The SJ was the range-topping model amongst Pontiac’s Grand Prix offerings for 1977. They came with a host of luxury appointments and offered respectable performance for a V8 from this era in American automotive history. Our feature car is a tidy survivor with 64,000 original miles on the clock, and I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Larry D for referring it to us. If you like what you see, you will find this Pontiac located in Rockwall, Texas, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the BIN at $19,900, but he does leave the option available to make an offer.
Tri-tone cars can be a bit of a mixed bag, with some combinations working better than others. However, it is hard to go wrong when you’re talking about Dark Gray and Silver paint with a Silver landau-style vinyl top. That is what graces the panels of this Grand Prix, and the effect is pretty classy. The paint itself appears to be in excellent condition, with a deep shine and no significant issues. The same is true of the vinyl top, but I’m not sure I can class this vehicle as perfect. I’ve been trying to determine whether it is a trick of the light or whether there is a sizeable dent in the passenger side quarter panel. It appears to be present in a couple of shots, but it doesn’t rate a mention in the listing. If it is a dent, that’s pretty disappointing as it represents one of the few flaws with this classic’s exterior. The rest of the panels are as straight as an arrow, and given the combination of life in Texas and the car being garage-kept, its lack of rust is no surprise. When you look at the Grand Prix’s overall condition, it would be worth the effort to have a high-end shop tackle that dent so that the paint will match as closely as possible. Beyond that, the exterior trim and Rally II wheels are in excellent order, and the tinted glass appears to be flawless.
With 64,000 genuine miles on the clock, this Grand Prix is barely broken in. The engine bay is occupied by Pontiac’s 400ci V8 that produces 180hp. The rest of the package includes a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. At 4,131lbs, this Pontiac is not a particularly heavy car when compared to its competition, but it also wasn’t the lightest vehicle on the market in 1977. It rolled off the line at the height of The Malaise Era, so its 18.4-second ¼-mile ET was on par with what the opposition had to offer. The owner doesn’t indicate whether he holds evidence to verify the mileage claim, but it is possible given the other documentation he holds. He includes the original Window Sticker, Broadcast Sheet, Owner’s Manual, Warranty Card, and Accessory Catalog. This Pontiac is about more than looks or paperwork because it runs and drives extremely well. It seems that there’s little for the buyer to do than slip behind the wheel and enjoy the ride.
The original owner ordered this Pontiac with an interior trimmed in Firethorn vinyl, which provides a striking contrast to the more subtle and refined exterior color combination. There is some minor stretching on both front seats, but that’s all I can find to criticize. The remaining upholstery looks faultless, and I doubt that anyone has ever sat in the back seat. The dash is spotless, and the gauges look clean and crisp. The plastic and console show no evidence of UV damage, and there’s no visible wear on the wheel. Overall, the interior’s condition seems to support the mileage claim. The original owner also chose to equip the car with some desirable optional extras. These include air conditioning, power windows, a rear window defroster, cruise control, a clock, and an AM/FM stereo radio.
As an original survivor, there’s a lot to like about this 1977 Grand Prix SJ. It is a low-mileage and unmolested survivor that carries an air of class thanks to its color combination. I am disappointed by the dent in the rear quarter panel, as this is an obvious flaw in an otherwise immaculate car. The BIN price is heading towards what potential buyers might expect to pay at the top end of the market, although that dent will have some impact on its potential value. That might leave the way open for any interested parties to submit an offer. You never know, but it might be possible to convince the seller to drop the price by a sufficient amount to cover that repair. It’s certainly worth asking the question because the worst that he can say is no.
This has the rare trailering group…on the build sheet, it shows a 3.23 rear gear. Should move out nicely!
Odd that tilt or cruise were not options ordered on this one.
Hard to believe these could have been bought in the four digits not too long ago.
No longer available.
I must be colour blind because the dark gray looks like an olive green to me.
My 77 grand prix had an interior color matched steering column and wheel. Wondering why this one is black
Yea, ’77 did too…. Firethorn exterior, dark red interior…
These cars are nice but they just don’t have enough horsepower for the kind of fun you really want in a old car. Of course this can be fixed with an engine rebuild.
How much fun do you need, 800HP? The only place you can use this is the race track, not on the street.
Is four hundred horsepower too much to ask for ? Over double what it has.
This car , in these colors was my favorite car in 1977 ,after T/A and Corvette,of course !
This one is an SJ. Was yours an LJ? My parents owned a tri tone 77 GP LJ light blue interior and the wheel and column were color matched to the interior.
Bought a ’76 version of the GP in the same color scheme when I graduated from college in ’80. Loved the stance and cushy ride. All nose, t-roofs leaked of course and could pass anything but a gas station. Think I got 9 mpg.
ah the memories….i bought a 76 SJ from my neighbor, it was silver with charcoal on the hood and trunk, and a darker burgundy interior…also with the 400, i worked at an auto parts store, and added a aftermarket distributor spring/weight kit and had a dual exhaust pieced together from the catalogs from an earlier model waiting to go on, interior had a T/A steering wheel and decent stereo.
sadly it was wrecked while my girlfriend was driving by a 16 year old kid who took his grandfathers s-10 without permission. :-(
Bought a new ’77 Berkshire Green! It was metallic & looked blue at night under the street lights!
Were they still putting dual snorkel air cleaners on Pontiacs as late as 1977?
Pretty sure that’s a NO.
Tach is rare to see on these cars though.
I purchased a 1974 Pontiac SJ w/a 455 CID and loaded with every option except t-tops. It had 9K when I bought it as it was a trade in at the local Ford dealer across from Sears Town Auto Center (Ft Lauderdale) where I worked.
It was fun to drive and so comfortable around town, but it got the worse gas mileage. I calculated less than 10MPG and then I realized why someone traded it in. We snapped the emission caps off the carb to try and adjust the mixture screws to get better fuel economy (didn’t work). Kept it for about 2 years and traded it for a new black Trans AM T/A 6.6. Really loved this car and didn’t care as much about the fuel economy.
sold!
My wife got her first speeding ticket in our 75 SJ on rt95. Ours wore the same colors and interior color, but the upholstery was “crushed velour”. Awesome car. Smooth, quiet and powerful. I was a GM service manager at the time and grabbed this car as soon as it came off the truck..
By the way. If the paint isn’t damaged on that quarter panel dent, $200 to $300 for paintless dent remover would make it like new again. Those guys seem to work miracles with sheet metal.. Almost forgot to mention… Our GP also came with a tachometer.. They were not an option on the SJ at the time.
@ piper62j….Tach’s were part of the SJ package!
Correct..
Man I just can’t get on board with white letter tires on these cars. How can I say it without hurting anyone’s feelings, it’s like an old man who dyes his hair jet black, it just doesn’t look right.
The SJ model came with narrow white wall tires. Sharp looking.
Now you’re talkin’ I drove a triple black 73’ SJ in 75’ and it had the skinny white wall. Sharp is right.
And I believe Eagle ST tires have been out of production for many years. So they are likely quite old, thus no loss, install those correct narrow white walls and be happy.
My parents traded a maroon 66 tri power 4spd GTO in on a bronze 71 455/4spd SJ and later had a triple black 77 SJ. Mom loved Pontiacs and fell in love with Grsnd Prix’s after driving my uncle’s new 69. She could drive a stick better than most men, including my dad.
@ Gary Rhodes….if your parents had a 4-speed ’71 GP, it wasn’t an SJ (much less a 455). Only “non-SJ” GP’s were available w/a 4-speed in ’71…& those were 400’s. [http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/pontiac/71npt/bilder/25.jpg]
At the time, 77-81, RWL tires were all the rage. Kelly, Cooper. Uniroyal, BF Goodrich, and Goodyear, made a lot of money on guys spending a little extra to make their cars stand out. Monte’s, GP’s, Cutlasses and my Cordoba were common with these. Of course my Father was none too thrilled to see his credit card receipt and the amount I had spent. He pretended to be angry, but he had to admit they looked nice. I had to do a little more work, but it was worth it.
My 74 SJ came from the factory with RWL UniRoyals and they looked great with the Pontiac Rally wheels. Never a big fan of WW tires. Looked like my dad’s ride.
No dual snorkel air cleaners on 77 GP even the 400. I had a silver 77 SJ with 30 factory options. Like a dope sold it for $4,500 in 2006. Rust free NC car I bought on eBay. Lost my storage space and now it’s worth 3 times what I sold it for. It is what it is. I am trying to buy it back. The car was last registered in Texas in 2015. Silver red velour interior Hurst Hatches snow flakes. Loaded.
@ George Mattar……hindsight’s almost always 20/20!
Back when buckets seats were special. Now every vehicle has them. Now they are so boring. I want a bench in my next car.
First new car I owned 77 two tone blue the only one in Austin so I thought until another one just like mine except he had T-Tops pulled up next to me and it was a close friend from elementary through high school. We looked at each other and laughed. Played ball together and never understood why his dad opened a Toyota Dealership. Who knew! Went by to see him last year at one of their dealerships and we both still laugh at that and agree that it was one of our favorite cars.