Images
This the main image I show everyone. Notice the original Honey Comb rims, which are very rare. I also had the front plate custom airbrushed to match the car (its the Pontiac emblem). The original color of the car was brown. I bought it right after it was painted by the owner with this DuPont classic metallic blue.
1976 is the last year that Pontiac produced the rounded-front look of the firebird, including the round head lamps, and the round intake grill.
Here is where the car gets its muscle look from. Notice the rear quarter panel that pooch out a bit, the meaty tires, and the sloping back.
 
I had the windows tinted as dark as I legally could (15% in FLA). Here you can also see my dual chrome tail popes sticking out. This gives it a mean look too.
This is one of the last years that Pontiac made the license plate in the center of the tail lights. In 1978 they changed the look of the rear-end to have the tail light grill spread completely over the back end, and the license plate was moved to the center of the bumper below.
You can almost see the horses galloping inside.
 

Engine Swap

Special thanks goes out to Daniel and Nathan for doing all this hard work to make this thing look great! I really appreciate it! Thanks guys!
 
This is the original 1976 engine: The Pontiac 350. It had roughly 150+HP. I had painted various parts of it, in hopes to make it looks better, but with 165K miles and 24 years on it, it was pretty hard.
This is the re-built engine in my 1979 Trans Am: The Pontiac 400.

This engine was just rebuilt and is guestimated to have roughly 20K miles on it. It is a 300+HP 6.6L engine.
Here is the Pontiac 400 Turbo Tranny. This can handle about 1200HP, and is the strongest, most sought after muscle car tranny ever built. It is a 3speed Automatic.

Included with the tranny is a racing ratchet shifter, for better shifting performance in the automatics.
This is the engine and tranny after it was cleaned, resealed, and painted.
 
Here are some various panels laying around the yard.
Notice the differences between the fronts of the 1976 (right) and the 1979 (left).
Here is the original 350 that was pulled out of my '76. It now resides in the engine bay of the '79 until it gets around to being restored.
This is the newly redone 400 getting dropped back into the '76.
Here it is all mounted on!


 

Factory Specs

22,252 Firebird Esprits were produced in 1976

  • Wheelbase Length 108.0"
  • Wheelbase Width
  • Height 49.1"
  • Length 195.4"
  • Width 74.4"
  • Curb Weight 3679lbs
  • Tire Size 15x7
  • Base Engine 350ci V8
  • Base HP 145HP @ 3800RPM
  • Torque 250lbs @ 2200RPM
  • Compression Ratio 8.5:1
  • Transmission
  • Carburetor 2 BBL Rochester

(Specs based on all 1976 F-Body Specs)

 

Performance Modifications

  • K&N Air Filter
  • Removed intake heat-return hose
  • Flowmaster Exhaust

Visual Modifications

  • Repainted to "Classic Muscle Car" blue (originally brown)
  • Silver painted Honeycomb rims (originally gold)
  • 9"x2.5" Chrome Exhaust Tips
  • 15% tinted windows (darkest legal in FL)
  • Blue strand lighting on dash gauges
     

 

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