Drive-by noise standards be...
Drive-by noise standards be damned, T/A Specialties replaced the Turbo hood with a shaker, opened up the scoop to let the cold air in, and then screwed it to the hood to facilitate the use of the Holley carb and small open air cleaner and foam filter. Neil thinks that the hood may have been a used one, as remnants of Solar Gold were uncovered when it was stripped for repainting.
Conclusion
After a year-long restoration, the Bandit was ready for its debut at the 2008 POCI convention in Spearfish, South Dakota, where HPP photographed it. Following some much-anticipated seat time, Neil said of the Bandit, "Its acceleration and handling are nicely balanced. The power comes on smoothly with the 455 and the Doug Nash five-speed provides plenty of gearing. WS6 suspension and rear disc brakes make it handle and stop well, and it's very comfortable on the road."
It would appear that the mission statement of Trans Am Specialties was fulfilled in 1981 and still holds up in 2009-high praise for the last of the fast Second-Gen tuner T/As.
Bandit Performance Package
- Hand-assembled 9.2:1-compression 455
- Custom-calibrated Holley spreadbore carb
- Aluminum intake
- Custom cam
- Double-roller timing chain
- Blueprinted cylinder heads
- Blueprinted and balanced bottom end
- Forged pistons
- Clevite 77 bearings
- Moly rings
- Redesigned oil pan for increased oil control under hard cornering
- Headers
- Custom dual exhaust with dual cat converters
- Blueprinted Turbo 400 with reprogrammed shift parameters
- Custom machined 2,800 rpm stall converter
- High volume high pressure fuel pump with aircraft-quality braided steel lines
Options
- Five-speed trans
- Nitrous oxide kit
- Water injection
- Recaro seats
- Blaupunkt stereo, CB
- Escort radar detector
- Ignition-control alarm system
Bandit Appearance Package
- Fully reclining Recaro LW seats upholstered in crushed velour to match interior color
- Blaupunkt CR3001 AM/FM stereo with auto reverse cassette
- Escort radar detector
- Ignition-control alarm system with integral motion detector
- 15x8 aluminum wheels
- Halogen headlights
Suspension and handling modifications
- Cruise control, automatic only
- Custom Bandit foot and trunk mats
- 170-mph speedometer
- Metallic brake linings
- Supertuned 301 Pontiac engine
- Modified Turbo 350 trans
Options
- Doug Nash five-speed trans
- Turbocharger
- Nitrous oxide kit
- Water injection
A certificate of authenticity...
A certificate of authenticity was included with each Bandit. (We removed the VIN.)
Chuck Posey On Trans AM Specialties
Simply stated, we can all thank Chuck's son Skyler for this interview. A few months ago, Skyler surfed the Internet to see what was being said about dear old dad and the tuner cars he used to build. He soon said, "Look, Dad, other people are using your name! That's not right." It was true-imposters were claiming to be Chuck from Trans Am Specialties.
"He was concerned and so was I," Chuck told HPP. "I enjoyed that part of my life. We took a lot of pride in what we did. I started doing searches and realized that there were also plenty of honest people out there who wanted more information on the Bandit. Had my little boy not found what he did, I probably would have never discovered Neil Cofell and his #24 Bandit at transamcountry.com, which led to this interview." Thanks, Skyler. -TD
When did Trans Am Specialties open?
It started in 1979 or 1980. I had a business called Rent-A-Bay where customers could rent space to work on their own cars. We had a mechanic on staff to help out when people got in over their heads on projects. Rob Jones Jr. was actually a customer who became my partner. It was a good business but it was in a tough area. After we were robbed at gunpoint, we decided to move to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and open as Trans Am Specialties.
How did the idea for it come about?
I had been a Pontiac guy for years. I worked with computers and electronics in the Navy, and I bought a '68 GTO in 1970. I worked on it and other Pontiacs constantly, and learned a lot about what worked and what didn't through hands-on experience.