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| 1979 Trans Am 6.6 Liter | ||||||||||||||
| This is Diane's new toy. If you read my Standard Story, you will know that Diane's parents bought her a left-over 1979 Firebird one month before she turned 16 (February, 1980). She has had a thing for 1979 Firebirds/Formulas and Trans Ams ever since. We knew that the last year of the Firebird would be 2002 and had decided to get her a new V6 'Bird in the spring as her commuter. On Saturday, September 22, 2001, GM announced the "Keep America Rolling" 0% financing program good until the end of October. Being an accountant, Diane quickly did the math and decided to move. We were at Wright Pontiac in Wexford, PA that afternoon. I told the tale to my newest salesman that we had a win-win on the Grand Prix, but that Wright had won big on the Ram Air. It was MY turn to win. We negotiated to a good price on a white Firebird with W68 Sport Appearance Package, T-Tops, V6 Performance Package, and all the electric features. About the only things it did not have were leather seats, CD Changer and of course no V8. We planned on striping it similar to a 30th Anniversary with striping from Phoenix Graphix and would send the wheels out to be powder coated in white. Wright said they could get one on trade in several days, but we needed to sign the agreement. Diane wanted to sleep on it. We would come back Monday evening to finish the paperwork. From there we went to the largest car show I have even been to. It was second weekend after 9/11, and people needed and wanted to get back to living their lives. Over 1200 (display) cars attended this show in Cranberry Township, and there were at least as many spectators. We saw this car and fell in love even before we saw that she was for sale. We test drove her the next day and came to an agreeable price. We tranferred the title on September 29. She is a beauty! |
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| This is a great side shot! It really shows off the snowflake wheels. Note that the TRANS AM is now in Block Style. Up through 1978 they were in Old German Style. There is still chrome around the windows. | ||||||||||||||
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| The grills were moved to below the bumper for 1979. The lights were still rectangular and exposed, but each lamp had its own housing. Bumber pads were re-introduced from the early 70's models, but were now body-colored. The chrome around the windshield should be flat black for 1979, but it tended to peel. Dave restored it with chrome to prevent this problem... | ||||||||||||||
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| The rear-end got the most dramatic change, and was the most popular! The rear light bar took up the entire rear end. The license plate was moved to the bumper, and the gas filler and trunk key were hidden behind a reflector door. On the firebirds and Formulas, the rear end was red with clear lenses, but on the Trans Am it was blocked-out with a smoke lens. The double-dual exhaust outlets are true GM design. Note the PA Classic Vehicle Plate. | ||||||||||||||
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| The same flash that makes the Classic Vehicle Plate unreadable really shows off the blackout treatment feature of the rear lights. If you look at this picture, they look red and white. But when you look at the photo above, you can see it looks black normally. This was really advanced for 1979! This shot also shows the Block Style lettering for TRANS AM. | ||||||||||||||
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| The guy in the background is Dave Rodenbaugh. He is the person who restored this vehicle and from whom we purchased her. This shot shows the interior seating pretty well. It is two-tone cloth with vinyl backs. The striping indicates that she has a Pontiac 400 engine and looks like a Special Edition striping package... She is NOT an SE (they were only Black with Gold striping) and she has the Olds 403 ci engine. But this was a popular thing to do to these vehicles - people loved the extra pin striping. That's why Dave did it, and I love it too! (If you look closely, Mrs. Ram Air is behind the car, too! Don't tell her - she will make me take this photo out or crop it... | ||||||||||||||
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| The infamous Screaming Chicken! I really like how the 'bird developed over the years. This is my favorite - Pontiac went to this design in 1978. Each wing section had five "feathers" of different hues. The 'bird faces its right, with the wings framing the Shaker hood in the center. Pontiac had one different 'bird for 1979 - the biggest 'bird ever! The 10th Anniversary TA's Screaming Chicken had wingtips that went onto the fenders! In 1980 the shaker hood was gone, but a driver's side cowl induction hood was added. The chicken faced its left, and flames came out of its mouth and ran the length of the cowl. | ||||||||||||||
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| The dashboard and interior. I really like the cloth upper-dash and console covers. This will prevent the common splitting of the vinyl in the future. Not that she'll be out in the sun much, at least not closed up. There are several changes I will make - embroidered mats from ACC and I would like to get a Trans Am shift cover plate. The red one is nice but the TA cover matched the dashboard. Note the better-than-stock gauge package. The dash vents are useless as this car originally had air conditioning but was removed. I am very happy for that - less in the engine compartment. The only "creature feature" is electric windows. No T-Tops, rear defogger, cruise, power locks, etc. Less to go wrong! Dave did add a CD player, amp and decent speakers. As nice and nostalgic an 8-track player is, I for one do not miss them. Disliked them when they were "new" with the fade-out and fade-in while changing tracks - right in the middle of your favorite song! | ||||||||||||||
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| Two views from above. To the left she is parked, to the right Diane is taking her out for a spin. No, she is not peeling out. That is moisture from the exhaust. | ||||||||||||||
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| The next picture in sequence... Diane is heading up our street. Again, exhaust condensation, not peeling out! | ||||||||||||||
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| Finally the engine shots! This is from the front. I love the stainless steel braiding over the hoses. The bolt covers are blue as the car was originally Nocturn Blue before Dave restored her. I will be changing these over to either chrome or red. Check out the charcoal metallic paint on the interior engine compartment sheetmetal. It really sets off the red, and is easier to keep looking clean. | ||||||||||||||
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| The left side of the engine (driver's side). Note the lack of an air intake hose leading into the fender. Dave opened the shaker hood scoop and welded the air box shut to provide true high pressure induction. | ||||||||||||||
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| The right side of the engine. Dave also took out the A/C. I got the paperwork from Pontiac Historic Services for Diane as part of her Christmas present. Now I know just what she did and did not have. I also ordered custom mats with a Screaming Chicken from Auto Custom Carpets. I will get a photo of them the next time I have film developed. Or once the show season starts... | ||||||||||||||
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| The engine compartment of a stock 1979 10th Anniversary TA. Check out how crowded the compartment is with the A/C and the big air hose to the driver's side. It makes me appreciate what Dave did under the hood! Note the "Wing Tips" for the Screaming Chicken" above the heat extractor. As I mentioned before, the 10th Anniversary 'Birds were the biggest ever made! You can see more of this car and others in the Car Show Photo Page. | ||||||||||||||
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| Hits since October 22, 2001 | ||||||||||||||