When a car is left to sit in a shed or a barn for 28 years you can expect some deterioration as time takes its toll. When a car is sitting for 28 years with 15 of those years inside and the rest out exposed to the elements, the deterioration can be more marked. That has been the fate of this 1977 Trans Am that is listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Dewy Rose, Georgia, this Pontiac doesn’t come with a title but the owner will provide a notarized Bill of Sale. The seller has set a BIN of $6,500 but there is the option to make an offer.
I never like the idea of a car being left exposed to the elements long-term and this poor Pontiac demonstrates why. I’ll tackle the mechanical issues first and move onto the body next. The seller provides no engine photos, so we will have to work off the information provided in the text of the ad. The seller describes the engine as being both an L78 and a W72 engine, but this may well be irrelevant as the engine is locked. The seller has removed the plugs and poured in penetrating oil, but we have no joy to report so far. All the brakes are also stuck, but the seller has released them enough to get it to roll. I suspect that with the amount of issues that we’ve identified so far, that damp has worked its magic and the new owner is probably facing some major mechanical work before this Trans Am moves under its own power. The underside of this Pontiac looks a wee bit crispy, but it’s far from a lost cause. There are certainly indications that the car has been exposed to damp, but there is no rot-through evident. Having said that I think that the corrosion in evidence needs to be addressed ASAP or the floor pans will start to rot.
Things look more promising from this shot though. The dash appears to be in good condition and the pad looks free of cracks. The wheel appears to have been the recipient of the dreaded wrap. The rest of the interior looks like it might come up okay with a good clean. I hope so because the car was optioned with a few nice little creature comforts. The seller provides a copy of the original invoice and it shows that the car is fitted with cruise control, electric windows, remote trunk release, tilt steering wheel and air con among those options.
With regards to the sheet-metal the main areas of concern is the fact that there is rust evident around the rear window and on the right rear quarter panel. It’s a bit hard to tell but it appears that the rockers and doors may be free of the dreaded tin worm. Although they aren’t shown in any of the photos, the seller states that the original gold snowflake wheels come with the car, and that the tires are only fit for rolling the car around.
The viability of this car as a restoration project probably rests heavily on whether that engine can be salvaged and how much mechanical restoration will be required. The rust that is evident can probably be addressed, but the repairs around the rear glass are not going to be cheap. With a price of $6,500 and so much of this car hanging in the balance I can’t help but think that this poor old Pontiac may end its life as a parts car. I also won’t mind if someone proves me wrong.
The ask is 2 times what it should be given the extensive work required to get this on the road. For a few grand more, you could probably pick up one that was a lot less needy that could be driven and enjoyed. This looks like it would take a good 10-20 grand to get right…
I found a dozen of them online 13000 and under some of them absolutely great condition. Found 2 under 10000 that need a good detailing with no rust. This seller is dreaming for sure.
Overpriced for sure
Seller has a gold 78 TA 4 speed car for sale on ebay as well. His prices are high. He’s been trying to sell these cars for awhile now. Judging by his prices, he’ll have them for awhile longer.
This is what we all love about sellers. You obviously have the internet, so why the ridiculous asking price? I’m sure any offers would be rejected, they would be for less than half the asking price.
Fishing for a sucker. (or in GA terms, a dumb Yankee)
ACZ ,You gotta be kidding me, If “GA” stands for the State of Georgia then i can’t believe this ” or in GA terms, dumb Yankee”?. Just research Lockheed Georgia, & Ford Transmissions Georgia past track Records. Start with the C- 130 Hercules wing spars that had to be redone in Burbank Ca. back in the 1980’s. Back in 1995 to 97 Ford, & Mercury were selling new cars with defective “junkie transmissions” that all were manufactured in Georgia. All of the new Ford/Merc. cars with Detroit trans. had trouble free trans.. Don’t get me started on the Lockheed F-22 Raptor fighter jets many deadly problems…. No State is Perfect so knowing that ” cant we all just get along without a second Civil War, ha, ha,? Oh i do agree with you on the “fishing for a sucker” part.
I know you rite mista,AZC, yas sar I know you rite! LMAO
Yeah he’s crazy that’s not that desirable of a car, and that’s WAY too high for the condition, dream on not every barn… or she’d find is worth bank.
Waaaaaay too high.
I think 6500 is more than double what he should ask…..could be a nice car, but it is not worth the money unless one has money to burn.
yeah from what I see in those pictures the price is too much that’s one and in my opinion I don’t think it’s worth $1,000 because of all the money that I have to put into it to fix it
I was thinking this too…around a grand. The only thing that car might be good for is parts and likey not to any great extent.
Engine needs to be Y6 code more importantly,why is it out of vehicle? ,Is the block windowed? Biggest problem here beside price,can owner put all parts in 1place at same time?I recently past on a nice rally sport Nova because it was apart for restoration,owner was military and being transferred,he showed me completely rebuilt sub frame assy nicely done,power train,front fenders,doors,radiator support,hvac system,interior parts,many brackets,parts,pieces and miscellaneous items all quality stuff.problem,some parts were in loft of garage,others under bench,behind garage,next to fence,on back porch,in basement, stored in a suburban.i believe he did have all the parts he drove the car from Ohio,but,can he put all the parts in a pile at the same time? Most likely no,with him leaving and the house for sale no chance of going back to look for missing parts,same problem here.
“Windowed” blocks are only on the Old’s 403 engines. A 1977 should have a Pontiac engine. 1978 was the first year that Olds 403’s began appearing in Trans Am’s. Windowed mains aren’t going to be an issue for a street car. They’re not suitable for racing engines but they’re fine for a typical mild performance build.
If a bill of sale goes with the car, why do people assume that you can run right down to the MVD department and get a title? Why don’t they do the work to get that title? I would like to buy the hood that would look good sitting against the wall in my mancave! But he probably wants 5 grand for that! That’s the best thing out of the whole ad! LOL
Georgia doesn’t require a title for car’s made in 1985 or before.
That’s good for Georgia, but most states do! Maybe you can just take the registration and get a title in any other state I don’t know?
For that asking price, he can sit and watch it rot in his front yard and then tell all his friends about $25K offers he turned down.
Sell it to Bert Reynolds.
Overpriced rust bucket with no title, no thanks.
Waaay too much. Look at the rust around the rear window. That is not an easy fix.
No title to boot!
With no title,what’s to say it’s not a vehicle that was stolen,maybe many years ago? (Just a theory). Why would anyone be so careless with respect to the storage of a car like this? The ad states “Parked for 28 years”. It should have read, “Abandoned,neglected,rotting away and left for Dead for 28 years”. From what I’ve seen, there’s lots of “sketchy” ads on Craig’s list. I’m just sayin.
You would need to get the car inspected and then you can get a title. Its not bad with a car that is all there and functioning but I have no idea what it would be like to get something like this inspected.
Being on to this sort of thing, it’s much easier to buy a mint one that you can enjoy right away instead of dealing with all the deadbeats that claim to “restore” cars. My Boss302 went through 4 “restoration” shops before I get it done. Never again!
That’s going to need a lot of time, energy, and especially money to restore. Lots of rust and not much salvageable sheet metal. $6,500 is a bit steep. No engine either and doesn’t come with a title?? Lot’s of migraine headaches await the buyer of that poor neglected Pontiac. Gonna require someone with VERY deep pockets and the patience of a saint.