Help Needed - My Rare 1979 Pontiac Trans Am 10th Anniversary *Convertible*

[Pontiacpaul]

Does anyone have any pictures of this restored or in original condition?

I am about to restore mine but want to restore it to its exact original condition.

I was told there were only about 10 of these made, and I don’t know how true that is?

Any help or guidance would be gratefully appreciated.

Paul

 

[Pontiac Trans Am]

WOW!

That's very rare, and how long have you had it, or where did you get it?

Thank you,
PTA Staff

 

[Pontiacpaul]

Hi, a guy imported it a few years ago and didn’t have the time to do it up, so sold it to me, and it’s been sitting in a trailer of a guy I know here in Norfolk, England, waiting for him to start work, he tells me he will begin next month.

 

[Pontiac Trans Am]

Hi, a guy imported it a few years ago and didn’t have the time to do it up, so sold it to me, and it’s been sitting in a trailer of a guy I know here in Norfolk, England, waiting for him to start work, he tells me he will begin next month.

How much did you pay for it?

Thank you,
PTA Staff

 

[Pontiacpaul]

I stole it for £6k!

Plus a couple of hundred to recover, going to spend about £30k on getting it back to the former glory than who knows what it’s going to be worth!?

 

[Pontiac Trans Am]

I stole it for £6k!

Plus a couple of hundred to recover, going to spend about £30k on getting it back to the former glory than who knows what it's going to be worth!?

It's a very rare TA, and we can't see the progress!

Thank You,
PTA Staff

 

[UK1981TTA]

That was mine once.

 

[Judges4u]

I never knew Pontiac made a vert T/A in 79.

Incredible find.

 

[RonC455]

Pontiac never made a second-generation convertible Firebird.

However, there were more than a few aftermarket dealers that would do one for you.

The kit used to butcher your Trans Am was one of the cheaper ways to get a convertible Bird.

It is possible to salvage what you have, and if you stick to it, you will have a novelty Trans Am.

Just make sure that sub-frame bracing is overdone.

Many T-top cars flex badly, so you can only imagine how much the chassis is weakened with the whole roof being gone.

You have a lot of work and money to be spent to work everything out, but your Trans Am will be one of a kind.

 

[79TACONVERTIBLE]

Pontiac never made a second-generation convertible Firebird.

However, there were more than a few aftermarket dealers that would do one for you.

The kit used to butcher your Trans Am was one of the cheaper ways to get a convertible Bird.

It is possible to salvage what you have, and if you stick to it, you will have a novelty Trans Am.

Just make sure that sub-frame bracing is overdone.

Many T-top cars flex badly, so you can only imagine how much the chassis is weakened with the whole roof being gone.

You have a lot of work and money to be spent to work everything out, but your Trans Am will be one of a kind.

That seems correct but not complete.

I have 1979 TA convertible I recently purchased.

I bought it from the original owner.

I am still doing the research on my particular car’s history and found this information:

• National Coach Engineering Convertible Trans Am (1978-1981) (In 1978, NCE of Michigan began converting Firebirds to convertibles. They put a serial number plate on the driver side door jamb. There were a lot of modifications done to these cars. The frame is reinforced from front to back with flat bar and one inch tubing, the front seats sit lower, the back seat is trimmed 1.5 inches on each side to make room for the top. The sun visors are closer together and the dome light is now at the end of the console. Even the spare tire is relocated. Completed versions carried a price tag in the neighborhood of $30,000, which is expensive even by today's standards. They built about 200 convertibles in 1979.)
• NCE Convertible 10th Anniversary Trans Am (1979) (Ten 1979 10th Anniversary cars were converted by NCE. They used a silver leather material for the top along with chrome struts for the top mechanism. In addition, they were also supposed to have a chrome roll-bar. Each one was numbered 1-10.)

 

[79TACONVERTIBLE]

BTW my car does not seem to be a 10th anniversary.

It’s midnight (dark blue) with a 403CI and light blue interior.

I can’t find any number on the door jamb to indicate that NCE did the conversion either.

The original owner, whose memory is not perfect, seems to the conversion was done in San Jose, CA but told me she thought NCE did the conversion before she took delivery from the dealer.
I am still trying to ascertain the facts.

Mine has no body flex, I can discern; no external roll bar unless it’s part of the windshield frame; not sure about the visors being closer together (I don’t know how far apart couples are): seats sit low.

It has seat belts but no shoulder belts.

It looks truly stunning.

 

[79TACONVERTIBLE]

It also has just 26000 miles.

It was a southern California car all its life, stored inside.

 

[79TACONVERTIBLE]

So I just reexamined my 1979 TA convertible and found the National Coach Engineering (NCE) emblem. Mine is an NCE #66. It does have the reinforced frame and the windshield posts seem also to be reinforced.

 

[79TACONVERTIBLE]

It's a very rare TA, and we can't see the progress!

Thank You,
PTA Staff

Just wondering if you ever restored it and if you could post some photos.