CK5
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I bought this Trans Am on March 18, 2006. It was sitting in a barn with about 5 other Trans Ams. A couple of 1970's, a 1976, two 1978's and a 1979 Silver Anniversery. This one got my interest because it was a Y88 Gold Special Edition with a 4 Speed manual. It was the only year and style that has the Gold Tinted T-Tops. No other car, including the Camaro, got this option. They only made this car for 6 months and scrapped it due to too many buyers wanted the Black and Gold Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am. The Y88 is supposed to be the opposite, instead of being black with gold pin striping it is gold with a dark brown pin striping.
I saw it listed online and contacted the seller, Dave Hall of Restore A Muscle Car, and made the trip to Nebraska to check it out. After inspecting it and seeing it was a good candidate for a restore, I bought it. Hauled it home and parked it in the 3rd car side of the garage. I drove it to the DMV to get it inspected and titled. It ran pretty good for sitting in a barn. It had it's usual leaks but did just fine. The feel of the 4 speed really got my heart pumping. But it does need to be restored.
My plans are to build it back to it's original condition. I know that everything is only original once, but I will put it back to it's stock form, take it to a couple of car shows including the Trans Am Nationals in Ohio, then drive it like it should be. That means it will be a trailer Queen for a few months then driven when I want to take it out and enjoy it. I'm certain that while it's in my possession it will never see 100,000 miles on the speedometer.
I saw it listed online and contacted the seller, Dave Hall of Restore A Muscle Car, and made the trip to Nebraska to check it out. After inspecting it and seeing it was a good candidate for a restore, I bought it. Hauled it home and parked it in the 3rd car side of the garage. I drove it to the DMV to get it inspected and titled. It ran pretty good for sitting in a barn. It had it's usual leaks but did just fine. The feel of the 4 speed really got my heart pumping. But it does need to be restored.
My plans are to build it back to it's original condition. I know that everything is only original once, but I will put it back to it's stock form, take it to a couple of car shows including the Trans Am Nationals in Ohio, then drive it like it should be. That means it will be a trailer Queen for a few months then driven when I want to take it out and enjoy it. I'm certain that while it's in my possession it will never see 100,000 miles on the speedometer.
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The car was bought brand new, by and older lady, on March 18th, 1978. She had it until 2003 then sold it to her son. As she was getting older she had a hard time driving it with the manual transmission.
Her son and his son were going to restore it as a project that they could do together. For whatever reason they painted it a chocolate brown. Only thing is, they never really got around to doing any more work on it. It wasn't in bad shape. It only needed some cosmetic work on both the inside and outside. The motor and transmission were fine. They lost interest and sold it to Restore A Muscle Car and the buyer parked it in a barn with a few other Trans Ams.
I bought the car on March 18, 2006. 28 years to the day when it was bought new.
Her son and his son were going to restore it as a project that they could do together. For whatever reason they painted it a chocolate brown. Only thing is, they never really got around to doing any more work on it. It wasn't in bad shape. It only needed some cosmetic work on both the inside and outside. The motor and transmission were fine. They lost interest and sold it to Restore A Muscle Car and the buyer parked it in a barn with a few other Trans Ams.
I bought the car on March 18, 2006. 28 years to the day when it was bought new.
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Hooked. Love any firechicken stuff.
Now for the cool story on this project.
Back in 1974 my Dad bought a new 1974 GTO. It had the shaker hood just like the Trans Am. That was an awesome GTO but the year just didn't do it for me. And I had never really paid much attention to the Trans Ams until then. That was the car I fell in love with. Any car that had the shaker hood looked sweet and I hoped that when I was old enough that I could get one.
I was old enough in 1977 and couldn't afford a Trans Am so I got what was affordable. The first being a 1969 Chevelle SS 396. Totaled it in 3 months. My next car was a 1971 Torino GT. Totaled it in 6 months. I'm not going to discuss the next couple of cars but in 1982 I was able to buy a 1978 Trans Am. Red, Pontiac 400, Automatic, T-tops, A/C, Tilt...etc. I didn't total it. In case you were wondering. But the motor blew on me and my son when we were headed to our softball game. Had it towed home and it sat outside for quite a while because we didn't have a garage. I kept a few parts from it for memories and it is now long gone.
Move on to 2004. I bought a 1978 Trans Am. It was being delivered from Oklahoma. One guy was hauling mine and another guy was driving a 1981 to be delivered somewhere close. The 1981 Trans Am blew a radiator hose so they drove mine and hauled the 1981. No big deal, it made it here with no issues. It was brown, 403 Olds motor, Automatic, T-Tops, A/C....etc. It was a daily driver that I wanted to fix up. Make it fast. All the fun stuff. At the time I worked for AT&T as a cable splicer. And while working on some phone cable in a backyard I noticed a 1975 Trans Am, blue, that was sitting in this yard to the south of me. It had been sitting for some time because you can see where the tires had sunken into the ground. I talked to the owner, a young gentleman, and asked if he would be interested in selling it. You bet he did. Got a great deal. He said that one day they went out to drive it and it wouldn't start. He thought he might have burnt the starter up and that he was tired of messing with it. He told me it had a souped up 350 SBC with a big cam and bored .030 over. So I hauled it home with a big smile on my face.
Now I've got 2 Trans Ams. I was one happy camper. I started working on the 75 TA. I just gave it a tune up......plugs, wires, cap and rotor. It fired right up. And it had a hard lope to it. It sounded like it should be on a drag strip. My cheeks were so sore from grinning that I had to take aspirin for the pain. The problem was, when you put it in gear it would die. So I changed the jets in the carb, replaced vacuum hoses. Same problem. So I went inside and got on the computer to look up some information to see what might be the problem. While searching I came across the 1978 Y88 SE Trans Am. That caught my attention. I did some more research and decided that was the one I wanted to have most of all. So I went and bought it. Brought it home.
Now I've got 3 Trans Ams. Whoa. I was in fantasy land. Joy to the world. But I didn't need that many and since the 1975 TA was a rust bucket I parted it out and made my money back and then some. The front bumper sold for $936.00 and the engine for $700.00 I hated to see it go but it was too far gone to sell as a whole car. Now down to 2 TAs again.
I am now going to restore the 1978 Y88.......But......I was sent out of state for my job and was going to be gone for 6 months. And since we were only working 8 hours a day I got bored and spent a lot of time on the computer. For some odd reason I got the 4x4 bug and wanted to buy a truck of some kind. It just happened to be my 1987 K5 Blazer. Had the K5 delivered from Kentucky on my last week out of state. I had them drop it off at my work center so I could drive it home. Turned out to be a lemon. Yep, I got screwed. You can read about that at the beginning on my "Cashbag" build.
Well, if you haven't figured it out by now...........I went from restoring the Y88 TA to building the K5. That's where the money and time has gone. I guess you can say the CK5 addiction started and has not stopped. OOOOPS. With all the money I've spent on the K5 I could have restored 2 Trans Ams. But, oh well. I have really enjoyed meeting a lot of new brothers and sisters on here. You helped me learn about the TBI and many other things I had no clue about. I drove that Blazer to places I never thought I could take it. And I'm not regretting it. Not one bit. And it's not finished yet but it will be soon....hopefully.
Back to the Y88 TA. Here it is. As it sits. And now I'm itching to start working on it along side the K5. Enjoy.
Back in 1974 my Dad bought a new 1974 GTO. It had the shaker hood just like the Trans Am. That was an awesome GTO but the year just didn't do it for me. And I had never really paid much attention to the Trans Ams until then. That was the car I fell in love with. Any car that had the shaker hood looked sweet and I hoped that when I was old enough that I could get one.
I was old enough in 1977 and couldn't afford a Trans Am so I got what was affordable. The first being a 1969 Chevelle SS 396. Totaled it in 3 months. My next car was a 1971 Torino GT. Totaled it in 6 months. I'm not going to discuss the next couple of cars but in 1982 I was able to buy a 1978 Trans Am. Red, Pontiac 400, Automatic, T-tops, A/C, Tilt...etc. I didn't total it. In case you were wondering. But the motor blew on me and my son when we were headed to our softball game. Had it towed home and it sat outside for quite a while because we didn't have a garage. I kept a few parts from it for memories and it is now long gone.
Move on to 2004. I bought a 1978 Trans Am. It was being delivered from Oklahoma. One guy was hauling mine and another guy was driving a 1981 to be delivered somewhere close. The 1981 Trans Am blew a radiator hose so they drove mine and hauled the 1981. No big deal, it made it here with no issues. It was brown, 403 Olds motor, Automatic, T-Tops, A/C....etc. It was a daily driver that I wanted to fix up. Make it fast. All the fun stuff. At the time I worked for AT&T as a cable splicer. And while working on some phone cable in a backyard I noticed a 1975 Trans Am, blue, that was sitting in this yard to the south of me. It had been sitting for some time because you can see where the tires had sunken into the ground. I talked to the owner, a young gentleman, and asked if he would be interested in selling it. You bet he did. Got a great deal. He said that one day they went out to drive it and it wouldn't start. He thought he might have burnt the starter up and that he was tired of messing with it. He told me it had a souped up 350 SBC with a big cam and bored .030 over. So I hauled it home with a big smile on my face.
Now I've got 2 Trans Ams. I was one happy camper. I started working on the 75 TA. I just gave it a tune up......plugs, wires, cap and rotor. It fired right up. And it had a hard lope to it. It sounded like it should be on a drag strip. My cheeks were so sore from grinning that I had to take aspirin for the pain. The problem was, when you put it in gear it would die. So I changed the jets in the carb, replaced vacuum hoses. Same problem. So I went inside and got on the computer to look up some information to see what might be the problem. While searching I came across the 1978 Y88 SE Trans Am. That caught my attention. I did some more research and decided that was the one I wanted to have most of all. So I went and bought it. Brought it home.
Now I've got 3 Trans Ams. Whoa. I was in fantasy land. Joy to the world. But I didn't need that many and since the 1975 TA was a rust bucket I parted it out and made my money back and then some. The front bumper sold for $936.00 and the engine for $700.00 I hated to see it go but it was too far gone to sell as a whole car. Now down to 2 TAs again.
I am now going to restore the 1978 Y88.......But......I was sent out of state for my job and was going to be gone for 6 months. And since we were only working 8 hours a day I got bored and spent a lot of time on the computer. For some odd reason I got the 4x4 bug and wanted to buy a truck of some kind. It just happened to be my 1987 K5 Blazer. Had the K5 delivered from Kentucky on my last week out of state. I had them drop it off at my work center so I could drive it home. Turned out to be a lemon. Yep, I got screwed. You can read about that at the beginning on my "Cashbag" build.
Well, if you haven't figured it out by now...........I went from restoring the Y88 TA to building the K5. That's where the money and time has gone. I guess you can say the CK5 addiction started and has not stopped. OOOOPS. With all the money I've spent on the K5 I could have restored 2 Trans Ams. But, oh well. I have really enjoyed meeting a lot of new brothers and sisters on here. You helped me learn about the TBI and many other things I had no clue about. I drove that Blazer to places I never thought I could take it. And I'm not regretting it. Not one bit. And it's not finished yet but it will be soon....hopefully.
Back to the Y88 TA. Here it is. As it sits. And now I'm itching to start working on it along side the K5. Enjoy.
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This is the actual mileage. 78,896. I made sure the DMV put that on the title
The AM/FM 8-Track still works
Notice the rear package tray. There is only 1 speaker. The original owner didn't want to upgrade to the two speaker system.
Rear seats are in excellent shape.
The gauge to the left of the air vent is an aftermarket volt meter. I have an OEM gauge to replace it.
Something you don't find too often in these cars....A Build Sheet. I found one on the gas tank also but it's very hard to read
Driver side floor pan in great shape.
Passenger side only has surface rust. No holes.
Rear seats are in excellent shape.
The gauge to the left of the air vent is an aftermarket volt meter. I have an OEM gauge to replace it.
Something you don't find too often in these cars....A Build Sheet. I found one on the gas tank also but it's very hard to read
Driver side floor pan in great shape.
Passenger side only has surface rust. No holes.
Trunk Floor pan only has surface rust. No holes.
One thing unique to the Y88 Trans Am are the Gold Tinted T-Tops. They were only made for this car for 6 months. The Gold Tint is acid etched to the glass and cannot be repaired. When the car is being driven the weatherstripping on the car will rub the gold tint off and leave a trail from one end of the T-Top to the other. I was able to buy a set of replacement glass, with the gold tint, from a guy from a Trans Am site I frequent. They are NOS and good luck finding another set. These do not have the metal frame on them. It is the glass only. I need to find a set of broken t-tops and use those to rebuild to make a new set. I was able to find a passenger side NOS with frame on ebay a few years ago. Luckily I only paid $400 for it. There was a NOS set with frames on ebay that sold for $2000.00 about 2 years ago.
The 2 on the right are NOS glass only.
NOS passenger side with frame.
NOS glass only
Over the 13 years that I have owned this Trans Am I have bought many NOS parts for this restoration. They are stored inside in a controlled environment.
I've taken the 400 engine apart, except for the block, because it is in great shape. Maybe I'll change my mind and have a little bit bigger of a cam put in and have the heads reworked to match it. Not sure at this moment but it does sound like a possibility. I also like the idea of keeping it stock so who knows.
One thing unique to the Y88 Trans Am are the Gold Tinted T-Tops. They were only made for this car for 6 months. The Gold Tint is acid etched to the glass and cannot be repaired. When the car is being driven the weatherstripping on the car will rub the gold tint off and leave a trail from one end of the T-Top to the other. I was able to buy a set of replacement glass, with the gold tint, from a guy from a Trans Am site I frequent. They are NOS and good luck finding another set. These do not have the metal frame on them. It is the glass only. I need to find a set of broken t-tops and use those to rebuild to make a new set. I was able to find a passenger side NOS with frame on ebay a few years ago. Luckily I only paid $400 for it. There was a NOS set with frames on ebay that sold for $2000.00 about 2 years ago.
The 2 on the right are NOS glass only.
NOS passenger side with frame.
NOS glass only
Over the 13 years that I have owned this Trans Am I have bought many NOS parts for this restoration. They are stored inside in a controlled environment.
I've taken the 400 engine apart, except for the block, because it is in great shape. Maybe I'll change my mind and have a little bit bigger of a cam put in and have the heads reworked to match it. Not sure at this moment but it does sound like a possibility. I also like the idea of keeping it stock so who knows.
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My uncle had a gold trans-am. Was a cool car. Traded it for an 84 I think and he and the rest of us regretted it.
79rustyk10
3/4 ton status
Wow, what an amazing starting point.
Bump
My buddy had a similar car in high school, but it was a 400/400. Love me some fire chickens eh.
My buddy had a similar car in high school, but it was a 400/400. Love me some fire chickens eh.
Love it Willie!!!
I had an '81 trans am like that back in tech school. Super rusty piece of crap but fun as hell to drive. Mine had the 301 engine I think with an auto. I ran a straight pipe out the side before the rear tire and since I worked at a tire shop I put black steel wheels on it and 295/50R15 tires on 10" wide wheels out back that were like 12" wide. They cleared fine except if I really hit a dip hard they would barely catch the fender lip.
Any movement on this?
Sorry for the late reply.
Right now the K5 is my main priority. I'm trying to get it ready for BB20.
But I still work a little bit, here and there, on this Trans Am.
This will be mostly a retirement project. I continue to buy parts necessary to complete the build.
The latest thing I did was sending in the dash bezel. The SE cars had a gold tinted dash bezel and over time they fade pretty bad. There is guy, Randy Combs, that restores them back to new. I believe he has some help that works with him. They are finished restoring it and I'm waiting for it to be shipped. Once I have it I'll post some pics.
Right now the K5 is my main priority. I'm trying to get it ready for BB20.
But I still work a little bit, here and there, on this Trans Am.
This will be mostly a retirement project. I continue to buy parts necessary to complete the build.
The latest thing I did was sending in the dash bezel. The SE cars had a gold tinted dash bezel and over time they fade pretty bad. There is guy, Randy Combs, that restores them back to new. I believe he has some help that works with him. They are finished restoring it and I'm waiting for it to be shipped. Once I have it I'll post some pics.
One day I’ll get my ‘74 455 Trans Am back on the road.
Updates?
