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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Old Trans-Am content...with pics

April 13, 2011 7:29 p.m. a401cj Reader

Pontiac Trans-Am. If you had images of Folmer, Donahue, and Gurney duking it out around the circuits of yore then sorry. I'm guilty of bait and switch

A few days ago I got my heretofore thought dead laptop running again and found these pictures taken 5 years ago this week. I thought a handful on here might find this interesting.

Whilst home from overseas for a funeral, my cousin gave one of the very infrequent glimpses into his hangar. Seems that after posting an add in Hemmings he had found a buyer for his long parked '73 T/A

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Yes it had that engine VV

no screaming chicken (as you can see) and a 4-speed to boot

An F-350 dually from Texas rolls up with one heck of a long trailer in tow. The guy opens the door and low and behold...there's ANOTHER white '73 SD-455 4 -spd inside. I just about had a bowel movement. I never thought I would see two side by side.

This one was cleaner, less original (had a Hurst shifter) and did have the chicken. It's paint and decals looked too good to be original IMHO.

Apparently these Texans had decided they liked SD T/As and were just combing the countryside picking them up. I never could bring myself to ask my cousin how much he got for it. They handed him a big yellow envelope and he counted money for what seemed like an hour. I saw him in a C6 Z06 not long after this and this was before those had started to depreciate.

I was kind of sad to see it go. It was one of those cars that was sort of a local legend. I doubt it ever ran near as well as the lore claimed but I'll never know for sure. He said he'd had the motor gone through by Nunzi? in NY or NJ. Supposedly a famous Pontiac tuner. Ran when parked was all he'd say.
April 13, 2011 8:43 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

Fantastic. Oh, and on the Trans Am series..I can fix that. How bout a Jerry Titus Trans Am that partcipated in the Trans American Challenge Cup?
April 13, 2011 9:29 p.m. Rad_Capz Reader

Nunzi built some very nice Pontiac engines for many years. A bud of mine has one in his 70 TA.

As for pics. I've got a few of old Trans Ams. OK, maybe more than a few.... White car is actively being raced in Europe, red car is me at Sebring.
April 13, 2011 9:30 p.m. Gearheadotaku Dork

Sweet car, looks like it's going to a good home.
April 13, 2011 9:46 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

Rad_Capz wrote:

I. STILL. LOVE. THIS. CAR.

Yeah, I've been driving imports for ages. But every once in awhile, sombody reminds me that I'm an American..Chryssos' Camaro does that to me too. I wonder if he's got it put back together yet.
April 13, 2011 10:08 p.m. ronholm New Reader

totally awesome... I generally dislike that generation bird/camaro... but pre 73 Oh yeah... That car is amazing... No way could I have sold that...
April 13, 2011 10:12 p.m. Strike_Zero HalfDork

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Fantastic. Oh, and on the Trans Am series..I can fix that. How bout a Jerry Titus Trans Am that partcipated in the Trans American Challenge Cup?

Rad_Capz wrote:

OH . . . MY . . . YES!!! x2
April 13, 2011 10:18 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

Nifty car! A friend of mine still has the '74 SD455 he bought new...last I heard it only has about 25,000 miles on it. They were very strong cars. Prices have softened somewhat on them, but a good one is still worth six figures.

Nunzi IS the Pontiac guy on the east coast, his shop is in Brooklyn. He's retired now, and just spends time working on his own projects.
April 13, 2011 10:34 p.m. a401cj Reader

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Rad_Capz wrote:

I. STILL. LOVE. THIS. CAR.

yeah...ME TOO!

just lose the sidepipes
April 13, 2011 11:01 p.m. 92dxman HalfDork

Coming from a hardcore Smokey and the Bandit fan as myself, I never thought i'd say that a white T/A looks as good as a black one!
April 14, 2011 6:58 a.m. bravenrace SuperDork

In reply to a401cj:

God I love those cars. I want another one bad. And Nunzi? He's THE Pontiac guru.
April 14, 2011 7:01 a.m. Moparman HalfDork

God, I haven't even thought about Nunzi since the 1980s when i was a teen living in Bay Ridge.
April 14, 2011 7:15 a.m. spitfirebill SuperDork

i have always loved these models Trans Ams. When I was in college two hot twin co-eds had one as their daily driver.
April 14, 2011 8:47 a.m. EricM Dork

I like old school Trans Ams.
April 14, 2011 9:00 a.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

Are these still affordable in rust free areas such that mortals can make a Trans AM race car replica?

I have given up on late 60s camaros and mustangs because the cost just to get a relatively rustless car I'm going to cut up to put a cage in is huge. I'd love to build an old school Trans-Am Series replica I cannot justify the cost. Also... are the aftermarket parts/panels as readily available? Fenders, glass, etc? Can I buy the lower air dams on that white one or is that one-off fab work? This is the part that keeps me from going to the opposite end of the range and making an AMC clone - where do you get extra quarters when you screw up the giant box flares on your Trans Am Pacer?
April 14, 2011 9:02 a.m. bravenrace SuperDork

Used to be that the 70-73 T/A's were pretty cheap, but not so much anymore. I couldn't sell my rust free 60's mustang and buy a T/A in the same condition for the same money.
April 14, 2011 9:12 a.m. Javelin SuperDork

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Well if you stick with the actual AMC Trans Am racers (Javelins), you can buy replacement quarters, fiberglass fenders (and hoods, valances, decklids, and doors too). So there is that

As for the rest of this thread, awesome. I love Firebird's and Trans Am's, even if they never did win anything in the series they were named for.
April 14, 2011 9:12 a.m. Rusted_Busted_Spit Dork

That gen T/A is my favorite. Too bad about the prices though.
April 14, 2011 10:58 a.m. oldeskewltoy Reader

I'm an import guy for the most part... but 73 SD T/As are a weak spot for me....

along with 69s
April 14, 2011 12:15 p.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork

friedgreencorrado wrote:

Rad_Capz wrote:

I. STILL. LOVE. THIS. CAR.

Yeah, I've been driving imports for ages. But every once in awhile, sombody reminds me that I'm an American..Chryssos' Camaro does that to me too. I wonder if he's got it put back together yet.

A-berkeleyin-men
April 14, 2011 6:59 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

I work on this too often.
April 15, 2011 8:20 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

bravenrace wrote:

Used to be that the 70-73 T/A's were pretty cheap, but not so much anymore. I couldn't sell my rust free 60's mustang and buy a T/A in the same condition for the same money.

I think that's the case with a lot of American Iron from that period. Even the base models are steep because everybody knows folks want to build a "tribute" or a Pro Mod. An old roommate offered me a GTX (can't recall the year, but post-1970) for $500. It had a 440 from a truck transplanted into it (original block had cracked), but the "six-pack" manifold & carbs were in a burlap sack in the trunk. That was in 1985 or so and yes, I'm still kicking m'self..
April 16, 2011 12:13 a.m. SilverFleet HalfDork

Rad_Capz wrote:

This is still one of my all-time favorite 'Birds. And I know that's "NOT A TA". Those SD's are VERY lust worthy. My favorite color combo, too.

Oh, and we're having a 2nd Gen Firebird/Trans Am thread? Count me in!

Here's my POS:

When I first got it back in 2002:

Some pics from last year (less paint and more rust )

It's ugly right now, but it does have a nicely built .060-over Pontiac 400 under the hood with a big cam, 1971 #96 heads from a GTO, Forged pistons, an earlier 1968 crank, and some other odds and ends. I've been fighting the tin worm and some electrical issues due to crappy headers melting things, but after my CSX leaves the garage, it's going in for a much needed overhaul. It's a 1979 WS6 model, so it has 4 wheel disc brakes, a better steering box (tighter steering than my WRX!!!) and has some cool period performance parts on it.

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