[165th]

One last picture today and then back to work on the car. This is a detail of the fuel line insulation. I'll bet not too many people knew there were markings on the foam. If you look closely you can see green triangles and letters.

[speedrider]

Thanks 165th. I definitly don't have the right seat belts. Well the search continues.
Robert

["QUICK-SILVER"]

I have got two different types of seat belt buckles.
On my 4 speed car, the buckles have a plastic cover. It is the light gray like the console, armrest, seat backs, sail panel trim, etc..
On the automatic car, the buckles are all metal, with a brushed looking finish.


165th, It will not be original but I would put them on with a matte or satin finish clear paint, like poly urethane. I would coat the whole decal or sticker. The way they weather, fade and fall off in no time; this would help preserve them. With a flat finish, no one will know it's there.
You will have to work fast and be carefull not to let the paint melt the ink, on the paper stickers. Stick it and then coat it.

Clay

[Jim Robertson]

165th,
Look forward to hearing any recommendations/experiences with the decals. We have installed a few sets before...just a bit of work. Mine has been in hibernation since 1993. Bought it in 1985 from second owner with 31K miles. It now has 44K. I drove it about 20 miles today for the first time since 1993 or thereabouts. It brought back lots of memories. It is in good hands at the paint shop and will try to post some pics as it progresses.

Looking for a new drivers seat cover. Mine is very good but it is just not as nice as the passenger side. Does anyone know if the covers available now are available as a single? IF so are they a near perfect match to the originals?

Thanks,
Jim

[Thumpin455_GTO]

Heres a couple pics of mine. These were taken back in 88, the last time I drove it. It was repainted because the PO had a jealous girlfriend with an axe. Also no mirrored T tops, but if one of you guys wants to part with a set for a case of beer, I would gladly trade you.. 403 car, bought it back in 87 drove it until the carrier bearing died on the rear end. I know that rebuilding this one will cost more than any other car I have, including the 72 HO Formula. That is why its waiting patiently for the GTOs and a couple others to get done, it was the first TA/F body I bought so its rather special to me.

[68ragtop]

Cool, I love the classic pictures!

Sure wish I would have taken the time to take more of all my old cars. I only have a handful, & most are from the 90's. Only a few from the 80's. In the 70's I was too young to drive.......

68RT

[165th]

Thanks for posting the pictures. One feature that stands out on original exhausts is the the tailpipe exposure. It seems the replacement tailpipes are much tighter to the body line. When they are right, they almost look wrong!

What is the badge next to the Trans Am decal on the spoiler? Is that a dealer badge?

[68ragtop]

My 79 has the original pipes yet & they are tucked up pretty nice. Maybe it was a random placement thing?
I was trying to figure out what what missing before, & know I got it.
No Two tone. Was the car repainted, or not originally a tenth?


Edit: I just re-read the post again. It was mentioned about a repaint. Whoops, I am a little slow in the morning.

68RT

[2manyT/A'S]

Originally Posted by 165th

Speedrider, good luck with the restoration. Here's a pic of the seatbelt buckle. It is painted metal or plastic, and a combination of smooth/grain finish in a milky white/grey color.

The plastic setbelt buckles (as pictured) were typically found on Norwood built cars & the brushed metal style on Van Nuys built.
Anybody out there with Van Nuys build to confirm this?

[68ragtop]

Originally Posted by 2manyT/A'S

The plastic setbelt buckles (as pictured) were typically found on Norwood built cars & the brushed metal style on Van Nuys built.
Anybody out there with Van Nuys build to confirm this?

Mine is Van Nuys & has metal buckles I think...... Here's a picture. The car is in deep storage, so this is all I have close to go by. I have a bunch of pictures I took for my insurance company a couple years ago. This is one of them.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

Its a dealer sticker on the fin, I got it from Misle Chevrolet in Lincoln Ne, that sticker wont survive the build... if its even still on it.

Funny thing about mine, I didnt know it was a 10th until about ten years after I bought it. It had the silver leather interior and WS6 under it, but the tail lights are wrong and everything about the paint and graphics are too. I got an issue of HPP with the numbers crunching for 79s and I decided to check it. Sure enough the vin had the X, it was a nice surprise.

Where I grew up people would part cars and swap interior parts into better or unwrecked bodies. I figured someone had swapped it all in there and painted the gauge cluster bucket red because they liked it that way.

I really want to rebuild it and fix all the screw ups previous owners (and me in my youth) did to it. Maybe instead I will just get it drivable this summer so I have an extra set of wheels when I go to Nebraska. I miss driving it and have a ton of good memories in it. You guys would hate to see how it looks right now though, and I wont be taking any pics of it in its current state. Its been sitting since 88 when I enlisted in the USAF, but its been on jack stands so the mice couldnt reach it.

Is it just me or do the cars you had as a teenager have better feelings with them?

[68ragtop]

Originally Posted by Thumpin455_GTO

Is it just me or do the cars you had as a teenager have better feelings with them?

No doubt about it!

Life was simple, fun, & each day was a new adventure.

I just recently finished a restoration on a car, not many would do in the first place. But it was the same car I drove in high school, & I had a connection with it. I guess I was thinking it would be my personal time machine? The cars done now, but its not 1984 yet. I just sit in it waiting......... Maybe I should have restored a Delorean?

I think its cool that you still have your 79.

[1971WARBIRD]

[QUOTE=Thumpin455_GTO]

Funny thing about mine, I didnt know it was a 10th until about ten years after I bought it. It had the silver leather interior and WS6 under it, but the tail lights are wrong and everything about the paint and graphics are too. I got an issue of HPP with the numbers crunching for 79s and I decided to check it. Sure enough the vin had the X, it was a nice surprise.

sold a 10th car to a friend of mine who was going to paint it solid silver and change the interior to a solid silver.he didn't care that it was a 10th car,just wanted it because it was rust free.he did put a 455 pontiac in it,but i bought it back and i'm painting it back right.should be done sometime this summer.

Is it just me or do the cars you had as a teenager have better feelings with them?QUOTE]

always smile when i remember a couple i had.69 Nova SS396-4speed,neat car for a kid to drive to high school,then the new 78 bandit i bought when i sold the Nova.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

Originally Posted by 68ragtop

I think its cool that you still have your 79.

Hell I still have 4 of them, three are TAs, one black SE, the TATA, and a WS6 optioned blue TA with saddle int, then the WS6 4 speed Formula that I race. For a long time they were dirt cheap! I am a packrat, I have only sold 7 vehicles, and scrapped out 10 and I still have around 40 total. Im a sad example unless its how to collect a bunch of cheap cars that go up in value after 20 years..

I just wish more than two were shiny and drivable..

[1971WARBIRD]

Originally Posted by Thumpin455_GTO

Hell,Im a sad example unless its how to collect a bunch of cheap cars that go up in value after 20 years..

I just wish more than two were shiny and drivable..

have around 14,but none of mine are shiny,at least yet.

[Jim Robertson]

Anybody want to share their thoughts on decals from the aftermarket? Haven't heard from anyone yet since my previous post. Surely someone has painted their car recently and purchased a new set.
Thanks,
Jim

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Jim, Try to contact formula400, last I heard he had just finished one and was starting another. The one he was finishing up earlier in the thread, looked like it was being done right.

[165th]

I thought I'd copy this thread into the TATA forum so I could ask the TATA owners if anyone has front sway bar end link bushings like the ones I found on my car.

I found that the passenger side has typical rubber bushings, but the drivers side has white neoprene bushings. The neoprene bushings are hard and brittle, and as you can see by the pic, 3 of the 4 bushings have previously exploded.

If anyone has some white neoprene bushings they don't need, I would like to replace the three that are missing. Please let me know - gregsm@earthlink.net

Meanwhile, I'd like to see what assemblies the rest of you have on your cars.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=559997

[Scoles]

I posted a question about a TATA, not knowing about this thread.
The car is a 403 auto for those interested.....
Does the eBay vendor (the one that does the leather wrap wheels) do a nice job of re-wrapping the steering wheel?




165th; the TATA I have in my yard is owned by a friend. He has very little interest in the car except to get it correct to sell it. I'm simply trying to find some hard to find parts and get the car presentable. At this point the car has lots of small things wrong but overall it is a beautiful auto.

Has anyone had any luck getting the e-brake cables from an aftermarket source?

Brian Scoles.

[speedrider]

I bought one of those steering wheels for mt TATA and I am satisfied with it. It is not exactly like the original because of the sewing. I don't think you could see the threads on the original. But it is not good if you are going to show the car on the high end of the show curcuit.