1978 Pontiac Trans Am

Coupe

400 Pontiac

Automatic

2W87Z8L144044

Clear

Gasoline

Up for sale is a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am W72. Some of the main features on the car are 400 V8, 350 Trans, power steering, brakes, windows and locks, A/C, cruise control, electric trunk release, and rally instrument panel. It is up for sale because I do not have the financial means or bodywork knowledge to restore it. It is a W72 car but not a WS6 car. It has 41,000 actual miles on the car. The car was originally purchased at Sailor Pontiac in Illinois and evidently spent some time a the Volo Car Museum in Chicago. The numbers matching engine was seized when I acquired it, but after soaking the engine with Kroil Penetrant for a few weeks, it now turns freely by crank pulley and starter. It is not running due to it sitting dormant for the past decade or more. I have recently pulled the carb, valve covers, the valley pan, and there was evidence of water in the engine - the pushrods and rockers have surface rust but can be cleaned up. I found that the original valley pan had developed rust holes, therefore allowing some water to enter. I have an extra original valley pan to go with the car. Other than the engine situation, the car needs roof repair and some patching here and there to get rid of rust. First, the roof repair - apparently, the car sustained roof damage from a tree branch that struck the car during a storm. There are dents along the roof center from front to rear, and the worst part is at the front windshield, where there is a pretty large crease. The second layer of the roof shows no sign of damage at all. Someone good with fabrication can probably fix this pretty easily with a roof skin from Ames Performance or elsewhere, but it's certainly more damage than a dent removal technician can fix. If not worried about buildsheet originality, this is an excellent candidate for a T-top conversion. As I stated, there is rust in the car, but this car is by no means a basket case. Since it's still wearing its original Solar Gold paint, the issues the car does have are exposed, and nothing is covered up. In fact, the car is in excellent condition in areas where a lot of these cars typically rust - the rear filler panel, trunk channels, trunk floor, firewall, A-pillars and windshield areas are all in good shape...some surface rust in trunk. There are a couple of pinholes on the right rear floor pan, but the floors are in overall good condition, as is the undercarriage. The undercarriage and frame show some surface rust on the front end parts, but the frame rails, etc are all solid. The doors open and shut perfectly, and the hinges have no sagging. The main areas of rust are on the driver's side rocker, the driver's door jamb, and a bit of bubbling in the quarters. Also, the passenger door, although there are no holes, has rust spots all over it - I'm not sure what happened here, but it looks as if a battery adjacent to the car could have exploded next to the car and splashed acid along the door and some of the passenger fender. The rust on the car is an easy fix for someone who knows body work. Other than that, the interior looks decent, but at this time, I have removed the seats and carpet from the car. New carpet will be required, and the seats should be reupholstered, but they are in usable condition. There is one crack in the center of the dashpad. The headliner is in good condition. The door panels look pretty good. The driver's outer door handle is functional but broken. This Trans Am needs to be gone through - I have not pulled the wheels to check the brakes. The car moves freely, and the brakes do not appear to work. Decals are original, and hood bird will need to be replaced. All in all, this is an awesome project and investment for an experienced restorer or an awesome restoration candidate for someone who has the financial means to get it restored. I have a copy of the car's original buildsheet and a clear title in my name. Currently, the interior, including the headliner, has been removed in order to be prepared for the roof repair. More pictures are available - if you want to see pictures of particular areas, including the driver's side let me know, and I will try to send them. This auction only allows me 24 pictures. If you have any other questions, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. The car will obviously need to be towed. Thanks for your interest and for reading this.