Hitman's Pontiac Trans Am Forum
Trans Am Photos => Restoration Projects => Topic started by: 81 on December 03, 2011, 05:54:28 PM
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A few months ago I discovered a car dealership not far from my home that specializes in older muscle cars and such. Sitting in the back of the lot was a well abused '77 trans am, and as I looked it over I began to have flashbacks to 1993 when I drove a 1978 Trans Am (400 car with what I thought at the time were very poorly plated chrome valve covers). I sat in the '77 and within a few minutes decided it was time for another TA!
I asked a sales leech about the '77 on the lot and I was told it was sold.. for $6000!!!! This car needed 1 of everything and they got 6 grand for it! So, the search was on and I eventually found a great restoration candidate in central Oregon. The car I found, a 1977 403 auto was silver with a red deluxe interior. Nothing special, Trans Am, 1 each, but she's straight, and other than some minor floor board issues, is rust free, which is a miracle considering where she spent her whole life. I paid $900.00, got a clean title and towed her back to Washington where I immediately set about removing the entire interior so the car could dry out (had been sitting under a tree in a field.. bad juju)
My plans are to go black on black, and I just picked up a Pontiac 400 to replace the 403. This will be a big project, but other than some floor board patching there wont be a lot of welding or custom work. I just located and cut out the entire floor from a donor TA, as I'm not a fan of reproduction sheet metal. I'll add power windows and a decent stereo system, get the 400 rebuilt and running in the 300-350 HP range and spend a lot of time getting the body perfect for the black paint. Time frame? I'd like to say within 2 years she will be on the road, but we all know how that goes.
I'll post some updates as time goes on. I look forward to this project and I am sure I will need the community's help with parts and expertise during the restoration.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/th_009.jpg)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/th_008-1.jpg)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/th_IMG_2129.jpg)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/th_IMG_2182.jpg)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/th_IMG_2218.jpg)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/th_IMG_2226.jpg)
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Congrats on the buy looks like a great starter I have a 77 400 4 speed and am South of you in Northern Cali. There are lots of guys around me and on this site that have parts. LMK if you need any parts or anything and I will see what I can do. Welcome to this site and I look forward to seeing this build.
Josh
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Welcome to the site.......Nice find,I just picked this one up last week and It's a 77 400 automatic car silver with red interior.....Twins ;D ;D........
Mine was in a field to and i had to put the subframe under it,and front clip to make it one piece to get it on the trailer.That's why it looks bent, the frame bolts were no good because the head's were cut of to get it apart...Good luck with it....
(http://i40.tinypic.com/f3f229.jpg)
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Good luck with your project. Looks like a nice solid start and in good hands.
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Always nice to see another TA getting a makeover.
Put up some more pictures when you get a chance.
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nice find.. good luck on your build..
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I like the Silver/Red combo, Good find and good Luck with your build!
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Can you make your images larger ??
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Good luck with your project. I'll have a few leftovers after my resto, so if there is something I can help you with just PM me
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nice find $6k for the first 77? I think someone lied to you because they wanted the car for themselves. You doing the work yourself?
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I would keep the original colors myself. But to each his own :-) good luck with everything.
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Thats a super deal with clear title ,900$ is a gift,keep us posted.
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It's taken a lot longer than I wanted, but I've finally made some decent progress on my '77 restoration project. I've got the car stripped down to just a shell and it will be going in to be sandblasted in mid July. Other than stripping the car apart, I've spent a lot of time welding in new floor board patch panels. It will be interesting to see what sins are being hidden by the paint when I get the car back from the blaster!
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/8.jpg)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/7-1.jpg)
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Really good start on it,nice work on the floors........
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Wow... looks like really nice work on the floors......
Keep it up!
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It's good to see another classic saved from the crusher and put back together the right way. Nice job on those floors and keep up the good work.
It amazes me how much those 2nd gen cars were abused ,thrashed, and left for dead, but it's good to see the attention they're getting now. In another 10 years, you can bet that people will be kicking themselves for not getting one to restore now, while the prices are still manageable. The values will just keep climbing as people start seeing our beautiful cars back on the road and look back fondly on the days when 1977 TA's were all the rage.
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Thanks for the encouragement and compliments. Currently, I'm having the engine rebuilt. The 400 block had been previously rebuilt and bored 30 over and I'm fairly certain the previous owner did not change the oil in the engine after it had been rebuilt. My engine builder said his solvent tank looked like an EPA super fund site after the block had been tanked.
I got very lucky and located a local set of 6X 4 heads off of Craigslist for $150.00. They cleaned up nicely, and do not have any major issues. I'm not doing anything radical, just a 400 with mild upgrades to bump it into the low 300 HP range.
In the meantime, i'm stripping paint off of the body. I hope to have it in primer in the next month or two. More to come...
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6432-1.jpg)
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My car is almost the same stage as yours seems to be - except I didn't have to weld any floor panels in.
I worked a few hours on the floor of my brown 78 this weekend.
Looking forward to more updates....
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ganna look awsome when its done!
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keep it up.........need more pics...
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Some recent pictures of my progress. I've been hung up on the lower right side quarter panel replacement. I hope to have it completed soon.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6445.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6445.jpg.html)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6503.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6503.jpg.html)
Note the blue paint all over the suspension, frame and firewall. The car was originally silver, with a red interior. I'm just guessing somebody went crazy with a can of blue spray paint to perhaps make the car more patriotic for the 1976 bicentennial. Just a theory... otherwise why?
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6532.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6532.jpg.html)
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6533.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6533.jpg.html)
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It's been a lot of work, but I finally got the new lower quarter panel tacked in place. I still have a lot of welding and finessing before it will be done, but so far, so good...
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6666.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6666.jpg.html)
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Just got the motor back from the machine shop. Waiting for a new oil pan and a few other items before I put it together and paint.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6966.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6966.jpg.html)
If/when the rain stops I'll be able to get the media blasting finished up. Fingers crossed i'll have the body in a coat of primer soon!
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I've been doing a bunch of small stuff on the engine while the weather is still crappy. I got the oil pan, timing cover and water pump assembled and attached. The oil pan and one piece gasket were purchased from BOP. I bought the timing cover used from a member here, and didn't bother to fully inspect it until several months after it arrived. It needed a lot of work! I had to extract a broken bolt, chase all the threads, fix a pinhole on the radiator hose neck and fill in some minor corrosion here and there using jb weld. I figured the time I spent was worth it, as aftermarket covers go for nearly 200.00 and who knows what their long term quality is like.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6975.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6975.jpg.html)
I have also spent some time on the original intake. I could have gone the Eldelbrock route and saved a few hours of media blasting and EGR/heat coil cover fabrication, but I like the look of the original intake.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6972.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6972.jpg.html)
As you can see, I fabricated a cover for the EGR and carburetor heat coil out of 18 gauge sheet metal. I made up a couple of templates (left) and then made some rough cuts on the sheet metal. I then used a grinder to get the proper shape.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6973.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6973.jpg.html)
A close up of the two covers.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb357/Dasspam/IMG_6974.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/Dasspam/media/IMG_6974.jpg.html)
This EGR bolt goes into the manifold at an angle, so I made a custom collar to fill in the gap and spread the load across the cover.
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Hello neighbor! Im up in
Birch Bay Wa. Just got a 1977 SE myself. Good luck on yours. Let me know if you have any extra parts to spare.
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I had to look your location up. You are far enough north to be an honorary Canadian! When you get a chance send me a list of what you need.
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Well....I'd rather be considered a member of the RCA. Regesterd Coon a** State of Louisiana. Got to be the only one this far north. I just started a thread under restorations for my car under 1977 SE found after being gone for decades. You can see it there. My parts list hasn't even started yet but I'm probally going to need a parts car pretty bad. Steering column, W72 4 speed drivetrain, better front cap than i have are a few things that come to mind. My body is low miles and rust free though. floor and trunk like new.
onebluess