And yes, keep it white.
And yes, keep it white.
I'd think keeping it white would be a good idea. There is a ridiculous amount of options for GM motors to make that thing really get up and go. My brother has an earlier black and gold one with the chicken on the hood with a massaged motor. He's selling it now that he bought a new Challenger, wife says there's too much heavy metal at the house.
Trans_Maro wrote: -sigh- Late second gen cars are going up in value, they're worth hanging on to. If it's a T/A from 1980 it should have a Pontiac 301 unless it's a California model. The California cars got a Chebby 305 because of the emissions laws, there were only around 1600 305 T/A's in 1980 so an original 305 car is fairly rare. There were no 4-speed cars in 1980 or 1981, the option wasn't available. Turbo 301s got a THM350, N/A 301 T/A's got a THM350C and all other engines got a Metric 200. The suspension is cheap and easy to upgrade, there's a lot that can be done with the factory parts. Your car -might- be a WS-6 car. if you can pull the back seat out or the passenger's seat, there might be a build sheet stuck in the springs under each one. Cars built in Norwood Ohio got a build sheet behind the back seat, under the pass seat and a third on top of the gas tank. Van-Nuys built cars usually only get one on top of the tank. If you want to know ayhting else about late-second-gen Trans-Ams, just PM me. If you tell me the VIN, I can tell you what motor, axle and transission should be in that thing. I don't need the last 4 numbers. Shawn
This guy knows what he's talking about. 
1980 T/A's aren't the most desirable ones out there, but they are great cars to mod. Since she's the original owner and since you said it's white and gold, It's not a special model. In 1980, the "collector" cars are the Indy Pace Car and the black and gold S.E.
What hood does it have? Is it a shaker hood or is it one with the offset bump with the lights (the Turbo hood)? Having a Turbo hood will be easier for engine swaps. There are two shakers available in 1980, one for the Pontiac 301 and one for the rare Chevy-sourced 305. Getting a shaker that's not meant for a certain engine to line up with the hood is a PITA, but it can be done with some fabrication. And don't bolt it to the hood. That's lame! 
As far as painting it, do whatever she wants. Black and gold is always nice looking, but it is played out. 
There are some other nice factory colors out there that will match up with the decal kits that are reproduced.
Does it have rear disc brakes? If so, it has the WS6 package, which was awesome back the and still pretty decent today. My '79 has it, and even with it's worn springs and sorta clapped out suspension, it handles great. If it doesn't, then that stuff is easy to swap on if you want.
On the engine... The easiest way to go is another small block Chevy (like a nice 383 stroker) since there's already one in there. Pontiac faithful might frown upon you, but it's a cost effective way to make reliable power. All sorts of engines fit in these cars. I originally had the Olds 403 in my '79, and now it has a Pontiac 400. LS-series Chevy V8's also swap in with some effort, and you all know that they are awesome.
Other things... -Is it rusty? There are some reproduction panels out there, but strangely enough, common problem areas like fenders and tail pans are not reproduced. Noses aren't either.
-They make all sorts of interior stuff, so you're covered for that. The only thing they don't make is a full dashboard. It's been listed in resto catalogs for a good 10 years now, but it's still not available.
-Suspension and brake parts are cheap, and there are a lot of aftermarket choices from mild to wild.
Two good sites to peruse are 78TA.com and Transamcountry.com You'll find lots of good info over there.
I think the '80 nose is way better than the '77.
Definitely keep it white. Changing colors on a car with out doing a full resto really messes up a car in my opinion.
How much do these things weigh? I remember just the doors on my sister's '77 seemed to weigh more than some cars I've owned.
I think a Poncho 455 would be cool in there. Not the cheapest by far but cool. Doesn't Edelbrock make heads for Pontiac motors now?
There are lots of options these days if building up a Pontiac motor. A common build is the stroker 400. They make fully balanced rotating assemblies that swap into a 400 block with a little massaging (you have to clearance a part of the block for one of the counterweights) and they have the potential to make more power than a 455. There are a few companies that make aluminum heads now in many flavors, and there are even aluminum Pontiac blocks being produced!!!
They have lots of cool stuff for Pontiac motors now. The intake I have on my motor has bosses for port nitrous or port fuel injection as well. Down the road, I would love to Megasquirt my T/A. 
Everyone thinks Canadian Pontiacs were Chevy's underneath.
We had US market cars up here as well as our own pre-auto-pact Canadian-only cars. I have two, a 1957 and 1958 Pontiac Pathfinder. They're '57 and '58 Chevy's with bigger engines.
The Canadian-only lines ended in the 80's but the F-body was all US pontiac.
You could get Buick V6, Olds 350 and 403 in addition to other Chevy motors in the F-body lineup. BUT Trans-Ams (except for the Chevy 305 and Olds 403) only got Pontiac engines.
The T/A is what I know most about, no Esprits, Formulas or base birds in my collection.
The Olds 403 ended in 1979. If you have an automatic, you have a 403. If you have a 4-speed, you have a 400.
The WS-6 did come with 4-wheel disc, it's a dead give away BUT 1980 and early 1981 production turbocharged cars were available without 4-wheel disc and limited-slip differential. WS-6 was made manditory for later turbo cars.
1981 is also the only year a limited-slip differential was optional on Trans-Ams, every other year it was standard equipment.
When you buy a T/A, you buy a Camaro that is all grown up. They have more power, ride better, handle better and go faster. Period. They come with everything standard that you would add to a lesser F-body.
With a T/A you get bigger swaybars and a rear bar, stiffer springs, LSD and aero package (functional and wind-tunnel developed) all standard.
If you buy the WS-6 package, you get (on 2nd gen cars) 4-wheel disc, quick takeup master cylinder (1981 only), even stiffer springs, bigger front bar (1-1/16" solid), poly swaybar bushings and stiffer shocks.
It's a pretty potent package and when you run the numbers against all the emissions-choked crap that was available in the 1980's, If you have a 1980 or 1981 Turbo Trans-Am, you're swinging the biggest stick around.
Shawn
I almost forgot, if it's already got a Chevy motor in it, upgrades to other Chevy's will be easier.
The battery and starter are on the wrong side of the motor with a Chevy engine.
The engine wiring harness will need to be lengthened or changed for a chevy-motored-firebird harness to hook the engine up properly.
The battery will need to be swapped to the other side of the rad support, this meand moving your coolant overflow and other bits. You might want to swap rad supports with a Pontiac engine owner since they will be rotten on opposite sides.
The shaker won't fit if you use it on a poncho motor.
The radiator hoses are in the wrong spots on a Chevy radiator, you'll need a Pontiac rad for a Pontiac engine.
Motor mounts are also in a different place for Chevy motors. The subframe will have the correct holes to move the mounts around but you need to pull the lower control arms to change the mounts easily. I've heard guys claim that you can bend a wrench to get at the nuts but I've always pulled the arms.
Really, budget-wise and headache-wise, you're better off keeping a Chevy motor in that car.
Shawn
P.S. Another thing I forgot. WS-6 cars have lower-control arm braces. These can be hard to find because they get removed and thrown out when Bubba puts his new headers on the car.
Keep it white. They are cool cars.
I would say mildly modify the 305 and spend the rest of the money on handling upgrades.
SilverFleet wrote: They have lots of cool stuff for Pontiac motors now. The intake I have on my motor has bosses for port nitrous or port fuel injection as well. Down the road, I would love to Megasquirt my T/A.
A friend of mine built a neat engine for his '61 Bonneville - a 400 stroked and bored to 462, Edelbrock heads, and Megasquirt EFI with port injection. It made something around 520hp on the engine dyno, yet it idles like a stock engine.
I can only imagine the man-hours it would take to make a 30 year old trans am straight enough that you could paint it black.
stuart in mn wrote:SilverFleet wrote: They have lots of cool stuff for Pontiac motors now. The intake I have on my motor has bosses for port nitrous or port fuel injection as well. Down the road, I would love to Megasquirt my T/A.A friend of mine built a neat engine for his '61 Bonneville - a 400 stroked and bored to 462, Edelbrock heads, and Megasquirt EFI with port injection. It made something around 520hp on the engine dyno, yet it idles like a stock engine.
Now that's what I'm talking about.
They do make tons of parts for them, but they can get pricey quick. For the money I ended up spending on mine, I could have bought a nice LS motor and a T56. Just saying.
Trans_Maro wrote: It's a pretty potent package and when you run the numbers against all the emissions-choked crap that was available in the 1980's, If you have a 1980 or 1981 Turbo Trans-Am, you're swinging the biggest stick around. Shawn
thankyou for the info, and sorry if this might seem like a thread jack......
ive been following this thread since it started and it has hhelped drastically in MY build.
i own my own 1980 trans-am and just so happens to be a turbo model (black and gold)....by the sounds of it, it looks like i have a ws6 package (being as though i have 4-wheel discs) but how do i know if i have lsd?
You can get the information on your car by filling out this form and giving them a few bucks.. http://www.phs-online.com/order.htm
I may be in the minority on this one, but perhaps you should leave it white.
Motor, well it seems you can not go wrong no matter what you do.
If you have the rear disc rear end, then it has a LSD. They didn't come without it when you got the rear disc rear end. You should also have 15x8 "Turbo" wheels instead of the 15x7's that regular cars got. Sounds like you have the WS6 package.
You should try and find your build sheet. It sounds like you could have a SE (aka "Bandit" edition) car. 
Check out this link for info on the SE cars: http://www.78ta.com/special.php
Does your car have factory t-tops? If not, you have one of the rarest T/A's made if it is in fact a Special Edition!!! Only 103 of those were produced as opposed to 3,444 if it does have them.
White with Blue always looked good on the Fire-Am:
(Kudos if you remember this car)
Fire-Am's are awesome.
where do i find the build sheet at?
babyjesus wrote: where do i find the build sheet at?
Under the rear seat is a good place to start looking, if the interior hasn't been replaced or molested. You can also check behind door panels (including the rear side panels) and anywhere under the carpet.
All bets are off if the car has been "restored" at any time in its' life.
As previously noted, the Pontiac Historic Society will research the car for a fee; just supply the VIN and they do the rest. Please keep in mind that it's not an overnight process and may take some time (like - weeks) to receive results.
Do you have T-Tops? Take some pics of that car and post them up! That goes for the OP too!!!
oldsaw wrote: As previously noted, the Pontiac Historic Society will research the car for a fee; just supply the VIN and they do the rest. Please keep in mind that it's not an overnight process and may take some time (like - weeks) to receive results.
If you're in a hurry, for a little more money they can fax you initial results within a couple hours. Mainly it's for people who are looking at buying a car and want to make sure it's an authentic T/A or GTO or whatever before making an offer.
This doesn't really apply in this case, but it's worth knowing for future reference.
SilverFleet wrote: Do you have T-Tops? Take some pics of that car and post them up! That goes for the OP too!!!
i do have t-tops...camel interior, gold bird, no longer there, but was originally...i don't have any recent pics...but i do have a couple old pics of when my dad drove it from when he was like 16...lol i even found a pack of "big red" chewing gum, still smells like cinnamon haha....i love the car, i just wish my college student funds would permit me to restore her sooner than later
In reply to babyjesus:
Ok, it's still a rare car if it's an SE. And I hear you on restoring that car. I bought my 79 T/A while still in college, and I was stupid enough to think that I could make it a daily driver. That got expensive really fast, and aside from building a motor for it a few years ago, it's still awaiting that restoration. I've owned it since 2002.
babyjesus wrote:SilverFleet wrote: Do you have T-Tops? Take some pics of that car and post them up! That goes for the OP too!!!i do have t-tops...camel interior, gold bird, no longer there, but was originally...i don't have any recent pics...but i do have a couple old pics of when my dad drove it from when he was like 16...lol i even found a pack of "big red" chewing gum, still smells like cinnamon haha....i love the car, i just wish my college student funds would permit me to restore her sooner than later
If your Dad had it when he was a teenager, it sounds like you might be the third-owner and that's a good thing.
If it's not a DD, keep it, occasionally drive it and wait to restore it. Restorations take time and money; you'll need both. On a positive note, there are a lot things you can do with the car that need much more of your time and won't put a huge dent in a budget.
If a major tune-up (plugs, wires, dizzy, hoses, pads, fluid flush, etc., etc.) is affordable, start there and work your way through the rest of the bucket list.
You'll need to log in to post.
