I have wanted a 1978 Trans Am for about as long as I can remember. I have looked for one off and on for years, but have never pulled the trigger on one. Finally, while surfing online ads I found one that I thought might be it. It was a Martinique Blue 1978 Trans Am with the 400 Pontiac, 4-speed, Hurst hatch roof combination. I went to Chicago and bough the car and trailered it home to Tulsa, OK. I finally had my dream car. Of course as time goes by, you begin to see the car for what it is. The car had a ton of rust, the interior was shot, you could almost put your foot through the floor, the corners of the dash were rusted out, hot air rushed in from the engine through the dash and the hole around the shifter, the A/C didn’t work, the roof leaked. The car ran strong, but I was afraid that if I really hammered it, I could rip the car apart.
I knew that there was a lot that I wanted to do with the car to ultimately make it my own. I was never interested in a straight factory correct restoration. I wanted a car that could make a good ¼ pass and cruise around all day if I wanted. I wanted a car that would outperform any of the new factory muscle cars that the automakers were starting to dish out. I wanted it to retain the classic styling that I fell in love with, but I wanted a new car. Now this type of build has become popular and become known as Pro-Touring or a g-machine. While I wont take my car on a road course – there is not even one near me – I am building it with that level of performance in mind.
I kept the car in the garage and drove it occasionally for about 3 months, before deciding to bite the bullet and tear it apart.
Here is how it looked when I first brought it home.
