Finally starting on my 78 Trans Am!!!!!!!!

[78trans]

Got to work on the Trans Am today. We were going to test fit the engine to see if the headers would work and we found out that we need new motor mount adapters. So we ordered some and hopefully they will be here by next weekend. Well here are some pictures of our progress.

[LUV2XLR8]

love those wheels.... year one did a crack up job on the re-makes

[Z06killinSBF]

Those tires fit great now!. Are you making fillers for the stock tubs or buying actual mini tub tubs? (sounds funny)

[78trans]

We're making fillers for the stock tubs. It's being built on my budget (18 years old)

[camloops11]

A few questions since i have an 80' bird and i am 18 as well. - I am at the floor stage. The floors in our car are pretty solid except for the passenger front area where your feet go, as well as there is a hole in the toe board/ firewall extension area. I got the replacement pan where your feet go but what did you do for the toe board area? - When doing floors, do you mark up the replacement patch and cut on the inside around to make an over lap weld? Lastly, what gauge steel did you use for the replacement toe area? Otherwise, great job.

Chris

[78trans]

A few questions since i have an 80' bird and i am 18 as well. - I am at the floor stage. The floors in our car are pretty solid except for the passenger front area where your feet go, as well as there is a hole in the toe board/ firewall extension area. I got the replacement pan where your feet go but what did you do for the toe board area? - When doing floors, do you mark up the replacement patch and cut on the inside around to make an over lap weld? Lastly, what gauge steel did you use for the replacement toe area? Otherwise, great job.

Chris

I made a template using cardboard to get the size of the hole and then cut it out and transferred it on to the metal the just welded it in flush. As far as the metal size we cut the metal we needed off of a 65 Mustang hood whatever gauge that would be. lol

[wedgehead]

He butt welded the entire patch panel in first and then repaired the toe board and the firewall. He did a great job welding in the floorpan. This was his first welding experience. If you look up the show muscle car on youtube they replaced a floorpan in an olds. The did the repair the way we have always cut the floorpans out really makes a clean cut for easy butt welding. You cannot tell the pan has been replaced from the bottom.

[71fbird]

do you recall how many bolts the dash has? I'm gona try to remove mine tomorrow. and how hard is it to tub these 2nd gen firebirds, i realy want to tub mine but iv never done it before.

[ryeguy2006a]

Those are some pretty serious tires you are putting in there. I would like to see some more pictures of your progress. I would like to get some wider tires for my car, but limited to what the stock wheel openings will allow.

[Fastech]

Where does one get 12" wide Snowflakes? Aside from the bucks-up billet ones, I mean. Are you having a pair of the Year One 'flakes widened? Source and price?

Thx!

[camloops11]

Hey thanks! Makes my understanding soo much easier. I will post pictures of my project car when I think its worth it.

[78trans]

We are sending the wheels off somewhere, I'm not sure where but i know its 200 a wheel.

[78trans]

Its been awhile since I've last posted on here. Well since my last update I've finished up the right mini tub, got rid of the lip on the cowl, and started to smooth the firewall. It's all finally starting to come together. Hopefully by this weekend I will have finished the firewall and maybe the left tub. When we decided that we were going to put a vintage air kit in we bought a dse firewall plate to fill in the holes where the old ac stuff went. since we were already going to be doing work on the firewall I decided to move the wiper motor and wiring harness as well as to get rid of the three big bulges on the firewall. I'll try and keep it more up to date. Well here are some pictures.

We just kind of hammered the lip down and over. Then we welded it all the way across and ground it down.





Here is what the finished tub looks like. Still have a little cleaning up to do on it.


Here is the start of the smoothing the firewall. We cut out the wiper motor bracket and welded in that hole then we put a piece to fill in the big section where it was once located.

[Todd in Vancouver]

Great job your doing on your TA. When I was your age I had a '78 Trans Am Hurst edition. I'd love to have that car back now so I will watch with much interest and relive part of my youth as you rebuild this car. Enjoy the journey because most of the fun is getting there.

[GATA79]

Great looking start here man. I'm loving seeing all the 2nd Gen F-body love here. I'm currently doing a P/T '79 Trans Am build as well.
Glad to see you're going to run the carb as well instead of fuel injection. Carbs are just so much cooler, give you a cooler sound, and just all around more fun. I'm running the stock 403 in mine, with A LOT of goodies, and a big DP carb.

Will be following for sure! Shoot me a message if you have any questions with your car, I started mine when I was 19, I think, and have taken just about every part off these cars.

For A-Arms, I'd recommend calling up Dave at PTFB as someone had suggested. I'm running his front A-Arms.

[78trans]

Well since my last update i finished welding the patches on firewall. Christmas was good for me, I got upper and lower tubular control arms and a set Autometer Cobalt guages. I plan to start doing some body work on the firewall this weekend. Here are some pics of the progress and goodies

here is where the wiring harness used to come out.


where the ridges were.


Pretty much the finished firewalll with the dse plate on. We used panel adhesive on it and the firewall then i welded the edges to make it even stronger.


My Christmas presents lol

[66larkgs]

its really nice to see that your plucking away at it and it looks like the firewall is comming together nicely. control arms look good , have you planned what you are going to be running for brakes and suspension. keep up the hard work on the car.

[78trans]

Today I got in some work on the trans am today. We did some body work on the fire wall, we still have more to do but it coming along good. On Friday some goodies arrived for the car.

[78trans]

I have a question I would like some input on from all of y'all. We are going to paint the firewall either body color or black just don't know yet. I'm leaning towards body color which is blue. The ls will be painted the Pontiac blue for the engine, the sub frame, inner finders, and core support are all powder coated black. What color would y'all paint the firewall?

This is the blue I'm thinking about for the car maybe just a little darker.

[Z06killinSBF]

There isn't a question in there...

Just bustin your balls! It will look busy IMO. Do all black, blue engine and black hoses, harnesses, accy, etc

That would make the engine a "jewel".