[Transamric]

These are the type of "restorations" that I totally don't get. I just don't understand why someone would do something like this. Enlighten me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322001847512...7512&viewitem=

['ol Pinion head]

I've never got it either. In the 90's and early 00's I parted and cut up two such early nose transformations. One of them had a popup sunroof and shag carpet on the package tray area.

[cal30_sniper]

Seems simple enough to me. They like the look of the 70-73 T/A but don't want to pay $20k+ for a nice example.

Honestly, the red/orange engine paint and cheap air cleaner bother me a lot more than the bumper swap.

[Norwood]

I get it, just don't like it.

[Overkillphil]

Easy to put this back to a 76 nose if that's your thing. Owner is at a disadvantage as a seller in this case.

[Scarebird]

well, my 79 T/A had that fugly nose. Some like them - I do not, especially since the transition from curvy body to square nose was kinda abrupt. The square rear bumper of the 79 did not match either, so the 70-72 rear was welded into place. If this car was a TATA or W72 I would have sold it as is, but it was a drivetrain-less 403 roller with baby blue interior.

[Overkillphil]

I agree, one more nice looking Bird on the street. And some of the later plane Jane birds were just crying for a makeover. It's nice that Pontiac kept the sheet metal consistent.

[funkybird]

This forum caters for the pinnacle of the classic car market. The knowledge and attention to detail you guys put into this sites content, & your cars, is frankly unbelievable, and I love it.

But the car market has different layers

Lots of 'car guys' are NOT into collecting cars for their value, they just like the way a car looks or performs.

As a result they don't give a stuff about originality or matching numbers. And as Cal30 sys they can own a (fake) TA and live the dream for a fraction of the cost. Of course its never going to achieve the value of an original TA, but they've invested less anyway.

And outside of this 'hard core Pontiac' community, how many folks would notice the mismatched bumpers?

I probably wouldn't notice similarly mismatched bumpers, or spot the 'fake' Road Runner on a classic MOPAR at a cruise night, as Im just not that interested in MOPARs

Its different horses for different courses!

[Larry Navarro]

At least he didn't take a numbers matching '70 t/a and mess it up.
That would start a similar thread as to "WHY".
good start to a pro-touring car project.

[The Boss]

Not sure why but there have been a few similar ones on craigslist lately using 70,1,2 & 3 noses on later cars - one in particular was a 79. Not horrible, probably a lot of fun to drive - could abuse it without remorse.

[giles]

Some people are pragmatists. I have a friend who was an original owner of a 70 TA. He sold it in the 90s because it only had 8k miles and was afraid to drive it. I should rephrase that; he was afraid to enjoy it. So he built a car nearly identical to the eBay ad. I think it was a 75 4spd car. Built a 455, added a 70 nose, white paint and blue stripe. He was not afraid to drive it or park it anywhere. Sounds kind of liberating!

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by giles

Some people are pragmatists. I have a friend who was an original owner of a 70 TA. He sold it in the 90s because it only had 8k miles and was afraid to drive it. I should rephrase that; he was afraid to enjoy it. So he built a car nearly identical to the eBay ad. I think it was a 75 4spd car. Built a 455, added a 70 nose, white paint and blue stripe. He was not afraid to drive it or park it anywhere. Sounds kind of liberating!

This sounds like me!! My numbers cars sat, while the drivers got the "key turned"
The car here,in this thread, I just dislike the damn MSD box.. there are so many now, that someday people will think they are stock and cant run without the multiple sparks! LOL
I would drive a late 70's with a 72 nose, No problems, and have fun !!

[bird72]

I would feel "funny" motorin' up to a Poncho show in one. But I bet the 79-81 bird owners would welcome you and hang... (OK, maybe / ).... I just take it they wish they had a real 70-73 and it is a compliment. That is the "why".... nice driver lo po 70-73 cars start at 12K so that is basement market short of projects. 79 and up, spend sub 8K on really clean TA slam nose, shoot paint on maybe just it only and one has a TA way cheaper than any 70-73 even clone, so it is I think a compliment by those that are on a budget and dig 70-73, I guess..

[unruhjonny]

I get it to a point...

What I don't et, is that it appears as though the guy cheaped out at the last minute - I mean, I get that somoene likes the looks of a white 70-72 car, but why cheap out on the stripes/decals?
The car could have been painted in virtually any colour combination used between 1973 & 1977 and used the corresponding bird & decals.

The car would look best IMHO if the car was done up with a bird in 73-77 fashion, or would look better if the tail lamps had white frames, and the decals/stripes were correct for a 70-72 car.

But that's just my two cents

[694.1]

Saw my "fatasy car" at a show last summer. That is a car that when 17, would have been the pinnacle of my teenage experience.
77 T/A, Candy apple red, big flairs, big tires, Side pipes etc., etc.
I just shook my head & smiled.
Kinda like a 50 year old gal today with Farrah hair!

[dreamn69]

So 79-81 guys are less serious about there birds than early bird owners? That's funny. Sub 8k on a real clean TA? Funny again. Any clean TA is no longer in that price range. Personally, either go all the way Pro -Touring or don't mod at all because if you do mod to this extent, it just looks hacked and unfinished. I look at cars like this as some little backyard flipper trying to get by as cheap as possible to make some dough off the uneducated. It's also a 76 Formula, not a TA.

[71GP76TA]

I'd rather go without a Firebird... then buy something like that.. Sorry... but I'd be embarrassed to own/drive something like that..

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by 71GP76TA

I'd rather go without a Firebird... then buy something like that.. Sorry... but I'd be embarrassed to own/drive something like that..

not me.

I'd just get rid of the tacky/cheap stripe job, and decal it up with a blue bird, and corresponding "Trans Am" script decals.

I get that people prefer the bumperless look that the 70-73's have, but like I said earlier, it looks like the guy who did it cheaped out at the last minute;
To that effect, I think it would have ended up looking nicer with NO stripes or decals, than the way it was done.

[cal30_sniper]

Originally Posted by unruhjonny

not me.

I'd just get rid of the tacky/cheap stripe job, and decal it up with a blue bird, and corresponding "Trans Am" script decals.

I get that people prefer the bumperless look that the 70-73's have, but like I said earlier, it looks like the guy who did it cheaped out at the last minute;
To that effect, I think it would have ended up looking nicer with NO stripes or decals, than the way it was done.

This makes sense. The halfway done decals are a glaring mark on an otherwise visually appealing car. I also think it would look better with proper stripes or a bird.

I can't go as far as some of the other folks here though. You guys are the creme-de-la-creme of the enthusiast world, most people out there just never reach that level, nor care to. As someone who has yearned after a 70-73 for years, and is finally able to afford one only by doing nearly 100% of the restoration work myself, I can see how the early cars appeal to enthusiasts who will never be able to afford them.

How many of you got into these cars when you were a bit younger before the Barrett Jackson and rotisserie restoration craze, when you could get a NICE well optioned car for 4-6k? Would you be willing to go back to the same point in your life and spend 20-30k on the same car? The ridiculously elevated price of this hobby in the last decade is making it near impossible for the average enthusiast to get their foot into the door with anything respectable (without going into massive amounts of debt at least). The more astronomical the prices go, the more clones we see. I don't see that trend reversing anytime soon.

I think most of your Chebby, Ford, MOPAR, Olds, and Buick guys at a show or cruise-in wouldn't even notice the difference on this car, at least at first glance. That being said, the owner probably achieved what he was looking for at a discount price. I'm sure he wouldn't be happier driving around a rusty V6 Espirit. I certainly wouldn't.

[nas t eh]

I love my chrome rear bumper but think the 76-78 rear bumper matches well with the 70-73 nose. I would have painted the car Lucy blue with the right decal stripes, made the shaker correct and put a Pontiac color on the motor. As others have said that car can be driven like you stole it.