This Nocturne Blue 1979 Pontiac Trans Am is for sale out of Statesboro, Georgia. The car is listed for sale here on eBay with a bid price up to $13,300 with 2 days left in the auction. The car has some slight modifications including “foilers” added behind each wheel, aftermarket radio and the addition of Firebird decals on the front fenders. With over 117,000 Trans Ams built in 1979, this car was not rare in the day but there are fewer and fewer around. This car is equipped with T-tops and the vaunted WS6 performance suspension.
The car is equipped with the base engine for 1979 which was the Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 engine that delivered 185 horsepower and 315 lb ft of torque. Someone changed the hood scoop decal on this car to the designation for the Pontiac 400 cubic inch V8 engine. You can always tell an Oldsmobile engine from a Pontiac engine in a Trans Am because the Oldsmobile engine has the oil tube on the front of the motor. The Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 engine was only available with the Turbo 350 transmission.
The black vinyl deluxe interior has a few feature comforts including tilt steering, automatic transmission, power antenna, intermittent wipers, rear defog and air conditioning. The dash is not cracked and the seats are not torn but the console lid is damaged. The bottom of the car is covered in some serious surface rust but the fuel tank and fuel delivery system has been replaced. The AC compressor has been replaced as well as the suspension bushings.
It is obvious that the paint has seen its better days with peeling in several places. If you look closely, the driver mirror is also silver instead of blue. The tires appear to be new and the car is said to run and drive well. While a stock Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 engine cannot keep up with the Pontiac W72 400 cubic inch V8 engine, a lot of that had to do with the highway gears that came from the factory with the Oldsmobile engine (2:41 ratio). The Pontiac 400 cubic inch engine were all equipped with Borg Warner T-10 4 speeds and 3:23 rear ends.
So for this year, your 8 cylinder motor options were either the Pontiac 400 CID if you wanted a manual OR the Olds 403 CID if you wanted an automatic?
Olds engined Trans Ams were not TA 6.6s. The TA 6.6 was reserved for the Pontiac big block 400. The shaker should have 6.6 liter decals on it.
Big Block Pontiac?
“Someone changed the hood scoop decal on this car to the designation for the Pontiac 400 cubic inch V8 engine.”
Direct quote from the write up.
Time to reopen the schools…
Gotcha, so either of these two big blocks were your engine choices for this model year?
And all Pontiac 6.6 were not t/a 6.6.they also said 6.6 liter unless you paid extra for the t/a 6.6 that had higher compression, timing different chrome etc
I had a 79 T/A 403 with the t/a 6.6 on the scoop from the factory .
It’s actually refreshing to see one from that general era that isn’t black with gold. Those look nice but enough is enough.
Not sure why the gas tank had to be replaced – the GM tanks of the 60’s & 70’s are quite robust – especially if undercoated.
Might want to replace the rusty tank straps.
Never seen a GREEN drive belt(for the a/c here).
The gear ratio of a olds 403 -79 transam was 2:73 rear with WS6.
The pontiac powered 1979 trans am 400 std trans had 3:23 gears with the borg warner 4 speed .
The borg warner from memory had a steep first gear ratio of 2:43:1 — compared to early 70s trans am muncie equipped std transmission had 2:20:1 first gear.
Borg warners 4 speeds just never held up to abuse like muncie M:21 or
M:22 4 speeds.
I had ordered both brand new in 79
403 automatic with Air cond 2:73 rear end.
I ordered new a 79 trans am silver anniversary with pontiac 400 + 4 speed with 3:23 gears
The olds powered trans am was far superior in performance along with longevity..without any modifications.
Im a pontiac olds lover..but 1977 -78 -79
Pontiac 400s were a dog.
The olds 403 engine with minor mods of camshaft + head plane cc reduction increase compression ratio.
+ true duel exhaust would make any 403 trans am a street killer during that time period.
Yes my family owned a pontiac dealership
So parts were easy to get + modifications with factory parts was easy.
I transplanted many 403 olds engine from 77–79 trans ams into 84 85 86 87 cutlass + 442 cars with great success. Drove a few 300,000 miles with olds 403 engine with just timing chain replacement.
This trans am for sale is priced a bit high in my opnion but dont under estimate the power of a small block olds 403 .
Wow! You know your Trans Ams! I think it’s pretty cool that you had the choice of these two motors…I would have probably chosen the 4 speed/400 CID simply because of the cool factor! But, sounds like the Olds 403 was the better optioned engine. Wonder, did Pontiac dealers market the 79 automatics as having an Oldsmobile motor? Or did only the hardcore gear heads know?
During the years of 1977 up it was quite common to have a engine from another division GM into any GM car.
Buicks used oldsmobile engines.
pontiac used olds + chevy buick.pontiac used buick olds engines..the list goes on + on ..
1979 pontiac we were told it was the last year of the 400 cu.in. engine produced by any US. auto manufacture. pontiac or olds.
A brief memory of literature sent us from factory released at that time only 1500 pontiac 400 engines were available left on shelves for trans am
the actual amount was unknown at the time.
The rest would be 403 olds .
The 1979 silver anniversary i had with real pontiac 400 + 4 speed met with a total loss fatal hurricane in new england in 1981.
Memory at the time there were only 258 Silver Anniversary trans am built with pont 400 4 speed.
As a Pontiac dealer we would disclose that engines were manufactured by different divisions of GM.
I too owned a 79 L78/WS6 Trans Am with the 4-speed and 3.23 gears. I don’t know about a 403 Olds motor with cam, higher compression etc. but I do know that in stock form the 403 cars were stones and the 400 Pontiac with 40 more horsepower would leave those 403s for dead. Further I’d assume the cam and higher compression if applied to the 400 Pontiac engine would similarly wake up the Pontiac. In 1979, the only other domestic car that could stay with the L78 Trans/Am or Formula was a L-82 4-speed Corvette. And the WS6 package gave the Pontiac better handling than the ‘Vette all at a significantly lower Price. None are fast by today’s standards and would get left for dead by a 4 cylinder Mustang or Camaro, but in 1979 you had to step up to some expensive Euro iron to get better performance.
403’s were an amazing motor, we had one in a 79’ Delta 88. Put dual exhaust on it and a shift kit in the turbo 350 trans. Was funny when it went up beside a Z28 as the olds would pull away every time.
In November of ’78, I ordered a ’79 Trans Am with the 403 auto, WS6 and no a/c. The saleman said that it would come with a 2.73 rear end. But when it was delivered, the build sheet called out a 3.23 rear end (same ratio as the 400 w/4sp). I’ve read elsewhere that WS6 403s without A/C had the 3.23 ratio. The car is plenty quick, but top end suffers. It is wound up tight at a little over 100 mph. I still have the car in 2022. It is is good original condition. (original Nocturne Blue paint with Camel deluxe interior)
Very refreshing to see it isn’t another black with gold accents one. They’re pretty but all to common.
I owned a 79 bright blue metallic trans am. Bought it in ‘82 with 43,000 miles on it. It was the 403 with ws6 suspension. Put a timing chain in it with 120,000 miles on it. Sold it in 1993 with 158,000 miles, still ran strong would burn the tires anytime anywhere. Loved that car.
The 403’s were used in the TA’s that were built and sold in Califonia’ the three extra cubes were supposed to compensate for the additional smog controls on the cars.