[Cammer-6]

ditto on the green
Ive repainted several that WERE green to different colors
Same with interior

[thews]

Originally Posted by Cammer-6

ditto on the green
Ive repainted several that WERE green to different colors
Same with interior

Did you paint them red? I think most of them wind up red.

[thews]

68 350 Firebird at $1K with a reserve. Has a 4-speed, so that's a plus. The seller is very honest IMO by including a lot of underside pics. This car is a money pit, but that's what you get when you don't spend much. Could be used as a parts car, but that frame rust has killed it IMO. Then again, I'm not a welder/frame guy. What do you think?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13467884808...UAAOSwu-VkzS7A

[thews]

Here's a very interesting car with original paint... 73 GTO 4-speed with 44K miles at $21K with a reserve in Oklahoma. Should the honeycombs have trim rings?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27598057699...oAAOSwb-dky-45

[Greg Reid]

Those '73s have really grown on me over the years. That's another pretty one and 4 speed to boot.

[Fourthirteen]

Maybe this has already been posted but my quick search didn’t find anything on here. Hoard of TA’s, Firebirds, and other stuff being auctioned off 8/5/23. Check out the YouTube video they linked.

https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/...rts-much-more/

[thews]

Originally Posted by Fourthirteen

Maybe this has already been posted but my quick search didn’t find anything on here. Hoard of TA’s, Firebirds, and other stuff being auctioned off 8/5/23. Check out the YouTube video they linked.

https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/...rts-much-more/

Damn! The parts hoard in that lot is stupid. You'd need a 10 acre lot and a lot of storage buildings just to get through those 50 T/A's. Interesting they said guy became disabled, but continued to buy them.

[Cammer-6]

Originally Posted by thews

Did you paint them red? I think most of them wind up red.

oddly no to resale red

I do have a red/black vinyl top one tho.
also a black one(thats pretty rare) that someone did paint resale red.

[thews]

Here's a black one. 67 Firebird in Nebraska at $39K OBO. 4 speed 4WD is cool. Looks like later FBD seats (that don't match) and plastic all over the place like my Aunt's couch. It's on the high side.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17584792860...MAAOSwXGtkyCOg

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by Cammer-6

That 400 is also beautiful
wondering who did the steering wheel.

Several 68's that Thews has linked here in the past few months have had super nice Wings Down steering wheels.
And I wondered the same thing about those .
Wasn't there a company who was able to re-cast them ?

[johnta1]

The 73 GTO was built in Canada.
I think the trim rings were an option on the wheels.

[thews]

$5K with a reserve in Arkansas. How do you turn a 77 T/A SE into the "SPRBNDT"... like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26635845523...Bk9SR-CL5bW4Yg

[Cammer-6]

it was in reference to the 68 with custom trim steering wheel

[Scarebird]

well, we have "day 2" restorations - this is more a "decade 2" job...

[MarkS57]

Originally Posted by thews

Here's a very interesting car with original paint... 73 GTO 4-speed with 44K miles at $21K with a reserve in Oklahoma. Should the honeycombs have trim rings?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27598057699...oAAOSwb-dky-45

That GTO is beautiful. My dad bought a 74 Cutlass with the exact color scheme. It was likewise awesome. If I bought it, I would be tempted to do a 455 SD transplant and change the 400 CID logos to 455 SD. Of course, storing the 400 in case I sold it later (not likely). Wondering, did the 73 GTO have the high beam switch on the column like the Grand Am?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by thews

$5K with a reserve in Arkansas. How do you turn a 77 T/A SE into the "SPRBNDT"... like this:

I suspect those are all period modifications, that IMSA/Mulholland racer look was sort of the style for a while in the 1970s.
There are people who would pay that $5k just for those high end Recaro seats.

[thews]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I suspect those are all period modifications, that IMSA/Mulholland racer look was sort of the style for a while in the 1970s.
There are people who would pay that $5k just for those high end Recaro seats.

I don't know the story on the Recaros. I know they were a thing on the 80-81 Trans AMs, but I'm thinking this car should have a standard T/A interior, so selling the Recaros could be a factor in buying it.

The body modification was done in 1986. In 1986, I would have thought this car was off the charts cool. Now, it would be cooler for it to be returned back to stock. To do that, you'd have to replace the entire front end and rear quarters, because they molded in the flares. Not sure about the rear flares and what goes into installing them? It may be an easier job that I'm assuming. The entire front end is a modified bumper.

The numbers matching engine was rebuilt in 1983 and is in the car. Add that all up:

1) Selling the Recaros.
2) Bodywork.
3) Buying a front end and hood, trunk lid.
4) Buying a set of seats F/R and removing the roll bar.
5) Repaint and graphics

Add that all up, and that's what it would cost to bring this back to stock. Toss in the engine rebuild is done and that's a major plus. If you bought a parts car, that would be the cost of #3 and #4 above. If you bolt the current front end on the parts car, someone would buy it. You're going to need to get rid of the car anyway, so put some lipstick on the pig. They made a ton of Trans A/M's from 70 - 81. All the fenders/hood and nose combination bolts onto the front fenders, so there's a lot of fenders and hoods out there. I have a perfect white T/A trunk lid in my stash of Pontiacs I can probably only get $100 for on Craigslist. I know the 77 - 79 Trans AM hood would fit on a 77. Pretty sure the 80-81 T/A hoods would work too.

This all hinges on the reserve. You'd have to add it all up to see if it was a positive ROI, but what you'd wind up with would me a numbers matching rebuilt engine 77 SE Black Trans AM. IMO there's money to be made and wind up with a NM car.



Some info on the car:
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/07...auction-bound/

Mechum:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/531686/19...c-trans-am-se/

[Scarebird]

Originally Posted by thews

...The body modification was done in 1986. In 1986, I would have thought this car was off the charts cool. Now, it would be cooler for it to be returned back to stock. To do that, you'd have to replace the entire front end and rear quarters, because they molded in the flares. Not sure about the rear flares and what goes into installing them? It may be an easier job that I'm assuming.

This is a subjective thing - some may like the IMSA thing better.

That said, by the time you buy the car, shovel 3x the amount into it you thought you would and return it to stock the whole "Bandit nostalgia" fad may have passed and you are under water.

[thews]

Originally Posted by Scarebird

This is a subjective thing - some may like the IMSA thing better.

That said, by the time you buy the car, shovel 3x the amount into it you thought you would and return it to stock the whole "Bandit nostalgia" fad may have passed and you are under water.

That might be true, but it all depends on the reserve on this car. If you're someone who knows how to to do bodywork, or better yet have a contact to do the work, it may not be that bad. I don't know the market for these cars. The Mecum one only had 14 miles on it and I don't know how much it sold for.

The Trans AM's went nuts in 76 and 77 when Smokey and the Bandit was released, so they made a lot of them. I toss out a ballpark price for a 77 T/A SE is about $40K - $50K.

Tribute 77 T/A SE ebid up to $27K, but that may not have been real.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31472487134...p2047675.l2557


Here's a real 77 T/A that bid up to $45K and didn't sell. Again, with all cars that fail to meet the reserve, the bids may not be real.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16621144241...p2047675.l2557

[thews]

Lots of green cars. 70 GTO Judge tribute that's not a tribute as it's a real GTO in NC at $38K BIN. Remove the 17 inch wheels, poser Judge stripes and wing, and that stupid "400-4" sticker on the air cleaner and this car is worth more. Not a fan of this car.

.https://www.ebay.com/itm/31475481964...cAAOSw069kzpkf