Project sinisTAr

[BanditDave]

Hey guys,

I finally starting a build thread on my project of a couple of years – a pro-touring ’78 Trans Am named “sinisTAr”. I purchased the car a couple years ago with the intentions of cloning it into a Special Edition “Bandit” Trans Am. I quickly realized that there are WAY too many of these things out there so I decided to take a slightly different route. After surfing sites, like Lat-G and Pro-Touring, I really started to get the bug to make my own pro-touring TA. When Year One introduced the BRE TA I figured “well, there goes my idea again… So what color do I want to make this thing??? I’ll figure that out later…”

I knew I wanted to make this thing handle like crazy, have a modern power plant and just look mean while being very functional – i.e. fairly cost effective “wear items” like brakes, tires, etc…

So, on with the show…

Vitals:

- '78 TA - Arizona car practically 100% rust free. Very light flash rust in the trunk area, but overall a really solid car! There are some dents but no rot.

- '99 LS1/4L60e mounted, wired and running.

- Speartech modified ECU, Dave-modified harness (me)

- Ceramic coated Hedman headers, 3 in Pypes exhaust, in the process of mounting the exhaust with Magnaflow muffs

- GM600 Box

- Detroit Speed upper and lower control arms

- 1LE front spindles 12" front brakes with Caprice calipers/'86 GN front brakes mounted on the rear (No e-brake at this point, plained on changing that)

- DSE Booster/3rd Gen Master cylinder

- Pro-Touring F-Body LS1 Competition level suspension/solid body bushings (the ride feel is equivalent to a 4th gen Fbody)

- Electric Walbro 255 external pump, sumped tank. Works well but I wanted to eventually get a stainless tank...too damn loud!

- Torq Thrust IIs 255/45-17 fronts 285/40-17 rears.

- Driveshaft correctly shortened.

- Cobalt Gauges not installed yet.

- OBDII connector present but not wired in yet.

- Aluminum Rad with dual Electric Fans wired to run off computer. Car hasn't gotten warm enough to fire on its own yet...haha but are wired in properly.

- Also have an Additional Pair of Texas Speed Heads Stage 2.5 5.3L heads with Springs and valves ~1000 miles on them - that will eventually be mounted once everything is together.

- Currently jamming in the car with a BMW Sparkling Graphite which will be the car's color

- I have a full set of BRE Year one Spoilers (flush mount) and I am not sure yet if I am going to paint them matte black or body color.

- Yes I am putting the birds on the car...probably silver/black combo or POSSIBLY a little ZR1-esque style set up with Blue decals on the silver body.

I will post pics when I get home from work to show the progress.



Dave

[BanditDave]

Here are some pics...finally! I am starting the body work on it so it should be painted soon. Comments welcomed!

[TreySmith]

Copy cat!

Nice car

[BanditDave]

Here's a few more pics and a link to a video...don't mind the guy who's walking like he has a stick up his arse... My back was killing me. Ask any questions you like!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Lpz0WDk-g


Thanks and enjoy!
Dave

[70rs]

Nice project. Please keep the pics and info coming.
What's the trick with the GN brakes being on the rear? I have never seen that, but I don't know much about much either.

[BanditDave]

It was a friggin PITA but ultimately it worked. The impetus for doing that was because I was missing the parking brake stuff and being a cheap bastard for certain things and not others, I test fit a set of GN brakes on the back and wouldn't you know it, something I actually had laying around worked!!! BUT!!! You have to make sure you size your lines and master cylinder properly to make them work in conjunction with the fronts - I have '96 Caprice cop brakes up front with a 3rd Gen S10 master on a DSE Booster...I will have to shim down the master a little to clear the hood as the 5th Gen master DSE supplies with their combo fits, it does not have a staggered bore, like the 3rd gen. The GN brakes are not ideal but will work for now until I save some dough for a KORE3 set or the like. It does stop really well though.

Thanks for the compliments.

[NOT A TA]

Great project! Who makes the radiator/shroud/fan set up you installed? I haven't started researching them, but I need to upgrade my Firebird. Do you have specs on the radiator and fans?

Temp started very slowly creeping near the end of track sessions at Sebring a few weeks ago. This is the first summer I've been in south Florida and temps that day were around 100 with 100% humidity. Temp stays fine around town but since I know I'll be using the car on track during the summer months I figure I'd better upgrade the capacity.