This 1977 Pontiac Can Am is listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Ignacio, Colorado, and is offered for sale with a clean title. The seller has set a price of $6,500 OBO on this Pontiac.
The Can Am is an interesting vehicle because there have always been conflicting estimates about the number that were actually built. The most commonly held number is 1,377 so I’ll adhere to that. They were built by Pontiac based on the LeMans and were offered with two different engines and transmissions. Cars destined for California were built using the Oldsmobile 403ci small block backed by the TH350 automatic transmission. Cars destined for locations other than California featured the 6.6 liter Pontiac 400 (W72) engine with the TH400 transmission. Most featured an interior trim with bucket seats and floor console housing the gear shift. However, some featured a column shift, and a few even featured a bench seat. Unfortunately several sources seem to confirm the fact that today only around 300 Can Ams are known to exist.
Our feature car was obviously not destined to be a California car as it features the Pontiac 400 engine. As I’ve never really had that much to do with the model it took some research for me to come up with a definitive answer on that as the shaker hood is missing the decals that would have made life a whole lot easier! This means that it would also feature the TH400 transmission. The engine bay looks in about the state that you would expect a car of this age to look, although it appears that the belt isn’t on the air con pulley. I also suspect that the car may have been the recipient of at least a partial respray at some stage because I think that I can detect over-spray on both hood hinges. This may also explain the absence of the aforementioned decals.
The interior of this Can Am is source of both good and bad news. The good news is that this car features a column-shift auto. The vast majority of Can Ams featured a floor shift and consensus across a number of different sources indicates that only about sixteen were built featuring a column-shift. If this is true then it places this already unusual car in rarefied company. Unfortunately the interior is looking quite tired, which I guess is probably no surprise after 41 years. The original radio is missing from the dash, and some of the chrome trim around the instrument cluster also appears to be damaged. It is impossible to ascertain the condition of the dash pad due to the mat placed over it, and the steering wheel has been given a wrap so we can’t tell the condition of the rim. Some of the plastic trim is quite discolored, especially the pieces on the outsides of both front seats. The tops of both door trims are badly discolored and the chrome trim is missing from the end of the grab handle on the passenger door.
At first glance the exterior of this Can Am looks reasonable, but closer detailed inspection reveals a few interesting things. Firstly, in addition to the absence of the decals on the shaker, the Can Am decals are missing from both front fenders. The chrome trim rings are also missing from the wheels. I’ve been trying to work out whether there is something odd going on with this car as the door gaps don’t seem to quite gel with me, with the gaps between both door leading edges and the front fenders appearing to be quite large. This is something that I think would require further investigation.
This is a tough one. A search around the internet shows precious few of these for sale. I did locate one in need of restoration with a price of $9,500, but that was as close as I could get to our feature car. This Can Am is quite a rare car that is made even rarer by the column-shift auto. If someone were considering buying this to restore then they may have quite a task ahead of them given the number of small detailed parts that would need to be sourced. Personally I would definitely be giving it a close inspection before laying down the cash. If it does turn out to be a solid candidate for a restoration then the asking price might be a good deal.
First things first,needs to be Y6 code engine,complete decal kit is available at Phoenix Graphics(easy fix),I noticed all windshield and rear glass and window trim is not flat black,its supposed to be.Aside from that not a bad looking car,but I think it’s 2 cars card shuffled into 1, so,how bad was the crash and I don’t think seller mentions title status,no Cali emissions on motor either but good car to own and will sell fast.
I worked for a Pontiac dealership during the 1970s. The transition cars like this one were nice, but at the same time were a vision of things to be for all marques. Bittersweet at best.
I had a custome who bought an identical car to this Can Am, and then bought a stripped Trans Am. He put a 427 Chebby into it and quickly found out that his clutch couldn’t hold the 3:23(?) final drive ratio.
This guy at age 42 was brutal on the street kids and their pony cars. Just to prove his point, he modified his Can Am including suspension upgrades and was still a terror on the streets.
The cops weren’t looking for him in his ‘daily driver.’
Cool cars in their day, but I’m too old to grow a mullett now.
This is more of a perm and gold sunglasses-era car…the mullet is more suitable for an ‘86 IROC.
They sell wigs.
First paragraph says the car is located in Ignacio California.
Which is incorrect.
If this thing halfway checks out as genuine it’s a buy at the asking price.
Way too rare & around here we’d call it rust free which is next to impossible to fine.
Column shift is a bummer for looks & fun but these cars will have their day soon & the exclusivity will help out when values continue to rise.
And if not, well you got $6k in a fun driver to build out!
Sold! That might have been a steal…and I have all the interior parts it needs…
As for the engine options on the can am. If it’s an Oldsmobile engine there is really no such thing as a small block or big block. From a 350 to a 455 all block sizes were the same. True for Pontiac as well. From a 301 to a 455, block sizes are all the same. Might have been different in the 50’s. But from the late 60’s to the time both went out of production, their were no such things as small/big block olds or Pontiac.
All these so called hot rod car shows on television make the same mistake. Who are these people and where do they get all of their misinformation?
Thanks for letting me comment.
I’ve seen four of these in person… since 1983, heading to ATLANTA helping Year One get started in basement. They were a performance PONTIAC parts locator, with minor classified ads in Pontiac/ Olds / Buick specialty magazines. A couple with red SWIVEL BUCKETS and console. One with a 428 (swap) near Dawsonville, Ga.. One here in Va….with rust issues painted over. Take a thin magnet with you, door sag leaves glass leaks. A Jim Wagner’s early summer release to sell personal luxury performance using T/A parts. Number produced while rear spoiler mold held up…IT broke, so Pontiac said end it.
Actually, if 1,377 were made and 300 survive that is not too bad of a survival rate. Most cars are lucky to be around 5 to 10%, especially during this era.
If there are only 300 left, why are so many showing up here on Barn Finds?
Looks better to me with less decals. It’s funny the first time I ever remembered hearing about a Pontiac Can Am I thought of a motocross bike instead of a car.
“400/th400 again implying as a 400🤢,and not what is.. shaker hood will have one of two claims..”6.6 litre”is a ,a 6.6 litre “403/Th350 and “T/A 6.6” which is a 400/TH 400 not available in California.Or check the vin..If it’s a “K” then you have a 400/th400
Funny how easy it is nowadays to find information as compared to twenty or thirty years ago. Word of mouth, personal experience, and much reading of books and magazines was the only way to “learn” about stuff. Now everything is possible in a matter of seconds, even stuff that is only remotely interesting like these Can Ams. Has some interesting history to it.
Is this car still for sale?
1(561) 317-0817 Doug
Looking to buy a Can Am, can someone please contact me?