Part 4 - Saturday Brake

After months of searching for all original ACDelco brake system parts for my 1978 Pontiac Trans Am, I have finally found and acquired all the parts needed to completely replace my entire brake system.

ACDelco Brake Parts Collection

Thanks to ACDelco's online catalog, Amazon.com, and ebay.com, finding all the parts was easier than I thought it would be. I am trying to avoid any aftermarket parts, I prefer to put the car back in all original condition with all the correct parts. Original brake pipes are not available so I found a company in Michigan inlinetube.com that reproduces brake lines, fuel lines, and any other pipes you need for your older cars. I purchased stainless steel brake pipes so they will not rust.

The old drum brake parts after being washed off with a brake cleaner

My oldest son and I began the brake system teardown today. We removed all the brake hardware, rotors, drums, hoses, pipes, emergency brake cables, and combination valve. I had already replaced the brake vacuum booster and master cylinder with GM restoration parts.

Right Rear axle seal leaking

We discovered that the left axle seal has a small leak, so I have to order seals, gear oil, limited slip additive, and an axle cover gasket and replace them before we reassemble the brake system.

Original Nylon Injected U-Joints.

In the process of working on this car, we discovered that the original nylon injected u-joints are still installed in the driveshaft. When this type of u-joint gets replaced, the new u-joint uses internal snap rings to hold the u-joint in place. These u-joints have no snap rings and have never been replaced.  Why does this matter? The odometer of the vehicle shows approximately 55,000 miles. I doubt this car only has 55,000 miles on it, but it definitely is not a high mileage car.

Measuring rotor thickness of 1.004 inches 

Continuing my quest for an idea of how many miles this vehicle really has on it, I decided to measure the brake rotor thickness. These rotors appear to be original GM brake rotors, if they had been replaced, it is unlikely that most people would purchase original GM rotors because they cost more than aftermarket rotors.  Working on that assumption, new rotors are 1.030 inches thick. 

Motor minimum thickness specification casting

The minimum thickness (discard dimension) of the rotor is 0.956 inches (as shown in the above photo. The left front rotor measured 1.004 inches. This means that 0.026 inches of material has worn off of this rotor.  In my many years of teaching for General Motors, they taught us that you should allow 0.030 inches of rotor thickness loss for each set of brake pads.  The brake pads on this vehicle were not the original brakes, but is is possible that they are the second set of brake pads since the rotor. There is still enough rotor material left on this rotor for another set of brake pads to wear down. This tells me this vehicle is not a high mileage vehicle.

The right front rotor thickness measured 0.992 inches, a full 0.012 thinner that the left front

 The right front rotor thickness has worn down down to 0.992 inches. The discard dimension of the rotor is 0.965 inches. This thickness does not allow for 0.030 inches of rotor thickness decrease for wear. The rotor needs to be replaced.  I am replacing both rotors and drums.

Left front steering spindle with all brake hardware removed.

While the brake system is disassembled, I am going to clean and paint the backing plates, rear axle housing, sub frame, control arms, sway bars, and most of the under body.  We had to remove the inner fender wells to access all the brake pipes and hoses we are replacing. We removed all the hoses and pipes today.

My leaking fuel tank - One more thing in the never ending list of repairs on this vehicle

 This week I also discovered the source of gasoline fumes coming from my car. I had replaced all of the rubber hoses, installed the proper factory spring clamps, replaced the fuel tank cap, and a cracked evaporator emissions canister. I still could smell gasoline vapors. 1978 emissions regulations required a closed evaporative emissions system, so I knew there had to be a leak I was not seeing. I decided that the only place left was on top of my fuel tank.

Fuel leak at tank vapor line

We removed the fuel tank and found a huge leak were the vapor line connects to the tank. It is not something I wanted to repair or to have repaired. We also found another rubber hose on top of the tank that needs to be replaced. I was disappointed to not find my car's "Build Sheet" on top of the fuel tank. My last hope for the sheet is in the seat frame, but the upholstery has already been replaced and it is unlikely that it will still be there. I won't have time to check the seats for several weeks.

The New Fuel Tank waiting for the fuel level sending unit to be installed.

I looked online for replacement fuel tanks and found a reasonably priced new tank; I ordered it. It showed up yesterday.

Rear underbody with fuel tank removed

I will install the new fuel tank in a week or so after all the cleaning and painting. I want to paint the underbody above where the fuel tank is mounted. You can see the rear portion of the new exhaust system in this photo.

Blower motor and heater core are accessible with the inner fender removed

With the left front inner fender well removed to remove the brake pipes, I photographed the inconvenient location of the blower motor and heater core I referred to in Part 2 of this blog.

The ACDelco replacement blower motor for my Trans Am

Part 3 - By the Numbers

After reading and researching my 1978 Trans Am on the internet and also in parts and service manuals, I decided that I was not sure if my car is a special edition Trans Am or a regular one. The paint job, the gold trim, and the pin stripes all indicate a special edition car, but special edition cars sell for much more than what I paid. I found out that there is a company in Michigan that has access to historical Pontiac records. The company is called Pontiac Historical Services (PHS). I sent them my Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and they sent me the original dealer order form for this car. My car is not a special edition, but it does have a rare (WS6) Trans Am Special Performance Package (which is really cool), maybe I got a good deal on this car after all.

The VIN from my dashboard

My VIN Number 2W87K8L189064

VIN Interpretation: 

2 = Pontiac

W = Trans Am

87 = 2 door sport coupe

K = V8 403 6.6L 185HP 320 lb*ft Torque (L80 RPO Code)

8 = 1978   

L = Los Angeles/Van Nuys CA Assembly Plant

8-13 = Production Sequence Number 189064

PHS Services Original Dealer Order Form for my car

My PHS Documentation is shown above. The base model 1978 Firebird Trans Am cost $5889.00 plus options.  All my options are shown on the right side of the dealer order form. The suggested retail price of my car was $8838.00. The car was built in the Van Nuys Assembly Plant in Van Nuys, CA. on July 7, 1978.  The car was delivered to J.C. Fortune Pontiac in Santa Ana, CA (Just northeast of Huntington Beach) on July 22, 1978.

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UPDATE MARCH 30, 2013:

PHS Window Sticker Reproduction

My PHS services reproduction window sticker arrived today. This would be the sticker in the passenger side window of a new car. It shows the options and pricing of the vehicle.

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My engine block VIN code marking

Upon additional reading and research I discovered that cars with "Matching Numbers" are hard to come by and are worth more. Matching numbers means that all the original parts are still there because they have a portion of the VIN number stamped on them (Engine, Transmission, Firewall, and Dash) and/or the other parts on the car have the correct part number marked on them for your car's options. I decided to try to determine if my car has matching numbers. I found my VIN marking on my Oldsmobile 403 cubic engine (6.6L) engine block (shown above) right where the service manual said it was supposed to be. Just below the left front cylinder head on the block.

VIN portion on Engine Block: 28L189064

2 = Pontiac

8 = 1978

L = Van Nuys Ca.

189064 Production Sequence Number

My transmission case VIN code marking

Finding the VIN portion on the Turbo-Hydramatic 350 Three Speed Automatic Transmission was more of a challenge.  The service manual said it would be in one of two other locations (it was not), I accidentally found the VIN on the rear of the transmission case on the right side at the tail shaft extension housing mating surface.

VIN portion on the transmission: 28L189064

2 = Pontiac

8 = 1978

L = Van Nuys Ca.

189064 Production Sequence Number

My G80 Safe-T-Track "Posi-traction" Rear Differential

The Rear Axle is a 10 bolt axle with a 8.5" ring gear and the G80 Limited Slip option. Pontiac called the limited Slip option "Safe-T-Track". Another name for this option is posi-traction (clutch type).

The axle tube marking for my car

Decoding the axle code stamped on the front of the right axle tube gave me some bad news and some great news. 

The bad news is that this axle is from a 1976 Trans Am and mine is a 1978 (They were identical axles). Earlier I stated that this car had been in an accident on the left side of the car, the axle must have been also damaged and replaced. I did notice a bent left rear sway bar link when I first hoisted the car. I have straightened it since then.

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UPDATE MARCH 30, 2013:

Today my oldest son and I worked on the Trans Am removing all the brake parts and components in preparation for cleaning, painting, inspection, and replacement. While we were doing that I showed my son the axle marking (shown above) and told him of my disappointment with the axle being a 1976 model rather than the original axle. 

A better view of the axle tube marking for my car

My son took a look at the axle marking with his younger eyes and said "I think it is an 8 not a 6" He shined his flashlight on a better angle and I took a few more photos, HE WAS RIGHT! is is a 1978 Axle!, the original Axle with 3.23:1 gears (Part of the WS6 performance Package?)! See the photo above. 

It is great that this axle has 3.23:1 gears. This gives great acceleration and decent fuel economy in one gear ratio. My previous Trans Am had 2.41:1 gears which was good for fuel economy, but not for acceleration. I do not know yet if the speedometer drive and driven gear have been changed to compensate for the 3.23:1 axle gears. I also do not yet know what axle ratio my car originally came with. I am hoping to find a "Build Sheet" above the fuel tank on in one of the seat's frames.

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Rear axle code: 2 PX G81871 

2 = Pontiac

PX = 3.23 (RPO Code GU5) Limited Slip

G = Chevrolet Gear and Axle (Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds were made in the same assembly plant and used the same axles)

8 = 1978

187 = 187 Julian date (day of year built) July 6, 1978 (The day before my car left the Assembly plant)

1 = first shift

Additional Information:

Limited Slip (G80 RPO Code)

8.5" Ring Gear

42:13 gear teeth 

My Carburetor identification numbers

The carburetor is in great shape and is the exact part number for a California Emissions Oldsmobile 403 engine in a 1978 Trans Am.

An aftermarket EGR valve was on my engine

Someone had installed an aftermarket Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve on the Olds 403. Luckily I found an online catalog of ACDelco (GM Replacement Parts) at ACDelco.com, found the correct part number for the factory EGR valve and actually found one on Amazon.com There is a guy selling ACDelco EGR valves on E-Bay, but his part number if for high altitude Oldsmobile 403s only, but his description does not tell you that (I almost bought the wrong one from him).

The correct factory EGR valve for my Olds 403 with California Emissions. There is another part number for high altitude emissions.

These EGR valves cannot be tested in the traditional manner of simply applying vacuum to the port and expecting the valve to open. These are back-pressure EGR valves; it requires a small amount of exhaust back-pressure to build and close a small port in the valve, and then the valve will open with vacuum applied. These valves were often mis-diagnosed as bad valves because of this odd operating feature. It was no surprise to see an aftermarket EGR on my engine.

Everyone who took off the factory single exhaust (specifically the crossover pipe) and "dueled out" the exhaust caused the exhaust back-pressure to decrease which prevented this EGR valve from working properly. The result was engine detonation and the only way to fix it was to buy higher octane fuel, or retard the ignition timing (and power), or put the factory exhaust system back on.

I am still researching other parts numbers, but it looks like my car has matching numbers on everything so far! After 35 years I find that amazing.

Part 2 - How Did I Miss That?

As my son and I drove the newly purchased 1978 Trans Am home on that cold December night I turned on the heater and the blower motor, nothing happened. We froze all the way home.

The next day I decided to check out why the heater and blower did not work. As I looked up under the dashboard to check fuses and look around, I noticed that ALL THE HEATER AND AIR CONDITIONING DUCTING WAS MISSING! How did I miss that? I'll tell you how, I was too busy walking down memory lane to pay close enough attention to the small details.

Upon further investigation in the service manual, I discovered that there were seven different pieces of ducting missing. It took me a month and several hundred dollars to find all the missing ducting on Ebay as well as a new blower motor and heater core.

My partially disassembled instrument panel revealing missing ductwork behind

I looked under the hood more carefully and noticed that THERE ARE NO HEATER HOSES! It needs a new heater core and hoses. If you look closely on the left side in the photo below, you can see one heater core tube exposed without a hose connected. I also noticed that the air conditioning compressor pulley bearing is very rough and needs to be replaced. The radiator is missing its overflow tank. Changing the heater core on this car was a nightmare and it took me two days to complete the job.

The "Before" photo of my engine compartment 

I manually connected power to the blower motor, IT DID NOT WORK! it needed a new blower motor.

The turn signals were not flashing at the correct frequency and then I noticed that one of the front turn signal lamps was missing. The wiring for the entire front light harness looked like a rats nest with cut and spliced wires, loose grounds, and wires that were too short to reach the light sockets they were connected to, it was a mess. There are four different brands of headlights on this car! Three are halogen and one is incandescent!

I took the Trans Am to a favorite local Muffler shop to have the exhaust leak fixed. It turned out to be warped exhaust manifolds and a broken off bolt in the cylinder head. The exhaust manifolds had to be removed, sent to a machine shop to be milled flat and then reinstalled. $630.00 later the exhaust leaks were silenced.

Next I was off to the DMV to license the car. As it turns out, the car is old enough (35 years old) to qualify for special Vintage Vehicle license plates. $700.00 later for sales tax and vehicle licensing, I had legal license plates and could drive it to my shop at work to put it on a hoist and see what else it needs to be restored back to like new.

My Vintage License Plate

After putting the car on the hoist, I discovered that it had been wrecked and repaired at one time on the left side. The left front fender used to be red, the driver's door did not shut properly, the left rear quarter panel had been replaced too. The rear bolt of the front sub frame was bent back on an angle like the sub frame had been pushed back about a half inch. the body to subframe alignment holes were not aligned.

I could see where there are dozens of missing bolts, screws, brackets, and small items under the hood, under the car, and in the interior; the front bumper was held on with ONE bolt. It will take a long time to try to find all the missing parts. Once again, I am glad for ebay and other online firebird parts suppliers because there is no way (with my muscle condition) that I can go to salvage yards any more to look for and pick the parts I need for my car. I have to pay a little more on ebay, but they come delivered right to my front door.

I also figured out how to read the cowl body identification tag. It turns out that the car is supposed to be painted black, but it is supposed to have a black interior, not tan. Upon further inspection, I could tell where someone has painted the black interior panels tan. The carpet, headliner, and seat covers have been replaced with tan parts.

My Fisher Body Cowl Tag

My Body by Fisher Cowl Tag:

78 2FS87 L 283105

19N1 A51W19LW19U

07C 8 3 - 147565

Body by Fisher Cowl Tag Interpretation:

78 = 1978 model year

2 = Pontiac

F = Firebird

S = Firebird or Trans Am

87 = Body Style

L = Van Nuys California Assembly Plant

283105 = Fisher Body Unit Number

19N1 = Interior Trim Code = Black Vinyl

A51 = Modular Seating (bucket Seats)

W19L = Lower body paint code "Starlight Black"

W19U = Upper body paint code  "Starlight Black"

07C = July 1978 third week build date July 19, 1978

8 = ?

3 = ?

147565 = Fisher body time/date code

The rest of the body was in beautiful shape with no signs of rust. The engine is the Oldsmobile 403 with the California Emissions package. 1978 was the second year of the phase out of the Pontiac motors because of the emissions laws and fuel economy laws enacted in the mid-1970s. The car seems to be all original and has not been modified for street rodding like so many of these cars ended up. So I guess that is good news

Part 1 - I Need a Hobby

December 2012

I need a hobby to keep me from going crazy!

Over the last 12 years I have put too much effort and energy into my career and not enough into having fun. I have a muscle disease that is slowly limiting the kind of fun I can have as I get older, so I picked a hobby I loved years ago, fixing up an old car.

One of my favorite cars was my 1969 Camaro RS that I sold to buy a minivan 21 years ago. I had that car for 9 years and loved working on it and driving it.  I decided that I wanted to try to find another 1969 Camaro to fix up, but after investigating the price of these cars today, I decided that there is no way I can afford another 1969 Camaro; even the worst condition piece of junk with no options was selling for $12,000.  Nice ones were all in the $60,000 and above price range.

My 1969 Camaro at the Peach Days car show in Brigham City 1987

The next car that came to mind was a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. I owned one of those for a few years in the early 1980s and really liked it. 

My 1979 Trans Am in front of my parent's house in 1981.

I looked online for a 1979 Trans Am, but only found really high priced ones or really junky beat up ones. I kept looking and finally found a local ad for a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am that looked really nice and the price sounded unusually low; I had to check it out.

KSL.com online add December 2012

 These three photos are the only ones that were posted online.

Photo of the Trans Am I would buy from 2010

Photo of the Trans Am I would buy from 2010

Photo of the Trans Am I would buy from 2010

This car was owned by a car collector and he said he was retiring and selling his collection now. On December 4, 2012 two of my sons and I drove down to see the car, it looked beautiful. The paint had obviously been redone and the interior looked pretty good too.  The engine compartment looked decent although it was missing the air conditioning compressor, brackets, hoses, and also the air cleaner was missing its cold air intake ducting. 

The snowflake wheels looked wrong to me since they were painted gold. I did not remember them being painted that way, I thought someone was lazy and painted the whole wheel rather than take the time to mask off all the ribbing.

We started the car, there was a huge exhaust leak that made the car sound like an old truck. I asked the owner if everything worked, he assured me that everything except the air conditioning worked. He said the power windows were a little slow and that the drivers door was hard to shut.

The Trans Am, the evening I purchased it in Lindon Utah

Being a master General Motors technician for many years and also have worked on these cars for a living many years ago, I decided that I would fix whatever was wrong with the car and that I would buy it, but not for the full asking price. After some "Pawn Stars" style negotiating, I was able to purchase the car for $9,000 instead of the $12,000 asking price. I thought I did well, but I would later wonder if I paid too much.

Counting the Cash

My son counted out the cash, we loaded up the air conditioning compressor, brackets and hoses, snapped a few photos and pulled the car outside for the 60 mile drive home at night.

Me in front of my newly purchased 1978 Trans Am

We checked the coolant, oil, gas and the lights and started the drive home. The gas gauge showed empty so we headed straight for a gas station and ran out of gas just as we pulled into the gas station. It took 21 gallons of gas to fill up the tank at a cost of $72.00. This was quite a shock for me since I have driven nothing but hybrids and electric cars for the past six years.

On the drive home we had no license plates, the turn signals did not flash properly, and the headlights were aimed incorrectly that high beam looked like low beam. The dash lights kept flickering on and off. As we drove home we could hear a couple of parts fall off the car as we were traveling down the freeway. To my relief, we made it home, avoided the highway patrol and parked it in my garage (I was insured). I plan on restoring this car to like new condition with all the original equipment. No hot rodding, no modifications.

 I needed a hobby, I finally had one! Let the fun begin!