[Mr W72]

Maybe my 1977 W72 was unique. When the car was new, dead stock as delivered from the factory, it would lay down two solid black rubber marks between 88 and 90 ft in first gear, and a healthy squeel when the transmission shifted from first into second gear. The engine would pull fairly hard in first gear all the way up to the factory set 4900 rpm shift point.

[77 Canamman]

No. They were good performers in their day. All of the W72's I've had in the heavier Can Am would do pretty impressive burnouts with stock sized tires and Saf-T-Track diffs. If those with them can't, they need to be tuned.

[Father&Son73T/A]

Ok,I'll send the 79 in to Dave Armstrong in the spring for some other issues anyway,maybe it will fry the 255's to high heaven in a billowing cloud of smoke then?

[FrankieT/A]

I reiterate any car with a manual trans can do a burn out. Also, I remember reading somewhere that those TA's in Smoky and the Bandit had NOS on them. If your manual TA can't do burn out all through first and a few feet of second minimum, something is definitely wrong with your car. I don't care what size tires you have. IMO

[Father&Son73T/A]

Oh it can break loose for about 40-50 ft and chirps into second, but I only brought it up to 4500 rpm done maybe twice,I'm too scared of breaking something on this car....it is a survivor.
But you're not gonna get a smoke show out of it.....but in the spring I hope to come back and say you're right,it'll fry the tires off the rims.
And Hal never mentioned NOS used on the set of STB...in STB II they did......the 301 turbo cars then needed it.
One thing I did forget,in 77/78 a 4spd car had the 3:42 gear,my 79 has the 3:23,.....that could explain some difference.

[gilg]

To burn out the tires like car movie in that sequence you must to have serious engine & transmission and Guts kit!!!!!!!!! (and of course the car its not yours) also he using a lot the rear parking brake to block one rear tire and drift the car and make this nice turns...... look this>>>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZZPalUHlxc

[FrankieT/A]

I've owned my 78 that looks just like the STB car except fisher T Top and handling package since I'm 17 years old. With the exception of the things they did in grass and dirt and of course jumping I have done everyone of those moves trust me. And, I dont want to tell you what I've done to those cars when they werent mine. Those saw some grass and dirt, plus! Tires were cheap back then. Growing up in the seventies me and my friends have punished some cars, I'll tell you what. I've had plenty of those cars when they were plentiful and we didn't give a crap about them! My car has never been wrecked or damaged or anything. Still drives tight. I have been through a few engines though(drag racing in the street). By the time my car was two years old the cat came off duals went on, it had high compression heads, a cam, a turbo 400 and a 4:10. Being in high school with one of those cars....holy mackerel to say the least. Fortunately, I kept my car. By the time I was thirty I started to baby it. By then, everybody I knew that had any kind of cool car had sold theirs. For twenty years straight my parents would ask me "have you sold that car yet?". Now they don't even ask when they see what these cars are worth now. Besides I have three so I think the point is moot.
But I digress, in a lot of those scenes you can see the posi break loose, you can see the E brake in the 180's. We had one Trans Am a 77 that we would stick a pen cap from a Bic pen in the brake release so it wouldn't ratchet and get up to about 70 hit the E brake and do those 180 spins all night long and laugh like idiots. That one scene where he picks up Sally for the first time, that car is obviously a four speed.
Point is, give me a car that I don't have to worry about and you'll be amazed what it will do. LOL

[Father&Son73T/A]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

I've owned my 78 that looks just like the STB car except fisher T Top and handling package since I'm 17 years old. With the exception of the things they did in grass and dirt and of course jumping I have done everyone of those moves trust me. And, I dont want to tell you what I've done to those cars when they werent mine. Those saw some grass and dirt, plus! Tires were cheap back then. Growing up in the seventies me and my friends have punished some cars, I'll tell you what. I've had plenty of those cars when they were plentiful and we didn't give a crap about them! My car has never been wrecked or damaged or anything. Still drives tight. I have been through a few engines though(drag racing in the street). By the time my car was two years old the cat came off duals went on, it had high compression heads, a cam, a turbo 400 and a 4:10. Being in high school with one of those cars....holy mackerel to say the least. Fortunately, I kept my car. By the time I was thirty I started to baby it. By then, everybody I knew that had any kind of cool car had sold theirs. For twenty years straight my parents would ask me "have you sold that car yet?". Now they don't even ask when they see what these cars are worth now. Besides I have three so I think the point is moot.
But I digress, in a lot of those scenes you can see the posi break loose, you can see the E brake in the 180's. We had one Trans Am a 77 that we would stick a pen cap from a Bic pen in the brake release so it wouldn't ratchet and get up to about 70 hit the E brake and do those 180 spins all night long and laugh like idiots. That one scene where he picks up Sally for the first time, that car is obviously a four speed.
Point is, give me a car that I don't have to worry about and you'll be amazed what it will do. LOL

Point taken.......if you're not worried about it yeah you can do a lot with a car.

[Wareagle]

My 76 T/A 455 4 spd could do great smoke shows - Cars used for the movie were 76's with 77 add ons - all about Pontiac Torque - according to Hal Needham they used a Nascar motor for the Jump which would be a SBC no BBC's - thats all .

[street_rodder]

I have read a lot of mis-information here on this topic....

I suggest everyone watch the interviews of Needham, Reynolds and Reed at the end of the Smokey and the Bandit II DVD.

Needham enlightens all of us as to what happened to the Bandit 1 movie cars (by the end of the filming of the movie, they were barely able to keep ONE car together and running)...ALL were totalled from the stunts in the movie....INCLUDING all of the Bufords T Justices Squad cars...

He talks of the Trans Am used during the bridge jump and how it was completely totaled...

And the NUMBER ONE thing he says is he seen a 50th Anniversary (1976 black and gold T/A) in a magazine advertisement and that is what GAVE HIM the idea to even make the movie....BUT, by the time he got to production, the new model year had already been started (1977) and contracted with Pontiac to give him 7 cars to make the movie and use them as a promotion for Pontiac.....

[Father&Son73T/A]

Originally Posted by street_rodder

I have read a lot of mis-information here on this topic....

I suggest everyone watch the interviews of Needham, Reynolds and Reed at the end of the Smokey and the Bandit II DVD.

Needham enlightens all of us as to what happened to the Bandit 1 movie cars (by the end of the filming of the movie, they were barely able to keep ONE car together and running)...ALL were totalled from the stunts in the movie....INCLUDING all of the Bufords T Justices Squad cars...

He talks of the Trans Am used during the bridge jump and how it was completely totaled...

And the NUMBER ONE thing he says is he seen a 50th Anniversary (1976 black and gold T/A) in a magazine advertisement and that is what GAVE HIM the idea to even make the movie....BUT, by the time he got to production, the new model year had already been started (1977) and contracted with Pontiac to give him 7 cars to make the movie and use them as a promotion for Pontiac.....

.........um ok,but why is the interior shots in some scenes 76 deluxe interior,with the horse collar seats?.....and why the gold honeycombs(76 LE perhaps?) in the scene after the Coors heist where the TA is in front of the Texarkana sign?.........screams 1976 with 77 parts put on to me............and the movie was made in 1976

[FrankieT/A]

Doesn't 77 with deluxe have horse collar seats?

[77 Canamman]

All of the LeMans used in the first Smokey film were definitely 1977 models. The light blue interior color was never used in any 1976 model. Now, I certainly believe that some of the Trans Ams were 1976 models with 1977 hoods, shakers, noses, and wheels added. The Texarkana sign Trans Am most certainly had Honeycombs, making it a 1976 LE. The movie filming began in late August/Sept. 1976, so the 1977 models were just coming out.



Let's not forget the 1976 door panel pull straps...

[Wareagle]

Originally Posted by 77 Canamman

All of the LeMans used in the first Smokey film were definitely 1977 models. The light blue interior color was never used in any 1976 model. Now, I certainly believe that some of the Trans Ams were 1976 models with 1977 hoods, shakers, noses, and wheels added. The Texarkana sign Trans Am most certainly had Honeycombs, making it a 1976 LE. The movie filming began in late August/Sept. 1976, so the 1977 models were just coming out.



Let's not forget the 1976 door panel pull straps...

Definitely a 76 .

[Father&Son73T/A]

Originally Posted by Wareagle

Definitely a 76 .

Not sure,but look at the side view of the nose,single round headlight?

[Wareagle]

Originally Posted by Father&Son73T/A

Not sure,but look at the side view of the nose,single round headlight?

Took a look at the 76-77 sideviews - this does look like a 76 - Pretty close though . Couple of pics 1st 1976 T/A - 2nd 1977 T/A .

Just for fun instead of the Chevy thing - For performance wise Certain Pontiac Dealers used to drop big HP motors 421 - 428's - 455's into GTO's Firebirds etc. remember this was 1976 and the 455SD was still hot in peoples memories - would'nt be that hard to drop one of these in then - a mostly simple bolt in and bye bye Buford .

3rd pic is my 74 455SD T/A - 450 HP that I Owned around 1980 would kick some serious butt - miss that car .

[gilg]

Maybe its more Trans am's than the seven 77 model GM provide for the movie, and few 76's appears in the movie for stunt scene??? somebody know who its the shop or the mechanics prepare the cars for the movie, also its a link on You Tube where all the movie cars where scraped anyone have the link?????

[street_rodder]

Originally Posted by street_rodder

I have read a lot of mis-information here on this topic....

I suggest everyone watch the interviews of Needham, Reynolds and Reed at the end of the Smokey and the Bandit II DVD............

Need to correct MYSELF here......the interviews are actually at the end of "Smokey and the Bandit 3" DVD movie...not Smokey 2....

I have the "7 Smokey Movies" DVD that Walmart.com sells. It has 1, 2 and 3 and then the 4 stupid Made for TV movies where the car is a Mitsubishi 3000GT and they have the daytime soap opera star, Brian Bloom, as the Bandit... UGH!!!!

[77 Canamman]

Originally Posted by street_rodder

Need to correct MYSELF here......the interviews are actually at the end of "Smokey and the Bandit 3" DVD movie...not Smokey 2....

I have the "7 Smokey Movies" DVD that Walmart.com sells. It has 1, 2 and 3 and then the 4 stupid Made for TV movies where the car is a Mitsubishi 3000GT and they have the daytime soap opera star, Brian Bloom, as the Bandit... UGH!!!!

Care to be more specific regarding the misinformation here?

BTW, I have seen these interviews. Even Needham has some of his facts a little off. Case in point, he says they only used 3 "Bonnevilles" for the Sheriff's cars in the original SATB, which, number one, they were LeMans, and two, there were several LeMans seen in the same frame throughout the movie. Now, he might be referring to the second movies, which I can believe the 3 Bonneville claim.

[street_rodder]

Originally Posted by Wareagle

3rd pic is my 74 455SD T/A - 450 HP that I Owned around 1980 would kick some serious butt - miss that car .

LOVE THIS PIC, Wareagle!!