Restored 1978 Trans AM Limited Production

 1978 Trans Am W72 (Limited Production) 400 4 Speed restored

This 1978 Trans Am has had a frame on restoration (rust free car) that was professionally done at a restoration shop. Two stage base/coat clear/coat using the original paint code of 19L Starlight Black.   Then wet sanded. buffed and polished to a mirror finish.   Professionally applied Phoenix Graphics decals. Engine was rebuilt with a Crane cam upgrade. new clutch. new pressure plate. new throw-out bearing. new heater core and reground fly wheel.

List of NEW replaced items :  Windshield. Drivers window. Inner & outer belt moldings. Weather stripping for doors. glass and trunk. Carpet. Headliner. Door panels & trim. Sill plates. Rubber stops for doors & trunk. Console lid. Rear package tray. Rubber gaskets for the wheel flairs. Wheel center caps. Shocks.  

The passenger front seat has an area where the stitching is apart. but there are NO rips or tears. Basically all of the seats look really good.   All of the interior and exterior lights work fine. Even the clock works and all of the gauges function as they should.   The dash pad is fine and does not have any cracks.   The frame and the floors are solid.   The wheels are upgraded 8” wide Snowflakes.   This car runs and looks better then new!

Horsepower was finally making a comeback in good old America. and assigned to lead the pack was the 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am's W72 optioned engine- (coded WC when bolted to the 4-speed and X7 if you needed an automatic) the 220hp T/A 6. 6. Good old cubic inches were finally saved from the Government's noose and an engine worthy of the Trans Am moniker was available.  

In 1978. you couldn't "chip" an engine to make more horsepower and "cat-back" exhaust systems were unheard of. If you wanted an EPA legal power boost. you had but one choice- visit your Pontiac dealer. Some pretty neat features went into making of a T/A 6. 6. First there was the carburetion. fattened up slightly for little more oomph. Next was a bit more spark advance. giving the GM high energy ignition more opportunity to burn that fuel bonus. As any hot rodder knows. the camshaft is the lifeblood of performance and the T/A 6. 6 had one with an additional 20 degrees of duration. To help finish the cycle. a new low restriction dual resonator exhaust system was added. replacing the single muffler used on all other Trans Am's. (The dual splitter tail pipes were also fitted. ) Keeping the oil pressure from dropping to zero on when turning quickly to the right or left. a windage tray was added. To allow more air into the engine. a air cleaners with a larger snorkel was added. These items were in addition to 1977's compression ratio increase of 8. 1:1 (versus 7. 6:!) by bolting the 350's cylinder heads on the 400 engine. Just to make sure everyone knew you had a T/A 6. 6. the callouts were affixed to the shaker and chrome valve covers completed the look.

Although 220 horsepower may seem wimpy compared the hairy chested Ram Air III's. IV's and and SD-455's. but remember this was power achieved with little valves. low profile cast iron intake's. plain old exhaust manifolds. and the power restrictive catalytic  converter. The numbers for the W72 were 220hp @ 4000 rpm and 320 lb/ft of torque peaking a good bit further up the rev range at 2800 rpm than the garden variety 400. When you figure this all this was available for a mere seventy-five dollars. it is no wonder production was limited. The key to 1978's best all-around performing car was no doubt this one option.

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