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Pontiac thunderbird 19809/17/2023 ![]() “I know it was built in Van Nuys, California in 1979 with four-wheel disc brakes and was blue so that’s why I had it painted blue again, even though everyone I ever spoke to said paint it black. “I don’t have any previous history for the Trans Am,” continues Joe. Graham Orpet from Tepro Classics (01508 528427) gave up every spare minute to assist and with Dad’s help and even my two-year-old son Joel getting involved we got it finished in 2016.” Back in Blue By the time Dad returned to the UK the car had been stripped, zinc-coated and was ready for paint. There was still no way I could do the whole thing in 12 weeks though. I’d been buying parts from Robin Gray at Autopontiac (02088 945930, co.uk) and he was giving me lots of helpful advice too since, although I work on classic cars, this was my first American vehicle. “I put in new suspension and Polybushed it. I pulled the engine out and that’s when the rebuild became a full-on nut and bolt restoration. My parents were in Spain for a few months and Tanya, who is as big a petrolhead as I am, suggested we get the car finished as a surprise for their return. “Dad had mentioned he hoped he’d have the chance to drive the Pontiac again and that gave me the reason to get it done. It was September of 2014 before Joe began work on his Pontiac again. We got the car into primer then my wife Tanya announced she was pregnant with my firstborn, I was also trying to renovate our cottage and Dad had become ill with cancer, which he thankfully recovered from, so the Trans Am went on the back burner.” It’s a rubberised part and difficult to strip since anything caustic could melt it, so that had to be stripped slowly by hand. The nose cone paint was peeling following previous accident repair. We wanted it mint, so Dad stripped it back to bare metal using paint stripper and elbow grease and we had an old chap locally cut out the rot then weld in new metal and lead fill-in. “Everyone around knew the car and it had become a bit famous locally, but rust was starting to take hold around the rear window and the wheel arches. With the Trans Am repaired and with an MoT, Joe used it for a couple of years. “IF YOU WANT TO HIRE BLUE THUNDER FOR AN EVENT, OR FANCY ONE OF JOE’S OTHER CARS, A DELOREAN OR CHRYSLER 300C HEMI, YOU CAN FIND CHEVRON CARS ‘BLUE THUNDER TRANS AM’ ON FACEBOOK OR CALL 07909 983009.” I went straight over and brought it home, then was so eager to hear the V8 I drove it around some waste ground without brakes, just stopping on the parking brake.” “I really wanted the car so I phoned him again and he finally agreed to sell. “I agreed immediately, then for the next six weeks the seller kept changing his mind.” At this point many of us would have considered giving up, but not Joe. It was solid, never welded, with next to no rust and, for me, total love at first sight.” The Trans Am was on axle stands because the wheels and brake pipes were removed and it had sat unused for two years, but it was only £1600. Then in 2003 my dad Joseph heard about a car for sale in Great Yarmouth, about 45 minutes away. “I started searching all over, but every example I looked at was rusty and after a while I just lost heart. “Smokey and the Bandit was what influenced me to buy the car,” admits Joe. Joe London really began wanting a Pontiac Trans Am after he’d watched a certain Seventies movie, and there are no prizes for guessing which one. Other key features of the car include brakes from a C6 Corvette Z06, Ridetech rear suspension, Detroit speed subframe connectors, a new quick-ratio steering gear, Ridetech coilovers at all four corners, Splined front and rear swaybars, custom headers, a stainless steel exhaust, Recaro front seats, an Alpine AM/FM stereo with an amplifier, and Jensen speakers.Having purchased his dream 1980 Pontiac Trans Am, Joe London began restoring the car and added a few individual touches along the way – as you do! This example has been outfitted with a more modern 6.0-liter naturally-aspirated LS2 V8 that is coupled to a four-speed 4L65E automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. Pontiac sold the Trans Am Firebird with a number of different engines over the years, including six- and eight-cylinder options. Read Also: Smokin’ Hot One-Owner Firebird Trans Am Has Covered Just 110 Miles A set of forged 18-inch wheels have also been fitted to the car. ![]() These blue accents include the massive ‘Screaming Chicken’ motif on the hood as well as Trans Am text on the sides and at the rear. What you’re looking at is a 1980 Trans Am Firebird bathed in a lovely shade of silver and contrasted with Blue Cloth accents. ![]()
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