Luke Schreiber with his 1967 Pontiac Firebird. Photos by author.
Luke Schreiber found his 1967 Pontiac Firebird convertible in what he describes as “salt fresh” condition. Rust had claimed portions of the fenders and quarter panels, and a straight-six served as a low-buck substitute for the car’s factory-installed 326-cu.in. V-8. “Tired” may have been too optimistic an adjective, but where others saw nothing but a parts car, Luke saw an opportunity. When Luke brought his Pontiac to our pre-Hemmings Concours Cruise-In Spectacular, we saw an opportunity as well – to shoot his eye-catching Firebird and tell its story.
From the onset, his goal for the build was to preserve the Firebird’s stock appearance, yet create a car that delivered modern performance and handling. Working on his own, or with the help of friends (or his dad, Jake), Luke stripped the car down to its bare components, bolting or welding in replacement sheetmetal as required. Once the body was finished and prepped for painting, the job was tasked out to Scott Walters, a friend who would soon go on to paint cars for a living.
Instead of replacing the car’s inline six with another 326 V-8, Luke sourced a 400-cu.in. Pontiac V-8 and used it as the basis of a fresh build, looking for the right balance of performance and drivability. It currently sends 418 horsepower and 466 pound-feet of torque through a Tremec 600 to a Positraction rear end, and Luke describes his Firebird as an “excellent driver.”
Looking to improve the car’s corner-carving ability, Luke turned to aftermarket supplier Hotchkis for help. Replacing the Pontiac’s coil springs and leaf springs produced a ride height drop of roughly 1.5-inches, and new bushings, coupled with stiffer anti-roll bars front and rear further improved handling. Four-wheel disc brakes ensure that scrubbing off speed is done with little drama.
Inside, Haneline gauges replace the factory originals, and a Nardi wooden-rim steering wheel dresses up the tilt steering column. Luke fabricated the panel in front of the shifter, which contains switches for the windshield washer pump (a custom build, with parts liberated from a junkyard Triumph) and the fuel pump, among other functions. LED lighting is used for the brake lights, marker lights and turn signals, while Hella sealed-beam headlamps ensure that after-hours operation isn’t an issue.
While Luke’s Firebird is far from an original car, it’s not a resto-mod, either. Calling it a “day two” build doesn’t seem to fit, as many components have been improved compared to what may have been available on the market in 1967. Call it the best of all worlds, then – a car that looks much as it did in the late 1960s, but can hold its own against modern muscle cars in terms of performance, handling and comfort. It’s no wonder, then, that the Pontiac has become a permanent part of the Schreiber household.
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.com
