[Alvin]

Creating this thread for Jerry to add pix and details as he choses.

He wrote on other websites:

Ok, I just purchased my uncles 1973 Grand Am 4 speed car
(Unrestored). He purchased the car new in Cincinnati from Riser Pontiac. I have all documentation from 1973 Until he passed in 2005. I also have all the original parts that were replaced over the years including the original
wheels and tires.

My question is I know its a rare auto, 1 of 187 made. Does anyone know how many are still left, and what its value my be? I cannot find much
Info on them...

I tried to attach pictures but it says that the pixels are to wide... I will work on sending picts of it.

Posted on the ABody forum:

1973 Grand Am 4 speed
« on: September 14, 2015, 05:46:40 PM »
Hi Guys,
Just bought my uncles 1973 Grand Am 4 speed car, which he purchased brand new. Its all original untouched car, and almost perfect. I have all documentation including the window sticker.

I cannot find out much about these cars. I do know that only 187 cars were ever built...

Does anybody have any values on them?

http://users.boardnation.com/~abodys...threadid=10393

[Alvin]

Here's a previous post elsewhere were I couldn't see any images

[David Brown]

I have the problem with picture files too large. What I do is from my pictures folder, I click the ones I want to use and attach them to an email (on mine, it is Share, then click Email). An blank email opens with the pictures attached in a smaller format. I then double click the first picture, then copy it and paste it to my picture file. It asks if I want to replace the original or keep both copies. I usually replace. When all the pictures have been copied in smaller format, I close the pictures and then go to the Forum and I can attach the pictures that will now load. I'm sure there are programs or other ways to do this, but it works for me, and after you do it a couple times, it doesn't take much time.

[David Brown]

As far as value, the May/June 2015 copy of Old Cars Report Price Guide list a 73 2 door Grand Am as $14,500 in number 1, $10,150 in number 2 and $6530 in number 3. There is no value increase for a 4 speed or a 455. Although a 4 speed is rare, it isn't necessarily worth more. Most people view the Grand Am as a personal luxury car, not a performance car.

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by David Brown

As far as value, the May/June 2015 copy of Old Cars Report Price Guide list a 73 2 door Grand Am as $14,500 in number 1, $10,150 in number 2 and $6530 in number 3. There is no value increase for a 4 speed or a 455. Although a 4 speed is rare, it isn't necessarily worth more. Most people view the Grand Am as a personal luxury car, not a performance car.

TY for the $ value estimate

[David Brown]

I really like the Grand Am. A 1974 Admiralty Blue one was my first NEW car I ever bought, when I traded my 69 GTO.

[fiedlerh]

Most people view the Grand Am as a personal luxury car, not a performance car.

Not so much back in the day. It was seen as the performance A-body car with nicer options than the GTO. It had the same drivetrain options as the Trans Am except for the 455/4spd combo. The Grand Prix was the personal luxury car.

[Dave R]

What transmission/shifter did the cars come with if 4 speed manual was ordered?

If it was a Muncie or ST-10 then I would think they would be worth more than the automatic.

[fiedlerh]

1973 to mid 1974: 400 4bbl, Muncie with Inland shifter
mid-1974-up: 400 4bbl, BW ST-10 with Hurst shifter.
^^does everyone agree? This has not been documented.
400 4 speeds are less common, so they would be worth more, but a 455 auto is very desirable too.

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by fiedlerh

Not so much back in the day. It was seen as the performance A-body car with nicer options than the GTO. It had the same drivetrain options as the Trans Am except for the 455/4spd combo. The Grand Prix was the personal luxury car.

Originally Posted by Dave R

What transmission/shifter did the cars come with if 4 speed manual was ordered?

If it was a Muncie or ST-10 then I would think they would be worth more than the automatic.

Originally Posted by fiedlerh

1973 to mid 1974: 400 4bbl, Muncie with Inland shifter
mid-1974-up: 400 4bbl, BW ST-10 with Hurst shifter.
^^does everyone agree? This has not been documented.
400 4 speeds are less common, so they would be worth more, but a 455 auto is very desirable too.

Interesting

[Sirrotica]

I bought a used 1973 19,000 mile 400 4 speed car in 1975, when the clutch went out I did a conversion to a T 400. The transmission I removed and sold was indeed a Muncie HD with the T 400 sized output shaft and the fine splined input shaft.

If I remember correctly the A bodies with 455 engine specified only a T400 with that combo. I also owned a 455 73 GTO and it had a T 400 factory installed. The 3.23 axle even with a 11 inch clutch in that heavy car was not the optimum setup. The clutch didn't make 40,000 miles before it was toast.

I realized the T 400 was going too be a much better combo if I didn't want to keep replacing clutches while I owned it. The T 400 with 3.23 gears was a much better match for that car. The 455 would tear clutches out even quicker than a 400 would.

[rexs73gto]

You couldn't have a 4 speed in a 73 with a 455 unless it was put in by someone other then the factory so you couldn't have been wasting the clutch's in a 73 with a 455 & 4 speed. Plus Pontiac was the only one that didn't use a 4 speed in the 455 cars. You could only get a 455 Pontiac ( other then the firebird) all A-body 455 cars got a T-400 trans. But in the others , chevy, buick, olds , you could get a 454, or 455 with the 4 speed. For some reason Pontiac was the only line not to install a 4 speed in an A-body 455 car. With that said I've had a 4 speed in my car for over 30 years with when it started out as a 400 with a 3:08 rear end & then with the 462 , & now back to the 400 + .60 over I've only put 2 clutch's in the car & not because they were worn out but because I just wanted a new plate in with the new engines. I've used the last clutch fro the last 20+ years with the 462 & the 400 +.60 over & have run them very hard without having any problems at all. Not doubting your word on replacing the plates at 40K but maybe it was the driver, LOL.???

[Sirrotica]

As many know the GM OE clutches weren't the optimum setup for abuse, the T 400 has much more overall strength as far as being able to handle abuse. Plus after owning many 4 speed GTOs as well as a 326 HO F body and a 4 speed 63 Catalina I know what is able to take the constant abuse I dished out to it.

I was 21 at the time and still hadn't found the line between abuse and hard driving. The line is a very fine line.

Now 40 years later, I've been on the right side of that line for a long while at 62 now and have owned my 05 GTO since new, just rolled 116,000 yesterday with no performance related failures in 10 years. I still drive spiritedly, but not every time I start out from a standstill as I did when I was younger. Tires and whole car upkeep are not as expensive, plus the absence of sky high insurance rates because of an endless accumulation of traffic tickets. Last ticket I had was 10 years ago. It was a speeding ticket in an 18 wheeler during work, so not even in my personal vehicle.

[rexs73gto]

The clutches in my 73 GTO was never a factory one as when the car was new it has a T400 in it. I replace the auto with the M-22 after about 9 years of it being an auto. It has now only had the 2 clutches in it in that time, I bought mine new to. My 73 T/A was a numbers matching car with 64 K on it when I got it & it was all factory & the clutch was strong as it being a 455 it had the 11 inch clutch & PP in it. My 69 bird was only 1 years old when i got it & it had a factory clutch in it & it had the snot run out of it, & I never replaced the clutch in it. Yes some of the factory clutches may have been a bit weak but with my experience it hasn't been that way. Most of the guys I ran with back then never replaced a clutch because it was burnt up or slipped & most of my fiends had sticks in their cars.But each person has there own experiences with their cars.