[Gordy Doyle]

Keith in Naples had a great idea to start a new thread on the unique features of 73's.
He has two sail panels one from the early 73 style and the other from later style.
If you didn't already know the difference in the sail panels determines which headliner was used. Fabric first and then the cardboard backed one in later 73-81. I think that's correct?

Look forward to any input in this thread.
Thank You
Gordy

[Gordy Doyle]

Keith in Naples had a great idea to start a new thread on the unique features of 73's.
He has two sail panels one from the early 73 style and the other from later style.
If you didn't already know the difference in the sail panels determines which headliner was used. Fabric first and then the cardboard backed one in later 73-81. I think that's correct?

Look forward to any input in this thread.
Thank You
Gordy

[Gordy Doyle]

Wow I just bacame a senior member somehow.
Thanks

I've always thought it cool that 73 was first to get the SD in the timeless style. And first to give the bird .. all the way across the hood.
The "authorities" did make us pay for it though. Stricter Regulations
front and rear bumpers, stricter emissions stuff like that secret agent EGR valve the EPA nixed once discovered. At least Pontiac was planning on some super duty raw power that year. Imagine if the gas crisis would have occured a few months earlier like while the plant was on strike the previous year. Yikes we're lucky to even have 73 Trans Ams.

Somewhere on a website not too far away I heard that the 73 SD was the fastest production of the year and held the title something like 17 years until the corvette zr1.

course there aren't many SD's around. I've only seen one in my life. The SD I saw was at Larry Cooper's Fabulous Firebirds here in Missouri. It was outside, rusted, a bare shell. To be honest it's the only early TA that actually looked worse than my "car" looked when we (and I do mean we) carried and carted it home two years ago. Actually that's not true. At least the SD had quarters on it. And he did have the drivetrain. To his credit, the drivetrain at least was inside. It needed rebuilding and he wanted something like 15 grand for it. It was cool to look at. Not quite sure what I was looking at but way cool just the same.

[Gordy Doyle]

Jump in any time if I get my facts mixed up.

Snap On Tools made a Commemorative edition Firebird Tool Box (I guess when the Firebird was mothballed). Frickin huge and definetely super duty. It's about six feet tall, three feet deep and about seven feet long. It has super stout brass handles and locks that are as high quality strong as a Pontiac Main cap Bolt.
It's black with gold trim. It has a picture of the 73 SD Trans Am on the inside of the top (along with some other cool lookin birds)
It has Firebird emblems on it like those from the first gen. cars. This tool box is the ultimate box. Of course it costs about as much as an SD engine core but if you're interested let me know it's for sale. I think it could be bought for about eight grand. They tell me that's a good deal. Never used but does have some minor damage on the back side.
It's built in true Pontiac fashion. Snap On: Hats Off for representing us so stoutly.

[Dens71TA]

You're correct on the sail panels. The first style was used from 1970 to mid-1973 and was for the bow-type stretched headliner. This style used smooth metal stamped trim for the A-pillars and over the door glass.

When GM switched to the cardboard backed headliner they changed the design of all the headliner trim. The trim above the side windows was made of plastic and clipped onto the sail panels. This style sail panel was only used for half a year because the '74 sail panels included a coat hanger.

Another thing to note is the radiator support to fender corner bracing in the engine compartment. The '73 style bolts to the rubber bushing on the nose. The '74-75 ends at the front of the radiator support. I have seen a few '73s at car shows where the owner mistakenly installed the later style to replace missing originals ...

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[Dens71TA]

Oh yeah ... Did anyone know that the '73 Firebird is half-inch longer than a '70-72 Firebird? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Take a look at the rear bumper of a '70-72 and '73. Notice the '73 bumper sticks out farther? GM had to lengthen the bumper brackets for 1973 due to the bumper laws imposed that year.

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[poncho-mike]

There are a lot of unique and odd-ball things about the 73 T/A. I have owned a couple over the years, including the 73 SD455 car and a wrecked 73 455 4-spd car I own now.

Heres a summary of what I know:

1) Endura bumper is different, and more heavily reinforced than 70-72.

2) The rear bumper mounting brackets were longer. They simply spaced the standard bumper out farther from the body to pass bumper laws.

3) Radiator support is one year only (bolts on bottom of sub-frame and as recess for supports).

4) The fenders are one year only items. They have the fender brace mounts and mounting for metal valance panel. I believe the inner fenders may also be a one year only item.

5) I believe that Pontiac used two different styles of seatbelts in 73.

6) Pontiac used two different colors of engine paint because of the fiasco with the EPA.

7) As far as I know, 73 was the first year for radial tires on the T/A. I think the radial tuned suspension was offered for the first time too.

8) There were two different valance panels used in 73, the plastic one and the metal one.

9) 73 was the first year for the horse collar seats.

10) There were two different styles of headliners and trim panels used.

Here are a few other oddities I found.

1) My 73 SD455 has LS1 written on the bottom of the core support in chalk.

2) My 74 SD455 also has a hobble-rolled crank. One article on the SD455 stated that Pontiac considered doing that but didn't. The crank in my engine was original and I took photos.

3) Somebody marked their initials on the engine in my 73 SD455, apparently at the factory.

There are probably other things missed, but t his is what I have personally seen.

Mike

[fast1970transam]

any body own a brewster green 73 t/a?

**** breaks, then u buy the good stuff

[Dens71TA]

Here's the first style sail panel used for '70-73 with bow-type headliner. Note the metal trim above the side window and the push-on windlace on the rear.

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[Dens71TA]

This is the mid-'73 sail panel for the cardboard(masonite) headliners. Note the plastic trim above the side window slips over the end of the sail panel and the trim on the rear window is made of metal and attached with screws.

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

['ol Pinion head]

Dennis, that deluxe blue interior looks sweet!


<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fast1970transam:
any body own a brewster green 73 t/a?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Current early 2nd Gen's...
'73 4spd brewster green/deluxe saddle
'72 4spd white/deluxe black
'70 4spd lucerne blue/deluxe blue

[73redTA]

Yep thats the sail panels I was talking about in the other post. I currently have a driver's side late model and a pass. side early model.

Anybody have a nice pass. side late model '73 sail panel they want to sell? Every panel I found when I was restoring mine had the back 3-4" rotted off from the sun.

Keith

[Gordy Doyle]

Keith or Dennis,
I'm sorry but still can't tell the difference. What is physically different about the two sail panels. I see what your describing about the headliner but mine weren't ever in the car so I can't use the headliner to determine which is which. I'm hoping they're the 1/2 year one since they are in good shape.
It's kind of funny they sat hanging off a shelf in my basement for over a year. I got on this website and learned a little something and I bet I've moved them at least three times in the last month or so trying to keep them safe. Would it help if I got the oe numbers off them?

[Dens71TA]

Gordy, I pulled a sail panel from my June 1973 build '73 Trans Am just for you! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] (I needed a reason to pull the headliner to get it recovered anyway)

Look at the red circles. Notice how its different from the pic above from my '71 T/A blue interior? The '71 goes on TOP of the side window trim where as the mid-'73 style is made to have the side window trim slip over the sail panel. Also the part for the rear window trim is designed the same way on the '73.

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[Dens71TA]

I just noticed that the sail panels in the '73 have the cutouts ready for the coat hangers used in '74 Firebirds. My '71 sail panels do not have this.

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[Dens71TA]

Whoa! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] My car really was built late in the model year. The headliner has "6/22/73" handwritten on the backside. Was there even a month left of production?

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[Gordy Doyle]

Too cool.
Just ran down stairs to check. Looks like they are the later style like you circled but on the back I don't see the coathanger cutout.
I'll check for date.

[Gordy Doyle]

Don't see a date but see some
numbers 9666760 RH and 9666761 LH and both say:"REV 22"

It's really interesting the oe numbers both look like another number was ground down and restamped as a revision Or is it just getting late?
Gordy

[Dens71TA]

Mine say 1973 9666760 / 1974 9726295 RH and 1973 9666761 / 1974 9726296 LH. Both say Rev 23. My guess would be since my '73 T/A was made so late in the model year GM decided to make the molds the same and just use a machine to stamp out the hole for the coat hanger in 1974. It's probably safe to say that your car had a cardboard headliner.

1971 Trans Am 455 HO - Cameo white
1973 Trans Am 455 - Buccaneer red
1984 Trans Am 305 - Royal blue

[Gordy Doyle]

It's odd that mine doesn't have the cutouts. Do your numbers look molded into the peice. Mine are stamped afterward. See that folks more oddities discovered right here.

Keep up the great effort!
Gordy