[pggto]

Hello, I have a line on a 79 10th TA, Original condition, body has some scratches little dings. 60,000 miles, 400 4 spd car. needs a little interior work. Original motor is out but he says it runs. asking 14K. Currently has a 455 under the hood but not running. Whats this car worth? Thanks

[pggto]

Heres a couple of pictures

[dreamn69]

I would say the price is fair if the original motor is good as he said. Depending on what the interior needs.The TATA interior is the most expensive to restore by far. Is it original paint? There shouldn't be any sail panel decals on the TATA.

[W72-Bandit]

^ X2

[pggto]

I have not looked at the car yet but he said it was original paint. So there should not be a sail panel decal?

[2manyT/A'S]

I believe the TA TA's had an X in the VIN,didn't they?

[dreamn69]

Originally Posted by pggto

I have not looked at the car yet but he said it was original paint. So there should not be a sail panel decal?

That is correct: no decal or emblem on the sail panels of a TATA from the factory. Here's a picture of one of my former TATA's for reference.

[bankbook]

If it is a rust free, clean 4 speed body even with the 455 it is in the 11k plus range.

[The Boss]

I'd buy it for that. The 79 4spd TA TA's are right up there with the SE's in value.

Having the original engine is a plus, but I'd leave the 455 in it and beat the living **** out of it.

[rexs73gto]

Why isn't the car running?? How bad is the interior. Those parts are EXPENSIVE!!!!! Also check the rear frame rails & make sure no damage or rust. The car looks good but look close before you pull the trigger. I'd say 8=10K . Whats wrong with the original engine???

[Shift'n Gears]

If the paint were "driver quality" and the engine ran, I would agree that it would be worth the 14k. Without the engine running, 10k is more realistic IMO.

[pggto]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

Why isn't the car running?? How bad is the interior. Those parts are EXPENSIVE!!!!! Also check the rear frame rails & make sure no damage or rust. The car looks good but look close before you pull the trigger. I'd say 8=10K . Whats wrong with the original engine???

He said he pulled the original 400 out to install the 455 with more power, but the project never got finished. I also don't have any info on the 455 yet. He said the original motor ran fine when it was removed, but I've heard the song and dance before. It sounded like it needed front seat covers and a headliner. I plan at looking at the car later this week when its not -12 degrees here...brrrrrrrr!

Thanks for the input guys.

[pggto]

Originally Posted by The Boss

I'd buy it for that. The 79 4spd TA TA's are right up there with the SE's in value.

Having the original engine is a plus, but I'd leave the 455 in it and beat the living **** out of it.

Thats kind of what I was thinking. Get the car running with the 455, and drive it. Store the original motor for safe keeping.

[pggto]

Originally Posted by 2manyT/A'S

I believe the TA TA's had an X in the VIN,didn't they?

Yes they should have an X as the second digit according to my research.

[1971WARBIRD]

Originally Posted by pggto

Thats kind of what I was thinking. Get the car running with the 455, and drive it. Store the original motor for safe keeping.

do it but be careful. a friend of mine turned a 79 t-top car into a pretzel by trying to run slicks one time. car hooked and twisted the body so bad the one tire was left hanging about an inch in the air. ended up parting a car that didn't look much worst than that.

[pggto]

Originally Posted by 1971WARBIRD

do it but be careful. a friend of mine turned a 79 t-top car into a pretzel by trying to run slicks one time. car hooked and twisted the body so bad the one tire was left hanging about an inch in the air. ended up parting a car that didn't look much worst than that.

I will be careful, I would not race the car or put slicks on it. I remember a guy in high school blowing the back window out of a 67 Nova buy putting a 427 in and some slicks. Took it to the track, the light turned green, that rear window exploded and the car was all twisted. Was a nice car too.

I'm hopefully going to look at the car Thursday when i get back to town.

[pggto]

Well I looked the car last night. The decal on the sail panel is an Anniversary decal like the one on the fender. The car is original paint. The paint on the passengers door is lifting and also on the RF fender, the rest of the body looks like it might clean up nicely with a buff job. The interior needs front and rear seat cover, and the head liner is falling. The original motor is just the short block laying on the floor, they used the heads, and other pieces for the 455. The 455 install is almost complete.

Did a 79 TA with air has a flex fan or a clutch fan? The current fan is a flex fan but doesn't look correct. It's not an aftermarket fan, looks GM.

[gtohurstjudge]

The decals on the roof were added by someone after the car was
built. The car originally had a fan clutch from the factory. These cars are very expensive
to restore due to the complex decal setup and leather upholstery so keep that in
mind if you decide to buy it. Like all 79 T/A's, if your goal is a really primo car it is usually
cheaper to just buy one that's already been done than to try an get to that point by
restoring one that's tired. If you are thinking about painting just a couple of panels on the car,
it will be difficult if not impossible to get an undetectable color match on the silver and charcoal paint.