Owner

Name
Bill Krause

Home Town
Woodbury, MN

Vehicle

Year, Make & Model
1967 Pontiac Firebird Sprint 6 Convertible

 How long have you owned this vehicle?
14 years

Where/how did you find this vehicle
Actually, I went with my father to purchase it new in 1967. It was his year-round daily driver until 1972.

Any projects planned for this vehicle in the future?
Updating some of the cosmetics like top and refreshing suspension.

Has this vehicle won any awards?
Small stuff at local shows

have you raced it? If so, where and when?
Nope

Best quarter mile time
N/A

 

 

Power Train

Engine size and Horsepower
230ci 215hp- Sprint option from factory with Rochester 4bbl and 11:1 compression

Tell us about any engine modifications
Stock-Fresh Rebuild

Transmission Type and Modifications
Factory 4 speed

Rear axle ratio and modifications
Stock

Suspension

Front
Stock

Rear
Stock

Brakes
Factory Disc

Other

 
Tell Us More

In the summer of 1967 I went with my father to Hansord Downtown Pontiac in Minneapolis to trade in grandma’s white 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 (an interesting car in its own right) on the Firebird.

The car is Montreaux blue with a black top and black standard interior. Dad has always been a fan of European cars so the idea of a small displacement, high output engine was a real draw to him. He spec’d the car with the OHC 6 and the Sprint package. The package modified the 3.8 liter in-line 6 with high compression pistons, a 10.5:1 compression head, stiffer valve springs and the newly debuted Rochester Quadrajet carburetor.

The engine was the brainchild of John DeLorean, then head of Pontiac. It was based on the Chevrolet 230-inch, cast-iron 6 but the single overhead cam was housed in the aluminum cover and supported by the journals instead of standard bearings. The entire power plant was driven by a fiberglass/rubber belt with cogs on the end of the cam and crank rather than a chain.

These changes took the output from 165hp to 215hp. To keep things sporty, the car also has the 4-speed manual transmission. Not stopping there, dad also opted for the gauge cluster which resides in the right binnacle with the speedo on the left. Instruments include fuel, oil pressure, oil temp and water temp.

According to the original window sticker the car came home for $2,250. I have the original loan papers and scratch pad with options listed and crossed off. One thing that was deleted was the factory console. The rally wheels had to go too but it originally came fitted with redline bias ply’s. The steel wheels with “poverty caps” are a good look in my mind.

The car was a daily driver from the day we brought home until about 1974. Then it sat in the garage until the later 1990s with only the occasional Sunday drives. The 83,000 miles on the odo are 100% original.

According Pontiac Historic Services approximately 1,200 6-cylinder converts were built in ’67. Not sure how many were Sprints and how many were 4-speeds. How many survive today is not known.

Despite the car being off the road for over 20 years, those early Minnesota winters took their toll on the body and the cammer was burning oil. In 2009 the engine was completely rebuilt as was the finicky Quadrajet. The reach of the internet played an important role in sourcing parts, however a surprising number of restoration catalog specialists still offer parts for this engine.

The body was completely stripped, blasted and repainted by the Jeff Benzinger and his crew of talented lads at Auto Body Plus. Once under the skin we learned the right front fender was too far gone to save and a replacement was ordered. Any other cancer was dispatched with a torch and some sheet metal inserts. All in all, not that much, though.

Carpets were replaced but the rest of the interior is completely original as is the top. All of the chrome is original as well save the ubiquitous Pontiac nose. The only real modification was going from 14”x6” wheels to 15”x7” to give it a more aggressive stance.