74 Grand Am SD455 value
 

Recently picked up a 74 Grand Am SD 455 car, swivel buckets, and all the option that you could order on the car, even the flat chrome valve covers, Pontiac II rally wheels, white exterior, burgundy interior., 67k original miles, nice no rust car.

I know the SD455 option is rare on these cars, just looking or a price range or value

Thanks Tom

No photos, no way to place a value.

NO SD 455 came in a Grand Am from factory! (or anything else other than Firebird)


:jaw:

Agree on the SD455 not being available (notwithstanding that one promotional photo that shows a Grand Am with SD455 decals on it.) Were swivel bucket seats available in Pontiacs? I thought that was just a Chevy option.

Yep no SD Grand Am

It would be awesome to see pictures of the car you have.

I will get picks later not get it ti the snow has stopped

I believe there was at least on 73 running around in the Florida area about twenty years ago with a SD455. I like the GAs, and I saw one for sale with a SD bottom end topped off with a 72 HO intake. I believe the car was also a 4-spd, but I'm not sure if it was converted or was originally manually tranny car.

Many years ago remember reading about someone building "correct" tribute car. maybe HPP?

Wasn't there a White publicity car that did not actually have an SD but was used for press pics before the idea was nixed?

" I know the SD455 option is rare on these cars, just looking or a price range or value"...

Agree with everyone that says No SD-455 was ever factory built and sold to the Public in an A body

Love to see the Pics to. Especially Of the heads center exhaust Ports.

Still a Valuable and Neat car, especially if it really has an SD-455 actually in the engine Bay

Gregg Peterson and Herb Adams (of Pontiac) had the SD GA in Florida and ran it in the NASCAR race I believe. It was an engineering car. Both of them drove it back from Florida to MI. But the Grand Am was never offered the SD or any car except the TA/Formula.


This article has one being demonstrated by car editors.


:)

Also available on the Olds Cutlass. But agreed - I've never seen them in a Pontiac from the factory.

Somewhere on Facebook there was a lucerne blue 1974 Grand Am 4 door with white interior offered as a part out, and the owner indicated the car was available for $800.

If I had the resources I would have definitely bought it and eventually given it an SD455.

Hope someone with greater resources had that idea and acted upon it. Looked really good to my eye with that color combo.

I know it sounds like piling on at this point but:

1.) The SD-455 engine was only available in the Trans Am and the Formula in '73 and '74. If this '74 Grand Am you've found has a SD-455, it was owner installed.

2.) Swivel bucket seats were not an option on the Grand Am in any year. These seats were only available in the Chevelle/Laguna, Monte Carlo, and I believe Cutlass (although I've never personally seen a Cutlass with them).

Yes, Cutlass had them. The seat in my 69 GP dirt car was from a 73-74 Cutlass that I personally pulled from the car. With the swivel base removed, it made a great mounting point to tie it into the roll cage, something that a conventional automotive seat isn't very well designed to accomplish.

I never realized it, but it was also a option on El Caminos. Looks like Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Laguna, and El Camino, from 73-77. I've never seen a El Camino with them, but there are pictures on the net installed in El Caminos too, said to be OEM parts, not added after manufacture.

[QUOTE=Brian Baker;6220774

2.) Swivel bucket seats were not an option on the Grand Am in any year. These seats were only available in the Chevelle/Laguna, Monte Carlo, and I believe Cutlass (although I've never personally seen a Cutlass with them).[/QUOTE]

My first car (purchased in 1982...) was a 75 Cutlass S that had them. It was a cool feature.

I had a '76 455 442 Cutlass that had factory swivel buckets.

Back in the day. The article about the Grand Am that never was. Was built by Jack Hoffman. A true version of what was suppose to be but never made production.

The white '73 Super Duty Grand Am test mule was featured in the November 1972 issue of Road test magazine. Despite rumors that it made its way to the public, Tom Goad told me that the car was crushed.

I know this car very well, have tuned it and driven it. It's currently owned by an old friend, Phil Griffith. I went with Phil when he bought the car from Jack back around 1996. Jack explained in detail how the order process went, and how delivery went, when he bought it new. Jack retained all of the original dealer paperwork for the car, which Phil now has.

I've visited Jack a few times in the past. He is a great Guy. I hope he is still around ? I have memories of sitting in his shop and talk about the good old days..

According to Pontiac production records one SD-455 Ram Air A-body with a production VIN was built in 1973. It might have been the Grand Am engineering car that was crushed.

Any SD-455 in a Grand Am would have been installed after it left the factory.

Chrome valve covers were not an option on these. It was a popular owner upgrade as they were readily available from the parts department or the used market.

As Brian said, swivel bucket seats were not an option on the Grand Am in any year, but and easy parts change.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the owner's car. I just want to put some known information out there. As we all know in this hobby "never say never." Some dealers would 'customize' cars before they left the lot and many of us have added options to our cars over the years.
A highly optioned Grand Am was likely special ordered rather than dealer stock.

It sounds like a very interesting car and we'd like to see more.

Just run the PHS and you will know how it is built.

The VIN will tell which engine option it was built with - from 1972 upwards.
You could get the "regular" 455 in the Grand Am's , probably the Y vin code character.

Have seen some really nice ones.
And known of several converted to SD455 ,,, 30+ years ago.

In the 80's - 90's there was a 4-door Grand Am with 455 and Honeycomb wheels in my girlfriends neighborhood. They bought it new.
Was a sharp looking/odd looking 4-Door
7.4 Liter chrome emblems on it

Rare might not be the best term - unborn is probably closer

But you can expect the engine to be worth probably at least 10k depending on how many factory pieces are present.
Intake, carb, EGR valve, PCV valve cover cap, just those pieces add up pretty substantial if they are SD pieces.

Many years ago there was a 73 Grand Am advertised as a SD455 car. This was probably in Hemmings. I called on the car and got the VIN. It had the code for the regular 455 - Y code in the VIN, not an X. I ran the PHS just for fun; it was a very high optioned burgundy 2-door and was I think a "brass-hat" car. I didn't follow up with the seller but I don't think it had the SD engine in it.

It amazes me to look at the 1973 car order form and see how many cars could have come with a SD455 - if such was allowed; even the Grand Prix. But, that Martin Caserio sure had a bug up his behind about selling such.

He came from the truck division and knew fleet sales and bread-and-butter vehicles, not so much about the value of image and performance. Very much a numbers guy.

It’s not so bad the SD never made it into a Grand Am but it’s a shame it wasn’t offered in a 74 GTO that would have been a runner.