1978 Firebird Build

[David LaBuda]

First off, I went back and forth on whether I should post this here because my current plans for the car probably fit better in the "resto-mod' category. After reading through a discussion about the definition of "pro-touring" in 2020 (or lack thereof), I'm inspired to just go for it.

The 77-78 Firebird/Trans Am is one of my favorite GM body styles. They're also surprisingly cheap right now compared to anything from the late 60's to early 70's, so I figured I should go for it. I found this base model 1978 Firebird near Fort Worth and asked my dad to go look at it. He didn't find any big issues, so I made a deal over the phone and effectively bought the car sight-unseen from the original owner who also happened to be a TCU grad. The car had been off the road for 20 years but was essentially complete. I drove my truck and trailer to Texas over Independence Day weekend and spent a couple days getting the original 305 running so I could drive it on the trailer to haul it back to New Mexico. My current plan is to get the Firebird to the point where it's a good daily driver so that I can start some much needed body work on the Chevelle. I've already got a T-56 for it and I'll probably throw in a junkyard 5.3 along with some basic suspension upgrades. Long term, I'll probably either end up going more in depth for a serious pro-touring build or sell the car if I end up trying to buy some land in a few years. For now, this is going to be a very budget minded project. I hope it'll end up being a good resource for other second gen owners.


















Both quarter panels have had new skins installed at different points due to various fender benders. I'll have to grind out the body filler to see whether they're worth saving or not.





The trunk was really the only rusty area due to a failed weatherstrip and the fact that the original carpet and padding was still there.



The vintage TCU sticker was really what sealed the deal though.