Hell On Wheels: GATA! -1979 10th Anniv. Trans Am

[GATA79]

Hey ya'll,
Long time reader, and have finally registered myself and getting started posting as I am finally starting my resto-mod project of my dreams! I am going for a moderate pro-touring build, but still keeping it streetable and able to hold some of its value.

Quick background:
Since I was a little kid, as long as I can remember, I've wanted a 1979 Trans Am. Seeing Smokey and the Bandit with dad only made this craving worse. I got my first set of wrenches when I was 12 and it's been down hill since then. My first real project was a 1996 BMW that I blew the motor to pieces in. I pulled it into my family garage and for 6 months we rebuilt the motor from the ground up to a decent performance motor, and the suspension got only the best of the best parts that money could buy. The car was a dream on the AutoX track! I sold that car upon finding my dream car, a 1979 Anniversary Trans Am. It's rusted, and 3-tone primer gray. But it's a 100% original, numbers matched car, although it is the less desirable 403. I couldn't pass it up and me and dad drove up to N. GA to pick this car up. I've driven it around every now and then with the tops down just to have some fun, but not much else. I am a full time college student with a job, and have been putting money away for 2 years now to start this build, and it's finally time! I moved into an off campus house with a nice sized work shed that will be the base for this operation, and I couldn't be more excited.

I want to keep some originality about this car, and the nice thing is it already has the WS6 handling package.

My goal: A car I can drive on the street, enjoy south GA back roads, windy mountain roads, Autocross, daily drive, and take to the drag strip. I'd also like to keep the originality of this collectible, rare Bird.

The first step is going to be to get it into the workshop once I get all my Jeep parts moved out and sold. We're starting with a complete tear down. I'm going to strip the interior, front body panels, motor/trans and sub frame all to start. First order of business is the suspension and subframe. We'll be using the Eastwood frame restoration paint and sealant on the subframe to clean it up, and through all the research and phone calls I've made, the final decision on suspension is Pro Touring F Body's Comp kit with solid mounts and the connecting rails. It's already got 4 wheels discs, but I'm also thinking of upgrading to drilled/slotted rotors with bigger calipers from SSBC possibly.

I also have no intention of going fuel injected (I know going injected is a big part of pro touring...) I love the feel, and fun of driving a car with a big fat carb sitting on top of a built motor...nothing ever feels as good as those secondary's opening up on a straight shot down a flat road.

I'll be moving the Trans Am into the work shop in no more than a week from today, and will be keeping this thread updated through the entire tear down process coming up.

I know how much everyone loves pictures, so here we go!

The BMW:

BMW 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

This was with the coils spun all the way down, and it handled great once I tuned it correctly this low!


Slammed by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

And here is the GATA build starting point:


TATA 1 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr




TATA 4 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


TATA Int. 1 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


And the heart of the beast!


TATA Motor 1 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr

I'm going to do what most frown upon and say can't be done, but we're rebuilding this "useless" 403 up and making a great motor out of it. They bore on these motors are ridiculous, and with the right components can SAFELY make great torque.



A few more random shots for ya'll:


In my dads garage before I brought it down to mine:


Front by MercurioJJ, on Flickr


And I'll end it with my favorite angle of these 2nd Gen TA's:


TATA 2 by MercurioJJ, on Flickr




I've been sitting on this car and project for 2 years now, working harder than I've ever worked for anything in my life and can finally start on it and see my dream car take shape. Starting this thread is kind of my first step towards it and am glad to be part of the family!

-JJ