Picking up the pieces of someone else’s project is always a risk, but if the price is low enough, some might say it’s worth taking the chance. This pair of Firebirds includes an LT1-powered Trans Am that certainly has some needs. The seller is including a second car, which appears to be a base model, to offer up its clean body panels if you need them. For $2,500, it seems like a fun way to build a solid car with LT1 power on board. Find the Firebirds here on craigslist somewhere near Omaha. 

The 1997 Trans Am is full of questions, as the seller simply says it hasn’t been started in two years but ran when parked. The body shows plenty of evidence of prior accident damage, most notably in the replacement fenders. The seller notes that he is including the necessary parts to convert the front end into that of a later 2002 model, including the desirable Ram Air hood. The seller says the interior from the 1994 car has been installed in the Trans Am.

The base model Firebird isn’t anything particularly special, and I’m assuming the reason it’s here is to help replace the damaged bodywork on the Trans Am, or to simply have a treasure trove of spare switchgear and other pieces that might otherwise be hard to source. Since there is no interior, the 1994 model really have very little to offer. However, the seller says both should fire up with new batteries, so perhaps the older car can be sold off to recoup some of the funds needed to restore the Trans Am.

This depends on how useful the spare body panels will be. From the photos, the Trans Am doesn’t seem to be the lost cause you might expect when someone is throwing a spare parts car into the mix. However, if there’s more body damage to the Trans Am that we can’t see beyond the peeling clearcoat, the seller should explain exactly what potential buyers will find when they inspect this pair of Firebirds up close. And if you do buy it, please putting sourcing a manual swap on your list of things to do.