The popularity of the Pontiac Trans Am continued throughout the late seventies, with sales peaking at 116,535 units produced for the 1979 model year. The design looked mean and muscular no matter what color the exterior was painted in, but finding one with a black finish is always a positive when you run across an F-Body nowadays. This Pontiac is a project in need of some work, but if you’ve been searching for a second-generation Trans Am to bring back to life, this 1979 model may be worth checking out. Mitchell G., thank you for sending us the tip here!
This one is sharing a driveway with several other covered mystery machines, although the seller doesn’t say how long his T/A has been sitting among them or much else about its history. The Starlight Black paint has faded significantly as has the bird decal, but the outside appears complete. The sheet metal is said to have two or three penny-sized areas of rust and some other imperfections, but hopefully, there’s not more corrosion or additional surprises hiding in other areas we can’t view as easily.
The Oldsmobile-sourced 403 is a common engine to find under the hood of a ’79 Trans Am, and that’s what’s resting in the bay here. Unfortunately, the motor is listed as being in a locked-up state, though it is soaking which the seller thinks will free it up if this continues. Even if things loosen, it’s probably time for a rebuild, or maybe sourcing something different to drop in instead. The 403-equipped cars only came with an automatic transmission, and there’s no word on whether the gears were shifting properly before the motor issues developed.
According to the seller, a strong point is the condition of certain parts inside, such as the gauges, steering wheel, and console, all of which he says are mint. The front buckets and door panels are showing some wear and the dash pad is cracking, but overall most of the components don’t look too bad in there. This one’s located in the New England area of Marion, Massachusetts and can be found here on Craigslist, with the asking price set at $8,800. Is this 1979 Pontiac Trans Am decent project material?
The chicken has flown the coop.
$8000 too high.
The shaker received an upgrade at some point. Cars with the Olds 403 should have a “6.6 LITRE” decal on the shaker.
I’ve said it many times before, and I shall say it again. I simply do not see the attraction to the mid-seventies and eighties Trans Ams. They are absolute pigs’ performance wise and were built during a period of time when GM products across the board had quality control issues. While I will admit that they are a relatively attractive car, that is where the desirability comes to a hard stop.
The 403 makes a great boat anchor,much like the Pontiac 301.The fact that it’s locked up makes a good excuse to find a Pontiac engine.Wouldn’t sink a dollar into the Olds engine.would be a waste of money and time.This car is only worth about $3-4 grand at the most.And cloth seats?Really??
Probably a pretty close guess.
That motor was junk in the showroom, someone at a local Marina needs an anchor I’m sure, if the quarters and floors are solid, it’s worth 6000