#81  
Old 06-07-2020, 06:00 PM
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i4abuygto i4abuygto is offline
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Thanks 78w72
The previous owner must have liked the smaller profile tire- I will eventually change the tires and go with a stock rim and tire. He did change the rear end also, which is why, I believe the speedo is so far off.
The difficulty I am having is counting the gear size inside the transmission as the gear I have (if it is the one that slides over the shaft, is not plastic. It is metal and I can count
7 gear slots.
I think I was looking at the wrong gear at first, so I am not exactly sure which gear meshes with the driven plastic gear.
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  #82  
Old 06-07-2020, 06:06 PM
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I think, at this point, I will just back door the calculation on the driven gear. I know I have to go with a larger gear as I need to slow the speedo down. I know that at approx. 70 mph my speedo reads 100mph so I need a driven gear that is approximately 30% more teeth, so I think I will go with the 45 tooth gear and try that.

  #83  
Old 06-07-2020, 06:15 PM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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you can play with the gear to get the speedo a little closer for now but when you get the right tires it will be off again. budget permitting i would look for some more correct size tires/rims, theres lots of snowflakes & rallys with tires for sale used.

also just an observation but the front tires look very small too, &/or the front end/springs sit too high. that would be on the top of the list for things to change for me, cosmetically & to improve the speedo.


Last edited by 78w72; 06-07-2020 at 06:51 PM.
  #84  
Old 06-07-2020, 06:24 PM
Grand73Am Grand73Am is offline
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Normally a 79 with a 403 has a th350 transmission, so that's why I mentioned the colors earlier, thinking you had a th350. But it looks like you have a th400 transmission.

The drive gear is the large rearward steel gear. Trying to count the teeth from that view isn't possible, since that's not the way to count them. You have to count them face on, like in your second view of the driven gear. For that you'd have to remove the tail housing so you can look dead on at the face and count the teeth around it.

Hopefully you won't have to change the drive gear, since it's more work than a th350 drive gear. There are probably videos on youtube how to do it. But maybe you can find a driven gear that will work with your drive gear and correct your speedo. But, I think you'll have to take off the tail housing and count the drive gear teeth to know which way to go with the driven gear number of teeth, and see what range of driven gear tooth counts will work with your drive gear.

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  #85  
Old 06-08-2020, 12:18 AM
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Thanks for you help guys, very valuable information.
The front tires are P215 60R15s
I was supposed to check out a set of 15X6 Rally IIs today, locally, but the seller bailed on me. They are Wheel code KG 2 are dated 9-9-78 2 are dated 1-5-79.
I am not sure what I should pay for wheels that need to be blasted and painted. They seem to be straight and I think the Rally IIs look good and 15s are what I am looking for.
I know the previous owner redid the front end and there are RED coil springs in there now and the bushings and front end is all new- neoprene bushings, I believe. Good chance he changed the springs as obviously the transmission has been changed. I know so little about these or even what to look for.
Rather than get to crazy right now - I will just order a 43 tooth gear and see where that puts me for the speedo calibration.

  #86  
Old 06-08-2020, 12:23 AM
Aus78Formula Aus78Formula is offline
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Instead of guessing each step, why not determine what trans you actually have, what diameter tyres you plan to use/have, and what rear axle ratio you have and then see what combination of existing gears may work or have to replace both. Obviously, if you can get out of removing the second gear it's a bonus.

  #87  
Old 06-08-2020, 02:03 AM
Grand73Am Grand73Am is offline
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You're lucky the seller "bailed" on you with those 15x6 Rally II's anyway. 15x6 didn't come on TA's.

You really need to get some 15x7 Rally II's instead. That's the size that came on a TA. They shouldn't be that hard to find, since they also came on Lemans and Grand Prix.

Factory Rally II's didn't come any wider than 7" size. Any that are 8" are aftermarket. Not that there's anything wrong with 8" aftermarkets.

Of course, 15x7 or 15x8 Snowflakes would be good choices too. The 15x8's would be best, but they're more desirable, so more expensive. 15x7's are cheaper, but look good too.

Personally, I wouldn't pay more than about $40 each for a used Rally II wheel. You still need trim rings and center caps, so it adds up. And for Snowflakes, you just have find the best deal you can on some used ones. 15x7 Snowflakes are more common, so shouldn't be too expensive. I rather have Snowflakes, since they're less likely to be bent than Rally II's. And you only have to buy center caps for them. Well, other than the correct lug nuts for them too. Snowflakes use different lug nuts than Rally II's.

On any of them, make sure they are measured properly and have the correct bolt hole pattern, 5 x 4.75". Some of those wheels are 5 x 5 pattern for big cars, which you can't use.

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  #88  
Old 06-08-2020, 10:07 AM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by i4abuygto View Post
Thanks for you help guys, very valuable information.
The front tires are P215 60R15s
I was supposed to check out a set of 15X6 Rally IIs today, locally, but the seller bailed on me. They are Wheel code KG 2 are dated 9-9-78 2 are dated 1-5-79.
I am not sure what I should pay for wheels that need to be blasted and painted. They seem to be straight and I think the Rally IIs look good and 15s are what I am looking for.
I know the previous owner redid the front end and there are RED coil springs in there now and the bushings and front end is all new- neoprene bushings, I believe. Good chance he changed the springs as obviously the transmission has been changed. I know so little about these or even what to look for.
Rather than get to crazy right now - I will just order a 43 tooth gear and see where that puts me for the speedo calibration.
yeah way to small of tires front & back. 215/60's are only 25.2" tall. factory 225/70 are 27.5 so yours are way off from stock. hopefully stock tires will fill the wheel wells better but its common to use "universal" springs in these cars that make the front sit up higher, easiest way to fix that is to cut a coil or so off the springs, or get some custom springs with a known amount of drop or made to factory specs.

i agree on the 15x6, look for 15x7 rally or get snowflakes. personally i like snowflakes better but on the earlier cars i like rallys without the trim rings!

i have a few sets of rally 2's & would sell you a set if you decide to go that route. or search around on ebay or CL or facebook marketplace in your area, i see rally & snowflakes all the time. 225/70 is stock tire but if you want a fatter 60 series the 255/60 is the closest to the 27.5 height.

for a few bucks you can try a new gear to fix the speedo, or just live with it until you get a set of wheels/tires closer to stock size.... on my first t/a back in high school my speedo was off a lot or didnt work, was pretty easy to judge the speed by the tach rpms or just drive with traffic, didnt bother me to be off ~10mph.

  #89  
Old 06-09-2020, 01:11 AM
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Thanks for your help and advice guys- I put the gear that I had back in and I did some more research on the speedo gear - I have a 39 gear coming that should get the setup that I have closer until I setup with stock tire sizes. Looks like the same driven gears are for both the th350 and 400- based on the earlier post, I assume I have the th400 and It looks like the gear housing attachment I have supports only 4 gears 36 37 38 39 - (#s are stamped on the housing).


78w72, you can PM me with wheel options and prices to be shipped to 55014- Circle Pines MN near Minneapolis, the embarrassment to the country right now.

Still looking for rear seats too.

Thanks guys

  #90  
Old 06-09-2020, 01:14 AM
Aus78Formula Aus78Formula is offline
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Look at the pan shape.

  #91  
Old 06-16-2020, 01:12 AM
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I am getting ready to purchase the interior paint - Do you guys recommend rattle can or spray gun. I think the spray gun may not be as controllable but will give larger and more even coverage. However, I am not a paint guy. I do okay with a spray gun or rattle cans. Just makes a difference if I buy by the quart or the spray can. By SEM specs, it looks like I would get 3X more coverage per ounce with the quart (spray) compared to the rattle can application.

The transmission I have is the TH400 and I am waiting on speedo gears.

  #92  
Old 06-16-2020, 06:49 AM
Aus78Formula Aus78Formula is offline
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You can still get superior control and coverage on smaller trim items using a can, probably by SEM if copying factory and have access to it. The dash top metal is the largest area where you may consider otherwise but only if you end up with dramas. You want extra low sheen for that area compared to others. Some like to also add a coating of clear for higher wear areas to protect the paint and to adjust the sheen to something more uniform, not sure what straight SEM comes out as, but something similar to a piece of vinyl or leather with some sheen is perfect, especially if your interior has those materials in it.


Last edited by Aus78Formula; 06-16-2020 at 06:57 AM.
  #93  
Old 06-16-2020, 08:54 AM
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I have painted quite a few int. pieces and have always used sem spray bombs. Dollar wise it is probably cheaper. You should be able to cover everything with 2 maybe 3 cans. A bit less clear if youre using that. I use the matte clear coat. I have found a lot of auto part stores carry the sem as well. I have a mom n pop type store that can get special colours in within a couple days as well, so its not that hard to find. For the metal dash you should be able to find something from rustoleum that will at least be very close. And yes, the metal should be nothing glossier than satin.

One of the tricks to spraying int. parts is to make sure they are clean! Lots of dirt, oils, armor all etc. have been applied over the years. Another thing to keep in mind is the humidity level. Only time I ever had problems, I did some spraying during the summer when the humidity level was extremely high.

  #94  
Old 06-16-2020, 09:07 PM
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Thanks guys for your advice and help,
My thought on the interior is to paint the dash the SEM Landau Black #15013 because the interior colors have already been changed and it would be hard for me to bring it back to original colors as the door panels are black and brand new, the console is black and brand new, the sail panels are black and brand new. The headliner gray, the carpet is gray. Looks like the sunvisors are dirty gray or dirty white.
I have looked at a lot of Trans Am photos and it seems like the black really makes the dash instrument bezel pop.
I am thinking to not paint the metal in front of the dash and leave it the Presidio Gray that it is - I think that is stock and hasn't been changed. I think it would be hard to paint with the windshield in and I would not want to get bad coverage due to the limited access for painting.

Here is where I might take some heat and I welcome your comments - I read that the SEM black will cover the cloth seats to go from the blue black that they are (not original seats) to totally black to match the rest of the interior. The seats are very comfortable.
If I am successful with that, then I just have to find some rear seats and go black with those to match.
I figure I can see how the seats go- and then maybe try changing the color on the floor carpet and headliner by also using the SEM Landau Black on those, also. I read that some have had good success changing the color of their seats carpet and headliner.
Otherwise, the gray carpet looks good currently with the black console.
If I leave the headliner gray, would likely leave the sunvisors gray, also.

So taking your advice, I will purchase six cans of the SEM Landau Black. I found a place online selling for $11.75 per can. I will also order their SEM Vinyl Prep and Plastic and Leather Prep for the seats. If I decide to spray the seats, I will buy their quart can and spray the color on as I think the seats, front and back would take a lot of cans.
I really cant believe I am talking about painting car seats but the reviews on the SEM paint say it covers well and wont come off on clothes.
I am just throwing darts right now because this is all new to me. The interior already looks way better now, then when I bought it.

  #95  
Old 06-16-2020, 09:14 PM
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Also, they claim that the SEM Landau Black is of a lesser sheen and is a close match to the stock black color and finish.

  #96  
Old 06-16-2020, 11:11 PM
78w72 78w72 is offline
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did you say the seats are cloth? if so you dont need a plastic & leather prep.

my 2 cents for painting fabric & carpet is to not do it... it will turn the nice cloth velour fabric to a hard plastic'y feeling material. if the seats are vinyl, it will cover them ok but will not last for very long & wear through in areas, too much wear & tear on seats.

for carpet it will do the same thing as the cloth seats, it will cover it but will make it not feel as soft. ive used SEM on carpet in small spots like the hump between the rear seats that was faded & it worked pretty good, but doing a complete color change on a full carpet is a different story. they say to use a brush between coats & brush the fibers to help keep them soft but it still comes out feeling painted.

nothing wrong with painting those things if on a limited budget, but new carpet & headliner is pretty cheap & driver quality bucket seats come up for sale quite a bit.

  #97  
Old 06-17-2020, 08:51 AM
TAKerry TAKerry is offline
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I have a set of black fabric seats, 2 fronts and a rear. Would have to check on how nice they are, but I cant imagine what shipping would be.

As far as painting the seats, I would agree in painting the fabric may make it hard, but I have never done it so dont know for sure. I bought a set of seats at Carlisle a number of years ago, thought they were black vinyl. When I started to take them apart I found they were originally tan but had been painted black. The black finish held up very well considering these were older seats and I could tell they had a bit of wear on them. No idea what was used though. On a budget I wouldnt have a problem painting them.

  #98  
Old 06-22-2020, 06:03 PM
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Thanks guys for your comments and advise- I will get back at it shortly - maybe this weekend.

TAKerry, I sent you a PM about your seats. - I am trying to find some economical options to get seats in the car. Very limited budget as I am also working on a 67 GTO convert.

  #99  
Old 06-22-2020, 06:06 PM
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I am also looking for the female rear seat belts and the star head bolts to bolt them in. I am not sure why the previous owner removed the seats and belts. The female belts on the armrest side are there - will also have to paint those it looks like.

  #100  
Old 06-25-2020, 12:40 AM
Grand73Am Grand73Am is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by i4abuygto View Post
I am also looking for the female rear seat belts and the star head bolts to bolt them in. I am not sure why the previous owner removed the seats and belts. The female belts on the armrest side are there - will also have to paint those it looks like.
There were 2 types of seat belts used in 79 TA's. I've circled the 2 types in the drawing below. Notice the shapes of the blades are different and have differently shaped holes in them, so you can't use a type 1 buckle with a type 2 blade, or vice versa. You have to determine which type of belts you have and get that type of female buckle, because it has to match the male blade you have.

SEAT BELT TYPES FOR 79 TA by grand73am, on Flickr

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