Rolling off the production line finished in Buccaneer Red with a black interior, this 1973 Pontiac Trans Am is a project that has stalled. It will need to be finished by someone, and when it is, it will be a nice classic to have in the garage. The Trans Am is listed for sale here on Restore a Muscle Car.
A restoration was commenced on the Trans Am, but it has stalled for some reason. It is unclear from the seller just how much (if any) work was completed on rust repairs, but the numerous photos supplied by the owner tends to indicate that the vehicle is now rust-free. There is also some evidence in a few photos that show the original red paint, which must have made this quite a striking car when new. The car also featured the famous bird decal on the hood, which would have been the black and orange version. There are some external trim items that appear to be missing, but there is a fair old pile of parts and trim items in the trunk, and the majority of those trim pieces can be seen in there.
Apart from the lack of the original radio/stereo that was fitted to the car, the interior looks to be both complete, and in quite good condition. Certainly, there are no obvious tears in the upholstery, and a good clean should have it looking really good. The car was optioned with the deluxe seat trim, power windows, power locks, a tilt wheel, air conditioning, and the previously mentioned radio/stereo. Apart from that radio, the rest of that equipment still appears to be present.
The numbers-matching 455ci V8 is still under the hood, backed by an automatic transmission. This engine would have produced a rather healthy 250hp when new, but it appears that the engine is partially dismantled, and will require a rebuild. It also appears that as with the external trim, the majority of the removed components are sitting in the trunk.
As restoration projects go, this Trans Am is not a bad one. With a solid and rust-free body and a numbers-matching 455 under the hood, the basis of a really nice car is just waiting to be finished. The owner has set a sale price of $21,900 for the Trans Am, and given the fact that good examples are fetching prices upwards of $45,000, that makes this a very interesting proposition.
Neat car but it would cost 25 to 30 thousand to restore this trans am if you done most of the work yourself
great car but overpriced for a non-SD version of the 455 in this condition.
still very cool ride that i’d love to own in Brewster Green
As far as restorations go, picking up were someone gave up can be a headache. Was the rust repair and body prep done properly? If not, re-doing bad bodywork is more work than if the first guy just left it alone. Are all the original parts there? If not, more time and money. I’d rather find one untouched and go from there. The seller’s ask is pretty optimistic. Good luck with that.
Wow…in 1993 I purchased a 70 1/2 Ram Air III for 5500 bucks. Those were the days!
Yes, indeed…that was only a quarter of a century ago…
Primer scares the daylghts out of me. Better looker over with a magnet. Smog era automatic..overpriced. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
You are right about the primer, not only does it hide a multitude of sins,, its porous and sitting outside it’s like a sponge. I’ve stripped them back down to find surface rust covering all the metal areas !
Surprisingly little rust underneath considering it’s sitting on grass…
Price to high
I would rather have the 4 speed manual transmission with that monster 455 no matter if it’s the hd or not just like most of everyone else would most likely prefer instead of that automatic transmission
Way Way Over Priced Buyer Beware
Seller is hoping for the moon. Not viable.