1974 Pontiac Trans Am - This Cruiser's No Snoozer

Mixing the gears to deliver the engine torque rearward is a '70 Turbo 400 trans with a shift kit and external cooler, and a 2,800-stall Vega converter. The trans was performance built by the late John "Cash" Lawrence.

Adding an extra measure of durability out back in anticipation of the power up front, a 12-bolt posi rear with 3.55 gears was rebuilt inside, restored outside, and installed. But before this potent drivetrain could find a home, the chassis had to be worked out.

Chassis
Jim Kruszewski took on those chores as well. To provide weight transfer on the strip, weight was taken off the nose by relocating the battery to the trunk, removing the entire heating system, and lightening the front bumper and its brackets. Adding rigidity and correcting geometry, the subframe was dialed in by straightening it to factory spec and by grinding and rewelding all of its seams (before painting it and other chassis components Centari Pitch Black).

Giving up some cornering performance in the name of straight-line thrust, six-cylinder springs were installed to get the nose up on launch. Adjustable drag shocks from Summit that can be set for 90/10, 70/30, or 50/50 were mounted up front with 50/50 shocks in the rear. Urethane bushings reduce deflection, the welded-in Lakewood subframe connectors stiffen the structure so as not to waste motion twisting the body, and Lakewood traction bars plant the tires.

To maintain some of the T/A's cornering prowess despite the soft front springs, the factory 1.25-inch front and 0.812-inch rear stabilizer bars were retained. Braking is handled by the factory 11-inch disc/9.5-inch drum setup, and the 15x7 Honeycomb wheels wear 215/65R15 and 245/60R15 BFGs front and rear.

Body
Of course, all the performance chassis work would mean nothing if the body wasn't done right. Problem was, the body needed serious help. To that end, Al Meyers, owner of Ken's Auto Body in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, took on the job, deciding that the rear section of the shell needed nothing short of a full replacement clip. A donor was located, and Al went about the task of grafting in the new section.

Once Dave and Jim got the T/A back, undercoating was stripped from the rest of the shell, body repairs were made where needed, and the entire shell was sandblasted and DP40 epoxy primed. Then the floors were painted body color. Once the subframe, suspension, and drivetrain were installed, Bob Gernhard prepared the body for paint. Dave says, "All the bolt-on body panels were media stripped and epoxy primed like the shell and then primed with four coats of DuPont and blocked. The panels were trimmed with color, the body was assembled, and the panels were aligned. More blocking followed."

After an exhausting search, Dave found Frank Amos at National Auto Body in Cleveland to paint the T/A. Most of the bolt-on body pieces were removed and painted separately from the shell, all of which received Pontiac code 29 Admiralty Blue using PPG's base/clear system. Three coats of base were followed three coats of clear, then came wet-sanding and polishing.

To maintain a stock restored and fresh look, N.O.S. items and good, used, original pieces were hunted down, from the grilles to the marker lights, nose emblem, spoilers, and decals, and even a functional hoodscoop from a '72 T/A. Despite the time, effort, and obstacles to overcome with the body, the interior provided its own issues.

Interior
The quandary that Dave faced was that his car's interior came from the factory as light blue but the only replacement parts available were medium blue. For that reason, the interior had to take on a two-tone appearance with POC seat covers, headliner, console, lower door panels, sail panels, and back seat panels in medium blue and the original dashpad, replacement carpet, and original upper door panels in light blue. Even so, the cabin looks great and is a comfortable place to spend time.