owners and off-loaded the car, exchanged money and paperwork and they were on their way. Jake had been all over the car from the moment its wheels touched the ground!

We had to go and buy a new battery for it and when we got it installed Jake wanted so desperately to be able to pull the car in to the driveway. I truly wanted to let him but with a known fuel leak and not knowing how the car would drive even from the street to the driveway, I just couldn't chance it. I did, however let him do the honors of starting it.

For those of us who have been around old cars enough, we know that the older cars with their normally aspirated engines can be a bit, well, fickle in how you get them to run and this car was no different. Jake turned that key expecting something to happen right away and was worried when it didn't. I told him to pump the accelerator a few times and try again. Still no fire in the belly of the 'Bird. "Go ahead," i told him, "try her again."

For me, there is nothing more gratifying than to see one of my kids smile out of sheer glee and this boy was about to swallow his ears when that 350 fired off into the headers and dual exhaust! I just happened to look over at Chey as she had spun around when that roar echoed across the road and she saw that same silly childish grin and laughed. He then hopped over the console and I took her on in to the drive with him still smiling like the Cheshire cat!

He just couldn't stop grinning!

While it is still in our plans to sell the car to build a bit more capital to feed the restoration of the Mustang it is so hard not to just toss the keys at him and be done with it. So hard! I did tell him that if he put in the wrench time that when we did sell the car we would use some of that money to put towards the T/A he really wants.

Don't worry, once I get the fuel leak issue fixed and ensure the other systems are working as the should then he'll get a shot at driving it out at the conservation area where I first took Kennedy for her first driving lesson.

Originally a Cameo White car it is now the familiar primer gray.

Nose needs some attention, a sort of rhinoplasty...

We do have five rally wheels.

The powerplant, GMs venerable 350. The car was originally a 2 bbl 350. The Edelbrock and Holley were added somewhere in the past.

Inside there is new cloth upholstery which is wrong for the car and a new headliner.

I think this plate was supposed to be on the back, not plugging a hole!

Bad gasket on the accelerator pump should be a very easy fix for Jake!

In all, it ain't perfect but for the money we have a good candidate for a young man's first restomod!

Mac

 

[OLE PONY]

Looks like a good project. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mr Mac]

I took part of today to teach Jake how to find and research the part number for the Holley and then determine which rebuild kit we'd need. He was able to correctly identify it as a 600 CFM Street Performance carburetor and then we went to the parts store and he asked for the correct item (which wasn't in stock) and then went ahead and ordered it and payed for it up front (my money, of course ). Talk about a father and son moment! His first parts order!

 

[URUGUAYAN_FASTBACK]

Well Mac... Jake is a very fortunate kid on having you as a father! I´ll bet this car will be the love of his life for a good ammount of years! Help/teach him everything you can man!!