Pontiac Firebird 1967-2002 - Found another '79 T/A need advice

alright fellas, i called an ole boy and he took me to see his t/a. (he has two, a 78 and a 79, both t tops)

The only one for sale is the 79. its a 10th anniversary car, with the pontiac 400 and the 4 speed. only supposed to be ~1800 made in this configuration. The exterior is good. NO RUST. in primer. hes supposed to have almost all the parts to make it original. the interior is shot, will have to be compleatly redone. and also has the mirrior t-tops.

oh and the odometer only says 38k miles. he thinks its original, but i think its rolled over.....

he also has 4-6 BRAND NEW NOS turbo wheels. they are the 15x8's, not 15x7's.

So whats it worth?

pics pics pics.......#1. #2, how can you be sure its a real 10th anniversary? get the VIN, and run it through PHS or find a code book or something first. and how can the interior be shot in only 38k miles? of course its rolled, they most always are. does it run and drive?

I paid $7000 for my '79 with no ttops, pontiac 400, th350 tranny, black/gold paint scheme(just like bandits) except it has tan interior which is brand new, just got put in months ago, speedometer also says 38,000 but I know it's been rolled over at least once. No rust on mine either, paint aint in great shape but it's good and like i said the interior is perfect. Just to give you an idea on pricing. All original gold wheels on it also.

prices are going up on second gens. going up on everything old anyway. i paid $5750 for my 78. this was in 1999. 400/4spd, everything else in my sig. came with a new headliner and carpet, but i had to get them installed. needed work on all 4 quarters, including one patch panel. put maybe 2k into the body/interior. people say i could probably get 9k for it, maybe, but who knows. you can only get what someone is willing to pay. get some pics first, see if it runs/drives, and find out if its a real 10th aniv.

allready checked the vin it is a 10th car, has the x as a 2nd # in the vin, rear disc brakes and mirror tops and all. I'm wanting a black on black 77. I'm wanting to change out the nose and rear on the car. so as far as a colletor # matching aniversary car that's not what I'm looking for. Yes I drove it, started right up, idled nice and ran good. he wants 5k for it and another 750 for the new turbo wheels. It will need a whole new interior. and he has the new hood bird/decal kit with it.

oh yeah, he had to replace the cam in it to. said it had a coupla flat lobes. LOL of course its rolled over. i just wasnt going to tell him. However, he seems pretty knowledgable about cars.....

we might be bringing it over and putting it on the lift. ill try to get some pics. and the new cam he put it in is a step up from stock, so she sounds NICE lol

5750.....what i paid for mine. not bad, without seeing it at least. if you really want a 77 (though 78 is better), then id hold out and wait for one. they made around 90,000 Trans Ams in these years, so theyre out there. just have to find one in the shape youre looking for. never know where it might turn up. if you want to swap the nose and rear, then i definetly wouldnt get a 10th aniv. theyre too rare and valuable to mess around with like that. just look around for a real 77-78. i do love the color scheme of the 10th though, silver and gray, with the special hood bird.....sweet.

i would take a 78 or a 77. Dosnt matter. really the only noticable difference is the front plastic insert, which most guys dont notice anyways...

the trained eye does......and the 77 has a trans am decal on the upper drivers side nose, where the 78 doesnt.

It would be a shame to modify a 10th Anniver 400 4sp car. This sounds like a desirable car to a collector. It sounds like a decent price, if the body is solid.

If that car is in the shape you describe its in, maybe 20k+. 10th's pop up on ebay all the time.

allready checked the vin it is a 10th car, has the x as a 2nd # in the vin, rear disc brakes and mirror tops and all. I'm wanting a black on black 77. I'm wanting to change out the nose and rear on the car. so as far as a colletor # matching aniversary car that's not what I'm looking for. Yes I drove it, started right up, idled nice and ran good. he wants 5k for it and another 750 for the new turbo wheels. It will need a whole new interior. and he has the new hood bird/decal kit with it.

5k???? :eek2:

If nothing else, double check the numbers to make sure everything matches, then buy it and put it on ebay. That price is a damn steal.

5k???? :eek2:

If nothing else, double check the numbers to make sure everything matches, then buy it and put it on ebay. That price is a damn steal.

My thoughts exactly!

i would take a 78 or a 77. Dosnt matter. really the only noticable difference is the front plastic insert, which most guys dont notice anyways...


You're talking about the grilles, yes.

The '77 has a honeycombed design, while the '78 has a diagaonally criss crossed shape.

Not to mention the hurst hatches versus the fisher brand t-tops...

in regards to the Trans Am- 1979 was the highest year ever for Trans Am production. Granted, we're talking about a "limited edition" anniversary collectible here, but, if it's in primer and the interior is shot, then there isn't much originality left to it anyhow.

If it's a solid car I say get it and do what you want with it. There's enough "original" anniversary editions out there to force this one in the lower bracket of collector value because it has to be restored versus buying an untouched survivor.

just my 2 cents.

ok well i just bought it off the guy. All the numbers match and it is indeed the silver edition 400/4 speed. i got it for 4500 plus the brand spankin new wheels and tires. (turbo wheels, never been mounted)

i got it on the lift this afternoon, and the floor pans are great. not rust AT ALL. the only bubble i seen in the whole car is on the driver side, rear fender, before the wheel. the spot is about as big as a half dollar. Other than that its in great shape.


Now all i need is the 77 front nose and rear end. :D

very nice, good price. but i still wouldnt swap the nose, really. there are plenty of real 77-78 TAs out there. no its not very original in its current state, but with a little money and restoring, itll be worth alot more and be more of an investment then anything. if you want, fix it up and sell it. the profits will probably pay for the car and restoration, if not break close to even. then, with that extra money, go looking for a real 77 or 78 TA to play with. what youre doing is kind of like taking a 2002 firehawk, and putting stock trans am rims and hood on it.

To make it look like a 77, 78, you have to swap more than just the nose. The front spoiler is different, the rear spoiler end caps are different, the rear bumber is different, rear taillights are different, and all 4 wheel spoilers are different.

-Rich

Talk about timing...

I was glancing through my new edition of Hemmings Muscle and they have the current price guide and they prices are as follows:

1979 TA 10th Anniv. 4sp Low: $9000 Average: $15,000 High: $24,5000
1979 TA 10th Anniv. Auto Low: $9000 Average: $15,000 High: $24,5000

I might add...

If you do get a 79, one look that I REALLY like is a 71 doghouse on a 79 body and keeping the 79 taillights.

I say go for the 78, much better looking year of TA than the 79 IMO

but we need some pics to give a better idea on price

all im going to do to her is put the rear of a 78 or 77 on there (tail lights, bumper, spoiler end caps) and the front nose of the 77. ill bet that 99% of the people wont know the difference.

shes got some suface rust on the hood and front fenders, in the process of sanding them down and will shoot the whole car in good filler primer. then ill get some pics up ;)

oh and i also need a set of snowflakes, and looking to sell two sets of turbo wheels ;)

i still say you should have waited and gotten a real 78 or 77. with so few 10th aniv. made, let alone left, why change it around so much, when actual 78s are everywhere?

Heres some pics, got the front and rear fasica coming next week, should get some black paint on it by tomorrow....

don't do it go on trans am country .com and see if there is a guy who would want to trade for your car. those guys love the tata's

I paid 2 grand for an original and documented 79 T/A with 60 thousand miles on it 2 years ago. All I did was clean it up, tune it up, and change the wheels (It had some ugly ass aftermarket wheels from the 70's).
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r5/tbss454/cars024-1.jpg

Talk about timing...

I was glancing through my new edition of Hemmings Muscle and they have the current price guide and they prices are as follows:

1979 TA 10th Anniv. 4sp Low: $9000 Average: $15,000 High: $24,5000
1979 TA 10th Anniv. Auto Low: $9000 Average: $15,000 High: $24,5000


Not to be a wise guy- but I saw this car the other morning (10th anniversary model) in what I would define as "poor" shape. I sure wouldn't give anyone 9 grand for this car... would you? I apologize for the blurry pic, but it was taken in my car with my cell...

I aint been on here in a while, but i got the car painted a coupla weeks ago. the decals should be in the end of next week, and im working on the interior right now ;) ill get some pics up later