Collin's 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am, Barn Find!

Finding a classic car is fun. Finding a 79 Trans Am that has sat since 1995 in a garage is even better! Collin and Daniel team up to get the old girl back on the road.

[@sdcoinshooter]

I got one of these brand new in 79, what a wonderful vehicle and I wish I still had it.

[@BD-dg8wm]

Never, ever, EVER use the brush at the carwash, EVER, bring a kitchen hand towel, it saves a lot of scratches. 👍

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Valid point!

[@collinjones4437]

Yeah normally we wouldn't, but we're going to paint it so it'll work this time around.

[@user-wc4uh4rl3z]

I been saying the samething for years northern calif 🇺🇲

[@cliffboatright507]

My first car in 1985 was a 79 trans am with a 403 olds engine. Loved that car. Hell, I lost my virginity in the back seat of that car. Great memories. Subscribed and hope to see y’all do more work on her.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thanks for watching and sharing your story ! We hope to put out a few more videos on it . I can tell you however, he drives the car a lot now!

[@cliffboatright507]

Mine was a deep turquoise blue with air shocks, electric windows, just beautiful. We rebuilt the engine, and bored it out 30 degrees. She was fast and beautiful. Once got a ticket racing an IROC Z. Clocked the IROC at 92, my ticket said 100 plus. Never been prouder of getting a ticket lol.

[@scottthejeepguy7499]

I got a 1980 T/A, I’m the 2nd owner, I knew the owner from new, and told them I want this car if you ever sell it. I finally got it VERY low miles, it sat outside for a while, I restored it for my wife’s 50th birthday. It is the 1 car we will never let go of. And I had to SUB to you guys, GREAT video.

[@robkatz2169]

I had a 80 Trans Am Black with Red interior and shaker hood, full sticker kit, as my first car in 1990. Biggest regret ever was selling it. Loved it and still do.

[@richxts1357]

I envy you Young Un's! Great find!

[@dr.schmecklesbergklitnick3811]

Whatever Collin paid for this car, it was an absolute steal. Very nice purchase!

[@thrillbilly9785]

Beautiful trans am, but I’m partial to em. Firebirds forever! Glad to have been able to see this car in person. Nice car Collin!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Definitely agree! Thanks for watching! Hopefully we will have an updated video soon.

[@jasonlavertu6894]

Time Capsule! Nice find!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

We are excited about this one. Thanks for watching!

[@dustytrailswithepa]

Thank You for saving a Classic.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@nickwillobey2205]

Wow! Imagine being able to wash your car when it's dark outside 😊😊!

[@TheDaninator]

What a gem! Nice find Collin. Glad to see more shenanigans! That last clip of the donut was awesome.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thanks for watching! It's been a fun project.

[@JCtheROD]

Nice work guys!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thanks ! It's always fun to bring a classic out of a long hibernation.

[@MitchGrooms]

Great job guys, I saved 2 Trans Am's and they are on my channel an 80 T/A and a 81 Turbo Trans Am. new Subscriber too. Now the brush thing at the car wash sorta freaked me out but my barn finds have plenty of Patina..

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thats awesome! I will check your channel out! Thanks for watching. I agree , the brush is not normally good for paint integrity. However (not in the camera shot ) I did make sure no debris were in the brush and these brushes at this facility are very soft. :D

[@MitchGrooms]

You did everything correct before starting the car in which I did not with my yard find, 80 T/A which was parked for 20 years and I was video taping and doing the lights and checking out the things you did and I bumped the key to far and the car turned over. I was freaked out knowing if any damage was done, well, it was done now.. @@barnshenanigans1589

[@DanielLopez-me9mh]

Great barnfind what a jem a 1979 trans am and it may be a ws6 because it has 4 wheel disc brakes love a barn find its so neat to see you guys bring this iconic car back on the road

[@barnshenanigans1589]

It's been a rewarding project that's for sure. Thanks for watching !

[@Leo-DaGreek]

WS6 is on the door handles from what I remember,my cousin had a car just like this one

[@leahcimthgirw3163]

Wow what a find, the Trans Am is definitely one on my list that I want

[@grand73am]

Great find! I have a couple of similar 79 TA's myself. There's no valve adjustment on a 403 Olds, by the way. It has a non-adjustable valve train. Rocker arm bolts are just torqued to 25 lb/ft and that's all there is. Not likely that the bolts would loosen in normal use.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Nice! Yes, we eventually found that out. The valve train was just very dry apparently . It's perfectly quiet now that it has some miles on it!

[@Ontariosound]

Nobody would rev that motor beyond 4500 RPM anyways

[@kanointhephilippines8082]

Turn the headlight switch L or R when pulled to adjust the brightness of the dash lights. After sitting that long it might also be best to remove the ignition control module from the distributor and re-coat the base with di-electric grease as I'm sure it's dry. Heat makes the module fail and when it does, no spark. Great job guys!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Great advice!

[@reddragon6613]

That is a find! Looks like a WS6 with the Olds 403. Look forward to seeing more on it.

[@6-Iron]

Looks like it was a special order car (Graphics delete, two tone interior, 4-wheel discs).

[@jessicasorl]

I have a 72 TA Barn Find that was in similar shape. Kept the barn find look, but cleaned the heck out of it. Still had to tear the entire car down to fix all the issues. Complete engine rebuild at Butler Performance and complete refresh of drive train. Re-welded the subframe supports, all new bushing, and rebuilt everything mechanical, upgrade to 4 wheel disk brakes. Now 412hp 516Tq The reality of most Barnfinds is they still need a complete overhaul, and it’s more of a preservation than a restoration. Yes it’s less time (9 months vs 2-3 years) but it’s still not cheap. You need to fix a things lot to make them right, but need to have the disciplined to not restore the beauty of time. What’s great if I do wanna ever paint it in the future most of the hard work is already done. The bodywork would be fixing external things not require a complete tear down again.

[@ericmalatesta9158]

Nice score on the TA guys! Good luck with bringing her back. Look forward to the next episode!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thanks! It's been a great instant gratification project . (He actually pretty much daily drives it now! )

[@rossthomas945]

Super nice find guys. This is a super nice example usually they are ratted out inside and out.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

I agree. The more we looked over the car, the more we were motivated to get the ol girl back on the road !

[@nice77mirage]

Popular belief is that all TA’s had a hood bird. Truth is, they were optional (except for special edition cars), a big money maker for Pontiac. Nice to see the rare Oyster White interior only available in ‘79 & ‘80. Yours has the black accents. Oyster was also available with tan, red, or blue accents. The sister Camaro was only available with Gray accents.

[@markkimball1569]

Nice find. Had a 78 ta. Lookin to find me another 1 ! Retired and divorced I can now enjoy me time.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Nice! Good luck on your search ! Thanks for watching .

[@Skeeterpfr]

beautiful, thats a real barn find! I have a 79 TA SE, Black w/T-tops. had to replace the 403 Olds with a 455 Olds due to the block being cracked. Lots of fun to drive! I call it the "Panty Dropper!"

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That is awesome ! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@brittanyjeffrandolph7497]

You definitely found a time capsule with that one!!!!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Sure did! Made a lot of great memories with it. Thanks for watching!

[@Michaelthefish1971]

Beautiful time capsule. Someone loved this car, before you found it. I appreciate that you guys took the time to carefully prep and condition the engine, before starting. Careful of the greasy hands inside, remember someone before you kept this car mint!! Probably even fogged the engine and fuel treatment.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

We too wondered if the guy serviced the car before tucking it away, but according to the original and previous owner, he just pulled it into the garage in 1995 because it started to run rough. But who knows :) Collin loves this car and now drives it every opportunity. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Ontariosound]

I had a 1980 one of these. Automatic trans ☹️. Car was gorgeous and rode smooth. In the 90’s it would have been worth 5,000 tops.

[@dh87990]

Nice work to get that beutifuel trans am going again, i have black Pontiac firebird trans am with 455 7.5L engine and 4-speed manuell gearbox. Also with white interior🚔🚔

[@kimfromm4339]

Omgosh, guys! This is amazing. My dad bought a 75 when I was a kid. I love this car! This one is in amazing shape. I have to see it. Let us know if we can help you at all!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That's awesome!. I'm sure he can give you a ride in it sometime !

[@larryburwell8550]

i ordered and bought a 1979 trans am 403 automatic just like this in 1979. silver bird and trim, w42 suspension 4 wheel disc brakes in black. no t tops they leak black interior not white. best car i ever owned. take it easy on it, redo everything and you got a mint great car!!!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thanks for watching and sharing your awesome story! Hopefully you still have your TA?

[@larryburwell8550]

i actually sold my 79 trans am in 1993@@barnshenanigans1589

[@waynerankin107]

love that trans am

[@DanielLopez-me9mh]

Most trans ams with the Pontiac 400 is labeled T/A 6.6 now a trans am with the Oldsmobile 403 its labled 6.6 Litre on the shaker

[@valricogarcia]

I hope you guys do more videos on this car. It looks to be in great shape. Just over a month ago I bought a 1980 TA that had been sitting for about 8 years. I've got it running great and went through the fuel system and brakes so far. Next is replacing the 19 year old tires that are on the car so I can actually test drive it. Subscribed!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Very nice! We will hopefully do an updated video on the car soon. Good luck on your TA ! Thanks for watching and sharing your story!

[@ronbrown1979]

you will never be as good as VGG!!!!!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thankfully we were never trying to compete with VGG. :) Long live the best inspiration channel out there! Thanks for watching!

[@jb2445]

amazing car

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Collin definitely got lucky finding this gem for sure! Thanks for watching.

[@Leo-DaGreek]

It’s going to clean up nicely,Screaming Chicken 🐔 T/A,Tee Tops a +,tent the windows and install stereo system 🔥👍🇨🇱,takes me back to my High school days 81-84,T/As And Z28 /square bodies across the parking lot!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Absolutely!

[@tonymeehan7859]

to find a bard find this pristine is absolutely amazing. Be good to see the chicken put back on the hood too

[@barnshenanigans1589]

I completely agree!

[@busarider9244]

My uncle had one of these.I remember he went off to the army and the motor locked up in it.I remember because dad went to get him in his 70 something chevy heavy half amd ended up throwing a rod towing it back to oklahoma.Those cars are heavy.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That is an awesome story .

[@lukewebb96]

Ya I love they way it is on my Camaro

[@ra926]

Es muy bonito, me gusta mucho mas la parte delantera y trasera de este modelo que el de 1977 bandid. Cuantos millas tiene? Me gustaria tener el turbo que creo que es de 1980...81.... deseando ver otro video, gracias Saludos desde España😊

[@brcron007]

Great Score ! Try n use 303 protectant. Great product for that original interior

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Great advice. Thanks !

[@charlieb308]

Eagles 8-track! Sweet!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Full nostalgia right there!

[@kylespeck3480]

Really nice car i would of primed the motor first got some oil pressure first built up then fired it off

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Great observation. Off camera we actually did do just that . In hindsight, probably should have filmed that portion. Thanks for watching!

[@adolforivera759]

Great fin I will do new brake cilinders and calipers just to be on the safe zone

[@mattsizelove3041]

Dame i would love to have that i had a 80.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That's awesome . Collin got super lucky and just happened to spy it while working on a customers house.

[@ivanjoachim2153]

I’m curious if this was repainted previously, by the looks of the faded gold dash bezel, pull PHS on it to see what it came as originally it could be an SE, but hard to tell

[@jamesthev5607]

Did you try the dimmer switch on the floor for the high beams?

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Yes we did. Not captured in the video , but the foot dimmer switch works. Just one headlight was out. It has since then been corrected and Collin drives the TA everywhere now!

[@garymann5998]

Awesome find, Collin, you and Daniel did a great job getting that classic car running, by the way what band was the 8 track tape, lolol

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Thanks for watching! I think the Eagles were playing . Haha

[@friguy4444]

AWESOME!! These cars were my youth. But honestly they really weren't very good off the line. They were geared so high on the Automatics and the power just wasn't there for what it SHOULD have been with those big V8's Mind you the fastest I've ever gone is with one of those 400CI engines in a 1976 Pontiac Bonneville and the needle on the MPH written at the bottom of the speedo the needle went all the way around past 120mph past the M...P...H and pinned at the farthest end of those letters. estimated speed about 160 MPH!!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That is awesome ! 👌 I agree about the gearing. In fact, we installed 3:73 gears in it not too long ago . It definitely woke the car up. Still have the stock gears on the shelf to maybe put back in someday. Thanks for watching and sharing your story !

[@kevinkobayashi]

please forgive me on this, before you loaded this awesome beast or sports car, i was just wondering if the past owner every so often try to start the car while it was being parked to keep it alive, second when you came how come you try to see if it s alive etc?

[@chev500l8]

You might still get a couple bucks core charge even for that old deka($15) any little bit of extra coin helps

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Absolutely!

[@lukewebb96]

High and low headlights are on the floorboard

[@barnshenanigans1589]

It's intriguing how many younger people don't know these floor switch buttons existed in older cars . I personally wish they had kept them in the newer vehicles, don't you?

[@collinjones4437]

This particular year has it on the column. The carpet has the hole for the button, so I imagine this year or the year prior, they started putting it on the column with the turn signal.

[@Mrstorm1969]

R.i.p. transit

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Word

[@James-mk2qj]

Was wondering where the bird was for the hood it seems to be missing

[@DianeRobinson-uw6px]

Hi may I ask how much you paid for that jewel? I have the exact same one, Doesn't look like that it did black with silver trim and black velour inside. I have it up for sale but everyone is telling me too much?? It also has been sitting 1990's also/

[@royhaught9516]

Had a 78 with a 455 four speed, could have used the four wheel discs brakes1

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That is awesome! We were glad this actually had working brakes! That doesn't happen very often. Haha

[@steviedee71]

You guys going to put the fire chicken on the hood ?

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That's the long term plan!

[@landonkujawa4626]

How much was it? This is one of my favorite cars

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Out of respect for Collin, I'm not going to disclose how much he got it for . I'll leave that up to him to reveal if he wishes to. Let's just say though, he got a very fair deal on it. :) Thanks for watching !

[@landonkujawa4626]

@@barnshenanigans1589 oh my bad for asking. Sweet ride. Hope it goes well getting it to it’s former glory

[@barnshenanigans1589]

No harm in asking :) Thanks! Hopefully we will have an update video soon on the car. Have a great day!

[@t.l.robinson2162]

Why did the previous owner park the car?

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Oddly enough, because it "started to run rough" haha

[@k4iicy]

This is my dream car but I cannot find any working ones, my dad said the only way he would pay for one is if it runs but needs interior work and/or body work. Does anyone happen to know and listings or anyone I could possibly talk to that has one?

[@barnshenanigans1589]

All depends on where you're located . There are still cars out there . Simply asking around a lot and making connections help. Keep up the search!

[@k4iicy]

Thank you! I'm talking with a guy that has 3 turkey barns full of old cars and stuff so I'm hoping to find something worthy of being my first car. @@barnshenanigans1589

[@North49191]

185 hp, take it easy lol

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Absolutely haha .

[@philhiggins5482]

Very cool! So nice to find survivors that aren't worn out! How many miles on it?

[@barnshenanigans1589]

It was a very cool find . The odometer says 65k, but looking at other signs , it's possible that it is 165.

[@nickwillobey2205]

How much?

[@johnjoole2258]

Oldsmobile motor in it

[@wesdoobner7521]

But does the cigarette lighter work??

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Surprisingly yes!

[@rooster68able]

Lifter

[@tomcherry7029]

403 car

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Indeed it is .

[@royhaught9516]

Powered by Oldsmobile!@@barnshenanigans1589

[@petelelas4896]

HOW MUCH $$$$$

[@rustyjames4962]

wanna sell it ? lmk

[@barnshenanigans1589]

I dont think he has any intentions of selling it at the moment, but if he changes his mind , be on the lookout ! Lol

[@ARMOROID5000]

This seems like a set up. Like this car was someone's project and was a running vehicle with no real problems. And then it just got parked in the car garage and left. I would go so far as to say this was staged with a good car placed on site and then had dust artificially blown onto it to fake being sitting for a long time. I call foul!

[@barnshenanigans1589]

That artificial dust sure was hard to come by. Haha 😄 Call foul all you want, but I promise you none of it was staged. :) Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@collinjones4437]

It's actually just an origami car. The whole thing is fake.

[@barnshenanigans1589]

In fact! The entire background is green screen!

[@frankmorain2755]

I want one soooo bad I would take that car over any brand new super car. I kno it sounds weird but I LOVE THEM CARS. and now here comes ELECTRIC. TRUMP 2024 DRILL BABY DRILL 🇺🇸

[@paulthesoundguy1]

$50k classic handled by amateur people…..worst way to wash anything….and the window was left down. Take the car home and have a professional detail the car. DUH

[@barnshenanigans1589]

The only way amateur people become professionals is by setting a foot out the door and actually doing something :) Thankfully we knew the car is getting repainted so us washing the car using that method was perfect for us. Thanks for watching !

[@Mrstorm1969]

I dont know what your smokin but i want some Who the hell would pay 50k for that car In the stat that car is in in the video 7500$ is too much Stop being a jackass on internet because your jealous

[@collinjones4437]

By all means! Show us the proper means of handling a vehicle like this! ....as soon as YOU find one....

[@paulthesoundguy1]

@@collinjones4437 sarcasm is an appreciated art form! Still……washing a dirty car with a brush is one way to ruin an original paint job. A car like this is worth more with original paint than a repaint. I pay a detailing guy to clean my dirty cars.

[@paulthesoundguy1]

@@collinjones4437 your comment as soon as you find one…..only further proves my point that These kinds of cars are rare and should be handled more professionally

[@user-do1dq7bl3i]

You guys are to showoffe had move to better video sorry 😢😅

[@barnshenanigans1589]

Lol. Its not an airport, no need to announce your departure.

[@opera93]

Thanks, Great work & find… Interestingly, I worked many years on a SIMILAR Trans Am*:1977 *SPECIAL ED;*Hurst Hatches/BLACK *VELOUR INTERIOR/ Ps/ Pb/ *Cruise/ Tilt/ Mats/ Rear window Defrost/6.6L*400 ci Pontiac,Ziebart Coating RUST ( probably waste of money), coming via Hurst Products Michigan .. Anyways, my first new Special order ( our Second new car ); ordering in Oct 1976,& received ,3 MARCH 1977, actually before Smokey Bandit hoopla! Interestingly, also, ordered from Bledsoe Buick Pontiac Dealer, WARSAW Indiana (* same dealer my Parents got 1953 Buick Dyanaflow yellow/ Black)…….lot of good build ups on the 1977: much use until 1996 (?) as salt Rust got to much of frames/ body : we gave up thinking about restorations, as difficult ,expensive …Oddly, I did get $100.00 from Salvage Yard in WARSAW: of course the 1977 TA GOLD HONEYCOMB WHEELS WORTH TEN **TIMES THAT NOW……Anyways, we spent many yearsm&;Dollars building up:: NUNZI’ S Pontiac, HO PRODUCTS, KONI, GOODYEAR,ETC…ps: great build to restore to FACTORY ORIGINAL, & interesting to Me …! PPSS: I Really like the Looks, of *1976 TRANS AM in black Gold….& good Options

[@shaindaman13]

I don’t understand why anyone would’ve thought it was gray. It looked black enough to me. Just dusty. It’s a gorgeous car. I had a black 79 but mine was not a T-Top car

[@barnshenanigans1589]

When putting the video together, I thought about adding in the explanation. When Collin first saw the car, it was by flashlight and from a distance. I saw it from the photo he snapped and at the time it was also covered with items . At a quick glance of the grainy photo, I assumed it was gray. Now once he set up a day to actually retrieve the car and we got close to it, it was obvious that it's black. Hence our excitement! :D

[@onebluess5336]

how much to cash buy? my email is on my account.