1979 Trans Am with 65 original miles?

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: CT8
I would rather have a new Mustang, Camaro or Challenger.


Me too. I lived through that era as a young adult and had a 1970 Camaro. The new Challengers and Mustangs are better in almost every way (except simplicity of working on them). By the late 1970s, there were vacuum hoses everywhere and the cars were underpowered.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Back in the 80's I always thought it would be ultra-cool to take a third gen Z/28 or RS Camaro, paint it red and then add black and white stripes to it like Eddie Van Halen's original Frankenstrat guitar:



Then get a personalized license plate that said "UNCHND" or maybe "5150". I never thought my idea would look good on a third gen Trans Am or Firebird though.

 

[user52165]

Need to get the correct info on the engine. 79 TA had a Pontiac 400, not the Olds 403. This was the last year for Pontiac 400. Need to get the block code. OP seems to be wrong. Research Pete McCarthy Performance Pontiac book - the Bible on this subject.

 

[Win]

The front and rear ends on those '79's were ugly then, and they're still ugly forty years later.

I had a mid 70's Firebird as my first car, and still have the faint scars from putting headers on it, and a cam in it. I personally wouldn't fool with another second gen F body unless it was a '73 or '74 car with the 455SD, perhaps one of the earlier models with a 455HO.

You could probably get a couple of 455SD's for the asking price of that car. Or any number of modern cars that are vastly quicker and faster.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Need to get the correct info on the engine. 79 TA had a Pontiac 400, not the Olds 403. This was the last year for Pontiac 400. Need to get the block code. OP seems to be wrong. Research Pete McCarthy Performance Pontiac book - the Bible on this subject.



That engine looks like a 403. They were used in 79 firebirds and trans-ams, as well as buick station wagons.

One of the giveaways is the large vertical oil fill pipe on the front of the engine.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Just as a point of reference, if a Dow tracking fund had existed in the '78-'79 time frame and one had invested $10,000 in it, the investment would be worth something like $250,000 today.
And, you wouldn't have been tying up garage space all that time... ;^)


Not really a fan of paper, but it's a valid point - almost anything beats a car sitting around.

That said, my Solstice has all the signs of being one of these hard luck stories - never gets driven, just sits inside taking up space. It's got about a thousand miles on it, though. Oh, well, too late now. My descendants will have to wait it out - or just drive it ....

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
One of the giveaways is the large vertical oil fill pipe on the front of the engine.


Yep, the Pontiac 400 filled through the valve cover. My memory is the last Pontiac 400's were manufactured in '77, but some leftovers made it into '78 cars. The 403 was a fine engine - for a Cutlass ....

Not sure when the 301 came and went, but it was the last Pontiac V8.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Need to get the correct info on the engine. 79 TA had a Pontiac 400, not the Olds 403. This was the last year for Pontiac 400. Need to get the block code. OP seems to be wrong. Research Pete McCarthy Performance Pontiac book - the Bible on this subject.


My bad - both were installed in 1979......Smokey pushed sales off the charts and not enough 400 were available.

https://myclassicgarage.com/marketplace/knowledge_base/1979-pontiac-firebird

But any true collector would want the Pontiac engine.

 

[Andrew1972]

My mum had similar car in 1979 with 6.6L, flaming bird but in a blue. I thought I was cool riding around Kuwait as a 7 year old. My father worked for a company that owned GM franchise so they gave him left over company cars to use and that was it for 1978ish.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Interesting tidbit of information. They actually played a sound track of a Dodge Hemi for the Trans Am sound effects in Smokey and the Bandit.


And even just driving sedately through a back country road at 45 MPH the engine was screaming for no apparent reason.

 

[Jim74]

I owned a '79 with a 403. Total piece of junk. Cool looking car, but man, what an unreliable piece of garbage.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
But not 100% Poncho...the 403 is an Oldsmobile engine; one of Pontiac's "better" ideas.


Not by choice: the Pontiac 400 would not meet California emissions. In the late 60's, Olds engineers did plenty of work on cleaning up their engines...note the Olds V8 ran-still with a carb-to 1990!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190

How can an 18 year old keep from driving his brand new tricked-out Trans Am?


The fact that he ordered it from the factory with an auto trans is harder for me to understand.


403 was not available with the 4-speed.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Need to get the correct info on the engine. 79 TA had a Pontiac 400, not the Olds 403. This was the last year for Pontiac 400. Need to get the block code. OP seems to be wrong. Research Pete McCarthy Performance Pontiac book - the Bible on this subject.


Nope: that is DEFINITELY an Olds V8. The oil filler tube is quite distinctive, as well as the shaker graphics. (400 cars said "T/A 6.6" rather than "6.6 LITRE".)

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: user52165
Need to get the correct info on the engine. 79 TA had a Pontiac 400, not the Olds 403. This was the last year for Pontiac 400. Need to get the block code. OP seems to be wrong. Research Pete McCarthy Performance Pontiac book - the Bible on this subject.


Nope: that is DEFINITELY an Olds V8. The oil filler tube is quite distinctive, as well as the shaker graphics. (400 cars said "T/A 6.6" rather than "6.6 LITRE".)


Sorry, but incorrect. I owned a 78, and the only way you got "TA 6.6" on your scoop from the factory was with the WS-6 package. Still, even my lower performance 400 was easily raised up to higher standards with a simple heads, cam, intake, and some headers. Ran 13.08 with a 2.56 gear and GR70 street radials. Went out the traps in second gear...

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Jim74
I owned a '79 with a 403. Total piece of junk. Cool looking car, but man, what an unreliable piece of garbage.


The 403 had a big bore and a short stroke. 4.351 bore x 3.385 stroke.

It could make good low end power with the right cam and more compression. I had one rebuilt in a 78 buick estate wagon. Block webbing was too weak for upper rpm power.

On the original engine, the nylon coated timing gears failed and it jumped time.

I'd have rather had the poncho engine.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Joe Mondello knows how to build a 403...needs a reinforced bottom end (bearing straps, usually; a bearing girdle for serious power). Do that, and 400HP is simple. They're good to 5500RPM with straps, 6K with the girdle.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Joe Mondello knows how to build a 403...needs a reinforced bottom end (bearing straps, usually; a bearing girdle for serious power). Do that, and 400HP is simple. They're good to 5500RPM with straps, 6K with the girdle.


Thats where i bought pistons and cam for the one i did. You need to move to an adjustable valve train if you go much over stock with the cam. They get more lift by using a smaller base circle, leaving too much clearance for stock hydralics.

IIRC i used the jm 18-20 cam in mine. (.488/.496 DUR 216/226 LOBE SEP 112 degrees) Arias pistons 10:1


I had the only buick estate wagon that would bark hard from 1st to second ( shift kit).

 

[spasm3]

BTW , Joe Mondello died in 2011.

http://www.mondellotwister.com/articles/403OldsEngineBuilding.pdf

 

[Jarlaxle]

Bummer.

His company sells a drop-in roller cam conversion for Olds engines.