1979 Trans Am - 25 years in a garage

[Swims350]

you can see em scattered around here I've got several. I used these outside under my other truck in the yard before moving here, and brought them here to use in the garage since it's dirt floor.

They are just conveyor belts from the old mines when they tore and had to change or even shut down.

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[DoubleDingo]

Now that I've seen what you're talking about, yeah I've seen belts like that being used as flooring before. Being a kid back then I didn't know what it was, but having lots of gold, lead, silver, talc, gypsum, and pumice mines in the area, it makes sense for people to repurpose them for that.

 

[Swims350]

Now that I've seen what you're talking about, yeah I've seen belts like that being used as flooring before. Being a kid back then I didn't know what it was, but having lots of gold, lead, silver, talc, gypsum, and pumice mines in the area, it makes sense for people to repurpose them for that.

yessir the coal mines around here, and then having them for this use works well. What doesn't work well or didn't for me, was outside in the yard with rain, maybe it was grease and oil or maybe grass clippings or something but man I busted my ass several times walking on them when wet.

Here though indoors and painting cars/trucks I soak them and nothing. Maybe it was just my shoes back then?


I honestly wished I had more for th eother side, the TA is on that side now, and the vette sits where the truck frame is in the pic. I also considered trying to buy a bunch of bags of quikrete and try to pour a couple like 2 feet wide pads where the vette tires are, then come back and fill in between them later. Same thing on the other side so I'd have a concrete floor. Trying to afford it all at once from the concrete plant, plus the labor, finishing, and moving everything isn't real possible, even if I did half at a time the cost would kill me.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Yeah concrete isn't cheap. Even buying bags of it adds up quickly.

 

[Crispy]

I've looked into concrete pads and the cost of professional finish work is too high for me also. I'm jsut gonna keep rollin in the dirt till i get a property large enough to build the garage I want.

In other news for the TA, I scored a used edelbrock performer intake and it should be arriving in a few days. Already has the egr and choke block offs. I plan on using the stock choke but no egr.

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[4WDKC]

What I use in my garage is pads for horse stalls, they are thick and heavy.

 

[Swims350]

nice I want to get an aftermarket intake for mine. I'd love a rpm air gap but I hear they won't clear the shaker and hood without some modification, which to me might be worth it.

My biggest struggle with engine for mine is do I build a sbc or the olds?

which one is cheapest, which is sbc of course, but I want to really build something better more hp later, so the sbc would be best for that. Say maybe some aftermarket heads, intake, cam, flat tops or maybe stroker kit.

That's a ton cheaper then olds parts man sheessshh.

I do want an olds though, never had one. I'm thinking I may throw in a cam, just rebuild the 403 and add on headers, maybe an intake if I can find one cheaper then new and run that. Then build up the sbc for more power and can take awhile doing so.

They have some stainless headers on ebay and amazon for the olds, or at least in an olds, I'm wondering if they'd work. I've read the info on headers for a 79 TA with the 403 on summit to see what else that part number fits and it does fit some olds cars with the olds engine so the stainless ones might just work in a ta. I think they run like 140-160 for them. The black painted ones from summit cost more then those.

 

[Goldie Driver]

403 !

3.39 stroke vs 3.48 for SBC and "correct" for the T/A - well, except for the 80 and maybe 81s (flying by memory here ) that got 4 speeds and a 305.

Sumting different , ya know?

Plus the Olds had the cool oil fill caps up front.

 

[Crispy]

nice I want to get an aftermarket intake for mine. I'd love a rpm air gap but I hear they won't clear the shaker and hood without some modification, which to me might be worth it.

My biggest struggle with engine for mine is do I build a sbc or the olds?

which one is cheapest, which is sbc of course, but I want to really build something better more hp later, so the sbc would be best for that. Say maybe some aftermarket heads, intake, cam, flat tops or maybe stroker kit.

That's a ton cheaper then olds parts man sheessshh.

I do want an olds though, never had one. I'm thinking I may throw in a cam, just rebuild the 403 and add on headers, maybe an intake if I can find one cheaper then new and run that. Then build up the sbc for more power and can take awhile doing so.

They have some stainless headers on ebay and amazon for the olds, or at least in an olds, I'm wondering if they'd work. I've read the info on headers for a 79 TA with the 403 on summit to see what else that part number fits and it does fit some olds cars with the olds engine so the stainless ones might just work in a ta. I think they run like 140-160 for them. The black painted ones from summit cost more then those.

There are companies that make drop base shaker assemblies but they cost almost as much as the damn intakes. Right now there are 2 other used performer intakes on ebay that came up after I had bid and consequently won the one im waiting for. They are cheap right now so if you're feeling froggy...

If you keep the quadrajet and the regular performer intake (2711 or 3711) you can retain OEM shaker operation. The weight savings alone is worth it in my book plus a little more HP is nice.

I have scratch and dent Flowtech headers that i plan on painting. Scored those for $100 from flowtech on ebay. The edelbrock intake i'm into for $250, and I plan on going with a Lunati bracket master cam and lifter kit which is $220. Last thing is a carb rebuild, not sure how much I will be dropping on that but I should be in under $1,000 on the engine including the tune up parts, gasket set, and water pump. With the rear being re-geared that should get me a nice seat of the pants feel.

 

[4WDKC]

nice I want to get an aftermarket intake for mine. I'd love a rpm air gap but I hear they won't clear the shaker and hood without some modification, which to me might be worth it.

My biggest struggle with engine for mine is do I build a sbc or the olds?

which one is cheapest, which is sbc of course, but I want to really build something better more hp later, so the sbc would be best for that. Say maybe some aftermarket heads, intake, cam, flat tops or maybe stroker kit.

That's a ton cheaper then olds parts man sheessshh.

I do want an olds though, never had one. I'm thinking I may throw in a cam, just rebuild the 403 and add on headers, maybe an intake if I can find one cheaper then new and run that. Then build up the sbc for more power and can take awhile doing so.

They have some stainless headers on ebay and amazon for the olds, or at least in an olds, I'm wondering if they'd work. I've read the info on headers for a 79 TA with the 403 on summit to see what else that part number fits and it does fit some olds cars with the olds engine so the stainless ones might just work in a ta. I think they run like 140-160 for them. The black painted ones from summit cost more then those.

look around see if you can find someone selling an old electra/88 for cheap that has a 455 in it. Theres your power.

 

[Crispy]

Theres a Pontiac 400 for sale not too far from me...with a 78 Catalina attached.

https://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/d/78-pontiac-catalina-4-dr-excop-car/6859972389.html

 

[Goldie Driver]

Theres a Pontiac 400 for sale not too far from me...with a 78 Catalina attached.

https://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/d/78-pontiac-catalina-4-dr-excop-car/6859972389.html

Cool ! Too bad they did not make Can Am cop cars …



That I know of ...

 

[Crispy]

Cool ! Too bad they did not make Can Am cop cars …



That I know of ...

Bandit cars only bubba!

 

[Goldie Driver]

Bandit cars only bubba!

Not sure I follow - you would not rock this ?

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[Crispy]

Not sure I follow - you would not rock this ?

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I read that fast an saw Trans Am. I didnt even know a Can Am Pontiac existed. Hell yea I'd rock one, that long roof is callin for t-tops too!