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#461
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"The Dream Merchants"
Story on Dennis Mecham and his Macho T/A's at DKM. So '80's. Prob rare stuff as I have never seen one at the countless car shows I've been to. Maybe a good thing.... |
#462
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Quote:
The Turboforce system From H-O was used on the Maco if you wanted it. |
#463
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Mikes Reply:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/AZ0319-36...acho-trans-am/ The Macho Trans Am from DKM Design and Performance. Here is a little of what I know about the DKM Macho Trans Am. Dennis and Kyle Mecham back in 1977 wanted to improve the breed of Trans Am that were coming out of the Pontiac Factory. They turned out to be a limited number of Macho TA's in 1977 and were sold through their father's Pontiac dealership and moved very quickly out the door. Due to their tremendous success, they formed DKM Design and Performance, Inc. in 1978. The Macho Trans Am would include the following: Macho Name decals and badges inside and out Plaque in the center console to signify the car was modified by DKM DKM Logo on the center steering wheel button Each Macho Trans Am was numbered from the year The Macho Trans Am from DKM The Macho Trans Am from DKM Design and Performance. Here is a little of what I know about the DKM Macho Trans Am. Dennis and Kyle Mecham back in 1977 wanted to improve the breed of Trans Am that were coming out of the Pontiac Factory. They turned out to be a limited number of Macho TA's in 1977 and were sold through their father's Pontiac dealership and moved very quickly out the door. Due to their tremendous success, they formed DKM Design and Performance, Inc. in 1978. They made 203 1978 Macho Trans Am and another 200+ in 1979 using the Pontiac 400 engine. In 1980, they stopped using the Pontiac 400 and used the Turbocharged 301 in 1980, which didn't sell all that well due to lack of performance and fuel constraints. For the 1978 Model year they used the W72 Pontiac 400, but modified the carburation, ignition, and added Hooker Headers with dual catalytic converters and no mufflers for a net increase of about 50hp. You could also order a Rayjay Turbocharger which produced about 7p.s.i. of boost. In 1978, there were only 8 Turbo Macho Trans Am's made and only 22 in 1979. You can tell the Turbo ones from the outside because the word "Turbo" replaced the Trans Am name on the rear spoiler. People have asked me before about a Turbocharged Pontiac 400 and I always told them that there never was one.... Well, I guess I was wrong. DKM also opened up the hood scoop to restore full breathing to the modified engine. They also modified the oil system by using what was called an "oil pressure restorer" by H-O Racing Specialties. It consisted of a canister with a one-quart oil capacity mounted on the firewall and pressurized. If oil sloshed away from the dry-sump oil pick-up in the oil pan, a valve opened up and oil surged into the engine to fill any gaps in oil pressure. The Macho Trans Am could receive 4-speed Borg-Warner, an optional 5-speed Doug Nash transmission, or the automatic transmissions were reprogrammed for quicker shifts. Also, the dash got a 160 MPH speedo and a 8000+ RPM tach. The suspension was also modified by a set of Koni shocks set at their softest rate, front springs tempered for rake and recalibrated for geometry. They also included the wider wheels and heavier sway bar much like the WS6 Performance package. DKM also added a few comfort features as well like Recaro or Scheel seats, Fosgate radio, a lift-off or tilt-up hood made out of fiberglass (help shed 60lbs.) and also a custom paint job in a variety of non-factory colors. Each Macho Trans Am was numbered on the rear spoiler, front bumper and side fenders. The center bird on the steering wheel was replaced with a DKM logo and also a plaque was added to the center console to indicate that the car was modified by DKM Design. If you want to do a little research you will find road tests and track tests of the Macho Trans Am's in Hot Rod magazine July 1978, Motor Trend magazine June 1978, and Auto week magazine February 3rd 1978. Hopefully this will answer some questions on what exactly a "Macho" Trans Am was. September 26, 2016 - AllGenTransAms.com™ Story courtesy: Mike McNessor; Hemmings Muscle Machines Oct. 2008 Unless your knowledge of Pontiac performance cars runs deep, you'd probably mistake those Macho T/A callouts for the work of some time-warped customizer. But the Macho is a bona-fide collectible today and was originally the handiwork of two entrepreneurial brothers frustrated with the state of factory performance in the Disco era. Back in 1977, Dennis and Kyle Mecham built 26 performance-tweaked Trans Ams that they dubbed Macho T/As and initially sold through their family's Pontiac dealership, Mecham Motors, near Phoenix, Arizona. The modified Trans Ams were a hit and the fledgling company, DKM Design, Performance sold all they could build, so they ramped up production in 1978 and marketed the cars through other Pontiac dealers. Sales of the warmed-up Firebirds soared to 204 units. But, uh, what of that oh-so-Seventies name? "At that time, macho was the 'in' word in the Southwest," said Dennis Mecham, now president of Mecham Design, Performance. "Everything was macho. In desperation, I said, 'Why not call it Macho T/A?' It was almost tongue-in-cheek. It may not be the best name, but how can you forget it?" Buyers certainly approved. Mecham recalls a leasing company that wanted to purchase several of the car's sans the Macho lettering. But at DKM's urging, they purchased three without the decals and three with. Customers greedily snapped up the lettered cars first. The recipe for the Macho T/A was straightforward: DKM would purchase new Trans Ams, perform its modifications, and resell them as used cars to Pontiac dealers. Under the hood, DKM would richen the jetting of the stock Quadrajet and change the distributor's curve to bring in 36 degrees of advance at 2,500 rpm. DKM also opened up the sealed shaker hood scoop, increasing airflow to the stock airbox, and installed screen over the opening. A set of off-the-shelf Hooker Headers were bolted up and plumbed up with a 2.5-inch dual exhaust with a crossover tube and two catalytic converters eliminating the restrictive stock system. "No mufflers or resonators are found, though the exhaust remains reasonably mellow," Hot Rod magazine wrote in its July 1978 review of a Macho T/A. "In fact, a decibel meter may disagree, but to the human ear, a Macho T/A sounds no louder than a stocker, which runs one converter and a pair of mufflers." DKM also dropped the front end by 1.5 inches, installed Koni adjustable shocks at all four corners, and put 60 series tires on the factory rims. Color combinations were left up to the customer's discretion and, while there were two dozen interior/exterior color combinations listed in the DKM brochure, an additional $150 allowed that customer to choose a special color. Add another $150 and the graphics would be applied using DuPont's Imron paint. "If it sounded reasonable and the guy wanted it, we'd do whatever they wanted," Mecham said. The young Mecham stumbled on the idea of building a post- factory Pontiac super car (at least by late-'70s standards) quite by accident. He was running a weekly newspaper that his family owned and driving a late-model Pontiac Catalina when the urge to act his age became too strong to ignore. "I thought, if I don't stop driving Catalinas, pretty soon I'll be old enough to actually want one," Mecham said! Mecham and his friend Mike Garrett began tinkering with a 1975 Formula 400 HO. They managed to wake the car up by fattening the lean factory jetting, opening up the airbox and working some advance into the distributor. Mecham did more of the same mods to his new 455-powered 1976 Trans Am--a car that his father, the late Evan Mecham, took a liking to and saw some sales potential in. "My father came down and I had the 455 T/A in my garage," Mecham said. "He took it for a ride and said, 'I wish I could sell a car like that to our customers.' " So as an experiment, the brothers Mecham added headers and aftermarket wheels to their list of Trans Am mods and put a fresh example on the showroom floor. It sold in three days. Working part-time in 1977, they built and sold 26 cars, making a tidy profit on each. Thus, one of the few Disco-era performance legends was born. In fact, it would've lived on for many more years had Pontiac not installed the 301 in the Trans Am--an engine that simply didn't have the latent potential that the 400 and 455s had. "We stopped making them in 1980 because the car was no longer viable," Mecham said. "If you got any real horsepower (out of the 301), you were rebuilding a hand grenade." Throughout the 1990s, the cars of the 1970s were regarded disdainfully by collectors, but something funny happened one day on the way to the car show--'70s machinery, particularly Trans Ams sporting black paint and gold eagles, became not just collectible, but hot. Riding the tail feathers of this trend are DKM's Macho T/As. Mecham's warmed up 'Birds have attracted a cult following among collectors who fondly remember the days when clothing and furniture manufacturers were vying with the Bee Gees to see who could sell the most vinyl. Rich Robert of North Tustin, California, definitely enjoys the machismo his special Trans Am imparts to curious onlookers. "Macho T/A? There are so many ways you can take that," Robert said. "Some people look at you like you're nuts. Why would you write that on your car?" Robert, who is president of Knorr Systems, a swimming pool contractor specializing in commercial and municipal work, was actually searching for the aforementioned bird of the black and gold feather when he happened to spot the DKM machine. "I was looking, before they got so popular, for a black-and-gold Trans Am and, in the process, I came across the Macho," Robert said. "I said: 'My god, these are the ones to have!' " Robert bid aggressively on his car in an online auction, only to lose it to another hopeful suitor--one who apparently had more interest in bidding than buying. "There are very few (Macho T/As) around, so when one popped up on the Internet, I went for it hard, but didn't get it," Robert recalled. "But I told the owner, 'Listen, if the deal falls through, let me know. I've got the money and I'd be glad to come up.' " Assuming he'd missed one of the few opportunities he'd have to buy a Macho T/A, Robert purchased a '77 Trans Am that he wasn't in love with and quickly forsook it when the phone call came in about two weeks after the Internet auction ended. "I bee-lined to the owner's home in Beverly Hills and I cut a deal," Robert said. "The car was all complete, but kind of weathered and tired. It led a pretty good life. It only has 80,000 miles and for the last 10 years, (the seller) hardly drove the car. Some of the internal plastic was faded and the paint is original but faded." Robert's Macho T/A is equipped with an optional lift-off fiberglass hood that is said to save 60 pounds over the stock unit, a firewall-mounted oil pressure restorer device that holds a quart of oil in reserve and forces it back into the crankcase in the event that the engine's oil pressure drops, a color-matched four-point roll bar and four-wheel disc brakes. Since purchasing the Macho, Robert has performed some housekeeping, such as repainting the Macho T/A graphics on the doors, dyeing some interior panels, and installing bushings in the Hurst Competition Plus shifter, but he has been hesitant to dive into a complete restoration that would erase the car's originality. "There's only one thing left to be done to make it really good," Robert said. "It needs a paint job. I'm battling with myself about whether to take the plunge or keep it original. I want someone who's done one to take it apart. So, in the meantime, I don't do it. "That would be the last thing. It's a great car from five or six feet away, but the paint is cracking a little here and there and the fiberglass hood is faded to a slightly different color." Robert also contacted Mecham and received a letter authenticating his car. Mecham has since signed the T/A's glovebox door, as well. Also, here's an interesting bit of trivia about the car, which can neither be positively confirmed nor denied: Robert believes that it was used in photographs on the cover and inside of DKM's brochure. Mecham says it's possible, but he has no way to be sure. "The car runs hard and really well," Robert said. "They're scarce and they run a lot faster than a factory Trans Am. These things kick it for a big, heavy car! If a Bandit guy drove a Macho, he'd say, 'Why did I pay $40,000 for this thing?' " In 1978, Hot Rod was just as enamored of DKM's tuned-up T/A, wringing a low 14 second e.t. out of Macho T/A number 3 (All of the Macho T/As bear their series number on the spoiler and lower front fenders.). "What the customer gets is, in effect, a brand-new Trans Am, delivered right from a Pontiac dealer with everything he needs to blow a stocker right into the weeds," Hot Rod's Dave Wallace wrote. "At least, this was certainly, the case with 1978 Macho T/A No. 3, which collected a remarkable time slip of 14.29 seconds at 98.79 miles per hour on the best of 17 good runs at OCR. (The very next day we watched a four-speed 49-state '78 Trans Am clock steady 15.20s at 96 mph, which is the best performance we've seen from a stock 1978 automobile under virtually identical conditions at the same facility.)" Hot Rod went on to rave about the car's handling and DKM's use of readily available parts to put some respectability back into the Trans Am's performance. "But quarter- mile acceleration is only the beginning of the Macho's appeal," Wallace wrote. "A combination of heat-treated front coils, Koni shocks all around and careful suspension tuning gets the Macho around corners quicker, too. Throw in a dealer service agreement (sure to include special provisions concerning non-OEM components and obvious operator abuse) and you've got about the best Poncho performance bargain since the Super Duty days." Robert, of course, is already a true believer and is convinced that Mecham's star will rise on the wings of the Macho. "As time progresses, Dennis Mecham and his DKM machines will be honored like the tuner gurus a decade before him," Robert said. What about the SPECS you say? Price Base price: (Macho T/A) $9,610 Base price: (Trans Am) $7,331 Options on car profiled: Specialty items supplied by DKM: lift-off fiberglass hood roll bar Pontiac options: Trans Am special performance package, $324 Engine Type: Pontiac OHV V-8, iron block and cylinder heads Displacement: 400.14 cubic inches Bore x Stroke: 4.121 x 3.750 inches Compression ratio: 8.1:1 Horsepower @ rpm: 220hp @ 4,000 (stock) 270-290 @ 4,000 est. (with DKM mods) Torque @ rpm: 320-lbs.ft. @ 2,000 Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters Main bearings: 5 Fuel system: Single 800cfm Rochester Quadrajet Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump Electrical system: 12-volt Exhaust system: Single catalyzed exhaust, crossflow muffler (stock) Hooker headers, dual 2.5-inch pipes with crossover tube and two AC catalytic converters (with DKM mods) Transmission Type: Borg Warner Super T-10 four-speed manual Ratios 1st: 2.43:1 2nd: 1.61:1 3rd: 1.23:1 4th: 1.00:1 Reverse: 2.35:1 Differential Type: Corporate 10-bolt housing with Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential Ratio: 3.42:1 Steering Type: Saginaw recirculating ball, power-assist Ratio: 14.3:1 Turns, lock-to-lock: 2.4 Turning circle: 38.9 feet Brakes Type: Hydraulic, four-wheel vented disc Front: 11.0-inch disc Rear: 11.1-inch disc Chassis & Body Construction: Unit-body Body style: Two-door coupe Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive Suspension Front: Independent, unequal-length A-arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers, anti-roll bar Rear: Rigid axle, semi-elliptic rear leaf springs, telescoping shock absorbers, anti-roll bar Wheels & Tires Wheels: Aluminum Pontiac WS-6 "Snowflake" Front: 15 x 8-inch Rear: 15 x 8-inch Tires: Goodyear Polysteel Radial (original) Front: 225/70R15 Rear: 225/70R15 Weights & Measures Wheelbase: 108.2 inches Overall length: 196.8 inches Overall width: 73 inches Overall height: 49.3 inches Front track: 61.3 inches Rear track: 60 inches Curb weight: 3,750 pounds Capacities Crankcase: 6 quarts (with oil-pressure accumulator) Cooling system: 22.9 quarts Fuel tank: 21 gallons Transmission: 3.75 quarts Rear axle: 3.75 pints Calculated Data Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.7 Weight per bhp: 13.275 pounds Weight per c.i.d.: 9.29 pounds Production DKM produced 204 Macho T/As in 1978 Performance* Acceleration: 0-60 mph: 7.8 seconds 0-100 mph: 22.8 seconds 1/4 mile ET: 14.29 seconds @ 98.79 mph Top speed: 120 mph *According to a July 1978 road test from Hot Rod magazine The DKM Macho Trans Am & The MR MSE Trans Am The history of the Macho Trans Am dates back to 1977 when two brothers, Dennis and Kyle Mecham, sons of a Phoenix area Pontiac dealer decided to begin modifying Firebirds to restore some of the missing performance brought about by the addition of more and more emissions equipment on factory cars. The brothers began by adding turbochargers in 1977. In 1978 203 Macho TAs would come out of the DKM shop. A W72/L78 engine was used as a baseline, the carb and ignition were modified and a set of Hooker headers and twin catalytic converters were added for a net 50bhp gain. An optional turbo-charger could also be added for a 7psi boost. Interestingly, the TAs were all sold as used cars. This was required because Federal law prohibited any modifications to the emissions system on a new car. The dealership, Mecham Pontiac, sold the new cars to Mecham Performance. The modifications were performed and the cars were then sold to the public. They had virtually no miles on them and had no tags but were sold as a used car because they had already been titled by Mecham Performance. Production continued in 1979 where both the 400 and 403 versions of the Trans Am received the modifications required for a Macho Trans Am. DKM performed several other modifications including modifying the hood scoop to make it functional. Suspensions were also modified by adding Koni shocks, front springs retempered for rake and re- calibrated geometry. The visual appearance was also changed. Macho options included Recaro or Scheel seats, Fosgate stereo, different wheels and tires, fiberglass hood and the new paint scheme that varied by color. Every Macho TA also received a production number 1979 also saw the release of a very limited run of a new offering from DKM, the DKM Tallon Super Tourer. This Firebird could be ordered with a turbo-charged 400 or a normally aspirated 350 Chevy. The Tallon received fiberglass fenders, hood, rear quarters and bolt-on air dam. American Specialty wheels with 50 series tires were installed. Hooker headers, a 5-speed Doug Nash tranny, Koni shocks and the WS6 package was also added. At significant additional cost ($7600) a Traco-built Chevy 350 rated at 460bhp could be installed. DKMs efforts continued through the '80s with the MR MSE TAs (Mecham Racing Motor Sports Edition) which were produced from 1982 to 1986. In 1997 Dennis was approached by a Macho fan and owner about producing a new Mecham TA. After some initial discussions the decision was made to produce a few cars and that effort continued throughout the 2002 model year. A Mecham T/A and a Mecham Formula were both offered. You can visit his site at www.mechamperformance.com Last edited by TRADERMIKE 2012; 05-16-2022 at 05:30 AM. |
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Mikes Reply:
The DKM Macho Trans Am & The MR MSE Trans Am The history of the Macho Trans Am dates back to 1977 when two brothers, Dennis and Kyle Mecham, sons of a Phoenix area Pontiac dealer decided to begin modifying Firebirds to restore some of the missing performance brought about by the addition of more and more emissions equipment on factory cars. The brothers began by adding turbochargers in 1977. In 1978 203 Macho TAs would come out of the DKM shop. A W72/L78 engine was used as a baseline, the carb and ignition were modified and a set of Hooker headers and twin catalytic converters were added for a net 50bhp gain. An optional turbo-charger could also be added for a 7psi boost. Interestingly, the TAs were all sold as used cars. This was required because Federal law prohibited any modifications to the emissions system on a new car. The dealership, Mecham Pontiac, sold the new cars to Mecham Performance. The modifications were performed and the cars were then sold to the public. They had virtually no miles on them and had no tags but were sold as a used car because the had already been titled by Mecham Performance. Production continued in 1979 where both the 400 and 403 versions of the Trans Am received the modifications required for a Macho Trans Am. DKM performed several other modifications including modifying the hood scoop to make it functional. Suspensions were also modified by adding Koni shocks, front springs retempered for rake and re- calibrated geometry. Visual appearance was also changed. Macho options included Recaro or Scheel seats, Fosgate stereo, different wheels and tires, fiberglass hood and the new paint scheme that varied by color. Every Macho TA also received a production number 1979 also saw the release of a very limited run of a new offering from DKM, the DKM Tallon Super Tourer. This Firebird could be ordered with a turbo-charged 400 or a normally aspirated 350 Chevy. The Tallon received fiberglass fenders, hood, rear quarters and bolt-on air dam. American Specialty wheels with 50 series tires were installed. Hooker headers, a 5-speed Doug Nash tranny, Koni shocks and the WS6 package were also added. At significant additional cost ($7600) a Traco-built Chevy 350 rated at 460bhp could be installed. DKMs efforts continued through the '80s with the MR MSE TAs (Mecham Racing Motor Sports Edition) which were produced from 1982 to 1986. In 1997 Dennis was approached by a Macho fan and owner about producing a new Mecham TA. After some initial discussions the decision was made to produce a few cars and that effort continued throughout the 2002 model year. A Mecham T/A and a Mecham Formula were both offered. You can visit his site at www.mechamperformance.com Original Vintage 1978 Macho Trans Am Brochure from DKM courtesy Loren Garrigus Original Vintage 1979 Macho Trans Am Brochure from DKM courtesy Loren Garrigus .. .. Original Vintage 1978 Trans Am Brochure from DKM courtesy Loren Garrigus Original Vintage 1983 MSE Trans Am Brochure from DKM DKM Patch courtesy Manny Salierno DKM Sales Emblem courtesy Manny Salierno DKM jacket given to new Macho owners Photo courtesy Loren Garrigus Vintage photo of new Macho TAs at Mecham Pontiac Photo courtesy Loren Garrigus DKM Letter to new Owners "Owner Information and Maintenance Tips" courtesy Randy Samuel DKM T/As known or believed to no longer exist: 1978 Macho Trans Am #10 1983 MR MSE Trans Am #84 1978 Macho Trans Am #97 (still exists but has been completely converted to something else -- see Lot#2) 1983 MR MSE Trans Am #148 1978 Macho Trans Am #137 1985 MR MSE Trans Am #20 1983 MR MSE Trans Am #63 1985 MR MSE Trans Am #26 Lot#1 1977 Macho Trans Am #5 of 26 owner: Dennis Rosenthal Though its extremely rough, its a rare find and I'm glad to have this one on the site, the first '77 Macho TA (on this site). Add to that this is the actual 5th car that Kyle and Dennis modified and that makes it an even more interesting Trans Am. In '77 26 cars were converted. Only 3 are known to still exist. #5, #12, #17. The car was recently sold and the new owner writes: "Jimmy, Macho # 5 was finally delivered. Attached are a few pics of it just after I finished cleaning it up. I have gotten the car running and have driven it around the yard. This Car still very original and retains most all its orig paint (worn out), still has its orig engine, the wheels are correct and orig for the car, and it has absolutely no rust. I have the orig title from Mecham Pontiac, PHS docs, and was lucky to find the buildsheet still behind the rear seat. I have spoken with Dennis Mecham and am waiting for paperwork from him." Thanks! Dennis Rosenthal This car has the following options: Revised suspension: springs, shocks, sway bars Special paint with stripes and numbers paint on the fender and rear spoiler. Custom alloy rims Pontiac 400 engine (numbers are matching) 4 speed manual trans A/C power steering/brakes tilt steering wheel. Dennis recently provided me with a few pics of the interior. He also sent the last pic which is a mini-macho gathering feature '77 #5, '78 #114, and '78 #171 all together at a local car show. Dennis also owns the following Macho TAs: 1979 Macho Trans Am #22 in Macho TAs Lot#5. 1977 Macho Trans Am #12 of 26 owner: unknown The second '77 on the site I originally had it listed as a '78 until I received this e-mail from Cameron Holeman: "This car was advertised in AZ as a '77. A friend of mine looked at the car and determined that it was a real '77 but had been wrecked and rebuilt and that it had the wrong wheels. All 77's had some type of aftermarket wheels due to the fact that the factory wheels that year were only 15x7. It has a 455 with a 4-speed. It was for sale in Auto Trader a year ago or so. It was in AZ and went to Texas." Cameron Holeman This is a really small picture and its hard to tell much about this one but it appears to be a white color with red accents. Its also appears to have Turbo rims installed. These were probably a later addition and were not part of the original Macho package. Interior color is hard to tell but I'm betting its red as well. If anyone has any information on this drop me a note at webmaster1@firebirdgallery.com (remove the "1" before sending). A site visitor, Phil Brown, turned out to be a previous owner of this car, during high school, and sent me the following: "Both my girls! (1984 Sedona, AZ - Reference the second photo in the set sent in by Phil). Oh my god, my heart stopped when I found my car on your website. My name is Phil Brown and I know the history of #12. It has a ton of history, if you know what I mean. We go way back to 1980, when I rode in it to junior high school with my dad. Three years later I bought it from a guy named Randy Miller in Phoenix. The car had 45,000 original miles at the time. I got it for $4,500.00. That was a lot of money for a high school kid. The car was fast and original and I kept it that way always for 10 years. I drove the car through high school and never put a scratch on it, never changed a thing and the whole town of Flagstaff, AZ knew the bad boy macho. Its taken many a pink slip." If anyone knows where this TA may be located please let me know, especially if its for sale. Mr. Brown has expressed a big interest in purchasing back his old car. Please contact me at the e-mail address above. 1977 Macho Trans Am #17 of 26 owner: unknown With the addition of #17 we now have four '77 Machos featured on the site. This particular one was up for sale recently but I do not if it was sold and/or what's being done with the car currently. I actually contacted the seller and exchanged a few e-mails with him but we could not come to agreement on a selling price. If I recall the car no longer had any of the original drivetrain and the seller still wanted a pretty stiff figure for the car but, to be fair, I don't want to post details from a fuzzy memory. As I recall the owner at the time had taken the car off the road to transform the car into a G-Machine i.e. he had planned extensive upgrades to the suspension, brakes etc... I think he may have even already performed some of the work to implement some of the upgrades and then lost interest in the project. Hopefully someone picked it up and is working on it. If anyone has any information on this drop me a note at webmaster1@firebirdgallery.com (remove the "1" before sending). 1977 Macho Trans Am #21 of 26 owner: unknown This ones in sad shape and needs a complete restoration but its very rare and would be worth the time and effort. It was for sale but I don't know if it found a new home. Mark sent me the following: "Hi, I thought I'd drop you a line. I think your site is tremendous. I used to own a 77 Macho TA #21, sold it to a friend of mine, and now he's thinking about selling it, and wants me to try and find a home of it. It's pretty much all original yet, it's a 400, 4speed, 77,000 mi, no T-top car, white with red. It came up here to Wisconsin from Chicago 20 some years ago, and it needs to be restored. Lots of surface rust, but still runs and drives good. I'll get some pics in a couple of weeks after it comes out of storage. So I guess there is at least four 77's left. Hi Jimmy, here are the pics. The Concord stereo is the original one installed by DKM. He has a new set of Macho decals from DKM minus the rear spoiler decal which was unavailable at the time. We had to send a copy of the title to authenticate ownership to get them, and received a letter back from Dennis Mecham confirming the vin, decals and letter will be included with the car. It's had new brakes front and rear, new calipers, rotors, drums, wheel bearings and seals front and rear, front brake hoses, emergency brake cables, exhaust from the original hooker headers back, shocks, and tires. The snowflake wheels are not original, the car came from DKM with I believe Appliance chrome steel wheels, they were pretty rusty, I think he has one of them left. It starts, runs and drives good, 77k is original miles. The body is pretty rough. For the last twenty some years it has not been driven in the winter, but don't know about the first few. It needs a windshield, rear quarters and inner panels, and rear lower panel behind fuel tank. The rear sub frame where the leaf spring shackle mounts on the drivers side is rusted out, and there are rust holes in the outer corners of the dash panel. The original front sway bar was removed to replace the bushings and links, hasn't been installed yet, but is included. Thanks a lot for your help, Mark 1978 Macho Trans Am #11 of 204 owner: Dave Burrows This Macho TA recently changed hands and Dave sent us some new info and pics. Dave writes: "Hello there, my name is Dave Burrows. I recently purchased this car from Rick Osborn. The previous pictures of this car did not do it justice so I am sending some better ones. The car is a W72 4 speed car with just 80,000 miles on it. It is in unmolested original condition and is almost flawless. It has about 80% of its original paint and shines like new. The interior is almost perfect. This might be the earliest '78 MACHO left. (if that matters) The site is great with lots of great info." Thanks! Dave 1978 Macho Trans Am #16 of 204 owner: unk A site contributor recently sent me these pics of #16. Hopefully the current owner will contact me. This one comes equipped with the 400ci engine and M-21 4-speed with Hurst shifter, WS6 suspension package, 4 wheel disc brakes, open and functional shaker scoop, re-jetted carb, posi-traction 10-bolt rear, one piece removable fiber- glass hood, and a roll bar that's color matched to the interior. That's an option I haven't seen on many of the Macho TAs. Quite a few came with roll bars but this is the first one I've seen where it was color matched to the interior. This TA still wears its original paint. The interior is all original and it even has the original space saver spare located in the trunk, that has never been used. The engine is the numbers matching engine that came with the car and was reportedly rebuilt recently. 1978 Macho Trans Am #27 of 204 owner: withheld The owner of this amazing Macho TA recently contacted me and provided these fantastic pictures. He writes: "Here is another car for your web site. #27 has of course the W72 & WS6 options that all '78 Macho's started out with. It also came with the 4-speed transmission and it has all of the standard modifications that were part of the Macho T/A package. On top of the basic DKM modifications, this car is equipped with some of the more rare DKM options: Fiberglass lift off hood Hooker chrome roll bar Concord stereo system These cars are very rare as most people know. I was fortunate to have several people that lived around me that had these cars when they were new. They are a great addition to your site! I can be reached at bcdetailing76@aol.com for comment." 1978 Macho Trans Am #28 of 204 owner: withheld This Macho has a host of modifications from the DKM brothers including a functional shaker scoop, re-curved distributor, re-jetted 4bbl carb, Koni shocks, Hooker headers and dual cats with Flowmasters (not part of the original DKM package). It also has the WS6 package, TH350 tranny with a shift kit and a Hurst dual gate shifter. Out back; the rear is a 10 bolt unit at 2.56:1. Wheels are the original 15x8 snowflake wheels with 235/60 front rubber and 275/60 rear rubber. Originally the car came with AC but it had been removed. Additional features include power windows, steering and brakes, tilt wheel, and a non-original Pioneer detachable face CD player. The new owner recently contact me. Mike writes: "I purchased the Macho #28 from my son who was trying to sell it after owning it for about three years. I gave him my 1973 Trans Am a few years ago and tried to get it back with no luck. I decided this was a suitable alternative. She needs a lot of work as you can tell from the pictures you have. I have ordered a complete new interior and have started on the mechanics. Already replaced the windshield and had the rear end rebuilt. Then the suspension and an engine overhaul with some little extras added, after that its off to the paint shop for that special Macho paint. We do have the exhaust system replaced to DKM specs. Sounds good. Still collecting parts. Discovered somebody switched engines awhile back so we do not have the original one. The one that is in it, is a real TA engine from the same year. I was told by owner #2 that the engine that he had was beefed up and this was not it. Well looks like we might as well stuff that pounched out 455 in her and make a mean ride.I will send some updated photos when she gets her face lift." 1978 Macho Trans Am #32 of 204 owner: unknown The pics are terrible quality but this Macho was up for sale recently and hopefully has found a new home. Nothing else is known about this car at this time... Pics courtesy of Heath Elmer 1978 Macho Trans Am #37 of 204 owner: Tim Kaple This Macho TA comes dressed in a cool looking silver and blue paint scheme. Its equipped with a 400c.i. engine, auto transmission, dual exhaust with dual catalytic converters and no mufflers, cruise control, A/C, an Alpine stereo, and posi-trac rear end. The unique bird has only seen 43,000 miles of use and is an excellent example of the DKM program. |
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Mikes finds:
"Some drag and street guys might not care about the history of NASCAR or the history of Homan and Moody, but all of us have benefited from the advances that they made within the industry. For example, they are acclaimed for having made and implemented the first full roll cage". “For years the drawings of our roll cages and chassis were in the NASCAR rule book as an example of, ‘this is what your car is supposed to look like,” said Lee. "Full floating rear end, window net, fast filling gas can, bullet point on the end of a wheel stud, two-piece steering shaft, padded steering wheel and the shoulder harness – these items make up a condensed list of the advances that Holman and Moody made in the motorsports world". Holdman and Moody Video: https://youtu.be/5mxeG7IMhAA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holman-Moody http://holmanmoody.com/ http://holmanmoody.com/Today.html http://holmanmoody.com/gallery.html https://bringatrailer.com/2007/04/04...ar-torino-427/ https://www.fordmuscle.com/features/...mance-history/ |
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Your right Mike!Who cares!Tom
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Mikes Reply:
Tom, I see you're on your period! |
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Mike!Im not alone!Its a pontiac board in case your having a problem remembering!You took almost a full page thread for just two of your posts!Tom
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Closed.
The sheer number of off topic posts and full page double spaced posts have rendered most of this thread unreadable. Let’s not continue this here or in any other threads on the forums. |
The Following 10 Users Say Thank You to b-man For This Useful Post: | ||
Closed Thread |
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