1978 Pontiac Trans Am Coupe

　　It took some time, but Pontiac Trans Ams are finally having their

　　day in the sun. Between the period when the over-the-top design and

　　graphics seemed normal, and the rediscovery of the coolness, the

　　market for Trans Ams was soft compared to Camaro counterparts. But

　　no more, the second generation T/A's are some of the hottest cars

　　on the market, highly desirable, and usually not at the mall for

　　very long before finding a new owner. 1978 saw the greatest number

　　of Trans Ams produced up to that point with over 93,000 cars

　　finding their way to American roads.

　　For consignment, a '78 Trans Am with a 5-speed manual and a long

　　list of top end and bottom end engine work done within the last

　　14,000 miles. The color change to a silver on red configuration

　　looks great on Trans Ams and this one is no exception. A solid roof

　　car with all the ingredients that make T/A's special, the decals,

　　the air dams, the spoiler, those side vents, and of course, those

　　epic exhaust splitters. Kudos to Pontiac for creating a legend.

　　Note: Due to modifications of the emissions control devices

　　installed by the manufacturer, please check your local, state, and

　　federal laws to determine if this vehicle is applicable for use on

　　public highways in your area

　　Exterior

　　A color change now covers the body in Sterling Silver, and one

　　cannot help notice the red and black accents including the bigger

　　than life screaming chicken graphic on the hood, the decal names on

　　the front, side, and tail, and of course, the hood scoop

　　acknowledgment of what lurks under the shaker. The molded body

　　colored wheel flares are uniquely Trans Am and the fronts are

　　connected by a low chin spoiler, also painted silver. The one piece

　　nose allowed Pontiac to create rounded edges with a Batmobile like

　　cutout for the grille and headlights. A crosshatch design to the

　　grille replaces the honeycombs in '78 and all looks good up front

　　on this car. The window trim and door handles are unpainted and

　　polished. A "Hurst Equipped" emblem has been added to the middle

　　part of the three piece rear spoiler. The curvaceous rear bumper

　　cover leads to the dual exhaust splitters, a design cue that was

　　likely inspired by the mid 60's GTOs. The long nose and short back

　　of the F-body is swooped rearward, enhanced by back facing side

　　fender vents, a raking windshield, and body colored sport mirrors.

　　15-inch snowflake wheels with Trans Am silver center caps are

　　looking good! The paint overall is very nice with the exception of

　　some flaws we note including some bubbling in lower areas, a chip

　　in the paint, a drop of some overzealous clear coat, and some very

　　minor imperfections you might not spot at 10 feet.

　　Interior

　　As the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar once sang..."I want red...there's no

　　substitute for red." Well, in this '78 Trans Am, you got it! It

　　begins with vinyl door cards lined underneath with tight weave Dark

　　Carmine carpet. And both door panels are in excellent condition.

　　Dark Carmine sports buckets are next looking very shiny and tight

　　in vinyl. The two back seats are split by the drive shaft hump and

　　they look like they've never been used. Standard fare for the

　　steering which is a three spoke wrapped foam wheel, sporty and

　　thick. The dash is lined in the quintessential machined metal

　　applique and houses the requisite gauges in an arrangement that

　　changed very little during the second generation, right down to the

　　Radial Tuned Suspension plate in the center. An aftermarket

　　AM/FM/CD radio occupies the molded red lower dash where we also

　　find an ashtray. The"Jesus bar" is in place for the passenger, and

　　everything looks very original and very nice. A handsome Hurst

　　shifter is in the center console where we can also rest our arm on

　　the lid of the storage bin by our side. The Dark Carmine carpet

　　looks to be in good shape as does the headliner and dome light. The

　　small trunk is bare and unlined, but clean.

　　Drivetrain

　　A non original circa 1977 400ci V8 is under the hood and about a

　　year ago received new rods, bearings, and crankshaft. Some time

　　ago, the top end redone and the mill was treated to new pistons,

　　rings and the block was bored 0.30 over. A refreshed 4-barrel

　　Rochester Quadrajet carburetor sends fuel to all this new hardware

　　while a Tremec TR3551 TRX 5-speed manual transmission is present

　　with a McLeod flywheel and Super StreetPro clutch installed. Power

　　is sent through a newer drive shaft to a 10-bolt rear with 3.42

　　gears and Positraction. Power brakes assisted by a newer master

　　cylinder and brake booster stop the car with disc up front and

　　drums in the rear. Our consignor also notes an aluminum radiator is

　　in place.

　　Undercarriage

　　A little bit of age and use and a tiny bit of surface rust does not

　　detract from the overall cleanliness of the underside. There is one

　　area of invasive rust on the driver's heel/toe board and we note

　　patches on the rear unibody rails overtop of heavy invasive rust,

　　some of which is still showing through. The dual exhaust enters

　　Magnaflow mufflers then route over the rear axle and dump in epic

　　style towards the ground. There are no catalytic converters

　　present. Coil springs are found up front in independent

　　configuration while leaf springs are loaded in the back.

　　Drive-Ability

　　I stepped inside the car and step right back into high school, this

　　brings it all back! We knew they were cool but didn't know how

　　cool. This car started right up with a few priming kicks of the gas

　　and off we went. While we didn't shift through all five gears, just

　　having a vintage Trans Am with five gears is nothing to sneeze at

　　and that extra gear does a lot! The car sounded great and as

　　expected, the car handled well, it was named for a road race, after

　　all, and hitting curves is its strongpoint. A wonderful example of

　　a second gen Trans Am. We note the clock is not working and the

　　power lock actuator makes noise but does not move the locks.

　　Young people are catching on to the current Trans Am craze, who

　　wouldn't want a car that draws more attention than chum in a shark

　　tank. But if you had one of these and, (like me), sold it when it

　　was time to settle down, it's time to get back up. It's time to

　　rise like the Phoenix on the hood and dive into this silver and red

　　beauty before someone else does. Waiting here for you in our

　　Hallowed Halls of the Classic Auto Mall.

　　2W87Z8N170831

　　2-Pontiac

　　W-Trans Am

　　87-2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe

　　Z-400ci 4bbl V8

　　8-1978

　　N-Norwood, OH Assy Plant

　　170831-Sequential Unit Number

　　TRIM TAG

　　ST 78 2FS87-1978 Firebird 2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe

　　BDY N258721-Norwood Body #

　　TR 74B A51-Dark Carmine Lombardy Cloth Buckets

　　PNT 11L 11U-Cameo White

　　05B-2nd Week May

　　A31-Power Windows

　　WS4-Trans Am

　　CA1-Emissions Canister

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