Mark

So I dressed it up a tad... added a better horn ...

and installed some alumn brushed pullys...

Added the mirrored hood...

and stuff like that...

4 x 1" Brushed Alum Dimond plate like 40 bucks...

If you look close you can see the letters peeling back from the wind this was three days after paint and a 1200 mile ride...

So I peeled the stickers off and went with none...

The end of this one for now...

Those were all from the weekend before the fire...

USAA rep tried to claim the car totaled and I said I would drop them and pull my claim if they demanded it totaled...

I said Ill fix it myself no way You total a 1979 TA for some paint and a couple wires...

Then I went back on Edlebrock also and they wanted to fight until I said fine my USAA wouldnt cover one part because they deemed it the reason for the fire and its the carb you sold me so I want a refund and Ill ship it back to you do whatever you want I want a Holley and never settled before Im not settling now...

They reluctantly agreed refunded my cash and 1700 later I got her back bu the decal and paint ship screwed me and never applied any clear coat...

Smelled fuel didnt think much of it since my cars have always burned rich...

had been idling approx 15 minutes while I was getting ready for work and little did I know the carb was leaking onto the intake...

When I romped down as I left the motel it ripped to life and burned all the way until third gear then I let off I was already at 60 mph and I heard Pop and a flame went right up my windshield from my hood...

Luckily I had a fire extinguisher close bye and was able to get it out in less than 1 and a half minutes...

it was exactly the day after Fathers day...

Then two days later while I was waiting for the seats and all the added interior parts I wanted would arrive My car burst into flames...

The culprit was the new re manufactured Eldlebrock carb...

For the time being It seemed to work...

SO I focused on the interior mods for a brief spell...

at least the car would move and not sound like it was going to rattle a bearing loose...

Then I decided I didnt like the Black and Red so Much so I changed it and named it Mighty Mouse...

Then I cleaned and prepped and painted and assembled and we go the heads worked because thats what ya do then I had to buy another one so instead I bought two 4X

Off a 68 Tempest... HO Heads...

So the dismemberment of the engine...

And the years of grim and grease melted off...

took me a week...

Np particular order... here... you get the idea...

So I buy this Beauty right here...

a 1968 400 From a Pontiac Catalina lol

It ran fired right up so I figured why not sounded like a beast...

I got the car fixed up all special starting to be like back in my day...

And I could hear a grinding in the bottom end...

I figured it was only a matter of time now before the bearings seized up or spun...I figured better to fix it not broken than blow it...and do more damage so I went and bought this...I know your gonna say damn...

In PA when you buy an engine at a junk yard... you pay for CI so a 350 is 350 a 455 is 455 bucks I know sounds weird so anyhow here is my 400 - 400 Pontiac... why not an olds when they turn up quicker?

Because CI to CI a Pontiac produces more Engine Torque than other engines Hand down...:) thats why...

So a reminder thats the first engine I got before I did anything except dress it up then started hearing a rattle just before it shifted into the next gear...

Well I think so...

Went from drum to Disk set up...Bought the kit and installed the kit...

Meanwhile changed from factory 3:73 Gears stupid way to high down to 2:73 much better for top end use...

Added Pumpkin cover Chrome difference of day and night...lol

Zero Shims Also...

Ok the pic above is how crappy it used to look...

see how low beams are close together now ?

The last pic was before I installed the LED lights...

The two absolute Brightest Bulbs I ever saw hot too but man brighter than all four headlights at the same time...

2~4" Quartz Cubes...

Everyone said dont cut the Honeycomb out at the bottom... I was like watch this hold my beer...they wont look right round floods with squares up top Oh yea... say that again?

Then I figured I may as well wire in the new headlights LEDs and all...

I also reverse the High beam and low beams so the low beams are inside close to the center of the nose and the high beams when turned on are the outer bulbs and lenses... for this unique look more like a vette in the dark than a TA...

I ended up having to cut the rubber stoppers in half since they were too long...

Notice in the picture above... how its electrical Tape inside the lens is all...:)

Now I like this look a lot better cleaner...and all...

Plus I added the Tint for the windows...

The Old School Louvers and the Old School Traction bars...

and they reduce wheel spin and hope down to 1/3rd Your car basically will squat and bolt out of the hole...

I needed to align the rear trunk slightly to get it to seal better and stop leaking the old seal had a pinch is all so I replaced it centered the trunk which wasnt so fun what a pain in the ass lots of patience is all I say...Like freaking headers...

So anyhow I used to do this with tape then I bough them cut the way I liked I think you will agree...

I was doing this since the 80s by the way...

My Idea First...

But wait Now look... you may notice Im off just ever so slightly in my alignment its a biot tricky since the decal is millimeters smaller only and I didnt want a re stick after a peel event... so it is what it is...

Which brings me to my next mod...

Aint that Kinda Slick ?

Now this is what you do look for the silver Bird... They never made a Gold one...But watch...:)

Ok I didnt have a close up but in this picture you can tell the silver of the bird verses the Gold lettering...

Well they make one smaller than that one... and it fits the rear Gas cap cover perfect well almost...

Here is something a lot of people didnt know... Most Trans am looked like this from the rear...

But the Special Edition had the Bird in the flap...style hang a sec Ill show you...

This is not my car...

This was Stock when I got Christine...

See looks the same... and My Car is a 100&% 79 Trans Am that had the 403 Olds engine package...

So you take the sail panel bird or side panel up behind your shoulder where the door connects and the rear glass is that bird...

This one...

Its been 2 yrs they still look like that...

Show up more like dirty wheels than Golden Snowflakes...

So first I washed them and it really didnt make difference then I air brushed them with wire wheel and then I polished them with polish...

Then I prepped for primer and then top coated about 12 coats over all...

for 15 bucks i think they will work a while...

this was a few months later of daily driving...

Honeycomb Wheels Trademark of Trans Am,,,

Personally I never liked them back in the day that much and one day Ill replace the ones I got with some really bad ass Mags...

For now I couldnt bare it any longer and was forced to spend an hour to an hour and a half on each wheel meticulously cleaning them for a touch up and repaint by rattle can...

Just hang on for now until I show you...

Ok original wheels i got...

I went over the gold a few times with a tiny brush and some real Gold paint so it would get the brilliance and glimmer under sunlight a tad...

I also did the side gills on fenders...

I also did approx three coats each...side that was one coat at that time...

Ill start one for the Gold and rims and Trim now...