bimmer vs. trans am

[Nick203]

Have a 92 525I, thinking about selling it and buying a 1979 Trans am with a 403 in it. Bimmer has way way better handling but the raw power in the trans am is calling me. what should I do?

[AndrewH]

Have a 92 525I, thinking about selling it and buying a 1979 Trans am with a 403 in it. Bimmer has way way better handling but the raw power in the trans am is calling me. what should I do?

get both ;) .

[323I Junkie]

the 1979 Ta with the 403 option is interesting. With the right heads that is a7K rpm motor, that will make a good 450 horses.
with the right heads...

the 70 with the olds motor, or any other 6.6 liter, were teh slow

I love my 79, but it is no bimmer replacement, and you wont find a faster one in town...Smokes kicks some serious ass

get both

[JTFormula]

I have been doing 77-81 T/A's for 16 years. That is my "speciality" - I own an 80 Formula (thus JTFormula) and had a slew of other birds. I am building a 455 for my car. My buddy has a 79 Formula with the 403. Those motors are not very powerful in stock form. Olds engines (also Pontiac and Buick motors) are also not a high reving engines and don't expect them to. Your talking a ripping 185hp on the 403. Those were smog motors. They do have some torque but really, a slug overall. Stick an intake, carb, cam, & headers on it and you'll will boost it up to about 275-300hp. A good port job will get it over 330+hp with over 400ftlbs. Building a 403 is not cheap. The best later 70's birds were 400 Pontiac engines. Some had 180hp others had 220hp depending on the one ordered. These are the cars to buy. If you need help, give me an email at JTFormula@aol.com. I can provide you with whatever you need to know on those cars. LONG LIVE THE BANDIT!

[323I Junkie]

I have been doing 77-81 T/A's for 16 years. That is my "speciality" - I own an 80 Formula (thus JTFormula) and had a slew of other birds. I am building a 455 for my car. My buddy has a 79 Formula with the 403. Those motors are not very powerful in stock form. Olds engines (also Pontiac and Buick motors) are also not a high reving engines and don't expect them to. Your talking a ripping 185hp on the 403. Those were smog motors. They do have some torque but really, a slug overall. Stick an intake, carb, cam, & headers on it and you'll will boost it up to about 275-300hp. A good port job will get it over 330+hp with over 400ftlbs. Building a 403 is not cheap. The best later 70's birds were 400 Pontiac engines. Some had 180hp others had 220hp depending on the one ordered. These are the cars to buy. If you need help, give me an email at JTFormula@aol.com. I can provide you with whatever you need to know on those cars. LONG LIVE THE BANDIT!


Dude, I know youve been doing second gens for 16 years, so we are freinds :D

Those cars are great, very few people realize how popular they were and still are in some forms of TA racing. They also make very comfortable cruisers with huge bruising engines in them.

But have you ever actually done a built-up 403?
Thats the largest bore to stroke ratio of any big block GM had and verges on the 383 chrysler for being just bad ass. I have personally known of a couple TA's with built 403's that are 11 second cars with the stock 3.42 posi GM axle with c clip elinators and a four speed on the floor. Used to see one run at the Roswell Dragway. and yeah...7000K RPM. He had to increase (and dont quote me but it was something like this) the oil return orifice size through the rear of the block and run a couple of extr oil lines internally from a main port to the cam area (?) it was an odd setup but damn that car was sick :buttrock: and that 11 secons was a consistant mid eleven passes on decent street drag radials and decent ladder bars with drag shocks. It was slot faster than smokes with no drag radials and no ladder bars. But Smokes has an endearing habit of ripping his tires to shreds all the way down the course and the kids love it more than actual trap times. Me, Im fed up with spending money on him and just like driving him.

while I am chatting with you, I am trying to get a one owner.all origianl .455/.4speed 76 ta. Its my twin, build date 2/15/76. Its been sitting in a driveay for 7 years and the stupid lady wont sell it. Hows that for frustrating?

[JTFormula]

I love my Birds and will never sell my Formula. I have been to the T/A Nationals a bunch of times out in Dayton Ohio. I actually drove my 78 T/A there 2 years ago. No trailer queens here. I got into the BMW thing a few years ago after I found my 320. I personally have never built a 403 but know a few who have including a very good friend of mine as I mentioned above. Any engine can be built to provide power. It’s a matter of how much money you want to spend and what you are looking for.

If you get aluminum heads, do some race style porting, open up the valves, lightweight rods, roller cam and rockers, blah blah blah, sure you'll get power, but not cheaply. It’s all relative. My statement was with what you were starting with and what you will get out of it with simple mods.

They say you can't get huge HP from an M10 but the old Groupe 5 e21’s had 750hp so again, it’s all relative on how much you want to spend.

No offence taken. Its all good. Were all here to give advice. :D

[Jordan94530i]

My uncle has a 79TA he bought brand new.. I have driven it from time to time since I had my license and it is a fun car for straight line driving.. He has headers and threw 3.42 gears in it, if hopefully you aren't considering daily driving in it though lol

[323I Junkie]

I would daily drive smokes if it wasnt for my fear of him getting messed up by retarded drivers. that and the seat belts, and the fuel consumption

JTFormula..its good to meet you :D

Were there many road race setups at the nationals, or were they all dragsters?

[JTFormula]

A lot of stock vehicles, some modified cars and some real sweet well done customs. I'd say there is only a couple 2nd gens that were road race like, mostly 4th gens are found like that. I love the Nats. As for driving one everyday, I would. I drove my Formula as a DD for a few years. My 78 T/A I used as much as possible in the summer. When I drove it to the T/A Nats, I got 18.5mpg on the way out and 21mpg on the way back. The key was to not get into the secondaries.

[323I Junkie]

yeah, i want to get my twin car and sell smokes, turn the 76 into a road race sort of setup, build the 455, make the 4 speed a six speed, and make the interior super sweet..smokes only has about 40K miles..so his is perfect