79 Tran Am Barn Find

[Kjm228]

I've finally decided to start my own build thread. I found this 79 Trans Am with a olds 403 and turbo 350 for sale on Craigslist back in March. The owner had it sitting in a barn out back behind his house for 23 years, and was running into some tax issues and was in need of a quick buck so decided to sell it. It had no fuel tank, and the lines were bad so we were able to start it from a small gas can. That was enough for me, we negotiated down to $2000, and I had it towed home that day to my garage.

I have wanted a late 70's Trans Am since I was 14 and bought my first vehicle. My father would not let me buy a 79 that was for sale then as he felt a Pontiac 400 was too much motor for my first vehicle. I ended up with an 86 Trans Am 305 auto Instead, and a slew of other vehicles since then. My last vehicle was a 2004 Mustang Cobra Convertible, whipplecharged 640whp beast. Unfortunately it was stolen and never recovered:( Fast forward to the present day and I am finally in the position financially to take on a total restoration project and build the vehicle of my dreams.

Plans so far are this:

-Built Pontiac 400(461 Stroker, Aluminum Heads, Big cam etc, hoping for 500 or so HP)
-Tremec 5 Speed
-Wilwood 6P 13" brakes front and rear
-Ridetech Front and Quadralink Rear with coilovers
-19x9 and 19x12 Wheels(undecided yet)
-Refresh and update Interior
-Strip entire vehicle, fix any rust, remove sunroof for solid roof, minitub, remove side markers, clean up firewall etc

I am sure as this build develops I will make some changes, come up with some ideas and end up with a great vehicle.

Below are some photos after I picked it up:


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[Kjm228]

And here is where the vehicle sits today:



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Hopefully if work does not get in the way I will be able to remove the remainder of the wiring, and front and rear glass by the end of next week. I have had no luck finding anyone locally that will media blast a vehicle, which means I will have to find an alternative. Once I figure out how I plan on getting the remaining exterior and underside stripped of paint/rust I will start on the bodywork. Going to tackle the lower quarters, some rust by the doors and fix 2 small wholes in the drivers side floor, then tackle removing the roof panel and replacing it with a solid roof. I think I may end up just replacing both front fenders as they are pretty marginal, and may not be worth saving them at this point. I also need to find some time to remove all of the suspension components from the subframe blast it down to bare metal and get it to my powder coater.

[Kjm228]

Also I had ordered a few weeks ago my wildwood front brakes from summit, and entire front ridetech suspension, subframe bushings, and quick ratio steering box from Matt's Classic Bowties. Everything showed up very quickly and they were very easy to work with!

[T_Raven]

Sounds like a good plan. Can't wait to see some progress.

[LeighP]

Nice to see another 2nd gen Firebird. Good luck with the project.
Can't recommend subframe connectors enough, if you don't already have them...they are great!!!! Try Pro-Touring F-Body for some good fitting subframe connectors.

[Kjm228]

Yes, I will be order ordering the ridetech Quadralink rear and subframe connectors this week.

For those of you who have minitubbed, Did you order wheels and Tires then shorten the rearend to the wheels, or narrow the rearend and fit the wheels to the rear? I have heard of going both ways, and I do not want to run into fitment issues with the wheels and tires down the road.

[srh3trinity]

Yes, I will be order ordering the ridetech Quadralink rear and subframe connectors this week.

For those of you who have minitubbed, Did you order wheels and Tires then shorten the rearend to the wheels, or narrow the rearend and fit the wheels to the rear? I have heard of going both ways, and I do not want to run into fitment issues with the wheels and tires down the road.

I plan to rent a wheel mockup tool when I get ready to buy wheels and tires. There are too many variables for me to feel comfortable ordering custom offset wheels without insuring they will fit.

[Kjm228]

So a few updates. I finally got the rest of the car apart, and after months of calling around I was finally referred to a shop that does media blasting! I Dropped the vehicle off last week and expect it back within two weeks. After that I can begin replacing the roof, rust repair, and A/C delete.

[astroracer]

Yes, I will be order ordering the ridetech Quadralink rear and subframe connectors this week.

For those of you who have minitubbed, Did you order wheels and Tires then shorten the rearend to the wheels, or narrow the rearend and fit the wheels to the rear? I have heard of going both ways, and I do not want to run into fitment issues with the wheels and tires down the road.

Determine what wheel and tire combo you want and order the parts before cutting anything. ESPECIALLY if you are doing a narrowed rear. Having the actual tires and wheels on hand is the best way to ensure they will fit AFTER all of the work is done.
Nice find by the way. Lots of good progress too. Have you thought about color?
Mark

[BonzoHansen]

Sweet car. those old centennial interceptors (private label Dunlap gt qualifiers) bring back memories!

I'll be watching this one! I think it's great you are staying poncho-powered

Nice to see another 2nd gen Firebird. Good luck with the project.
Can't recommend subframe connectors enough, if you don't already have them...they are great!!!! Try Pro-Touring F-Body for some good fitting subframe connectors.

i have a set of those with solid bushings I'm not using. NIB.

[instro84]

nice, really dig the 2 gen ta's

[sixgunsblazing]

I like it so far