[Scarebird]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNCc4At1t4U

Not one of his garage episodes, but driving about commenting on the TA and other things.

[sdbob]

To calm,more noise, more speed! Mine seems to want that,maybe I'm nuts. Thank you.

[ta6point6]

I think their drive pretty much sums up what most people do not get about a Trans Am. They scoff at the horsepower number and the long hood. People see the big hood bird and instantly assume it is just a car with a marketing gimmick. Then you drive one and see how it handles and the HP rating is insignificant comparted to the low end torque of the car. The more you drive it the more you can just relax and cruise in the TA. Everything just came together right in the 2nd Gen Trans Am in my opinion. You could see how those guys genuinely enjoyed driving the TA the more seat time they had. I like how Jay said Jerry Reed should have won the Academy Award for East Bound and Down. Also the part on how they enjoyed the steering wheel feel although you know it is going to kill you one day lol.

[82-T/A]

Originally Posted by ta6point6

I think their drive pretty much sums up what most people do not get about a Trans Am. They scoff at the horsepower number and the long hood. People see the big hood bird and instantly assume it is just a car with a marketing gimmick.

Is this a thing? I've never heard anyone bash a 2nd Gen, other than the usual culture-related comments associated with owning an F-body and being on blocks and nonsense like that. But I've never really seen any ill-will towards them from real car enthusiasts?

Originally Posted by ta6point6

Then you drive one and see how it handles and the HP rating is insignificant comparted to the low end torque of the car. The more you drive it the more you can just relax and cruise in the TA. Everything just came together right in the 2nd Gen Trans Am in my opinion. You could see how those guys genuinely enjoyed driving the TA the more seat time they had. I like how Jay said Jerry Reed should have won the Academy Award for East Bound and Down. Also the part on how they enjoyed the steering wheel feel although you know it is going to kill you one day lol.

Man, I totally agree... I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the 1st gen, and I also like the 3rd gen, and I also really like the 4th gen, nothing like a 2002 WS6 TransAm w/ LS1. But the 2nd gen... you just cannot beat that styling... it's unlike anything we'll ever see again. The hardest thing for me is trying to figure out which style I like better... the more sedate and simple 70-74, or the more gawdy 79-81... I like both equally.

I can't really fault the 74... I don't know the specs, but didn't they seriously drop compression after 1971? If you rebuilt a 74 Pontiac 455 the way Pontiac would have preferred... as in... as it was in 1970... what was it... 350+hp and almost 500 ft-lbs of torque? I don't know what it had dropped to by 74, but if I owned a 74 SD... I'd say to hell with concourse, and I'd rebuild that motor the way Pontiac wanted... to ~70 specs, and then I'd keep the engine and everything else looking stock.

[unruhjonny]

i’m about a minute and a half in;
am i the only one bothered by the seat belts up on their necks??

that car needs the belt retainers on the seats.

[gtohurstjudge]

The car is missing the seat belt guides on the sides of the front seats,
and because of that, the seat belts are wrapped around their necks, which would probably break their necks in an accident.

[ta6point6]

Originally Posted by 82-T/A

Is this a thing? I've never heard anyone bash a 2nd Gen, other than the usual culture-related comments associated with owning an F-body and being on blocks and nonsense like that. But I've never really seen any ill-will towards them from real car enthusiasts?

Well I feel it is more towards the 77-81 cars and the rep they got as disco cars. I kind of feel the 70-76 are kind of the forgotten Birds since most did not sell as well. I feel the whole ride that Jay took summed it up, the average persons thoughts on a TA. Jay was taking little digs at the TA and the more he drove it the more they enjoyed it.



Man, I totally agree... I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the 1st gen, and I also like the 3rd gen, and I also really like the 4th gen, nothing like a 2002 WS6 TransAm w/ LS1. But the 2nd gen... you just cannot beat that styling... it's unlike anything we'll ever see again. The hardest thing for me is trying to figure out which style I like better... the more sedate and simple 70-74, or the more gawdy 79-81... I like both equally.

I am with you there with you, hard to beat those rounded headlights and all that low end torque of the 70-76 cars but the styling of the later quad headlight TA is iconic.

I can't really fault the 74... I don't know the specs, but didn't they seriously drop compression after 1971? If you rebuilt a 74 Pontiac 455 the way Pontiac would have preferred... as in... as it was in 1970... what was it... 350+hp and almost 500 ft-lbs of torque? I don't know what it had dropped to by 74, but if I owned a 74 SD... I'd say to hell with concourse, and I'd rebuild that motor the way Pontiac wanted... to ~70 specs, and then I'd keep the engine and everything else looking stock.

One thing that most Trans Am cars have is low end torque at 2k rpm even though the HP numbers were low. Lets not forget the handling of a Trans Am as well

[unruhjonny]

I just noticed this:

Originally Posted by 82-T/A

...I don't know the (1974 compression) specs, but didn't they seriously drop compression after 1971?. ...

to keep it simple, the advertised compression by model year (for performance engines) goes something like this:
1970 = 10.0-10.75:1 (realistically often closer to 9.5:1)
1971-1972 = 8.4:1
1973-1974 = 8.0:1
1975-1979 = 7.6:1 (the 1977-1979 W72 was more than this)