Motown I need your help...please read

glh_turbo22

glh_turbo22

Forum Member
I'm not usually the type of person to ask for help but it's needed. My dad has been battling cancer for the last two years now and after countless treatments and surgeries the outcome doesn't look so good. Im 31 and his only son. He is only 52. He has had in his posession a 1978 Trans Am that he is the original owner of. It has 22,000 original miles and has never seen a winter. This is the same car that I was brought home from the hospital in when I was born. In the very early 80's my dad was involved in a small accident with the car that damage the drivers front fender and part of the drivers door. He got screwed over and was not able to get the car fixed right after the accident. So he purchased all the parts to fix it from GM and put them on but never got the door bumped or the car repainted. Due to lack of money the car never got finished and it sat in storage to this day. He always promised the car to me when it was finished. While I was driving in the dream cruise on saturday I got a call from my dad asking me if I still wanted the car. I told him of course I would take it. He began to cry saying that he wanted it to be finished before he gave it to me but he knows he just doesn't have the time. Motown I need your help. I would like for my dad to see his car finished before I lose him. Here lies the problem, Im married with two kids of my own and not a lot of money to throw around. I really just need someone to do a full paint job on the car that is close if not better to the original paint job. I'm not asking for anyone to do it for free but somone that is willing to work with me to get this done. I am suppose to pick the car up sometime in the next few weeks and go from there. If I can't get any help if someone could at least point me in the direction of somone that would do a great job painting the car please forward their info to me.

Again...i'm not looking for a handout but someone that is willing to work with me on this. Thanks everyone and I will post pictures when I pick the car up.

Kevin
 
That is my favorite year of Trans Am! :rockwoot: I am not a paint guy but if you need some wrenching help I can lend a hand. Or if you need extra hands moving the car let me know. If I am free, I have not problem helping out. Good luck and great seeing you on WW Fri!
 
Thanks for your offer Tony, it was good to see you guys on Friday and my dog Joey misses all the attention.

Yeah it is my favorite year Trans Am as well. This car means a lot to me. After sitting for over 20 some years I don't want to drive it from Monroe to Madison Heights. I might have a line on a trailer to use from work, I should know today or tomorrow. The car runs and drives so it shouldn't be a problem loading it.
 
I may not be able to contribute funds, but I can do what I am really good at...find parts. The link below is for Phoenix Graphics. They make the stipes kits for the T/A including the Screaming Chicken on the hood. These came in various colors so make sure you order the correct one. As the car has been parked or rarely driven the past 20+ years, are you sure you need a complete paint job? Maybe just the damaged areas can be addressed? Obviously you've seen the car and we haven't so you'll have a better idea. If you need help finding any discontinued parts, don't hesitate to PM me.

Phoenix Graphics
 
Swifster said:
I may not be able to contribute funds, but I can do what I am really good at...find parts. The link below is for Phoenix Graphics. They make the stipes kits for the T/A including the Screaming Chicken on the hood. These came in various colors so make sure you order the correct one. As the car has been parked or rarely driven the past 20+ years, are you sure you need a complete paint job? Maybe just the damaged areas can be addressed? Obviously you've seen the car and we haven't so you'll have a better idea. If you need help finding any discontinued parts, don't hesitate to PM me.

Phoenix Graphics
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Cool thanks...The only reason I would like the whole thing repainted is because I don't know how easy it is to color match a 32 year old paint job. Plus the car has a few other blemishes that need attention. Like where the rear quarter and the roof are welded at the factory it looks pretty wavey. Plus the front corners of the bumper have some paint missing and a few scratches from while it was in storage.

Here is a picture of what the car should look like...(this is not mine) but it's the exact color and package but with t-tops.

00044212.jpg
 
Oh an just to be clear...i'm in no way looking for anyone to contribute funds. Just looking for someone to work out a deal with or some guidance.
 
glh_turbo22 said:
Oh an just to be clear...i'm in no way looking for anyone to contribute funds. Just looking for someone to work out a deal with or some guidance.
Click to expand...

Being in FL, I can either contribute parts searching or funds (though I can't do funds right now). Again, if there is something that needs to be replaced and you can't find it, let me know. By the way, those blue ones are rare (and gorgeous). Most were either black, gold or red.
 
Well I can't thank you enough for your support +1 to you. Yes the Martinique Blue is a rare color for this car. I love it and hope I can find someone to keep it as close to the original color as possible. It would be nice to get the exact color for GM but i'm sure that is close to impossible. My inlaws live in St. Augustine Florida as well so including you it looks like I have Florida pretty well covered...lol.

Thanks Again
 
Wow! That blue is awesome! We have plenty of paint guys around here. Post up in the paint forum and I am sure you can get some suggestions / quotes, etc.
 
Things I know I need as of now:

Paint
Center console map pocket (was cut for a fancy 80's EQ):ohwell:
Both door panels (was cut for 6x9's):shake:
One of the front grill inserts (has a piece missing)
Maybe the headliner (it shrank around the t-tops)

I should be able to get most of the parts from Year One, NPD or Classic Industries. Anybody have experience with any of those companys and the quality of the parts. I'm most concerned with the door panles and how original they will look.
 
I have a couple parts from NPD (Studebaker used a few GM parts) and they were perfect. The guys at the Florida store have been great to deal with and I've had no problems. NPD also has a store in MI. The panels should look perfect. With locating parts for many Camaros, Chevelles, etc., the first place I look is my stash of NPD catalogs. Just to add to the vendor list, don't forget about Ames. They are a strictly Pontiac parts supplier. Shop price between all four and cut your best deal. If you order from out of state, you won't have to pay sales tax except for NPD.

Paint is paint. The paint codes are still out there. Any of the paint stores should be able to custom mix the paint to match the color. You just need to decide if you want the original Acrylic enamel or the current base coat / clear coat.

Now if I could just find a hood for a '57 Chrysler 300C...
 
Swifster said:
I have a couple parts from NPD (Studebaker used a few GM parts) and they were perfect. The guys at the Florida store have been great to deal with and I've had no problems. NPD also has a store in MI. The panels should look perfect. With locating parts for many Camaros, Chevelles, etc., the first place I look is my stash of NPD catalogs. Just to add to the vendor list, don't forget about Ames. They are a strictly Pontiac parts supplier. Shop price between all four and cut your best deal. If you order from out of state, you won't have to pay sales tax except for NPD.

Paint is paint. The paint codes are still out there. Any of the paint stores should be able to custom mix the paint to match the color. You just need to decide if you want the original Acrylic enamel or the current base coat / clear coat.

Now if I could just find a hood for a '57 Chrysler 300C...
Click to expand...

So you would say the quality between all the companys are about the same? If that is the case I think I will go with NPD as I can just go pick the parts up and save a little on shipping since the door panels are and oversized item and I don't want them getting ruined. NPD is only about 40 minutes from where I live.

I'll keep an eye out up here for your hood as I hit the salvage yards around here pretty frequent and there are a few with some pretty old cars in them.
 
I am trying to get funds together for this project and could really use some side jobs. If anybody needs anything done carpentry or automotive wise please let me know. I do quality work and I use to be a licensed builder up until a few years ago when I decided to get out of it. As far as automotive work goes Im sure there are a few people on this forum that can vouch for my work. All the money I will make will go twords this restoration. Thanks for your help.
 
Hope things are coming along well. Beautiful ride and worthy cause so I'm hopeful you can get everything taken care of in a timely manner. G/L and keep us updated
 
Marc@AutoLavish said:
Hope things are coming along well. Beautiful ride and worthy cause so I'm hopeful you can get everything taken care of in a timely manner. G/L and keep us updated
Click to expand...

Thanks...and i'm sure when it's done i'll be calling you guys to put the finishing touches on it. You guys do great work from what I have seen.
 
First off I would like to thank anyone that has or has tried to help me with this project.

Also it looks like my goal of getting the car finished for my dad to see before the cancer takes him might not happen. After a few trips to the hospital the doctors determined that the tumors are getting larger and can't be removed without causing other serious problems that could kill him sooner. We still have some other cancer centers to try but things don't look good. I will still keep trying to push ahead on this in hopes that he will see it finished.
 
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