1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Y88 Restoration (Episode 2)

[@TransAmHologram]

Hey everyone, just wanted to give you a quick update since I don't have a community tab yet. With the holidays over, I'm back to work on the T/A! I'm hoping to release a video at least every month. I'm finishing putting the new floor pan in and I should have that video ready by next weekend. Thanks for sticking around!

[@backtothe80s4ever]

Very interested to see the work on the Trans Am. I'm slowly restoring a 1979 Firebird Esprit. Doing a Trans Am clone. Will keep checking in to look for the videos. I've subscribed and everything. Good luck and hope all is well!

[@philiplanehart8158]

Also awaiting update as i have a very similar situation and have loved watching your past videos.

[@jeffleary1598]

Please make any videos about the car even if nothing has been done. It’s a beautiful car and I’m really enjoying watching

[@frankallenjr7251]

I am lookin forward to the build of this trans am! Good luck my friend!

[@TransAmHologram]

Thank you! I just got the driver side floor pan out and I'm working on the next video for fitting up / welding in the new floor pan.

[@dandearborn727]

I remember doing those same tasks when I started the resto on my Y88 years ago. Body, paint and engine are done now. I've resumed the project now with interior, engine compartment, wheels, exhaust etc. etc. to go. I'll stay in touch. A word of advice - stock of repro parts isn't guaranteed anymore so I wouldn't delay buying them. Dan

[@TransAmHologram]

Thanks Dan, there are definitely some pieces that are getting hard to find, mostly interior pieces but they go in/out of supply. I probably should stock up on some of those just in case. Also, I'm learning to not throw anything away until I have the new part. One of the front bumper valance pieces that was broken has no replacement anywhere. Time to make my own piece or find a scrapyard donor.

[@marcathens2951]

Wow waaaay to much work here. Id never attempt but kudos to you. 👍

[@drfrankensteinscreations]

I definitely subscribed. I also have a '78 Y88 that was my best friend's. Unfortunately he never got to it before he passed. It's in equal to worse condition rust-wise, but I'm determined to get it back on the road to honor him. I have been around Trans Ams since I got my first one in the late '80s and done a lot of research on them. If you have any questions please feel free to message me.

[@captainrawn]

I have a couple of 71 Formula's and 5 Trans Am's from this era. One of them is a 1978 Y88 gold car exactly like this that is waiting in the que to be restored. Some of the work has been done by a previous owner but will need to be addressed again. Mine still has the original paint on it but being originally from Florida it is not rusty. Dismantling the car is the easy part. Take lots of pictures! Good luck with the build! Patience is a must when your doing this work.

[@wlc1980]

What’s happening with your car? Still have it? Videos?

[@81ta33]

Had to subscribe to ur channel could not resist not able to watch a full build on this car I know it will turn out great and will be watching it all the way and will be supporting you all the way through it good luck buddy!

[@SwedeMachine]

I legit didn’t realize how much pin stripping there was on that beast. Although I would rather do that than floor pans lol. Holy smokes the brushed aluminum is gold! Now that would be cool to see that in a finished form👍🏼

[@TransAmHologram]

Yeah I think I'll leave the pinstripes to the pros after paint...

[@SwedeMachine]

@@TransAmHologram 100%

[@Michael-pp8lz]

This is awesome! My grand father bought a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Y88 Gold Special Edition brand new back in 1978. He drove it until the 90s, gave it to my father who drove it nearly every single day until ~2005. My father absolutely loved the car and he put over 300,000 miles on it! I remember coming back home from the 2010 Trans Am Nationals in Fairborn, Ohio when we hit that 300k mile mark (it said "00000.0" on the dash because it only showed 5 digits). I can't lie when I say he drove the hell out of it because he lost count of how many speeding tickets he got, how many oil changes he made, how many times it was in the shop, and how many compliments he got throughout his ownership. In 2012 my father had to stop driving it because he had cancer, and unfortunately he passed away in October of 2013, he was only 43 and I was 11. Before he passed away, my dad and I came to an agreement where I would take possession of his car if he were to die. Since I was only 11 when he died, my dads best friend, Steve, took possession of the car and he's been looking after it and doing some work on it on a monthly basis since 2013. I've lived in Mooresville, North Carolina my entire life and the car has been stored in Marshall, Michigan, since 2013, and since I've been so busy with school, I haven't really had the opportunity to go see the car or talk to Steve so I'm sure its going to need some work. Luckily I'm going up to Michigan this summer to see the car and hopefully I can finally take it back home sometime soon. Its been sitting in a climate controlled garage since 2013, thankfully. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, however I own a Toyota Tacoma so I don't have any experience working with engines (if you know, you know) so I'm gonna have to learn a whole lot. The car ran fine, in fact, Steve drove it 662 miles from Mooresville, NC to Marshall, MI after my dad passed away so that's a good sign the car can probably turn over. The entire car is almost completely stock with OEM parts, however lots of parts are not original since 300k does put a lot of wear and tear on parts. I believe the engine and transmission was replaced at one point. The interior was refurbished in the mid 2000s as well. If I remember correctly the most recent work was a full repaint (in gold), some body work, the decals, emblems, and other miscellaneous parts were redone in August, 2012.

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

i hope to god that man is a good guy. i know someone whos dad died and left them a trans am, and the guys dads "friend" stored it in his garage and wont let him get it.

[@robbiedrake5720]

I just finished watching this video and was looking at the comments and came across yours. I have the exact same car and also from Mooresville. Great story you shared with us!

[@wlc1980]

I’m looking forward to watching how you weld in new floor pans with butt welds. I tried it with my uncle’s Mustang and ended up with lap welds so I’m hoping to see how you do it. I have a 77 SE Trans Am that will need some floor pan repairs. Good job on the video!

[@Theconqueefidor]

My dream car I love to see one like this getting saved nice flag in the background where did you get it?

[@Dpjohnson83]

Awesome video I have one of these y88 it’s near mint condition, absolutely love it . It’s in Australia now, if you need any pictures taken of certain parts or places just let me know

[@TransAmHologram]

Thanks, I'll probably need it!

[@motodon5686]

Great video. Good luck

[@kassemlarsen7839]

We waiting....

[@VinylVillageGarage]

I agree the floor needs reworked, you can definitely get some good results from butt welding like you said. It’s worth the the time.

[@TransAmHologram]

Thanks, it's been a pain trying to redo all the slapdash work previously done but once the pan is fully welded up it'll be a repair I'm proud of. Got all the old work out now and the pan fit up. Now to stitch it all back together!

[@thehilltopescape7126]

“Every panel has a dent, every hinge droops, and every inch of paint has a defect”! Sounds like your typical GM product, especially in the 1970s…😂. You forgot and not a single panel (hood to fenders, door to fenders, etc.) matches up either. One good thing is you have the “Fisher” tops and not the “Hurst” tops!

[@WorthlessWhips]

Subscribed! You have a heck of a big job ahead of you, but don't give up! I'm also working on (although mostly done) a 1978 Trans am so it's always good to compare notes, I've done a fair amount of work in and around the car and I've documented it a lot on my channel, I had the car taken down to bare metal for a respray so have quite a few pictures of what it should look like, let me know if you need pics and I have a playlist of working on the car on my channel

[@TransAmHologram]

Thanks man, I've been watching your content since you started posting the Trans Am videos last year! You were one of the inspirations I needed to get off my couch and get the project started. I think I have the "Trash Am" now but we'll get it there, little by little. I will definitely take you up on the offer to compare notes down the road, I'll need it for sure!

[@twistedtuned4273]

looking forward to the 3rd episode

[@msgofast]

You brushed over the removing dash pad, how many bolts were up the top ?

[@TransAmHologram]

Now looking at the dash, there are 6 total bolts on top. 3 in the instrument cluster and 3 above the glove box compartment. Mine was missing 2 from the instrument cluster so someone had tried to remove it before. Other than that, just the 2 big bolts on each lower side and out she goes.

[@SifsSwag]

Looks like an awesome project. Do you have the engine?

[@devildecalsl.l.c1919]

I have an 81 ta that's disassembled as much as yours less the dash.. what's your plans for the electrical? I was thinking of rewiring the whole thing being it's already gutted keep the videos coming I'm thinking of getting back into my project soon

[@colbranmx]

How is the TA ?

[@DavidAdams-dr3ol]

How's the build going? Been a while.

[@jessmad3824]

When is ep3 coming out???

[@thehilltopescape7126]

No video in 2 years!? How’s the restoration going?

[@TemeraireJimny]

While I understand that people are often slack about fixing things properly I honestly don't know why if anyone can't do a job well they don't get assistance from someone who can do it well. Do it once, do it right!

[@TransAmHologram]

I think it takes practice to swallow the pride and ask for help. By all means, give it the ol college try but if that doesn't work, find someone who can help.

[@countryroadautopartsusa6466]

The instrument panel bezel is very hard to install on a fully reskinned/restored dash.

[@historiangaming1423]

looking forward to build a trans am myself, a 1977

[@troyg3439]

Any updates to this project?

[@TransAmHologram]

Still working on it! I've got enough to put a video together but I'd like to button up the driver's side before releasing. Thanks for checking in. As a smart someone once said, there's only one way to eat an elephant...one bite at a time!

[@micdogg187]

I have a 78 Y88 with 49k original miles. Love this car but it has the 403 olds motor and I want to either switch to an LS or 400 Pontiac

[@countryroadautopartsusa6466]

Whatever you do, do not allow too much time to go by when restoring these cars. Time is the enemy as with its passage priorities can change. Also, time makes things unpredictable. Point here is keep going with this project, even if you can only spare a 2 hours a week.

[@jamesforehan2809]

1978 GM vehicle has metric hardware? I expected SAE sizes.

[@TransAmHologram]

Oh I'm right there with ya. My best guess was that pieces were taken off at one time and replaced by the wrong hardware. Who knows!? I'm ordering an interior hardware kit and I guess we'll see then what they have for replacement sizes.

[@drfrankensteinscreations]

In the late '70s GM started slowly transitioning to metric. We would get to p'ed off having to switch between both sets of sockets and wrenches when we're working on one car. LoL

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

i think 76 or 78 was the first year of the gm "metric" chassis.

[@kennyrichard2971]

That hood hanging on the wall is correct for 77 and 78 The Bird decal on the sale Area is from a different year it should be a metal Bird badge stuck on with their adhesive tape at least my 78 Trans Am has the metal Bird badge

[@RustedRelics]

Any update?

[@samuelvasquez8927]

I'm restoring a Buccaneer Red '77 T/A. Its in slightly better condition than yours. Not by much. Does yours have the Olds 403 or the Pontiac 400?

[@TransAmHologram]

Mine has the 400, although in pieces on the garage floor...

[@samuelvasquez8927]

@@TransAmHologram Gonna keep the 400 in it? I'm going to, but just gotta find a way to...smog it...

[@TransAmHologram]

@@samuelvasquez8927 I'm considering the ol LS swap but I think it's too much heresy. I guess we'll see when the time comes!

[@samuelvasquez8927]

@@TransAmHologram i want the genuine old school engine sound from it.

[@tjs_welding_and_fabrication]

Any new content coming on this.

[@nathanbeerman5684]

can we get a update?

[@nahimibrahim107]

Where are the video updates??

[@metalbill]

The trunk button in the glove box opens the trunk.

[@wlc1980]

Still waiting for new Trans Am videos

[@farbeyondbeautifuldesign9804]

Was hoping for more information on what your actually doing rather than just watch someone tear apart a car. I have the book but they only show pictures for one or two steps per page and kind of give you a bear minimum idea of the restoration process. I have the ‘81 trans am which is fairly close on many aspects, one is the bandit addition I wrecked 21 years ago and one is a beautiful straight no rust body someone turned into a race car with a 455 Oldsmobile motor I believe and a 400 turbo transmission with 411 gears. I want to take my first cars borgwerner 4 speed and 383 gears with the crate 350 and put in the other yellow TA. I read people knocking the motor choice but my car drove very well and fast with a 350 and performance upgrades. Might shoot some videos of this as well and post my spare parts available if interested. I heard you say you searched far and wide for the one you got but that looks much worse than what I have seen available in the Midwest in US. I definitely would have some stuff people would need for these projects like extra set of t-tops that don’t leak, door panels in excellent shape, glass, trunk lid, hood, etc. going to pull them out this month and maybe shoot a video and link it up in a comment in your next video. I wish more people would make restoration videos for TA projects. Thanks for posting.

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

i bought a 78 y88 that someone tried to turn into a drag car too. they had a bbc in it, so im just gonna put a sbc in it and drive it.

[@tommyhijmensen6257]

Where's the engine?

[@4545foster]

Any updates on the project?