1978 Pontiac Trans Am Restomod Project Watch Video!

1978 Pontiac Trans Am

It's time to sell my 1978 Pontiac Trans Am project car. I've been so busy with club road racing and now my son is really getting into dirt bikes it just seems like I'm not going to get around to finishing this car any time soon. Thisis a project car that cannot be driven. It does roll and steer. Here's the story of this car to the best of my knowledge:
I got this Trans Am from a friend of mine about three years ago (2016). The shop (Bromley's Corvettes) that was keeping it in storage for him needed to clear out space, so this car had to go. My friend originally got this car in the late 1990's from a pilot in Sedona. He had plans of making it into a "road racing" car. He had a 700 hp Chevy fuel injected 454 put in it that was now long gone (Bromley pulled it out and sold it to help pay for my friends other project).
The car is very solid and virtually rust free, being only in the Southwestern US. I can only find a few of areas of rust: a dime size hole in the very bottom of the left rear fender near the bumper, and some surface rust on what looks to be new metal that was welded in to tie the subframe together? (makes sense for a race car I suppose).
The body is very straight and the doors line up nicely. My friend said that he paid $8K for the paint job back in 1999, and it looks like it. Unfortunately, the paint was neglected while in storage. There are many storage boo-boos: a small dent in the left rear quarter near the side marker light, several deep scrapes in the trunk lid like something was laid on it and slid down, a few areas where there's some deep etching in the paint (bird poop?), and multiple little nicks and scratches elsewhere. Also, the hood was pinching at the fenders near the cowl on both sides, theres some paint chipping off there. The hood was modified with a bigger scoop to fit the big ram jet fuel injection plenum for the 454. Around the modified scoop there's some lifting and cracking of the bondo under the paint.
So the big question I've always asked myself with the paint is can it be saved? The majority of the car would look great after a just a cut and polish, but there's those few areas that need spot repair and repainting. It might just be, after you add up the costs to repair those areas, you might be better off just respraying the whole car. Nevertheless, besides those couple areas that need repair there won't be much other body work needed for a great result should you decide to repaint the whole car. You could also drive it around for awhile as is and repaint it later on because its still very presentable as it sits (especially if you continue on with the "race car" theme).
Engine:
400 Pontiac '74 block 481988 casting. Stronger for building power than the later 1975-79 Pontiac 400 blocks1970 #13 "RAIII" rebuilt heads. big valves 2.11 / 1.77, small chamber 72ccCOMP CAMS hydraulic roller .502 / .510 camshaft street / strip (I also have a more aggressive one if you want it)Roller lifters and roller rockers Doug's full length headers Edelbrock RPM intake Jet Q-jet carburetor brand newRoughly 11:1 compression ratio, I only run 100 octane gas in it. You might get by with lower but you'll need to tune for it.
The engine runs great and sounds really healthy (see video below). Its basically a Ram Air III + engine, and should produce horsepower in the 360-400 range. This is not an anemic 200hp late '70's Trans Am engine. It still will need final carburetor tuning, as its running a bit rich now.
Transmission:
Brand new Muncie 4 speed close ratio transmission. Hurst shifter linkage kit (needs installed)Clutch not installed, but I have a brand new one.
Driveshaft: none, will need to have one built
Rear end: Looks like a Ford 9" rear to me? I spun the rear wheels to make sure its positraction and it sure is. I calculated it to be a 3.73 rear end ratio.
Suspension: Front end looks to be mostly stock configuration and stock components. The front springs seem way too long and are awfully stiff. The front is sitting too high. Rear end is on leaf springs and has a Hotchkiss sway bar added.
Brakes: Baer aftermarket brakes. System should be flushed and gone through thoroughly before being deemed road worthy, but everything looks to be there.
Fuel cell: there is a custom fuel cell box in the trunk. I did not trust the old fuel cell, so I put a brand new one in thats now sitting inside this custom box.
Electric Fuel pump. New one for carburetors put in because they had a high pressure one for Fuel Injection. Its really loud, not sure if this is normal. Its a "Jegs" model, a copy of the Holley ones.
Interior: I have the original interior that can come with the car if you want it. I was planning doing aftermarket seats in keeping with the restomod "race car" theme. There is a half roll cage in there, so the back seating area might be pointless. I also have new door panels, new glass all around, that comes with the car.
One of the coolest things on the car is the custom instrument panel we built with a turned aluminum panel and aftermarket gauges. Its hanging there while we made sure all the wiring was finished. The dash has a new black cap already put on and is ready to install. All the gauges are hooked up and working except the oil temp. All the lights work too, with the help of a brand new painless wiring harness.
I've spent well over $10K on just parts alone on this car. Everything thats associated with this project will go with the car upon sale. Watch the videos, they do a pretty good job of showing the car. Just copy and paste the you tube links. Inspections are welcomed and encouraged. This is a really cool car. Once its finished you'll have a Trans Am unlike anyone else. I have a clear bonded AZ title in hand. My friend lost the title, so I paid the bond to get a new title. It reverts back to a normal title for the next owner. I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of stuff so feel free to call or text me with questions or if you'd like to make an offer. Tom four80-six88-zero843
Walk around video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1TW24R64t8
Start up and idle video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO23l3kvRzg&t=330s

• Make: Pontiac
• Model: Trans Am
• Type: Coupe
• Year: 1978
• Mileage: 99999
• VIN: 2W87Z8N162494
• Color: Black
• Engine size: 400
• Number of cylinders: 8
• Transmission: Manual
• Drive type: RWD
• Drive side: Left-hand drive
• Vehicle Title: Clean
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