1978 Pontiac Trans Am LS1 Black Bandit SE

1978 Pontiac Trans Am LS1 Description

If you don't want to scare old ladies, children and timid men, stay away from this car. On the other hand, if you don't mind going 0-60 in under 5 seconds, getting 23 mpg while doing it and catching admiring stares, then you might want to take a look at this car. It started life as a legitimate 1978 Trans Am with a 403 Olds motor and TH350 trans, which are long gone. Instead, a 2001 C5 Corvette LS1 that has 57K on it and a 2002 Camaro SS 4L60E automatic take their place. The transmission was fully rebuilt last year when the drivetrain was installed. BOTH have been tuned.
The car is very loud and obnoxious with headers and a true dual Pypes Violator exhaust system. It is not appreciated by Prius types, but always gets noticed when pulling into car shows. The interior panels have all been replaced with new replicas: door panels, rear side trim, package tray, carpet and headliner. All weatherstrip has been replaced with Metro. It has power door locks and power windows. The front seats are aftermarket racing type, with simulated leather. The rear seats are the originals, but covered in the same simulated leather as the front seats. The console and dash have also been covered in the same hand-stitched simulated leather. Take a look at the interior pics, in my opinion, the interior looks better than the original. Plus, the gauges are the Dakota Digital VHX setup. All the style of the original, but fully electronic yet analog appearing. You can program the two LCD readouts to show everything from the current time to 1/4 mile elapsed time. Take a look at the underside. And it has 4 wheel disc brakes. The wheels are Year One 17" snowflakes, fitted with new Nitto 555 tires.
Here's a breakdown of the car in bullet form:

• New paint and decals
• New weatherstripping in every place
• New windshield
• New Tires and Wheels
• New DD VHX dash gauges
• New interior door panels, rear seat side trim
• New interior headliner and package tray
• New interior carpet and seating surfaces
• Renewed console and dash
• New steering wheel
• New 4 wheel discs
• New Sony bluetooth audio system with 4 high end speakers
• Power door locks, Power windows
• Restored underside
• LS1 C5 engine, Painless Harness, headers, 4L60 Trans
• Engine-mounted shaker, like the original, so it really shakes
• New front end parts, steering box, control arm bushings and shocks
• New Pypes dual exhaust

This is not a car for a novice or sensible driver. The A/C works as well as the original, which wasn't that great. There is no entertainment center for the kids. Your wife won't like the burnt rubber smell from the tires smoking. Your crossover driving friends will whisper among themselves that you've gone crazy. But when you pull into a parking lot, it's guaranteed there won't be another there like it. Even though it's an SE clone, next to a real SE the only thing that you'll be able to tell them apart from the outside is the "T/A LSX" decal on the shaker and that is nothing to be ashamed of.
Here's a couple of walkaround and underside videos:
All questions are welcome, 505.414.5221. Thanks.