Chrome vs Black trim and T-tops can throw you a curve ball sometimes .... Case in point .... My 1977 SE .....
THIS pic is from 1985 , only a month after I got it ....
Trans Am "experts" always questioned my T/A , when I Showed pics .... Snarling their noses up without asking any history , or just dismissing me as another idiot ..... lol
I bought the car in 1985 with 69K on it , a clean ashtray ..... It even have the cat converter still ...... It was not until a few years ago that I actually got my PHS ...... I was pretty sure it would be a 1 of the 2,699 4-speed Y82's ..... but .......
It turns out it is 1 of the 384 Y81 4-speeds
You see the Hurst papers in the top left ? My car apparently got sent out by the dealer , cause nobody wanted a hardtop or the original buyer wanted them installed before delivery .... I contacted the dealership , but no records were left from that far back and nobody was still there that might have remembered....
Yes I still have the car , although it only now has 83,336 miles on it now , you would guess it had 383,000 ... And some would question if it even was an SE by it's present looks .....
I don't have the original block anymore , someone stole it outta my garage several years ago along with the radiator and other precious metals .....
MORAL OF THIS STORY : things get switched , accidents happen , parts get replaced ..... PHS service is awesome ....
My car was only seven years old , when I got it from the 2nd owner .... Front and rear window trim was chrome and never appeared to have ever been black ..... It was shipped 3/14/1977 .... MAYBE the late date had something to do with the chrome trim ? Maybe the dealer after getting the car back from Custom Trim of Indy ( Hurst Hatch Installer) removed the "black" trim and replaced it with chrome to match the T-Tops .....