Early bird special.

[427-KING]

Any oddities about early firebirds as there are in camaros?? Bought these from the wife of a retired pontiac exec whos father also worked for pontiac.

[427-KING]

#2

[Jon Mello]

I was wondering who bought those. I am told by someone in Switzerland that "100005" is still around and owned by the same person who bought it new off the stand at the Geneva auto show in '67. Apparently it still gets driven from Switzerland to Spain once each year.

[427-KING]

Jon, Is that a 400 black convertible?  I have the paperwork for #3

[firstgenaddict]

Those are Lordstown cars correct?
Did JohnZ have anything to do with the setups there as he did with the Chevrolet F line?

[Jon Mello]

Jon, Is that a 400 black convertible?  I have the paperwork for #3

Chuck, I went back and looked at the email I got from the Swiss citizen and here are some of the details I was told about 100005...

"The Car belongs to older retierd Man who lives half time in Switzerland and half time in Spain now . The 400 Firebird Convertible
is blue and it was the Car that was used in the Geneva Car Show in 67 ! He bought it after the Show in Geneva and still have it .
It one time restored and the overall Condition is good , he still drive the Car from Switzerland to Spain a few times a year."

[427-KING]

Thanks Jon, I think im confusing that car with #8 which is a loaded 400 Midnight black convertible,if memory serves me .   #3 is[was] a silver/blue 326 coupe.  Car #1 was given to the daughter of the exec at pontiac who later  was responsible for reuniting   #2 with #1

[JohnZ]

Those are Lordstown cars correct?
Did JohnZ have anything to do with the setups there as he did with the Chevrolet F line?

Yes, those are Lordstown cars ("U" plant code). No, I wasn't involved in the '67 Firebird launch at Lordstown - I was transferred there in early 1969 to build out the Firebird/Impala/Caprice and convert the plant for the Vega.

[firstgenaddict]

Am I reading this correctly?
That you were involved in the builds of the last 69 Firebirds coming out of Lordstown?

If so I have a couple of questions as to what was different about assembly processes in Lordstown VS Norwood?

Did they have a separate Fisher Body plant as Norwood or was it more like the other GMAD plants and specifically Van Nuys?

[427-KING]

Car #2 loaded HO 326,along side at an auto show with  the introduction of the new 1992 firebird,listed as the first 67 firebird hardtop built ,in 1992

[JohnZ]

<< Am I reading this correctly?
That you were involved in the builds of the last 69 Firebirds coming out of Lordstown?

If so I have a couple of questions as to what was different about assembly processes in Lordstown VS Norwood?

Did they have a separate Fisher Body plant as Norwood or was it more like the other GMAD plants and specifically Van Nuys? >>

Lordstown and Norwood both had adjacent Fisher Body plants, only separated by a wall; Lordstown was unique, as the Trim Shop was "blended" - it had both Fisher and Chevrolet operations - Trim 1 was Fisher, Trim 2 was Chevrolet, Trim 3 was Fisher, etc.

In Final Assembly, there were significant differences between Norwood and Lordstown; at Norwood, the front sheet metal was installed to the body before the chassis was raised into place (just like the Van Nuys process). At Lordstown, all the front sheet metal was installed "piecemeal" (radiator support first, then fenders, then the bumpers, then the hood) on the Final Line after body drop. Photo below shows a '69 Firebird at the Lordstown Body Drop; that's me at the extreme far left, talking to Al Perttola, the Chevrolet Production Manager.

[69Z28-RS]

NEAT photo John...     
and your hair appeared to have a bit more color in it then??

Gary

[427-KING]

What is the car on the line in front of the firebird??

[x77-69z28]

Looks like an impala

[MO]

Looks like a Catalina/Bonneville to me.