The six mile 1979 Trans Am sells for 85K

[Brian Lohnes]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Video-The-Six-Mile-1979-Pontiac-Trans-Am-at-Kitterman-Motors-in-Indiana-Sells-for-85000.html

[Thumpin455]

Now every hockey puck with a rusted out 2nd or 3rd gen is going to think they have a $12k car. I have an automatic 10th Anniversary TA with 89k on it. Its in a bit rougher shape and hasnt moved since 1989. Someday I hope it is as nice as that one.

[SpiderGearsMan]

my buddy jimmy martin has a mint 79 anniversary with the 400 4 speed , garaged , but the paint is oxydized to primer look
he is cool , hel records in D/Stock with an SCJ 429 mustang and X/S with a citation , in 1981 ..starting a trend

[SpiderGearsMan]

my buddy jimmy martin has a mint 79 anniversary with the 400 4 speed , garaged , but the paint is oxydized to primer look
he is cool , hel records in D/Stock with an SCJ 429 mustang and X/S with a citation , in 1981 ..starting a trend

and I gave him a brand new mccleod 12 in clutch for the t/a too

[Barry Donovan]

my bro-n-law has one.

never impressed with it yet...he still maintinained patience to tear it all down, find the ever common broken firewall, etc etc etc...this is after blowing a chunk out of the 400ci underneath a head in the block (strangest thing I have ever seen- engine did not blow)

that is the 70s for you.

that was a dumbass price whoever paid it..

was it a turbo 301 or something? what is the special? I see rice flares that get pulverized by roadkill..and wheels that are too skinny in the back.

[fast Ed]

my buddy jimmy martin has a mint 79 anniversary with the 400 4 speed , garaged , but the paint is oxydized to primer look
he is cool , hel records in D/Stock with an SCJ 429 mustang and X/S with a citation , in 1981 ..starting a trend

I thought that all of the 79 "6.6" cars were 403 Olds-powered, no? Wasn't the 400 Poncho done after 1978?


cheers
Ed N.

[Scott Liggett]

I'd drive it 85,000 miles and sell it for $6,000 bucks. But, what I'd do during those 85,000 miles would make every penny I lost well worth it.

[Mater]

I thought that all of the 79 "6.6" cars were 403 Olds-powered, no? Wasn't the 400 Poncho done after 1978?


cheers
Ed N.

correct only poncho you could get was the 301 and 301 tuurbo *shutter*

[Brian Lohnes]

Nope, the last 400s were physically produced in 1978, but the engine was optional equipment in 1979. You had to get the 4-speed with it and there weren't all that many produced because they were simply using up the stock that was not sold in '78.

The 403 was the base engine and the 301 (GAK!) and 400 were optional mills.

[Thumpin455]

That car is special because it is a 10th Anniversary Trans Am. They built 7500 of them, most were 403/th350, but all of them were WS6 (meaning stiff suspension, fast ratio steering, huge swaybars, and 4 wheel disc brakes), and loaded with every option available on the Firebird. Embroidered leather seats, power everything, and they were the first F body to have an MRSP over $10,000. You can tell its a real 10th Anniversary by the VIN, they had an X in them, and Pontiac often used an X to denote something special or top of the line.

Nah Brian the 403 is an Oldsmobile. Its physically the same size as a 350 block and crank with a HUGE bore. The 403 is a good engine, especially for pump gas since it is somewhat difficult to get good compression out of them, even with earlier 350 heads. 403s run pretty good with just a few mods, and stock they get surprisingly good mileage. I used to get 18-22mpg with my TA on the highway, and it ran 14.70 at the strip, the only thing it had done was a set of headers. It probably would have picked up without those heavy stock wheels. They added a full second to my 79 Formula at the strip when I had them on there. VERY heavy wheels.

The 301 is a short deck and lightened version of the Pontiac engine, lots of similarity and they look like Pontiacs, but they are different with very few parts that interchange. You could get the 301 with either the ST10 4 speed or the Th350 automatic. The nice thing about a 301 is you can bolt a 400 or 455 in its place easily. After 79 the 301 was the only Pontiac engine you could get, and the Turbo TA was really heavy and down on power in 80-81.

The 400 was available in 1979 only with the ST10 and WS6, so if you find a 400 4 speed 79 TA or Formula it is going to have rear disc brakes in addition to the 400 engine. They built the last ones in 78, but saved some for 79. Im pretty sure the engine identifier in the vin is Z for the 400/4speed.

Here is where mine is right now.


Here it is when I was driving it way back in 1988.


Mine doesnt have the right graphics or two tone paint, and the silver tinted T tops are gone because a crazy girlfriend of the guy who owned it before me took an axe to the car. They filled the holes with bondo and repainted it, then traded it to the dealer I got it from. Its turn in my shop is coming, and I have lots of parts saved up for it. That silver leather interior is pricey, and that is one of the things holding me back on it. It has the X in the vin, the WS6, leather seats, and all the other bells and whistles, so I know its real even if it isnt painted right. I found out what it was after I had owned it for ten years.

My other Firebird with an X in the vin is my 72 455 HO Formula, top of the line Trans Am engine in a lighter Formula body. They only built 276 of those, 6 with auto and AC, and so far mine is the only one of those six with no paint code on the trim tag.

[SpiderGearsMan]

I beat the crap out of the 301 , finally blew a head gasket in after 5 years

[Thumpin455]

Yeah they dont make enough power or spin enough RPM to really hurt themselves.

[SpiderGearsMan]

it was a 4 speed car ...it really was pretty fun

[Thumpin455]

The Formula in my avatar was a 301 4 speed WS6 car, kinda rare but nobody wants a 301 powered anything. It moved ok with the 301 and 3.08 gears, but its a tad faster now. That 301 is still in Germany.

I still cant believe I have ten 2nd gen birds. It feels more like I have two or three.

[6covered]

As mentioned, Pontiac did have some 400's left over from 1978.

My '79 is a 400 4 speed car. WS6. PHS docs. Built September 1978. Had it 12 years. Got it with 50K miles. It was pretty nice. Won our class at the Tri-Power Nats. Since then many miles, many stone chips. Bandit Run, Power Tour and a couple of 12 state tours. Wouldn't change that for anything. We got it to drive it. It still looks pretty good, just no longer a show winner. Great fun, great memories.

Jon