Attention Mr. Bandit (or any 2nd gen T/A owners)

"traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn" (el-peasant) 02/15/2015 at 15:41 • Filed to: None

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On Friday, I posted an article announcing that I will get my first car in 6 weeks. My choices are now down to 4, one of which is a 1977-1979 Trans Am. I believe that Bandit is in college, so we would be in kind of in the same boat. Anyway, my main questions are:

-What is the 4-speed like?

-How reliable is it, and what are the costs of parts?

-How does it drive in the rain and snow, with modern upgraded tires?

-What is the stock gas mileage?

-Is it possible to install an overdrive and fuel injection on either the 400 and 403, and if so, how much do they cost?

-Is it comfortable on long trips?

-Not an serious question, but would it turn heads in a HS parking lot (or anywhere for that matter)

E. Julius > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 15:45

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Don't know anything about the first six questions, but if it were my high school 5-6 years ago almost nobody would care. Probably catch the attention of some other people into cars though.

yamahog > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 15:59

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I don't own a T/A, but good luck! To address the last one, I give you this anecdote:

Older gentleman approaches CrzRsn, who drives a bright green Mustang.

"Wow, that car must attract all the hot girls!"

"Are you a hot girl?"

"No, why?"

"Because you're generally the type of person this car attracts."

/truestorybro, muscle cars are basically old dude magnets, no one else really cares unless they're gearheads too. So maybe you'll be popular with the teachers?

jkm7680 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 16:15

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Parts should be easy to find and you really shouldn't buy a car to turn heads.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 16:16

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So if you go forward with this, the 77 and 78 front ends look good. The 79 front ends are ugly.

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 02/15/2015 at 16:21

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I think so too, but I prefer the larger T-tops and tail lights of the 79. Shouldn't be too difficult to do a headlight and bumper swap, ¿verdad? Might be a waste of time.

lone_liberal > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 16:32

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I don't have a T/A but I do have a second gen (71) Camaro. The Poncho engine will be harder to find parts for than the equivalent Chevy but it shouldn't be too tough and while any old car will require maintenance these cars are not what you'd call "complex". They do suck out loud in snow, though, as old cars with torquey V8s tend to be. Throttle body fuel injection kits that bolt to the regular intake manifold are easy to find, if not fairly expensive. I don't know if port injection is available but I'd think so. Comfort is in the eye of the beholder. Don't expect the seats to be like the multi-adjustable ones in modern cars and don't expect them to be as quiet either.

MysticStick > yamahog 02/15/2015 at 16:38

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Can confirm. Old dudes.

Of course, I think it's worth mentioning that there are some girls that really like classics or cool cars in general (they might have a Jalop Dad) and school is where you'll probably meet them.

MysticStick > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 16:47

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I like them both, but the '77 and '78 kind of are a bit nicer-looking. However, this car will hold its value or even go up, provided you do not swap around that stuff.

yamahog > MysticStick 02/15/2015 at 16:55

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Yea, that's why I added the gearhead caveat :)

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 17:36

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1. Nice to shift ( little bit of effort) durable up to about 400 hp

2. Reliable as an anvil if it's a good carb and not rusted out. Cheap to fix too.

3. With good tires but stock suspension? Moderately white knuckle with any power in the snow.

4. Big block + no overdrive - 10-13 mpg best you hope for.

4. Overdrive. Best to go with a 700r4 auto if you're keeping the carb. A good TCI 700r4 ( http://www.tciauto.com/tc/streetfight… ) is about 2500, plus another 1000 for driveshaft and mounts and whatnot. If you want a manual, more like 5000 for a Tremec manual setup.

5. Fuel injection. There are many ways to go about it, but here's my favourite.

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/fst-…

Fast ez-efi. Super simple and self learning. Probably 2000 all in.

6. Comfy? It's all relative, but the long wheelbase and soft stock suspension with some decent seats makes for a great cruiser in my opinion.

7. And yes, it turns heads.

meganuke > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 17:52

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I have a 1978 Firebird with the 4 speed and Hurst T-tops. I rebuilt the carb, but it seems to run worse, and I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to carbs, so I'm saving up for a fuel injection conversion. What's the price for turn-key reliability? About $2200.

I'd recommend against a car with T-tops. I went through four different sets of weatherstrip from 3 different companies before I finally just cut them to fit properly. There were two different styles of Hurst T-Tops, plus the Fisher T-tops. They all suck and will leak.

Parts are pretty cheap, if you go with OEM. But you never want to go with OEM. There are always better parts out there. My suspension needs to be replaced and I could probably do tie rods, ball joints, control arm bushings, leaf springs, shocks, etc. for around $800 using OEM stuff. But I want the car to handle and ride better, so I want the Hotchkis Stage II kit for about $3500.

The transmission is pretty good. Mine hasn't been abused, so it shifts well, but finding first gear can be a bit tricky if you're in a rush. Reverse is up and to the left, as is first gear.

I haven't driven mine in the rain or snow (see T-top issue above), but I'd recommend against it. These cars will rust very quickly.

Mileage will suck. They had at least 4 different motors offered, but a lot of them have had SBC 350s installed (like mine) for more power and none of the emissions crap. You'll be lucky if you get 15-18 MPG. Realistically, figure on 10-12 MPG.

Comfort is pretty subjective. I find it reasonably comfortable for a few hours at a time. I think the seats are pretty easily replaced if you don't like the stock ones.

Will it turn heads? Yes. Absolutely.

Bandit > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 20:20

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I can answer all those questions except the 4-speed one (I couldn't find one). But yeah, I got my T/A junior year of HS. People loved it and still know me as the guy who drove the old trans am. Stock gas mileage is around 16ish if you can drive well. A well tuned quadrajet and a decent tune can get better.

I drove mine every day for an entire year before I swapped in a 400. It is just fine in the snow if it is less than 6" and is okay in the rain as long as you make sure your t-tops don't leak. The interior is extremely comfortable, the seats would amaze you. I'm planning a thousand mile trip for when I finish my engine.

Parts are CHEAP. Seriously. I bought my 400 for $220. It came with two carbs, a transmission, and some other parts. Buy your stuff used off craigslist, okay? New stuff is too expensive and never fits as well as an original thing. The steering wheels aren't cheap though ($200 for a nice one). They can be very reliable if you have a proper tune. Mine never left me on the side of the road until I swapped in an overly aggressive cam in my 400. Fuel injection is too expensive, don't even try it. If you want injection, just install an LS or a 4.8 or something. I did however swap the stock th350 auto for a 700r4 out of a 90s caprice for like $100 total ($75 trans off CL) which got me overdrive and a better first gear. But do try to find a manual if you can, it would make everything better.

Check out some old old pages of http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/tag/emma to find some stuff about pre-restoration ownership.

Bandit > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 02/15/2015 at 20:21

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I have an '81 and did the '78 nose swap. They are essentially a direct swap which can be done for like $200 in parts and then you just have to paint it.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 03/23/2015 at 00:38

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you sir, have an amazing first car taste...
I swear, if my folks let me blow my $25K first car budget on something older, I'd be rolling around in a '67 barracuda with a 383...