Like a true phoenix rising from the ashes, this Trans Am gets its redemption!
Lance, from Turnin Rust, has a friend who has been driving Trans Ams around since he was younger, and now Lance is going to take a look. He’s heading out to check out some of the cars he still has, to see what he has, what condition they’re in, and if they could possibly bring some home with them.
The owner of the cars bought his 1978 Trans Am in 1990, and drove it for quite a few years until his son wanted something to drive while in high school. After a while, his son decided he wanted something with more fuel efficiency, so he gave it back to his dad. The car is now parked in the owner’s yard, where it is accompanied by a 1981 Trans Am.
While the cars were running and driving when they parked, one had a problem with the carburetor that was never addressed. After the owner had a heart attack, the cars were back burnered, and while many people have shown interest in the cars, there were never any serious buyers who came along.
Originally, the 1981 car was intended to be a donor for the 1978 - he was even going to take the t-tops from it and transplant them onto the ’78 - the 1981 car is a roller. He describes the 1978 Trans Am as a car with ‘minimal’ rust, with lots of spare parts and a factory original 400 cubic inch engine. The engine was ‘gone through’ by Precision Motors a few years ago, but little is offered in terms of what was done.
After cutting a deal, the guys buy the cars, and decide they want to drive the 1978 off since they only have room enough on the trailer for one car. After a few hours of working on the Trans Am, she proves to still have life left in her! The car needs a lot of work, but it definitely came right back to life after a few tweaks while sitting in the yard.