Do you realize that at current market prices you can buy two non-SE late-'70s Trans Ams or Formulas for the price of one '70 Ram Air or '71-'72 455 H.O. Trans Am?
Sure, we all love the early Second-Gen T/As-that's why they're so collectible. But let's not forget the later Second-Gens, especially the '77-'79 Pontiac 400 cars, which have come up in value in recent years as well. Yet, as long as you're not comparing a low-mileage Bandit car to a basketcase Nixon-era Ram Air III, you can actually buy two later cars for the price of one early one in comparable condition. Instead of worrying every time you drive the early TA because it's worth so much, you and your significant other can each have a killer Bird in which to prowl the streets and display together at the shows.
Here are Terry and Tracy back...
Here are Terry and Tracy back in the day...
This idea was not lost on Terry and Tracy Best of Markle, Indiana. The husband and wife team already had a long history with a '77 W72 400 Trans Am before Tracy got her '77 W72 400 four-speed Formula in 2007.
1977 TA
Terry bought the Trans Am a month after the couple started dating. "The T/A originally sold new at Packer Pontiac in Pontiac, Michigan," he recalls. "I bought it in July 1978 for $7,000 from Steve Gray Chevrolet in Huntington, Indiana, with 6,200 miles on it." For the next four years, Terry drove the wheels off the T/A. In fact, he lost his license for drag racing in it. "I had to drive him around for three months," Tracy recalls. "It was very humbling for him."
By spring 1982, wedding bells were ringing, and like so many young couples just starting out, money was tight and priorities changed. As a result, the T/A was sold to raise cash for a down payment on a house and new furniture.
...and here they are in 2...
...and here they are in 2009.
For most people, that would be the end of the story, but not Terry. He kept track of the T/A for the next 19 years, ultimately buying it back in 2001 for $3,500. Although it was complete and a restoration had been started 10 years before, the car had been sitting so long that it needed plenty of help.
Body
Tim Kleinknight of Bluffton, Indiana, was tasked with the body restoration. The underbody was sandblasted and the outerbody was DA-sanded.
"We bought aftermarket sheetmetal replacement parts to use on the Pontiac, but before we were ready to start cutting them in, Tracy happened across a gold mine of NOS parts," Terry remembers. "She was in search of a left front fender and found one located near Chicago. After talking with the man, we discovered that he had bought parts to restore a T/A, but sold it and never used them." The Bests got both factory quarter-panels, a left front fender, a tail panel, both outer wheelhouses, and both trunk extension panels for $1,100.
With NOS sheetmetal in hand, Tim began the installation. Once the welding and bodywork were complete, two coats of PPG NCP 271 primer were applied and block-sanded with multiple grits of paper until the body was straight. PPG sealer came next, and two coats of PPG DBC Urethane were shot, followed by four coats of clear. Wet-sanding with 1,000-grit was performed between coats and 2,000-grit was used on the last coat of clear. Finally, buffing and polishing with Trizac 3M products brought up the mirror-like shine.