Subtle Differences Only True TRANS AM Fans KNOW! 1977 Pontiac TRANS AM

[@davebarron5939]

Whoever owns this car should contact Pontiac Historical Society to access many copies of original paperwork, including the original window sticker. Also, has anyone pulled the seats to see if there is an original factory build sheet? Interesting combination car, the HP. motor, special interior choices but no T tops, seems unusual.

[@backyardbarnfinds]

Hey Dave! Yes the car is a very unusual optioned Trans Am, all of PHS paperwork has been done! That’s why I thought it would be interesting to make the video! Has all the goodies but the gold lol

[@6-Iron]

It doesn’t matter. Stupid decisions were made by someone who had more money than sense. It needs to be corrected.

[@MarkRoberts-bj2me]

Who is the bigger dunce, the no-show that ordered the car or the factory manager that allowed it to be built? Yes it’s a “one of one”, competing for the ugliest second gen TA of all time.

[@stebecinc]

Interesting. I sold them new. I saved as much info as i could on them. I have the dealer order books also. That was a fun time.

[@tedthomas3727]

Great video. I ordered a 1977 Trans Am from the factory and took delivery in May 1977. I lived in Colorado Springs at the time, and the engines required in that area were the Olds 403 due to the high altitude. Just like California, you could not get the Pontiac 400, and, the automatic transmission was required. No manuals. I actually found the Olds 403 to be a very reliable motor with good top end speed.

[@DanielLopez-me9mh]

I agree the 403 Oldsmobile engine were pretty reliable I remember most of your ninety eight Oldsmobile or delta 88s had them

[@wordenentertainment1997]

Very good video! I own a 79 Trans Am with the Y84 Special Edition and the W72 Pontiac performance package. I am slowly restoring it and I am considering doing a KZbin series on it. In 1978, the Y84 package came along which has the factory Fisher t-tops to replace the Hurst tops and were the standard t-tops from 79-81. I saw this specific 77 T/A at the Pontiac Nationals in Ohio and boy is it a beautiful car!

[@txdave2]

In 1979 I bought a lightly used 78 Trans Am. It was gold with darker graphics, had the "snowflake" wheels, and T-tops. Fun car. Wish I had it now.

[@MongrelsGarage]

If memory serves all manual transmission cars were the W-72, 200-220 HP (depending on year), the 403 was 185hp and the L78 was 180hp. The sure fire way to tell a W-72 engine though is the heads. Both the L78 and W-72 used 6X heads, however, there was a large chamber and small Chamber head, the W-72 (small Chamber) had "4" stamped on a flat (boss) on the side of the head, the L78 had an "8". Good video and beautiful car!

[@thebacdoc6464]

I partially agree with you. The w72 DID come with an automatic and a manuel. Another way to tell is the chrome valve covers. W72 in 77 is 200hp W72 in 78 is 220hp L78 400 in 77 and 78 is 180hp Olds 403 is 185hp in 77, 78, and 79. In 79 however, the W72 220hp t/a 6.6, only came with a manuel. The Olds 403 in 79, 6.6 liter, only came with an automatic.

[@christopherm5428]

77 Special editions had red arrow badges and red bird center caps. But had gold bird emblems in side the car such as shifter button(automatics)and on the door panels where the window cranks are located if ordered with power windows. It wasn’t tell 78 when the outside emblems when to gold.

[@sueu9709]

EXTREMELY informational and helpful! Thank you Parker!

[@denisnesko8760]

Hi Parker, my t/a was built on the same week. 05C it has serial # 215724. Black with tan leather interior and black exterior also. Has silver honeycomb wheels with the red caps. W72. Was a hardtop also, but previous owner got C C tops put on. It was nice seeing another survivor so close to mine! Thanks.

[@RolandVasquez-d8c]

I owned the same in 1977, my first new car; the only off the showroom floor, bought for 7,700. All power 👍

[@Carguy2000-f8p]

This really helped a lot!! I have a 1977 fire bird espirit that I’m turning into a Y81 SE clone. It’s been my dream car since I was 10 and I now have it at 23 years old. Mine actually came with a Buick 231 V6 from the factory of all things 😂

[@dodgyg3697]

Love that PMD had the nerve to leave the W72 rating at 200-220hp. . Having had both the difference between the L78, L80 and the W72 T/A 6.6 is huge. Over here in Europe , we can run them with no cats no egr and we have 99 octane fuel available. Bump that static timing up 5 degrees and they are alarmingly quick. The Olds, however is just a lovely old smoothie.

[@DanielLopez-me9mh]

Beautiful trans am i never saw one with a white and red interior and black paint i like the Pennsylvania safety inspection sticker in purple most classic cars are exempt from emissions i remember that when i worked as a mechanic in potstown pa

[@nealvanlew1621]

Y82 and Y81 did not appear on the cowl tag in 77... You need to get PHS docs to verify that!

[@manolojaile6538]

THE '77 SE did come with the red Pontiac emblem on the front bumper. (I had one). Perhaps later in the year, it was changed to gold.

[@darrellkidd5177]

Great video, but just a few nit picks. The 1977 SE T/As had a red emblem on the nose, and the '78s had a gold one; not sure about non-SE T/As. Also, I believe that you could only get the gold snowflakes on the SEs (with the front of the spokes and the edges of the rims machined to bare metal), but you could get the non-gold snowflakes on other T/As and Firebirds as an option. Another difference in the SEs is that the front and rear window trim was blacked out, not silver/chrome, and there was no trim on the rear of the hood. One thing you failed to mention, you can tell a non-SE from an SE by these differences, but you can't necessarily tell if a T/A is a true SE just because it has those things on it. There are probably more SE clones than real ones 😀. Fortunately, I have a real one (according to PHS).

[@owood5243]

A true 1977 special edition will have either Y81 or Y82 for hard top or t-top to where the 1977 non special edition cars did not show that on the cowl trim. Now on the rims not all Trans Am special editions came with snowflake rims if the N67 rally II rim was ordered it came gold in color and has been documented by the Bandit Trans Am club to be in existence. I do know you could get snowflake wheels on Grand Prix, Lemans and Trans Am. They were most popular on the Firebird and Trans Am, but you could also order them on other Pontiac models like the Grand Prix and Lemans. At first the snowflake rims were available in different colors such as red, white, blue, gold and grey. The rims were so popular production couldn't meet the demand, the snowflakes were canceled for the other Pontiac models built after October 18th 1976. Also because of the limited supply, the red, white and blue colors were canceled and you could only get the grey or the gold snowflake rims. The specialty Firebirds like the Sky Bird, the Red Bird and the Yellow Bird still came with the painted rims to match the body color of the car. Beginning in 1978 the ws6 snowflake rim that was an inch wider and had an inch wide lip.

[@Sick-Of-It-All]

IIRC the '77 T/A SE also had the red Pontiac emblem on the nose. The gold emblem didn't appear until '78 or '79?

[@MidnightinSavannah]

You couldn't get the wide chrome trim on the roof line and the top of the doors on a SE cars, they used a thin chrome bead. The trim around the windshield and rear window was painted black on a SE car.

[@davidp2888]

Very impressive, you know your stuff.

[@427yenko67]

Good info..thanks

[@backyardbarnfinds]

Thanks for your support Steve

[@MrHaps-yq3nu]

What a strange color combo. Looks cobbled together.

[@scottandrews4822]

I thought that the T/A 6.6 cars were 220 HP, not 200 as he inficated.

[@thebacdoc6464]

In 77 they were 200hp, in 78 and 79 they modified them to 220hp ...

[@CarlosDiaz-eb3jq]

Wow I had a SE y82 with the hurst t tops in high school and I sold it like a idiot

[@Kenscialoia]

informative thank you

[@johnwilson3321]

I bought a 1977 Special Edition Pontiac Trans Am from a Pontiac Dealer in 1986. It was, a trade in for a newer 86 T/A. The 1977 came with the Original Factory Window Sticker with All the car Specs Options, and price. This T/A had a majority of the available options. Some rather rare options. The Sticker price was $7450. Being a 1977 Black & Gold SE (Smokey & the Bandit), T/A; It had the W72 400 Engine; Chrome Valve Covers, The 6.6 T/A Hood Scoop Decal, Chrome Twin Splitter Tailpipes, Hurst T-Tops, Gold Snowflake Wheels, Rear Defrost, awesome Clothe Deluxe Black seating, Rear Back Seat Console (Rare!), Factory Cruise Control (Rare!), All the Exact Classic SE Decals, Striping, Blacked-Out window Trims, Etc. I owned the car for 3 years and added a lot of horsepower by under the hood modifications and upgrades. It was SO Much Fun to have as a 19-22 year old! It was fast as hell, laid tire patches shifting from first to second; and second to third gears! It had Lower Rear End Gear Ratio; 3.73. I could roast the tires off the start for a block long if I wanted to. Always had to lay off the gas.

[@googleusergp]

Not correct. The 403 Olds V8 could be had in all 50 states. Also when decoding the VIN, you get the win: 2 for Pontiac, W for Trans Am, 87 for two door coupe, Z for 400 CID V8 with four barrel, Pontiac produced, 7 for 1977 model year, N for Norwood, OH assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The Norwood plant closed in August of 1987. With the tag, you can brag: ST77 for 1977 model year, 2FS87 for Pontiac (2) Firebird (FS) two door coupe (87), N for Norwood, OH assembly, 11N for White and Firethorn vinyl interior trim, A51 for bucket seats, 19L and 19U for Starlight Black exterior paint, 05C for the third week of May 1977 production, WS4 for Trans Am, and FIR for Firethorn secondary interior trim. It's actually very simple: 1977-1979, if it says "T/A 6.6" it's always the high output Pontiac engine (200 HP in 1977, 220 in 1978-1979). If it says "6.6. LITRE" then it goes like this: All Olds 403 equipped cars said "6.6 LITRE" from 1977-1979, AND a base Pontiac 400 equipped car (180 HP) from 1977-1978 could also say "6.6 LITRE". All Pontiac 400 engines for 1979 were W72 versions and therefore said "T/A 6.6" on the scoop. Some combinations even came with no callouts on the scoop. Also, W72 cars had chrome valve covers and base 400 engine equipped cars had painted valves covers. WA is the correct stamp and the "W" as the first suffix character denotes a manual transmission application and "Y" was typically for automatic equipped vehicles. Also, SE cars in 1977 had the German/Gothic graphics. 1978 was a split: The Y82 cars (Hurst T-tops) had German/Gothic and the Y84 cars (Fisher tops) had the block lettering. All of what you stated is correct if the car has never been altered. As others stated, the only real way to determine if it's a true SE or not is with a PHS report or other original OEM documentation (build sheet, window sticker, etc.) to back that up. Not correct, Y81 and Y82 were VERY rarely stamped on the cowl tag. By the middle of 1978 with the Y84 era, SOME tags were stamped, others were not. Paperwork is the only way to back up if it's a real SE or not.

[@motodon5686]

So it has the chrome valve covered 400 w72 Pontiac 220hp w/4spd. But it’s not a SE… got it

[@thebacdoc6464]

The chrome valve covered t/a 6.6, could also come with an automatic. As far as the SE cars, I don't know if you could order the l78, 180hp or the W72 200 or 220hp( depending on year). That is a really good question. For what ever it's worth, I've never seen a SE, y81( non t-top), or a Y82( t-top), that wasn't a w72...lol

[@motodon5686]

So basically it seems the owner had ordered the w72 and 4spd tranny along with that interior colors

[@CarlosDiaz-eb3jq]

Also the SE y82 had posi traction and the others didnt

[@shamus4427]

That car has a Hurst shifter from the factory.

[@spenceair1972]

I thought the hurst tops were smaller

[@jerrykinen]

Actually it was a 77 and 78 in the movie

[@ZombieKiller1965]

The movie cars were 76's with the front fascia of a 77 bolted on.

[@6-Iron]

Good lord that interior is ugly. Someone needs to fix that.

[@thebacdoc6464]

That was a special order car, but yes, I agree. Red goes good with black, but not mixed with white...lol

[@klaytonhulsberg4059]

Fisher made the T tops not Hurst

[@backyardbarnfinds]

Both Fisher and Hurst made T tops..

[@klaytonhulsberg4059]

@@backyardbarnfinds interesting

[@MrHaps-yq3nu]

@@backyardbarnfinds Fisher were black trimmed. Hurst were silver trimmed.

[@owood5243]

@@MrHaps-yq3nu You are somewhat right, all Hurst t-tops did come with chrome trim except for the special edition cars the frames were chemically blackened and black tinted safety glass was added to make the car look to have a solid roof since all SE cars in 1977 was black.

[@thebacdoc6464]

That depended on the year btw...

[@dirkdriver5224]

The vin plate under the hood is a fake..they were not affixed to the vehicle in that manner.

[@MongrelsGarage]

I believe that is somewhat year dependent, I know they did use screws, but don't remember mine (1978) having Phillips head screws. I was going to go check later.

[@MidnightinSavannah]

1977 Firebirds had the screws in the data plate. It was the earlier 2nd gen F-body that used the rivets.

[@jameskarchner8218]

Mine are like that too. Same screws .l bought mine in the nineties from the original owner. So it was all original ,and all my older gm cars didn't have a screw like that, i always wondered when they switched

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

nope. my 78 y88 has the same bolts.

[@kurtbarlow9917]

I will never ever buy a TRANS am .. again.... I don't want anything to do with TRANS ..EVER 😂

[@eugenewhite4251]

Why?

[@patientmental875]

Non SE black T/A's look so much better to me

[@mikeb3986]

That’s an ugly interior.