[provocating]

I would love to hear what your stories are regarding this car. I was first introduced to this car around 16-17 years old, saw quite a few but I had a friend and his girlfriend both had blue ones, one a Trans Am and one a firebird. I purchased her firebird around the time I graduated, but I always really wanted a Trans Am. The Firebird I got had a 301, so I was really let down on the performance of the car, but I was okay at the time. Off and on for the last 20 years I thought about pulling the trigger and never did it. I hit a point in my life that I knew if I was going to do it, I did not need to wait until I was any older or I may just not enjoy it. I have first hand witnessed people getting their dream car and just to old to enjoy it, I did not want to go that route.

So here I am, dream car and it is kicking my ass trying to fix all the little bugs, but I need this and hopefully the car needed me since it was sitting in a warehouse.

EDIT: I guess I could post my first day with the car. I was still in shock so I parked it and did not even drive it the first day.

 

[bk2life]

Oct 3 2016 I wrote this post on thirdgen.org:

Hey guys/gals, about 2 months ago I picked up a 91 GTA from my old 1SG. He bought it brand new and with life and new-borns and the war it’s just been sitting. He would joke around to me one day he’d sell it to me if I was interested in the car.
Well I got a call one day, we settled on a ridiculously cheap price and now I’m the owner. He didn’t care what I did with the car, fix it, part it out, or whatever as long as the parts went to other cars to be enjoyed.
Well before owning this car I had zero intentions to do anything with it other than part it out. So I immediately got home and posted some adds in the local places and in about 24 hours I had 50 or so calls on parts. This got me thinking, and I started doing some research. I’ve found (if I did it correctly) that this particular vehicle is one of 293 built with RPO Code of NN5 California Emissions.
In the few weeks of owning this car and talking to others I have grown fond of it. The interior is near perfect with only wear on the leather driver’s seat, and a sagging headliner. Everything is stock, and complete. Everything works (I need new headlight motors) and there are 3 dents I can see in the body. The paint is white, and peeling, and the front windshield is cracked.
Well, that was a long winded back story, but from here on out, follow along as we do a mild restore to this fun to drive, 1991, dare I say, vintage auto?..

 

[GaryDoug]

Bought a 70 Formula 400 in 1980 so I could tow my boat (see avatar). My little Mercedes could not. Stayed with that until in 1986 I bought a new Trans Am (cute but wimpy POS). Again in 1998 bought a new Trans Am (LS1 screamer). After Hurricane Helene trashed the 98, I bought a vintage 2001 WS6. Can't stomach a Camaro, so... BTW all my birds have had a trailer hitch. One thing I love more that my cars is my boats.

1999 Mariah Shabah 5.7 L Mercruiser

 

[jybravo70]

Growing up in the '70's and at the height of the CB boom one of my movie favorites was Smokey & The Bandit and the iconic Trans Am. The Rockford File's Firebird rarely did anything on TV so I didn't really care about it, that and it didn't have the spoiler! In the 80's there was KITT and KARR which I cursed NBC for putting it one Friday night when I was playing football. When I finally got to a place to get a Trans Am I spent a year trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it when I got it. I really wanted a car I could work on but not the headache of working around the 70's emission nightmares or someone else's engine swap. I settled on doing a resto mod but the prices of a donor were too high when factoring in LS engine, transmission, ABS brakes, tuning, etc. My last tour in the Navy our shop lead petty officer had a brand new '97 and it was super fast, he was smart to not let anyone else drive it! Growing up I was always bouncing between the Camaros and Firebirds. I wanted to get one but the 2 options were unmolested sky high price or heavily modified some-one else's gamble on doing an engine/transmission swap correctly. For the price and time to do a "good" resto-mod I decided to go with a 4th gen and ended up with a 2002 CETA. I am happy with it but really still want a 77-78. The 79 and 80 just weren't the same to me, I really like the grill of the earlier 2nd gens.

 

[BL 79 Formula]

Smokey and the Bandit, of course, being a kid in the 70's. Finally got one a few years ago in my late 40's. I daily drive it, it's a 383 stroker and a 4 speed. Super fun car.

 

[EdKnecht]

I used to build lots of models as a kid. One was a 69 trans am. Then I got an Aurora FX slot car set…..which I still have. Bought a 69 trans am car and funny enough it was fast as hell…..like crazy. Had 20’ of straight track would set up drag races..

 

[brianb]

Had 20’ of straight track would set up drag races..

AWESOME! What a great time to be a kid!

 

[1993TransAm]

My attraction came from Knight Rider. I might have been a little too young for Smokey and The Bandit when it was popular. As a result, the third generation cars were initially my favorite in their appearance. When the fourth generation came out, it was like GM had taken all of my favorite qualities of the third generation and made them "cooler." The performance of the fourth generation V8s had finally woken up, too. I believe that the fourth generation cars were everything that Firebirds could be. It's hard to believe that I've had my car for 17 years now (yikes!).

 

[roorancher]

Well, I may piss the true believers off here, (I'm 71,) but I never had an interest in Smokey and the Bandit or Knight Rider. In fact, I thought Knight Rider was dumb as shit.

I started with a 76 TA Coupe (no T-tops,) and I had to special order it because T-Tops were all the rage. Black and Gold of course. Paid $6600 cash. Had the car for for 4 years and would have kept it forever, but on the night I moved to Houston my brother took it out and claims he got hit by a hit and run driver and totalled the car.

Having just moved to a new job, I bought a plain Jane V8 Firebird as a stop-gap measure, and after that, I moved into Pickups and boats, like @GaryDoug . (I have an 84 Larson Silverline Mach I and a 71 Cheyenne Pickup, as well as my DD, a 15 Silverado Crew.
About 3 years ago, I wanted to return somewhat to my roots and have some fun, but the boss would not let me buy a 76, so I bought a 91 TA Convertible. Fun Car, but no rocket. Good cruiser and I enjoy it.

Sometime after that, our tenant in our commercial building married the old GMC/Pontiac dealer here in Waco Texas, and we became instant buddies. He buys and sells cars, (he's 80,) and has quite the collection. He does Mecum as well.
He told me of a 94 TA Convertible outside of Wichita, and I should go get it. I've had it for about 2 years now. 28K miles of fun. I alternate using the cars every week. They're not garage queens, and shows and events like Cars and Coffee don't really interest me either. To appease my wife, I bought her a Saturn Sky Roadster that she loves.

Recently she mentioned that it was time for a new truck for me, and I told her I'd rather have another car, and my truck was fine. Something ain't right.

I've had other cars I wish I'd never let go of like a 67 Chevelle SS 396 Convertible and a 73 Buick Riviera.

 

[LarryV]

Interesting topic!

My 1st car in college was a '68 Camaro, which I loved but it was eating me alive with repair costs as an everyday driver. So I sold it and bought my aunt's 1980 Trans Am, which was a dog (301, automatic) but looked great and was very reliable. When I graduated I promptly traded it in on a new 1989 Firebird Formula (5.0L, 5-speed). By then I was firmly entrenched as a Pontiac guy, but I always missed the Camaro. I kept the Formula for 30 years and gave it to my son with about 55K miles on it when he graduated from college. He still has it. I blended my love of Firebirds with my regret of selling the Camaro, and bought my current 1968 Firebird - best of both worlds! The bonus is that my son and I can now cruise and go to car shows together in our red Firebirds. I love it.

 

[langss]

My current Trans Am project is a car that was wrecked, and had a bunch of legal stuff go on because of the wreck. A little back story, I bought a 78 new, it was black and I took the best care of it I could at the time. Ultimately I elected to sell it, and try as I did to let it go to a good home, when the new owner backed out of my driveway and off the curb trashing the front ground effects, I just had to turn my back and go into the house.
Back to the 78 I currently have. I actually test drove it before purchasing the black car, but the dealer had special ordered it and it was way out of my price range. FF to 1985, I see this Wrecked Martinique Blue Trans Am in a neighbors driveway. He bought it to fix, and found an easier project so was wanting to let it go. Now I have it and at the time, I had no idea it was the car I had test driven. Its been a long term project, and back-burnered many times, but someday I'll get it going again.

 

[provocating]

My current Trans Am project is a car that was wrecked, and had a bunch of legal stuff go on because of the wreck. A little back story, I bought a 78 new, it was black and I took the best care of it I could at the time. Ultimately I elected to sell it, and try as I did to let it go to a good home, when the new owner backed out of my driveway and off the curb trashing the front ground effects, I just had to turn my back and go into the house.
Back to the 78 I currently have. I actually test drove it before purchasing the black car, but the dealer had special ordered it and it was way out of my price range. FF to 1985, I see this Wrecked Martinique Blue Trans Am in a neighbors driveway. He bought it to fix, and found an easier project so was wanting to let it go. Now I have it and at the time, I had no idea it was the car I had test driven. Its been a long term project, and back-burnered many times, but someday I'll get it going again.

Seeing someone not take care of a car that you care about, that just hurts.

 

[langss]

Yes, and No. A lot of things happened to the car between when I bought it and sold it. And so in some ways the new owner just "Finalized" its departure. What happened to it after I got paid was not really my concern anymore. I also sold my 74 Corvette, because I was just tired of always fixing little things, that always turned into BIG THINGS. So my current project will be a strictly "Fun" Track Day car.

 

[73Birdman]

I always loved the the 69 and 70-73 split bumper Camaro. Around 1991 I purchased a set of Muscle Car trading cards (I still have them) the cards featured every Muscle Car from 62-74. The Trans Am, SD. and Firebird cards all stood out to me. I was 16yo and all I knew from my family was Chevy and Cadillac. That Endura front bumper on the 70-73 Firebirds was so pretty to me. It was love at first sight (never watched Rockford) Fast Forward to 2010 and I finally have the resources to purchase my Firebird. At the time craigslist was a hot spot for good Muscle car deals. I found my 73 in Grand Rapids, MI. Just a 2hr drive from Chicago, where I live. I borrow my mother-in-laws Dodge Ram 4.7V8 and rent a Uhaul trailer (shoulda kept) I Go pick up car. I feel like I killed the poor Ram because after my trip to Michigan the Ram started having rear end and trans issues. (4.7 not the best at towing) My 73 was a Esprit 400 florentine red. It also had the Flinstone feature for optional power! Paid 2k for the car. Joined this site 4 days after my purchase. That was April 2010. LS Swaps were sorta new and very very expensive and complicated back in 2010. If I were to do it allover again I would definitely LS/LT swap

 

[flybird68]

I would love to hear what your stories are regarding this car. I was first introduced to this car around 16-17 years old, saw quite a few but I had a friend and his girlfriend both had blue ones, one a Trans Am and one a firebird. I purchased her firebird around the time I graduated, but I always really wanted a Trans Am. The Firebird I got had a 301, so I was really let down on the performance of the car, but I was okay at the time. Off and on for the last 20 years I thought about pulling the trigger and never did it. I hit a point in my life that I knew if I was going to do it, I did not need to wait until I was any older or I may just not enjoy it. I have first hand witnessed people getting their dream car and just to old to enjoy it, I did not want to go that route.

So here I am, dream car and it is kicking my ass trying to fix all the little bugs, but I need this and hopefully the car needed me since it was sitting in a warehouse.

EDIT: I guess I could post my first day with the car. I was still in shock so I parked it and did not even drive it the first day.

View attachment 241638

Igor got hooked on cars age 9 after my cuz took me for a ride in a 1970 road runner. That was the best feeling in the world.
So as I was getting closer to getting a license I thought long and hard about what my pipe dream car.
Now I have never been one to follow the pack. Why my other fellow high school students were drooling over the Camaros I didn’t get it. They were mass produced everybody had one and I personally didn’t find anything that made it uniqye. But the firebird. It’s amazing how just a few tweaks of a design can give it a more aggressive appearance but subtle at the same time. Most of the first generations were special ordered. Pontiac offering 5 different models 6 cyl overhead cam, 350 or 350 HO package, 400 and convertible. With a long list of options to choose from.
You would test drive the showcase car at dealers then special order your car as you wanted it. And where around 240,000 Camaros were built in say 1968. Only 107,000 firebirds were built making Firebird more unique and well as GM designed it to be the Cadillac to the Camaro. Firebird hands down is the better built car.
I chose firebird because it represents the metal reflection of myself.
Bought my 68 back in 84 third owner. Daily driver for 15 years and it shall be again

 

[Warren Seale]

Original owner here. Back in the 70s, my 20-year-old eye was toward getting a new GM colonnade A body car. Specifically, the Olds Cutlass. But then they downsized them in 78 and that changed my direction. The next best choice for me was the F body and I gravitated toward the Trans Am (and not because of a movie).

I shopped about a dozen Pontiac dealers in the Philadelphia area and landed at Teefy Pontiac in Jenkintown. In July of 78 I placed an order for a 79 with every option including the 400/4 speed. I knew about the limited supply of 400s and figured if I got my order in there early enough, I would get it without any issue. I was wrong about that. After waiting forever, I got a call from the dealer at the end of January 79 telling me that they weren't able to get the 400 and that I would have to go with the 403. I don't know if this was due to not having an allocation or if they got the car I ordered but sold it out from under me to someone that would pay a higher price (you know how dealers can be).

So, I settled for the 403 and I asked them to add the cruise control since this was not available when equipped with a 4 speed. They wouldn't do it. This, along with the fact I couldn't get the 400, upset me enough to call the GM zone office in Cherry Hill N.J. . I explained to them what happened, and they said they will go ahead and add the cruise control to my order. On April 1st my car was delivered.

But the car had issues right from the factory. Ahh, what cars didn't at that time. The Trans Am decal was missing on the left front fender. I found out later that the lower bend of the fender into the wheel well had been repaired with lead filler. I guess this is why the decal was missing. There were also black paint speckles around the back of the car, specifically the top of the spoiler and the quarter panels. It's as if they were spraying black paint near my car (possibly when the fender repair was being done). I also noticed when getting under the car to change the oil that there were a bunch of fasteners missing around the radiator support frame.

Today, except for the pancake cat and goofy single to split dual exhaust, the car is all original and preserved. It has true dual exhaust and no cats.

 

[provocating]

Original owner here. Back in the 70s, my 20-year-old eye was toward getting a new GM colonnade A body car. Specifically, the Olds Cutlass. But then they downsized them in 78 and that changed my direction. The next best choice for me was the F body and I gravitated toward the Trans Am (and not because of a movie).

I shopped about a dozen Pontiac dealers in the Philadelphia area and landed at Teefy Pontiac in Jenkintown. In July of 78 I placed an order for a 79 with every option including the 400/4 speed. I knew about the limited supply of 400s and figured if I got my order in there early enough, I would get it without any issue. I was wrong about that. After waiting forever, I got a call from the dealer at the end of January 79 telling me that they weren't able to get the 400 and that I would have to go with the 403. I don't know if this was due to not having an allocation or if they got the car I ordered but sold it out from under me to someone that would pay a higher price (you know how dealers can be).

So, I settled for the 403 and I asked them to add the cruise control since this was not available when equipped with a 4 speed. They wouldn't do it. This, along with the fact I couldn't get the 400, upset me enough to call the GM zone office in Cherry Hill N.J. . I explained to them what happened, and they said they will go ahead and add the cruise control to my order. On April 1st my car was delivered.

But the car had issues right from the factory. Ahh, what cars didn't at that time. The Trans Am decal was missing on the left front fender. I found out later that the lower bend of the fender into the wheel well had been repaired with lead filler. I guess this is why the decal was missing. There were also black paint speckles around the back of the car, specifically the top of the spoiler and the quarter panels. It's as if they were spraying black paint near my car (possibly when the fender repair was being done). I also noticed when getting under the car to change the oil that there were a bunch of fasteners missing around the radiator support frame.

Today, except for the pancake cat and goofy single to split dual exhaust, the car is all original and preserved. It has true dual exhaust and not cats.

Holy crap, that is a great story. So the decal on that fender was completely missing from the factor?

 

[provocating]

This thread generated more traffic than I thought it would, lets keep this going!

 

[Warren Seale]

Holy crap, that is a great story. So the decal on that fender was completely missing from the factor?

Yes, the decal was not there when I took delivery of the car. The dealer said that they would order it.

 

[provocating]

Yes, the decal was not there when I took delivery of the car. The dealer said that they would order it.

That is just so bizarre.