August 16, 2001 - More details and credits

Well, after having gone through the majority of the car without having to spend any money other than jacks, I feel confident to announce that the motor is a piece of junk and will need a good $400-500 worth of work and parts just to get running.  Kind of sad for an engine to end up getting tossed.

Rusty radiator.  Not a good thing.  Nice little concoction of antifreeze, water, rust and who knows what else.  It smells bad, but not as bad as the brake fluid reservoir did.

The fuel lines apparently aren't blocked as Alan donated his services to test their ability to pull fuel.  No fuel came out, but there was definitely movement.

Basically every hose and tube on this engine is shot.  No surprise from having sat for 9 years, as that's how the cookie crumbles.  I have decided to go ahead and build a motor for this car rather than waste money on the Olds 403 engine that it has.  I also would desire to convert the automatic transmission to a manual as what is the point of a sports car that you can't shift the gears on by hand?  Seems sacrilegious almost.

Parts obtained:

Courtesy of Monty I was able to use a parts car - a 79 Trans Am.  Light blue\tan interior doesn't go too well with my black but I don't complain as I am just glad that I have a place I can pick up the parts used rather than having to buy them all brand new.  I obtained:

Seats (front and back)

Seat belts (who takes seat belts from a car?)

Carpet (not sure how nice this will wind up, but it is better than nothing)

Engine wiring harness (missing a few headlights, but at least the battery\starter wires aren't cut)

AC wiring harness (mine looks pretty bad)

Power windows\locks out of a Z28 (should fit the Trans Am as these are a standard GM part)

Cool People:

I figured it would be nice to pay tribute to those that have helped me out so far with the car.  Of course this section will be updated as people provide information that is pertinent to the car restoration process.  Without these guys stuff wouldn't get done (to say the least).  And so without further ado...

My buddy Alan.  Not much of a Pontiac guy, but definitely willing to give me a hand on the car.  That is always helpful for someone to hand off tools back and forth with.

Monty.  I met Monty through Classical Pontiac.  He owns Lubbock Auto Recyclers and has graciously helped me so far with interior and wiring harnesses.  He knows how to get parts for much less than it would cost to get them brand new or from others (learned the hard way before).  He also offered to help me build a Pontiac 400 engine (assuming a 455 can't be found for cheap =) ) for this car and for that I am grateful.

Trans Am Page

Last updated on August 26, 12:52AM