1978 Pontiac Firebird

Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

Clear

Gasoline

1978 PONTIAC FIREBIRD ASPIRING ROCKFORD FILES CLONE 305 V8, TWO BARREL CARBURETOR3 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONAIR CONDITIONING (NOT WORKING)PS/PB NOTE: AFTER LISTING I FOUND THAT LINKS TO THE FULL SIZE PICTURES AND VIDEO MAY NOT WORK PROPERLY IN THE EBAY LISTING DEPENDING ON THE BROWSER. THE LINK IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING IS A DUPLICATE OF THIS EBAY LISTING (THE EBAY LISTING HAS A FEW MINOR EDITS) AND THE LINKS TO THE FULL SIZE PICTURES AND VIDEO SHOULD WORK THERE IF THERE ARE ISSUES HERE.http://www.seqwence.com/firebird/firebird.htm This is a two owner car; I bought it from the original owner in 2008. Included is the original window sticker and dealer sales order. The odometer showed 90K when I bought it which the original owner said was 190K. That being the case, the car has an estimated 193K on it now but I have observed that the odometer has an issue so the actual mileage is unknown for sure but I do believe the original owner so I think 193K is about right. The original owner also said the engine was replaced at about 50K so I estimate the engine has about 140K on it but I have no proof of that. The car runs and drives good. When I first got it, it did drip some oil and blow a puff of smoke at startup. For the couple oil changes I've done, high mileage oil which is supposed to rejuvenate the seals and a quart of Lucas Oil additive was used and that has for the most part resolved those issues. It may still spot the driveway but it's very minimal and it usually doesn't blow any smoke on startup now. Note that I do not drive the car daily. It usually sits for six or eight weeks and then I'll drive it for a week to exercise it. If it blows a puff on startup now, it's usually after it's sat for six weeks plus. I do not notice puffs when I'm driving it daily. Also, it can have a lifter tick for a few seconds after it's started but I've only really noticed that on the first start after sitting for six weeks. The tires were new three years ago and have less than three thousand miles on them. The brakes work good but you will notice a mild pulsing during braking on occasion so there's probably a slightly warped rotor. Also, one of the rear brakes is overly sensitive and will lock up easily when first driving the car after it's been sitting for six weeks but that goes away after you drive it awhile. Can't recall what side but it's only on one side. And the choke does not work at all, it is stuck wide open, so though the car starts without much difficulty when it's cold out, it will stall repeatedly until it warms up. The headlights, taillights, brake lights, backup lights, dash lights, and interior light all work. The yellow and red side marker lights do not work. The wipers and washer work. The heater and blower work. It has air conditioning and it's all there as far as I know but there is no belt on the compressor so a/c does not work. The cigarette lighter in the dash does not work but I wired a cigarette lighter extension into the fuse block and it is in the compartment at the forward end of the center console so you do have power there (did that to have gps on a trip). The body is in decent condition. There is no major rust or body damage. A couple items of note about the body; it appears there was a mild hit on the left front. There is a wave on the left fender above the wheel opening and some distortion of the plastic nose where it attaches to the left fender. This is not obvious but if you're close to the vehicle or the sun hits it right you can notice it. Zoom in on the pictures to see it. Also, there was a bend in the hood on the drivers side just forward of the hinge. The original owner said that happened when his child tried to close the hood when the hinges were sticky. A workaround is to push back while pushing down on the hood and it would close easily even with sticky hinges but if you don't push back, I can see how the hood could have gotten bent by forcing it straight down with sticky hinges. I WD40'ed the hinges and it's fine now but the damage is done. I did bend the hood edge/frame back with pliers and it's straighter and stronger now but if you notice the hood looks a little raised by the left hinge, that's why. There's no rust on the car except for a couple small spots of surface rust on the inside corner of the rear quarters next to the trunk lid above the taillights. It's only paint popping there, those are not holes. Zoom in on the pictures to see. As you can see in the pictures, it appears much of the car still shows original paint. The hood, top, and trunk lid all look like they're original. The left door and left rear quarter have clearly been repainted and I believe some of the right side has too. Also, the exterior drivers door lock can be sticky. Sometimes when you go to unlock it with the key, it won't unlock on the first turn. To get around that, rotate the key back and forth between lock and unlock and after the forth or fifth turn, it's always unlocked. The passenger side lock works fine. The interior is in average or better condition for a 34 year old car. Sheepskin seat covers on the front are comfortable and nice. Not sure what's underneath as they were on when I bought the car and I have not taken them off. Carpet appears to have been replaced as it's a light color that matches the seat covers more than it matches the rest of the interior. The rear seats look ok on the face but the top where the sun hits is sun damaged. The dash is perfect in that there are no cracks but it it faded on the upward facing surface. Windows roll up and down fine. The car did come with one of those new radios so the dash was already cut when I bought it but should you want to restore it, I'm sure the factory radio trim bezel will fully cover the dash alteration that was made to accommodate the new style radio. The radio in there I just put in in November for a trip so it's new. Note that the car is 34 years old, has close to 200K miles, and has not been restored, so it is far from perfect but I do think it is in nice condition for it's age and a good candidate for restoration or it could be a daily driver as is. Though most of the information disclosed here is of its shortcomings, please view the numerous photographs that follow to get an accurate idea of the condition the car. All photographs below link to their high resolution version that you can zoom in on to see detail. There is a demo at the bottom showing the car and it being driven so you can see it is not quite as tragic as you might assume after reading the above. And if you can get to the Phoenix area, you're welcome to view and drive the car the last weekend of April before bidding. I did buy this car to restore as a Rockford Files clone. It's pretty close to one now but if you put a couple weekends into prepping the body and put a $300 paint job on it, it would be a Rockford clone on the outside. Terms are as follows: The winning bidder must pay a $250 deposit via PayPal within 24 hours of winning. The winning bidder must pickup the car in the Phoenix, Arizona area and pay the balance in cash within 7 days. No other form of payment besides that stated above will be accepted. This is a private party sale and there is no warranty expressed or implied. If you don't have the full intention and the funds to complete the transaction, please don't bid. Having said the above, if the buyer is out of the area and requires additional time to arrange pickup, that's not a problem. I may ask for more deposit to ensure the buyer is still serious but that can be worked out.Note: It appears as I post the listing that it will make reference to a shipping qoute. Shipping is not available. The buyer or the buyers representative must pickup the vehicle in the Phoenix, Arizona area and pay the balance in cash at that time. Note that the glove box door was not fully latched in these photos. The below photos were taken last November at what was the Sandcastle Restaurant in Malibu, CA where the Rockford Files TV show was filmed. The car was driven from Phoenix to Malibu, 700 plus miles round trip, at freeway speeds the whole way, and it didn't skip a beat. The below photos were taken up the coast from the Sandcastle. Here's a few more photos showing detail missing in the previous photos. The photo below links to a demo of the car. eOn Apr-23-12 at 06:28:46 PDT, seller added the following information: I forgot to mention, the horn does not work and there are a couple small chips/stars in the windshield and the car has a few rattles and squeaks. And another thing; having looked at the pictures in this auction allot in the last few days, I have to say the car looks pretty good in the pictures and the truth is I think it actually looks better in the pictures than it does in person. When you see it up close in person, it shows it's age a little more. As mentioned previously, the hood, roof, and trunk lid look like original paint and are faded/oxidized. The left door and left, rear quarter have been repainted at some point, and I looked yesterday and I'm sure the right door and right, front fender have also been repainted. And one more thing I want to clarify, this is not a screen used Rockford Files car and I did not mean to represent it that way. It is the same make, model, year, and a close color to the last Rockford Files car but it is not an actual TV car but it is a good imposter. I don't take it out that often but when I do, it's not uncommon for someone to come up and want to talk about the car or give you a thumbs up as your driving down the road. It is allot of fun and a bit nostalgic to drive. It goes without saying but any bidders who feel their bid is not appropriate in light if this additional information, please do alter or retract your bid as necessary. A few more pictures are coming soon.On Apr-23-12 at 23:49:34 PDT, seller added the following information: And someone asked for pictures of the undercarriage so here they are. Also, the video has been doubled in length. There's another walk around closer up, demonstration of the lights, wipers, ect, video underneath, and more of the car driving. On Apr-24-12 at 02:58:49 PDT, seller added the following information: IMPORTANT NOTICE: I FAILED TO REALIZE WHEN POSTING THIS AUCTION THAT I WILL BE TRAVELING MONDAY, APRIL 30TH THROUGH THURSDAY, MAY 3RD SO THE EARLIEST THE CAR CAN BE PICKED UP WILL BE FRIDAY, MAY 4TH. AND I WILL HAVE LIMITED COMPUTER ACCESS DURING THAT TIME SO I ASK THE BUYER TO PLEASE BE PATIENT AS WE START COMMUNICATING FOLLOWING THE AUCTION END. THIS IS NOT A SCAM, JUST A SIMPLE SCHEDULE BLUNDER ON MY PART. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.On Apr-24-12 at 10:43:38 PDT, seller added the following information: And I just ran the car through emissions today, 4/24/12, and it passed fine as it always does so car comes with a current State of Arizona Emissions Compliance Certificate for what it's worth. And someone asked about the Arizona license plate, which is of course a personalized plate with the Rockford Files number. I don't know what the state law is, if I can authorize or allow the plate to be assigned to someone else, or if I just have to let it lapse thereby making it available for reassignment, but if the buyer is an Arizona resident and so could actually use this plate, I will do what I can to assist the buyer in getting the plate. If the state allows it, I will go down to the MVD with the buyer and sign whatever's necessary to release the plate and have it reassigned to the buyer so it can stay on the car. If you're an Arizona resident and interested in this, please check with the MVD to see if it can be done because I have no idea if it's even possible. And if it can't be done, if an Arizona buyer wants, I will cancel the plate with the hope that the buyer will then be able to get it through the normal process. If the buyer is not an Arizona resident, I'll probably keep the plate and put it on something else.