Troop

I've owned this car since 2004. I've since put about 10,000 miles on it. I've decided that I need a a more practical car for school so I'm selling this car to get a sporty sedan or SUV. I'm not interested in trades unless it's for something like this.
The engine spun a rod bearing about 3,000 miles ago and I replaced the bottom end with a built fully forged shortblock (built by Morton
Enterprises, see below). I ran out of money before I could put many performance parts on. The only things in terms of that are the full exhaust, electric water pump, intake elbow, and wheels and tires. I was told when I purchased the car the transmission had been rebuilt at 110,000 miles. The car is located in Shawnee, KS.

1995 Firebird Trans Am automatic
148,000 Miles
3,000 miles on rebuilt engine
4 Bolt splayed main block with Eagle main caps
Callies Stealth 4340 Forged Crank ($1900)
Eagle 4340 Connecting Rods ($600)
Poly-Dyn coated Clevite rod and main bearings ($250)
Speed-Pro forged flattop pistons ($550)
Cloyes double roller timing chain
Stock heads and cam
CSR electric water pump
Jet Hot coated Hooker headers
Flowmaster catback exhaust
17 x 9.5 and 17 x 11 ZR1 wheels
Yokohama AVS ES100 275/45/R17 – front (80% tread)
Nitto 555 315/30/R17 – rear (15% tread)
Fuel pump, water pump, and rear end gears all have less than 10,000 miles on them

Call Tristan at (913) 406-8928

$6000

95GRNZ

Any issues needing attention? In addition to the passenger seat, that is. Any dents, dings, sratches etc.? Do you have receipts of the engine work?

Troop

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I subscribed to the thread and was anticipating emails telling me of updates.

There are a few scratches and fiberglass fatigue marks in the rear bumper. The front paint on the car is pristine. One of the rear tire's sidewalls got cut on the fender. There is a small dent on the right rear quarter, but is only noticeable in certain sunlight.

I have a receipt for some of a machine work, but I bought all but the parts except the pistons with 150 miles on them from a guys in Texas so it is just assembly and balancing. One of the ABS sensors is also dirty so the system disables it self after driving about a quarter mile.

I can get pictures of any other part of the car as need be.

Tristan

G22Lvr

Location?

Troop

Shawnee, KS (Kansas City area)

Troop

Still for sale

speedy-z

Just an update- went up there this weekend to test drive it. Not trying to shoot you down Troop, but warning other buyers- and considering you think about a more reasonable price

***First Glance/Exterior***

-Car looks amazing at first glance, now for the flaws
-it has been rear-ended and the bumper does not line up correctly on the drivers side rear- spider cracks throughout the bumper
-The front clip has a little less than a 1/4 inch gap on the drivers side where the body lines don't match up like they do on the passenger side
-The "Pontiac" logo as well as the Trans Am logo's on the side are peeling
-On the drivers side door, the speaker panel is out of position; I tried getting it to snap/fit back into place but no luck

***Motor/Test Drive***

-Motor started up just fine, but the throttle response is terrible, motor felt very weak compared to any LT1 I've driven/rode in
-Has a tough time idling
-The suspension is COMPLETELY shot, bad- this is probably the worst thing about the car -whenever you hit a bump the whole thing rattles and it bottoms out easily-rides rough, my back actually was sore after taking it for a couple test drives- it makes a lot of rattle in normal driving from the suspension/exhaust-there are actually marks on the rear tires where the fender has dug gashes into the sidewalls of the tires from hitting bumps
-Steering is pretty loose
-Transmission is slipping
-Driving down the road at a constant speed, something is wrong with the transmission, because the motor will surge every 5-7 seconds by 200 RPM
-Under the hood, a lot of corners were cut- a lot of splicing, red RTV used to seal up the headers, etc.
-Bell housing cover was not installed, wires were laying against exposed flywheel/TC
-Shifter in the car was very loose, and moving in and out of positions (park, reverse, drive, etc.) was very sketchy feeling and it didn't always go into gear, you kind of had to fiddle with the shifter

Kelly blue book is around 4000-4500. For other potential buyers, I would only pay book value or less, simply for the forged internals. Not trying to shoot you down Troop, but you are simply asking WAY too much for this car. Even with the forged internals, I wouldn't pay book value for it.

Troop

I thank you for coming and looking at the car speedy. Your last post makes it seem as if I misrepresented the car. I don't believe I have. I mentioned the rear bumper and tire/suspension problem in an earlier post. You can see the alignment issues on the front end in the pictures.

I was told to use red RTV in addition to a gasket on the headers by my engine builder, which I did. I've only noticed a rough idle or surging just after being started sometimes for a minute or so. The suspension could use new bushings in the rear, but it is not bottoming out. If you hit a large pot hole or speed bump going fast, the fender will rub on the tire. I've never noticed the transmission slipping, but I've also never driven it to the limit with the new engine (1.5 years)

I have since replaced the torque converter dust cover and checked the shifter linkage, but noticed nothing different than any other auto F-Body I've been in.

I'm by no means trying to start an argument about the car, but I'm the one who built most of it, but was unable to be there when you looked at it. I know I'm asking more than book value for it, but it has quite a few add-ons not found on a stock car. I'm not claiming it's in pristine condition either, by all means it is a 12-13 year old car.

Thank you for your time,
Tristan

speedy-z

It may not completely bottom out, but its definitely shot and any time you hit a bump in the road the whole car is a rattle trap. Also over 3500 RPM's the exhaust has a really bad rattle. All I'm saying is that the car itself could not go for book value, not even close. The only reason it MIGHT sell at book value is the forged internals. But like I said, the motor does not have much power at all, the throttle is very lacking in response and compared to other LT1's, it takes way too long to rap up. I'm not trying to start an argument- I was just letting other potential buyers know what my first impression was and also suggesting you consider a more reasonable price. I don't want them to drive 3+ hours like I did, only to be dissapointed. I really wanted this car, but the suspension, transmission, and motor just don't cut it.

Troop

Sold!