72' Trans Am

[jamesp]

Listen to this.

okay, i had never really cared about muscle cars, but today someone gave me a 1974 Trans Am with a 400 small block in it and a 4 speed rockcrusher tranny. It has a huge blower and 2 four barrel carbs. It is said to have over 600 hp. What do you guys think of this car?

[71Cnet]

it sounds like a good car. how is the body? the only thing is i thought the 400 small block is a chevy eng. i might be mistaken thou. post some pics if you can.

[jamesp]

you're right the eng. is a chevy but the body is a trans am....and the body is in alright condition it needs a new paint job and some body work like the front end on the bottom bumper and the interior has been stripped i will have to do some cosmetics to it but the eng. is being rebuilt. My mother works at a ford dealership and one of the mechanics told her i could have the car and he would help me work on it and i was just wondering if it would be worth the time and effort? Also wondering what other things that i could add to it to make it better, i intend to make it a dragster.

[jamesp]

[MrPbody]

While it may be unpopular, the value of the car will be drastically improved by returning it to Trans Am form. That is, dump the Bowtie and put an Injun back in it. Regardless of what the "scuttle butt" is, a Pontiac is a great performance engine. he 400 SB is marginal, at best, without significant upgrades to the block. They can be built to make tremendous power, but are inherently weak. Unlike 350, 400 was never produced as a performance engine by Chevrolet. At the same level of tune, the Pontiac 400 makes about 75-100 more lbs. of torque, while horsepower numbers are similar (same bore/stroke).
Ames Performance and Performance Years have all the body and interior details you'll need. Stick with them, as they aren't Chevy-oriented, only Pontiac. You won't get Camaro parts just because they "fit".
Lastly, 600 HP is pretty lame for a 400 SB with a blower. I would look into why the car was being sold, and why the engine requires rebuild.
FWIW

[jamesp]

MrPbody, the car was not bought, but given to us, so, I'd say it was a pretty good deal, besides, its just something to tinker with. We were just wondering, not being major muscle car enthusiasts, what people thought of it. Thanks for your input.

[tuske427]

HI:

Nice freebee. I wish I had free F-bodies given to me...

Anyways, are you sure on the year of the car? I thought the '75 Model was the first year with the wrap around rear window. Also, I thought the Firebirds had the woodgrain dash... (Trans Ams had the turned metal)

As for value- first, I'd run the numbers of the car to verify exactly what it is. You can buy a "pontiac red book" or probably even find some online pontiac sites to break the codes down. If it's a firebird, it will not bring the $$ in a genuine Trans Am would.

second- I'd check for rust. Check for rust in the trunk area as well as the floor pans. These are unibodies, not full frame cars. Rusted trunks will make these cars dangerously weak. Not safe to race without repair.

Third- and this comes down to what you'd want to do with it. If you decided to "restore it" I'd make sure the body is straight from the previous owner drag racing it. Maybe take it to a body shop and have them check the body fro straightness. Make sure it's not torqued, etc..
This would make parts easier to fit on there.

If you're just going to race it, it'd still be a good idea to do this so you know your chassis is straight. a crooked chassis can make adjusting your suspension for traction difficult at best. The car may never hook up the way you wanted and you wouldn't know why. could save a lot of headaches.

I hope this is helpful.

Thanks,

-BV