Thanks for all the praise!
Today, I changed the oil. It did not look like oil. It looked more like a Kaluha mudslide. Water somehow got into the crankcase. It surprisingly seems fine. I will post some more pics over the weekend.
Thanks for all the praise!
Today, I changed the oil. It did not look like oil. It looked more like a Kaluha mudslide. Water somehow got into the crankcase. It surprisingly seems fine. I will post some more pics over the weekend.
Neato, my inner redneck loves 2nd gen F bodies.
Also, I think I found the PO.
Kid Rock drove the car
This car is making me have 2nd gen F body project thoughts...bad thoughts.
Quite the love story!
Gasoline wrote: Kid Rock drove the car
That one is a one-of-1817 Tenth Anniversary Trans Am with the W72 Pontiac 400 and 4 speed manual. I used to have one of those too. Mine was too rough for me to tackle. They can get expensive quick. The seat covers ALONE are $1200+.
This car is making me have 2nd gen F body project thoughts...bad thoughts.
In reply to SilverFleet:
The very one Kid Rock drove in the movie belongs to the one-and-only, dead-animal-on-his-head-toupee wearing Jim Wangers..
In reply to Trans_Maro:
LOL! He HATES that car. He once said that "the car does not have power to pull a sick whore off a toilet".
Those were faster than the Corvette in '79. They were a cam swap and carb tune away from low 13's. What a dinkus.
Too bad you didn't live closer, I'd help you with the body work. 
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Too bad you didn't live closer, I'd help you with the body work.
Thanks for the offer. 
That CSX that's stuck in my garage was bought with the intention that it would be a good "practice" car to learn how to do bodywork to in preparation for this Trans Am build. It definitely has helped. I learned how to do basic welding while doing the floors on the CSX, but so far I have only done flux core welding. I will be welding with gas this time around. The rust on the T/A does not scare me compared to what I dealt with on the CSX.
I will try to get some pics up tonight of what I did this weekend.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Too bad you didn't live closer, I'd help you with the body work.
Rob, I will fly you out here so I don't have to do it, lol.
High five for a second gen project
PseudoSport wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Too bad you didn't live closer, I'd help you with the body work.Rob, I will fly you out here so I don't have to do it, lol.
I don't mind body work. I would take you up on that if I already haven't used up my vacation for the year.
Damn you. Now I am perusing CL looking for nice 2nd gen f-bodies. Of course, they are basically ALL autotragic. Does anyone know if the swap to a 5 speed from a th350 auto is an easy thing to do?
In reply to Geekspeed:
Worst case you might have to build a new crossmember and have the driveshaft altered(cheap).
EDIt: This is assuming chevy power, BOPC bell makes things a bit more challenging in terms of making a 5 or 6 speed box to bolt up to the block, probably doable via adapter plates and flywheel spacers though.
American powertrain probably makes a kit.
I know Keisler used to make a complete kit including everything to install a T56 behind a BOP engine in a 2nd gen F Body, but I do not think they are in business anymore. Also, it is/was VERY expensive.
Back in the day, people used to install the Doug Nash 5-speeds in these cars, but they usually did that to Borg Warner Super T10-equipped cars.
As much as I'd rather a manual, I will likely install a TH200-4R in mine. It is a lot easier. It bolts in, I can use my existing crossmember and driveshaft, and if I switch over to the factory Rally Shifter that I have kisking around (a factory "slapstick"-style shifter) I can buy a conversion kit that allows it to operate like a shifter from a car that is supposed to have that transmission. For now, I'm using the TH350 until the torque from the 400 liquifies it's innards.
Ok, so here's some more pics and info about the car.
This is the speedo I was talking about. It was manufactured by Trans Am Specialties of Cherry Hill, NJ in the early 1980's. Here's a link to their catalog from way back then: http://www.transamcountry.com/misc/TASCatalog.pdf
As you will see, there are a few items from my car right from the catalog.
These guys were an interesting outfit. They built full turn-key tuner cars, sold parts at retail and through mail-order, and they also tuned customer cars. So, my car's first owner either got his or her hands on the catalog and went nuts, or brought it right to them for installation/tuning. Since they were based out of NJ, it's not too far of a reach to say that it could have been tuned there, but I have no way to tell for sure. And besides, the original motor is long gone anyway.
But anyway...
The speedo is a fully calibrated unit, not just a faceplate. Pretty cool.
The interior is in rough shape these days. It was originally a "Deluxe" interior car, which meant that the seats and door panels were nicer and it had a color-matched steering wheel. The back seats are ok, but the fronts are shredded. The driver's seat tracks are locked into position, and no longer move. The carpet is faded and a lot is missing, and the front floors have some holes.
That's the headliner. It has a few tears, so I will have to replace it. O am pretty sure a rodent ate a chunk of the backing board, so that has to go too. The headrests need to be re-stitched, I think.
Excuse the mess... but yeah, those crap seat covers are still on the seats. The dash is getting a dash cap or one of those carpeted mats. It has a crack and a weird discolored spot that looks like a plaque was once attached to it. I've seen a lot worse. Dashes that are uncracked for these cars are extremely hard to come by, and colored versions can go for north of $1K. OER was supposed to make repro dashes, but only a few have been made with varying quality and the waiting list to buy a new one is unreal. Not to mention they are also very expensive...
The driver's floor. I've since cleaned it up and removed all the noise insulation to inspect the damage. If you remember my CSX thread, these aren't that bad. I AIN'T SKEERED!!!!
The Dual Gate Shifter, another item from the Trans Am Specialties catalog. It's a little loose these days, but it is all there and still works (that's what she said!). The bezel took me a long time to find. After years of searching, I found one through Jegs. It was one of the last ones in the country, and both the shifter and bezel are now discontinued. The original bezels had a sticker inlay on them, but I prefer the looks of the newer style.
And umm... yeah... I wasn't kidding when I was saying the oil looked like a large iced coffee "extra extra" from Dunkin' Donuts. I changed the oil over the weekend, and I'm glad I did. A little bit of near-water came out first, and then this crap poured out. It smells like oil, and no, there's no head gasket leak. Remember, these have giant holes in the hood. After changing the oil, it seems fine, so I'm rolling with it. One note: I hate my headers. It is nearly impossible to access the oil filter. I will have to get a remote kit at some point soon.
Next on the list is to set up my rocker arms and get rid of an intake gasket coolant leak.. an external leak.
I really miss playing with my T/A's. My 79 was a silver 403 WS6 car too. The oil pump drive shaft broke which led to it's demise. That car was evil though, it tried to kill me twice. I'm glad to see you bringing this one back.
You said discolored, like from a plaque. Sure it wasn't a turnkey car?
And I love red interiors.
In reply to Dusterbd13:
That's the thing. There is no way to tell. If I could find the original owner, maybe, but that is a long shot. Teal Mesh Tank Top guy had ZERO history on the car other than "it does mad burnouts guy, wicked fast caaaaahhh guy".
Trans Am Specialties did not really keep records of the cars they tuned outside of their "Bandit" package cars. I have been in contact with a few of their former employees, and they were unable to help other than confirming that some of the parts came from them.
It's obvious that someone liked the car for much of it's early life, as it is not nearly as rusty as some of the other examples I've seen getting restored around here. For a New England car, it is pretty solid.
So the wife of 22 years recently filed for divorce (honestly) and she wants me to start marriage counseling on Monday. I am supposed to come up with subjects to talk about....and all I really got/think about is SilverFleet's Trans Am thread......
Gasoline wrote: So the wife of 22 years recently filed for divorce (honestly) and she wants me to start marriage counseling on Monday. I am supposed to come up with subjects to talk about....and all I really got/think about is SilverFleet's Trans Am thread......
Sorry to hear it.
Maybe topic #1 is why in the hell you'd go through counselling if you're already getting divorced? If she's already served the papers, I'd probably find something else to do with my time. But then again, I can be like that.
That is awful to hear about your marriage. If a Trans Am makes you feel better, go for it!
My wife knows that the Trans Am predates her and is a part of the family, whether she likes it or not. Last year, one of my town trash truck guys kept stopping by and asking about the car. She told him that I've had the car longer than I've had HER, and that it's not for sale.
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