1978 Pontiac Firebird

Coupe

6.6L 400Cu. In. V8 GAS OHV Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

Clear

GAS

This is a very solid example of a 1978 Trans Am. I bought it two years ago, found it in a barn in Spokane, WA. It hadn't been licensed since 1991. Due to the dry climate and the indoor storage the car was almost rust free. It had a 2" rust spot in the left rear quarter panel and a 4" one in the right front fender. I replaced both fenders with Ames Performance high quality replacements and cut the rear quarter rust out and welded in fresh steel. This car was built to be a performance driver, not a show car. It is an absolute blast to drive and could easily be taken to the next level. Paint - The car was originally metallic brown and was painted red in the 1980's. I sanded the car down to bare metal then epoxy and 2k primed it with PPG's omni series primers. Block sanded the whole car then painted it with Eastwood's single stage urethane Hot Rod Flat Black. I painted three full coats to give it a semi-gloss or satin finish. Being a flat style paint, it cannot be wet sanded or polished. Otherwise it will become glossy. So the paint has some orange peel and any imperfections needed to be left alone. It does have a couple of scratches from re-assembly and from clipping the side of my garage while pulling it in. The front right corner of the bumper is where it touched the garage door frame. Overall, the paint is good and the body is almost perfect. Drivetrain - The Pontiac 400 was rebuilt in 2003 but the car wasn't re-assembled until I bought it in 2012. It has Keith Black pistons and a warmed up comp cam. It has plenty of torque and hp to pull you back in your seat! I installed headers, an edelbrock intake and Holley double pumper carb to ensure it would perform to its potential. To accommodate the carb and intake, I mounted the hood scoop to the bottom of the hood. This can easily be undone as I just riveted two metal bars in to hold it in place. It has a fresh TH350 auto tranny that was rebuilt at the same time as the motor. The rear end was also rebuilt with a Yukon posi unit, richmond 3.42 gears, and a rear disc brake kit. Fuel system from gas tank to carb is all brand new. Suspension - In order to get the car to perform like it should, I installed a Comp suspension kit from Pro-touring F-body (new springs front and rear). This makes the car handle like it is on rails. All moving parts in the front suspension and steering were replaced with moog and hotchkis parts. Front brakes are all new as well. The wheels are original snowflakes and look good from a few feet but could use some restoration. Tires are at about 80%. Interior - The carpet, headliner, front seats, and seatbelts are all new. Sound deadening material was used over the entire floor and behind the rear seat to make for a more pleasant ride. It has a pioneer cd player and polk speakers - 2 in the door panels and 2 under the package tray. Here is whats left to do:- hook up the heat and A/C system- re-upholster the rear seat- have a body shop line up the hood and fenders - I have done my best but they need some fine tuning- replace the speedo gear at the tranny - with the rear end gear change, the speedo is off by 20mph- replace dash pad. It is cracked in a couple of spots and still shows some camel color through the black vinyl paint- hook up parking brake. The rear disc brake calipers are set up with a parking brake but I didn't hook it up yet- diagnose and fix the tach. It was working this summer then stopped. I am not sure why.- purchase and install fender flares. Didn't have it in the budget yet to do this. All of the glass in the car is original, it is structurally sound but showing its age. I fully intended to restore and enjoy this car for years to come. However, my wife and I are having a baby and that takes priority. There are still a few items to take care of on the car that I didn't get to yet but the vast majority of the project is done and done well. I have described the car in the best detail I can. Please set up a time to look at it if you are serious on buying so you can judge it for yourself. There is a full build thread of the car on Trans Am Country that you are welcome to view. Please email me and I will send you the link. On Oct-08-14 at 12:38:52 PDT, seller added the following information: I have added a few more pics of the interior. They show the dash cracks and areas that are still camel. They also show the back seat and the two spots that are cracked on the top of the back seat near the package tray. In the back seat picture, you will notice the seatbelt cover and ashtrays missing. I am installing those today. I am also installing the re-upholstered original seats today. The seats in the original pictures are racing style buckets. The buyer can choose which set of seats they want. Thanks, RickOn Oct-08-14 at 15:45:13 PDT, seller added the following information: I wrote the wrong odometer reading. It is 95,000 and change, not 93,000. Sorry.