Topic: I'm so confused!

[Magnum]

ok, a buddy and I went and looked at a TA he was thinking of buying, it's a 78 in very poor shape. The thing I'm confused about is this, Does anyone have an idea how many regular TA's were made with Fisher tops in 78? It's not an SE, that much was obvious, or I would have told my buddy to snag it up. I couldnt tell just by looking at it what motor it had, but it did have 6X heads. Were those used for Pontiac motors only?  It also had the smaller sway bars so I figure no WS6. And it is an automatic. The only reason I think this was a TA and not a Fomula or Firebird was it did have the red bird medallion on the inside door panel. But, like an idiot, I didnt write down the vin or the cowl #'s.
2nd ?; He's also looked at a gold 79. I know the gold was just an option in 79 and not an SE like in 78, but she's the original owner and specifically requested a hard top and not T-tops, I'm wondering if theres anything else that could be unique about this car. Who knows what options people ask for when they special order a car. Any ideas? 

[GK_STAR]

Here might be a little help, you can get an ideal whether or not it's a WS6 T/A by looking at the info tag on the door, if it says Tire size P225/70R15 it's a WS6, GR70x15 and it isn't. As far as production #'s for 78 T-Top T/A's I haven't seen a breakdown of them for that year, but in 79 there were just over 36,000 with T-Tops and no there was not a Gold SE in 79, they produced a Silver 10th anniversary model. 79 saw approx 24,000 more T/A's produced (93,351 in 78 & 116,535 in 79)so I'd guess in 78 you'd be looking at 25,000 T-Top T/A's and from I've been able to gather it was kinda hit or miss weather you got the Hurst or Fisher T-Tops. I have the Fisher's on my 78. Not much help but a little food for thought.

[Magnum]

Thanks for the meal. I didnt know about the different tire sizes listed on the door tag. That's why I love this site!

[ta78w72]

If it's not an SE and it's in poor shape, pass on it.  However, I don't know what "poor shape" means.  To me it means rust.  If poor shape means to you a bad interior, engine/transmission needs rebuilding...and if the body is perfect, it might be worth an investment.  Expect to pour a bunch of money into a "perfect" car.  The most important factor is the body.  If you've got rot, you're buying lots of problems.  Rust will haunt you and cost you plenty to fix.  There are rust free cars available and they are worth the extra money in the long run.

[Magnum]

I see your point, "poor shape" can mean different things to different people. In this case it was pretty much everything except the body. Tranny was shot, interior a total mess, AC stripped out, but the body looked really decent, no visable rust (not even around the trunk, or behind the wheels) and the engine fired and ran. It had an interesting paint and pin striping that was done somewhere along the way. My friend that was looking at it was more concerned about all that than he was about having to do body work.

I couldnt tell just by looking at it what motor it had, but it did have 6X heads. Were those used for Pontiac motors only?

still curious about this question.

[ta78w72]

The problem is, even with a good looking body, these cars are going on 30 years.  You need to assume that you're going to have to rebuild the engine and transmission.  In fact, my experience has been that the transmission only last around 70K.  I'm sure others have had different experiences, but two of my cars, one with auto and the other with manual, needed transmission rebuilds just around that time.  My daughters 77 has just around that mileage and the transmission feels like it will need a rebuild soon.

On the engines, they start leaking oil from that rope seal about 70K, and they need rebuilding before 100K.  I know there are cars that differ from what I've stated, but assume you need to do those things so you won't be surprised.  Don't assume you can buy a 30 year old car and not put any money into it.  So, if you get a sound body, you may have to have it painted, but you won't have to deal with the rust issues...that will save you money.

[78trans1]

6x heads point to a 400 cid engine from what i remember. That vin will tell you just about

everything.