1978 Pontiac Trans Am

Pontiac 400

Clear

Trans Am Y82 W72 WS6 Black Special Edition "Bandit" (REALLY!) If youre looking for a REAL, documented Trans Am SE, look no further. You already know Special Edition TAs are highly sought after, collectible and jumping in value every year. Just look at the price of SEs vs. base TAs in the Completed Sales section. What we have here is an actual, PHS documented 1978 Trans Am Special Edition, restored six years ago, and now for sale. And if you are willing to overlook a few details, which will be documented later in this description, you can get this car for a bargain as opposed to a fresh restoration. Make no mistake, this car still looks great and runs even better, but it has a few flaws. Questions? (505) 414-5221 First, lets go over what it is that makes this car a true Special Edition. Starting with the front grilles, only SEs got the gold bezel around the headlights. Normal TAs got a flat black finish. Also, the Pontiac "Arrowhead" logo on the center of the nose is gold for an SE, while it is red for other TAs. Now look at the striping. Only SEs got the gold striping over the grilles, the wheel wells, the roof, hood, trunk and spoilers. The logos on the fenders and rear spoiler are spelled out in gold Gothic (German) letters. The base TAs got linear lettering. In addition, this SE came with the W72 Pontiac engine, a special engine that jumped horsepower over 20%. But this W72 is no longer just at another 20% (more on that later). So since this SE came with the W72 option, the Shaker on the hood says "TA 6.6", signifying this car is something to be reckoned with. Inside, the dash bezel is gold, not silver like base TAs and the steering wheel spokes are also gold and not silver. But you cant just say your TA is an SE unless you have the cars build sheet or the Pontiac Historical Societys (PHS) document to prove it because there is virtually NO other way to know if the car is a true SE or not. Its rarely on the cowl tag, its not in the VIN, and it certainly isnt in how the car is painted since anyone can buy black paint and decals. And of course, if the car is a true 1978 Y82 Special Edition, it has to have Hurst T-Tops, like this one. This car is a PHS documented W72 Y82 option-coded Special Edition Trans Am, one of the rarest, most sought after Trans Ams on the planet. And this car has already been restored, so you can start enjoying it immediately! Ok, lets go over this car. The engine, although not numbers matching, is a genuine Pontiac 400 YS code block from a 1972 Grand Prix rebuilt with less than 6000 miles. The 1972 YS code is an excellent starting point as it was stronger than the Pontiac 400 blocks built later in the decade. This motor also has the 6X heads that make a W72 motor what it is, but these heads were shaved to provide the motor 9.2-1 compression vs. the W72s 8.2-1. Plus, this car has a RAM AIR III cam and a 2 1/4 true dual exhaust with no catalyst so it breathes better than the 2 into 1 single exhaust that came with the W72 factory motor. Conservatively, this car is much closer to 300hp vs the 220 originally specified for the original W72. Also, the transmission is a rebuilt TH350, with stronger parts. While the TH350 is known to be a great transmission capable of 500 hp in stock form this one is capable of even more, even though the engine is currently not built to that level. Lets just say that with the addition of headers and maybe some more head work, this car could go over 400hp and possibly higher. Theres no replacement for displacement and 400ci (6.6 liters) is a lot of displacement. Anyway, the engine compartment is detailed as shown in the pictures. The cooling system is clean and works well, as the temp gauge rarely gets above 180. The windshield wiper/washer system was replaced and works perfectly. The brakes were totally rebuilt with new calipers, drum brakes in the rear and a rebuilt booster and master cylinder. The car stops when told to. The carburetor is the original 17058263 Rochester Quadrajet, rebuilt with Ethanol-tolerant parts and an electric choke instead of the original hot air type. The alternator and power steering system, including the gear, were replaced with new parts. When you drive this car, you notice immediately that it responds instantly to the accelerator. Off the line, and at speed, there is no hesitation. The engine has a satisfying idle lope, not annoying, but it is detectable just enough to say this car isnt for the faint hearted. Once inside, the vinyl interior is as it was delivered to Don Darr Pontiac of St. Louis, in December 1977. The dash and console have been recovered so there are no unsightly cracks. The gold dash bezel was redone via the original engine turning method by a well known professional. All the gauges work, including the clock. The radio is the originally specified U58 AM/FM Delco unit, with the single center front dash speaker and one rear speaker. Yes, that was considered the ultimate factory speaker setup in 1978! The carpet, headliner and package tray are new. The door panels, front and rear trim and pillar post trim were refurbished and look new. The car came with the optional "light group" that includes footwell and trunk lighting. The bright headlight control is correctly in the drivers footwell, not on the steering column. The steering wheel does have tilt and the horn works! The glove box and center console lock and are clean. The windshield is new, the rear and side glass are original and unfortunately are scratched as can be seen in the pictures. The Hurst Hatches (T-Tops) are the originals and have some scratches as can also be seen in the pictures. The passenger side T-Top has delaminated along the front edge and some water spotting is visible in there as the pictures show. The power windows work well, but with the new weatherstripping they have never been able to close at the top UNLESS you roll the windows up while the door is open. By the way, all the weatherstripping was replaced - door, window, T-Top and trunk. However, as is the case with most Hurst Hatch T-Top cars, they leak. A most endearing, but annoying trait. Remember, they were put in by hand at the Hurst factory by cutting hardtop cars with a sawzall - no kidding! Not until GM started making T-Tops themselves (the Fisher type) did we get cars that didnt leak through their T-Tops. In the trunk is a space saver tire, like the original, and the jack and handle in their correct spots. The trunk springs are a little weak, so the lid has to be held up with a stick, which also is located in the trunk. Now, the undercarriage is fully detailed. All the color coded clamps are in their correct positions, the fuel and brake lines are clean and well-presented. The rear axle (which has been flushed and refilled) is unpainted as it appeared for the 78 model year. The front suspension and subframe have new bushings and the front suspension is clean and appears as it would have soon after the car was delivered new. You can see from the pics that the underside is colored with the original red oxide primer as was applied at the factory. If the car was "Ziebart"ed later, the black Ziebart rust-coating would have covered the red oxide, but this car looks as it would have when it left the factory. The tires are brand new BFG Radial TAs. The wheels are not the correct 8" snowflakes, as this car came with the WS6 suspension option which would have given it 8" wheels. They are the 7" snowflakes. Nevertheless, this car has 225/70 R15 tires on it as would have been on the car as delivered, and they look great. Well, theres not much else to say. The paint is very nice, not show quality anymore, but very nice. The decals are in almost perfect condition. The shaker opening has been cut, nicely, but cut to allow for some ram air action. All the lighting works correctly, the doors, hood and trunk close solidly. And the A/C is all there, including the compressor, but it doesnt work. If the A/C is selected on the climate control, the compressor will turn on but it does not blow cold. So there you have it: a solid driver car with a pedigree and a few flaws. Again, if you can tolerate those problems as documented above, then this is a great investment that can give you pleasure right now while it increases in value. If you want a perfect car right off the bat, then this one wont work. But be prepared to pay the going rate for a perfect newly-restored documented SE, the prices for which you may already have seen are astronomical. Just remember, this too is a documented SE. And there is no reserve, so at the end of this auction, someone is going to own an awesome SE for a real bargain of a price. So bid to win! Questions? (505) 414-5221 On Oct-30-14 at 09:47:13 PDT, seller added the following information: I've been getting a few questions on where the W72 is on the option sheet. It turns out that the WS6 option was a newly created option for 1978 model year. It was called the Trans Am Special Performance package. It included nylon bushings, some different spring rates, and the W72 engine. You only got the W72 option IF you ordered the WS6 option at the BEGINNING of the 1978 model year. It wasnt until February or March of 1978 (it's unclear) that you could order the W72 engine without the WS6 option. Since this car was built in Nov 1977, it included the W72 motor. If you want to read more about this, look up John Witzke describing the W72 option. He wrote the definitive paper on this engine. His paper is in PDF form, is free to download, and searchable online.