New '78 T/A Project [Archive]

Torquedork

06-09-2011, 12:26 PM

My friend and I picked up a '78 Trans Am Gold Special Edition sitting up in the high desert!

The car looks to have about "Every" option you could get on a T/A including the WS6 package!

The only bummer is the Old's 403 engine. We may be limited on the engine in California based on the year.

So, What to do???

1. Restore???

2. Mild Pro/Touring package???

3. Major Pro/Touring setup???

What do you guys think????

This project will be a part of an upcoming book on 2nd Gen Firebird and Camaro Performance covering many Pro/Touring Mods from mild to wild. We want to thank our sponsors for helping bring this car back to life.

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Back Home
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Also found this interesting!
The guy had a whole bunch of AMX's over a dozen 2 seaters and later!!
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Swiftandswank

06-10-2011, 08:47 AM

Sweet car, I love the SE TA's. Did it come with the gold t-tops?

LeighP

06-11-2011, 04:57 AM

Pretty rare bird.....a Y88 that was numbers matching would be something I'd think hard about restoring.

TekkarEdorf

06-11-2011, 09:39 AM

Very nice Y88 :) I wouldn'mind having one, either pro-touring style or original :) But if you go pro touring, maybe not go so far that you can't take it back to stock?

Torquedork

06-11-2011, 12:41 PM

Thanks,

Yes only 800 plus made and this one has about every option you could get. We found the original window sticker and it totaled $9,100!

We are thinking along the lines of a level one P/T car where you can take it back.

coolwelder62

06-11-2011, 07:33 PM

Good lookin car.

89 RS

06-11-2011, 08:56 PM

Great find. Lot of cool cars you found there also.

ArtosDracon

06-12-2011, 04:06 PM

I would do bolt-on only upgrades to something like that. It'll be more fun with the upgrades, but probably worth more all stock, so keep everything.

Takid455

06-12-2011, 06:12 PM

What to ask your self... long term plans if any??

While it is an SE, the 403 is on the lower end and can be found. Totally done restos may clear mid 20's after putting 40+ into it.

If my car I would shelve the engine and trans to build a nice powered driveline while the #'s stuff rest safe. Then upgrade the suspension and items that can be reverse easily. Even weld-in SFC can be removed w/o being noticed. Could even go as far as adding a simple 4 pt bar similar to the Hooker Show bar of yore.

Most of all here is what you need to ask yourself

What do I want?
Investment or fun?
Flip it or long term ownership.

Torquedork

06-13-2011, 07:22 AM

The plan is to do some mild mods to the car like I mentioned a Level One P/T car. We are a little limited on a '78 in California emissions wise unless we dump gobs gobs of money into for a modern LS engine but don't think that's a good idea. The car won't stay went finished. Tore the engine down yesterday and it was ROUGH but saveable.

Thinking of maxing it's potential yet still can easily put it back. Didn't pay much for the car and it's fully optioned and not one dent on it so even the bodywork will be an easy task.

Who make the 17 inch Snowflakes????

2timegoldtransam

06-13-2011, 07:36 AM

Year one makes the 17 inch snowflakes.
Acouple people on ebay are selling them om there also

Torquedork

06-13-2011, 09:51 AM

Here's the Ugly engine teardown. It looks like it was removed in 1992 and sitting out! Arrrgh!

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John Wright

06-13-2011, 10:00 AM

How about the late second gen camaro on the left?...gonna PT that baby too?
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Torquedork

06-13-2011, 10:56 AM

How about the late second gen camaro on the left?...gonna PT that baby too?
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Wish we could do them ALL but no more Room!!!! He also had a '75 Formula there!

As you can see in my Signature below, I'd like to take one of the 2 Seater AMX's we found and P/T one in a combo of Pewter/Charcoal

JayR

06-13-2011, 04:13 PM

I would do exactly what Freiburger did in Hot Rod with his disco era Z28 over the last year. The entire parts list and a step by step instruction manual is right there at your fingertips and it's even CA legal and runs like stink and gets 25 mpg. If the last year of Hot Rod isn't beside your toilet, it's online and even at the good old-fashioned library depending where you live. For wheels, definitely a set of Rushforths!

Torquedork

06-14-2011, 05:14 PM

1. Switching a loaded one of 800 Trans Am Gold Special Editions to an LS style drivetrain is not in the cards here. Don't think GM Performance will be shipping me a Crate Motor for free anytime soon:hand:

2. Based on the budget and potential value of the car when finished, it's best to keep it a Level One P/T project that can be easily returned to stock.

Anyone ever tried to remove the "Boat Anchor" Syndrome from a California 403 Olds Engine?

Torquedork

07-03-2011, 03:45 PM

Well we finished up a '66 Chevelle and started tearing down the '78 T/A. Now if we can just get "Goldberg" to come over and lift the body off the Subframe!!!! Hee Hee!!

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LeighP

07-03-2011, 06:46 PM

Torquedork

07-05-2011, 09:53 AM

Getting right into it....good stuff!
403's can be made to haul fairly well...they have their limits, but are good street engines. A different set of heads will help.
Check these guys out...they know 403's and what works....
http://www.jsmachineoldsmobile.com/

Thanks for the information. We may be having a chat with them. I would say limits would be an understatement looking at the block design and the webbing. Yikes!

Skip Fix

07-05-2011, 10:48 AM

Although Joe Mondello just passed away they built alot of Olds motors.

monteboy84

07-05-2011, 11:21 AM

I'm thinking stock subframe and LCA's with a Savitske kit to correct the stock geometry, composite rear leafs, Bilstein shocks, and C5 front/LS1 rear brake conversion behind the snowflake 17 inch wheels you've already mentioned. Restore the body and interior to basically stock and give that 403 a once-over.

So basically just what you're probably already planning, I just typed it all out and pretended it was my idea :spank2:

-matt

rohrt

07-05-2011, 11:34 AM

Torquedork

07-07-2011, 06:13 PM

Just an update. Despite the heat over the 4th, we just kept plugging away at the tearing the car down. Hope we remember how to put it back together!!!!!!
Dash
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Stripped
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Torquedork

07-14-2011, 05:51 PM

Nice find

In my opinon there is very little that needs to be done to a WS6 car. Delrin bushings and subframe connectors is all I would do. Spend the rest on a pontiac drive train if California alows this.

Would love to go Pontiac Power but California's the Problem!!! Arrrgh!

Here's a few update photos.

We stripped it down to see what secrets lay beneath the paint and there were a few dings here and there. Then a quick coat of primer to seal it off with more to come.
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Painting the Core Support along with other stuff blasted.
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SRD art

07-14-2011, 07:50 PM

rohrt

07-15-2011, 09:46 AM

Looking good.

what are the CA laws on swaping a motor?

Torquedork

07-15-2011, 10:02 AM

Looking good.

what are the CA laws on swaping a motor?

Unfortunately, '76 and newer cars still have to be smogged in California. We could do an LS conversion and it would probably be smogged based on the year of the engine and would most likely have to go to a special smog station.

There are two problems with the LS conversion here:

1. It's not in the budget for this particular car.
2. It's not something we really want to do to an essentially rare Loaded Gold Special Edition where only 800 plus were made.

We will "Tweak" it, but make sure it can be easily returned to a returned to a restored state. We simply feel it's more valuable that way. I tried to get my friend to buy a Formula that was sitting next to the Trans Am but he just has a thing for T/A's since he's owned a bunch of them in the past. The Formula we could have went nuts on.

rohrt

07-15-2011, 12:35 PM

My brother has a gold edition. I got a least one ticket in that car and my brother got several including loosing his license. Good times.

Anyway, he has pulled the motors and put them in storage on a few of his T/As and then built what wanted. I think your smart to do bolt in mods only that can be changed back. Keep the pics comming.

tylers88

07-18-2011, 07:36 PM

How about the late second gen camaro on the left?...gonna PT that baby too?
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That Camaro looks exactly like the car I want to start with to build a PT/summer daily out of. A solid Z28 with ratty(decieving) looking paint

bhcustomdesigns

07-18-2011, 08:30 PM

Looking good :twothumbs

Torquedork

07-20-2011, 12:04 PM

Looking good :twothumbs

Thanks,

It's slowed down a little but making progress. A few update photos although the subframe is now out and being blasted. We also have some sponsors onboard and will list them shortly.
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damannhw

07-20-2011, 12:31 PM

That's gonna be a nice car when finished. Even though most people liked the black, I always loved gold on the Trans Am's ! Can't wait to see it painted.

Torquedork

07-21-2011, 12:46 PM

Way to dig right in. I think the route you're going is a good idea, don't get too nuts with it. Stock restored muscle cars aren't my gig, although I know they have their place. If I owned one of 800 cars though I'd have a tough time not doing a full resto then sell it so I can build something more like what I was interested in, ie a PT 2 seater AMX.

Ben, it will be part Resto, part P/T to help maintain it's rarity and value so not to destroy it in the process thanks to some sponsors on board. And yes, we would like to do a P/T 2 seater AMX.

Torquedork

07-25-2011, 12:13 PM

Just an Update:

Subframe returned from the Sandblaster and has been painted.

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We also prepped the firewall and removed a lot of the factory undercoating and sealer.

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Swiftandswank

07-25-2011, 01:02 PM

Looking good

Torquedork

08-02-2011, 01:54 PM

Just a quick update.

Our Heidts narrowed tubular control arm arrived along with a subframe mounting kit. As we mentioned, we are keeping it fairly simple as to not destroy what is a fairly rare car.

Old stuff pretty grungy!
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This should be better!
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yellow1098Greg

08-02-2011, 09:51 PM

looks awsome i have a silver 77....love watching your build

1tuff68

08-03-2011, 01:22 PM

Looks like a great project

Torquedork

08-09-2011, 06:39 PM

A bit of an update.

After getting our Heidt's control arms and subframe mounting kit and putting the firewall back in pristine condtion, we slid the subframe back in place.

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We also pulled the rear axle and sent it off to the blaster while we wait for our Stainless Steel Brake Kits.

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79-TA

08-10-2011, 03:03 PM

Hey, I have an Olds 403 in my car that I built. I built it around the Edelbrock big block aluminum heads. I'm afraid this isn't a good route to go for smog though as it requires you to run their high rise intake manifold that deletes most of the smog provisions.

The Olds 403 suffers from a severe lack of compression coupled with a lame camshaft. Your static compression ratio is 7.9:1. Windowed main webs and siamesed cylinders are also a limitation, but probably not so much for a smog motor.

You might go a bit more aggressive on the cam and then try bolting on a set of Olds 350 heads for more compression. I think that would still be fine for smog purposes. Other than that, make sure you keep track of of find all of the stock air intake items so you can pass the nonsensical visual inspection.

Torquedork

08-15-2011, 11:35 AM

Still making progress after the rear axle came back from the blaster:

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Paintedhttps://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
Custom Eaton/Detroit Springs with a 1 inch drophttps://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
Axle heading Homehttps://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
Rear WS6 Sway Bar with Energy Suspension Bushing Kits. Rear Disc Conversion Next.https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Torquedork

08-30-2011, 03:43 PM

Just another update on bringing the fuel tank back to life and it was UGLY!
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Chemically stripped and sealed with Eastwoods Tank Sealer and coated with Eastwoods Tank Tone
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jgpclone

08-30-2011, 11:44 PM

nice work man

LeighP

08-31-2011, 02:20 AM

Very tidy.....good work!

Torquedork

09-05-2011, 09:59 AM

Here's the most recent update! FRONT SUSPENSION

What we started with:
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Easiest part was installing the Heidts upper control arms:
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We installed the Heidts lower control arms and prepared the custom Eaton/Detroit front springs:
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I must say it's "No Fun" installing springs in a car with no engine and trans (WEIGHT) on the front end but we got it done:
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New Bilstein Shocks are on the way and next up are the Stainless Steel Brakes!

cdoggy81

09-05-2011, 05:11 PM

Nice ride!

LeighP

09-06-2011, 07:29 PM

Very clean...I had the same fun with the springs and no weight on the frame. Amazing how much help a tie down strap can be in that situation, lol.

Torquedork

09-13-2011, 07:26 PM

The Stainless Steel Brakes are ready to go. We will post the install in the next day or two.

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MONTE7071

09-14-2011, 10:05 AM

Nice car one of my favorite cars of all time.

Torquedork

09-14-2011, 02:01 PM

Did the front Stainless Steel Brakes this morning which was a piece of cake

THIS WAS UGLY!!
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We used their 2 piston calipers that mount just like the factory units.
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Added Drilled and Slotted Rotors
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Much Better!!https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

NOTE: Stainless Steel Brakes was unsure if the Factory 15 inch Snowflakes would fit over the larger Caliper. We are planning 17 inch Snowflakes but Checked the factory 15 x 8 inch Snowflakes and they seem to fit just fine!

yellow1098Greg

09-14-2011, 02:26 PM

dammit i wanna do all this with my TA. anyone wanna help? haha

OldMechanik

09-14-2011, 04:45 PM

Very cool, waiting to see the rest!

opnwide

09-15-2011, 06:07 PM

I'm most impressed with that fuel tank! Good job.

ZuperZport

09-16-2011, 06:34 AM

Motown 454

09-16-2011, 04:29 PM

your making some nice progress the brakes look good.

Torquedork

09-18-2011, 07:35 AM

Your project updates are perfect!

You detail where and what you are working on and provide excellent before and after pictures.

Very much looking forward to seeing your continued progress.

Great work to a great car!

- Scott

Thanks. Kinda cool to look back and remind ourselves how messed up certain parts of the car were.

Meanwhile, as we are working on the rear disc brakes, progress is being made at Valley Head Service on the engine. Again unfortunately, since we are in California we are sort of stuck budget wise with the Olds 403 since '78's still require emissions testing. We are going to tweak it as best we can.

ENGINE REBUILDING
EARLY
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YUK
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CAN IT BE SAVED??
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CLEANUP
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CRANK
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AT VALLEY HEAD SERVICE (BORED 0.030 OVER) Actually cleaned it up!!!
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HONED
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BALANCING
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THANKS TO EDELBROCK FOR THE INTAKE!
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Torquedork

09-19-2011, 06:59 AM

Well we did the rear Stainless Steel Brakes this weekend.

THE OLD DRUMS
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PULLING THE AXLE
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OUR NEW BILSTIEN SHOCKS ARRIVED JUST IN TIME!
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INSTALLING THE CALIPER MOUNTING BRACKET
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READY TO GO
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Torquedork

09-19-2011, 08:26 PM

JUST A NOTE ON THE CAR’S HISTORY:

We found all the info on the original owner of this Gold SE Trans Am. We found out the original owner had passed away but did talk to his wife and told her we were bringing the car back to life and she was happy to hear that. We found out the original owner was a Mechanical Engineer that worked at the Air Force Base up in the high desert. Odd thing is, here’s a car that stickered in 1978 for $9,500 and he NEVER washed it. NEVER. Eventually his son ended up with the car and a friend was going to restore it but they lost interest so it ended up in the junkyard to be “CRUSHED”! Someone saved it from the crusher and we bought it and took it home. Onward and upward with one more car saved!!

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PoundinPoncho

09-23-2011, 10:31 AM

nice project. I built a 403 this past winter. Pick up some earlier close chamber heads, up the compression, add a better cam, along with the performer intake you pictured and she'll surprise you when she runs again. These late second gens are excellent platforms for great driving/touring cars.

Bmf5150

09-23-2011, 01:39 PM

Looks great

irregal83

09-23-2011, 01:47 PM

wow cant imagine her getting crushed!

Torquedork

10-03-2011, 11:37 AM

Haven't made a lot of progress on the engine due to a bit of uncertainty.

We were miffed that as late as 1978, the Olds 403 engine was still using a "Rope" style rear main seal.

We started assembling the engine by laying the crank in and pounding the rope seal in as far as we could. The crank turned freely before the rear main was in place but that rope seal makes the crank far tighter than we are comfortable with.

After a search, we called Olds Performance Products realizing they made a Rubber rear main seal for the 403. After talking to them for a bit, we also ordered a stud girdle, Hi Po oil pump, improved oil pan and a a better gasket set.

A few photos so far:

PAINTING
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CRANK
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Torquedork

10-18-2011, 03:58 PM

New Update:

We're on hold regarding the engine waiting for a better rear main seal than the old style rope seal and also a stud girdle for the weak 403.

So we went about trying to get some paint on the car:

PRIMERED READY FOR SANDING PREP
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PAINTING
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READY FOR WET SANDING
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FENDERS DONE
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PREPPING THE HOOD
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NOSE SANDED AND BUFFED!
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CruizinKev

10-18-2011, 08:57 PM

looking good! nice work!

solarguy09

10-19-2011, 05:46 AM

Torquedork

10-20-2011, 04:43 PM

Wow. A lot of nice work.
Keep at it.
I like the Level 1 Build Idea on a number's Matching Car.
The best of both worlds.
Good Job....
I love the 70-81 F-Body.
You are Building an Eagle all right...Bird of Prey..Master of the sky...
And you are getting so close...

Thanks. Yeah we felt it was the smart way to go and update it without destroying it.

Today we got the basecoat on the body and finally got the power windows working. Yippee!
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Torquedork

10-21-2011, 04:02 PM

Got some buffing done today.

Not bad for an outdoor paint job!

BUFFING HOOD
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HOOD FINISHED
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HOOD TAPE, to keep from sand through the peaks!
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BODY BUFFING
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INTMD8

10-21-2011, 04:08 PM

Damn nice work! I love what you've done with it so far.

cdoggy81

10-22-2011, 05:08 AM

"Not bad for an outdoor paint job!"
Yes sir :)

LeighP

10-22-2011, 04:37 PM

I agree...damn fine effort!

solarguy09

10-22-2011, 04:58 PM

Again...Sweet work you are doing....And yes, the Level one of a number's matching Car is way cool and will hold great value...
I am doing the same. If I want to Tub and put a new motor in a car, it won't be my Numbers matching car... But it would be something that my wheels would fit on.... I am a Camaro guy, But I have always loved the Trans Am's... Love the Three Sweet rides in the garage too..Very nice Paint work. You are doing a wonderful , detailed job on it......WOW....

CruizinKev

10-23-2011, 06:58 AM

wow very nice!!! looks great!! :twothumbs

1tuff68

10-23-2011, 12:04 PM

Torquedork

10-23-2011, 04:16 PM

Looking great! What process did you use for wetsanding...did you go straight to the DA or did you do any hand work with a hard block first?

Also, what was your process to remove the wetsanding marks?

Great job!

The flat areas we initially cut with the DA, then hand cut with 1000 grit, then 1500. The gun on the clear was not cooperating and on a home job, one of the keys is to put enough coats down with a lot of material in order to buff to a smooth finish.

A LOT of work but worth the effort.

Most of what you see so far are actually the "Early" stages of buffing!

Torquedork

10-24-2011, 12:59 PM

Well our other engine pieces showed up so may go back to engine assembly because I need a break from Buffing!:banghead:

The Olds 403 still used a rope rear main seal and we didn't like it for the crank was just too tight once torqued. So we contacted Olds Performance Products and ordered a rubber style rear main seal along with a few other goodies including a stud girdle for the somewhat weak 403 block.
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Stud Girdle
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Torquedork

10-25-2011, 12:04 PM

"Not bad for an outdoor paint job!"
Yes sir :)

Shooting outdoors has it's ups and downs! Certainly cheaper!

At the cleacoat stage, you certainly have to generally put on more material than in a booth so you can safely wet sand the surface smooth with little risk of cutting through. Takes more time and takes a lot of buffing.

Most of the body is buffed and working on the fenders.
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bonecrrusher

10-25-2011, 04:57 PM

How many coats of clear did you spray?

Torquedork

10-26-2011, 07:59 AM

How many coats of clear did you spray?

We sprayed 4 coats of clear (4th being wet) to make sure and get enough coverage for wet sanding flat especially considering it was shot outside and the third coat went on a little rough and had to clean the gun. The weather was actually perfect that day at 80 degrees and no wind to speak of. If your first coats lay down flat, you can thin out (reduce) your last coat a little more to help it lay down but have to be careful regarding runs. Watch your gun distance and spray patterns all the way through.

Torquedork

10-27-2011, 02:01 PM

Udate, got most of the small pieces painted today and door jambs:

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Torquedork

10-30-2011, 01:08 PM

Finally starting to get rid of some of the pieces laying around!!!

Adding Flares and rear spoiler
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Adding the black in back
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Fender flares
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Adding the Tail Lights
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1977TRANSAM

10-31-2011, 03:50 AM

Fantastic Job.

Torquedork

10-31-2011, 04:52 PM

While waiting for some new parts for the engine, we got the car painted so today we got the short block assembled.

NEW Rubber Rear Main Seal From Olds Performance Products replacing the crappy Rope Seal
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Crank In
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Pistons In
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Stud Girdle: Also from Olds Performance Products
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Edelbrock Cam
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Torquedork

11-01-2011, 03:25 PM

Well today we got more of the engine assembled.

Front Cover
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OIL PUMP INSTALLATION
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OIL PAN FROM OLDS PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS!!!!
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HEADS INSTALLATION
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INTAKE: JUST A PHOTO OPPORTUNITY.
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Torquedork

11-02-2011, 07:45 AM

Doug1

11-02-2011, 07:54 AM

Just received this photo from Legendary Auto Interiors that our interior pieces are on their way!

Legendary has recently expanded their product line to cover '67 to '81 Camaros and Firebirds. They have a full line of interiors for GM, Mopar, and AMC

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I had a set of those but had to send them back to NPD a few months back because I needed the camel hobnail cloth seats for a 79 SE I am restoring. I will have to see if Legendary carries them since NPD only carried the vinyl. I know classic industries makes them because sites like 78ta.com sell them.

You are making some good progress on this thing. I have several 2nd gen TA restorations going on at once and wish mine moved along as quickly as yours.

Torquedork

11-02-2011, 07:58 AM

I'll email them and ask my guy.

moran.223

11-02-2011, 08:01 AM

I like!

Torquedork

11-03-2011, 12:30 PM

Yeah it ain't much to speak of thanks to Calif. emissions testing but getting closer on the engine.

ROCKERS
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VALVE COVERS
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SETTING THE EDELBROCK INTAKE
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DONE AND TORQUED
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79-TA

11-03-2011, 01:06 PM

It's always good to see an Olds 403 in Oldsmobile blue.

Sorry if you already said this earlier in the thread, but how aggressive are you getting with cam and compression? Are those 350 heads or stock-ish 403 heads?

Your build thread makes me so nostalgic. Gold Trans Am . . . Olds 403 build . . . scraping off grime (actually, I never finished that one.) The car's looking great, keep up the good work!

ccm399

11-03-2011, 04:31 PM

While waiting for some new parts for the engine, we got the car painted so today we got the short block assembled.

NEW Rubber Rear Main Seal From Olds Performance Products replacing the crappy Rope Seal
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Hi there,

Lovin' the updates.

I can't tell 100% from the pic but based on the angle of the seal in this pic it seems to be in backwards to me. The angle seems to be pointed toward the rear (outside) of the engine. Typically the taper points toward the inside of the engine (unless you are running high crankcase vacuum). Maybe it's the pic but I thought I would mention it. When I worked in the machine shop (14+ years) I saw my fair share of people installing the rear mains backward. The Fords were the worse because like your Olds seal (which might be a reboxed Ford seal, maybe 390 if memory serves?) they have very little lip to distinguish the inner edge from the outer edge. For what it's worth the old rope seals work extremely well and once broken in they have very little drag (unlike when they are first installed!!!)

Chris

Torquedork

11-04-2011, 03:30 PM

Hi there,

Lovin' the updates.

I can't tell 100% from the pic but based on the angle of the seal in this pic it seems to be in backwards to me. The angle seems to be pointed toward the rear (outside) of the engine. Typically the taper points toward the inside of the engine (unless you are running high crankcase vacuum). Maybe it's the pic but I thought I would mention it. When I worked in the machine shop (14+ years) I saw my fair share of people installing the rear mains backward. The Fords were the worse because like your Olds seal (which might be a reboxed Ford seal, maybe 390 if memory serves?) they have very little lip to distinguish the inner edge from the outer edge. For what it's worth the old rope seals work extremely well and once broken in they have very little drag (unlike when they are first installed!!!)

Chris

Thanks. I'm getting several different ideas regarding the proper placement of the rear main seal so we are researching it thoroughly before going any further!

ccm399

11-05-2011, 05:00 AM

That's cool,

But trust me... The lip goes on the inside unless you are running a vacuum pump or sealed dry sump system (10+" of vacuum). Look at it this way, with the lip facing inward the pressure inside the crankcase and oil pushing against it will actually help (not hurt) the seal do it's job. The pressure gets behind the seal lip and it pushes harder on the crankshaft. If installed with the lip out (as it looks in the pic) the pressure and oil will be able to push the lip down and get right past it. Does that make sense?

In a vacuum condition the forces are opposite of the "norm"... plus now a days they make special seals for high vacuum engines. I know when I was building Pro Stock stuff for Pawuk we ran upwards of 22" of vacuum! That was back in '03 so they may be higher than that now.

Anyway, just trying to help. Car looks great. Nice work on the paint.

Chris

Torquedork

11-05-2011, 12:23 PM

LeighP

11-05-2011, 09:05 PM

Loks like you've exceeded Photobucket's viewing limits.....guess you need to "go pro".
I've been waiting for the same thing to happen to me......lol.

Torquedork

11-06-2011, 09:28 AM

Loks like you've exceeded Photobucket's viewing limits.....guess you need to "go pro".
I've been waiting for the same thing to happen to me......lol.

Yeah Leigh boy was I shocked when they started to dissappear!

Signed up for Pro and looks like they're coming back!

Torquedork

11-07-2011, 09:02 AM

I had a set of those but had to send them back to NPD a few months back because I needed the camel hobnail cloth seats for a 79 SE I am restoring. I will have to see if Legendary carries them since NPD only carried the vinyl. I know classic industries makes them because sites like 78ta.com sell them.

You are making some good progress on this thing. I have several 2nd gen TA restorations going on at once and wish mine moved along as quickly as yours.

After SEMA, I heard back from my guy at Legendary and he said this:

We are not reproducing any right now, and what is available on the market is not the best material.

NOS would be the way to go for a quality job. Ball park about $1250.00 for front and rear.

Torquedork

11-08-2011, 07:58 AM

BEFORE
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
AFTER
FINISHED ENGINE (Well Pretty much)! Won't exactly be a 600 HP Screamer but hope it passes Emissions!!!
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

T_Raven

11-09-2011, 07:31 AM

Looks good man. The crazy thing about the Olds 403 is how big the bore is. After I bought my 79 TA with a 403 in it I started researching them. I have no idea how different the 403 and 455 are but if you could put a 455 crank in a 403 it makes some where around 500 ci! I guess almost all 403 blocks have open web mains though so it makes them a little weak. Anyone know of any stroker 403s?

Torquedork

11-10-2011, 11:18 AM

A nice big box showed up yesterday!! Oh Boy!
Onward and upward!
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Torquedork

11-11-2011, 12:56 PM

We want to welcome Pertronix and Patriot Exhaust on board!

We received their non HEI Billet Distributor with their Ignitor III module which has a built in Rev Limiter.
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We also received Patriot Exhaust Headers for the engine!
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85coupe50

11-11-2011, 01:58 PM

What a great looking T/A. Excellent progress.

FRENCHBLUE72

11-11-2011, 04:44 PM

Good looking gold t/a glad to see ya stayed close to stock with it..

Torquedork

11-21-2011, 04:35 PM

Well we finally got around to getting the engine in the car.

Bolting up the B & M transmission
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Engine in
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Torquedork

11-24-2011, 02:08 PM

Thought some might find this interesting.

Started looking at what we need interior wise and found a unique and strange fix on the brittle plastic door panel reinforcements for the 2nd Gen Camaros and Firebirds. Pretty funny! Somebody ate a few Popsicles!!!!
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Torquedork

11-27-2011, 03:31 PM

Man I HATE puttin' emission crud on this engine!!!
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gold79ta

11-27-2011, 05:06 PM

Are those valve cover bolts From totally stainless?
If not where did you get them?
I need to change the valve cover gaskets on my 403 and would like a set of those.

Torquedork

12-01-2011, 04:25 PM

Are those valve cover bolts From totally stainless?
If not where did you get them?
I need to change the valve cover gaskets on my 403 and would like a set of those.

Actually no. They were just shoulder bolts in our nut and bolt bin. By the time all the crap goes on the engine, probably won't even see them.

Torquedork

12-27-2011, 12:49 PM

Update,

Kinda took a bit of a break from the T/A over the holidays but did hang one fender and get the new dash painted.

Still have to go back and loosen the suspension with more weight on the nose, then drop it like a rock!
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chunger

12-28-2011, 11:37 AM

So, full length headers are ok for emissions? This car has cats, right? Thought anything in front of the cats would have to be CARB approved, no?

10Aniv

12-31-2011, 04:04 AM

Looks incredible. I am currently restoring a TATA although my progress was slowed due to the job situation

Torquedork

01-02-2012, 03:59 PM

Well got the other fender on and managed to fit the nose

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NYTRANSAM

01-02-2012, 04:16 PM

Very Nice, Keep up the good work. Love the updates.

Torquedork

01-05-2012, 05:42 PM

Managed to get the hood to fit.

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LeighP

01-06-2012, 01:18 AM

Looking good! I know those noses are always a fight to get them to line up with the hood.

John Wright

01-06-2012, 03:56 AM

BEFORE
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AFTER
FINISHED ENGINE (Well Pretty much)! https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Amazing what a little elbow grease and paint will do...LOL... :thumbs up:

Motown 454

01-06-2012, 07:07 PM

Nice Job your making some nice progress. You do excelent work.

boneheadzz

01-06-2012, 09:41 PM

Looks beautiful. Glad to see someone did a 403 instead of chucking it. My 79 TA has the 301 and I probably be won't re-use it! Keep the updates rollin'!

Torquedork

01-13-2012, 11:24 AM

Looking good! I know those noses are always a fight to get them to line up with the hood.

Yeah Leigh they are a bear but I think we're close. Got the grilles in.
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Also forgot to post a photo of the Mark 7 aluminum radiator we're using.

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ZuperZport

01-13-2012, 11:29 AM

Very Nice, Keep up the good work. Love the updates.

Second that.....great updates........the "HD-TV" of project updates!

TA looks really sharp!

Uneek68

01-13-2012, 11:59 AM

very quick progress and awesome job gold birds are very uncommon thumbs up!

Torquedork

01-23-2012, 03:51 PM

Sorry,

Not much in updates at the moment.

Been building a SBC AND maybe another Firebird may show up this weekend to do. '67 Firebird 400 with 34,000 miles!
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LeighP

01-24-2012, 07:18 AM

Pretty clean and complete 1st gen...and thats no stock front spoiler...interesting.

sokoloka

01-24-2012, 10:32 AM

I love flaming chickens!

Torquedork

02-07-2012, 06:37 PM

Update.

Glass is out of the Trans Am and being restored.

Then the '67 Firebird showed up and there are plans for this car!!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/02/fire1-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/02/fire4-1.jpg

T_Raven

02-08-2012, 09:31 AM

Very nice

Torquedork

02-13-2012, 08:03 AM

As mentioned earlier, we received Legendary Auto Interiors "New" line of upholstery for 2nd Gen Camaros and Firebirds so we finally are starting to prepare the interior for the Trans Am. Rears are done.

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Torquedork

02-15-2012, 02:23 PM

Well our restored Trans Am Dash Bezel is on it's way back.

Thanks to Randy Combs who came highly recommended. contact: [email protected]

Here is a video link to what he does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwharsd3j8

Before:
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After
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Torquedork

02-19-2012, 04:06 PM

Well our glass guy came back out to replace our windshield and reinstall the heated rear glass we restored. It was a mess!

The rear glass came out really well and we were surprised after buffing it with Cerium Oxide!

Before
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Cerium Oxide
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After
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Torquedork

02-20-2012, 08:40 AM

For those with 2nd Gen Trans Ams, we just had our engine turned dash bezel restored by Randy Combs and he did a great job! Thanks! We just got it back!

Here's a video link to what he does and some photos below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwharsd3j8

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What it looked like before
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Torquedork

03-04-2012, 06:26 PM

Took a break from the Trans Am project but figured it was time to start putting the dash back in.

New going in
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Torquedork

03-06-2012, 08:42 AM

Got the Randy Combs restored bezel back in and looks great.
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1tuff68

03-06-2012, 08:54 AM

Awesome work, looking brand new!

rohrt

03-06-2012, 11:05 AM

Holy Cr@p that looks good!

Love the 1st gen bird too.

70Uglybird

03-06-2012, 03:23 PM

Man that car is starting to come together! What did you use to buff the window I have the compound and did it with a dual orbiter polisher and a pretty soft pad. Mine came out alot better but I still have alot of scratches.

Torquedork

03-09-2012, 03:15 PM

Our upholsterer finally got around to working on the front seats and the door panels which were supplied by "Legendary Auto Interiors". Our guy told us it's the "Best" trim he's ever seen for these cars and was very impressed with the product!

Here's the front seat.
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With regard to the door panels, we were able to do fiberglass repairs on the upper plastic reinforcement and the well priced door panels came out great!!!
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Torquedork

06-05-2012, 11:26 AM

Well the Trans Am has been kind of in limbo lately but did get the Custom Auto Sound radio in the car with a little trickery due to installing a reproduction dash.
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We've been in limbo due to another Firebird, a '67 400 car that's coming along nicely with some Doug's Headers and Vintage Wheel Works V45's.
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LeighP

06-06-2012, 02:10 AM

Beautiful....you move fast!

Torquedork

06-26-2012, 01:49 PM

Beautiful....you move fast!

Leigh,

It's been crazy lately with Two Birds in the nest!

Starting to get the interior back in the Trans Am
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And have color on the '67 Firebird
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LeighP

06-26-2012, 05:39 PM

Wow, that interior came up great!!!!!! And the 67 is looking pretty darned fine, too!

FRENCHBLUE72

06-27-2012, 03:20 PM

Car is really coming together...

Torquedork

06-30-2012, 04:42 PM

Currently in the stages of Wet Sanding and Buffing on the '67 Firebird.

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Roof
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Torquedork

01-28-2013, 12:50 PM

Sorry,

Had to rework my Photobucket account so photos are missing.

BUT:

Here's a YouTube video of the '78 Trans Am build Start to Finish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko8ziLY43JI&fmt=18

Yes it is running now! Just decals left.

Before
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/11_zps8dcf9e35-1.jpg
After
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/done3_zpsedd30c0c-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/done7_zps8814006b-1.jpg
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