1977 Pontiac Trans Am

Up for sale I have my 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. It has a Turbo 350 automatic trans. PS. PB. tilt steering column. and cold factory A/C. Air conditioning has been updated with a modern system by Classic Auto Air in 2015. Car has just under 119. 00 original miles. It is a matching numbers car and I have Pontiac Historical Society (PHS) documentation. The car is restored front to back but should be considered a “restomod”. Car is show quality. The main portion of the restoration was completed in 2005-2006. I purchased this car eight years ago in 2008 from the fourth owner in N. E. Tennessee. The car spent its entire life in that general area until I bought it and drove it here to N. W. Florida. After I purchased it. I took the unfinished restoration the rest of the way to its current condition.   I won 3rd place in a car show my very first try. It was in pretty nice condition when I got it and showed it that first time. but I have repaired and/or replaced numerous things since then. Too much to list. I only drive it once in a while to give it some exercise and to car shows.   The previous owner made 4 passes down the drag strip at Bristol Raceway. TN in 2008 just for fun against the time clock. I was told by him that the best time was 14. 00 seconds. I have never driven it that way and only babied it since I have owned it. Car has won six 1st place trophies. two 2nd place trophies. and one 3rd place trophy in car shows since I have owned it. It also won a “best interior” trophy.   

Features of the car are as follows:

Engine / engine compartment / exhaust / fuel: Original Pontiac 400 c. i. L-78 engine has a complete professional rebuild with about 5000 miles on it. It was bored . 30 over and has flat top pistons. Has about 9. 5 to 1 compression. It has a mild race cam. Edelbrock performance aluminum intake manifold. factory HEI distributor with MSD ignition. and headers with new header flange gaskets. The Rochester Q-jet carburetor is rebuilt (ethanol fuel compatible) and has a new choke. choke pull offs and all new vacuum lines. A K&N air filter is installed. Engine also has a chrome oil pan. and chrome alternator. Pontiac "correct" chrome valve covers with internal oil drippers & gaskets are also new in 2015. It also has a polished aluminum water pump. It runs great on 91-93 octane ethanol pump gas. Has a fresh oil change with a K&N filter and Royal Purple synthetic oil. There is also a new dual exhaust system installed from the headers back to the original style chrome side-splitter tips. The mufflers are stainless steel Magnaflows. It sounds mean and has that lopey race cam sound when idling. I don't know for sure but I would estimate the horsepower to be somewhere around 230-240. Engine has great oil pressure. and runs at normal operating temperature (180°) even in the hot summer months with the A/C on. The engine also got a fresh tune-up (distributer cap. rotor. plugs) when the new A/C was installed in 2015. The entire engine compartment is show detailed.  

The car does not leak any fluids at all!

Completely dry underneath!

The radiator is a heavy duty cooling 4-row and is brand new (June 2016). There is also an additional transmission cooler.   The fan relay and resistor are new. New battery was installed (Jan 2015) and is top of the line AGM. It's always on a tender when the car is garaged. All the belts and hoses are new. The entire brake system is new including vacuum booster. master cylinder. proportioning valve. calipers and pads. wheel cylinders. rear drums and shoes. hardware. etc. The front rotors are not new but are in good shape. I also added a 12V vacuum pump with switch and relay to help improve braking since the vacuum produced by the engine isn't the greatest due to the race cam. The windshield washer bottle. pump. and tubing are new. The drain tube assembly for the shaker is also new. The gas tank and fuel sending unit are new.

Driveline: The Turbo 350 automatic transmission was professionally rebuilt and has about 3000 miles on it. Also has a new Boss Hog torque converter with stock specs. Has nice positive shifts. The fluid pan is chrome. The driveshaft universal joints were also replaced. The original limited slip rear differential was also rebuilt. Car cruises beautifully on the highway. Runs about 2500 RPM at 70 mph and gets 16 mpg.

Suspension: The Hotchkis front coil springs are new as well as the upper and lower ball joints. Recent front end alignment after those new parts. New Bilstein shocks. new front sway bar and bushings also installed up front. The steering linkage. idler arm and pitman arm are not new but have been replaced at some point and are in good shape. Car drives down the road strait. stops strait. In the rear. the (heavy duty) leaf springs and Bilstein shocks are new. Car handles great and drives like a new Trans Am would have in 1977. The sub-frame bushings possibly could use replacing but it is nothing pressing. They are not bad. just old. I have a new complete polyurethane sub-frame bushing kit that goes with the car.

Wheels and tires: Rims are new Year-One reproduction cast honeycomb 17” wheels with new center caps and lug nuts. No scratches. no curb rash. The tires are new Kumho Ecsta ASX's size 255/50/17 with only about 500 miles on them.

Electrical / Lighting: Every light bulb in the car is new including all the peanut bulbs in the instrument cluster. All of the light bulb sockets for the tail lights have been replaced and are also new.

Body. glass. chassis: The body is in nice condition with a few very minor dings here and there. really only noticeable up close. The car is rust free except for one small spot that I didn't even know was there until I took the photos. It is visible in one of the pictures. It is underneath on the driver's side. It would be an easy fix.  It is about three inches square.  No other rust on the car anywhere. The floor pans. trunk. etc. are solid. The underside of the car is in beautiful condition. show quality. There are some minor scratches and chips here and there in the paint that have been touched up. There are some scratches under the front chin spoiler but are not noticeable unless you look under there. Probably scraped a steep driveway somewhere. They have been there since the last owner.

The paint on the car is a single-stage Dupont Spectramaster acrylic enamel and is called Spectramaster Blue. It is sort of a teal color. I bought the car already painted this way. Numerous people at car shows always comment that they love the color. The original color of the car was Sterling Silver. I would say the paint job is very nice “driver” quality condition. The alignment on some external soft body pieces is not perfect. The fit and finish of these F-body cars wasn't very good even when they were brand new. The windshield is like new. The side windows are very nice and roll up and down properly. They were adjusted and fit properly at the top and side seals. Side windows on 2nd generation F-Body cars are almost always an issue…not on this one. The roof rain drip rails are new. The rear window is good but has some very light scratches in it. Hardly noticeable but I want to be accurate in description. Scratches look like they might have come from a bad ice scraper at some time in the window's life. The “Bird” decal on the hood and the small bird decals at the roof pillars were applied after the car was painted and they are still in nice condition. All the rest of the lettering graphics are new.

Interior: The whole interior has been reconditioned. Headliner. visors. carpet. seats. etc. The door panels however are original and still in very nice shape. It has a brand new reproduction formula steering wheel. I still have the old original formula wheel and will include it.  The tilt steering column is not original to the car and is from a Camaro. The previous owner wanted a tilt column which was a good addition for comfort and it works perfectly.  The original dash is very nice but does have one small crack in it on top above the instruments. It has a new dash mat over it and overall the dash looks great. Inside the dash the A/C & heat control unit has been rebuilt and has new switches. All new vacuum hoses behind the dash as well. All the A/C ducts behind the dash have been replaced with good used ones and the large main duct is a brand new reproduction unit. The A/C blows nice and cold and the fan works on all speeds. All the A/C dash vents work perfectly. The center console is brand new and is a repro from NPD. New B&M console shifter is installed. Also installed in the console is an original Pontiac Trans Am 8 track player that has been reconditioned and is working. Even the cigarette lighter is new and works. The rear package shelf has new mesh package tray. It looks great and the speakers are mounted underneath so it has a clean stock look.

Sound system: Installed in the dash is a brand new AM/FM/AUX/MP3 “Custom Autosound” Model USA-630 stereo. It looks like an old school pushbutton radio and has the Pontiac logo. It is anything but old school though. The factory 8 track player in the console is hooked up to the auxiliary inputs on the stereo via a line level output converter. There is also a USB port in the glove box. Just plug in a USB thumb drive with your favorite MP3 files on it and you'll have great tunes. I use an 8 GB stick. The speakers are Kicker 6X9's under the rear deck and Infinity 4X6's in the kick panels up front. These have foam speaker baffles behind them. The speaker grills up front have a Blaupunkt logo but the speakers are Infinity.

Okay so. even though the car is a show winner. there are some minor negatives with it. After all. it is a 39 year old car. I have nothing to hide and the buyer should know exactly what issues there are if any. I wish people had done that for me in the past but it is usually not that way. There will be no surprises here.

1.      The dome light is not working. It is new but there is no power going to it for some reason. However. the interior lights underneath the dash work fine on both sides.

2.      The little indicator on the shifter that shows what gear you are in quit moving when you move the shifter. It stays on "P". Should be an easy fix. I think the thin cable that moves the indicator broke.

3.      The car has some minor water leakage into the trunk area when you wash the car. Comes from the small panel behind back window (It is only a little bit and it puddles on top of the rubber trunk liner. Easily wiped up with a towel. Almost all 2nd gen F-bodies have this condition.

(The trunk floor is solid and original)

4.      The tachometer works but occasionally "sticks" on 2000 rpm but then comes loose if you tap on it. I previously had sent out the tach for repair a few years ago but it's starting to get fussy again. New reproduction Trans Am tachometers (OER part # 5659065)  are available from Jegs or Summit racing.

That's it…everything else works great. Even the analog clock! (although it is off by a couple minutes per day)

The trunk area is show detailed and has an original space saver spare tire with inflator bottle. It has a new small scissor jack by GM performance. I do not have the original bumper jack but they are unsafe anyway. I also have a foam presentation board with lots of documentation on it such as a reproduction window sticker. dealer invoice. etc. etc. I display it at car shows. There is also a fire extinguisher mounted in the trunk and a 12V tire inflator (so you don't have to use the inflator bottle) if you ever needed to inflate the spare.

If you are looking for a "perfect" '77 Trans Am. this is not the one for you. You would need to spend $45. 00 - $50. 00 or more for that. But. if you're looking for a great affordable classic muscle car. you have found it! Included are all the original owner's manuals in the glove box. Also. an original GM factory demo 8-track tape unopened and still in plastic wrap.

If you go to www. nadaguides. com and click on the classic car tab. look up a 1977 Trans Am 2 door coupe. with a Pontiac 400 engine with A/C. here is what you will see:

1977 Pontiac Firebird

Trans Am 2 Door Coupe 

Values

Original 
MSRP

Low 
Retail

Average 
Retail

High 
Retail

Base Price

$5. 56

$11. 50

$18. 00

$35. 00

Options: (change)

400 V8 Engine

15%

15%

15%

Air Conditioning

10%

10%

10%

TOTAL PRICE:

$5. 56

$14. 12

$23. 00

$43. 75

Value Type Definitions 

Low Retail Value 
This vehicle would be in mechanically functional condition. needing only minor reconditioning. The exterior paint. trim. and interior would show normal wear. needing only minor reconditioning. May also be a deteriorated restoration or a very poor amateur restoration. Most usable "as-is".

Some of the vehicles in this publication could be considered "Daily Drivers" and are not valued as a classic vehicle. When determining a value for a daily driver. it is recommended that the subscriber use the low retail value.

Note: This value does not represent a "parts car".

High Retail Value 
This vehicle would be in excellent condition overall. It could be a completely restored or an extremely well maintained original vehicle showing very minimal wear. The exterior paint. trim. and mechanics are not in need of reconditioning. The interior would be in excellent condition.  Note: This value does not represent a "100 Point" or "# 1" vehicle *.

* "100 Point" or "# 1" vehicle is not driven. It would generally be in a museum or transported in an enclosed trailer to concourse judging and car shows. This type of car would be stored in a climate-regulated facility.

If you look at the descriptions above. NADA described an average retail value vehicle as a “20 footer”. This car is way better than a “twenty footer” and I have the car show trophies that back that up. The condition is more towards the mid-point between an average retail and high retail value vehicle. I have it insured with Hagerty Collecter Car Insurance and they agreed to insure it for 30 thousand.  They said it was a solid #2 car.

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The current valuation tool through Hagerty Classic car Insurance shows the following:

#1 Concours $45. 00

Condition #1 vehicles are the best in the world. The visual image is of the best vehicle. in the right colors. driving onto the lawn at the finest concours. Perfectly clean. the vehicle has been groomed down to the tire treads. Painted and chromed surfaces are mirror-like. Dust and dirt are banned. and materials used are correct and superbly fitted. The one word description for #1 vehicles is "concours. "

#2 Excellent $34. 00

#2 vehicles could win a local or regional show. They can be former #1 vehicles that have been driven or have aged. Seasoned observers will have to look closely for flaws. but will be able to find some not seen by the general public. The paint. chrome. glass and finishes will all appear as excellent. No excessive smoke will be seen on startup. no unusual noises will emanate from the engine. The vehicle will drive as a new vehicle of its era would. The one word description for #2 vehicles is "excellent. "

#3 Good $18. 00

#3 vehicles could possess some. but not all of the issues of a #4 vehicle. but they will be balanced by other factors such as a fresh paint job or a new. correct interior where applicable. #3 vehicles drive and run well. but might have some incorrect parts. These vehicles are not used for daily transportation but are ready for a long tour without excuses. and the casual passerby will not find any visual flaws. "Good" is the one word description of a #3 vehicle.

#4 Fair $11. 00

#4 vehicles are daily drivers. with flaws visible to the naked eye. The chrome might have pitting or scratches. the windshield might be chipped. Paintwork is imperfect. and perhaps the body has a minor dent. Split seams or a cracked dash. where applicable. might be present. No major parts are missing. but the wheels could differ from the originals. or other non-stock additions might be present. A #4 vehicle can also be a deteriorated restoration. "Fair" is the one word that describes a #4 vehicle.

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I have this car priced realistically and priced to sell! It will surely go up in value as the years go by. A great investment if you keep it even just a few years. The values on these T/A's just keeps going up and up. especially in the last few years.  

My price is $22. 00 which is considerably less than NADA average retail.  The car is in much better condition than "average retail".  Hagerty says it's worth considerably more. I have done my research and I have seen many late 70's Trans Am's for sale here on eBay that are priced at $25. 00 and up and they are not even close to the condition that mine is in. If you buy it and enter it into car shows. you will win…I did numerous times. Check out the pics! 

Also included with the car are the original cast iron exhaust manifolds. oil pan. valve covers. intake manifold. carburetor. and shifter if you want them. Also included are all the trophies the car has won and dash plaques if you want them. Additionally. the '77 Pontiac factory repair manuals. illustrated parts breakdown. pictures and much other Trans Am info is included on a DVD. Lastly. a box with other miscellaneous parts. spare K&N oil filters and a small 2 oz. glass jar with touch-up paint also come with it.

Additionally to sweeten this deal even more. the buyer will also receive the following:

1. A vintage (simulated) alligator skin 8-track tapes storage box in mint condition with 15 8-track tapes.

All of the tapes are fully operational. I restored each and every one of them with a professional tape splicer during the winter months. Each tape cartridge has new pressure pads and track-changing metallic strip or are perfect original. They all have been gone through. All late 70's vintage rock/pop music to go with that 8-track T/A!

 2. A vintage dark grey color vinyl cassette tapes storage box in mint condition with 12 cassette tapes. All tapes are operational and are late 70's / 80's vintage music.

3. A vintage Kraco cassette tape converter for 8-track players. It also has the original box. I purchased it here on eBay about seven years ago "brand new" and un-opened. It was NOS.

Put the converter in the 8-track player. pop in a cassette tape. and it plays.

4. I will leave my 8GB USB thumb drive in the glove box that is plugged into the USB port for the car stereo. It has nothing but lots and lots of 60's / 70's and 80's songs on it. Rock / Pop / Motown

I displayed the tape boxes with the lids opened in the back seat of the car during all the car shows. It blows people's minds when they see that stuff and is a really great conversation starter. The public loves it! This car is always a super crowd pleaser at shows! I wish I had a nickel for every picture that was taken.

I'm pretty sure that you will not find a deal like this anywhere else. especially with all the extra stuff that goes with the car.

I literally have "hundreds" of hours of labor in this car over the last eight years. The car also has thousands. upon thousands of dollars worth of new parts in it. The only reason I am selling the car now is that my interests have changed. I want to buy a modern muscle car and I only have room to garage one car. I would not hesitate to drive this car anywhere in the country. You could fly in and drive it home. I would be willing to pick you up from either one of our two local regional airports.  

I am a retired U. S. Air Force cargo aircraft mechanic. I am also retired from The Boeing Company as an aircraft Field Service Representative. I started my career working as a marine mechanic. I have been working on cars. boats. and airplanes for 40 years total. (And motorcycles for 20 years)

Just some added info for prospective buyers to make it clear. The car has No rust anywhere on any of the body panels. The front fenders. doors. rear quarter panels. hood. trunk. roof. areas around the windows. etc. are rust free. The cowl area forward of the windshield is also rust free. The body panels also do not have any "patchwork" either. There is "none"-"zero" bubbling of previous rust repair on any body panels. The only "bondo" on the car is what was used to smooth surfaces. All body panels are 100% solid original metal. The left rear quarter panel was replaced when the car was in the shop during the bodywork process 11-12 years ago.  

Also important to mention is the fact that the car has NO over-spray of paint anywhere. The car was completely disassembled during the body work and paint process. All body parts were painted separately and then the car was reassembled.

There are many '77 Trans Am's for sale out there that cost less. Sellers usually will not show photos of the engine or underneath and that's because it looks really bad. Some T/A's are around the same price or more than I'm asking. Those also may look nice at first but then look closely at pictures of the engine compartment and the underside.  Dirty. bare wires. paint loss. surface rust. leaks. etc. etc.  

What sets this car apart from the others is that it is show detailed front to back. under the hood. and underneath. Not only that. it has it's original and completely rebuilt Pontiac 400 engine. NOT a 403 Olds. The valve train looks brand new underneath those new valve covers and the engine runs with full synthetic oil in it. And like I mentioned previously. the car does not leak any fluids whatsoever.  I believe this is the best '77 Trans Am on eBay right now for the money.

I know that buying a car on-line can be a scary thing to do. But. "watching" doesn't get you the car you have been looking for. Buy with confidence. I have made this ad so lengthy in order that I could do my best to answer your questions in advance and to put your fears to rest.  

I'm sure that I have left some things out and there is much more I can tell about the car such as its history. etc. If you have any questions at all you can call me on my cell at 850-543-5502 or use eBay's “Ask seller a question”. If you ask me a question. I will tell you the truthful answer.

Car is for sale locally and I reserve the right to cancel the listing if it sells.

Want to buy this car?