I was going to make a joke about knowing what the problem was with your transmission just as you mentioned thinking about going with a 4-speed. My vote, go with the 4-speed. Get a Muncie which is probably what would have come in your car from the factory if a 4-speed was ordered back then. M20s and M21s are easier to find than the more desirable but very rare and expensive heavy duty close ratio M22s (known as the Rock Crusher). BTW, if you find a M22 for sale, you need to open the case and inspect the gears to make sure it's really a M22 on the inside. There are online sources explaining how to tell the difference. Regardless, open the case and look at all of the gear teeth to make sure none are broke. If they are, move on or adjust your price accordingly if you don't mind rebuilding it.

I'm in the vote against the Camaro style spoiler on first gen Firebirds camp. They look great on first gen Camaros, but out of place on Firebirds. Just my opinion of course. People like what they like and doing something you enjoy to your ride is all that matters. I guess I'm personally just more of a keep it Firebird type person. Glad to see you installed those radiator baffles. They are missing on so many cars for some reason.

It has been a year so I'm not sure what you have done to the car since then, but here are some things you can do to improve cooling on Pontiac engines. (1) One easy inexpensive thing to check is the clearance between the water pump impellor and the metal plate that covers the impellor before attaching to the timing cover. This makes a huge difference to Pontiac cooling efficiency. It will cost you some time, some more coolant, and a new water pump gasket. The clearance between the impellor and metal plate should be as small as possible, I'm talking 0.050" small. Sometimes, especially if the water pump has been replaced with an aftermarket unit with a stamped steel impellor, the gap can be as big as 0.250" or so. If the gap is too big, the metal plate can be shaped/hammered/adjusted to reduce the gap, and it needs to be as even as possible. FYI, the factory cast iron impellors are much better. There are also high-quality aftermarket units with machined aluminum impellors that are better than the cheap auto parts store brand stamped steel variety. (2) The 1968 and earlier Firebirds had 8-bolt water pumps and seemed to have a bigger issue with overheating (along with other Pontiac models). The 1969+ models had 11-bolt water pumps and were known to be better at cooling, so a lot of people convert to the 1969 style. You will require a new timing cover along with the pump if you go that route, and I think a new pulley. (3) Another thing to do is to add those horizontal plates that another commenter mentioned next to the hood latch. You need to direct the air to the radiator as much as possible. (4) On original 1968 Firebirds, there was also a small flexible air dam looking thing set back pretty far under the nose that directed additional air upwards. This is not the same as those large Camaro front air dams that some people like to add to Firebirds for "looks". (5) Another thing to check is that the fan is the proper size and is properly set in the fan shroud. I believe the proper fit is the fan blades should be half in and half out of the shroud as viewed from the side, and the fan should take up most of the shroud diameter (no huge gap between the outer edge of the fan blade and the shroud). (6) Finally, there is a mod that you can find on YT about ports on the back of the heads that can be tapped into that allow for better water flow through the heads. It seems to work pretty well for the people who have done it. I think it's pretty well known in the Pontiac world that the back of the driver's side head gets hotter than the passenger side. This is due to the water port back there going to the heater core only coming out of one side. The mod basically allows it to come out of both heads and that equalizes the temperature by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit based on what I've seen. You don’t need to waste money on electric fans and aluminum radiators that may or may not work before checking all of the above things first.

I'm about a year late, but the exact name for the speedometer max speed warning option is "Safeguard Speedometer". It's code 442 in the Pontiac dealer guide and was a $10.53 option in 1968 (about $95 in 2024). I think it's a pretty rare option. I'm on my 4th or 5th 1968 Firebird and I have never seen one before. I had a 2011 BMW 335i that let you do that same thing in settings and it would chime when the speed was hit. I like the analog Firebird way much better as far as ease of setting it to where you want it.

Great video. It gives me the motivation and confidence to work on my ‘71 Camaro. This channel is a win in my book! 👍….liked subscribed!

Pretty cool ride... love IT! Other pontiac friends. When flushing your cooling system. Consider hard flushing three items directly with a garden hose. 1. The heater core( its a pass thru system that collects sediment) 2. The engine block (amazing sediment collecter) 3. The radiator... do that part close to how this vid host did his) Ps. Turning on the fan and vent door controls has nothing to do with the heater core or the constsnt flow of coolant from motor thru the core. Best wishes.

first drives are always fun👍🏼 if your garage is humid , don't put a cover on , it will grow mold in the interior.

Most of the high Mileage oils have a little higher zinc from the research I have done. If your thinking of going roller cam then zinc is much less of an issue than having to worry about flat lifter ware. Looking forward to seeing more on your Camaro. I hope you find the time this summer. Cheers!

I have a 67 chevy impala 4 dr ht that a huge tree branch fell on smashed the window out pushed the dash the upper cowl down so i have to basically do the same as ur doing here to my impala i have a parts car im gonna salvage it all from.

Thanks for the update. I’ll be following along as I start similar work on my 68.

You’ve been MIA for a while. Miss watching the 68 Camaro build. The garage is look’n good.

Nice to see you getting settled. Lotta work indeed. 👍

I know the feeling brother

Yep it took months to restore that I spend weekends an days after work help with that

Ty for showing off the place I enjoy when I'm there to see bill an Peggy

advice on what to look for on 68 bird I am checking out..350 motor,, very stock Calif car

It happens and all that prep work for nothing, we all live and learn, I myself weigh in the cost of new ones verse a repair and sometimes it’s a crap shoot but new ones are probably needed moving parts that old and the availability of new one’s, some cars it’s no option due to no parts available

Hey, what's going on, man? Hey? Check it out. What was the kind of rust killer you use when you put those outer cowls back on to that Camaro? What was the brand again?

Nice project,good info really nice video, I just need to paint my 68 camaro love to see more

Hey, I just want to thank you for subscribing to my channel. I was watching your video earlier this morning about the outer cowls that you were installing on to your Camaro. Anyway, like I said very informative. Thank you for putting that video out. It gives me a good idea of what I'm going to be facing pretty soon here. Thanks again for subscribing. My friend God bless you.

Good video, very informative . I'm going to be replacing both outer cowl panels on a 72 nova, so this video gives me a heads up on what I'll be facing, so thank you for making this video.

Lock tight bearing set on the door bushings

Where did you purchase the cowls. I got R/s from Muscle car central (AMD)and needed to split and pull apart upper inside corner and patch and weld. D/s i got from American performance (Ebay) aka Taiwan absolute junk., Is there anything made in America anymore?

Nice work.

My 67 Firebird should look like your 68. My nickname is Elrod.

Following this whole series for my 70 SS nova thanks for the detailed info much appreciated.. Great work!!

Your video on this brings back memories. I also replaced my truck filler panel with AMD and had to incorporate the same modifications to fit. In addition, I had to cut and raise the area between the filler panel and truck. With regards to the bottom window area. I have left that open. In fact, I drilled out a small drain hole. I have been thinking about adding a small tube (about 1 inch) to the inside. Then if in the future I could attach a plastic tube and run that to the bottom of the quarter panel when required.

Better detail than the actual Detroit speed video! Thanks!

You'r a professional im at this step in my project. .

🤗 "promosm"

I had the same issue, the car ran hot so I install a fan clutch and I replaced the thermostat to 160 degrees , no more overheating issues. The car has no air conditioning but I found that these cars run a little hot in stop and go traffic. I also have a 1970 Tempest it also ran hot and I did the same thing that I did to my 1969 Firebird.

Love your videos ty

Cool, great to see it coming along.

I have been curious about this many times so this looks to be a good opportunity to ask. When tubbing what do you do for the upper shock mounts that were cut away?

Less offset on the wheels will help as well as a shorter tire. . Move the bottom shock brackets mounting up this will raise car almost an inch for every hole you move it up.

She is a roller!!

Congrats on the new Garage!!! Looking good!

I have had a cutoff wheel explode on me. Since them I always let the grinder run at full speed in a "safe space" before I use it, and wear a leather apron.

Great work! Glad to see a new video out. Hope your move went well!

I wish you happiness in your new home! Looking forward to more vids on the Camaro.

Lot of work. Enjoy the new digs! 👏👏👏

Hey Elrod, my 1968 F. Bird running hot fixes 1/. added an overflow and recovery tank with 1977 T/A radiator cap with stock spit & puke radiator. Still Hot so 2/. I had the carb rejetted from the stock Q jet # 70 Jets & 43 Metering Rods to 1974 - 455 SD Jets # 75 and 45 M. Rods. The garage told me that the stock Q jet was too lean and that the Q Jets needed to be tuned to run on unleaded fuel. Hope this helps. My stock radiator cools the 1968 Firebird 400 just fine. Mike

Very nice video. Thank you for taking the time to make it.

Another nice video. Thank you for taking the time to make and post

What company was the cowl section that you used

Nice video. I have a 69 z28 that needs complete restoration. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Just subscribed

I used a 75% vinegar water mix to flush out the system, then refilled it with the mix again after getting uo to temp and i let that sit overnight. You need to pull out the block drain plugs and flush with regular water until it runs clear. Also i took of the heater cire hoses and flush that out in both directions with one of those cheap hose jets that lowes sells. Then you can used the premix antifreeze. Take out the thermostat while your flushing it to get max flow and flush until the water is clear. Really i dont think anything that only stays in the radiator for 10 min does much and those flushes are harsh on the pump seals.

What type of metal stock are you using for the little patches on the rocker panels & stuff (thickness, grade, metal type, etc). I have a lot of little spots I'd like to patch rather than replace if there're small.

OMG, I have been leaving and coming back to these. I have everything out now and can't avoid them anymore. I will take your info and go at it fresh tomorrow.

Nice. I'm looking forward to the next video.