photos by: the author and Brian Sabo
Addressing a Few Issues with Our ’68 Firebird
It’s been a while since we brought you an update on our ’68 Firebird project, that we’ve nicknamed, Project ReDo. Over the course of the last few years, we’ve converted it to EFI, installed 17-inch rollers, upgraded the suspension and gave it a nice detail job.
Truth be told, it didn’t need much. The car was already restored prior to our ownership but lacked in a few things in the cosmetic, mechanical and even body alignment areas. One of the areas that we wanted to address was the occasional overheating issues we’ve had with the car since we picked it up.
Despite the aftermarket aluminum radiator, electric fans and mechanical fan, it would overheat on really hot days or if we were getting caught in traffic. Having gone through the entire cooling system in search of leaks, a faulty thermostat, air pocket or perhaps even a blockage, it became apparent that a large factor was the lack of a radiator shroud.
What some don’t realize, is the radiator shroud not only protects your hands and fingers from getting caught in the engine fan, but helps direct air directly toward the engine. Without it, the fan is essentially throwing air towards the hood, towards the ground and basically everywhere else, really, besides towards the engine — leading to overheating issues.
It’s a simple and obvious issue that we needed to address, and now with Spring approaching, it seemed to be the perfect time. While we’re at it, we decided upon ordering an air dam (aka, front spoiler) for the car to add to the aesthetics. Some claim that the air dam will help the overheating issue when we sit in traffic and at speed, as it will direct air up into the engine bay for improved cooling.
There’s no denying the fact that our ’68 Firebird, Project ReDo, is a great looking car. But even as its caretakers, we always felt that the car was “missing” something. Digging around on Google reminded us that many first-gen Firebirds, like their Camaro cousins, had a front spoiler. We knew then that’s what was needed!
Radiator Shroud
Part Number 3893812 is a direct replacement radiator shroud for ’67-68 Firebirds and Camaros without A/C, like our car.
Classic Industries‘ OEM replacement radiator shroud is a direct-fit replacement form your ’67-68 Camaro and Firebird, and is highly recommended if yours is damaged, missing or well-aged. It’s also available for big- and small-block applications and for those with or without A/C.
The shroud in our Firebird was missing upon arrival to our AutoCentric Media Tech Center upon acquisition, so after a one or two run-ins with overheating we made the call to Classic Industries for a new shroud.
Trouble is, our Firebird had a new aftermarket aluminum radiator of unknown branding or origin, and the OEM-style shroud wasn’t a direct bolt-on in this instance. Sure, it cleared the radiator and the fan but since our car has had some alterations in the radiator/shroud area, in addition to the aftermarket radiator, it would need some slight modifications to work.
-
- With the fan off, it gave us an opportunity to give it a much needed cleaning and freed up some arm room for our shroud install.
-
- In order for us to install the shroud and allow for as much wiggle room as possible, we removed the fan blade and the bolts holding it in place.
We had to pull the upper radiator hose to allow for the should test-ftiment, and while doing so, realized we needed to make a few notches into the shroud to co-exist with our FiTech fuel canister lines, radiator drain cock and coolant lines. Keep in mind, if your car has the stock or OEM replacement type radiator, you should be able to bolt this shroud on without doing any modifications.
-
- Breaking out a Sharpie, was measured and marked out cutout areas in the shroud…
-
- …for the drain cock…
-
- …top coolant hose…
-
- …and fuel lines.
Another item we had to pick up, was the radiator shroud mounting bracket, Part Number: 3938612. Since ours was missing, we ordered this as well. It simply bolts into the rear of the radiator support, and then bolts into the top of the radiator shroud.
With the shroud back in the engine bay and in place, we were ready to bolt it down.
With our shroud buttoned up, we checked our radiator coolant level and had noticed that it was a little low — directly as a result of a recent overheating episode. We topped it off with Prestone‘s 50/50 coolant solution, since we didn’t want to offset the mixture that remained in the radiator with straight antifreeze. Plus, Prestone’s 50/50 helps save time when it’s pre-mixed.
Front Spoiler
Marketed as an OER product through Classic Industries, Part Number R370 is a perfect reproduction front spoiler for your ’67-68 Camaro/Firebird that mounts in minutes. As you can see in the photo, it includes all mounting hardware and brackets.
We ordered this up for two reasons; one was for the increased cooling capabilities, the other was for improved aesthetics. We felt that the front of the car was “missing something,” and we’ve always been a fan of the Trans-Am Series race cars of the ’60s. Being as how our Firebird is quickly becoming a great-handling car, we felt we wanted to implement some of that road-racing nostalgia into Project Redo.
Lucky for us, Classic Industries was able to answer the call again, with their ’67-68 front spoiler, aka, air dam. It’s a direct bolt-in, but our car seemed to need a couple of additional holes drilled into the lower valance for us to make the upgrade.
-
- peaking to reps over at Classic, they relayed to us that since many of these cars had been restored over the years (including ours) and since the front spoiler was an option, that many Firebirds may not have the provisions necessary to mount it directly.
-
- Test-fitting our front spoiler, and we realize that we would need to drill one or two of the holes for the spoiler.
Our car was far from a numbers-matching original, and is more of a resto-mod, anyway. As such, breaking out the drill to mont the front spoiler using the included hardware didn’t bother us one bit.
Being in the MIdwest, it was still a little too frigid outside to pull the car out to take some final glamour shots but this
AutoCentric Media is the fastest-growing all-encompassing digital magazine, catered to automotive enthusiasts from all walks of life, with various interests.
