1977 Pontiac Firebird T/A - wip

Christian W
The main step is done: the roof is clodes and sanded down to a hardtop coupe. Nice. Now I have to add the chrome trim and the vinyl roof.
The hood needs asecond round of sanding. Then it is done.

Martin Oostrom
Nice start!

Bill Newcomer
TA! Following.

Christian W
You're Welcome 🙂 Thank you!
Another round of sanding and filling. The body is ready to paint but the hood still needs attention in smaller areas.

Jv
Very complicated work always interesting what you do
I have been busy at work so I missed this one
Looks like I can still sit in
So what's the reason for all the work this time
I guess the shop had only t top cars this time and it gives you a sunburn

Christian W
You're welcome. The conversion is on hold some weeks because if the weather. The chassis is glued together and ready for the next step - painting and detailing. But I'm to busy and just relax when I come home.

The conversion to a hard top cad was easy: you won't get them as a kit. Then I was looking for reference pictures because I didn't want it black, red of as a golden Rockford Firebird. When I saw the pretty cool 😄 vinyl top, it was clear: one has to have this option. And this 1977 will get it. I think because it looks older it fits better to it and I can't remember finding a 1979+ with vinyl top.

Bob Hall
Cool 👍

Jv
Looking great sofare will be cool with the vinyl top

Jv
Here it hot hot and more hot
Been busy but did make it to 2 model shops and also got a few kits on marketplace this last weekend
But no firebirds this time

Christian W
I'd like to visit model shops too. In my area is not one (within 40km).

I checked my source for Trans Am Options again and want to tell: in 1979 (model year 1980) they dropped the vinyl roof. And when I lookd at the picture gallary again, I'm really struggling what color I want to have on mine. I'm between White, Aquamarine, Bahia Green, Glacier Blue and (really!) Mojave Tan. What I want to do with a 75% decission: white costum interior. That means, that the seats (maybe door panels) are white and the rest is black or fitting to the body color.

Body color ...... Seats (Door panels?) / Interior ...... Vinyl Roof
White ............... White / Red ........................................... Black
Mojave Tan .... White / Buckskin (Tan) or Black ....... Black or Sand or Claret (dark brown)
Aquamarine ... White / Turquoise or Blue ................ Blue
Bahia Green ... White / Turquoise or Black................ Green
Glacier Blue .... White / Blue .......................................... Blue

The Interior was never white completely:
White was asically only for the seats. The rest was black. The buyer had the oportunity to order a socalled "appointment mix". Instead of black for the dashboard, sail panels in the front, center console, carpert, rear quarter panels and package tray unless the buyer had 4 or 5 optionial interior colors (depends on the year of built).

Bill Newcomer
I am working on a Pontiac with the "Tuxedo" interior. White seats, door panels and headliner. Black dash, carpet and package shelf.
66 Pontiac Bonneville | Album by musclecarfan (1:25)

Christian W
I'm watching your big Pontiac wips. Your interiors looking great. I love the detail work you putting in. I'm really strungling about how much white I want.

István Szücs
It's a big challenge to build this kit, so I'm curious.

Martin Oostrom
I vote Mojave Tan. Why? Because I can 😁

Christian W
Yes, the color is appealing. It's nearly the color of my base cote 🤔

Christian W
I took this thng back on the table and didn't believe my eyes: the hood is bent. What the hell? More than two months I did nothing with it and then this crap. Putting the body byside and started with the other big parts. So I painted the undercarriage in a light gray, added some black in the engines compartment and painted the engine blue. Guess, I have to google the engine color. I was in the mood for this blue. So far I don't care.

Christian W
btw. I grabbed a hood out of the old MPC kit and will do another one. That sucks...

Jv
Yep sure not nice after all the work you put in
But keep the hood you may be abel to use it for a wreck build later

Christian W
Not really. My intension is to build a mold of the new hood and make my own one. I did a test with a hood for a C4 and that went pretty good but not perfect. The hood of this Trans Am should be easier to remake. because of the flat form.

Bob Hall
German efficacy at it's finest, if it's broken re engineer a new one and make a better one, he can do it, he has the technology ! To Fahrvergnügen and beyond !

Christian W
Thank you Bob 🙂 I'm aming for this weekend to make my mold. I could use a "parts car" too but it is 1/24 and by Revell. So the hood is (clearly) not the same size and the bulg in the middle of the hood is not that smooth like MPC did. The line-up to the nose doesn't fit.

Jv
Yes Bob
Your comments always make me laugh 😃
we sure know Christian has some fantastic order
and it sure don't have to be easy
But it will be right
Always interesting to see what you do Christian
Now looking forward to see how you will do the new hood
This sounds a bit complicated to me
Never shy of a challenge

Christian W
JV and the other interested mates: I have to disappoint you. It looks like thdf I don't have to built my own mold. I tried something I read in a German forum decades ago: using hot water to re-bemd plastic parts. And it worked awesome 😄! I put the hood into it for a couple of seconds and it went back to it's form by itself. Completely. I was astonished that it went so easy.
So I'll have to sand it again and I'm curious whether it stays in that shape or it will deform again.

Jv
Thanks for the update interesting

Christian W
Decission is mad a coule weeks ago. Finally it will be Bahia Green with White / Turquoise interior and greenish vinyl roof. Since the decision is made I try to get the color. In Germany it is not possible to get some. It is also fact, that this color was only available in 1977 and only Chevrolet had ist with the same WA-Code on it'S models (Medium Green). I don't get it. Not at Zeropaints, not at my favorite dealer of rattlecans. So I ordered two colors which I think, they come near to the Bahia Green. But I was wrong. The third color is on it's way. If it arrives, It'll give an update.

István Szücs
What color chart is that?

Christian W
That chart is a color chart of the rattle can producer "Motip" in Germany. Don't ask me, how I got this into my hands. I even can't remember. It's easily 20 years ago. I can take some pictures of is and see, whether there are more information printed on it.
I looked up the internet for "Farbfächer" (I think the translation to "color fan" is not quite suitable) and found a website where you can order some different "fans" *lol* -> Lechler british standard / Multona (a German rattle can producer) / Mipa for RAL colors (producer like Multona)
--> spraydosen-shop.de/Farbfaecher_1
Maybe you can find some similar seller in your country. I think you'd be possibly order Multona or Mipa in the Netherlands too.

Christian W
@Istvan ... I owe you pictures of the color chart I use. I added some pictures.

Then I have ordered three colors now and none fits to Bahiagreen. I guess, there is another one have to be ordered.... That sucks.

Martin Oostrom
Did you do a test spray? Those caps could be a bit off

Christian W
Sadly yes. Except the 53660. It is not what I'm looking for. The Pontiac looks more shiny, brighter, greener I'd say. Hard to describe. Somehow I have the feeling, that there could be some golden sparkles in it. It look so fantastic anyway.

I ordered 52730 and 52735

Martin Oostrom
That colour looks similar-ish to this Tamiya kit: Nissan Silvia K's (Tamiya 24078, 1:24)
Perhaps you can 'borrow' the colour from there?

Martin Oostrom
2 parts x-12
2 parts x-23
1 part x-24
1 part x-25
I found a badly scanned instruction for the Tamiya kit

Christian W
Holy moly! Mixing that color sounds like rocket science 😄 I'll keep that in mind!

Christian W
This is what I call a color mixture: chrome silver + clear blue + clear yellow + clear green oO ... I guess, I'll try this with my revell colors somehow *giggle* I want to see, how those colors work together.

István Szücs
Thanks for the infos, that green looks real good, rarely seen.

bmod
I'm pulling up a chair to watch the color on this one come together! 🙂

Bob Hall
tachrev.com/Pontiac_Paint_Charts.htm. I know your the resident Pontiac fan, might help for future reference.

Bill Newcomer
I am a Pontiac fan too. Added it to my Browser favorites. Christian I am liking your minty green choice. I would do white seats and darker minty green on the interior. Maybe the top too.

bossy122
I bet if you rode around in the back of one of those horrid things ( like I was forced to), you'd rethink that presidency! ; )

Bob Hall
Ah yes, my foreign and domestic Pontiac fans, guess that would make you the primary as if if I'm not mistaken, you are the proud owner of a fine piece of American Classic Beauty ! Hope that site helps ya both in your future endeavors. 👍

Dominik Weitzer
nice color choice bro. mixing it will be interesting 🙂

Nigel Chapman
Can't say I've ever seen a Pontiac in that colour before.Is it exclusive to Pontiac or GM?

Bob Hall
It looks like the color Pontiac painted their engines in.

Christian W
Thank you very much for the words and also for the thumbs up! Really appreciate it🙂
@Bob ... I put this site to my favorites for sure. The funny thing is, that both colors I had to choose at the end, are quite nearby 🙂 Aquamarine was the second choice.

Today I got another rattlecan with a much better looking green. I load up a picture.
I like this color very much. I tackle the challenge and I will win and I will paint this F-Body in Bahiagreen. No question about that.

@Nigel.... I researched some more about the color. Pontiac used it only in 1977. I didn't look up whether they used it on every model or only at the Firebird family. GM used the same color at some Chevrolet too. With the same color code (44). The number 44 itself was used over the 1990s but in various colors. So you'll find brown, yellow and a lot of other colors. But only in 1977 it was Bahiagreen.

I tumbled over it on tran-zam.com. There are the most colors in pictures. A great site I'll say.

Thank you for your interest !

Christian W
53730 - the new guy in town and it looks pretty good. Another color is on it's way.

Nigel Chapman
Always interested in colours Christian. I have the same issue in the uk, Any European and Japanese manufacturers, I can get paint, even high end as long as I have the paint code. US vehicles and nothing at all.

Christian W
Same here. If the color code is not provided, it is hard to get a color. Trial and error 😉
After having 4 "not needed" colors, I see a green painting phase upcomming in my stash *lol*

Christian W
One wish came true: that wired hub caps for the bahia green Coupe 🙂 A big THANK YOU to my brother 🙂

By the way: last week a did a little sanding on the hood. I think, it is almost ready to paint.

Christian W
Roughly test fitting of the rims. The decision of the tires is not made yet. There are another half a dozen working tires in my grab box. I'll check them when the painting is done. I want to see how the come out on the car. I think, they should not be that wide but so far I didn't find some in my grab box.

Bill Newcomer
In your quest for tires, keep in mind that all Pontiacs of this era ran radials. Tires with old school bias ply tread were never on the cars.

Christian W
Great hint oO The left tire comes with the kit. I think it is good enough. When I went through my grab box, I had such radial tires in mind but didn't find properly looking tires or where the rims will fit in. I'll see when I need them at the end which I'll take.