Topic: 1978 Y88 Gold SE 4sp

[wheels78ta]

Got it home.  The first owners' son decided to paint it a very dark brown.

[Rick]

The first owners' son decided to paint it a very dark brown.

The first owner's son was an idiot.

[wheels78ta]

It's pretty much a complete car....somebody mounted an aftermarket volt guage in place of the factory...nothing hard to replace....still has the space saver tire and bottle...the lable is fair.....78,896 original miles...door panels are good...factory 8 track player that works...check out the rear one speaker set-up.  400 motor runs perfect...I need to work on the shifter...all in all it won't cost a whole hell of alot to restore it...but it's gonna take a lot of elbow grease and swearing to get it to show quality.  Thanks to the help from everyone here on 78ta and thanks again, Rick, for the help on getting these photos downloaded.  Willie

[Gold78Spc]

Wow you got your work cut out for you !! The first y-88 I got that ended up a parts car had that weird 1 speaker thing.

[wheels78ta]

The body is in great shape...only 2 rust areas the size of an orange....nothing major....looking to replace the tops....it will be a very slow and long process...I will post any updates....lets see....I've got to :  fix the roof, finish the sprinklers, build a deck......the rule at my house is as long as I do the outside chores, I can work on my restore project when it's raining or too wet outside......come on rain...rain...rain...no flooding....just enough to give me some long breaks.   

[eroc022]

man whats the deal with all these Y-88s popping up and getting restored ?!?!?!?! very nice car though....and glad to see that your are going to the original color....keep up the work

[wheels78ta]

The first owners' son decided to paint the car a very dark brown....you can see the solar gold paint under the trunk seal.  Mostly, the car is in black primer.  When the time comes, I'll get the seat covers, complete decal kit, and whatever else Hitman can sell me to make it look like Gold78Spc car.   

[Gold78Spc]

Wheels78TA, Gold78spc car is a pretty girl. I have seen it up close and towed his car home when he bought it with my Jeep. Gold78spc car is a really nice. I am sure that if you have the Hitmans help it will come out just as nice.  Keep up the good work and just keep polishing.  Dreams come from one touch of love at a time.  Quote me on that.

Hammer

Yeah that was funny.  I was sitting in the back seat and made the comment that some jackass in a gold car was tailgating us and it took Hitman like 20 miles to figure it out (He was driving Hammers jeep).

[Hitman]

Yeah, so sometimes I am a little slow on catching things.

Anyway, yes, anytime you have questions or need parts, shoot me a PM or an email.  I am always here to help.

[78trans1]

how much money does that car go for if it's frame-off resto.?

[ta78w72]

It's pretty much a complete car....somebody mounted an aftermarket volt guage in place of the factory...nothing hard to replace....still has the space saver tire and bottle...the lable is fair.....78,896 original miles...door panels are good...factory 8 track player that works...check out the rear one speaker set-up.  400 motor runs perfect...I need to work on the shifter...all in all it won't cost a whole hell of alot to restore it...but it's gonna take a lot of elbow grease and swearing to get it to show quality.  Thanks to the help from everyone here on 78ta and thanks again, Rick, for the help on getting these photos downloaded.  Willie

That one speaker set up is the way they did it back in the day.  You got "stereo" from the front and back speakers.  You're lucky that the radio is original....it means your harness wasn't cut and neither was your dash.

[Joker (§ir£Ğragon)]

I just found this. Very strange coininkindink. lol

This is the one I'm getting...



It's also supposed to be a gold 'bird. Not sure about much else yet as it hasn't arrived yet. But notice the color of the nose! Not sure if it's just my computer but it looks very close to the color of yours. lmao!!!

Very nice project!

[wheels78ta]

Hey....it does look like the same person shot some of that paint from mine onto yours....glad to see you finally got yours delivered....now the fun begins.....to go from butt ugly to a gorgeous gold..or whatever color you decide on...can't wait to see them both on the road, SirLDragon.  It won't be ready for this years Nats, so we'll work on showing it next year.

[wheels78ta]

I'm going to revive this thread and continue on my quest to restore the Y88.

I know it's been almost 4 1/2 years since my last post on this, but during that time I worked on turning a 1/2 ton 6 lug K5 blazer into a 1 ton 8 lug mini-monster.

While building my K5 rig, I learned a lot and have enjoyed getting into 4x4 guts.
   1.  It gets harder to get up and down from working under a truck.  (Doc says it just age?)
   2.  It gets harder to remember stuff, like......I can't remember.  Oh yeah....take lots of pictures!
   3.  Wife says it's time to work on the Y88.....yesterday!!!  (I like #3.)

I have also watched 78ta.com make some changes as well as seen the number of new members climb way up.  I may have not posted up like some of you lifers, but I have been watching....and reading.  This place has always been my home for Trans Ams, and always will be.

During the past 4 1/2 years I have been buying mostly NOS parts for this project.  And one of the parts that I never thought I would find is a set of NOS gold t-tops.  I was lucky enough to buy a set of new replacement glass (without the frame) from a member here.  I also found a NOS passenger side (with black frame) in the gm box on e-bay.

I was hoping Burd would have a NOS driver side but no such luck.

There are some things like new seat covers, door panels, and decals that I will get from Hitman.

I've got enough to do for now that will keep me busy for a long time.  Since I can't work on it as much as I'd like (because of aches and pains...again Doc says it's just age), it might take awhile.  But it will be done one piece at a time with the utmost attention to detail.  And with lots of pictures.

So sit back.....and enjoy my slow process of restoring what I have named 24KARAT.  The story that goes along with her describes why I feel she is worth her weight in GOLD.

[eroc022]

Wow those look great !