Automatic Trans Ams
 

Does anyone know why pretty much every 70s up to '81 Trans Am and later 80s IROC and Z28 Camaros are all automatics? Finding a 5 speed early Trans Am is nearly impossible.

Second question: are these cars really just pigs? Motor is easy but can they be made to be actually fun to drive?

Early ones would likely be 4 speed not 5, unless somebody installed a Doug Nash 5 speed.

A friend has a 1981 Trans Am, original paint 4.9L engine quite a dog, about 150hp, my 1984 BMW 533i was faster. The early 70's with the 6.6 would be more fun.

Thanks, that just goes to show I haven't seen a standard Trans Am for sale, just autos.

I imagine a crate motor with decent hp would be 10 to 20 cents on a 911 dollar, but will look for 6.6s, thanks.

The 4 speed 6.6 will likely be quite a premium, but are around. I think around 1974 is when there were tons of smog crap and mild cams added to the engines.

I think emission controls had something to do with it. I believe it was more difficult to get a car with a standard transmission to pass smog

Anything can be made fun to drive. I guarantee there is an aftermarket setup you can put on there that will make for very competent handling.

My buddy looked at doing his 1970 Cutlass. Edelbrock makes a cam/intake/heads setup that is good 300 horsepower. You can put big brakes and tubular upper and lower control arms that are plenty beefy, pretty sure you can replace the front subframe with one that is all pretty welds and steel tubing. Olds used coil springs, no leaf back there, but solid rear end. Very large sway bars fore and aft. He is going to retire in a few years, and will probably succumb to peer pressure when he has to start taking required minimum distributions

Corvette and early Tempest only IRS cars Both his cars are automatics, but you can swap in a 5 speed pretty easily

Not sure what your price point is but if you’re looking for overall performance, including handling, I think you might be best served to buy someone’s power tour project that likely already has an LS swap, Tremec 5 speed, Hotchkis suspension, Baer brakes, etc.


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I had a 1980 z 28 with a 4 speed. Black on black t top car, it was beautiful , but slow . Stock 350 was anemic I think it had 165 hp.
It is pretty tough to find standards . I had 2 1990's z 28's that I converted to standards . It was always tricky finding the pedal assemblies. The rest was easy .
I still thought they were fun to drive

I'll take a 1973 SD455.

Not a small car, will never be described as nimble. The hood is ponderous.

The chicken is screaming for a reason.

This guy does drives and reviews, very close to me. Cool to see local roads I know.

<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eaan16BEGb8" title="1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 - 400hp Crate Engine Muscle Car (POV Binaural Audio)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm sure things have changed but Baer brakes and Hotchkis suspension should improve things. Probably a mild wheel upgrade because you're not going to find decent ties to fit 14" or 15" wheels for that sort of car.

Y'all are missing the real reason all of the circa 1980 muscle cars were automatics...


It's have to shift when you have a cold Coors 16 ouncer in one hand and a mitt full of buxom Midwestern female in the other...

Very few % wise were manual trans. However there is a company called Hawk Performance which offers complete swap parts kit, including the trans for stock look. They are 'modern classics'. While none are comparable to late 60's, early 70's performance, they are still the mark from late 70's to late 80's.

My buddy had a silver screaming chicken 6.6 in college. The styling was AMAZING, if that is your jam. The seats were silver. Everything was silver! Lots of pretty lights on the dash - which, if I recall - was silver!

It was an enormous pig. Terrible MPG, acceptable acceleration. Not able to turn or stop very well.

I loved it for what it was. Didn't have any interest in owning one, however.

I loved the look of those when I was a wee lad. At around 5:30 is he using the clutch when downshifting through the exit ramp?

Sally Field wasn't buxom, but she was cute...

This guy gets it. Bravo

I have a strong feeling driving one will cure me of wanting one. All of the cars I've purchased recently were unique and somewhat rare and fun to drive and a critical factor for me, light weight.

I was going to start a thread about if and how your taste in cars has changed over the years. Still may. Though my first car was a 64 1/2 Mustang with a 260 V8, I've rarely liked American cars. And in fact my love for all things Mustang at the tender age of 16 ended with the '66 model year, and a fastback was all I could think about. 71-73 fastback "bread vans" as the Mustang magazines called them 40 (WHOA!) years ago were ugly as sin. Now I'd love a 69 or a 71 Mach 1 or build a Boss 302/429.

In the last year or two I've started to like:
964s
67+ Mustangs
Fox body Mustangs
and 70s Trans Ams

which I've never liked. Interesting how my taste has changed. Miura and F40 are still the pinnacles of automotive art.

I still have my '66 Mustang coupe I got in 1991 (my son and I pulled the transmission from it yesterday as it needs a new clutch, it is a straight 6 running a progressive three Weber carb set up with headers) and a '92 Fox Body 5.0 that is my 17yo's daily driver (manual of course).

I am jonesing for an original '66 Shelby lately.

Had a friend with a late 70's Pontiac Firebird that would pull the front wheels off the ground, that thing was a screamer.

Please post some pics, would love to see it!

You have to get a Hertz car, no question.