1979 Pontiac Trans Am - Trading Trans Ams

Very few of us go through our lives with the same car. First, they usually don't last that long and second, styles and needs change over the years and therefore so do the vehicles we own.

Ypsilanti, Michigan's, Mathias Buckson parted with his Pontiac but not the way he had hoped. The young buck postponed college and worked two jobs to pay for his pride and joy, a '79 Pontiac Trans Am. Inspired like many of us by Burt Reynolds and his black T/A, Buckson babied his Heritage Brown Bird for the next 8 years until someone stole it.

Unfortunately, Mathias didn't have theft insurance, but he did have an income that allowed him to purchase a brand new '88 Firebird. The Red 305 Tuned Port Injected Trans Am kept him happy for awhile, but Mathias always adored the unique front and rear fascia of the '79-81 Firebirds and this would lead him to buy another '79 T/A. This 403-powered F-body featured a blue exterior shod with all of the typical Trans Am graphics, and a custom light blue interior. "Between 1991 and 1996, I bought and sold four Trans Ams for parts and/or restoration," said Buckson.

One day, Mathias happened to pick up a copy of HIGH PERFORMANCE PONTIAC, and thought it might be interesting, seeing how he was a Trans Am fan and all. This would lead him to the 1995 Trans Am Nationals in Dayton, Ohio. "We entered the Red '88, which had become my wife Debbie's car, and my Blue '79. At that show, I saw the T/A of my dreams," he noted.

The Pontiac in question was a '79 model in Heritage Brown. No it wasn't his long lost ride, but one even better. This Bird, which belonged to Don Alexander was an L78/W72/WS6 model (his old ride was Oldsmobile-powered), which came with the 220hp Pontiac 400 engine and four-speed transmission and 3.23 Safe-T-track rear. Four-wheel disc brakes, upgraded suspension pieces and 15x8-inch Snowflake wheels among other pieces were part of the WS6 option. Even with all this, by far the Pontiac's best feature was its 58,000 miles. Alexander was the original owner and had meticulously maintained and pampered the Bird, which kept it in a pristine state, automobile heaven.

That very day, Mathias made an offer to buy it when Alexander was ready to sell, and in the fall of 1997, Buckson's phone rang with good news at the other end. Though they would have to sell both his '79 and Debbie's '88 to pay for it, Mathias had found his dream Pontiac. "[Debbie] thought we were all set with our cars," he noted. "It was hard for her to part with the '88, but she knew how much I wanted this one." Alexander had just bought a new '97 WS6 Trans Am and knew his old Bird would have a good home with Mathias who sold both of his Pontiacs in a matter of three weeks, to bring home his dream car.

Alexander gave the Bucksons a great many things with the Trans Am including 20 First Place trophies and 15 First Place plaques. More importantly, he provided them with such valuable items as the original bill of sale, the build sheet and other paperwork that he had saved.

Since owning the Trans Am, Mathias has personalized it a bit for performance and for beauty. Tom at Lake's Radiator reconditioned the original radiator, and installed a lower-temp thermostat to keep the big-cube mill cooler. Under the hood, the factory 400-inch engine has been left alone save some bright items like chrome-plated fender supports, radiator cap and alternator. The previous owner had also installed a dual exhaust system with headers, and to this Mathias had Ray at Mr. Muffler in Ypsilanti add Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers, while still maintaining the factory splitters at the tips.

As with the engine, the close-ratio four-speed tranny and 3.23-geared limited-slip differential are completely stock. BFGoodrich 235/60-15 radials with raised white letters complete the classic look. Stockers were 225/70-15s.