[Gen2guy]

I just realized I never posted pics of my new project TA. It's a 78 W72 four speed with a 3.42 rearend. It came from the plant Platinum silver with Carmine cloth interior but had a complete color change to Mayan Red a long time ago. The body VIN is on the WC block and on the BW T-10 trans and the rearend is date coded correct and has a good bit of options. The carb is original and I just had it rebuilt and reinstalled it. The car runs and drives really good and seems to have been left all stock from what I can tell. I painted the Vector wheels gold and added some new Cooper tires. The wheels I've had since 1978 and have been on 4 FBody birds and 2 Z28's and 1 69 Vette I always pull them off before I sell a car. After my daughter's wedding in a couple of months I'll do a complete restoration job on this car. Y'all have been a big help so far and I look forward to doing alot more brain picking with the great group on this site. Here are some pics.

[Gen2guy]

A few more pics.

[Gary H]

Great car, nicely optioned!

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by Gary H

Great car, nicely optioned!

Thanks Gary it's a really good car to build back to what it once was. 99% of the parts that you can't see in the pics are in the trunk ready to be refurbished.

[78w72]

very nice car! may i suggest going back to the original silver when you restore it? IMO, silver with red interior is one of the best looking color combos for these cars, & original color almost always is worth more $$.

but i may be a little biased since my first t/a back in highschool was a silver/red W72 WS6 4speed T/A with fisher t-tops. bought it from a friend that shelled out the 4 speed & pulled the 400 to rebuild it but found a 455/TH400 from a wrecked 74 t/a for $500 that he installed instead & let the 400 block sit outside for a couple years... then threw the dang thing away!!

then when searching for another one to restore 20+ years later i found a black on red 78 W72 WS6 #'s matching & planned to do it silver like my old beloved t/a but when i saw it was low miles & original i decided to keep it black because of what i sad above that its probably worth more in the original color. so my vote is to go back to the original color of platinum silver!

[Skip Fix]

Vector wheels?

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

Vector wheels?

Yes Skip I've had them since 1978 and when the Dukes of Hazzard came on in 79 all of us that had them painted them black. I just painted them gold for this TA

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 78w72

very nice car! may i suggest going back to the original silver when you restore it? IMO, silver with red interior is one of the best looking color combos for these cars, & original color almost always is worth more $$.

but i may be a little biased since my first t/a back in highschool was a silver/red W72 WS6 4speed T/A with fisher t-tops. bought it from a friend that shelled out the 4 speed & pulled the 400 to rebuild it but found a 455/TH400 from a wrecked 74 t/a for $500 that he installed instead & let the 400 block sit outside for a couple years... then threw the dang thing away!!

then when searching for another one to restore 20+ years later i found a black on red 78 W72 WS6 #'s matching & planned to do it silver like my old beloved t/a but when i saw it was low miles & original i decided to keep it black because of what i sad above that its probably worth more in the original color. so my vote is to go back to the original color of platinum silver!

Well 78w I've struggled with that since finding out it's a code #15 car. I had four criteria in what is my last TA build and ownership because of my age 1. Mayan Red color 2. W72 engine 3. Four speed 4. Hurst hatches 5. Rust or nearly rust free. My goal was to build a Mayan red TA with all the gold accents both on the exterior and interior that are found on the SE Trans Am's in other words a Red Bandit TA. This will be the first FBody that I haven't restored back the way it left the plant.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by Gen2guy

Well 78w I've struggled with that since finding out it's a code #15 car. I had four criteria in what is my last TA build and ownership because of my age 1. Mayan Red color 2. W72 engine 3. Four speed 4. Hurst hatches 5. Rust or nearly rust free. My goal was to build a Mayan red TA with all the gold accents both on the exterior and interior that are found on the SE Trans Am's in other words a Red Bandit TA. This will be the first FBody that I haven't restored back the way it left the plant.

to each their own, i believe in its your car so build it how you want... but when its somewhat rare & #'s matching, i have a hard time doing a color swap or too many mods. i'm not really a red car guy, i have a 72 firebird that was cardinal red, i decided to paint it a medium charcoal silver but it was a base model 350 bird with no motor when i got it.

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 78w72

to each their own, i believe in its your car so build it how you want... but when its somewhat rare & #'s matching, i have a hard time doing a color swap or too many mods. i'm not really a red car guy, i have a 72 firebird that was cardinal red, i decided to paint it a medium charcoal silver but it was a base model 350 bird with no motor when i got it.

I still have 2 months before I start on this car because I'm waiting until my daughter's wedding is done and over so I'm in the collecting parts portion of the build. I'm really one that likes to go back with the way it left the plant and have won the World of Wheels twice with F-Body cars so it's really weighing on me. As you point out it's a matching car and basically untouched. So things could change very easily. I won with this 77 Z28 in 2017

[77 TRASHCAN]

I was considering one of those Z28’s when they came back out. Glad I bought my TA. The 77 Z28’s were pretty much a decal package.

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

I was considering one of those Z28’s when they came back out. Glad I bought my TA. The 77 Z28’s were pretty much a decal package.

The 77 Z28 would have never come back in 77 if it weren't for the success of the Smokey and the Bandit movie. Once the Chevrolet brass saw the TA sales take off they felt they had to do something. The LM-1 350 is the same engine that was in the Caprice and all the other 350 powered vehicles. They had only 175 hp you had to have a 4-speed to have any kind fun, they were real pigs. At least the TA looked 100% better and the RTS Suspension was a hell of alot better than the Z28 suspension. 77Trashcan they were 100% a decal package.

[694.1]

Next time you pull those wheel off....I might be game

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 78w72

to each their own, i believe in its your car so build it how you want... but when its somewhat rare & #'s matching, i have a hard time doing a color swap or too many mods. i'm not really a red car guy, i have a 72 firebird that was cardinal red, i decided to paint it a medium charcoal silver but it was a base model 350 bird with no motor when i got it.

78w sounds like you're a silver car guy, you had a silver TA then you bought and changed your red Firebird to charcoal silver. I like red and black plus I'm a Ga. Bull Dawg fan both my company trucks are red and I just sold my red Vette and years ago I sold my red 74 SD.

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 694.1

Next time you pull those wheel off....I might be game

Hey 69 they are making them again and you can have a new set sitting on your door step for $550 I've had this set since I was 18 in 78 I just can't part with them.

[694.1]

What I meant was, when you sell the car & move the wheels to the next one, I might be interested in the Bird!

[78w72]

Originally Posted by Gen2guy

78w sounds like you're a silver car guy, you had a silver TA then you bought and changed your red Firebird to charcoal silver. I like red and black plus I'm a Ga. Bull Dawg fan both my company trucks are red and I just sold my red Vette and years ago I sold my red 74 SD.

yes very much so, the silver 78's WS6 cars are so nice looking with the argent snowflakes & red/charcoal decals & a red or black interior. & the silver cars are not very common. i will bug you a couple times before you paint it to go back to silver!

i like some of other peoples red cars, but that would be my last choice for most muscle cars, all personal preference i guess.

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 694.1

What I meant was, when you sell the car & move the wheels to the next one, I might be interested in the Bird!

Lol oh I totally missed that one 69, no this Bird is a keeper.

[Gen2guy]

Originally Posted by 78w72

yes very much so, the silver 78's WS6 cars are so nice looking with the argent snowflakes & red/charcoal decals & a red or black interior. & the silver cars are not very common. i will bug you a couple times before you paint it to go back to silver!



i like some of other peoples red cars, but that would be my last choice for most muscle cars, all personal preference i guess.

Damn you 78w now I got to paint my Vectors for the 2nd time in a week to argent lol. Heck this art print even has the Hurst Hatches like mine and not the Fisher tops.

[TAKerry]

Looks like a nice solid project. Your car paint it they way you want. Deviating from original isn't going to hurt the value, it may increase it (resale red). I could take or leave a silver car, and my wifes least favorite colour for a car is silver. She still hasn't gotten over the '93 grand Cherokee-yes it was silver!, LOL. The only silver car she has ever taken a liking to is a Tenth Anniv. car. We saw one at a show and she said 'for silver, that one doesn't look too bad'. Just so happens that's what Im restoring now.