Ol' Fart's Firebird Fantasy

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by Robert Swartz

My buddy and I have a 79 T/A. It's in pieces, definitely a project. It has split mono leafs and a well prepped 10 bolt with all the good Strange parts in it. Have a mild steel rollbar and subframe connectors, not installed. Have Cal-tracs.

Also have a quarter panel, don't remember which side. Also have patch panels for both sides. Gas tank already removed. No engine or tranny. Still have original 10 bolt and honeycomb wheels. Probably a lot of other stuff that could go as well, just need to look.

Was originally going to be IHRA crate motor car. Moved onto other projects.

Yeah, I've thought about the '79's. They can be used for a '79-'81 model. But except for the little 301, the only other Pontiac engine is the '79 with a W72 400. But it only came with a 4-speed. So I assume NHRA will not let you run an auto in a '79 400. I reckin you can replace the nose and tail with the '77-'78 style and claim one of those years. But, that's money and labor. Would probably only be worth it if you already have the parts, and find a real bargain '79-'81.

Since that was the peak production year for Birds, there are more of them out there for sale than any other Bird. So, I've found more '79 bargains than anything else. Just a few years back, I bought a '79 bracket Bird roller for $400. It had been run with a BBC. Had a 6-point, racing seat and belts, 8.5 ten bolt with 4.10 gears, batt cut off, 4 Weld wheels, 9" slicks and small fronts, one of the big $200 + hood scoops, and BBC headers with 18" collector extensions.

Now I realize that bargains like this don't come along every day. But I live in an area where the economy is considered "depressed". And if you can catch somebody at just the right time, you can find some real deals around here. Then, of course, there are a few guys around here who know what old cars are worth, who try to buy up all the bargains, then jack up the price to make a big profit.

The reason I even went to look at this car is because he told me it was a '78. But when I saw what a bargain it was, I bought it anyhow. But, I bought my '74 Vent and the '69 T 350HO Stocker I mentioned, so I didn't need the '79 Bird. I kept all the racing parts except the rear end, and traded the rest for some Pontiac engine parts.

Never took any full shots of it. Here's the only partial I can find. It shows a Weld wheel, the hood scoop, and holes in the quarter where they had the outside batt charging lugs.