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FBIRD69's 1969 Firebird

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Hi there! I'm Jon and I just picked up a 1966 Bonneville 2 Dr. with the 389. Hoping to get some suggestions from you guys on tire sizes and any other mods that should be done to make the car more reliable and desirable.  Any suggestions are welcome!  Thank You!

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:welcomeFP:

Got any pics of the Bonnie?

What are you looking to do with it? Is there any restoration that needs to be done? How are you looking to restore it? (e.g. to it's former glory or modernized) All lots of good questions to be answered prior to really providing any suggestions/information :) 

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It does need restoration but at this point it's just going to be a driver since funds are limited. I was thinking along the lines of starting with a few good road Worthy upgrades and having some fun with it until I can afford to go through the entire car. I will post some pictures as soon as possible! Thanks guys! 

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Welcome Jon!

Road worthy upgrades huh? I'd start with the basics and work your way up.

1. Complete tune-up - spark plugs, wires, rotor cap, rotor, points, fuel filter, carb cleaning, air filter?

2. Inspect and repair the brakes, as necessary

3. Complete fluid changes - oil & filter, transmission oil and filter (if its an automatic), rear diff, power steering fluid (if the car has PS), brake fluid, coolant

4. Replace ALL rubber hose that comes in contact with fuel or fuel vapor with modern hose, including the one at the gas tank, carb, etc. and all other hoses that is worn or cracked. Inspect and replace your radiator hoses. Inspect your thermostat too!

5. Inspect your hard lines - brake, transmission, and fuel - for rusty, leaks, or damage, replace as necessary.

6. Inspect your battery cables, replace if necessary

7. Inspect and replace any worn out shocks

8. Inspect your front and rear suspension - do the bushing and ball joints look worn or cracked - replace the bushings with new ones and get a front end alighment, it will amaze you how much better the car will handle.

9. Does the carb need to be rebuilt? If so, get a rebuild kit.

10. Get a set of lighter distributor springs and weights to bring your engines full advance timing in at a lower RPM.

11. Find an aftermarket rear sway bar kit - the big cars didn't come with one from the factory except the Impala. Kits are now available to retro fit them but you have to look online for them.

12. Go to your local tire store and see what they recommend size wise that will fill your fenders with meats that will fit your 15" rims (for now). I assume that newer (plus size) rims are on the wish list somewhere down the road which will require different tires anyway. 

13. De-grease / clean the engine bay / touch up paint

14. Clean carpets and seats

15. Wash, clay bar, wax, seal the paint

16. Clean and detail the interior, engine bay, and trunk - as time and money permits

 

This is my short list. Others may have some suggestions too. Most of these are relatively inexpensive until you get into the bushings/ball joints/sway bar/hard line replacement. Then it becomes more time consuming and requires more money.  However these could also be safety issues if you find something wrong too. 

My recommendation is to do all of these things as your wallet permits. They don't have to be done all at once if the car is running. Common sense along with financial sense should dictate what you do next.

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