Put a few more detail parts on today. Suspect I'll be getting packages like this for a while yet.
Must say, I'm very impressed by the quality of these reproduction parts. Refreshing not to have to "adjust" new parts to fit, especially given my previous experience with some shoddy replacement components.
The first thing to fit was a new rear-view mirror.
The old had suffered after 44 years and gone cloudy:
... and the view with the new one fitted. A vast improvement:
Next up was the passenger side seatbelt assembly. The Pontiac's MOT is coming up at the end of next month so everything needs to be in order. The spool on this belt was playing up and wouldn't retract cleanly.
A complete new belt and retractor was the easiest way of getting the part I needed and meant that I'd have a few spare bits if need be.
The retractor is only fixed with a single bolt so it didn't take long to change it over.
Voila, one fully working seatbelt. Magic!
I also had a pair of fender braces to fit. These mount between the inner wings and radiator support structure, with the aim of reinforcing the front end and reducing any twisting or flex.
These were missing when I bought the car, which always puzzled me somewhat. When I came to fit them, however, it rapidly became clear why.
You can see that in the bottom-left corner of the picture my car has an external oil filter assembly fitted, which currently isn't connected. This interfered with where the fender brace would sit, so presumably the previous owner mounted it without checking it would clear the braces.
No matter. Simply remove the offending article!
I've no use for the external filter yet as I don't have a suitable adaptor for the oil pump housing. I will reinstate it when I get around to fitting an oil cooler as well, though.
That out of the way, the braces simply bolted into place.
I was quite pleased to find that they feel remarkably well located, as you can rock the car up and down by grabbing hold of them.
At a later date I'd like to upgrade to Precision Coachwork's fender braces as they're a tidier solution and more neatly finished:
www.ridetech.com/store/1967-69-camaro-stainless-steel-fender-brace.htmlLastly, I picked this up off eBay last week and it arrived about ten minutes ago - hence the quick and shonky picture.
It's a 750cfm "Quadrajet", the kind of carburettor that the car would have had when it was new. They can support quite heavily tuned engines so I've also picked up a book to help me tweak it to suit the Pontiac. I'm hoping that it'll be a much better match than the current Edelbrock carburettor and will deliver more power, improved economy and a smoother throttle response.
I've ordered a new Malpassi Filter King external fuel filter and pressure regulator assembly as well, to replace my temporary inline filter and regulator setup. Should help tidy up the engine bay no end and will be a safer and more precise way of metering the fuel flow.
Hopefully I'll be able to fit the Quadrajet and get the Firebird running with it straight away, as it's reputedly a rebuilt item and has just come off a running 454ci Chevrolet motor.
At least that's the idea...