1974 Pontiac Trans Am - This Cruiser's No Snoozer

Pontiacs come and go in our busy lives, and for some hobbyists, half the fun is buying and selling them on a regular basis. But what of the hobbyist who holds onto his prized Pontiac through life's highs and lows, racing victories and blown engines, show trophies and rusty quarters? What of he who perseveres and actually accomplishes what many of us hope to do someday-get your old Pontiac completely restomodded to street/strip/show condition?

It just so happens that Dave Clark is one of those people. Now a Fairview Park, Ohio, resident, back in his younger days in Illinois, Dave was fueled by Smokey and the Bandit big-screen imagery. Like so many of us, he too decided to embark on his search for the Second-Gen T/A of his dreams. It was 1977; he was just 16.

By 1979 he had found one. "At Sullivan Pontiac in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, there it was, a '74 Admiralty Blue Trans Am with a bad transmission in the beater row of the dealership," he says. After cutting a deal trading in his Jeep and having the dealer fix the T/A's wounded slush box, he drove his new Pontiac home. Despite it being only five years old at the time, Dave says, "The Trans Am had body damage, three missing spoilers, rust, Montgomery Ward whitewall tires, and 90,000 miles, but for $1,945 it was MY Trans Am."

After a few upgrades, Dave sowed his adolescent oats over the next two years driving his T/A. He delivered pizzas, met his future wife, Teri, and annoyed the neighbors with his loud exhaust. His exploits behind the wheel even earned a nine-month suspension of his driving privilege.

By 1982, the T/A was really showing its age. A street resto that included rust repair, two used replacement doors, new fenders and spoilers, and fresh paint brought it back to life, and the Pontiac was back on the road each summer, with another 90,000 miles accrued by 1987. A few engine swaps over the next two years led to losing the original 400 powerplant, and by 1989 the deteriorated state of the T/A once again forced a decision. Dave would restore and modify the tired F-body, leaving no bolt unturned, and the result would be a fun street/strip/show car that looked stock and which he and his family could enjoy.

Drivetrain
The recipe for Dave's sleeper T/A stew went beyond restoration to include modifications geared toward straight-line performance. What better place to begin than under the hood with a four-bolt main 400 engine comprised of No. 12 Ram Air III heads and fitted with a Ram Air IV intake and a big carb, all assembled by his friend Jim Kruszewski at GPV Performance in Garfield Heights, Ohio.

Beginning its tour of duty in a '69 GP, the block was machined for the four-bolt main caps and bored 0.030 over before receiving its stock crank (cut 0.010/0.010), refurbished stock rods, and TRW forged pistons wrapped in Hastings rings. A high-volume oil pump draws from a stock pan via a welded-in-place pickup. With an advertised duration of 302/302 degrees and lift of 0.517/0.517 thanks to Harland Sharp 1.65:1 roller rockers, the Erson hydraulic cam commands the actions of the valvetrain. The No. 12 heads were ported and received a three-angle valve job before being fitted with 2.11/1.77 stainless steel valves and Erson valvesprings. Pushrods are from H-O racing.

With compression checking in at 10.25:1, Dave operates his T/A on a steady diet of 93/102-octane fuel mix, which is delivered from a Holley pump and then mixed with air via an 800-cfm Q-jet and a Ram Air IV aluminum intake manifold with crossover. Mallory ignition components light the spark via Taylor wires and AC R45S plugs. Evacuation of the chambers is left to Hedman Hedders ceramic-coated, 1.625-inch primaries with 3-inch collectors that dump into a Dr. Gas 3-2.5-inch X-pipe and then connect to 2.5-inch pipes and Straightline mufflers. It would seem that Dave still likes his exhaust loud-and shiny, as the system is powdercoated. If all this isn't enough to scratch Dave's go-fast itch, an adjustable Edelbrock nitrous system is on board.