Pontiac Trans Am out of a Camaro '74

[mexMan]

Hey guys, do you think its possible to build out of a piece of crap like this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/2nd_Chevrolet_Camaro.jpg/800px-2nd_Chevrolet_Camaro.jpg
(not the car, but its state, that's a piece of crap)
something like this?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/%2772_Pontiac_Trans_Am_%28Auto_classique%29.JPG/800px-%2772_Pontiac_Trans_Am_%28Auto_classique%29.JPG
It's just, that generation of Camaro is the closest Camaro I have around, and the easiest to get maybe, and I love that Trans Am generation, nothing like OLDFM's Pontiac, or the 14 car. Those are machines that I love and respect a lot.

Oh, and if I ever get a '69 'maro, I want the list of modifications out of the Golden Coffin, now THAT's a Camaro I admire.

Thanks.

[70rs]

Sure you could build it. There is A LOT of sheet metal that will have to be changed. Including both quarters and the roof. And some internal structure around the back window. That is if you want to duplicate the 70-74 rear window. The tail light panel, lower rear panel, fenders, hood....pretty much everything but the door skins. And even those might be a little different at the handle pockets. But depending on how close you want to get from a visiual standpoint you could do it with much less than I just listed. (I think the blue camaro in your picture is a 75. Unless there was a mid year change to a bigger back window in 74. As far as I know the 74 models still had the small back window but got the big bumpers on them and new tail lights)

If you want to duplicate the look of a 75 and later you can keep the rear window, quarters, roof and not have to change the inner structure at the sides of the back window. Just swap out the fenders,hood, nose, rear panels and interior and you will have the LOOK you want.
Going for the '75 and later look will help keep costs down. But if you want the small back window of the early design you can do it. I like the early second gens (both Camaro and TA/'bird) better myself. Have you tried finding a 70-73 body(even just a shell) and then use the car in the picture as a donor?
The picture is of a 1974 GM promo ad. It shows the back window and it is the small one just like 70-73. The 74's are pretty cheap if you can find one and it would save a ton of money in metal swapping.

[chr2002ca]

Yes, you can do that, but it would obviously be easier and better if you started with a '70-'73 Firebird. The rear would take some metal work. The front is fairly "easy"(bolt-on), just a new hood, fenders, nose, and valance and the matching headlight, signals, brackets, etc.

I think some people might cringe that you changed a Camaro over to Trans Am clone though. There are people that have already done conversions on '70 to '73 Firebirds to Trans Am clones and it might actually be easier, cheaper, and more visually accurate to buy a converted or partially converted car. In your case especially, the conversion cost may be more than the cost to just buy a '70 to '73 Firebird that's already been TA cloned or partially cloned.

Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck! I share your interest in the '70 to '73 Trans Ams. I owned a '73 TA and wish I still had it! :thumbsup:

[mexMan]

^Actually in here there's a lot more problem and money involved in getting a TA than building it out from a Camaro, because it's really hard finding a Pontiac from those years, even in a bad state, but If I did find it, I'd just use the Camaro for spare steel and panels for the Pontiac, the problem is that the closes thing to the TA I can find is that Camaro.

[Sandbagger]

Your fenders and quarters look salvageable , so I would say NO .
Trailer and a road trip for another car would be me .
The world could use a few 74 Maros ...Build the camaro If it was me Id be building a 74 IROC replica

[mexMan]

Come and get it, I'm in Mexico, there's no way I can get a Pontiac, at least not in a good shape, and the one you're watching is not the same around here, the one around here looks like crappy crap.

[chr2002ca]

I guess it just depends on how much money you're willing to spend up front versus 'along the way'. I see '70 to '73 Firebird 'projects' for sale quite often on Craigslist and Ebay that run anywhere from $1000 to $5000. I've seen a few actual T/As that were in bad shape and not running go for about $6000. When you add up the price of all the parts and rear body work necessary, and 'time', well, you can see the value there.

Here are a few out there for sale right now:

http://fresno.craigslist.org/pts/1505994386.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1519696263.html
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2247778
http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/1508602425.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/pts/1513237182.html
http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/1507337691.html
http://medford.craigslist.org/cto/1507256458.html

-Chris

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

do it!... and have a big backwindow trans am!

i think it would be interesting.

better than that camaro.

[70rs]

I understand both sides of this. One is that just buying a Pontiac to start with would save money and time. The other is that there are none down there and maybe doing the change over from a camaro would be fun, and could be done over time without the cash up front that another car might require.
It is your money and your car, do it your way. It can be done, but it will cost a lot more in the end than if you just wait for the right Pontiac to come along.
Either way you go it will be a cool project.:cheers:

[mexMan]

Well, the point is that I want the Trans Am, and the easiest way to have it (for me), is not really the easiest way to have it for everyone, and that one is building it out of a base Camaro... Since they're almost the same generation and they share chassis and stuff like that, it would need some body details changes, and well, the engine will be custom, though I want to use a Pontiac engine, so I'd have to import that one from the US. What I don't want to do is spend a lot of money in the importation of parts. That's why getting a Pontiac from the US is not something that really appeals me. Unless one of you guys want to sell one to me cheap and help me do the paperwork.

Mr.Venegance: what I want to do is have a exact replica of the Trans Am, so I don't think having minor differences is an option, every detail about it is inside my mind.

[redfire69]

I'd find another car. Just about every panel needs to be replaced, as mentioned the back tail pan, window, etc. Also, the dash assembly is completely different along with many little pieces. Not alot of repop available for those cars.

[wiedemab]

Find a car in the US and have them ship it to you piece by piece - you know, to save on the paperwork of shipping a car!!!

That probably would not work, but I like coming up with idiotic ideas.

Did they never sell the TransAm in Mexico? Is that why you can't find one or are they just rare? They aren't all that common in the US - at least I don't see very many.

I think you would be in for way more work or $$$$ than you bargained for to make a Firebird out of the Camaro body.

[mexMan]

It's really hard to find them, and I'm not sure, but I think Pontiac didn't sell the TA in here, but I'm not sure, so my easy option is the Camaro based replica.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

Mr.Venegance: what I want to do is have a exact replica of the Trans Am, so I don't think having minor differences is an option, every detail about it is inside my mind.

Well.. then you prolly want to just buy a tranny.

haha

[70rs]

Well.. then you prolly want to just buy a tranny.

haha

:rofl: nice.

You can do the build. It will just cost a fortune. But the original question was can it be done? And yes, it can. It's up to you to decide if it is worth it. I say go for it. Why not. You will learn a lot and have a lot of fun at the same time.

[James OLC]

The Camaro in the top pic is a '75 not a '74... a '74 would be a small back window with a chrome front bumper. IF you could find a '74 it would be a better starting point than a big back window as it would save all of the work previously mentioned with the rear quarters, roof, and window. That being said, if anything I think that I would look for a '74 'bird as a starting point for all of the other reasons identified above. Plus a converted Camaro will never have any value when it is time to move on... a Firebird would.

[BonzoHansen]

I'd find another car. Just about every panel needs to be replaced, as mentioned the back tail pan, window, etc. Also, the dash assembly is completely different along with many little pieces. Not alot of repop available for those cars.

Yeah, just about every panel needs to change except the roof/pillars and filler panel below the back window. Body lines are different. Core support is different too IIRC. Hell, inner fenders may be different too, not sure.

Oh, I guess your floor plans are interchangeable too.

FWIW the blue car in post #1 looks to be in decent shape.

[mexMan]

If it can be done, I'll do what I can to make it happen, I'm really looking forward having a Pontiac Trans Am, and there's no way I'm getting one in here, and I don't want to go through the paperwork that takes importing one from the US, and it's still a risk owning a legalized american car down here because of the fact that cops like them a lot more than local ones. So I might need sponsorship and discounts from my friends from Fesler, RT66, Prodigy, Recovery Room, etc :unibrow: what do you say guys? Parts as Christmas Gifts or not?

[TreySmith]

So I might need sponsorship and discounts from my friends from Fesler, RT66, Prodigy, Recovery Room, etc :unibrow: what do you say guys? Parts as Christmas Gifts or not?I tried that lol, doesn't work. :thumbsup:

[mexMan]

They can always goto hell :rolleyes: kidding
But, Trey, you're in the US, where they have enough cars making publicity of them, in Mexico, it'd be good if people knew them :unibrow:

[COYBILT]

Hey guys, do you think its possible to build out of a piece of crap like this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/2nd_Chevrolet_Camaro.jpg/800px-2nd_Chevrolet_Camaro.jpg
(not the car, but its state, that's a piece of crap)
something like this?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/%2772_Pontiac_Trans_Am_%28Auto_classique%29.JPG/800px-%2772_Pontiac_Trans_Am_%28Auto_classique%29.JPG
It's just, that generation of Camaro is the closest Camaro I have around, and the easiest to get maybe, and I love that Trans Am generation, nothing like OLDFM's Pontiac, or the 14 car. Those are machines that I love and respect a lot.

Oh, and if I ever get a '69 'maro, I want the list of modifications out of the Golden Coffin, now THAT's a Camaro I admire.

Thanks.

That is a beautiful car hands down I love those 70-73 TA's

[Ummgawa]

Could'nt you find a cheap running T/A in the states and have someone come "visit" you and have the car "breakdown" in your yard IN MEXICO? I'm sure you can still visit from the states, have a follow car to give the delivery man a ride back home. Save you all the hassle of importing a Trans Am.

[mexMan]

It's always an option, now, any cheap TAs around there so one of you guys can get it for me?

[70rs]

Which US town or city do you live closest to?