Too Far Gone: 1975 Pontiac Trans Am 455 HO
This 1975 Trans Am looks pretty good in the picture but, upon closer inspection, almost every area is rusted, faded, damaged or beyond repair. This is truly a project. TJ found this car for sale here on Craigslist. We appreciate him sending it to us. The Trans Am is one of 857 produced in 1975 with the 455 HO engine. It is located in Maple Shade Township, New Jersey. The seller is asking $9,500 and it has been listed for 4 days. It was for sale earlier this year too.
Pontiac offered the 2nd generation Firebird in 4 models – the base Firebird, Esprit, Formula and Trans Am. The Trans Am was the top performance model. Trans Am production had more than doubled between 1974 and 1975, increasing from 10,255 Trans Ams in 1974 to 27,274 Trans Ams in 1975. The Trans Am was offered with two engine options. The L78 400 cubic inch V8 engine was the base motor or a buy could opt for the L75 455 cubic inch V8 engine in 1975. This Trans Am is one of only 857 produced in 1975 with the L75 455 engine which came with a 4 speed and 3.23 rear end. This 455 engine could also be found in Pontiac sedans and station wagons of that era. However, Pontiac decided to designate it as the 455HOengine in the Trans Am to garner attention based on the reputation of the 455HO engine that was offered just a few years earlier. The 1971-1972 Trans Am was equipped with a 335 horsepower 455HO round port head engine but this base engine was rated at only 200 horsepower.
As can be seen, the interior of this car is in a little better shape than the outside. It would be good to see the floorboards but the car is not highly optioned other ant having the deluxe interior which came with upgraded seats and door panels. The black dash doesn’t look like it has cracks or tears but the seats and dirty and the foam is showing through in several places. The undercarriage of the car is most disturbing as the rust bug has eaten away at everything from the suspension to the brake lines.
Pontiac caught a lot of negative press (go to this link) by offering the Y code 455 engine as the 455HO engine. Pontiac discontinued the HO designation before year end. Even though the 1975 HO455 engine was rated at only 200 horsepower but could easily be modified to generate much more horsepower. Is this car too far gone for restoration?
Auctions Ending Soon
2006 Ford Mustang Saleen S281 SCBid Now20 hours$15,000
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now3 days$100
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$3,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now5 days$10,500
Comments
Wonder why there are no pictures of the engine? Perhaps it’s in pieces?
At least the main part of the engine must still be in place since the hood scoop or shaker or whatever it is that Pontiac called it is still in place sticking out through the hood. Plus some of the underside photos on the ad clearly show that there is an engine in the car.
I would get a new frame and do a full restoration on this.And keep till im an old man….
TA has a unibody,not a full frame.
The front half has a bolt on sub-frame the rear half is unibody.
This car was featured on this site in September and hasn’t sold. The seller needs to listen to what the market is telling him.
Steve R
Virtually anything can be rebuilt, so long as you have a solid VIN tag and a phat wallet.
Too far gone, too much money= a very hard and definite pass.
TA has a unibody,not a full frame.
Which means this little cutie will fold in half when someone attempts to move it.
I could swear I saw someone building aftermarket “frames” for these things. It was quite a few years ago, so my recollection might be muddled, but they were meant to integrate with the unit body somehow, as I recall.
another one lost to severe rust. when buying any car that has been out getting a dirt nap or sitting on concrete . these factors need to be seriously thought out. look at the car restorers shows first they take it all the way apart. this pile of parts can easily take 2 to 3 parking places. just taking the car to this level you are in for a surprise. if you have done this, turn to the garage door and slowly walk out to the entrance . those with guts turn and look at the car you just taken apart. overwhelming isnt it. you have got to slow down .i say your best bet is to pick a quarter of the car and decide what your going to try and fix first. if you have never taken into consideration the parts load you are going to step into think about this. most over night restorers never get past the take apart stage.you have got to have a bay for the car, bay for interior parts, bay for exterior parts,and a bay for mechanical. if you dont consider this your car will end up in the pick a part . thats why you see so many cars and there parts for sale. most people are ready for a daily driver and small sections to get repaired. this TA needs , really needs. and rust work is the worst. this kind of car needs a complete tear down and this is because the whole car is rusty. not to many people have 3-4 bays of space available for the parts that your going to end up selling…
Does it even qualify as a parts car?
Rust never sleeps. This car must have had a bad case of insomnia.
What a nasty rusty mess!
Aww, nothing that a gallon of Por 15 won’t fix.
been listed on c/l over a month. looks like it sat outside 30yrs
I would find another body and rebody the car
Yep, I believe they are still in business. Can’t recall the name of the company, but easily found on the internet.
The aftermarket frame
Yes, starting for around $3,700 and up for a name brand with brakes.
Steve R
More like $14,000+ for a chassis with rear end and brakes and suspension is the cheapest out there. Most are $20,000 and up. A good rear end is 2,500 anymore!
Here’s one way to go: A complete full frame chassis replacement.
https://roadstershop.com/product/1970-81-spec-camaro-chassis/#engine-mount-options
These were pretty bad azz cars for the 70’s. We had a white one with the blue 455 sd lettering cruising Rivers Ave the local strip back in the day. I never raced it with my 5 liter I was to scared!
The Super Duties were bad boys for being 73-74 year models. Didn’t take much to wake them up!
New Jersey rust is bad I grew up there. That’s why I live in Nevada for the past 29 years