1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ram Air III Tribute

“Looks like a $150k car that you can drive for $50k, and it performs even better.”

- Tennessee Car
- Fully Restored with All Records
- Built 400cid/450hp V8
- Upgraded Running Gear
- Vintage Air

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this vehicle on a website other than our main website, it's possible that only some of our many photographs of this car are presented due to website limitations. To be sure you access all the photographs, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

Garage Kept Motors is honored to bring to market an incredible tribute Trans Am for consideration. With only 689 real Ram Air III cars produced in 1969, values on these cars have soared north of $150k. They sit in museums and personal collections, collecting dust. This vehicle offers a unique opportunity to get the same styled vehicle on the road and actually enjoy driving it. Plus, its been professionally restored, including the motor, to perform even better than the original Ram Air III's.

This car was sourced from Tennessee and started its life as a standard 1969 Pontiac Firebird Coupe with a 350 V8 and automatic transmission. While a factory A/C car, it had manual drums brakes, manual steering, non-tilt steering, and non-gauge cluster. The body was originally Limelight Green with Midnight Green Interior (barf). Our client, based out of Traverse City, Michigan, acquired the car in 2014. At the time, it had a 350 Chevrolet V8 with 350 THM transmission and 12 bolt Camaro rear differential with 4.11 rear Posi-traction. It had a 400 hood, the Trans Am fender scoops, and a DIY white paint job. But this was the start of the vision you see today - a Trans Am Tribute with tasteful modifications. The goal was good street manners, excellent throttle response and better handling, all while running on pump gas. Everything on the car needed to be replaced or restored, and it was.

Below you will find the owners notes on the full build. Attention to detail is top notch. You would be hard pressed to build this car for anywhere near the price we are asking for it. And the added bonus is again, driving a stunning Ram Air III TA at a fraction of the price. Key word there is: driving. Its a beautiful car to behold but even more fun behind the wheel. Be sure to check out all the photos and video on our main website: Garage Kept Motors. Call if interested or e-mail with any questions. Thank you for looking.                                                                                                                        

Owner's Notes:
Body: The front sheet metal, fenders, and Trans Am hood are all steel reproduction pieces from
Goodmark, the rear floor pans were also replaced. Doors, rear quarters are all factory sheetmetal. The rear driver's side quarter has a small patch just behind the rear tire. It has been painted the correct Trans Am colors in Cameo white with Tyrol blue stripes and painted tail panel as is correct for Trans Am equipped cars.

Engine: The engine is a 1970 Pontiac 400 with No. 13 Ram Air cylinder heads with 2.11/1.77 REV Racing valves that are swirl polished and undercut for higher flow and volume. The heads have a 72cc open chamber. Exhaust is 2.5 factory Long Branch Ram Air cast iron headers into 2.5 inch high flow X-pipe Pypes dual exhaust with Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers. The block features Keith Black pistons (pt no. KB346.030), dished with +17cc dish 0.030 overbore with stock Fel-Pro head gaskets giving it 9.5:1 compression. The oil pump is a high volume, high pressure Ram Air IV. Melling pump. An Edelbrock aluminum Performer intake, with stock Quadrajet recalibrated for my combination. The camshaft is a Comp Cams 51-223-4 hydraulic flat tappet camshaft with matching Comp valve springs, push rods and roller tip rockers. The camshaft advertised operating range is 1600-5800 rpm.

The cam specs are as follows:
Intake Exhaust
Advertised duration 268 280
Duration @ 0.50 224 230
Valve Lift is 0.477 0.480
Lobe Separation is 110 (degrees)

This distributor has been upgraded to an electronic Pertronix ignition, with the addition of a bronze gear and an adjustable vacuum advance. This combination was tuned on a Sun Machine to match the combination. The coil and plug wires are also Pertronix pieces as well with AC Spark plugs. The engine harness, front light harness, correct spring clip battery cables are all new M and H pieces with a factory reproduction Delco Battery.

Cooling: This car features a HD brass/copper 4 core radiator, with 8 blade factory HD fan and HD fan clutch and all new hoses. Car runs 190 degrees, and only heats up to 200 in traffic.

Transmission: The 400 Turbo-Hydramatic was been rebuilt by a factory driveline technician out of GM'sProving Grounds using GM research to build a firm shifting HD transmission, no shift kits. It features a Band M Tork Master 2400 RPM Torque Converter, as well factory reproduction transmission cooling lines and aluminum transmission pan with drain plug.

Rear Differential: This is a factory correct Pontiac 10 bolt with 3.23:1 Saftey-T-Trac rear differential from a donor 1969 Firebird. Brakes including lines, drums, wheel cylinders, shoes, springs, self adjusters and emergency brake cables are all new. All brake lines back have been replaced as well with Inline Tube factory style lines. Rear springs have been replaced with factory HD multi-leaf springs and HD rear sway bar. The front and rear subframes/unibody are tied together with a bolt in sub frame connectors.

Front Suspension: Front end features tubular A-arms with a 2' drop and brand new HD springs and oversized front stabilizer bar. The steering box has been upgraded with a more modern Z-box out of an 80's era close ration steering box and factory Trans Am P/S cooling line. Brakes were upgraded with CPP factory style power disc brakes, Corvette master cylinder and all new Inline Tube brake lines. All steering components and frame rubber mounts have been replaced as well.

Wheels and Tires: Factory 14 X 7 Rally II rims have been restored to factory colors with PMD center caps and factory black dot lug nuts. These Trans Am correct pieces are wrapped in BF Goodrich Radial T/As P225/70R14 out back and 215/70R14 up front to further enhance the slight rake in the cars stance.

Interior: The entire interior has been replaced and repainted to Trans Am correct medium blue, including seat upholstery, door panels, carpet, headliner and dash. Other upgrades include Trans Am correct factory stacked gauges, factory in dash tachometer, Factory deluxe wood wheel, factory tilt steering column, factory console and floor shifter. This original factory A/C car has been upgraded with Vintage Air A/C. The sound system was originally an AM radio converted to AM/FM/AUX input, front dual cone speaker, and rear Kenwood 5X9 Speakers with a Jensen amp in the rear. All new window, door cranks are with factory floor mats. Pedal rubber and chrome trim is all new as well. Under the carpet is factory sound deadener and the firewall
insulation is all new as well. It is all sealed up with new rubber weatherstrips and bumpers.