1979 Pontiac Trans Am 10th Anniversary with under 5800 miles & Ride My Car Story with Lou Costabile
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2021
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On "My Car Story" we're in the West Suburbs of Chicago IL on 9-27-20.
We're looking at a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am 10th Anniversary Edition in Silver & Charcoal Paint. The car comes with the factory 6.6 Litre 400 CI V8 Oldsmobile engine and automatic transmission.
The car's Owner is Ben Newhouse. Ben’s had this car since 1999. He shares his wife’s Father bought the car new, and they purchased it from him in 1999. The car is all original and has under 5800 original miles.
ENJOY! 
Авто/Мото
An iconic design. One of the most beautiful GM designs ever.
Hi Paul M, High praise for this design :-) Lou
Totally agree - iconic design for sure!
I would rather have that 79' TA over a 79' Corvette any day.
Happy to read you enjoy this 79 TA :-)
Lou, that has to be the cleanest survivor Trans Am around. The interior looks flawless. Kudos to Ben for his taste in cars and his discipline in keeping the mileage low!
Hi TheGunfighter45acp, You're right, it will be a challenge to find one with lower mileage. Thank you for viewing, and sharing. Lou
It also had a specially designed cam and 350 6x heads which raised the compression a little bit. Also came with 323 posi over the 6.6 autos 273 posi which was the steepest gear you could get with the auto. The difference in performance was noticeably. The auto was a 16 second car and this 400 4 speed cars did mid-high 14s and tested zero to 60 in just under 7 seconds. Pretty remarkable considering the time and those numbers rival some lesser performing muscle cars during the golden era. They were also underrated at 220 horsepower. I heard many times 260 was more accurate.
Trans AMs have always been one of my favorites of the 1970’s era. They were speeding when they were at a complete standstill. The entire silver colorway with red piping is an excellent way to present the 10th Anniversary Trans AM! I don’t know how they’re able to keep such low mileage on this. I’d be having the T-tops off and cruising like no one’s business. That’s exactly what I did with my 2001 Z/28 I bought straight off the showroom floor. Thanks Lou & the owner for a great presentation!
Hi Rusty, Happy to read this one is a favorite of yours :-) I'd be driving this one too :-) My pleasure sharing this one with you, and you're welcome, Lou
Very nice car. I was a Pontiac salesmen in 1979. When this car came in I remember the dealership was holding out for offers over window sticker. This was the first time I had experienced that. Don't know what the car ended up selling for as I did not sell it. That car was a 403 automatic car. Not sure at the time how well it was known (or even cared about) if people knew that most of the cars came with the 403 Oldsmobile motor and not the Pontiac 400 (available only with the 4-speed). I have always been a big Pontiac fan owning 15 through the years. I currently own a 1974 Trans Am, buccaneer red, white deluxe interior with 400, automatic, air and honeycomb wheels. 1974 was the last year the turbo 400 was offered and last year for real dual exhaust.
Hi Allen, Happy to read you remember this one from your Pontiac Salesman days :-) Thank you for sharing your story and knowledge, Lou
I want that red corner house with the big red barn at 12:51. Oh, and the car, too. Thanks, Lou!
Hi Anthony C, Happy to read you enjoy the red barn & car too :-) My pleasure sharing this car with you, and you're welcome, Lou
"...almost time for an oil change..." That was funny, Lou.
:-)
Amazing survivor for sure. Love the 10th anniversary colors and those embroidered door panels are very special. The only car that comes to mind that would've had that silver seat color is the 1982 "collector edition" Corvette if I recall correctly. Love that it still has the 8-track!!! Need some of those old "K-tel" mix tapes to rock out to!!! Lovin it!!!!
Hi Hobiemarty, Happy to read you enjoy car. Rockin on the 8-track..NICE! Lou
That was rather interesting yet Humorous at the same time seeing that invoice with everything no charge, no charge, no charge, even the 8-track player✌✌
Hi Andy, Everything included on this build :-) Lou
Dude! It HAS AN 8 TRACK IN IT! I mean - we be talking Holy Grail level stuff! I'm sold! 3 Wows, High-Fives in stereo, and another Wow for the Original Tires! It just keeps getting better, bruh! My cousin had a black 79 Trans Am in he bought in the 80s. He and his 5-year-old son were out on an errand and unbeknownst to him, there was a tornado in the area. Suddenly the tornado (out of his sight due to trees I guess), trees were leaning and snapping and his car spun, round and round on the highway, and came to a safe stop - still on pavement. My cousin was shaken up not really knowing what just happened, but his son squealed with delight and yelled "Again daddy! Again! Do it again!". An awesome treasure for your show, Lou! Bravo!
Hi ImTheDaveman, That's quite the TA story your Cousin has & STUCK THE TORNADO LANDING! WOW! Lou
Beautiful and outstanding Pontiac Trams Am guys!One of my favorites.It would be nice to go back to 1979,and start over!.It is always sunny,and the grass is always green in Illinois isn't it Lou?
Hi Jeffrey, Happy to read this is one of your favorites :-) Regarding IL, when I video them in IL I do have to work with the weather to wait for the right sunny day, Lou
They’re only new once!!! Beautiful. I graduated high school in ‘79. I remember those TA’s. Riding around on 40 yr old rubber...... 😳
Sexiest interior of any car ever made. The steering wheels looked like an after market part. And the way the manual shifter came outta the hump and “wandered” over to the drivers right leg was like nothing else. 🥰
Hi GEARBOX GEEK, Ahhh, good memories :-) Happy to share this "time traveler" back to 1979 with you, Lou
Beautiful Trans Am guys - nothing against black Trans Ams - just great to see one not in black. And this low mileage example is a beauty! Great vid Lou, appreciate it.
Hi Bruce H., Happy to read you enjoy the looks & color of this car :-) Glad to read you appreciate the video, and my pleasure sharing this one with you, Lou
Hi, Lou! 1979 was the best sales year ever for the Trans Am and the Firebird series as a whole, 211,454 units of which the Trans Am accounted for 117,109. It was the tenth year of the second generation Firebird, but with those very aggressive-looking front and rear end updates that Pontiac gave it for '79, they managed to keep it looking fresh for a few more years. As the slogan said that year, "Our best get better!" There may not have been too many true performance cars around at that time, but you could say this one was definitely a silver lining!
BTW, I don't know if you intended it or not, but it just so happens you posted this on Burt Reynolds' birthday! He would have been 85 today. Many thanks to you and Ben for this amazing ride and R.I.P., Smokey!
Hi iswc27, Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and you're right. This TA has a "silver lining" :-) Lou
RIP Burt. Burt is big reason why they sold 211,454 units. Even the 79' Camaro sales were highest ever at 282,571
Beautiful. I miss my 77 and 79 I had back beginning of the 1980s.
Hi American Patriot, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your cars :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Such a Gem. Nice to see them preserved and still driven a little bit. Thanks for sharing this Pontiac Lou. Love it.
Hi Camaro69, Green, Happy to read you enjoy this "Gem" :-) My pleasure sharing this car with you. You're welcome, Lou
Another super clean car Lou. I had two of these and I love them. You can tell this is an exceptional car from far away just by looking at the perfect gaps between the fenders and doors. When these f bodies get mileage on them they twist and everything moves around.
Hi Dan, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your cars :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing knowledge on the "gaps". Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
WOW!! 5800 miles.
A time capsule at it's finest.
GREAT VIDEO LOU.
Hi TCT9MM, Happy to receive a "WOW!!" from you :-) Glad to bring you back to 1979 in this ride, Lou
Hey thanks Lou being here in Australia that is the closest I'll ever get to being in a T/A. As a side note the Old engine put out 185 horses while the Pontiac W72 400 was under rated at 200 but actually put out 260 horsepower!
Hey Jason, My pleasure sharing this one with you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the engines. Lou
Hey Lou, Jason here again (don't mean to be a pest) but thanks for the reply and thanks for the Road Runner yesterday. Just wanted to say that I saw a post by you recently lamenting the lack of car shows over there lately. But you guys are so blessed, here in Australia the only car shows we ever have are Ford - Chevy and Holden and European car shows, all of which I can't stand, if like me you love Mopars, Pontiac, Buick and Olds you don't get anything!
Hey Jason, I would agreed, I feel blessed when I'm able to share the cars with you. And when you want to see cars, you know what RUclips Channel to see them on :-) Glad you're along for the ride, Lou
Hey Lou, do you take requests? Cause I was wondering if maybe someday you could do a story with the ultra rare '62 Pontiac Catalina SD421 Tunnel Ram dual quad
Ben married the right woman and bought the right car! WIN - WIN. Thanks Lou!
Hi Brian SD, ....and they drove happily ever after :-) You're welcome, Lou
99.9% of the time the shaker would say T/A 6.6 if it had the Pontiac 400. There are a handful of exceptions.
I had so much fun in various 2nd gen F bodies growing up. This one was pristine. Thanks for sharing Lou !
Hi judgegixxer, Thank you for sharing the shaker tip, and my pleasure sharing this one with you. You're welcome, Lou
Great Gen 2 Trans Am - thank you Ben and Lou! Incredibly clean and straight example.
Hi Jeff, Happy to take you back to 1979 with this "time traveler" :-) Lou
Very cool survivor. Crazy that it only has 5,700 miles on it. This thing SCREAMS late 70s. Just an iconic look. Gawdy yet so cool at the same time. Also cool that it is so quiet. Most of these I knew back in school fell way to turbo mufflers or glass packs, Cragars and the thrashing of some teenager. :) Thank you for sharing this time machine. Take care.
Hi Russell, Happy to take you right back to 1979 with this car :-) You're welcome, Lou
glad to see this car in your episode Lou! I own a 1978 model with the Pontiac 400ci engine and drive it a lot around. It's funny to drive, not fast but a lot of torque. 24 years ago I sold my rare 1972 trans am, I'm still sad about it. Now it cost a fortune...
Hi Cas par, Happy to read you have a 1978 :-) Lou
Nice 10th ! There's a guy near me on Long Island that has a 10,000 mile survivor like this.... Very Cool. Thanks Lou !
Hi Uncle Rudy, Thanks for sharing, and sounds to me like the Guy near you has been a great Care Taker for his car :-) You're welcome, Lou
Oh Lou, you got my dream car and a 10th anniversary ‘79 Trans Am!! 🥳👍🏾😎🥰
Hi Gmoney, Happy to read this one is a "dream car" for you :-) Lou
I had a 79 Anniversary TA 6.6 400 4speed. Bought new as a dealer demo with 3k miles on it. Last of the Pontiac 400 4 speeds and first Trans Ams with 4 wheel disc brakes.
Only other car with a silver leather interior like this was the 1978 Indy Pace Car Corvette which also came with mirrored t-tops as well.
Window sticker was around 11 grand and price I paid out the door was 9680. What a steal.
Sold car 11 years later with 28000 miles on it for 14 grand.
Hi Francis, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Whoa! This is my exact dream car when I was a teenager!
Happy to read this brings back teenage dreams :-)
That is one fine automobile. I will forever miss owning 2 bandit T/A's and one 79 Formula. Great memories made ! Keep on trucking Lou !
Hi Steve C, Happy to read you had some FUN T/A's :-) Lou
right up my alley and it is amazing that this is one I did not sell..
Hi Mitch, Happy to read this one is "right up my alley" :-) Lou
Hi Lou, one more masterpiece from you! I love the design, the front with the bird and especially the silver seats! It feels like when he has to drive this car he coveres the seats with protective cover, to keep it look young! :)
Hi Aelita, Happy to read you enjoy this "masterpiece" :-) Lou
Awesome 10th anniversary trans am very treasured low milage survivor thanks again lou excellent content as always
Hi David R, Happy to read you enjoy this car :-) My pleasure sharing with you, and you're welcome, Lou
Is another great video! 5700 original miles that's insane thanks Lou
Hi Vincent, Happy to read you enjoy this video of this low mileage car :-) You're welcome, Lou
"100" MPH Speedo? Surprising. Gorgeous car. Thanks Lou.
Hi motorTranz, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-) You're welcome, Lou
Better than 85 like most had in those days haha
Wow Lou I love this Pontiac! My very favorite body style of these units. I loved the 1979 thru 1981. I would have bought one just like this. He sure has a money maker here! I loved the Firebird's over the Camaro's but of course I am partial to Pontiac as that was and is my favorite GM product ever. This car with that many miles in incredible. Would hard pressed to find another like that with that many miles. Lordy that is a new car yet! I bet Lou the ride along was fun! I really metled when I saw this and saw the building it looked like maybe one of Dennis's cars. Loved the owner as he was so proud of it and should be and was very knowledgable about his unit too! Nice man he was. Thanks for sharing Lou and the ride along it was fun!
Hi Steve, Happy to read you "love this Pontiac!" :-) My pleasure sharing this one with you, and you're welcome, Lou
Nice almost the last year. 80 was and the
Only turbo in 1980
Hi Elliott, Thank you for viewing & sharing, Lou
1981 was the last year for the gen 2 F bodies.
Stunning car looks and sounds fantastic .
Happy to read you enjoy this car :-)
Another Favorite Lou! Can’t believe 5700 Miles. That has to be worth some $$$. Great stuff as you would say!
Hi gene978, Happy to read this one is a favorite of yours :-) Glad to read you enjoy this "Great stuff" with me, Lou
A few years back at the Kitterman Motor Car Company they sold of a "new" 10th (that one was a 400/4 speed combination) for $85,000. It had never been titled. The story goes that Kitterman was located in a farm/truck type town and the car never sold and sat in the dealer's buildings for years. When it was liquidated it was sold: www.hemmings.com/stories/2011/07/11/ultra-low-mile-10th-anniversary-trans-am-sells-for-85000
I had a 76 t a 400 auto. Loved it. I love the dashboard and gauges.the 403 is an excellent high nickel block engine. People like the 400 Pontiac better but these engines have lots of potential. Thanks again lou
Hi Keith, Happy to read you had a 76 TA :-) Stay tuned, there will be a 76 coming up in the next few months on this Channel, Lou
I owned a 1976 Trans Am white on white. It handles like a go cart
Hi Curtis, Happy to read you had a cool TA too :-) Stay tuned, I have a 76 TA coming up in the next 3-4 months, Lou
Remember them new. Never thought they would sell for what they are. I am a Corvette owner, but would rather have this than a 79 Corvette. Long live Pontiac.
Hi George, Happy to read this car brings back memories of this one new :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Nice Car great color combo! I believe the 400 4 speed car weighed less than the 6.6 auto giving it a little more uptop ..
Hi Dane Ta Tua Tonka, Happy to read you enjoy this car & color combo. Thanks for sharing your knowledge too, Lou
the car sammy hagar made famous: "I can't drive 55," as heard in "back to the future two," when marty approaches Biff's casino.
NICE :-)
Thanks, Ben & Lou... interesting Survivor....and low miles.. We ordered our 1977 TA/Hurst HAtch/SE IN Oct 76 ( from same Dealer my Parents got their 53 BUICK2Dr)..... We had 5000 miles driven QUICK, & ** racked MANY MORE miles, up quickly with family use: kids fit perfect in back when they were little... Anyway, I ordered the 6.6 ( 400) LITRE , LOW POWERED: lot,of rejetting, recurve in Distrbutor, etc. ANYWAYS, best Driving*** car we ever had for some 15 years!! ROAD SALT ate it up, even with Ziebart : to slow road salt Destruction down......
Hi Opera, Happy to read this one brings back memories of your 1977 TA :-) Thank you for sharing, Lou
At 6:52 nice embroidery. Gives it a nice touch with the stitching instead of say a plastic badge glued on.
Hi Quincee 33, Thank you for sharing the details you enjoy, Lou
Sweet ride.
:-)
Wow! I was going to be surprised even if the owner had said "57,000" miles! 5,700?! - amazing. A friend had one of these and both my brothers had standard '80 T/A's. This is what I'll never understand; what your seeing here is what young people, mostly guys, wanted to drive back then. How did it change to young people wanting an econobox sedan down on the ground with a muffler that sounds like a loud coffee percolator?! LOL! I'm so glad that '70's and early '80's was my time.
LOL!! LOL!! Totally agree!!
@@RustyCar Right? LOL My first car was a '71 LeMans coupe and then a '64 Impala SS. I wouldn't be caught dead in an econo sedan back then! The old ladies drove them to the grocery store!
Hi Joseph, Happy to share this "amazing" TA with you :-) Lou
It looks beautiful!
Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this one :-)
@@loucostabile Yep. The Trans Am is still my favorite.
¡Hermoso Firebird con ese tono metalizado! Este modelo me gusta más que las versiones posteriores. Recuerdo que no tan lejos de donde vivo, había una persona que tenía un Pontiac Firebird Trans Am muy parecido. No sé que pasó con ese carro con el tiempo... ¡Espectacular vídeo, como siempre!
Hi Jaime, Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Beautiful car,, I have one,, not as clean as yours but I love it!
Hi Deb, Happy to read you have one too :-) Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
so clean
Like going right back to 1979 :-)
@@loucostabile the ultimate time machine
Sweet!
Nice!
Iconic style and what an incredible 5600 mile example. My goodness 5600 miles, I would have had to of driven it more just to show it off. I always thought as for an anniversary car it really didn't get a lot of love? For me the interior and the turbines didn't really excite me a great deal. BUT you have to love this car for what it is! Would die to have it but I would have to drive it. LOL not good for its value but its just me.
Hi Go Leafs Go, Happy to read you enjoy the style of tis car :-) I'd have to drive it too, Lou
10th anniversary T/A's have a beautiful color scheme! One of my favorite cars! I have owned a 77 and 78 they drove wonderful! I worked at a GM dealer in those days they also had the silver seats and interior in Camaro's and corvettes. I can only remember blue or silver cars having it and possibly black don't remember for sure about black but the others I remember well
Hi magic cheeseball, Happy to read you had some cool cars too. Thanks for viewing and sharing your knowledge on the silver seats too, Lou
wow really nice!!
Happy to receive a "wow" from you on this car :-)
@@loucostabile I watch your channel all the time. Fantastic stuff!! Keep it up!!
Omg seriously beautiful ! By todays standards ( inflation ) that car would cost nearly 50k ! Mustve had some bucks back then even if 10k sounds cheap now. Amazing. LOVE that car !
Hi Marc, Happy to read you appreciate the looks of this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
What a beauty this is one of my dream cars. I’ll drive the wheels off it.
Happy to read Jose this is a "dream car" for you :-)
Very cool
:-)
Seats look like they are made of NASA space suit material but I like em. These cars were the shizz back in the day .there starting to get some love lately.would like a driver quality restomod w/ LS3. Cool car I'm jelly!
Hi Richard, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
End of the line coming on the classic
🔥 bird
Not a late 70,s guy but still worthy
Emissions unleaded crap and much lower compression as well as h.p.
Sweet Lou
Be the man who can😁✌️👍👊
Hi Swede Noble, Happy to read you find this one "still worthy" :-) My pleasure sharing this one with you, Lou
Very Nice Car 👍‼️
Happy to read you think this car is "Very Nice" :-)
I was very surprised to see Pontiac did not put the TA 400 Pontiac engine in the 10 year Anniversary car. That 6.6 is made by Oldsmobile rated at 185 hp, Had he ordered the 4 speed I believe he would have got the Pontiac TA 400 engine rated at 220 hp. The reason i have some knowledge on this car is I bought a new Pontiac Trans Am in 1978 with a 4 speed and the TA400 engine made by Pontiac. Anytime Pontiac used that engine they put TA 6.6 on the hood scoop. Thanks Lou good memories and a beautiful car.
Hi Newton, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this car. My pleasure sharing this one that brings back memories for you, and you're welcome, Lou
The Z code motor was available in the 10th anniversary cars. There just arent many of them. All the z code motors that found their way into 79 Formulas and TAs were leftover from ‘78.
@@blh7068 Yes, I do remember in 1978 when I ordered my Trans Am The salesman told us he could not be sure if we would get the TA 6.6 engine and our response was no TA engine No sale. Me and my friend were buying 2 of them, mine was red his was white.
Makes sense. since probably the only thing he knew was that the z code 400 was no longer going to be produced after 78. Im sure availability concerning the quantity left over for MY 79 was a big unknown.
Pontiac is my favourite division of GM. This one is so smooth. I prefer W72 6.6 L by Pontiac but that 400 powerplant is interesting. Nice car, Lou.
Hi Plymouth Die-Cast Replicas, Happy to share this "smooth" one with you :-) Lou
Agreed. The 403 in this car was an Oldsmobile engine and was not truly a performance engine, though it can be well argued that there were no performance engines left in 1979, not even the W72.
But it must be said, Pontiac and Chevrolet were the torchbearers for the ponycars through this very dark period for the American automotive enthusiasts.
@@sking2173 No doubt about that. Thank you for your feedback.
Your correct about the 79 z28 the fender flares were on the front not the rear . 1980 z28 got them on all four corners like the trans am
Hi Dwayne, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Lou
The 1980 and 1981 Z28 had fender flares. You should spotlight one.
Hi kam duke, Here is a 79 with the fender flares. Enjoy! Lou ruclips.net/video/8srt3Wyofgw/видео.html
Nothing wrong with the 70’s cars today could take a design lesson.
Hi Bob Bob, Happy to read you enjoy the design of this one :-) Lou
The hideaway wipers gave a good look with a cost, if it happened to get out in snow or ice they were rendered useless. Great example of a soon gone era of auto production. BTW, the 4 speed got the Pontiac motor not the olds.
Hi Bob, Yes, that ice & snow was not helpful to the "hideaway wipers" :-) Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Lou
Unbelievable! I would be afraid to drive it! Irreplaceable decals and body parts etc. it belongs in a museum where people couldn’t even breathe on it!
Hi Craig, Glad to read you'd put this one in a museum :-) Happy to take you back to 1979 with me, Lou
Cool car. I'm guessing you were either in Naperville or somewhere down by DeKalb????
Hi Chris, Elgin, Lou
@@loucostabile close enough to DeKalb lol
I grew up in Illinois so being a former Illinois boy, you get to know the area lol
Nice story Lou. Well, last year of course no show in Jönköping on Elmia. And this year it is canceled as well, when it should celebrate 50th-anniversary. What a shame. DAMN YOU COVID! It would be awsome to get you over, but I haven't the connection it seems to sponsor you over. That is a shame! At least I tried. As I said, you got your SEMA in Las Vegas. Worldwide pronounced but yet closed car show for dealerships only. Elmia car show are the same, BUT it is open for public. With guests like John D'Agostino, Ken Block, Aaron Kaufman, Billy F Gibbons (ZZ Top), and so on. The list over carinterested stars can be made long. I would love you to be there for the days Elmia are open and do "My Car Story", and you will also be amazed over this show. I have been there 3 times in my life, and I can say that, just going there one day are so mezmerising that your brain can't comprehend it. So more then 1 day of 3 days that this event is going on I can recommend. Sure the events are the same all 3 days, but it is so damn much to look at. Suddenly, everything you have looked at gets blured and mixed up. So the best thing is to have a camera. You also got a Dodge Charger RTR. Can link it here. Built in Sweden, and was a guest on Jay Leno's garage, and of course it has been monitored on Elmia Show two times in a row.
ruclips.net/video/Ib14PpDX8P8/видео.html
So by that, I can guess everyone that read this thread understand how big this event are. So why not get Lou over so he can film it and get interviews with the carbuilders? IT WOULD BE AWSOME!
Hi Necronomous, That is quite the Charger! Would love to come visit Sweden and see the fun people and cars there. Hopefully some day soon, Lou
There's a gentleman here on RUclips that sold a 1981 pace car turbo ta it only had just 150 miles on it it now sits in a museum in Ohio today
Thank you for sharing.
Sadly, Smokey & The Bandit II had that 4.9L Turbo engine. Although the Bandit again sticks to a Pontiac Trans Am, this time a 1980 Turbo model
Hi Steve, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Lou
Nice 🇺🇲
:-)
Hey Lou, Buick offered a silver interior on the first generation Riviera 1963-65!
Hey Edwin, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge, Lou
@@loucostabile Thanks to you for all the great cars! Here's a challenge, find a 64 or 68 Buick LeSabre coupe with bucket seats. My dad had both, the 64 was the first car I remember and the 68 I helped special order from the local Buick dealer. The 68 was gold with a white top. When it arrived both my Dad and I were surprised when the top was painted and not vinyl! I have never seen another of either year with bucket seats.
80 and 81 Z28 had fender flairs . I've got a 81
Hi Kamal, Happy to read you have an 81, and thanks for sharing your knowledge, Lou
Like a brand new 1979 Trans-Am...
Hi Comet Fan, Happy to take you back to 1979 in this "time traveler" :-) Lou
All in all, very nice, but the owner is wrong on a few things.
1) The "Turbo Flow" wheels had nothing to do with the WS6 package that year. All 10th cars were WS6. Those wheels were made by Appliance Wheels and unique to 10th in 1979. From 1980-1981, they were available on non-SE/LE Trans Ams as well as SE/LE cars. They were only 15x8 on the 10th, they are 15x7.5 in the other years. You will see the "A" logo on the rear of the wheel, it is stamped in there.
2) There is a rear bumper push fastener missing which is shown when you open the fuel door. They reproduce this now. Back in the 1990s, those fasteners were about $6 each when available from GM.
3) The only option for these cars was the Pontiac 400 engine. That was a $90 option, but since you could not get cruise control with a 400 in 1979 (because GM didn't want to design a servo for an engine that they knew that they were going to discontinue), you got a $103 credit for the cruise control. That effectively made the 400 Pontiac engine cheaper, and yes it is a lot more desirable than the 403 Olds engine. The 403 Olds was paired to the TH350 automatic and had 2.73 rear end ratio while the Pontiac 400 had the four speed Borg Warner Super T-10 and had a 3.23 ratio. Although the 400 cars were assembled at GM in Van Nuys California (as well as Norwood, OH), the 400 was only certified for Federal emissions. This car is a Van Nuys built car.
4) The only other "option" and it is actually a requirement for high altitude/California is the RPO code "VJ9" high altitude/California emissions package. Other than that, the only option for the 10th was the engine as mentioned. The engine you chose dictated the rear end ratio and the transmission.
5) There is no "Pontiac cam" in the 403. This engine was pulled straight from the parts bin Oldsmobile and made 185 hp, while the 400 made 220, although when the NHRA rated it, they said it was more like 250-260, not 220. It was the same as you would get in any 403 equipped car that year. It is a luxury engine, not a performance one. Yes, you can make a 403 to really run and they are great engines, they just should have never been installed in a Pontiac. They belong in an Oldsmobile. All 1979 Pontiac 400 engines were leftover high performance W72 engines from the 1978 model year. Some (like mine) were cast as early as 1977 for 1979 use. Pontiac stockpiled the 400 at the end of the 1978 model year and availability was limited, being discontinued around April 1979 as an option, although cars were assembled well into the end of the model year with the 400. It depended on when the order was put in and the priority. The 400 was often given priority for high end SE/LE cars. The rarest 400 equipped cars for 1979 are Firebird Formula models, there were only 346 of those, while there were 1,817 10ths with the 400 (I own one, also bought in 1999) and 1,107 Black SE Y84 cars. The balance of the 400s were installed in T-top and non T-top Trans Ams for 1979.
6) A good indicator of an original car is where you pointed to with your finger. There is a March 1979 stamping date on the radiator support and since the cowl tag shows a March build date, it's pretty much 100% that the car has the original core support and supports the 5,000+ mile theory. If it had a later date for example, that would indicate it was changed at one time (due to theft, accident, etc.).
7) Cowl tag is broken down as follows: 79 for 1979 model year, 03E for the 5th week of March 1979 production 2FS87 is the basic Fisher Body code for a Pontiac Firebird, L means Van Nuys CA assembly, 152 is for silver leather interior (which is unique to this car and the stitching was produced with a special sewing machine imported from France for this purpose. The shag carpet is 20oz Tiffany carpet made by JP Stevens of Taylors, SC which is now part of Gullistan, and is out of the auto carpet business. The Taylors plant closed around 1981 according to online articles). 15L is Silver lower exterior paint, 16U is Platinum upper exterior paint, W is for water based paint as Van Nuys only used water based paint due to CA air regulations at the time, Norwood used lacquer, A51 is for bucket seats, CC1 is for Fisher T-tops as by 1979 they were being done in house on the line, and the remainder are Van Nuys internal plant codes, some of which have been decoded over the years. Most pertain to things like steering column color, secondary trim, with or without power windows, etc. Norwood cars have more straightforward codes on the tags, including Y89 which was the sale/RPO code for the 10th Anniversary.
8) Yes, the interior was modeled off the idea of the '78 Corvette. Seeing that the '78 Silver Anniversary Corvette was a sales hit, Pontiac decided that they could do an edition too. The man behind a lot of it at GM was John Schinella who appears on a few You Tube videos from years back describing how he got GM management to approve of the hood bird as an option and the rest is history. Mr. Schinella is also the person that spec'd out the wheels to be made by Appliance and had a hand in the "Superbird" decal that you see on the hood of every 10th. Here he is: ruclips.net/video/mh2b26ozV20/видео.html
9) All 10th Anniversary VIN numbers have an "X" as the second digit in place of the normal "W" found on Trans Ams that year. The "X" is the Roman numeral for 10, so that's why it was probably used. There are only four possible combinations of VIN sequences for a 10th: 2X87Z9N123456, 2X87Z9L123456, 2X87K9N123456, 2X87K9L123456, which decode as follows: 2 for Pontiac, X for 10th Anniversary Trans Am, 87 for two door coupe, Z for Pontiac 400 V8 with four barrel (RPO code L78/W72) or K for 403 Olds V8 with four barrel (RPO code "L80"), 9 for 1979 model year, N for Norwood, OH assembly or in the case of this car, L for Van Nuys, CA assembly (L actually stood for Los Angeles, as Van Nuys is a suburb of LA) and the last six are the production sequence of the vehicle.
10) The Goodyear Polysteels are reproduced now, and I believe other tire manufacturers were used such as Uniroyal depending on what plant or what was available at the time of production. They weren't great at all, although when I spoke to the original owner of my car, he stated he traded the car in with the original tires and 50,000 miles on the odometer. That was a lot of miles for those tires back then. 20k miles or so was the norm. Most swapped them out for true radials during the first tire replacement (BFG Radial T/A tires are a popular choice).
Hi Google User GP, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
ILL CYA. Cute!
:-)
No,My 79" Z28 didn't have the rear flares..FYI
:-0
Running on 1979 tires is madness, very dangerous!
Check out this one :-) ruclips.net/video/im0UcLXrf3A/видео.html
Is it a T/A 6.6 or 6.6 litre
6.6 Litre
When Ford and Chrysler were producing ugly, boxy junk in the late 70’s, early 80’s, GM still was selling Firebirds and Camaros.
In 1982, Pontiac introduced their third-generation, which was arguably the best looking of all the Firebirds. They were definitely the leading GM division of that era ...
Hi S King, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Nice but it needs a pontiac motor
Hi Bklyn bat all day, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
6.6 let-air-eh , lol , i thought at least a V8 was in those
Thanks for sharing.
That’s over 9 megameters.
Thank for sharing.
Hi Lou,
Great video as always!
I just commented on a video you made a few years ago, regarding a Shelby GT (here's the link: ruclips.net/video/hTGl3RoToOc/видео.html ). Would be very kind if you could answer my question there!
Philip
Hi Philip R., Happy to read you enjoy this video. If you have a question, make sure it's in the 1st comment or I wont see it. Lou
Downvotes are from non-union firechickens who were not selected for hood duty. Nothing worse than a disgruntled bird than can belch fire.
Hi 413x398, That's funny :-) Lou
Stop driving it I want it
Hi Jeff, Happy to read you enjoy this car :-) Lou
403. No thanks.
Hi Frank, Clearly this one is not for you :-( Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you'll enjoy :-) Lou
No wonder he married her.
:-)
A great car ruined by t-tops.
Ive never been a t-top, sunroof, or even a convertible fan when it comes to american sports cars
Hi Jeffrey B, Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Then consider the Hurst hatches used from 76-78 were prone to leaking. Hard top cars are few in numbers, regardless if its 2nd to 4th gen. My 98 Formula has them and the first thing i did when i got the car was search for a pair of factory shades. I get enough sun during the warm months, lol.