Saleofcar.com :Pontiac

Pontiac Firebird (1997)
for sale

Price: US $4,000.00

Description:

1997 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 Coupe. This project car was started in 2010. At the time of purchase the engine ran but had a blown head gasket, oil leaks everywhere, poor valve train, and exhaust leaks. The transmission was not stock and had issues. The read end differential was blown. The AC was not working. The interior of the car was poor, windows/doors not working cracked dash pad. The paint was newer but nowhere close to a factory finish. This was a known project car. In all the work performed on the car when something was discovered that needed attention it was done, but even if it was minor at the time it was also done if it saved time/money and prevented any rework on that area. Here are some of the highlights of the work that has been done.
The engine rebuild began with the goal to fix the blown head gasket and oil leaks. The scope of the job expanded to cover anything that had to be removed during the job. A new set of heads and valve train components was purchased from a qualified machine shop to which the Crane 1.6 roller rockers completed the top end. All new gaskets typical for a top-end job were used. The cooling system was completely overhauled with all new components such as radiator, water pump, thermostat and all hoses. The Air Conditioning system was completely overhauled with new compressor, evaporator, accumulator, dryer and all hoses.
The rear-end drive train work involved an evolution so to speak of various gearing and differential swaps to get what I wanted. There was a 3.42 used for a period of time and then a 2.73 but the final combination that gave me the fuel economy and low-end power I wanted was the 3.23.
The transmission project began by replacing it with a matching 4EL60 transmission from that model year. A high quality rebuild was professionally done by a machine shop and included a shift kit using corvette servos and a 2500 torque convertor.
Solving the all the oil leaks became a multistep effort. New front and rear engine seals were installed along with a new high pressure oil pump. That took care of most leaking oil but a persistent very small oil leak plagued me for a while. On LT1 engines the seals on the timing chain cover are very finicky, it took a few gasket/ seal replacements in this area to get it leak free.
In 2011 during a heavy rainstorm I encounter water run-off that caused a low speed collision with a guard rail that had damaged the front bumper and hood. It was low enough of a collision that the air bags did not deploy. It became easier to just buy a replacement front clip rather than each individual piece to complete the repair. Since the car was already in for this repair, I leveraged the down-time as an opportunity to professionally repaint the whole car.
In early 2012 some more upgrades were added. I replaced the previously installed heads with a new set of professionally ported/polished heads and the intake manifold at a local machine shop. The headers were upgraded with new long-tube Pacesetter Headers and locking fasteners. I upgraded the fuel injectors to Accel brand 36 pound performance injectors. Lastly a PCM tune was performed by RedLine Performance in Pompano Beach.
Luckily I have at my disposal access to all the right tools and the experience of people who have done restorations with success. What I did not have skills to do I bought from professionals. This project soon became a labor of love and yes it was expensive. I have invested well over $10, 000 in the car and it has been a wonderful learning experience. There is more work done to the car, these are just major highlights. I have all the receipts for everything done on the car which you can easily verify. The car could use some interior restoration specifically on the upholstery.
This is not a $40, 000 Barrett Jackson show car, but it does turn heads because of its great looks and incredible growl. This is a daily driver which is very reliable. I challenge anyone to find a car in this price range that has the same proof of what condition it is in . . .. . .with this car there is no risk of take my word for it as the proof is here. Feel free to ask questions, or to stop in and take a look.
NEW FUEL PUMP INSTALLED 12-10-2012
Car drives but will need new steering column.
_{update: 2015-08-10}