The internets have informed me about most of the places to seek out rust, anything else I need to know about?
Related note, how unbearable would the noise be with a mostly yanked interior?
I might have a pair of Sparco seats that don't fit the Miata sitting in my garage.
And yes, some parody of the bird would be going on the hood.
if you want it, get it... you don't need our blessing or permission.. you don't even need to fulfill the stereotypes that go along with these vehicles and put on your "Kid Rock in Joe Dirt" costume whenever you drive it- just wear whatever you normally wear, talk like you normally talk, and act like you normally act..
they are just a typical GM car of the era: the front suspension is shared with the 73-77 A bodies and 77-96 B bodies, so there are some good junkyard big brake and sway bar options available. look for big front and rear sway bars and disc brakes on the rear: if it has those, it's got the good suspension package and should also have a tight ratio steering box and maybe even 3.42 gears and stiffer springs all around. those cars also got a (i think) 160mph speedometer, but maybe not by that time since the government tried to slow cars down with 85mph speedos.
the lack of T Tops is a good thing: it means there is a 20% chance that the floors and supporting structure isn't rusted away.
they have big heavy doors that have probably worn the upper hinges and door striker to something close to oblivion. ask about the "4 speed auto transmission": they only had 3 speed autos from the factory, so it could have a 700r4 or (hopefully) 200-4r trans swapped in place.
the standard heater box means it never had AC: less clutter under the hood and less crap to go wrong.
http://www.nastyz28.com for all the info. I'm a mod over there. They make a great CP car. 
Finally, something I know about! 
From looking at the ad, a couple things pop out:
-That's definitely NOT a 403 Olds motor. This is a good thing, as the 403 SMALL bock (not a big block)has windowed mains and doesn't have the performance potential of the Pontiac motors. Which leads me to the next thing...
-That is a Pontiac V8 under there. Here's where it gets tricky: All Pontiac motors appear the same to the naked eye, from the lowly 301 all the way to the 455. You are going to need some casting numbers to figure out what that is unless you pull it and look at the stamping on the side of the block. Considering that there's an aluminum intake on there, it's likely either a 350 or 400.
-Unless someone swapped in a TH200-4R, the automatic that came in a 1979 T/A is a TH350. They never came behind a Pontiac V8 that year, either. It is a B-O-P bellhousing model, so you can just swap a Pontiac V8 in there with ease. That's what I did with mine. My 400 bolted right in with a few tweaks. The swap is done, so don't worry about that.
-The car is wearing 15x8 WS6 wheels. That is a good thing, but does not necessarily mean it has the WS6 package. Check for rear disc brakes if you look at the car in person. If the wheels appear to be original and it has drums out back, there's a chance that it has the WS7 package, which was a late production addition when they supposedly ran out of rear disc parts. You will have to measure sway bars, look for the little chassis braces on the front subframe that tie it to the body near the lower firewall, etc. Either package is a win.
-I have never seen a 1979 model with the gray velour interior. Ever. It may be a 1980 model. If so, no big deal. It's worn anyway, so whatever.
Now for the positives of buying one:
-These are hot right now. Lots of aftermarket companies are coming out with new restoration and modification parts seemingly every month. They make a ton more now for these than when I bought mine in 2002.
-The sky is the limit with these. They make stock resto parts as well as complete bolt-in subframes and modified suspension setups. And yes, there's plenty of junkyard upgrades too, but especially if it has the WS6 package, it has a lot of good stuff already.
-If you do buy one, be prepared for people to turn their head when you drive it and the inevitable Smokey and the Bandit comments.
-From my personal experience, I can tell you that there is no other car on the road or in history that has been clouded with hearsay and tall tales about what they really are than the late 1970's Trans Ams. Everyone turns into a GM historian when one pulls up.
-If you care, you can get a Pontiac Historic Services package that will tell you what your car originally came with, what options it had, where it was delivered and sold, and a copy of the original window sticker. Very cool.
Go buy it!!!
Oops... I forgot...
Go here: Trans Am Country
Been a member there (as Tony79WS6) for years. Ignore the Smokey and the Bandit talk in the general forums and check out all the tech tips, builds, parts for sale, and more. Great forum with tons of info, although they do believe the 2nd gen Trans Am is the greatest car ever made.
Go for it! One of the cars I would really like to own someday. I would be ready for comments about smokey and the bandit though. Youll hear them alot.
If you want talking down, my advice is to look for rust on it and see if you can use that to lower the $3000 asking price. But it looks like it's in pretty decent shape for the price he's asking, so you might not have much room.
yes, it's cool.
yes, it's a Pontiac engine.
yes, you want it.
Get the numbers for the different V8's to take with you. Check to see whats in there for sure before buying. You don't want to pay top dollar for a 301 or 350. Best case is a 400.
Go buy it if it's not a bondo bucket, 3 grand is parts car pricing for those now. Doesn't matter what options it has like WS6 or what the engine size is.You could part it out and get the 3 grand back from what I see in the pics. I'd try to make a deal where you give him the 3 he wants and he'll get you any interior materials (carpet, headliner material, etc.) for his wholesale cost when you need them. Also, get the fan shroud that was removed.
I'm not an expert on the late 2nd gens but it looks like an AC dash but non AC underhood. I've done that in the past to get rid of the underhood AC stuff.
Buy it now, unless he lies about the rust.
"There is no rust on this car and has only small body work that needs to be done."
Could be...
Gearheadotaku wrote: Get the numbers for the different V8's to take with you. Check to see whats in there for sure before buying. You don't want to pay top dollar for a 301 or 350. Best case is a 400.
Or even WORSE - a 265. My dad had a Regal that had one of those pieces of crap.
In reply to Harvey:
I noticed the spoiler end was a different color and there is probably some dents and dings.
To the OP, I'd say do it, maybe see if you can get it down.
I don't think the aftermarket aluminum intakes fit on the "low deck" 265/301 motors. It could be anything from a 326 to a 455.
If it is truly rust free, that's pretty much the bottom of the market these days, believe it or not. The only rust to be scared of on these is in the rear frame rails. Everything else is not terrible to fix. They make just about every panel for this car. They even make the rear frame rails, but don't get that desperate.
Check for rust on the rear sub frames where they turn up at the wheel well.
I think Silverfleet hit all my main points. In 79 it was originally either a 301 or 403 car if it was an automatic from the factory. The 4 speed was only behind the 400. Although I've heard of some California cars that had a manual and a small block chevy, I've never seen one.
Spots to check for rust:
-Floors, especially the toe boards
-Tail panel under the rear bumper
-rear frame rails in the wheel wells
-trunk floor
-rear lower quarters
-lower fenders
-upper cowl
-lower core support
-rear window channel
-trunk lid and opening
Obviously, I'm a big fan. I went and got one out of Darrington a year or so ago myself. Even with all his statements about how rust-free this car is, I would still check real carefully around the rear window, trunk and rear frame rail area. I would also check the front floor boards in the "toe" area where it run up to the firewall, and the cowl area (base of the windsheild). If those check out, this is kind of a no-lose proposition.
I agree with what everyone else here has said, a '79 TA could have come with a 400 Pontiac only with stick, a 403 Olds with auto, or a 301 Pontiac with auto or stick (rare). In any case it is possible or even likely that this one has had an engine swap, particularly with the aluminum manifold and fancy valve covers. It would sure be worth seeing in person or at least getting better pics to know what's really in there.
As far as the interior, there was "Oyster with Gray Appointments" available in 1979, but only with vinyl seats. Again, it is possible that the seats got reupholstered at some point along the way, or that some mixing and matching happened. A good site to see what was available in each year is here: http://www.tran-zam.com/1979Main.htm.
In reply to SEADave:
I forgot about "Oyster" interiors. I have never seen one in person. It looked for a second like someone had made a custom interior using 10th Anniversary parts and re-upholstering the seats.
Even without an engine it's worth 3 grand now as a parts car if it's not rusted badly. Pontiac engine is a bonus. I'd act fast to look at it if you're interested. Once someone on one of the trans Am forums posts it in a "discuss online listings" section it'll be gone. I just checked 3 of the TA forums and it hasn't shown up on them yet. Someone parting cars or hoarding will snatch it up once it does.
I love you guys.
Contacted him, we'll see if he still has it and proceed from there.
Thanks for all the information!
Heck naw I won't try to talk you out of that. Prices have really run on these things so, as everyone has said, this could be the one for you. Give us the scoop after you've seen it.
Speaking of Trans Ams. I just had a friend buy one. I was originally going to buy it but it was his wife's cousin's car so he ended up with first dibs. Anyway, it's a 1978 TA gold exterior, gold interior, 400, 4 speed. honey comb wheels and T-top car with 17K original miles. Still has the original tires on it. The story is, he (the cousin) is the second owner and he purchased it back it the 80s from a young guy would couldn't afford it. Basically put in in the garage where it has remained all these years. He is now in poor health and needs the money. He knows cars so he was asking $25K for it. My friend got it for $20K. It's basically like new and only needed fluids and the hoses changed. He took it to his mechanic to get a once over and the mechanic offered him $35K on the spot for it. He didn't sell it but ya these things are appreciating especially low mile all original cars like this one. The cousin also is selling others cars he has so I am going to look at both a 66 Dodge Charger with a 440 and a 67 Dodge Coronet convertible with a 383. Neither of those cars are any where as nice as the TA but I am very interested in seeing them. Oh ya, he also has a third garage out back with cars in there that we have never seen yet. Yummy.
Nick_Comstock wrote: Check for rust on the rear sub frames where they turn up at the wheel well. I think Silverfleet hit all my main points. In 79 it was originally either a 301 or 403 car if it was an automatic from the factory. The 4 speed was only behind the 400. Although I've heard of some California cars that had a manual and a small block chevy, I've never seen one.
When I was 17 I had a 79 Trans am with a 301 and a 4 speed. I know the trans was original because there's no way the people I bought it from could have done such a clean swap. Now I'm sad to think it was downgraded to a 301 by someone.
In reply to turbojunker:
They did make 301/4-speed TA's in 79 (and only 79). See my post above.
Note that my statement about engines is for the Trans Am's only; Formulas, Esprits & base models may have had other engine/trans combinations available in various years. For instance my '78 Esprit has a Chevy 305 that was only available in TA's in '80 & '81.
http://www.pontiacstreetperformance.com/psp/blockID.html
http://www.78ta.com/enginecodes.php
I'm a long time 2nd gen Camaro guy, but also love the Firebirds and Trans Ams
these cars have gone up in value, including craigslist non running projects
In reply to turbojunker:
SEADave is probably right. It's been a very long time since I messed with T/A's. I've never seen a 301 4speed car but that doesn't mean they are not out there. I know Cali cars of those years used different combinations because the big Pontiac engines couldn't meet emission requirements.
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