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Wild Steering Wheel: 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ 400

With seven days left in the auction, this 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix is for sale here on eBay. The car looks great in the pictures but it is not running at this time. The Grand Prix is located in Katy TX which is a suburb west of Houston. The seller has a buy it now price of $7,875 but also a “make an offer” option to submit a lower price. The car appears to be a fully loaded SJ model that has had some modifications done to it.

This has got to be the ugliest aftermarket steering wheel I’ve ever seen on a car! The black interior is in pretty poor condition and will need both upholstery and carpet work. While the seats don’t look too bad, the seller states that the plastic interior panels will also need replacement or repair. An aftermarket tachometer has been attached to the dash. The odometer reading for the car shows 56,000 miles but this is probably the second time around.

All SJ models were built with the L78 400 cubic inch V8 engine. This is the same engine that was installed in the Pontiac Trans Am in 1977. Although Trans Am buyers could also opt for the more powerful W72 400 cubic inch V8 engine in the Trans Am. The base engine the Pontiac Grand Prix J was the new 301 cubic inch V8 engine (135 hp). The Pontiac 350 cubic inch V8 engine (160 hp) and Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch engine (California) were also available. Pontiac rated the L78 motor at 180 horsepower and 315 lb ft of torque. This engine has been modified with headers and an aluminum intake manifold but is not running and will not start. The air conditioner was removed and the car leaks oil. The car is equipped with a GM turbo hydromatic 350 automatic transmission.

The gray paint looks pretty nice and the body appears to be straight without any significant rust. Most Grand Prix’s had a Landau vinyl roof but this one does not have a 1/2 vinyl roof. I think makes it look sleeker and more streamlined. The Grand Prix is equipped with factory 15 x 7 inch Rally II wheels. This is the last year of the third generation Grand Prix. I think the seller will have to be more realistic on the value of a nonrunning Grand Prix before it sells. In its day, this was a great car.

Comments

  1. Avatar timothy r herrod

    that steering wheel would be the first thing to go if it sells, I was in houston at the first of the month, i have no idea why someone would remove the AC, it is stupid hot and rains a lot more than i expected

    Like 22
  2. Avatar Mike Stephens Staff

    The front end is definitely a ’77, but the tail lights look like a 1976 model. Nice looking body, but what’s up with that steering wheel? Is it homemade? Anybody ever seen one like it before?

    Like 8
    • Avatar mpower

      They actcually make steering wheels to match the after market wheels. It probably had a set of 26″ wheels on it.

      Like 5
    • Avatar SaabVertGuy

      100% correct, those are NOT 1977 model tail lights. The 77 version didn’t have the lines and did have the GP emblem in the middle of each lense.

      Like 9
  3. Avatar Miguelito Loveless

    That steering wheel would look so good in one of my low rides.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Jack

      Maybe in your dreams

      Like 3
  4. Avatar Timm

    Holy crap, that’s not a steering wheel, it’s Tupperware! Never seen anything like it.

    Like 15
  5. Avatar greg jones

    Judging by the looks on this one it looks like it has been beat on & driven HARD, I’ll bet some young kid owned it put that crappy steering wheel on it & drove IT HARD and abused it.

    It looks terrible, I wouldn’t give 1 dollar to buy it

    PASS on this one 100% PASS

    Like 15
  6. Avatar Shawn Fox Firth
  7. Avatar Vin_in_NJ

    Opera windows look odd. Should have some sort of trim around the window if it was bought without the half vinyl roof. Most likely it was removed when the car was repainted. Too much surface rust under the hood to not have any on the exterior

    Like 1
    • Avatar chuck dickinson

      Originally the opera windows had a “chrome” molding (actually silver plastic) around them. Of course, exterior plastic does not survive the test of time, so they often are broken or missing. The moldings are similar to the chrome door edge guard moldings you can buy in a roll and cut to fit. They kind of slip into place over the window lip.

      Like 1
  8. Avatar Ron

    Parts car at best, not including the steering wheel!

    Like 1
  9. Avatar George Mattar

    Ok Mr. Journalist. Not a bad write up, but the Pontiac 400 engine did not come in all 77 SJs. I owned a beautiful loaded silver 77 SJ about 15 years ago that had its original Olds 403 boat anchor. I bought that car off ebay for $5,300, flew to North Carolina and drove it home with zero issues to Pennsylvania all in one day. Dumbest thing I ever did was sell it. Now they are selling for more than many Corvettes. Mine had the beautiful Custom Sport steering wheel, a $43 option. Also had 24 other options. The list price in 1977 was $8,879. Incredible that almost 275,000 GPs were built in 77 and most are junk today.

    Like 7
  10. Avatar piper62j

    The one and only time my wife ever got a speeding ticket was in our 75 Gran Prix.. It was so quiet and smooth that she never saw the state trooper following her..Wish I had that car back today…

    Like 2
    • Avatar piper62j

      76 tail lights with lines across the lens.. 77 tail lights with emblem in the middle.

      Like 3
      • Avatar Robbie R.

        Bingo, Piper 👍🏻

        Like 0
  11. Avatar JP

    I had a new ’77 GP & it was one of the nicest cars on the road back then!

    Like 2
  12. Avatar Paul

    I’ll just call this Frankenstein.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Steve Clinton

    Switching out that ridiculous steering wheel for a stock one would increase the value by $1,000.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar Thomas Haywood

    Bought a brand new 1975 Grand Prix at King Pontiac in Gaithersburg , Md . It was Arctic blue with an all white interior . A stunningly beautiful car . It was an S J model with the 400 engine . What a design , what a pleasure to drive . Sadly it began to rust out in several spots before it was even paid for ( 36 months at the time ) . – Due at least in part to the wintertime
    salt on the Maryland roads even though I meticulously washed it regularly .
    Among the longest hoods and longest doors in in the industry .

    Like 0
  15. Avatar douglas hunt

    i had a 77 400 Grand Prix, silver body with charcoal hood/trunk raised sections divided by a red pinstripe.
    red interior with a console floor shift automatic, .
    my uncle owned a junk yard, and one day i popped in to the office and he had a Trans Am steering wheel hanging on the wall, 50$ and it was mine and went right on the Grand Prix, best interior mod ever……
    lost that car to a drunk driving teenager who had stole his dads chevette and ran my girlfriend into a jersey wall…sigh

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Kevin

    I had a 77 that unfortunately had the “real boat anchor”.. 301 garbage engine, with the fake quadrajet,oh yeah they used quadrajet carburetor bodies with the back 2 barrels sealed shut,gm really did some weird stupid stuff around that era,despite the junk engine, and fake quad,the car had a turbo 400 trans.and rode better than any non air ride vehicle ever.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Kevin

    This car needs quite a bit of work, the price should be cut in half.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Gerard Frederick

    This car has been abused, not used. An abused vehicle always harbors many problems which at first go unnoticed. Once abused, always damaged, kind of like a human being. Pass.

    Like 0

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