Barn find: Brewster Green 1973 Pontiac Trans Am

Junkyard galoots go green! If you thought the days where you could find a collectible muscle car grazing in field were over, you are wrong (we were too). The Junkyard Life crew could not believe our eyes after seeing the Brewster Green, 1973 Pontiac Trans Am that our partner in grime, Anthony Powell, found in a field. So it shall be… Anthony will restore a dream car. What a Galoot!

  I’m not making this up. Anthony really did find this in a field. That lucky dog. Really, who finds a 1973 Brewster Green Trans Am in a field? Further irony exist in that it was sitting with a handful of early 1970’s Ford Mustangs. I wish I had a picture of that. Wait a minute...

Here, you can actually see a bit of a Mustang, but only after you get tired of the Brewster Green Trans Am in the foreground. So, you never actually see the Mustang.

In the office of King Powell’s Pontiac, you may notice a console not belonging in this car (4-speed console in an automatic transmission T/A). This ’73 has the optional deluxe interior we refer to as “horse collar” seats. These chairs keep the occupants planted in place and tend to grip you better than standard seats. Manual windows saved a few pounds and burns calories at the same time.

Close-up view of the 1973 T/A’s perfect and complete dash. A quick inventory reveals a host of high performance goodies like the eight grand tach and the 160 MPH speedo (standard in the Trans Am) and comfort options like tilt wheel and air conditioning.

Deluxe interior 1973 Trans Ams often came with these awesome map pockets on the door panels. His Majesty has room for the royal Tic Tacs.
(Author’s Note: the term “Royal Tic Tacs” has never been used in a Junkyard Life story ever before) 

Original hood bird and Brewster Green paint, shaker scoop from parts unknown.

What’s under the hood bird?
  Anthony discovered that the ’73 T/A has an un-original 455 engine and the factory 3:08 posi rear gear – this thing should really haul. What happened to the original 455 engine it was born with? We don’t know, but we did learn that the second owner left the Brewster Green T/A at a dealership to fix something and it returned home with another engine under the hood. The former owner surmises, “They took it for a ‘test drive’ and it didn’t fair so well.” 

  The car’s original history is unknown, but the second owner that I “sleuthed-up,” bought the car in 1976. He opted to trade-in his 1975 model Trans Am with a 400 engine, in exchange for this older model that had a 455 power plant. However, after speaking to the second owner by phone, he seemed to not be a car guy and was not excited about his old car being found and rescued. His loss.

Ron’s Accusation of Attempted Murder!
  That’s right. Murder. I accuse thee, Pontiac for the attempted murder of the Trans Am. Anthony does not agree with this point of view, and I know it is not the general consensus. Why would they want to kill the Trans Am? The best selling icon of sex appeal, glamour and rebellion all wrapped into one bird clad hood? Keep in mind this was years before the black and gold Special Edition model became a national addiction (and still has us in rehab).

Anthony washes his recently rescued, prized 1973 Pontiac despite near-freezing temperatures.

Bird of a different color

  An expanded color palette and broader wings were on the option list for 1973. Pontiac Trans Ams came in only 2 flavors prior to 1973 – Cameo White or Lucerne Blue. A bold white or blue stripe bisected these Birds and continued the white/blue T/A tradition set forth by the 1969 Trans Am.
  But, Pontiac’s feathers were about to be ruffled. 

  In 1970, designers tried to convince the powers-that-be that the newly re-styled Firebird needed a huge bird on the hood. Not just a yard bird, but a predatory Phoenix bird. They were met with a resounding, big fat “no”. They tried again in 1971 and 1972. Still “no”. 

  For the 1973 model year, upper management agreed to try the big bird design on the hood, but with a different color line-up. A quick spin of the color wheel was necessary before the big bird decal could spread its wings. Amazingly, only three colors were made available for the Trans Am. Lucerne Blue was dropped from the option list. 

  You could have had a deck of color cards to choose from for the Firebird and stealthy Formula, but only three in the Trans Am? What were they?

1973 Pontiac Trans Am paint options:

• Buccaneer Red: America finally got to see a splash of color on the remaining muscle on the dealership floors. Red will sell.
• Cameo White: We can picture this. Innocent color for a tire shredding machine. Major irony points. Classy color, it will sell.
• Brewster Green: What? Really? After all the marketing research Pontiac had access to, why green? Grandma, come get your new Trans Am. (Author’s note: “Grandma, come get your new Trans Am” is yet another expression never before used on Junkyard Life)

Paint fail
  That is why I say Pontiac or GM tried to kill the Trans Am in 1973. They had access to all the marketing research about who was buying what. The demographic of the Trans Am buyer would NOT have wanted it green. Green was on the way out by 1973 and was synonymous with domestic settings and PTA meetings and not a Trans Am. The people who would buy a green car were probably not looking for a Trans Am, and the people buying a Trans Am would not want a green car.
  Murder, I say. They set-up the Trans Am to fail.

Ron Kidd digs out his green hat for the Brewster Green 1973 T/A’s homecoming party.

Last hurrah for muscle cars
  Remember Jim Wangers? The advertising hero of mine that kept Pontiac in trouble with the powers-that-be. He said that Pontiac was getting stodgy and losing their John DeLorean inspired excitement. Pontiac had an image all right. That’s what they wanted to change. Just a few years before they got into hot water for advertising that seemed to advocate street racing. Old fashioned “whip hinnie on the street” recipes for mean cars.
  So now, with insurance and fuel cost on the rise, that should have been the last hurrah for muscle cars packing a 455 engine. A Trans Am package on an otherwise docile car (except the Formula) was not going to help that image at all. Kill it. Then bury it in paint code 48 – Brewster Green. 

Ron Kidd and Pontiac loyalist gather around the 1973 T/A to bask in the glory of the rare Brewster Green Bird.

Sell like… 
  And they would have gotten away with it too… but we thwarted their evil plan and bought them anyway. We bought enough of them in 1973 to justify continued model years. Even after Chevrolet dropped the Z28 package on the competitive Camaro in 1975 and 1976 (and at times outselling the Firebird), Pontiac still gave us a Trans Am. Pontiac never regretted that decision after the release of the “Smokey and the Bandit” movie in 1977. Pontiac Trans Ams were flying off the dealership lots.

Rare and one-year only
  Well, Brewster Green was released only for the 1973 model year, never to return on the Trans Am line until a variation emerged in the early 1990’s. That fits us perfectly, because we love green, we love Trans Ams and we really love things that didn’t sell well in the first place. A 1973 Brewster Green Trans Am is at the top of our list of dream cars we never thought we would own. Very valuable and collectible by today’s standards. A total of 4,472 Pontiac Trans Ams were produced for the 1973 model year. Only 146 were painted Brewster Green.

This 1973 Trans Am now has a safe, dry resting spot until Anthony gets the rare Bird back on the road.

Come back for more
  Follow along as we bring this green machine into a new life. Anthony has it disassembled and has bins of re-finished parts. Check in from time to time and watch us hatch this green bird.
Happy Hunting!

Ron Kidd

—Junkyard Life

Solid floor pans and minimal rust make this 1973 Trans Am a keeper of Super Duty proportions.

Many Second Gen Trans Am have undergone the shaker hood scoop-to-hood attachment plan. Friends don't let friends bolt shaker hood scoops to the hood of a Trans Am.

Know a junkyard that we need to visit? Got a car story?  

Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com. 

Chevrolet Vega: GM’s four-letter word

Gone but not forgotten. Big Foot sightings are more common than a Chevy Vega on the back roads of Alabama. That’s why my jaw dropped when I spotted a small herd of Chevrolet Vegas gathered alongside a winding, mountain road. More Vegas were discovered as I descended terrain perfect for hiding moonshine stills. 
  I suspect these examples were hand-me-down refugees from the 1970s. All hiding from discordant owners, who had used them as storage bins or garbage cans. What else could explain the trash piled in the seats? Flat tires, missing wheels, busted glass. The neglect and abuse could not be hidden by dead leaves or fallen trees.

1971 Vega design rules
  The green Vega is a 1971 model (pictured), one of more than 270,000 that were produced during the inaugural year. Believe it or not, the Vega was Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" in 1971. Not all of them were green. This one sported GT fender badges and a surprise inside the rear of Chevy’s first compact car. A quick inspection of the hatch revealed engine parts. A maroon 1974 Vega positioned behind the green '71 makes it easy to compare the design evolution at Chevrolet during that time period. The grill and headlight area of the Vega and Camaro shared many styling cues throughout the Vegas production run. The early ’71-’73 Vegas are favorites among collectors.

Wide-mouth grill of the 1971 Vega mimics Camaros of 1970-73 vintage.

Quality small car?
  Nearly 2 million Chevy Vegas were built between from 1971-77, during their seven-year production run. Chevrolet’s first stab at building small cars was successful in terms of sales but proved to be a long-term fiasco that harmed GM’s reputation. Resale values of American-made compact cars, even ones built 30 years after the first Chevy Vega, has been laughable in comparison to their Japanese counterparts.

My first car was a 1976 Pontiac Astre, a biological twin to the Chevy Vega.

Why do I like Vegas?
  My first car was a 1976 Astre, Pontiac's 'version' of the Chevrolet Vega. These unloved underdogs of the "H-body" platform bring back fond memories. I learned to drive and do stupid stuff in that car. It had a bent fender when I bought it for $160 in 1988, and yes, it was green. 
  My dad helped me get the car ready for the road. I 'helped' by staying out of his way, mostly. Dad straightened the fender with a chain wrapped around a tree and offered to paint the entire car. A shelf full of old automotive paint, bought in bulk, for cheap was where I shopped for paint in our garage. I wanted black, dad wanted yellow. Guess who won? My dad said black would show every imperfection. 
  To me, yellow paint screamed, "Watch out! Student driver on the loose!" That color probably saved my life in the long run. 
  My Pontiac Astre would burn rubber, provided I was making a sharp turn from a dead stop. I would floor-board it every time I took off. The Astre was powered by Pontiac's 151-cid (2.5-liter) "Iron Duke" four-cylinder engine. That 90 horsepower engine was rock solid. It was a good first car. I wish I still had it.

Chevy Vegas. Driven hard, wrecked, sporting half-hearted repair jobs and left for dead.

More Vegas nearby
  I passed two more Vegas on the way down the mountain. Sitting in a yard overgrown with cars was a silver 1975 Vega GT with a mismatched door and crushed by a tree. Next to it, a red Vega and a manufactured home were unharmed.

Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life

A 1975 Chevy Vega GT smacked by a tree down was parked in an overgrown yard a half-mile down the mountain from several other Vegas.

1971 Vega tail panel emblem.

1971 Vega GT had a 2-barrel carburetor and 110 horsepower.

Vegas had an aluminum cylinder block and cast-iron heads. The original SOHC head was hiding in the hatch.

These Vegas, photographed and documented in my original 2008 story, have vanished from the woods. My Vega photos were used on many other websites. I thought it was time to reclaim them for Junkyard Life.

A 140-cubic inch (2.3L) SOHC straight-four cylinder engine powered base Vegas with a 1-barrel carburetor and 90 hp.

Busted glass, piled with trash, just another Saturday night in a Vega.

1974 Vega, check out the aluminum bumper. The Camaro also went to aluminum bumpers that year.

Know a junkyard that we need to visit? Got a car story?  

Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com.

Readers Ride: 1971 Pontiac Firebird project

Craigslist Firebird flies again. Chris George, a Marine stationed in North Carolina, was determined to build his latest online find, a 1971 Pontiac Firebird, into a beast. Visions of a full restoration were quickly put to rest as George decided a budget build was the best way to avoid frame-off frustration. A fresh engine build and a $75 paint job put this bad ’Bird back on the road.

A fresh engine and primer turn this 1971 Firebird into a respectable cruiser.

First car fun
  “My first car was a red 1984 Pontiac Trans Am,” said George. Now, 25 years old, George remembers the fun he had cruising the hills of New Hampshire in his first car without a license. New Hampshire authorities may not look back so fondly on all of the details.
  "I bought it when I was 15 years old and it ran like a champ," said George. “I put 2,000 miles on it before I had a driver’s license.” The T/A’s still potent 305-V8 engine helped George forge a strong bond with Firebirds.

Road trip reward
  Prepared to buy, George took cash and a friend along on the 6-hour drive to look at the lime green 1971 Firebird. “The car gave me goosebumps when I saw it online,” said George. “I had to have it.”
  The owner was a country boy with a yard full of old, classic, junk cars and parts. “Engines, transmissions, halved cars and wrecks. It was like Disney Land for gear heads.”
  A deal was made on the green project Firebird with a seized 400 Pontiac engine.

1971 Pontiac Firebird as it was found on Craigslist ad.

Custom diamond tuck interior dates the ’71 Firebird.

Engine bay of the 1971 Firebird was a ready for revival.

Building on a budget
  George decided to fight the urge to do a frame-off restoration on his non-running, second generation, F-body project. He knew that the sooner, he got the car running, the better. Spending money on a car you can drive will keep you motivated. 
  The glowing green Bird’s big ’n little wheel/tire setup was a clue as to what extinguished his Pontiac’s fire power. During the engine teardown, George found a broken valve parked inside the #7 cylinder. The block had been bored .060 over by a previous owner and had a history of drag racing abuse. 
  “I bought a 400 Pontiac block cast in 1976 and built a new engine,” said George. A Holley double pumper carb and some 350 Pontiac heads cast in 1968 were also added. “The car gets up and wants to go.”
  George sanded the body down to bare metal and removed five pounds of Bondo in the process. Fifteen spray cans of primer/sealer managed to cover the entire body in three light coats.

Future plans: Sell now
  George’s 1971 Pontiac Firebird has found its way back to Craigslist. After buying the Firebird in 2008, in North Carolina, George relocated to Virginia during a job reassignment. The Firebird has been kept in storage, except for rain-free, weekend outings. George is now ready for another automotive challenge. The Firebird is listed on Norfolk, Virginia’s Craigslist site for $9,500. If your interested, send Chris George an email at ctggeorge@gmail.com

Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life

1976 Pontiac 400 block and 1968 Pontiac 350 heads motivate the ’Bird now.

New seat covers freshen up the cockpit of the 1971 Firebird.

George only drives the 1971 Firebird on weekends.

Driving or parking the ’71 Firebird in the rain is a no-no.

15 cans of primer coat the ’71 Bird.

Rescued ’71 Firebird as it looks now.

Know a junkyard that we need to visit? Got a car story?  

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Readers Ride: 1970 Boss 302 Mustang

Ripping up the road for four decades. The year was 1972, when Al Willingham, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, went car shopping with his dad. Willingham had just returned home after serving 2 years in the U.S. Navy. Money was tight but a Wimbledon white 1970 Boss 302 Mustang caught the younger Willlingham’s eye on a used car lot. Asking price $2,700. Four-speed, hockey stick stripes. A Boss! Willingham negotiated a deal with the dealer and his dad. His dad was out $2,400. Four decades later, Willingham is still reaping dividends on those payments made to his dad.

All 1970 Boss 302 Mustangs received four-speed transmissions and a Hurst T-handle shifter to stir the gears.

See the Boss
  Recently, I met Willingham at the Birmingham Ford and Mustang Club car show at Jim Skinner Ford in Birmingham, Alabama. Willingham had just won a door prize. A walking cane with a small, toy Mustang for the handle. 
    “If you ever see the car, I can see you,” said Willingham. “Because it never leaves my sight.”
  Willingham placed the cane on top of the fold-down rear seat in his Boss 302 Mustang. Willingham's face lit up as he began to talk about his many adventures in the car. Street races and eluding the cops in the car sealed a bond long ago that this car owner won't easily break. 

Decals on factory, finned aluminum valve covers announce the 1970 Boss 302 engine.

Hell on wheels
  Willingham and his Boss 302 had a reputation for high-speed hijinks in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. If you cruised the boulevards of Tuscaloosa in the 1970s you may have seen a trio of Boss 302s. Willingham's white Boss 302 made the rounds with a green Boss and a yellow Boss, owned by a couple of his buddies. These fast friends were hell on wheels and a cop’s nightmare.

Pays to be first
  During his road warrior days in the 1970s, Willingham raced a Chevelle and came out a winner in more ways than one. He had the Chevy beat and decided to quickly pull into a parking lot to cool his engine. Just as he did he spotted red and blue lights in his rear view mirror. Willingham watched as the Chevelle blew past, followed by another Chevelle that was trying hard to catch his Boss Mustang and the first Chevelle. A Tuscaloosa cop pulled the two Chevelles over as a smiling Willingham skulked slowly through the darkened parking lot.

Willingham, above right, relishes the muscle car glory days of the 1970s and his 1970 Boss Mustang.

Half a million miles and still going
  A pile of speeding tickets and a blown engine were the only things that could slow Willingham's Mustang. He continues to maintain the Boss in stock condition, only replacing parts and paint as needed back to factory specs.
  “I guess I have a half million miles on it,” Willingham said. “The Boss was my daily driver for a long time.” Despite the miles, this Boss looks no worse for the wear. The ’Stang received a Wimbledon White repaint about 15 years ago. 
  Willingham, not one to back down from a race, managed to blow-up the 302 engine not long after he got it. Since then, he has had the engine rebuilt twice. The stout Ford 9-inch rear end is still the original with stock 3.50 gears.
  “If you can tear up a Ford 9-inch rear end you can tear up a steel ball,” said Willingham. 
  The transmission is still the original 4-speed, wide-ratio and has never been apart. Surprisingly, the Boss gets decent gas mileage, like that matters. I asked anyway. 
  “My Boss came with a 600 cfm carburetor and gets 21 miles per gallon on the highway,” said Wilingham. “Other than the driver's seat being replaced, the interior is all original.”

Reflective black stripes adorn 1970 Boss 302 Mustangs. 

Many happy returns
  I could tell Willingham loves his car as much now, as he did four decades ago. The look in his eyes when he talks about it made me believe this was the greatest car on the planet. I envy this guy. Willingham got the car he wanted and hung on to it. The 1969-1970 Boss 302 Mustangs certainly look like a great investment in hindsight. Willingham's Boss 302 is priceless.


Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life


1970 Boss 302 Mustang specs:
Engine - 302 cubic inch V8, rated at 290 horsepower
Carburetor - 600 cfm, 4 barrel
Transmission - Wide-ratio 4-speed manual
Rear end - 3.50 gear ratio
Color - Wimbledon white
Wheels - Chrome Magnum 500
Original MSRP - $3,720

Chrome air cleaner lid was standard on 1970 Boss Mustangs, a shaker scoop was optional.

Al Willingham has logged more than a half million miles behind the wheel of his 1970 Boss Mustang.

Front chin spoiler on the Boss amplifies the aggressive look of the redesigned 1970 Mustangs.

Ford produced 7,013 Boss 302 Mustangs in 1970.

A flat black deck lid and black rear spoiler lead to a blacked-out tail panel on 1970 Boss Mustangs.

Know a junkyard that we need to visit? Got a car story?  

Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com.  

Cars in Yards: Army Brat Biscayne

Sedentary soldier. I recently discovered these pictures in my Junkyard Life archives. A few years ago, I stumbled upon this 1966 Chevy Biscayne in the weeds at the back of a property near Birmingham, Alabama. The family, who owned the car, knew little of its history. The green, four-door Chevy probably has a cavalcade of history due to its obvious military beginnings. I uncovered a lot of mysterious facts that I would love to know more about. 

Ten-Hut!
  A Biscayne featured the lowest price trim line available on the full-size Chevrolet. This Chevy was almost free by sticker shopping comparison, as they had no bells. No whistles. 

(Junkyard Life note: Where did that saying come from? Was a bell or whistle actually an option on some car at some point?) 

  This Biscayne was especially thrifty, because it was ordered as a fleet vehicle for the US military! 
  I know not of which branch. Any clues or info will be welcome. 

My clues were:

• No options. Not even an automatic transmission, for a full-size Chevrolet.
• A weird green color.
• An unusual stamped plate on the dashboard resembling a cowl tag.
• Evidence of something that may have been lettering on the door that someone had sanded off. 

The famous Bow Tie mirror from the mid-1960s was standard. You didn’t have to pay for it, because believe me, they wouldn’t have.
Photos: Ron Kidd

Pappy, Where are Your Keys?
  This car was all business. It was an inline six cylinder with a manual three-speed transmission shifted on the column. Tax dollars for an automatic? No way. It was a bench seat sedan with manual everything. How do I know it was a military issue? I guess I really don’t. It had a metal stamped plate on the dash with lettering alluding to that conclusion. I couldn’t take a decent picture of it because the family could not find the keys to open it. That’s right. It was sitting throughout the lives of past owners, because no one could find the keys.   
  Shame. 
  I wish I had a picture of that strange cowl tag on the dash so I could share it with you. What would have happened to this car if someone just had the keys? A real full-size Chevy fan would never let this happen!

Ron Kidd
— Junkyard Life

I wonder what stories this car could tell? It  was in service during Vietnam, Watergate, and the moon landing. Junkyard Life wishes we knew what else? The car and the family are gone, so the mystery remains. I hope this car fell into the right hands.
Photos: Ron Kidd

The Biscayne emblem was in great shape on this seemingly green car. The color may be a clue as to which branch — maybe the Army?
Photos: Ron Kidd

Dog dish hub caps, one original, one not. I think the one submerged in earth, top photo, is not the original. I venture to guess it was the simple Bow Tie to cover the lugs. Hey, be glad they payed for that. I bet Chevy didn’t give them a choice!!
Photos: Ron Kidd

I asked them if I could come back in a couple of weeks and give them time to find the keys. They agreed and seemed delighted at my enthusiasm. However, they still didn’t find them. I suspect they didn’t even look. If the car had been there for twenty years, what made me think they would suddenly find them for me? Stupid retrospect.

Photos: Ron Kidd

Happy Hunting!

Know a junkyard that we need to visit? Got a car story?  

Send emails to Ron at Kidd403@bellsouth.net or Jody at junkyardbull@gmail.com.

Cars in Yards: A 1968 Olds 442! Maybe Not

If I stopped cutting my grass, I wonder if a 1968 Olds 442 will grow in my yard? Jody and I have seen far better ways to block a driveway. This didn't begin to stop us. It only made curiosity worse. Explain how this happens?

This just in: Junkyard Life Discovers a 1968 Olds 442! Or did we????? Curses to your discriminating, suspicious nature and unconfirmable pedigree! Its not a real Olds 442, but heck, it fooled us too. That's okay, we loved seeing it anyway. 1968 was one of our favorite years for the Cutlass. Take a closer look at this diamond in the rough.

Ron Kidd
— Junkyard Life 

It was indeed a 1968 Olds, the first year of the redesigned skin on GM’s A-body, Rocket platform. It was never a good year for the cheesy chrome hood scoop bolted on for some reason.

Notice how the rear bumper does NOT have exhaust cut-outs, which were exclusive to the 442 model (and later shared by the SX model). That’s a clue, Scooby – this may not be a 442 after all.

Notice Ron's reflection in the Olds 442 stripe holding the jeweled "442" emblems. Did I just say "jeweled"? Yeah, that’s not right. Another clue pointing to this being a fake 442.

Jody points out these 14" Olds Rally wheels could be factory. Even if they didn't come on this Cutlass, they still look good on the car.

Under the hind quarters we didn't find a rear sway bay or a posi rear end. Still, not 100% signs, but another nod toward a cloned muscle machine.

It was an Oldsmobile engine, but we know not which one. Blue paint would indicate a 455 or a later model 350. The early 350 color would have been gold. I hope the non-442 hood fell on the head of the culprit armed with Chevy orange spray paint near this Oldsmobile.

The interior revealed a "Cutlass Supreme" dash emblem and door panel lettering. They are only the last bit of evidence Ron and Jody needed to sadly declare... not a real Olds 442.

Happy Hunting!

Know a junkyard that we need to visit? Got a car story?  

Send emails to Ron at Kidd403@bellsouth.net or Jody at junkyardbull@gmail.com.