1980 Trans Am - High Performance Chevy Small Block Motor

1980 Trans AM

Do not buy this car for your teenage sons first car, unless you consider him to be trustworthy and dependable or if you're a muscle car enthusiast or high-performance motor builder, this is the car for you. I researched Trans Ams for nearly a year before I found one that was rust free and had a good running motor. I had purchased this car to be a "Smokey and the Bandit Tribute" car and had planned on purchasing everything for the transformation at a cost of around $5000.00 including the shaker hood and air cleaner, honeycomb wheels, paint and body decals. https://www.classicindustries.com/ & https://www.yearone.com/.

I could not find the time or money to initially restore the car. I am a disabled vet and am no longer physically able do the work.

When I got the Trans Am home I got a couple of surprises.

The Good:

Rust Free

Gen 1 SBC (I believe LT1 Corvette) - The intake cast # is from an early Corvette. Body is in GREAT SHAPE, with no signs of previous collisions or body work of any kind. All Original body w/all its factory parts, trim, and extras. Motor Runs Great - has a distinctive Lope on the cam sounds close to a .500 Lift. High Performance Motor (Very Low Mileage). Transmission - 700 R4 - rear-end (new gasket around rear-end seal - at the time of purchase) - probably 4:11 or maybe 4:56. Traction Bars, Long Studs for Slicks (Weekend Warrior). 13.62 ET. Marked on the driver's side rear glass indicates a ¼ mile time. The Rochester Carb. was leaking around the Accelerator pump seal and it was rebuilt. T-Tops are Leak-Free.

The Bad:

I knew the windshield was cracked and I needed a break job and a shifter lever.When I looked underneath the car I found that the exhaust was bent up against the shifter linkage, however the linkage does not appear to be damaged.The Sway Bar was Broken. I believe they built it and when they took it down the ¼ mile the Trans Am (probably 400-500 torque) launched into a wheel stand and came down too hard.Without the frame connectors required for high performance unibody cars it twisted enough to crack the windshield and break the sway bar. After close inspection no other suspension, or body parts appear to be damaged.

Drivable:

To make this car road worthy it needs: Windshield, Sway Bar, Shifter, and Tires

I will include an Oil Pump Primer kit to prime the oil pump before the 1st fire of the motor as it has been setting for more than a year and this will prevent any possible cylinder wall or bearing scoring on that freshly rebuilt motor during the 1st start-up. I put some stabilize in the fuel tank for the fuel to last. I will include a car cover to keep it somewhat protected.

As a bonus if I reach my original purchase price of $4200 I will throw in a sound system I purchased for the car - Sony GS Series MEXGS810BH Receiver, BOSS Audio PH4.500 Phantom 2000-watts 4 Channel Amplifier, Boss Skull SK693 6x9-Inch 600W 3 Way Speakers, and a pair of 6x9 enclosures.

As a former A.S.E. CertifiedMechanic I am confident that all I have stated to be true to the best of my knowledge. If you find something I have not found please contact me for any help or adjustments...