Mark's '78 Trans Am

This month's Featured Car, hailing from Bonaire, Georgia, is a beautiful restoration. It's the 1978 Trans Am of Mark Haynes. Here's his story:

I bought the car from the original owner in May of 1991. The car was complete right down to the original black paint, factory AM/FM 8 track with the original rear deck single speaker and the 15" X 7" snowflake wheels. The body was solid with just the usual dings and dents of a daily driver and the interior only needed the front seats recovered and a headliner to be perfect. The car had just over 84,000 miles on the odometer. The factory 180 hp 400 motor ran ok but seemed a bit tired and the transmission worked good but the red fluid in the driveway told me that it had seen better days as well. The AC blew hard but lukewarm on a hot Georgia day. The car still had the factory space saver tire with the canister and all the owners manuals and paperwork were in place so for $1200.00 I drove the car home. The factory build sheet was tucked away neatly under the backseat. The car was built in Van Nuys California and shipped to McLaughlin Miles Pontiac in Columbus, Georgia. The car was then sent to Lamar Pontiac in Macon, Georgia where its new owner drove it home. I began restoration of the car in 1992. Reeves RPM performance shop in Warner Robins, Georgia handled all the machining of the block, heads, etc. While a good friend of mine , Andy McClammy, who was known for being an expert Chevy builder tackled the actual assembly of the engine. Speed Pro components were used and the block was taken .30 over stock with just a mild cam, new pistons, edelbrock performer intake and 600 cfm edelbrock carb being the biggest mods. After the complete rebuild of the engine. The TH350 was sent to Tom Hunts Transmission in Warner Robins, GA for a complete overhaul and light shift kit and a IMI high torque starter was added to cure the notorious Pontiac hot start problems. A true dual aluminum exhaust with Dynomax turbo mufflers with the actual original chrome splitters handles the breathing. The front end was completely rebuilt using all just suspension polyurethane components. The original AC delco shocks were replaced with new Monroe's.

I put the original snowflakes in storage an opted for a set of classic industry 15" X 8" rally II reproductions with a set of 245/60/15 B.F. Goodrich radial T/A's. The interior just needed the front seats recovered and a new headliner. Year One, Classic Industries and Ames have provided little detail items along the way, too numerous to list. Midway body shop in Warner Robins, GA handled the Starlight Black paint and I installed the decals myself. I have owned the car for almost 11 years and don't plan on ever parting with it. When I was married in Oct of 2000 My wife and I drove the car away from the church and I pleaded with my buddies not to get anything on the paint and as good friends do, nothing was harmed. The car gets alot of compliments from both old and young and alot of people have tried to get me to sell it to them. I love 2nd generation Trans Am's but I am not one of these guys who has to have a 100% all original car so I have no quips with performance mods, because although the 78 Trans Am was a beautiful car , they were no superstars of performance in the 70's. But with some small mods and tweaks of the engine and exhaust and there already superior suspension they could run with the best of them. The car always needs little things and future plans include replacing all the chrome window revell molding with bright new NOS stuff, replacing the stock 78 exhaust manifolds with some earlier model Ram Air or HO manifolds, new WS-6 sway bars and steering box, (No, mine is not a true WS-6 and I realize that the T/A 6.6 decal on my shaker is incorrect but I like it), a set of 15" X 8" gold inlay WS-6 refinished snowflakes and my wife is pushing hard for the AC that I have yet to reinstall. The car has alot of sentimental value to me as well, my good friend and engine builder Andy McClammy was killed along with his wife in a motorcycle accident a couple of years ago. The new motor was built in 92 and almost 10 years later I have racked up around 10,000 trouble free miles on the car. Most the time the car sits quietly in my garage, but on a nice day I ain't afraid to get her out on the highway and turn some heads.