retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

Lol Craigslist. I am a pretty smooth talker also. The guy wanted $4300 for the SE originally and I got him down to $2500

Anyways he said the car had absolutely no rust whatsoever except for some bubbling in the paint behind the rear window.

Also, when a car has been in storage 5 years, it is going to be a little dirty. It is amazing what a shop vac and some Simple Green Wipes can do.

I would probably just drive it with the dirt on it, saves time and gives it character .

108dragon

iTrader: (5)

I ran a LOT of Trans Ams back in the day. I had an '80 and an '81 Turbo. Both were sad little bastards. I was warned by knowledgable individuals that even if I sank the money into the engine to get it up to power, the weak TH350 tranny wouldn't have it for long. As I remember, I approached Crower about it. They quoted me some insane number for a forged rotating assembly, and block enhancements (more than I paid for either car). They said that there wasn't a whole lot that could be done for the smogger heads either. When I got the '80, someone had already pulled the turbo system off of it. You think the 301 is weak WITH the turbo?!
What I ended up doing was dropping 455 SDs and 400TH trannys in both of them. I actually went with lower comp TRW (remember TRW? God, I'm old!) forged pistons and a 6-71 blower on the '81. Both 455s were outfitted with Competition Cams 268 series cams and timing sets (which augmented the awesome low to mid torque), Hooker Comp headers, the dual Carter AFB carbs(more for looks), and freshened up he heads. The stalled TH400s with B&M shift kits took everything the 455s could throw at them. I ended up having to change out one bad 8.5" rear end when it shelled out. The WS6 suspension in both years was the shizzit for those cars... kicked ***. The 4 wheel disc brake package wasn't too shabby for back then either. I changed out the front springs for the 403 car springs as I remember. The addition of Centerline Champ 500 wheels and some properly applied window tinting rounded out the package. I ended up selling the blower car almost as soon as I finished it. lol I had less than 10k in each car... INCLUDING the car. Those builds would STILL be respectible cars on the streets even by today's standards.
The 301 bolt pattern was also Buick, Olds, Pontiac. So the 455 should bolt up to the 350 in the car.. but it won't live long.
I recommend just beating the $hit out of the 301 until you have the 455 ready. Fun, fun, fun!

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

Got him to send me some pics. Car looks really clean and definitely all original.
Only thing that concerns me is the little bit of rust you see in the
engine bay where the hood is slightly popped open.
Car looks damn clean for $2500 though, especially considering
that it is a true SE car.

Anyways, whatever that silver thing is, is a GMC.

rmpitzer

iTrader: (5)

I would buy that car in a second!

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

the GMC sprint is very rare

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

76 GMC SPRINT 400 triple black


But he just sent me a pic of the interior. Can see more stuff in detail. Console looks ok.
Interior looks great aside from the dirt and cracked dash, but it might be savable.
Also looks like the console needs work, but is savable.

108dragon

iTrader: (5)

The metal is solid in these cars. Strip the rust as you can, apply some rust-mort, and shoot some more chassis black over it when you have the engine out. Everything in the interior is replacable as well.
It looks like a great beater or resto project there. I LIKE it!

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

Welp, going to look at it tomorrow. Hope he sells it Said he was going to see if he could get what he was asking first and if not, sell it to me for less. Just hope he is ready to get rid of it tomorrow. Have the cash in my hand. Flashing money tends to help.

Can't wait!

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

Went to look at it, was ok. Interior looked alot better in person, but the car did have some issues. It needed a trunk lid and had some dents on the fenders and a few other places. Also has a rear main seal leak. Wasn't bad for $2500 though. 2 Others were coming to look at it today so I might not get it. Hope no one shows lol. Also the doors sagged pretty bad.

Pics on the way/

90TSiAWD

I would have just gone ahead and picked it up for 2500 you can expect problems and new trunk lid is less the 200 dollars and easy to replace. The doors sagging is expected its over 20 years old with 200lb doors.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

i wouldnt bother saving that console. it looks totally dry rotted, not to mention the huge holes cut into it for some dumbass speakers. itd be easier to just buy a better shape used, or repro piece. the plastic seatbacks and rear sail panels are known for fading also. everything is repro'd or reconditionable, if you want to make it nicer and original.

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

The guy really didn't want to go under $3k, and he said if it doesn't sell my next weekend, it's mine, and I remember what happened last time someone said that lol. Trust me, I had my hand in my pocket I was ready to pull some wild wild west quick draw **** and bring the damn thing home lol.

Anyways, the guy with the 81 is still waiting on the title, so there is a chance I could still get it.

Pics of the 80 S/E. More in a few mins. Deleted the previous pictures because of page stretch.

BAD2000TA

iTrader: (6)

Here are my thoughts on this one:

1. The rust at the the buttom of the door opening is a big issue. While it's relatively common on these cars, it's a pain in the *** to repair. Post before about the console and other items is correct. Plenty of sources to get the parts you need.

2. It's a 1981 301 Turbo Trans Am. It's never going to be "desired" so I wouldn't spend more than what you've already decided on.

3. There are plenty of decent Trans Am's out there. Be patient and get yourself a good one!!

BusDriver

Looks like a solid project, but beware that rear-window bubble. Make sure it's not going to get worse. It's not even bacd to repair if caught early.

Here's mine currently, need to get the window out to get this fixed.

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

The rust at the bottom of the door wasn't bad, just surface. The rear window was ok, but the early stages of rust were kicking in, and starting to dig into the metal. Same with the hood. Not bad, but 10 more years and there will be some serious holes. Only bad part was the deck lid and he was throwing one in for free.

Also, he is delivering the car tomorrow to my house!!!

Going to dump the bad gas and tear up the hood!

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

Checked it out again today, now the proud owner of a 80 Turbo S/E Trans Am!!!

90TSiAWD

Congrats! What are you gonna do with it?

Thumpin455

So is it the first one with the 301 still in it, or is it the one with the 400 and the Torker intake? Just FYI, a 301 to 400/455 swap is easy provided you get the accessory brackets with the 400/455. The alternator, power steering and AC brackets wont line up quite right. The cheap Summit headers work and fit ok, I have them on a GTO, they fit birds good too. Just a tad small in diameter for much more than stock.

If you have the 400 car, then you are in luck since the work is already done for you. Also we have found in the Pontiac world that the stock intake is the best one you can run up to around 550hp, even with ported heads the stock intake (67-72 non EGR)works better than aftermarket. Next best is the RPM, but it wont fit under your hood very easy. The Torker or Holley Street Dominator single plane on the storage unit TA isnt going to help a low compression 400, it will just load up at idle and cost you mileage. The Torker II seems to work better for most engines than the Torker, but most times the stock intake works best.

I would ask where the others are, but having nine 2nd gens is enough for me.

retardedpenguin

iTrader: (2)

It is the 80 S/E with the 400 already in it. And yeah, the guys said I need to swap the intake and he said the carb wasn't the greatest either.