Pontiac Trans Am 455 Optional Packages - Got Torque?

[Ed Blown Vert]

Read about these Pontiac 455 optional packages that increase performance available on the 1975-1976 Pontiac Trans Am - High Performance Pontiac



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[Rocky Rotella]

Who was that masked man?...

[JohnnyBs98WS6Rag]

FINALLY the smogger (non-SD) 455 T/As are getting their recognition so long overdue. I've always knew that they, by themselves, carried the musclecar torch as long as GM would allow any division into those smog-depraived years of the late '70s. While the later 400s had similar stock performance, the mod potential of the 455 would alway tower over it's little brother.

I'll never forget my first "fast" car, a used Silver '76 455 T/A HT. It had been ridden hard and put away wet when I bought it, but fresh tires and a '74 SD dual exhaust system (from manifolds back, NO CATS) uncorked ALOT more speed over that majorly restrictive Y-to-single cat factory system it had (even though everything after the cat was gone when I got the car). I rebuilt the trans and shipped the Foam-covered T-handled Hurst shifter back to Mr Gasket for a rebuild (the foam was nearly worn completely off and was replaced w/ a new brushed aluminum Hurst T-handle), installed a new 11" clutch & pressure plate (surfaced the flywheel). Discovered the original pressure plate was cracked! But what a workout that clutch would give your left leg. Rebuilt the carb (that was a story in itself....... when I asked the guy at the parts counter for a carb rebuild kit for a '76 T/A 455 4-bbl, the dumb ass insisted that "Pontiac never put a 455 in a Trans Am"....... glad I had the carb # with me so I could school the fool when he looked THAT up). The rivets on the scoop had already been replaced w/ screws for easy plate removal. I could tool around the neighborhood at 800 rpm in 4th gear w/ plenty of torque... Roll out onto the main road and put my foot into it and it'd still sit you back in the seat, then at about 2500 RPM (~70MPH?) the secondaries would open up and then all hell would break loose and the sound was like heaven. Before the new exhaust it would fall on it's face at about 4000 RPM, and it was quicker to short-shift it instead of winding it out to redline. But after the dual exhaust it pulled solidly up to 4500 and fade much more gradually to redline. Did some stopwatched timed 0-60 runs w/ a co-pilot to practice my launch technique and was getting consistent 6.5 sec and one 6.3 sec run before taking it to it's only visit to Avilla speedway (spun miserably on launch and a pinched fuel line starved the carb before 2nd gear wound out...... both runs). Redlined it in 4th gear one late night on the way home from the airport, guessing around 135MPH...... the speedo only went to 100 or so and it was wrapped WAY around..... speedo cable broke a week later. Even put a hitch on it to tow my little 14' boat, couldn't tell the boat was even back there. Eventually hit another car head-on and "nearly" totaled it, but kept it around for 12 years and got a new front end (subframe, fenders and all) to rebuild it, but never got the time to do it. Sold it and parts to a bud a few years back, who turned it over for a small profit and I've now lost track of it.

Dang, didn't realize how much I missed that car.