1970-1981 Firebird Trans Am
FAQs
You now own a car from the 70s era, you need to get familiar with how things were designed in a way and some of them seem illogical or designed poorly, here we go:
Q: How do I open the hood?
How to Open the Hood on a 1973-1981 Pontiac Trans Am
(For first-time owners or anyone unfamiliar with this unique setup)
Important Note: Unlike many other vehicles, these cars do not have a hood release handle inside the interior. Instead, the hood release is hidden in the lower front bumper, just to the driver's side of center.
- Approach the Front of the Car. Walk to the front of the Trans Am. Stand directly in front of the driver's side headlight.
- Locate the Hood Latch Handle. Look just below the bumper, there is a recessed area in the lower grille opening on the driver's side. Reach your hand in and feel for a metal handle or lever tucked just behind the grille.
- Pull the Handle Firmly. Pull the handle straight back. You will hear or feel the hood pop up slightly.
- Move to the Center of the Hood. Go to the center front edge of the hood and slide your hand just under it. There is a secondary safety latch that must be lifted upward.
- Lift the Hood. Once the safety latch is released, lift the hood upward. It is heavy but should stay up thanks to the factory hood springs (if they are still working!).
Q: How do you remove the ignition key on a 4 speed manual transmission TA?
Important Note: These cars have a built-in ignition lockout safety feature that requires the gear shifter to be placed in reverse before the ignition key can be removed. This is a factory anti-theft mechanism unique to GM's 4-speed cars of the era.
- Come to a Complete Stop. Ensure the car is completely parked and the parking brake is engaged.
- Shift into Reverse (R). Push the gear shifter firmly into the Reverse position. On most 4-speed Hurst shifters, that is usually to the far right and down. This action mechanically unlocks the ignition cylinder.
- Turn the Ignition Key to the Off Position. With the car in reverse, rotate the key fully counterclockwise to the OFF position.
- Remove the Key. Now you can safely pull the key out of the ignition cylinder. If it does not come out, double-check that the gear shifter is completely locked into reverse.
Q: My car seems to have misalignments and gaps here and there on body panels, is this normal?
A: These cars were not perfect from factory, misalignments in doors, hood, flares and spoilers are part of the nature of the car.
Q: Is it normal that the t tops leak?
A: Well, yes, THEY ALL LEAK. If you have a Trans Am from the 70's with 100% leak free t tops please call me, yours is possibly the only one on earth, worth to be put in a record book.
Q: The car is restored but the t tops have scratches here and there?
A: Unfortunately Pontiac's solution to store and transport the t tops inside the car was a simple bag that has poor protection capacity. T tops are prone to shift and move inside the trunk when not in use and they are prone to get scratched and even dented sometimes. Unfortunately no one makes t top reproductions and perfect t tops are virtually impossible to find, and glass polishing we tried through the years does not really remove them.
Q: My TA was restored and the doors and or windows don't shut properly?
A: This is pretty common, and the reason is the new seals for the doors that are manufactured these days are made of harder rubber compared with the soft factory latex. Unfortunately this is an issue we are still trying to get solved with the manufacturing companies, hopefully they will change the quality of the rubber soon. We have noticed that with time the rubber gets softer, but as said it takes time for them to get shaped by door/window pressure. Also the WINDOWS TURN SLOW because of the same issue with new rubber, and the best option is to roll up the window with the door open before closing it.
Q: My e-brake cable runs on top of the exhaust, is this right? My mechanic says this is incorrect.
A: That is the way it was done from the factory. Your mechanic is not familiar with 2nd gen Firebirds.
Q: The trunk has some sealer marks under the trunk lid on the corners, looks terrible, was this car in an accident?
A: No, those patches are factory sealer and yes they look terrible but that is the way these cars were put together by the plant, and it truly makes you think it was an unprofessional repair, but it is not. There are several places in the trunk and other places in the car where you will find this sealer.
Q: My car partial VIN on engine or transmission is off by one digit, or 10 or 100?
A: This is not common but has been reported many times and has been proved that workers made mistakes with the stamping machine back in the day at the plant. Usually the error is by one sequential digit, sometimes 10 and 100. We have personally seen one digit off dozens of times in the 2+ decades restoring Trans Ams. There is no question under these circumstances that the cars are matching numbers.
Q: My bumpers have stress marks, cracks or hairlines, why?
A: This is very common, especially early models, and also 1979-81 models. The material used in the 70's probably lost its flexibility making these parts prone to cracks. Even with the addition of modern flex agent added to the paint they will eventually develop some type of marks or hairlines. Please be extra careful with these parts and most importantly avoid pushing the car by the bumpers in case you need to push it: push by sail panels or pillars with the windows down. Do not EVER push the car by the rear spoiler fins. The 1970-73 models front fascias are very delicate and they tend to develop hairlines and cracks at some point, it is not if, it is when. Rubber on front and rear fascias on 1974-75 also very delicate and does not react well to new chemicals when trying to refinish, and may end damaging what is left of that rubber area after 50 years (know that bumper rubber part is not available and near impossible to find).
Q: My car has a stress hairline crack by the corner of the sail panel by the L shaped part where the roof rail weather stripping is.
A: This is common, and most frequent in cars with t tops. The reason lies on the unibody construction with a partial sub-frame which allows this kind of cars to flex under stress. These cracks are pretty common and will eventually show up.
Q: When I switch the ignition key to the on position I hear the fan working, but my a/c control is off.
A: Yes, that is the way they were wired, fan always running, even if your a/c is off. This was purposely designed to keep the front windshield fog free.
If you have any other questions please call 1.305.412.5000
