An Engineer’s Abrupt Introduction to 1980’s American Muscle

[@iainbearyay2236]

Old mate had the courage to do what few men actually do: live instead of waiting to die.

[@Clint52279]

On top of all the mechanical issues with the car, the radio is stuck on the same Motley Crue song? Has anyone considered that the car may be posessed?

[@williamallen7836]

Bit of a warning. Buy a set of T-top seals. You're going to need them. 😂

[@chuckbroso]

Excellent video Trans Am brother. My condolences to you and the family. Well done. Btw, welcome to 80s GM QC and engineering. God bless.

[@davidhollenshead4892]

I'd take a Trans Am over a modern Toyota. If you can fix a Lexus rx300 then you can fix anything. As changing the power steering hose on a Lexus takes more effort than changing a transmission on a Trans Am...

[@bnasty267]

Love your videos. Had to comment on this one, because I have a similar story, if somewhat reversed. As a 16 year old (1996), my dad helped me buy an '85 Firebird. I had trouble with it passing smog but revving it in the parking lot of the inspection place fixed that. As an idiot 16 y/o, I nearly wrecked it numerous times, and was finally successful by slamming it into a wall trying to take a turn too fast. My uncle, who sounds a lot like yours, bought it off of us because he knew he could fix the front-end damage for cheap with ubiquitous junk yard parts. He got it back to 100% again and loved that car. He too lived a hard, but party-filled lifestyle after a bad marriage sent him down the other path. He was the black sheep of the family, but I always liked him. He drove that Firebird until the day he died, far too young, for being hard-headed and not taking care of himself. RIP to all those crazy uncles that danced to their own song, likely coming out of a Pontiac down by the beach.

[@williamallen7836]

As you were describing your Uncle Bill, I realized I'm turning into a Uncle Bill. Including a 1992 Camaro. Same gen as your TransAM.

[@vaderdudenator1]

Damn, casually dropping the bit about the sudden motorcycle accent hit me hard in the feels

[@TaylorWilmes]

You are the coolest dude on KZbin.😎

[@herzogsbuick]

i thought those were pennsy inspection stickers! i'm from bucks county, but i like to think i may've been in the same place at the same time as uncle bill. i'm only 4 minutes in, and absolutely loving this. thank you so much for sharing this story dude. and thank you, uncle bill. that guy is everyone's uncle

[@nekocal]

Dude that was a great story and told very well 👍

[@skinny7010]

This is the kind of stuff that's best about Y/T.

[@herzogsbuick]

i didn't realize me and the miata had that in common: i've been told by many lovers that i, too, am easy to service

[@dkeglerg]

Just found this- update please. Please!😊

[@markobee9400]

Hi. It’s me again, strtmstr with the 88 GTA. you are correct: the shoulder straps on this car are worse than useless. Mine go through a little opening attached to the seat that proved useless the first year I owned it. you might want to not get rid of those seats. I’m going to get a pair of racing seats, and weld some brackets to the original seat bracket. I’m then going to use a four-point harness. It will undoubtedly work better than the OEM, and, might actually help me survive a crash.

[@thedoubtfultechnician8067]

I’ve heard that 4th gen seatbelts can be retrofitted… those are modern inertia style and should be much more trustworthy.

[@markobee9400]

I’ve seen that as well. You might check any junkyards in your area. There’s bound to be a few fourth gens there. Also, FYI if you didn’t know already, you can interchange a lot of parts for Camaros. sometimes it’s easier to look for Camaro parts.

[@ivanlandry3830]

Like your content and quirky-ness. Watched a couple videos. You earned a sub for your no nonsense unforgiving comment about owning a few firearms. 👍

[@mjackstewart]

Son, you can tell a story! 😅

[@markobee9400]

The relays that you noticed at 9: 28 are supposed to attach to the firewall. I had to remove all of them to do my clutch master cylinder (don’t ask). There’s a bracket that holds them up there. I’m letting mine flop in the breeze, until I’m sure I don’t have to take the brake booster off again.

[@lh-hw7il]

Beautiful story man. The issue with the head units is hilarious, especially because you somehow ended up with two of them. I'm starting to see a pattern with this channel.

[@dvobgo92]

The photo at the end is the bestttttttt.

[@Johnny-jr2lq]

Dude great video the picture at the is freaking beautiful

[@MutinyEvo]

Damn this hit me so square in the feels you could level a mill bed off it. Rememberances of the shadetree derpgeineer. I hope I can seem as cool to my nephew and nieces when I punch off to the Great Reward for them to adopt all my janky crap and have them find meaning in skinning their knuckles on it just like I did.

[@allanhmelnitski978]

Wow. Great literature! American classic! Would buy this book!

[@John-w9y1f]

Once again Sir......Very Well Done.

[@floydffrogfloydffrog7453]

I'm sorry that I got rid of the Oldsmobile Delta 88 with the Rocket 454 engine that had been my dad's. I recall the engine compartment was so huge that the engine actually looked small. It was pretty rusted out and I was happy at the time to get $125 for the thing. But that money is long spent while the memories of the effortless miles that car ate up remain.

[@SpaceMissile]

this thing is sweet. great homage to you're uncle, too

[@fireblade95]

What a guy. Treasure that old beast.

[@100mphhotrod]

Excellent! Looking forward to more Firechicken vids and stories

[@capedwonder2833]

You're hilarious and I love trans ams. Subbed.

[@MrLTeaches]

Came for the neat car, stayed for the TNG references

[@magoodada]

We are damn similar brother. I had a favorite crazy uncle that recently passed too. His name was Dwain. I miss him like I'm sure you miss yours. Rip crazy uncles

[@markobee9400]

12:19 I just replaced the original stereo with a JVC unit, Infinity speakers up front, and JBL club speakers in the back. Fun times. I can help you with it if you need it. Crutchfield is your friend.

[@thedoubtfultechnician8067]

I’ve actually got some experience with automotive AV so I’m good, but I appreciate the offer. The central locking doesn’t work so well so I find it best (same with my Miata) to have super a basic system not worth stealing. I don’t even bolt the radios in, so if they get stolen I’m out $60 and don’t have to replace a ripped up center console.

[@peacefrog0521]

12:18 Those songs seem to be most appropriate for those cars 😅 The constant repeat is a feature not a fault 😂 (I’m a Miata NC guy and had an NA before so it’s all good 😅) Beautiful glorious NA Miata specimen. Nicer even perhaps than my NC. Great story about your uncle.

[@davedemo8229]

how did i miss this one. I'm really sorry about your uncle. He sounded very cool. do you still have it?

[@williamallen7836]

The pretensions on your seat belt is toast. It should lockup when pulled quickly, just like your other cars. Also you need to adjust your rear hatch pull down motor. They get out of alignment over a few decades, and gives trouble opening or closing.

[@qwerty975311]

I assume those are the same shitty turn signal stalks that were in my 90s Camaro. If that's the case, it's normal for them to seem broken. Mine made the same noises but I never had any problems.

[@henray76]

The belt has a pendulum in it that latches when sudden stop

[@William1872]

GREAT video!

[@markobee9400]

10:49 I have the same wheels on my GTA. Mine are gold. If you try to take off one of the wheels, you will find one lug nut per wheel that requires a special tool to remove it. High-tech antitheft device circa 1988. Also, what looked like black lug nuts are just plastic covers for the real Lugnuts.

[@thedoubtfultechnician8067]

So… I shouldn’t run the plastic covers down with my impact? Lol

[@rabbitashes]

Nice Harry's hoodie!

[@thesausage351]

Trans Am suck. They’re slow, handle poorly and don’t stop. I love it. I love the colour, I love the KITT conversion, but that wheel has to go. Needs a proper KITT wheel which also suck, but are awesome, and the wheels are also awful, but fitting. I’m jealous.

[@asatruvakning]

RIP Unc

[@seraphsalt1404]

bro you think this car was neglected , my 89trans had stop signs for floors dirty oil no full mufler break lines freezed up 95% rusted frame god i miss that car

[@MrUsmc3782]

Threw you a subscribe. welcome to the community

[@thedoubtfultechnician8067]

Thanks!

[@knytrydr73]

Don't quote me on this, but I think the seat belts in a firebird only lock up when the brake is applied.

[@thedoubtfultechnician8067]

Time to put on a helmet and test that out I suppose!

[@davidhollenshead4892]

Nope, they lock up when the car changes speed quickly, as in it crashes...

[@NickAndWolf]

As a weirdo "liberal" guy, my whole philosophy is "Don't be an asshole." Or as a classical libertarian would put it, "Do whatever you want as long as it doesn't infringe on the freedom of others." Not the tax dodging live in the woods neo-classical libertarian. The kind that just doesn't give a shit as long you don't fuck with people. Then I rant about how we need to yield to certain things to ensure the group is supported over the individual blah blah blah that's the Liberal part. Not the point. So all this windup is just to say, don't fuck with people who understand society is a reactive construct built on glass pillars of unspoken, self-imposed Lockean contracts. Because you will always get 1 before society gets you. Now be a good human being, do whatever you want, live how you want; just don't stop others from doing the same. Unless you want to break that Lockean contract and thus void all the safety it granted you. ((Now a John Locke tangent)) Lockean contracts is not a common term. I just can't remember what it was called. Basically we are all born with liberties which are represented in actions or things we can do. We have the liberty to murder, eat, steal, and rape. But we don't want those to happen to us. So we decide that we will give up that liberty if others also give it up. Thus we live in a tenuous limbo built on trust. Society then codifies these "giving up of liberties" as laws.

[@jameskim62]

RIP ~~~~~ Nice Brother !!!! I Assh?le brother ~~

[@911RescueDiver]

Can we hire you for voice overs as Zombieland character "Columbus" ?

[@thedoubtfultechnician8067]

You think I sound like him?

[@davidhollenshead4892]

@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Nah, your voice is too whiny. Seriously, while the Trans Am is a bit trashed, having worked on crappy imports to pay for my BA, I know that American cars are better, but they do have a poor fit and finish on the interior... But a crappy Japanese car would not have survived your uncle and more importantly the abusive previous owner before he bought it. Hell it wouldn't have survived the salt on the roads...

[@williamhelms9942]

Cooper Cobras

[@JohnDoe-qg6hm]

Did we ever get Pt2,3,4 etc on the restoration of this car ?