A Very Important Step On A Pontiac Engine Is To Check The Distance From The Divider Plate To The Water Pump Impeller,Should Be Approximately .060 ,You Can Use A Press Or A Dead Blow To Massage It ,I’m Working On One Now That Is .250 ,It’s Pumping Almost No Water ,Just Stirring It !!! Thank You For Your Videos
Its a 69. Only year of this body style, 68 chrome wrap= around bumper.70 1/2 second gen. All fun cars. I had 3 all running same time years ago. But sadly time goes on, and so does rust. Great channel Uncle tony has turned me on to.
Older video but quite good. Totally agree, the little details often tell the story on the car. One thing about bellhousing lower cover plate - use it. I've seen a couple cars where a rock somehow got bounced up into the flexplate, it wreaked havoc hitting around in there and actually ended up bending the flexplate.
All and all it looks like a nice car, it needs a few things but I'm sure you'll sort those out...Nice to see the mascot doing his part of the inspection. 👍
I have nothing but respect for what you do Kiwi, fantastic effort that you put into sorting out the woes these classics arrive with. Props to you, keep up the great work... 😎
Videos like this scare the heck out of me, as I love cars, but I'm no mechanic. It's exactly why as much as I'd like to, I''ll never buy a car off of the Internet. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone like Kiwi here in CT. to do a trustworthy inspection. As it is, I can't find anyone to work on my stock 1959 Rambler American Super! Keep doing what you do Kiwi - I wish you had a place near me!
69 350 Firebird was my first car. I got it in 1976 for $600.00 off the lot. I was 17 & they seen me coming, the bondo was an inch thick. It would cost more to sort it out than I paid for it, but I loved that car.
He got his money worth. Everything he puts into it will make it worth its actual value. All these older car prices are sky rocketing! Very glad to have acquired my old car in 1990.
Appraised in 1990 for $6500. So your price would be $7500. I never sell anything, not my old Chevy, Chysler, Ford, or Jeep. If my wife survives me, she may do as she pleases with them. I will have her message you. The Chevy, Chrysler, and Jeep are all older looking(not too fresh, faded paint, chevy truck is rusty) sleepers and fast in the order listed from fastest to next slower. It's so funny when people floor it to try and compete. My pedal lifts at the speed limit and they rocket by, afterwards of course.
I wish I lived near you all, I'd come work there a few days a week! I don't have any auto shop experience, but I love the challenge of getting a car's dashboard electrics working, and have enjoyed much success at it on my own vehicles. Your shop attracts what I prefer to work on.
Hi kiwi. Good to hear you say petrol! Would love to hear if you've had any holdens in your past,and I'm interested how you ended up in Tennessee. Great work.
Thanks mate! Yes there's been a couple of Holdens, an EH and a 1900 LH Torana. Came to Tennessee from Austin Texas, Mrs Kiwi was offered a very lucrative job here Nashville so we followed the money, I was able to open the shop and not have to worry about the finance's for awhile and the rest is history😁
An inspection here pays 1 hour flat rate on a NEW car. Now please clarify whether the inspection was for a cert. to drive the car or a 4 hour PRE PURCHASE inspection. When the individual inspected the car did they drive 55mph for 60 minutes to check rad flow???? This car is nearing 60 years old. Don't blame the inspector.
@@maxwebster7572 BS. Any decent inspector would/should check operation of things like wipers, idiot lights, rad fan operation, and brake operation. Inspection on this car seems to be a glance underneath to look for rust, and does it have shiny paint. There are so many plainly visible issues that I wonder if anyone actually looked at the car in person. And, that car is supposedly 'restored'. The ONLY thing wrong that was possibly 60 yrs old on that car was the brake hose. I blame the inspector 100%. A 10 minute walk around would have spotted almost all of the car's issues.
@@61rampy65 Most techs have never seen these suspension mods nor are they qualified to do them. My point was that there is a missing link in the chain and that if you take a Model T down to the Ford dealer they will hit the reverse pedal thinking it is an accelerator. My experience 100% is the buyer's naivety or inexperience and using the wrong shop. You can't take an electric Tesla car to Uncle Tony and expect him to diagnose it perfectly.
Still makes me laugh every time I see a kiwi in a shot.... Especially hanging out under the car🤣 often wonder are you from North or south island originally?....p.s. should call kiwi.... Kenny kiwi😁😁😁
He's Kev the Kiwi! ( Kenny is his second cousin from Waimate mate😜). I'm from the north island, Taranaki as a kid then Auckland. Been in the states since 08. Thanks for watching.
Warning lights are totally useless even when they work. Oil pressure light comes on just in time to tell you that a rod bearing is spun. Temp light comes on just in time to tell you the block is cracked. Even factory gauges are set non-linearly, the temp gauge stays in the normal range until just before the car boils over.
Nice looking car but as you said it's got some issues. My question is the guy who inspected the car and said it was okay. Was he recommended from the guy he bought the car off? They always say if you're going to buy a house never get the house inspector that's recommended by the real estate agent because they're in cahoots together. So this may be the case. The inspector probably in cahoots with the car dealer. Who can you trust today? Nobody by the looks of it. 👍👍🙂🇨🇦
Agree with Reaper about the water pump diversion tubes/plates Love the Tech info always,you might want to redo the fuel lines and wiring zip tied to the r/h rear hand brake cable
They threw a lot of good stuff at this car, just the final execution is lacking a bit. Seems like a well thought out package that should be fun to drive. Please show us your fix for the wheel well trim. 🙂👍
Roll it too, while attempting to mimic what was done on the quarter panels? You'd probably need all new screw holes, but if done right, it should work. I don't think I would want to trim the mounting flange on the molding, and try my luck with panel adhesive. I'd describe that car as a pretty decent build, but poor finish quality with respect to all of the fine details.
Space being an issue... maybe theres enough left to notch that trim some for clearance and use smaller screws [2 mm or some such] on tighter spacing? Trick is finding it in stainless [and dimpling trim if countersunk for smooth appearance]. As found, a car wash might damage that trim for lack of attachment.
Since i bought the Speedway drum to disk conversion kit for my 65 mustang i can spot the GM metric calipers all day!!! If they worked on a 78 Cadillac El Dorado they should be just fine on the 65 Mustang LOL
Greetings Kiwi you've moved from pony cars and now into Firebirds I sense an animal kingdom theme! It sounds like the Firebird was behaving like a Hillman Imp with a sensor switch light goes on damage done one cooked Imp!!!!
A Hillman Imp. I'm gonna guess your not American 😁 Thanks for watching ! Also don't forget the Barracuda! And my Falcon... you my be onto something there😁
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 Northern Ireland here Kiwi the land of rampant corrosion!!!!!! . Do you ever see Plymouth Crickets in your neck of the woods we had a Hillman Avenger that was bought brand new and was rusting after about 3 months!!! I can still remember my dad driving it back to the dealership and turning the air blue!!!
You sounding good sounding strong welcome back. Now I've always liked the bird over the Camaro. Nothing wrong with the Camaro just personal preference. Back in the day they said it's ugly old bird beak. Ugly about that beat now is breaking the bank when you buy one! I'm assuming it's a 68 I thought I caught a glimpse of the front from bumper. Now my favorite year is the 67 first year. I know not much difference really between seven and eight. But the major difference for me is the wing windows on the 67. I personally like them. That's a nice looking car I wish my 68 looked that good. Been sitting on the trailer for about 8 years now. Guess the first step is to get off the trailer and start working on it. But it has a rust free floor. I love that blue it's very pretty color. Thanks for making the video. How's the better half of the kiwi family doing?
Thanks mate! Mrs Kiwi is doing much better too now thanks. She's started adding things to my "Honey-do list" again so she must be feeling better right....? Drag the car off the trailer and get to work man, that's an iconic car. Post some videos on YT
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 as I told a friend of mine whose wife went to a recent bout of illness. I said is she giving you a hard time yet riding your backside yet? He said well yes she is that's a very good sign. He got fire in the furnace could be feisty, then they're improving. I just went to a junkyard I had 500 cars and basically the nearest thing was maybe 1970 going back into the forties. Found a wreck 67 mustang that looks like it was something before I got wrecked probably putting ditch on the front right. The 67 looks a lot wider than the 66 I actually measure and see if that five lug axle fit my wife's 66. Besides it's a 289 automatic 5 lug everything I need to convert her's to a v8 car just for our own enjoyment
@@CAROLDDISCOVER-1983 sounds like a cool place to visit. The 67 rear axle is 2 inches wider than the 66. Has the same spring mounts though so will bolt in.
Wow Kiwi the man paid somebody to go and inspect the car for him and did not catch all those things?!! I guess it's buyer beware when you are buying a vehicle from out of state eh? Would you know Bill Jansen in NSW Shoalhaven Australia? He said you have a place in New Zeeland to. Great video, thanks for showing us what to look out for mate.
Some of these self appointed inspectors are guys that can't get a job in a real shop I suspect. I read a report once where it states that the car showed signs of a minor accident I the right rear. Just standing behind it you could see the RR quarter was down. 2 1/2 inches to be exact and a bent rear frame rail🙄 I don't know Bill but I've heard of him. I don't have a place in NZ now
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 Bill said that Furnie just turned 80 and has been into Hot Rodding his whole life in NZ. Bill said he is going to ask Furnie if he knows you.
34 seconds in, I'm looking at an overheating Firebird thinking that the baffle behind the water pump went back in the core box. Bought a 68 400 rag top in 1978 for $200 because of this problem.
Interesting Firebird to come in your shop is a very good car and even then that good still has a lot serious issues. I learn from your expertise about the cars that come in and you go over them on your videos with troubleshooting inspections is very interesting ! It bears repeating, you have a great channel. I was referred to you by UTG. By the way, when the Firebird was outside, there was a black 67-68 Mustang coupe I always see around. Is it yours or Barry's?
It's actually a customers cars that we've been waiting several months for an interior. It's finally here so weee about to press on with it and get her finished. We'll do a video on that car and all that's been done to it. I have a 66 coupe, if you google KSV9000 you'll see it!
Well, to be fair, things could have been A LOT worse. A few grand added to the final price is a lot better than a car that needs to be disassembled and a bunch of stuff fixed. When I was a kid my dad had a 69 Firebird. It got stolen, but he got it back. Wasn't a very fast car either. It was a small V8.
I bought a 76 Eldo out of a Miami dealer a few years back that was just like this. Beauty to look at but everything was wrong. Inspent a ton trying to get it right then sold it for a huge loss. I didn't have it inspected...
It happens. This guy won't have to spend a ton but he will end up having overspent a bit. But being such a rust free example the investment will come back to him😁
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 At least if he gets some enjoyment out of it, he can chock the overbudget up to that. Looks like it will be a dependable car for quite a while if the powertrain is solid.
That car has big potential once all the stuff's fixed I noticed the Chrome oil pan Cromwell Panther a bad idea they hold Heat I'm sure the owner doesn't know that
Your right chrome does hold the heat. Something we may look at if we still have an overheating problem. At this stage actually having the fans working correctly seems to have stopped the overheating. It's getting A/C soon so that will test it
That upper control A arm bush don`t look pretty actually looks pretty bad to me (8.16) on the video. But I`m sure you`ll talk more about that in future update. Hey keep up the good work top channel
great video ,best channel on youtube,topic of conversation at smoko and im hoping you could straighten out our know all painter ,he claims rich fuel mixture reduces oil pressure ,308 VK Commodore Quadrajet carburettor ,we all laughed at him but he claims its true ,thoughts Kiwi????
The only way that could have an element of truth to it is if the the car was running so rich that unburnt fuel was getting into the oil and thinning it out. It would have to be very rich and do a lot of miles between oil changes. But strictly speaking no it won't , the two systems are not directly connected. Put way bigger main jets in and oil pressure doesn't just drop.
Check for the diverter plates behind the water pump if it keeps overheating. A lot of people throw them out when they rebuild the motor, or they just forget to put them back in. Shame they put a sniper system on it. I prefer less electronic garbage on older cars. Plus it's silly to upgrade to fuel injection and not have a way to monitor engine functions.
I think it's the incorrectly programmed fans but I'll keep your tip in mind for sure. You can monitor the functions on the little screen/programmer but it's way to small to look at while your driving🤦
That fan shroud is not deep enough, there are areas where the air cannot escape the radiator, only where the fans are and probably only when they are running. My cooling improved when I made a shroud 2.5" deep.
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 The idea is when engine is at temp cruising the fans should stop. Then the rad has cooling air passing through all of it, unrestricted, until engine temp rises and fans kick in again. I ended up installing a Dorman Electric Fan 620-101, had to trim the shroud on it down, but that moves air!! Two speed, I only use high. It's in a 3rd gen Camaro, mediocre air flow.
Malcolm, the shroud on this car does have louvres stamped into it to allow some air flow through. I do agree with you that sometimes they can be restrictive. I like the little rubber flaps that will push open when up to cruising speed.
Seems most people fail to put the torque converter cover back on, especially the GM's. It's only what 2 bolts? Why leave it off & if you loose it get a new one!
Wow. I guess I'm happy that I own a 74 Nova, that when it's done, won't leave me guessing on the side of the road. Pretty sad that you get these cars after the fellow has spent his hard earned money on it.
It's possible but those big ole cast iron head can take some heat. When the oil on the engine starts to sizzle you got problems. She wasn't that hot though at least not by the smell. So fingers crossed
Shame on the guy who inspected that car he took the guy's money had no integrity didn't figure out what the problems were with it didn't tell him and now he goes to kiwi he's the man to do it all and make it right
I can't say your wrong, these old girls need a lot love. It's just the nature of the beast. Cars are such an integral part of our lives, for some they want the latest and greatest and for others they want the style and grace or raw performance of another era. When cars smelt like oil and gas, when you changed plugs and points every 5000 miles. Sure we pay a price for those short comings but for the most part it's worth it. It's smiles to mile bud, if you like them old buy one, drive it and smile..... a lot!
The customer is exploring his options right now.... He's asking the dealer to cover the cost of the repairs so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. Recourse on the inspector is a good question, there should be in my opinion but I'll bet he has some kind of disclaimer written into his paperwork somewhere....
A looker but mechanically unsafe to drive. My old GMC pickup might not be a looker but at least she stops whenever I want to. The cosmetics follow after the mechanical work is done... Anyway, at least this car has most of the expensive parts already on it, up to Kiwi to make her right!
I don't understand spending that much time and money on a car to not do it right. I work at a collision repair/body shop and unfortunately we don't get to work on anything cool. But even a Kia should be put back together properly. I just don't understand how anyone could send a car out unfinished. It's not only dangerous but it makes you look bad
Nice car and free of corrosion, hopefully the engine isn’t cooked and the chrome wheel arch trim wouldn’t have made it into the workshop straight into the scrap bin, less is more, don’t built a tarts handbag ! Chrome front pulleys are particularly annoying too, Holley sniffer or sniper ? Educate me please, looks like single point fuel injection so what’s the advantage over a carburettor ? Mr Kiwi will sort it all out no doubt, maybe get uncle Tony round to turn the pistons round arse about 😳
"Tarts handbag" now that's funny!! The Sniper is a throttle body injection system with a 4 barrel throttle body and 4 injectors. A little simplistic compared to a sequential port injection system but still effective. Big improvement on cold start running and drivability. Small improvement on throttle response and economy. Holley are improving them all the time and they've come a long way. I wouldn't buy an early one second hand though
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 hi kiwi, thanks for the sniper heads up and if they get it reasonably priced robust and you can hook it into your mobile for tuning I’m in, don’t want mine in chrome though mate !
Donald, they may have have the phone option now and if not they must be be working on it. Everything else is app based these days. To be honest my knowledge on the Sniper is limited. I'm pushing Holley to become a official installer but as there's a guy a couple of miles from me they say that too close. I'm arguing that he only does engines and only installs Holley EFI systems on engines he's dyno'ing which leaves a lot of people out of the loop.
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 hi kiwi, yes things always progress, and if you have an interest in the efi systems nothing to stop you buying one maybe a used one as well for spares, expert yourself up a bit mate, this whole system is only a few components away from sequential injection, I think Weber are doing it or it’s called Alfa Weber now, crank sensor 8 injectors bit of wire in a housing measuring airflow, and I do wonder why Holley didn’t skip the what I call single point and concentrate on sequential, probably fire up the injectors off the plug leads, ha ! or maybe not ? But nothing new under the son, Cummins diesel, everyone else Scania Volvo etc had injector pumps, timed of the front of the engine, Cummins no just a flow pump with a governer vacuum pipe off the turbo to pull more fuel in and a cold start, injectors worked like the valves, of the cam with their own pushrod and rockers, unit injection, everyone’ doing it now but electronically, unit injectors running off a couple of wires, from 6 mpg (U.K.) to 10, 300 bhp to 500, so imagine I pop into see you with my elderly mustang requesting one of your fuel systems, you fit it and I pick up 40 bhp and massively improved fuel economy, easy starting etc, got to be a future from the retro fit market in that, and performance wise we’re still dumping the the petrol in via buckets really using carbs, the franchise thing can be problematic, buy a new car your stuck with a franchised dealer for maintenance or void your warranty, don’t make them the best mechanics, you no doubt as a business warranty your work and your reputation, only thing that can happen is technology, a franchised dealer would be allowed access to technical information that may not be available to you, for instance maybe if I disconnect the fuel injection on my modern car replaced a part reconnect it it might not start
Looks like the owner not really electronics minded? How about... ditch that EFI, and stick a new vrs4150 carby on there? Run fans on relay with simple on/off/auto arrangement. Wires are traceable... but program setpoints are invisible to the uninitiated.
Quadrajet and HEI or points - and then both super tuned by someone who knows what they're doing, which is the hardest part to find. Might've been a shop or person not familiar enough with EFI, who installed the kit and got it to start up.
The owner is an eye surgeon so no. In theory the EFI should be good for him once it's set up properly. But until then..... it's frustrating for me as Holley won't set me up as an installer as there is another guy doing it about 2 miles from me. Trouble is he will only tune on the engine dyno( doesn't work on cars only the engines). Not very helpful🤦
I think cars like this piss me off more than the hacked together jobs.... Cmon guys, yall spent a lot of money to make this car what it is, why can you not fix the breaks, put the damn throttle cable on it right, and just finish the project. This wasn't as much a scam as it was lazy.
A Very Important Step On A Pontiac Engine Is To Check The Distance From The Divider Plate To The Water Pump Impeller,Should Be Approximately .060 ,You Can Use A Press Or A Dead Blow To Massage It ,I’m Working On One Now That Is .250 ,It’s Pumping Almost No Water ,Just Stirring It !!! Thank You For Your Videos
The last 30% of throttle is the fun part. 😂😂😂
True!!
Its a 69. Only year of this body style, 68 chrome wrap= around bumper.70 1/2 second gen. All fun cars. I had 3 all running same time years ago. But sadly time goes on, and so does rust. Great channel Uncle tony has turned me on to.
Oh my, I must've had too much coffee...I'm seeing double, 2 Kiwis....and a flightless firebird! 😂
😂🤣. That's pretty good !!
Love the 67-73 Firebirds. This car will clean up nicely with just a few tweaks!
Uncle Tony would be proud of the Sniper!
Very informative, and I’d never heard the expression you used - “the last 10% is 80% of the job”. So true.
Thanks man and thanks for watching!
Oh I gotta steal this quote 👍🏻😄
I like watching these videos to see what I need not to do with certain situations
I'm glad to see your assistant is always on the job!
Older video but quite good. Totally agree, the little details often tell the story on the car. One thing about bellhousing lower cover plate - use it. I've seen a couple cars where a rock somehow got bounced up into the flexplate, it wreaked havoc hitting around in there and actually ended up bending the flexplate.
Great channel.
Thanks and thanks for watching!
Good thing the subframe's powder coated, boiling coolant raises hell with anything painted
Yea it does !
Because I'm just that kinduva guy, that is a '69 Firebird. The first giveaway was the Rising Phoenix side markers. 69 only.
Yeah brain farted that day, quite a few differences 🤦
All and all it looks like a nice car, it needs a few things but I'm sure you'll sort those out...Nice to see the mascot doing his part of the inspection. 👍
I have nothing but respect for what you do Kiwi, fantastic effort that you put into sorting out the woes these classics arrive with. Props to you, keep up the great work... 😎
Thanks mate! It's never dull at the shop that's for sure😬👍
Videos like this scare the heck out of me, as I love cars, but I'm no mechanic. It's exactly why as much as I'd like to, I''ll never buy a car off of the Internet. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone like Kiwi here in CT. to do a trustworthy inspection. As it is, I can't find anyone to work on my stock 1959 Rambler American Super! Keep doing what you do Kiwi - I wish you had a place near me!
Thanks man and thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing, it surely has come to the right place to get it all sorted out.
Thanks mate!!!
Kiwi,have you noticed that bloody bird that keeps turning up in your shots!😃
Has some good bones. One of my favorite cars.
I prefer them to the Camaro. For looks...
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 We are rare birds, I only get grief when I say this around car people.
69 350 Firebird was my first car. I got it in 1976 for $600.00 off the lot. I was 17 & they seen me coming, the bondo was an inch thick.
It would cost more to sort it out than I paid for it, but I loved that car.
He got his money worth. Everything he puts into it will make it worth its actual value. All these older car prices are sky rocketing! Very glad to have acquired my old car in 1990.
I'll bet you are. I'll give you a grand more than you paid for it!!!...🤣
Appraised in 1990 for $6500. So your price would be $7500. I never sell anything, not my old Chevy, Chysler, Ford, or Jeep. If my wife survives me, she may do as she pleases with them. I will have her message you. The Chevy, Chrysler, and Jeep are all older looking(not too fresh, faded paint, chevy truck is rusty) sleepers and fast in the order listed from fastest to next slower. It's so funny when people floor it to try and compete. My pedal lifts at the speed limit and they rocket by, afterwards of course.
Well hopefully I won't be getting that call anytime soon man!! Keep having fun with them
I wish I lived near you all, I'd come work there a few days a week! I don't have any auto shop experience, but I love the challenge of getting a car's dashboard electrics working, and have enjoyed much success at it on my own vehicles. Your shop attracts what I prefer to work on.
Yeah we could use some help!
The new owner brought it to the right place for it to be made right.
Thanks mate!
Thank you for the video! Keep em coming! 👍
Thanks mate, glad your enjoying them!
If you have a problem with your classic car.
Step 1, take it to Kiwi
Step 2, drive home happy
Cheers mate!
Hi kiwi. Good to hear you say petrol! Would love to hear if you've had any holdens in your past,and I'm interested how you ended up in Tennessee. Great work.
Thanks mate! Yes there's been a couple of Holdens, an EH and a 1900 LH Torana. Came to Tennessee from Austin Texas, Mrs Kiwi was offered a very lucrative job here Nashville so we followed the money, I was able to open the shop and not have to worry about the finance's for awhile and the rest is history😁
Details are everything! How could any inspector miss all that stuff....
An inspection here pays 1 hour flat rate on a NEW car. Now please clarify whether the inspection was for a cert. to drive the car or a 4 hour PRE PURCHASE inspection. When the individual inspected the car did they drive 55mph for 60 minutes to check rad flow???? This car is nearing 60 years old. Don't blame the inspector.
@@maxwebster7572 BS. Any decent inspector would/should check operation of things like wipers, idiot lights, rad fan operation, and brake operation. Inspection on this car seems to be a glance underneath to look for rust, and does it have shiny paint. There are so many plainly visible issues that I wonder if anyone actually looked at the car in person. And, that car is supposedly 'restored'. The ONLY thing wrong that was possibly 60 yrs old on that car was the brake hose. I blame the inspector 100%. A 10 minute walk around would have spotted almost all of the car's issues.
@@61rampy65 Most techs have never seen these suspension mods nor are they qualified to do them. My point was that there is a missing link in the chain and that if you take a Model T down to the Ford dealer they will hit the reverse pedal thinking it is an accelerator. My experience 100% is the buyer's naivety or inexperience and using the wrong shop. You can't take an electric Tesla car to Uncle Tony and expect him to diagnose it perfectly.
That's a nice First Gen! I'll be following this one very closely. It's going to be a hell of a sweet ride when you're done with it!😎
Yeah it's nearly there
Still makes me laugh every time I see a kiwi in a shot.... Especially hanging out under the car🤣 often wonder are you from North or south island originally?....p.s. should call kiwi.... Kenny kiwi😁😁😁
He's Kev the Kiwi! ( Kenny is his second cousin from Waimate mate😜). I'm from the north island, Taranaki as a kid then Auckland. Been in the states since 08. Thanks for watching.
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 😆😆waimate.... 🤣🤣 stop it... Ha ha love your work... Keep it up.. Great channel😎🤙
The birds are called "kiwi"??.. I thought that was a fruit
The guy who did the inspection was the seller's brother, apparently.
Ya gotta wonder.....
Lol.
Warning lights are totally useless even when they work. Oil pressure light comes on just in time to tell you that a rod bearing is spun. Temp light comes on just in time to tell you the block is cracked. Even factory gauges are set non-linearly, the temp gauge stays in the normal range until just before the car boils over.
I bet it's still performing flawlessly.
Fun car, my buddy had a 72. I was the underclassman so I got to ride in the back when we went light to light on Friday nights.
Safest seat in the car...
@@DanEBoyd yep in the back seat with the girls we picked up
Not for the girls...!!🤣😂
Nice looking car but as you said it's got some issues. My question is the guy who inspected the car and said it was okay. Was he recommended from the guy he bought the car off? They always say if you're going to buy a house never get the house inspector that's recommended by the real estate agent because they're in cahoots together. So this may be the case. The inspector probably in cahoots with the car dealer. Who can you trust today? Nobody by the looks of it. 👍👍🙂🇨🇦
I wondered the very same thing.......
Good job Kiwi! Thanks for sharing. Chuck in Florida
Cheers mate!
Agree with Reaper about the water pump diversion tubes/plates Love the Tech info always,you might want to redo the fuel lines and wiring zip tied to the r/h rear hand brake cable
Yes there is a bit of tidying up to do there for sure! Seems like they ran out time at the end and just slammed it together in the final stages
Did the ripped boot on the driver's side upper balljoint ever get fixed?
They threw a lot of good stuff at this car, just the final execution is lacking a bit. Seems like a well thought out package that should be fun to drive. Please show us your fix for the wheel well trim. 🙂👍
I will as soon as I figure one out😎
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 hahaha 😂
Roll it too, while attempting to mimic what was done on the quarter panels? You'd probably need all new screw holes, but if done right, it should work. I don't think I would want to trim the mounting flange on the molding, and try my luck with panel adhesive.
I'd describe that car as a pretty decent build, but poor finish quality with respect to all of the fine details.
Space being an issue... maybe theres enough left to notch that trim some for clearance and use smaller screws [2 mm or some such] on tighter spacing? Trick is finding it in stainless [and dimpling trim if countersunk for smooth appearance]. As found, a car wash might damage that trim for lack of attachment.
@@flinch622 yeah, it has to be fixed. 👍
Since i bought the Speedway drum to disk conversion kit for my 65 mustang i can spot the GM metric calipers all day!!! If they worked on a 78 Cadillac El Dorado they should be just fine on the 65 Mustang LOL
Greetings Kiwi you've moved from pony cars and now into Firebirds I sense an animal kingdom theme! It sounds like the Firebird was behaving like a Hillman Imp with a sensor switch light goes on damage done one cooked Imp!!!!
A Hillman Imp. I'm gonna guess your not American 😁 Thanks for watching ! Also don't forget the Barracuda! And my Falcon... you my be onto something there😁
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 Northern Ireland here Kiwi the land of rampant corrosion!!!!!! . Do you ever see Plymouth Crickets in your neck of the woods we had a Hillman Avenger that was bought brand new and was rusting after about 3 months!!! I can still remember my dad driving it back to the dealership and turning the air blue!!!
We had avengers back in New Zealand. Quite good rally cars! Never seen a Cricket here.
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 I forgot about the avenger being a good rally car they kinda played second fiddle to Escorts
Yes it did !
You sounding good sounding strong welcome back. Now I've always liked the bird over the Camaro. Nothing wrong with the Camaro just personal preference. Back in the day they said it's ugly old bird beak. Ugly about that beat now is breaking the bank when you buy one! I'm assuming it's a 68 I thought I caught a glimpse of the front from bumper. Now my favorite year is the 67 first year. I know not much difference really between seven and eight. But the major difference for me is the wing windows on the 67. I personally like them. That's a nice looking car I wish my 68 looked that good. Been sitting on the trailer for about 8 years now. Guess the first step is to get off the trailer and start working on it. But it has a rust free floor. I love that blue it's very pretty color. Thanks for making the video. How's the better half of the kiwi family doing?
Thanks mate! Mrs Kiwi is doing much better too now thanks. She's started adding things to my "Honey-do list" again so she must be feeling better right....? Drag the car off the trailer and get to work man, that's an iconic car. Post some videos on YT
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 as I told a friend of mine whose wife went to a recent bout of illness. I said is she giving you a hard time yet riding your backside yet? He said well yes she is that's a very good sign. He got fire in the furnace could be feisty, then they're improving. I just went to a junkyard I had 500 cars and basically the nearest thing was maybe 1970 going back into the forties. Found a wreck 67 mustang that looks like it was something before I got wrecked probably putting ditch on the front right. The 67 looks a lot wider than the 66 I actually measure and see if that five lug axle fit my wife's 66. Besides it's a 289 automatic 5 lug everything I need to convert her's to a v8 car just for our own enjoyment
@@CAROLDDISCOVER-1983 sounds like a cool place to visit. The 67 rear axle is 2 inches wider than the 66. Has the same spring mounts though so will bolt in.
@@CAROLDDISCOVER-1983 that sounds like a good candidate for a donor car.
Wow Kiwi the man paid somebody to go and inspect the car for him and did not catch all those things?!! I guess it's buyer beware when you are buying a vehicle from out of state eh? Would you know Bill Jansen in NSW Shoalhaven Australia? He said you have a place in New Zeeland to. Great video, thanks for showing us what to look out for mate.
Some of these self appointed inspectors are guys that can't get a job in a real shop I suspect. I read a report once where it states that the car showed signs of a minor accident I the right rear. Just standing behind it you could see the RR quarter was down. 2 1/2 inches to be exact and a bent rear frame rail🙄
I don't know Bill but I've heard of him. I don't have a place in NZ now
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 Hey Kiwi, Bill Jansen wanted me to ask you if you know Furnie?
Doesn't ring a bell...
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 Bill said that Furnie just turned 80 and has been into Hot Rodding his whole life in NZ. Bill said he is going to ask Furnie if he knows you.
Hmm. Nope nuthin. Unless I know him by a his full name...
34 seconds in, I'm looking at an overheating Firebird thinking that the baffle behind the water pump went back in the core box. Bought a 68 400 rag top in 1978 for $200 because of this problem.
Wow. What a deal!!
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 I felt a little bad about it. The imaginary Angel on my shoulder wanted me to tell the guy what was wrong with it.
Interesting Firebird to come in your shop is a very good car and even then that good still has a lot serious issues. I learn from your expertise about the cars that come in and you go over them on your videos with troubleshooting inspections is very interesting ! It bears repeating, you have a great channel. I was referred to you by UTG. By the way, when the Firebird was outside, there was a black 67-68 Mustang coupe I always see around. Is it yours or Barry's?
It's actually a customers cars that we've been waiting several months for an interior. It's finally here so weee about to press on with it and get her finished. We'll do a video on that car and all that's been done to it. I have a 66 coupe, if you google KSV9000 you'll see it!
@8:16 You guys eventually get to that driver's side upper ball joint?
Yeah we put a new boot on it😁
Well, to be fair, things could have been A LOT worse. A few grand added to the final price is a lot better than a car that needs to be disassembled and a bunch of stuff fixed.
When I was a kid my dad had a 69 Firebird. It got stolen, but he got it back. Wasn't a very fast car either. It was a small V8.
I think a 350 2 barrel was as tame as V8s got for Pontiac in 1969.
Yes. At least he doesn't have a rusty car, some of those early Firebird/Camaros are rotten
I bought a 76 Eldo out of a Miami dealer a few years back that was just like this. Beauty to look at but everything was wrong. Inspent a ton trying to get it right then sold it for a huge loss. I didn't have it inspected...
It happens. This guy won't have to spend a ton but he will end up having overspent a bit. But being such a rust free example the investment will come back to him😁
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 At least if he gets some enjoyment out of it, he can chock the overbudget up to that. Looks like it will be a dependable car for quite a while if the powertrain is solid.
That car has big potential once all the stuff's fixed I noticed the Chrome oil pan Cromwell Panther a bad idea they hold Heat I'm sure the owner doesn't know that
Your right chrome does hold the heat. Something we may look at if we still have an overheating problem. At this stage actually having the fans working correctly seems to have stopped the overheating. It's getting A/C soon so that will test it
That upper control A arm bush don`t look pretty actually looks pretty bad to me (8.16) on the video. But I`m sure you`ll talk more about that in future update. Hey keep up the good work top channel
Good spotting. Certainly needs a new boot on it. Thanks for watching!
great video ,best channel on youtube,topic of conversation at smoko and im hoping you could straighten out our know all painter ,he claims rich fuel mixture reduces oil pressure ,308 VK Commodore Quadrajet carburettor ,we all laughed at him but he claims its true ,thoughts Kiwi????
The only way that could have an element of truth to it is if the the car was running so rich that unburnt fuel was getting into the oil and thinning it out. It would have to be very rich and do a lot of miles between oil changes. But strictly speaking no it won't , the two systems are not directly connected. Put way bigger main jets in and oil pressure doesn't just drop.
Probably from American Dream Machine's! 😨😨😨
what engine 389 or 421?
That was a while ago and honestly I forget what it had.
The dealer must have a tame inspector
Tame or clueless .......
Please let us know who the Stealership is in Iowa.
Check for the diverter plates behind the water pump if it keeps overheating. A lot of people throw them out when they rebuild the motor, or they just forget to put them back in. Shame they put a sniper system on it. I prefer less electronic garbage on older cars. Plus it's silly to upgrade to fuel injection and not have a way to monitor engine functions.
I think it's the incorrectly programmed fans but I'll keep your tip in mind for sure. You can monitor the functions on the little screen/programmer but it's way to small to look at while your driving🤦
We're going to Dakota digital gauges in it to get a full and readable set of displays
The Kiwi looks unconscious.
He's not very talkative these days......
That fan shroud is not deep enough, there are areas where the air cannot escape the radiator, only where the fans are and probably only when they are running. My cooling improved when I made a shroud 2.5" deep.
Could be. Going see how it goes with the fans going, has to be an improvement right
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 LOL I'd definitely think just having the actual fans will make the biggest improvement!
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160
The idea is when engine is at temp cruising the fans should stop. Then the rad has cooling air passing through all of it, unrestricted, until engine temp rises and fans kick in again.
I ended up installing a Dorman Electric Fan 620-101, had to trim the shroud on it down, but that moves air!! Two speed, I only use high. It's in a 3rd gen Camaro, mediocre air flow.
Malcolm, the shroud on this car does have louvres stamped into it to allow some air flow through. I do agree with you that sometimes they can be restrictive. I like the little rubber flaps that will push open when up to cruising speed.
Kiwi .. You gotta chup bro? (he'll know what I'm talking about) from an Aussie ;)
That's a new one to me bud......
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 chips, hot chips, fries.
"She's a '69, Baby!"
I'm going call that a brain fart due to Covid fatigue 😬. I knew it was a 69 but 68 came out my mouth ....... sheesh.
I’m so curious as to how much did this owner pay for this Firebird ?
I wonder if it's a real Firebird 400?
I didn't dig into that, just fixed it 😁
The new owner did it right by having an inspection, but sadly the inspector was a yahoo. No good can come of that.
What's with the anteater??
That Kev the Kiwi! He'd kick an anteateaters ass 😁. New Zealand's national bird and very rare.
another hacked up car. check out the hit on driver side lower a arm spring pocket.nice original paint though. they didn't make many in that color
I keep seeing a weird bird hanging around in your videos.
That's Kev. He does all of the inspections and points out all of the problems. He also goes on test rides.
Lol. Kev's a fixture round here, started out as a bit of a gag now he wants his own channel🙄
Seems most people fail to put the torque converter cover back on, especially the GM's. It's only what 2 bolts? Why leave it off & if you loose it get a new one!
Agreed!!
Omg, I bet they threw a good car by out installing the holly sniper with that dodgy throttle cable
"Dodgy". There's an expression I don't hear very often Stateside😁. Sums up a lot of the work on this car though
At least the underside looks solid not all hacked up with poor workmanship
Wow. I guess I'm happy that I own a 74 Nova, that when it's done, won't leave me guessing on the side of the road. Pretty sad that you get these cars after the fellow has spent his hard earned money on it.
Agreed! Trouble is these cars are getting to be a lot of money and where ever there is a lot of money there are conmen!
THAT'S A 69 FIREBIRD
Yeah you're right. Bit of brain fart that day😬
With it overheating like it did, it may have warped the heads. Just a thought.
It's possible but those big ole cast iron head can take some heat. When the oil on the engine starts to sizzle you got problems. She wasn't that hot though at least not by the smell. So fingers crossed
Shame on the guy who inspected that car he took the guy's money had no integrity didn't figure out what the problems were with it didn't tell him and now he goes to kiwi he's the man to do it all and make it right
Dig that krazi Kiwi...
Thanks man and thanks for watching!!
It’s a pity it’s not a four speed car in a better color.
Another awesome vid.
Thanks mate!
If that is a 1968, why does it have 1969 fenders? Or is it a 69?
That`s sad but at least its not rusty.....
Correct!! Rust is so expensive to fix. The ticket on this won't be all that much
69 Firebird.
Nice looking- But, Yikes !
She's better than a lot we see.
you need a better mic so we can understand you, especially out in traffic
The guy filming sounds like he needs a bypass surgery
Yeah, he was a heavy smoker....
You called it a ‘68 Firebird at the beginning of the video. It is clearly a ‘69. Just saying.
Yeah, my bad. I do know the difference, I guess I'll just have to put it down to a brain fart I guess😬
You can put a lot of money in an old classic and at the end of the day you still have an OLD CAR waiting for something else to break
I can't say your wrong, these old girls need a lot love. It's just the nature of the beast. Cars are such an integral part of our lives, for some they want the latest and greatest and for others they want the style and grace or raw performance of another era. When cars smelt like oil and gas, when you changed plugs and points every 5000 miles. Sure we pay a price for those short comings but for the most part it's worth it. It's smiles to mile bud, if you like them old buy one, drive it and smile..... a lot!
No comeback on the so called expert inspector?
The customer is exploring his options right now.... He's asking the dealer to cover the cost of the repairs so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. Recourse on the inspector is a good question, there should be in my opinion but I'll bet he has some kind of disclaimer written into his paperwork somewhere....
A looker but mechanically unsafe to drive. My old GMC pickup might not be a looker but at least she stops whenever I want to. The cosmetics follow after the mechanical work is done...
Anyway, at least this car has most of the expensive parts already on it, up to Kiwi to make her right!
Couldn't agree more. Safety first then the drivability/reliability then the lipstick😁
Dealers even though the sale is as is no warranty is still responsible for safety.
Yes, the customer is.... shall we say , in discussions with the dealer.....
I think I'd be more pissed with the guy that did the inspection. He's either crooked or doesn't know much about cars....
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 I would be also.
I can tell you are a ford guy… that’s a 69 😁
I don't understand spending that much time and money on a car to not do it right. I work at a collision repair/body shop and unfortunately we don't get to work on anything cool. But even a Kia should be put back together properly. I just don't understand how anyone could send a car out unfinished. It's not only dangerous but it makes you look bad
In the words of the legendary Tim the Tool Man Taylor, "if it worth doing, it's worth doing right"
Temporary battery ends
Sniper not an upgrade. All that aftermarket crap lessens reliability and function. Except the the 200-4R
I agree!!
Nice car and free of corrosion, hopefully the engine isn’t cooked and the chrome wheel arch trim wouldn’t have made it into the workshop straight into the scrap bin, less is more, don’t built a tarts handbag !
Chrome front pulleys are particularly annoying too, Holley sniffer or sniper ? Educate me please, looks like single point fuel injection so what’s the advantage over a carburettor ? Mr Kiwi will sort it all out no doubt, maybe get uncle Tony round to turn the pistons round arse about 😳
"Tarts handbag" now that's funny!! The Sniper is a throttle body injection system with a 4 barrel throttle body and 4 injectors. A little simplistic compared to a sequential port injection system but still effective. Big improvement on cold start running and drivability. Small improvement on throttle response and economy. Holley are improving them all the time and they've come a long way. I wouldn't buy an early one second hand though
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 hi kiwi, thanks for the sniper heads up and if they get it reasonably priced robust and you can hook it into your mobile for tuning I’m in, don’t want mine in chrome though mate !
Donald, they may have have the phone option now and if not they must be be working on it. Everything else is app based these days. To be honest my knowledge on the Sniper is limited. I'm pushing Holley to become a official installer but as there's a guy a couple of miles from me they say that too close. I'm arguing that he only does engines and only installs Holley EFI systems on engines he's dyno'ing which leaves a lot of people out of the loop.
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 hi kiwi, yes things always progress, and if you have an interest in the efi systems nothing to stop you buying one maybe a used one as well for spares, expert yourself up a bit mate, this whole system is only a few components away from sequential injection, I think Weber are doing it or it’s called Alfa Weber now, crank sensor 8 injectors bit of wire in a housing measuring airflow, and I do wonder why Holley didn’t skip the what I call single point and concentrate on sequential, probably fire up the injectors off the plug leads, ha ! or maybe not ? But nothing new under the son, Cummins diesel, everyone else Scania Volvo etc had injector pumps, timed of the front of the engine, Cummins no just a flow pump with a governer vacuum pipe off the turbo to pull more fuel in and a cold start, injectors worked like the valves, of the cam with their own pushrod and rockers, unit injection, everyone’ doing it now but electronically, unit injectors running off a couple of wires,
from 6 mpg (U.K.) to 10, 300 bhp to 500, so imagine I pop into see you with my elderly mustang requesting one of your fuel systems, you fit it and I pick up 40 bhp and massively improved fuel economy, easy starting etc, got to be a future from the retro fit market in that, and performance wise we’re still dumping the the petrol in via buckets really using carbs,
the franchise thing can be problematic, buy a new car your stuck with a franchised dealer for maintenance or void your warranty, don’t make them the best mechanics, you no doubt as a business warranty your work and your reputation, only thing that can happen is technology, a franchised dealer would be allowed access to technical information that may not be available to you, for instance maybe if I disconnect the fuel injection on my modern car replaced a part reconnect it it might not start
cont….without plugging the car into a franchised dealers laptop, anyway just borrow a dealers laptop 👍 always interesting kiwi thank you
Don
That's a '69, not a '68.
I know. I think I was having a brain fart that day. 😬
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 It happens to the best of us......and typos.
Hard to understand the sloppiness in the tweaking things.
Looks like the owner not really electronics minded? How about... ditch that EFI, and stick a new vrs4150 carby on there? Run fans on relay with simple on/off/auto arrangement. Wires are traceable... but program setpoints are invisible to the uninitiated.
Quadrajet and HEI or points - and then both super tuned by someone who knows what they're doing, which is the hardest part to find.
Might've been a shop or person not familiar enough with EFI, who installed the kit and got it to start up.
I suspect your right Dan. Holley market it as a do it yourself install. Not sure I'm completely onboard with that......
The owner is an eye surgeon so no. In theory the EFI should be good for him once it's set up properly. But until then..... it's frustrating for me as Holley won't set me up as an installer as there is another guy doing it about 2 miles from me. Trouble is he will only tune on the engine dyno( doesn't work on cars only the engines). Not very helpful🤦
Really pretty car, I hope isn't a pig with lipstick on.
It's really not, it's just the final execution is lacking.
I think cars like this piss me off more than the hacked together jobs.... Cmon guys, yall spent a lot of money to make this car what it is, why can you not fix the breaks, put the damn throttle cable on it right, and just finish the project. This wasn't as much a scam as it was lazy.
My thoughts exactly!
Kev does not look happy.
Lol. Watch the next video. He gets to meet his hero😁
It has camaro quarterpanels 😂👎