Revell 1/24 1978 Trans Am

[Hillbilly]

Being a car modeler(though I'm converting to the military side of modeling) I feel I would be remiss in not building something for this GB.This kit has been in Revell's catalog for a while and the tooling has held up well.There is very little flash and a few other small issues that are easily corrected.This won't be a full blown detailed contest winner but a nice clean shelf model.Anyway,how about some information on this iconic 70's-80's Pontiac that I am proud to say was in my full size stable at one time.










Pontiac offered the 1978 Pontiac Firebird to buyers in the Esprit, Formula and Trans Am option packages. The Trans Am features contrasting racing stripes, rear spoiler, air dams below the nose and forward of the front wheels and an optional shaker hood. Pontiac also offered many special edition packages that consisted mostly of different paint schemes, accents and body graphics. Pontiac engineers boosted the horsepower of the 400-cubic inch V8 engine versions by 10 percent for 220 horsepower.
Size

The 1978 Pontiac Trans Am features a 108.2-inch wheelbase with a total length from nose to rear of 196.8 inches. It measures 73.4 inches wide and 49.5 inches high. The frame clears the ground by 5.2 inches. The windshield slopes at a 57.4-degree angle. The fuel tank holds 21 gallons. The Trans Am has a curbside weight rating of about 3,800 lbs., depending on options.
Under the Hood

The base engine for the Trans Am Formula is a 145-horsepower, 305-cubic inch V8 complemented with a four-speed manual transmission or Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 automatic. The engine features an 8.4:1 compression ratio to generate 245 ft.-lbs. of torque. An optional 350-cubic inch V8 was available. It provides 170 horsepower and 270 ft.-lbs. of torque with an 8.2:1 compression ratio. Another version of the 350 for California sales only, to comply with the state's emissions laws, dropped the horsepower to 180. No manual transmissions were available for sale in California. Another engine option was a 400-cubic inch, wielding 220 horsepower and 320 ft.-lbs. of torque. The bore and stroke of the 400 measures 4.12 by 3.75 inches. The engines take premium grade, 91-octane fuel. Two- or four-barrel Rochester carburetors deliver the fuel to these engines.
Chassis

Pontiac fitted the Trans Am with an independent front suspension system with coil springs, tube shocks and anti-roll bar. The rear suspension has leaf springs. The WS6 high performance package, however, stiffens the leaf springs by 25 lbs. and increases the size of the front anti-roll bar and rear anti-roll bar bushings. The Trans Am features 11-inch front disc brakes and 9.5-inch rear drums.
Tires and Wheels

The 1978 Pontiac Trans Am sits on GR70X15B tires on 15X7JJ rims. The performance model rides on P225/70R15 tires on 15X8JJ rims.
Production

The base price of the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am was $5,799, with a total production run of 93,341. In contrast, Pontiac produced 32,672 base Firebirds in 1978. The Firebird Esprit numbered 36,926 while 24,346 of the Formula models left the factory.



1978 Model Year

Model
Base model Firebird V6- $4545- production 32,672 both V6 & V8
Base model Firebird V8- $4695
Esprit V6- $4842- production 36,926 both V6 & V8
Esprit V8- $4992
Formula- $5448- production 24,346
Trans Am- $5799- production 93,341

Options
305-cid four-barrel V-8 $150
350-cid four-barrel V-8 (Firebird) $265
350-cid four-barrel V-8 (Formula) $115
400-cid four-barrel V-8 (Formula) $280
403-cid four-barrel V-8 (Formula) $205
Four-speed manual floor shift transmission $125
Four-speed manual floor shift transmission $182 credit
Turbo-Hydra-Matic transmission $270
Turbo-Hydra-Matic transmission N/C
Safe-T-Track differential $60
Power brakes $60
Heavy-duty alternator $31
Engine block heater $13
Esprit "Skybird" appearance package $426 - $461
Trans Am special edition $1259
Firebird custom trim group $35 - $154
Formula appearance package $137
Trans Am special performance package $249 - $324
Air conditioning $470 - $581
Cruise control $90 - $95
Power windows $118 - $190
Hatch roof $625
Canopy top $111

[Hillbilly]

Ok,now on to the goodies in the box.







The chrome in this kit is pretty nice considering it's age






The decal sheet is also pretty nice with several options.

[Hillbilly]

Ok,on with the build


After cleaning the block/transmission halves up and gluing them together there was a little seam and sink mark filling to do.

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A little bit of putty and sanding and it's on to the next step.

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Adding spark plug wires to an engine is one of the best bang for the buck detailing steps one can take for a auto model.You can buy spark plug wire from an aftermarket seller for $3.75(£2.26) for 5"(12cm) or you can do what I do and go buy some 30AWG wrapping wire from an electronics store for $4.99(£3.01) for 50'(15 meters).There are two techniques for drilling the holes in the distributor,you can drill a hole for each individual wire or you can drill one big hole to put all the wires into at once.I like to drill individual holes because it looks more scale,but the dizzy in this kit doesn't have the wire terminals defined well enough so I went with one big hole.As the kit is molded in white I used a black sharpie to help me find center on the dizzy.After that it's just a matter of drilling your hole.

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[Hillbilly]

After drilling your hole do a test fit to make sure you have enough room for all your wires.Also make sure you cut your wires a little long to allow for mistakes when attaching them to the heads.

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Being human I for got to drill the holes in the engine until after I painted it.There are several different spark plug locations on different engines so do your homework before you drill.

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Ok here is one for the rivet counters out there,if you drill individual holes for each plug wire in your dizzy you can find the firing order for the engine you are working on online and wire it properly.As I am using the big hole method here it really doesn't work.As far as wiring the engine goes it's pretty straight forward,a little CA glue on the end of the wires and you are set.Remember plug wires are flexible in real life so make sure you drape them over the engine as such.

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[Hillbilly]

Let's tackle one of my pet-peeves in auto modelling...the dreaded "floating" alternator.Most auto kits I have built do not have the bracket to hold the alternator so it just kind of floats on space,this will not do.Its a simple fix really,I use .010 styrene and cut out the general shape of the bracket from reference pictures.After that a little clean up with sanding sticks and some paint glue it into position and you are done.

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[Hillbilly]

One last engine detail item...the oil dipstick.Again another cheap easy way to add a little detail to your engine.All you need is a piece of the 30 AWG wire you used for the plug wires and a little piece of .010 styrene sheet.First cut a piece of the wire to length per reference photos,then strip enough of the insulation off of the end so you can bend a loop in it like this.

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Then use your preferred method of punching holes in things and make a small disc of .010 styrene like this.

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Now clean up the disc you just made and drill a hole in the center the size of the wire you used.After that slide the disc onto the wire close to the loop on the end.Then use a drop of CA glue to attach it.Again,here is where you will need some good reference photos.Paint the dipstick,drill the hole in the block in the proper place per your reference photos and attach your shinny new dipstick in place with CA or 5 min. epoxy.

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[T3hGuppy]

Some great detailing on the engine dude.

[eoinfinnegan]

Great start

[gaz45]

great work on that engine m8