Cameo White Exterior With Blue Cloth Interior. 403 & Auto. Power Windows. A/C.

Pontiac Trans Am 1979 Description

As to myself, am not a dealer, ust a (65) year old kid that loves muscle cars. For my work, recently retired from managing a Correctional Facility here in Maine and had worked for the Maine Department of Corrections for (40) years. I am also a respected member of my community. I mention this only because of the value of this car and so that prospective buyers will have some idea as to who they are dealing with. Also, lease check out my eBay feedback which is 100% with (1,130) transactions. To start with, et me first say that I understand that there is a lot of information/photos/video in my ad. I also understand that this may be boring to the person who is just looking and not buying. However, or the person who is looking to buy and spend their hard earned money, feel that there is never too much information or too many photos and videos.

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS ARE WELCOME WITH A DOWN PAYMENT VIA PAYPAL AND THE BALANCE VIA WIRE TRANSFER ONLY.

I ALSO HAVE INTERNATIONAL BUYER REFERENCES FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CHECK.

Here is a little history on the 1979 Pontiac Trans Am.

"It will not pass this way again".Car & Drivercited these seemingly prophetic words concerning the 1979 Trans Am in the January '79 issue. The handwriting was on the wall. Thelast Pontiac 400's were built up in 1978 and the tooling disbanded. There would only be a handful of the 220 hp motors to go around and all were to be mated to four speeds. The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ruling had taken effect, nd it required far too many low profit Sunbirds to counteract the huge dent the big-motor Trans Am's put into the average. Yes, t will not pass this way again.

Already the T/A was having a major clipping performed on its proud feathers. For the first time in history, small-inch engine was now available, he lightweight 301 cid Pontiac engine could substituted (for a mere $195.00 credit) for the base 403 Olds. The aforementioned 220 hp 400 cubic inch Pontiac remained as an option. But next year, here would be no big motors, nly the 301.

But if you have to go down, hen go down in style, nd the exterior enhancements certainly added to the style. A new beak was fitted, aying back the nose at a 22-degree angle from the "Batmobile's" 16-degree angle for better aerodynamics. The Trans Am became a "bottom breather", icking up some fresh air for cooling at the bumper grilles, he remaining amount from underneath the front bumper. The traditional grille between the headlamps was gone, eplaced by a pair mounted in the bumper pad extensions. The grilles were in a matte black and contained the turn signal/park lamp lenses in the upper outer corners. The now common four rectangular headlamps were each set in deep recesses, urrounded by low gloss bezels. The Pontiac crest continued to reside in the center of the front fascia.

In addition to the styling change, bright spot to the front end restyle was a deeper front spoiler, ow made of a flexible material rather than the hard plastic of the '77-78's. The change in material made it a bit friendlier to curb stones and parking lot dips. The spoiler actually was responsible for a major portion of the cooling air which was channeled to the radiator. Larger wheel air deflectors (or spats) were fitted, lending with the new spoiler.

Chrome was out in the automotive styling circles, o all of the previous bright work around the windows was now painted in a low gloss black. This changed the look dramatically, aking the car appear more aggressive; at least until the paint started to peel. Then you had a mess. But at least this was an easy fix with a spray can, ome steel wool, nd masking tape.

Moving to the rear of the car, he changes to the front of the car were echoed. The license plate was moved from the traditional pocket between the tail lamps to a recess within the bumper cover. A pair of pads grew out from each side of the bumper cover to replicate the look of the front. The rear spoiler was larger and more squared off at the bottom of each corner piece.

The most drastic and best looking change to the rear had to be the tail lamp assemblies. The lamps now stretched corner to corner, ith a hinged fuel filler door in the center. While this may seem enough of a change, he big news was that the tail lamps had a "blacked out" look; at least until the lights were activated, hen the red was proudly broadcast. For 1979, his was major cool! Lesser Firebirds (excluding Formula's) had the same tail lamp layout, ut made do with traditional red lenses.

While appearance changes consumed most of the new model budget in '79, he chassis was not left out. The P-metric P225/70R15 tires which were part of '78's WS6 package were now standard, eplacing the GR70x15's. This made the 8" wide snowflake wheels the only available aluminum wheel, ut the hub centers were changed from a semi-conical bright metal to a hexagonal plastic piece. I have seen the centers in both a bright finish as well a black finish, ut am unsure at to the whys and how’s as to their usage. If you wanted, ou could still opt for Rally II wheels. For 1979, he WS6 handling package was upgraded to include a set of brakes to be proud of: Four Wheel Discs. These new braking system enhanced the T/A's stopping power and increased the resistance to fade. The new rear disc brakes measured 11.1" in diameter and were had the same internal vents as those in the front to keep them cool. Just in case you forgot the braking power of the car, 4-Wheel Disc" stickers were oddly placed on the outside door handles.

Inside the TA, he floor mounted headlamp dimmer switch vanished and reappeared on the turn signal lever. No more pounding the floor with your left foot in search if the headlight dimmer as now it "fell readily to hand". As the Trans Am was moving upscale to the buyers, ew features included a power "Tri-Band" antenna (AM/FM/CB) so a passerby didn't get an obvious look at that valuable CB radio. Seats were freshened for 1979 with the custom cloth interior being covered in Lombardy cloth with Hobnail cloth inserts in the seating portion of the seat.

The big inch engines were available in two varieties: Oldsmobile 403's hooked up to automatics or the L78/W72 Pontiac 400 matched up with a four-speed. The 403/auto combination was the most popular by far selling 94,773 units. The coding for these engines were andQE, J, K, L, 6, D, E. Most 403's left with either 2.41, .56, r 2.73 gear ratios for fuel economy reasons which hindered the launch considerably, lthough the big-inch torque did offer good midrange acceleration. The 403 V8 is easily identified by the oil fill spout growing out of the front of the engine.

Chassis wise, he Trans Am had no equal from cars built in America. Car & Driver subjectively proved that in the September '79 issue, hen the T/A was pitted against Corvette, 28, apri, he new front wheel drive Phoenix. Hands down, he Trans Am was judged to be several notches above the rest by having better road manners and in real world driving conditions. Even though the Camaro Z28 was an extremely close cousin to the Trans Am, he handling was dialed in for understeer while the big stabilizer bars and higher rate rear springs made the T/A much more neutral. Lateral acceleration was down to .81g, ut this may be the result of differing skid pad diameters. On a small diameter skid pad, enerally higher numbers will be produced. The surprising equation in all of this is the Trans Am chosen to do battle was only fitted with a 150 hp 301 cubic inch V8! The 301 was picked because it put less weight over the nose, ut we folks with 400's known you offset the nose-heavy tendencies with subtle applications of horsepower. The most important news here is that even handicapped, e won.

In term of pricing, he restyled 1979 Trans Am at $6,299.00 was $500.00 higher than its '78 counterpart. The Special Edition was raised by $70.00 to $1329.00 if you ordered T-tops, r a $40.00 bump at $674.00 for the solid roofed car. The popular hood decal was imposed a nearly 50% price increase, ow listing for $95.00, hile in 1978 the price was "only" $66.00. Even though the price continued to rise, rans Am's popularity was so great, roduction topped the 100,000 mark, clipsing at 116,535. Today the entire Firebird line can barely sell 40,000 examples, nd only a handful of those are the Trans Ams. But in 1979, he future for the Trans Am was bright and its successor guaranteed.

T/A's were selling as fast as they could be built, ut it was the customer who ultimately paid the price of this success because quality suffered immensely. Fit tolerances of door, enders, oods, nd deck lids were pitiful. T-tops leaked. The paint had more runs and light spots than would be tolerated by a quality control engineer unless they were on the take (by today's standards). Hoods flopped around and doors rattled. But the car was still a Trans Am.

The enthusiastic performance return was to be short lived, wing its untimely death to the new CAFE regulations. Pontiac engineers were working hard to develop an engine that would match the power and performance of the 400's but with a strong edge in fuel economy. But it would take many years to match the performance numbers and the legacy left behind in the wake of the death of the 400's. It will not pass this way again. How true.

Check out the Trans Am Video here:

Here are a few facts regarding this 1979 Pontiac Trans Am:

Three owner Trans Am;

· 44,266 purported to be original miles;

· Power windows;

· Sure-Grip rear axle;

· Special order bird delete;

· Appears to be matching numbers throughout;

· Basically unmolested with no modifications;

· Bucket seat interior;

· Restored instrument panel.

This 1979 Pontiac Trans Am appears to be a completely numbers matching car with the Vin number stamped on the transmission. It is powered by the 403ci V8 and 4BBL carburetor backed up with the 3-speed automatic transmission. Putting the rubber to the road is the 10-bolt rear axle filled with a 3.23:1 ratio gear set.

For the low reserve set in this auction, his is a great car to get you around to the local cruise-ins and car shows without breaking the bank.

1979 Trans Am 401 Decode Information

Vin Number: 2W87K9N107671

2 Pontiac

W Trans Am

87 2 Door Coupe

K 406ci, BBL

9 1979

N Norwood Assembly Plant

107671 Sequence Number

Body Plate: 79 09D 2FS87 N 015172

24B 11L 11U L

A51 A31 WS4

BU2 210620

79 1979

09D 4th Week of September 1968

2 Pontiac

F Firebird Body Type

S Firebird Series

87 2 Door Coupe

N Norwood Assembly Plant

015172 Body Unit Number

24B Blue Cloth Interior Trim

11L Cameo White Lower Body Exterior Paint

11U Cameo White Upper Body Exterior Paint

L Paint Type

A51 Bucket Seats

A31 Power Windows

WS4 Trans Am

BU2 Secondary Interior Color Blue

210620 Fisher Time Date Code

Original Automatic Transmission Stampings: 4G268 25 PP883 4644

§ 4 1974

§ G St. Louis, O, SA

§ 268_25 Sequence Number

§ PP Production Plant

§ 833 Type of Tranny A-833

§ 4644 April 15, 974 Based on 10,000 day calendar

Exterior: The exterior is in driver quality condition with some areas cleaned up and re-painted just recently. The trim is in good condition as well as the glass. The rims have been repainted and wear very good BF Goodrich T/A radial tires. The front left and right grills are missing but can be purchased aftermarket.

Interior: The bucket seat interior is in good condition. There are no rips in the seats, ash or headliner. The previous owner spent over $1,400 on the dash and instrument cluster having everything restored and in good working condition. Power windows work properly as do all of the gauges. The A/C, eater motor and horn are not working. Seat belts are all there.

Engine/Tranny: It appears to be the original 403 engine with what I am sure are original heads, ntake, arburetor, istributor, ir cleaner assembly and wiper motor as it does not look to me as if the engine has ever been apart. Don’t hold me to this as I am only assuming that these parts are original. Mechanically the 403 starts and runs good but is probably somewhat tired and in need of a tune-up. The transmission shifts fine with no slipping or clunking.

Trunk: The trunk pan looks to be good. The trunk has the space saver spare tire and part of the jack assembly.

Undercarriage: The undercarriage of the car is not perfect but appears to be in good condition for a car that is 36 years old. It has newer shocks and front end components with a newer exhaust system.

ID Photo Documentation: Some important information that a buyer wants to see is here and decoded for their convenience.

I am an individual and do not claim to know everything there is to know about these cars. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of you questions or concerns are resolved prior to bidding and not after.

WINNING BIDDER DOES NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO LOOK THIS CAR OVER AFTER THE AUCTION CLOSES TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO BUY. ALL INSPECTIONS "MUST" BE DONE PRIOR TO THE CLOSE OF THE AUCTION WITH NO EXCEPTIONS.

In fairness to all, am not revealing the reserve price. If you are interested in owning this car, lease place a bid TO OWN ONLY AND NOT TO PASS TIME. If it does not make reserve, may contact the high bidder depending on what the highest amount was on the last bid.

Terms of Sale

This pre-owned vehicle is being sold "as-is, here is" with absolutely no warranties and/or guarantees either expressed or implied. A $500.00 non-refundable deposit is required at the close of the auction via Paypal. (If you do not have Paypal let me know through eBay ASAP.) The remainder of selling price is due within (5) business days of the auction end. All funds must be in the form of cash, cashier’s check, ertified bank check or wire transfer. If there is no confirmation, he seller has the right to offer the vehicle to other bidders. The buyer is responsible for all transport costs. This auction and your bid/participation in this auction are binding contracts and will be dutifully, awfully enforced.

Seller reserves the right to end the auction early without any liability to the seller.

FYI: There is no Maine title for this 1979 Pontiac Trans Am as Maine does not issue titles for vehicles that are more than (15) years old. I have sold cars all over the country as well as Canada, ngland, witzerland and Australia and have never had a problem. The car will come with a Bill-of-Sale, he Maine registration signed over to the new owner and a copy of the Maine law regarding titles which is on a form issued by the Maine Motor Vehicle Department.

THANKS FOR READING THIS LENGTHY AD. GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY BIDDING.