Topic: My '81 Turbo

[Orange 81 T/TA]

Picked this car up for $2,000 back in April.  In the process of swapping motors (the previous owner thought it would be fun to wind the motor out on a backroad, ended up stacking the bearings).  Needs carpet, headliner, and little things (after the motor).  86k original miles, original paint and stripes.

Pics were taken hours after I got the car home.  The junk inside isn't mine.  Looked like the guy lived in this car...









P.S.:  Anyone have any idea how many orange cars were built in '81?  I've only seen pics of two other orange cars.  Mine is the only one I've seen in person.

[RENOVATIONS]

Welcome to 78TA! Nice find...and a bargain, too
GM didn't keep records on colors as far as production numbers but I'd say it's a rare one. I like it...it's not the typical black or red

Looks like a great project...nice custom dash bezel...keep us informed....and thanks for the pix..we love to see 'em.

[Prettybird81]

WoW... Looks great for 2K!!!  NICE!!!!

[brian c]

Nice score and interesting color scheme. I wonder what it would look like with Gold graphics and a red interior......Hmmm...

Oh wait my bad, my sis wants black

[Rick]

Welcome to 78TA.com, as Jeff said.  Nice score!

You mentioned you're in the process of swapping motors -- to what?  Got any underhood pics?  As you may know from lurking, we all LOVE pics(everyone except Jeff, who is merely terribly fond of them )

[logikfive]

Nice car!

I love those orange cars! Too bad they're so hard to find. Love that interior color scheme too!

[w72transamowner]

Wow, what a steal and the color is pretty neat too!!  So what are your plans?

By the way, where are you located?

[WarbirdTA]

I agree with everyone.
Nice score!
Are those floor mats Trans Am ones?
I have a set that color, but they say Turbo, which I have in my '89 TTA for everyday driving.
If they say Trans Am, they are worth some money.
Nice paint on it still.

George 

[bandit nz]

Primo score, looks like a good solid and pretty straight car.
Nice price too.
Lookin forward to some more pics.

Stu

[Domi]

Really nice car, I like this color which is unusual.
And like other said, what a bargain, you're very lucky 

[eroc022]

wow what an awesome find....and ive been lookin all over for an orange one...thanks for the pics, i love the color..

[Orange 81 T/TA]

You mentioned you're in the process of swapping motors -- to what?  Got any underhood pics? 

In the process of swapping the '81 301T for an '80 301T.  Like I said, the previous owner decided to throw a rod or two.  Picked the new motor up for $300, everything but accessories, and the guy threw in a new Pertronix distributor.  No underhood pics yet, the hood's off and the '81 motor's on the floor of the shop right now.

So what are your plans?

By the way, where are you located?

Plans include swapping motors, getting the interior lined out, and buffing the paint.  Not a ding or dent on this car, and the paint's got two checks smaller than a dime.  Planning on pretty much just restoring the car, making a little more power from that little turbo motor (thanks to jjr's website), Hurst QuarterStick, just little stuff.

I'm in Chickasha, OK.  A little town between OKC and Fort Sill on I-44.

I honestly wasn't too sold on the color, and I've been looking for a second-gen car for about 6 years, but never had enough cash.  When these guys told me they'd take my VW sand rail on trade with $500 cash, I gave 'em what they asked for.  Hell, I actually had less than $1500 in that sand rail.  When I did some research, I found out that these orange cars were rare.  Just because I couldn't find many pics on Google.

Thanks for the compliments, y'all, I can't wait to get this beast running and on the road.  I'll definitely post more pics when I can clean it up and get it all shiny again.

[eroc022]

wow you know where Elk City is ? I used to live there for about 10 years......cool...glad to hear your plans to keep the original color

[Orange 81 T/TA]

I've been through Elk City a time or two on my way to Little Sahara.  And then there was this summer working for the Muscle Car Ranch, moving sign trailers all over the state.  Lots of time on the road.

I've had lots of people tell me they think I'm lying when I tell 'em this car's all original.  That's why I'm keeping the color.  That and how unusual these cars are. 


Don't know if anyone noticed, but the stripes that are on this car aren't "correct."  All documentation I've found said these cars came with Orange & Gold stripes, either the first or second version.  But these are black.  And the feathers look like they're either gold or silver on the centers (the screaming chicken is somewhat oxidized, so it's hard to tell).  As far as I can find, black birds were only put on Pace Car/NASCAR LE's.  Could they have been factory ordered that way?  Would the build sheet specify what color stripe kit was ordered?

[RENOVATIONS]

It's a real head-turner for sure...I guess people doubt the color as it's not that common.
Good for you for keeping it that way. And yes, the build sheet will give you the color/code of the original graphics.