I have a local yokel offering me his 1977 Pontiac Trans Am (in yellow, hardtop) and $1,500 clams for my Javelin. I don't know much about his car yet except that it's a 6.6 Litre, meaning Poncho 400 motor.
I was hoping to turn the Javelin into a car new enough to take SWMBO and Jav Jr to shows in, but I might be able to parlay the T/A newer again.
What say ye?
Will look great with that big ass tach strapped to the dash.
In reply to hobiercr:
Berk that, that Monster is going on the 5's dashboard! 
And the awesome mandatory mullet!!
Depending on condition I'd jump all over that trade. My 78 T/A is a great driving car and I really like the Pontiac engines. My 78 is a 400/AT and my 72 is a 455/4 speed.
Before the 4 speed conversion in the 72 I had an auto with a shift kit and a B&M Quicksilver shifter. To be completely honest the combo of the shift kit and the ratchet shifter was more fun at times than the 4 speed!
I'd rather have the Javelin.
Can a vegetarian drive a car with a big flaming bird on the hood? heh....
I dunno, I think selling it to your pops was a better idea, but its your call, I just wanted to bust your vegehuvian balls a bit. 
I'd totally rock a Trans Am from that era. They are prone to rust on the rear rails so get underneath it, but if it's solid it's a no-depreciation toy you can enjoy until you're ready to step up that AMX one day.
Go with the Pontiac. We'll call you Bandit, even if it is yellow.
I'd rock the TA. Love them. Want one. My wife hates them with a burning passion that I save for early 90's GM economy cars. I would love to live vicariously through your acquisition.
In reply to turboswede:
It's coming back from the dead, so duh, of course I can drive it!
Ball bust about my eating habits all you want. I bring some kale for you to chew on when I whoop your AX times in your own car.
In reply to Javelin:
Ugh, wife had me try some kale chips, it was like eatin spicy chalk.
Haha, considering the turbo lag on this thing, I don't think either one of us will be scorching up the course too much. Me especially :)
The '6.6' is the Oldsmobuick 403, if it was a 400 Poncho, it would say "400" on the shaker. At least that is what I think I know. That said, I like Javelins.
http://www.78ta.com/66liter.php
Pretty sure it'd have an Olds 403 with "6.6 Litre" on the hood.
unk577 wrote: And the awesome mandatory mullet!!
And a T-shirt with the sleeves ripped out, or, shudder the though, the same shirt with half the bottom removed, showing off your beer gut.
Cut off jean shorts! Wooooooooooooooooo!
In reply to turboswede:
Kale chips suck. SWMBO loves them, but I don't get it. Raw kale ain't half bad, especially with some sort of sauce.
Turbo lag, schmlurbo lag, that's why you left-foot brake!
pres589 wrote: http://www.78ta.com/66liter.php Pretty sure it'd have an Olds 403 with "6.6 Litre" on the hood.
Aww, poop! I had an aunt with a 78 Formula with the Olds 403, and I was not a fan. Guess I'll pass on this one.
I'd do it ... those TAs are cool.
403 is a good boat anchor...not so much of an engine.
What say SWMBO?
Don't jump to any conclusions on the engine. In 77 you could get a 403 Olds, a "regular" Poncho 400 or a W72 hi-po Poncho 400. Only the W72 said "T/A 6.6" on the shaker. So a 77 that says "6.6 Litre" on the shaker could be either a 403 or a 400.
Add to that the fact that this is an old car and who knows whether it still has the original engine or shaker. I would want to actually look at the car - 403 is easy to spot since the oil filler sticks up at the front of the engine.
In any case, I would choose my 2nd gen TA by the amount of rust or lack thereof over which engine it has. Swapping engines is really easy, and the 403 is ok so long as you don't try to make it into something it isn't.
In reply to Ian F:
One ugly rusty piece of E36 M3 for a slightly less ugly rusty piece of E36 M3.
In reply to SEADave:
Thank you. I was just getting ready to post the same thing due to the misinformation in the thread.
-a lot can happen in 36 years, so run the numbers on the block, check the vin (in addition to checking the block numbers), and/or physically look at the casting numbers near the front freeze plug....the block size is cast into the block and if it's a poncho engine will say 350, 400, or 455.
ex. my 72 Firebird's vin indicated a 350 stock, the block said 400, then I ran the numbers and determined it had a 76 model year 400.
ex. from my 78 T/A: It was advertised as a w72/ws6/gold SE car, but once I looked at the car in person and ran the numbers it turned out to be an L78 400, but the ws6 and SE were correct. Funny thing is the owner had the PHS docs, which is the best way to authenticate these cars, and the PHS docs clearly stated L78 400. Either he was lying to me, was an idiot and believed a decal over the factory docs, or never looked at the docs. Either way I still bought the car, but got money off over the engine deal.
edit: this site can help you with the ID http://www.boyleworks.com/ta400/psp/blockID.html
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