Hmmmm

[band1t]

Hey all,
i think the oem guys may not like me ..
I have a 79 Y84 T/A numbers engine trans
I done research and the they claim only 200 something trans am were made with the options my car has.


with that being said, can I resto mod this car?
or is it something that should just be left stock




Thanks

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

Yes... AAAANNDD.. were waiting..

[zcrz]

People freak out about stupid stuff, I'm putting a 6.0 Ls in a 69 z28. Its my car!

[zcrz]

Original Z

[Rod]

Mod it, race it, break it, and if they dont like it, tell them to pony the cash and they can own it and do what ever they want, till then its yours

[srh3trinity]

You can do some great bolt ins on second gens. Roll the original stuff into the garage corner.

[MrQuick]

its a 79. do it!!

[tazzz25906112]

Here is the deal in my mind..... Certain people in the Pontiac community will tell you to keep it original... they will ask stupid prices for every little part to keep it that way right up until your done and you decide it's time to sell it... At that point you find there are two schools within the community. The first is a small and very classy knowledgeable group that really behind the senses will help (or have helped without your knowledge) to make your car as nice as it can possibly be,,, They are genuine good First Class people!!!

The second group/s (as it is splintered) is what I like to refer to as the keyboard warriors. These guys know ''''everything about Pontiac's'''',,,, they are experts in every sense of the word as it relates to ''your car''...... They fall into 2 sub camps A) they don't own a car and will continue to find issues wrong with your car and will serve no real value to the world other than being manipulated by group (B) because they are generally a useless waste of oxygen...

Now we get to group B),,, I laughingly call them the evil Pontiac step child/children.... This is the group that will prod into action & manipulate the above keyboard dreamers into doing much of their dirty work for them... If unsuccessful in doing so,, they will come out and attempt to devalue your ride (or parts for sale)themselves with questionable motives... This is the group that have for the most part turned many people off Pontiac's... They know it all,,, they work every angle to depreciate what you have so they can try to buy/steal it from you... They feel every Pontiac (for the most part anyways) should be restored to original... This is in many cases because they have convinced the new owners that the car will only have value if done how they say,,, and of course might I add with the used parts they are selling at crazy high collectable prices that they just finished stealing from the last poor guy that rode through.....

So in a nut shell here are your options as I view it moving forward.... Pontiac's are very good from the standpoint that they are easily document through PHS (Pontiac Historical Society).... Most cars that are collectable or very rare have a history (the Good collectors know about them already for the most part)... Trends may make one group of years a hot buy here or there,,, but generally the earlier TA cars carry higher value through a host of market swings... Most 79's generally won't have any value of consequence for many years to come as a stock vehicle.... They are for the most part a ""great platform"" for a pro-touring build... If your car has T-tops be careful as they tend to twist easily if not properly prepared.... If you have questions about stock or not,,,, Craig (Norwood on the Pontiac years forum) is probibly one of the most knowledgeable, genuine and impartial 2nd gen Firebird experts in North America in my opinion. He falls squarely into the first classy, knowledgeable camp that genuinely helps the overall community at large and can be trusted (and has been trusted by many of the top collectors world wide)......

I hope the above comments help you to become better informed and comfortable with what ever choices you decide to make with your car.... Most of all enjoy what you have, its a fun vehicle.....

[vintageracer]

Hey all

can I resto mod this car?
or is it something that should just be left stock


Thanks

Can you? Absolutely YES!

Should you! That depends on your particular car, its condition, if its numbers matching, a factory 400 4 speed car or an Automatic transmission car.

There are LOT'S of 79 Trans Am's out there to build and for sale. There were over 100K 1979 Trans Am's produced so overall a 79 T/A is NOT a rare car in the collector car market. Your car may be rare (small number) as far as 79 T/A's are concerned but rare does not necessarily mean desirable.

The BIG QUESTION is this: Is YOUR car an original 400 4 Speed Y84, a 301 4 Speed Y84, a 403 Automatic Y84 or a 301 Automatic Y84?

If the car is a good and real 400 4 speed Y84 car I say leave it alone and go find another 79 T/A to build. If it is any of the other engine/transmission combinations cut it up and build what YOU want!!!

[tflyboy77]

I second Vintageracers comment. If its rare then find an oem sucker to buy it and get a standard car to build.

[Thephranc]

Yup if its rare and in good condition sell it for a mint. If its not worth that much mod away.

[cornfedbill]

As they say, "Anyone can restore one, but it takes a real man to cut one up."

As one of my mentors told me years ago when he left me the keys to his 65 GTO show car and told me to finish up the work and then drive it, "It's just a car."

If you have heartburn, take the advice to sell it for a mint and start with a more common body and use the profit to fund your mods.