Introduction
Fellow member Schmeave had acquired a 79 T/A sight unseen over the summer and set out to build a nice fair weather. back road cruising machine. While the car looked decent, the great lakes region had not been kind to the car. Schmeave began gathering parts and disassembling the T/A. While hunting for a set of seats, he ran into me as I had some available. After some discussions regarding overall plans and what he had as a foundation, we agreed that it would be best to salvage what we could and start with a better foundation. Luckily for Schmeave, he did not have to go far.
I happen to have a ’79 T/A on the lot. It also happens to be my first T/A some 16 yrs ago. Coincidentally, Schmeave’s goals for the car are very similar to mine if I had kept the car. A deal was struck and the build begins.
Currently, the agenda consist of the following:
Body
Convert Hard Top to T Top roof
Strip car to bare metal and finish with either a shade of blue or red
Lizard skin for interior heat and sound retardation
Underside with be sprayed with bed liner for durability and maintenance free
Suspension
Del- A – lum bushings in the control arms
Solid body mounts
Firewall braces
Subframe connectors
Increased rate springs from PT Fbody
Powdercoated suspension and frame items
Koni adjustable shocks on all 4 corners
Cad plated hardware
Driveline
Engine is an existing 400 w/ 62 heads and XE274 cam. This may change in the future.
Transmission will consist of a T56 from parts GM and Viper
Stock 10 bolt with have 3.73 gears installed for optimization w/ the 400/T56 combo.
Exhaust will consist of Tri-Y headers and 2.5” Oval exhaust w/ ‘X’ pipe.
Additionally, all plumbing will be stainless and rear disk brakes will be installed.
Interior is in very nice condition so that will be cleaned up and reinstalled.
With out further ado, I introduce the the 3rd iteration of the 1979 T/A.
Former life
At the last T/A Nats hosted at the airport 2008. Driven w/o issues 1300 mi
Motor
Interior
What happened to Schmeave’s original car
For those wondering, a 2nd gen will fit in the bed of a '56 F250.
While the 79 was redone in the 90’s, daily driver life and NJ weather took its toll. First order of business was to remove all rust being at the rear. At the current the majority of the rust has been remover and patched. Welds have not been dressed.