Topic: 1978 Trans Am

[55m38a1]

Hello everyone,

I know I should of done an into first, but time is against me, I am considering buying a 1978 Trans Am that I went to go look at today. I do have some questions and hopefully you can help me, I've already read the how to Id a Special edition car. However, the Trans Am I went to look at today is originally a Gold car, sprayed blue, the tail lights are painted black, but the steering column is black, and so is the steering wheel. The cowl plate has one RPO code A51 and the other two spots are just dashes.  This is a Non T-Top car, just wondering if the car is a special editon or if it is a limited production vehicle. It also has a 1979 front not the 1978 one. Any Ideas?
VIN # 2W87Z8L166690
Thank you for your time,
Mike

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[Kevin]

I don't think SE's ever came without T Tops but I'm not sure. Besides, I can't see someone who had a genuine SE changing it to a 79, that doesn't make sense. So statistically speaking, it's more than likely a non-se.

[55m38a1]

This is what I got from the special.php page: "Y88 - 1978 they came out with the Gold Special Edition Trans Am which had the Y88 designation, but just like in 1976, it did not matter if the car had t-tops or not, they were all the same Y88 code." Maybe I am reading this incorrectly.

I know what you mean the numbers are against me, the current owner got this car from some teenage guys who just ran into the ground, they traded the Trans Am for a 1980 Toyota corolla just because it was running, and their Trans Am was out. They also changed the interior from the gold color or camel to the blue, because they didn't like it, so they might have done the same to the front too. Just speculating.

Mike.

[jphillips3333]

SE's were produced without T-tops - Y81 in '77 for instance.

However, a quick look with the wheel seems to suggest that it's not an SE without the gold spokes.  The dash looks silver but that fades - you can pop a trim ring to check it a little better.  All that is easily changed out of an SE, however.  You'd have to get the PHS docs to really know. 

That said, it looks like it's an Automatic, 400 with 6X heads.  Get it cheap, make an SE clone - keep 'em alive.

[RENOVATIONS]

You'd have to get the PHS docs to really know.

Agreed...that's the only way to know for sure.

http://www.phs-online.com/

It's too easy to swap parts, even roofs...so given 31yrs, who knows what it may have been originally.
More than likely, it's not a Y88...but PHS will tell you for sure.

Depending on the price, it may still be a nice project car 

[O'Neall]

There's no record of 78 SEs being produced w/o T-tops.  Doesn't mean that maybe a few weren't made possibly... but as of yet, everyone we've seen here in cyber T/A land that's shown up and represented as a hardtop 78 SE has turned out not to be.

Still waiting for that rare jewel to appear I guess (if it exits).  However, the car you're looking at shows all the signs of not being an SE (remember, Solar Gold was offered on regular T/As too in 78)... so I would't get your hopes up nor factor it into any possible purchase price decision.  Just figure it's a regular gold 78 T/A and act accordingly.

Oh and RPO code A51 is just Modular Seating (ie, bucket seats) which all gen2 Firebirds had.

[Hoss T/A WS6]

Well its a true 400 car out of california!! If i read the cowl tag correctly it is a solar gold car with camel interior from the factory as well!

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

We do know that there were Y81 cars (Black S/E hard tops) but gold? I thought the special gold tinted Fishers were installed in all Y88s. In fact it was the fact that the tops were unavailable mid year that caused the Y88s to be canceled. (Or so the story goes.)

The steering wheel could have been changed. So you can hardly go by something like that. And the black tail light trim was a mid '78 change that affected all 'birds.

As was said, the only real way to know is to either order the PHS docs or find the build sheet.

[LOMILETA]

The Y88's not only had a tan wheel, but they all had a tan steering column, where  the non Y88 cars had black.

[jphillips3333]

Jon,
I thought a Y81 owner would jump in on that.  I haven't seen any documented records of t-top cars for '78, SE or non-SE.  For some reason they didn't track them.  So, like you said, it's possible ... but I agree, very rare if it's out there at all.  So, forget the '78, get a '79 where they started to track things right

There's no record of 78 SEs being produced w/o T-tops.  Doesn't mean that maybe a few weren't made possibly... but as of yet, everyone we've seen here in cyber T/A land that's shown up and represented as a hardtop 78 SE has turned out not to be.

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

Jon,
I thought a Y81 owner would jump in on that.  I haven't seen any documented records of t-top cars for '78, SE or non-SE.  For some reason they didn't track them.  So, like you said, it's possible ... but I agree, very rare if it's out there at all.  So, forget the '78, get a '79 where they started to track things right

There's no record of 78 SEs being produced w/o T-tops.  Doesn't mean that maybe a few weren't made possibly... but as of yet, everyone we've seen here in cyber T/A land that's shown up and represented as a hardtop 78 SE has turned out not to be.

Actually it wasn't until '80 that they started to keep more accurate records of cars with/without T-Tops. At least when it came to S/Es. Until the last couple years it was popular belief that there were no '79 Y81s. Now we've seen a couple documented cars that proved that not to be the case (as you well know )

[jphillips3333]

My records show that in 1979 there were the following cars produced with t-tops;
4831 301's
2917 400's
30,728 403's
10981 SE's
7500 TATA's

That pretty much covers it, right?

Actually it wasn't until '80 that they started to keep more accurate records of cars with/without T-Tops. At least when it came to S/Es. Until the last couple years it was popular belief that there were no '79 Y81s. Now we've seen a couple documented cars that proved that not to be the case (as you well know )

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

My records show that in 1979 there were the following cars produced with t-tops;
4831 301's
2917 400's
30,728 403's
9874 SE's
7500 TATA's

That pretty much covers it, right?

Actually it wasn't until '80 that they started to keep more accurate records of cars with/without T-Tops. At least when it came to S/Es. Until the last couple years it was popular belief that there were no '79 Y81s. Now we've seen a couple documented cars that proved that not to be the case (as you well know )

I use the chart that Brett has posted here.

http://www.78ta.com/production.htm

I agree on the first 3 and on the 10th ann. cars (assuming since I'm not sure that those all had T-Tops). But that 9874 for SE cars matches the number of 403 powered SEs. That would mean there were 1680 hard top SEs which matches the number of 301 & 400 powered cars. A little coincidental?

[jphillips3333]

I'm fairly certain all the 10th annivesary TA's had T-tops.  I'd read an article back in the day that indicate you HAD to have t-tops.

I corrected above - 10981 SE's total.  I forgot to add in the 400 and 301 SEs.  Yeah, they don't list SE t-top/non-t cars, but point is they are far better documented than the '78s.  Concur, '80 had even better documentation.  Who would argue with the devil?  

[Joker (§ir£Ðragon)]

I'm fairly certain all the 10th annivesary TA's had T-tops.  I'd read an article back in the day that indicate you HAD to have t-tops.

I corrected above - 10981 SE's total.  I forgot to add in the 400 and 301 SEs.  Yeah, they don't list SE t-top/non-t cars, but point is they are far better documented than the '78s.  Concur, '80 had even better documentation.  Who would argue with the devil? 

I had to do the same thing. Forgot to include the 301s. LoL

I don't really consider myself a devil though. A little "devilish" maybe. LoL