1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 6.6L 403 Olds
Summary:
Classic all around fun car.
Faults:
Had to replace water pump.
Spun a main bearing, but didn't know until I voluntarily rebuilt the engine to make it go faster.
The handles to close the doors on the armrest will eventually break/tear poor design. Roll down window and pull the door shut, if you bought the car as a show piece.
General Comments:
Nice car very fun.
Steering and suspension is excellent, even after all those miles. Feels excellent like a sports car, very tight (reactive).
Decent pick up, before the rebuild I was able to keep up with a 4.0L Cherokee.
Should have been built with more Horse Power for such a large V8, only 190-200HP from factory, though this may have been intentionally under-rated.
Light rear-end susceptable to burnouts and "fish-tailing". If you don't know how to control such things you'll learn with this car.
Dashboard detailing pleasing to the eye. Overall dash setup nice.
Seats very comfortable, nice back angle.
The spot below the radio is useless anything put in there will come flying out under hard acceleration.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th May, 2003
9th Mar 2005, 14:06
I'm glad to see someone else finally know the 403 was
Olds-built. From the factory it had about 185 horsepower (though Olds used a 200 HP version for their Toronado) it was capable of a lot more, but due to the strict emissions of the late '70s (and the soaring insurance rates) they had to limit it. A souped up 403 could probably get at least 250 horsepower (probably more)