OBI-JUAN -KENOBI it sounds on the heavy side to me too but with driver, maybe a full tank of gas, it’s believable. I would have guessed a couple hundred lighter.
hahaha yea & I did have something to do with it {born in Germany mid '60s came to the States in '72}...I was there for a lot of the filming of the movie since it was all around my neck of the woods
Donald Hollums interestingly, as I ordered a 77 TAm77 SPECIAL EDITION/Hurst in OCT 76,,& got in March 77.....ps the Hurst Hatches seeped down into frame and body ,etc also: junkied it in 1995?) ..Ziebart just kept all salt and moisture inside body, frame. , and sort of helped sound deadening, and outside, etc,
@outdoor fun dude, we can see the video. The car is slow as shit. Smoking the tires doesn’t equate to a fast car dumbass. Nonsense is right, you fuckin condescending moron.
@@sometimesieatcake4156 Lol...you acting like you already knew that. That's funny, extra chromosome boy. Tell us why you dine on dog pecker. You know...for another good dinger.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE Um, yeah, I did know that. But are you too fucking stupid to realize your comment had NOTHING to do with my original statement about how the movie aged well? Talk about extra chromosomes, moron. HAHA. And why are you obsessed with "dog pecker?"
That 57 Ford with the factory supercharger is definitely my favorite non-Mopar of the 50's. They were probably the fastest car you could buy in America in 1957. Ford conservatively rated them at 300 horsepower but the company who built the supercharger...Paxton McCullough...said that the supercharged Ford 312 Y-Block was capable of anywhere between 340-360 horsepower depending on how it was tuned. The blown Ford's dominated NASCAR in 1957 until superchargers, fuel injection, and multiple carburetors were all banned. The only thing that really held those cars back were the 3 speed manual transmissions. I think Chevy was the only manufacturer who had a 4 speed manual at that time and the only really good automatic transmission out there back then(especially for racing use) was the Chrysler 727 Torqueflite. I recently watched a video on TH-cam on a red 57 Ford Ranchero with the factory supercharged 312...1 out of only 2 Ranchero's built that year with the factory blower. The same people actually own them both now along with literally about 1,000 other classic American muscle cars and hot rods. It's called the Brothers Collection. Lucky bastards
Jeremy Thompson me too. & , love the 57!!!!Had 56 FORD TBIRD Engine/ 4 Door/ AUTOMACITC/ AC )?)LOW MILes , that got wrecked just after buying( not my Gault) ALSO,Had at ***77 SPED ED / Hurst/6.6 L,TAm, for MANY YEARS,... not real fast, but BEST DRIFINGMAND HALDLING, was fairly high speed with standard rear ended .....
F code Fairlanes/T birds in ‘57 were way cool and a neighbor actually had a new one in ‘57. Red 2 door post car. With that said the fasted cars in ‘57 were 392 mopar hemis with 2x 4 bbls. Look up Dodge 501D ( not the 500D) or Chrysler 300
Kim Morrison thanks, I forgot about the dual Quad MOPAR, not sure about rated HP,,,, Actually I was Ford fan then too: had a 56 FIrlane T Bird engine/ AUTO/ 4 Door** LOW MILES Florida Car ( have a memory of ac, not working.) rare ,, for totaled in two Month: had plans to SAVE & work it up & keep it. .. Though Led to 61 Ford Clnvertible ( a junk), and my 66 GALAXIE XL/400/ 4 SPD/352/ Burgandy:: that I really drove a lot , and improved until 1973 ish....
In the movie one car was stock and the one that raised hell had a mild built 455. My dad has a magazine from the day. I remember it had roller rockers. I played the pick up the bride scene over and over as a kid to see that 2nd gear rubber until my vhs tape wore out 🤘🏼
Hal Needham said in an interview {its somewhere here on TH-cam, look it up} all of them had the base 400 automatics expect the one that did the bridge jump which was a built 350 as the 400s 185hp {W72 400 4sp was 220hp} were not powerful enough to jump the car
I'm not a Ford guy but, I'd have to say that the 300 is my favorite between these two since I find there's an awful lot of those Trans Ams out there and I've never seen an old Ford with a supercharger like that before.
I've drag raced everything from 9 sec altereds, to 22 second pintos. I love drag racing and know they were having a ball regardless of the et. The Ford winning on a hole shot was awesome!
A great video! I love the combination of a 50’s car when things were starting to really move and a late 70’s car when things were slowing down! People were starting to get used to the lower power but still enjoyed racing them! An interesting time
my dads 57 ford beat a 77 trans am, In 1965 he blew up that 312 in his 57 country squire 4 dr wagon. replaced the 312 with a 368 out of a 57 merc marauder. the 368 was a "y" block and bolted right in and the dual quad's off another 312 made that WAGON very quick. you were right about Ford's best offer was a 312, Not so with Mercury!!
I know it been a year since anyone commented but needed to put my 2 cents in. I am 77 years old and used to race back in the early 60's as a young dude . In the right setup you could make those 312's move! In 1963 I had a 1954 2dr Ford Mainline (2980 lbs) a 1957 312 bored .60 over, heads cleaned up and shaved, big thumper cam, Mallory ignition, dual 4 barrels (was an option in 57) 4:11 gears Race clutch setup and 3 speed box (Hurst shifter). Mostly raced on the streets and at the Friday night Grudge Races at the old Puyallup Drag strip in WA state. It would make those 62 Chevy 327 SS guys so pissed when that old Ford would beat them....It was fun car! But I soon went the FE route for more fun until Uncle Sam said he needed me! Then it was no Fun! lol
You could wake up those old T/A's easily with headers and exhaust and timing. They were 14 second cars with just that, easily. I had a 76, same motor. 2.41 gears, headers, and I bumped up the timing....it ran mid-14's and mid-9's in the 1/8.
They were great cars considering the crappy suspension and feather like power steering. I remember the rear swaybar bushings going out which caused a really dangerous rear wobble under speed.
I had a 1977 Trans Am with the better TA 6.6, auto and 3.23 rear. Oh and those heads had a bit more compression and I found had threaded rocker arm studs so I was able to put those RA ones right in. With just a true dual exhaust, the addition of Ram Air IV 1.65 rockers which really woke it up, recurved distributor and a functional hood scoop I got 1/4 mile times at Milan dragway of between 13.85 to 14 between 98 and 100 mph. The engine had a lot of potential if tweaked.
I used 6x #4 91cc heads on a 68 428...Gave me about 9.6:1...The exhaust valve reduction from 1.77 to 1.66 in the 6x didn't hurt performance at all as these were actually good flowing heads
Edward Pate Thanks....yes, ,me too. We ordered the SPECIAL ED/ HURST/6.6/ automcruise, Velour INTERIOR,ERC ON OCT 1976, getting from Hurst in March 1977.... super driver: I tweaked slight with Recurve, REJET CARB, OPEN HOOD SCOOP, ETC. ANYWAYSM , never a monster Horse power,, FOR some reason, I,did not order TA6.6 Engine:: interestingly in retrospect: I’m would have skipped the Hurst Hatch( they le@ked), and gotten 4 Speed/TA ENGINE(** then out those “ NEW “ cruise Controls in that......Ziebart outing helped some, except seepage from tops into frames and body,,,...good times.
You know what I loved about the old days . Freedom., .40c for a toll . And nobody to stop you . When you heard the cartoon wind up to the highest whine .. The carbs stop flowing into a stale bliss … bad ass sounding.
my first car was a '57 ford 300....292 with a 3-spd and yes 4.11 rear end. i blew up 6 tranny's trying to get 100 mph out of second gear, then the engine blew and i swapped it out for a junkyard 312, i put the 4 barrel off the 292 on it.....i made it thru my first winter and sold it to a friend so i could buy my '62 bonnevile 389 tripower with a 4 spd. life was good. thanks for posting this blast from my past.
@@CarsAndZebras I have seen them with a 3 speed manual + overdrive and a there isn’t much from that period that quick. Maybe a Chrysler 300- D but maybe not even those. In ‘58 maybe an AMC Rebel and a Mercury 430 ? By 1959 big-blocks we’re taking-over.
Damn those Trans Am just looked the business! Slow cars but who cares. You can still do some sick burnouts and just cruise! Love these videos! Why, you don’t have more subs, is beyond me?
Compare the 72 to 79 Formula and Trans Am to the Mustang, Camaro and any car from Dodge, and despite the regulations they were doing good for the time. High 14s were enough to win most street races until the late 1990s.
I’m lucky to have the subscribers that I already do. The muscle car era is pretty much dead, so only so many people interested in stuff like this now. That’s why I add the other humor; just trying to get a younger crowd interested.
@@CarsAndZebras Ya know, driving around in my 65 GTO I get lots of college age and younger kids geeking out over it. They think those cars are cool, but they also think they can't afford one. They think they have to spend $20k on a Kia or a honda, rather than buying an old two door for $1500-$5000 and building it the way they want it to be. Then they think the honda is going to be faster, because they believe the propaganda. Look at the racing videos like SRC and 1320, its lots of young guys going fast with junk and turbos. You're right about a big thing, the chalk mark resto guys are losing influence and dying off, they want the car they couldn't afford in high school, or one like they had before my 50 year old ass was born. The guys my around age and down to 40 are building crazy street machines, that turn, haul ass, and look cool. I kinda like looking stock but hauling ass. My 65 is a daily driver, so it has wheels and a 2012 Ford paint on it. Then it has hidden stuff, like the sometimes EFI 455 on E85, 700R4, WS6 swaybars, Jeep steering box, and a thumpin stereo I can hear over the Pypes system under it. People want to see cars racing more than they want to see some crazy guy like me building them. Also it takes hours of working on the car and then making the video to do the build videos. Its kinda cool seeing them in pure stock form running good times like 12s and faster. The humor is fun, I laugh at some of your jokes, groan at others, but smile at all of them. Keep doing your thing, and post more often, you'll get more subscribers.
@@CarsAndZebras I have a buddy whose well off in his early 40's and he buys old muscle cars all the time has a matching numbers Chevelle SS (forgot the year) and a n original paint black 69 Z28. So he's always wheeling and dealing old muscle car parts with old timers and they always tell him "you're a rare breed man, nobody cares about these old cars anymore can't even get my grand children into them" :( it's really sad to hear. But thats the power of videos games.
@@SweatyFatGuy That or they would rather spend $25K on a used skyline from japan. While its a cool car and all but for $25K you can go much much faster..
Pontiac designers did a fabulous job maximizing the visual appeal of the Firebird and Trans Am; these cars were gorgeous, available in great colours and brilliant graphic packages, and 1977 saw the introduction of the glorious "Snowflake" wheels. The Formula Firebird could also be embellished handsomely. The engines were sluggish in the mid-range, but low end torque was strong, making them still satisfying to drive in everyday conditions. They sold extremely well, peaking in 1979 with an astounding 116,535 Trans Ams produced, up from 93,351 in '78.
Burt Reynolds better be driving that Trans Am! Also, Jackie Gleason is the best part of Smokey and the Bandit. He was beyond hilarious and perfect for the role.
The T/A's time is totally indicative of the time it was built, when the Vette wasn't making any more HP than the T/A. Very sad days/years for car fans around the country.
The 1974 Trans Am with the 455 SD was the last fast Trans Am from that era. Pontiac continued to slip the 455 SD by the regulators until the unleaded gas debuted in 1975. The 1974 Trans Am 455 Super Duty was faster than 1972-74 Corvettes with the 454 LS5 engine.
ted101975 it’s the rear gearing for the later ones if you had either the 400 or 403 the poor horsepower output could be fixed with basic engine parts even if you had the automatic what is holding it back is the fact that the gearing is meant for cruising not speed
I live not far away from the Mid Michigan Motorplex and I also happen to own a 1979 Trans Am Y84 Special Edition "Bandit" T/A 6.6 400/4-speed. Its a restoration project and I hope to take to the Motorplex in the future. I'm not surprised about a stock T/A's performance, but this was the smog era and very few cars were fast, but the T/A was the top dog and could be given good power if it had a tuneup. Good video and great background on both cars.
Even though the 77 was made well into the net HP era, I can say with full confidence that it did not make peak power at 3600. Not saying it made 180/200 at 3600 and 400 at 5k, but they made peak power at 4500ish rpm. The question remains, how much power is there left in that extra 1000rpm? And the 1600rpm is very low rpm for that torque figure, which is good, but as with hp peak torque was probably closer to 370 at 2500-3k rpm. They rated it like it's a diesel lol.
I was reading on some TA forums and most said their cars bone stock were 150-170 at the wheels. So crank up could very well be in the low to.mid 200s. But the gearing lazy automatic and weight really drag the car down.
I’m surprised that the Ford does not blow away the Trans Am. Those were dark days (late 1970’s) for car enthusiasts. 180 HP from 400 CID motor. Hard to imagine.
Don't forget that the Ford's horsepower was rated with gross horsepower, which was a higher number rating system....while the TA's horsepower was rated as net HP, a lower number rating system. After 71, the HP rating systems changed to the lower net numbers for all cars. So, if the Ford were rated with net HP, like the TA, its HP numbers would be lower. If the TA's HP was rated with the old gross rating system, its numbers would be higher. So, the HP between the 2 cars is not as far apart as it seems, but the Ford still probably had 60-70 hp more than the TA. With it's lighter weight and lower rear gear ratio, I'm surprised the Ford didn't win by a larger margin.
@@theangrydragon182 A stock 77 TA exhaust is whisper quiet. My friend had a maroon 77 TA 455 and his stock exhaust was whisper quiet. Another friend of mine had a black and gold 79 TA with a 403 and his stock exhaust was also whisper quiet. Don't know what ur comparing sounds to.
I had that exact TA except for color, I was beating a dead horse trying to step it up so traded for a 4 speed TA 6/6 and the difference is way more than the 20 HP specs would make you think. Revs waay higher stock and chirps 4th gear.
I remember racing one of those 'birds with my '78 Chevy van. There were no emissions on 3/4 ton trucks - so you got the 4-bolt engine and didn't take much to help it breathe a bit better. So sad to see a van able to beat a T/A. Trucks ruled at the time due to that emissions rule.
Good video. I remember reading that the Trans Ams that were in the movie had built big block Chevys in them to get them to do the stunts for the film's. They sure we're great looking and handling car though. The question is, was Fred in the back seat ..... :)
My teenage years were back in the mid-70s. Low 16 sec. Was actually pretty good for a new stock car back then. Camaros were a little slower than trans am's and Mustangs were in the mid 17 sec. range.
@@donaldhollums3278 yeah but we are talking old school bro 13s14sand low15s wasn't bad it seems like yesterday when my 13.7 lt1 ws6 use to kiss some ass back when they first came back out in the later 90s I gave stock 5.0s hell back then
New York Pontiac shop Nunzi Pontiac had a set up, really cheap and easy, to get these T/A’s in the low 13’s. A curve kit for the distributor, bigger jets in the carb, shift kit in the trans and 3:73 or 4:11 rear end gears. Back in the 80’s I simply found a used 3:73 rear for $100 and swapped the entire rear.
I swear I have seen that ford run considerably faster in the past. He had a brush with the wall a few years back. I wonder if he slowed it down after that so as not to destroy the car?
Goodday C & Z East bound & down. I remember watching the movie back in the 70's, thinking where do you buy a car like this in Australia. Saved all my money & bought a model based on the Bandits Poncho. Loved that model, back then no video or TH-cam to reminisce the movie. Now I own all 3 DVD's. Doesn't matter the time on the quarter it's the quality. Both cars are beautifully presented. Your number 1 Fan in Australia Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Bit odd but certainly good even matchup. I can attest to the toughness of the 77 T/A. I abused the hell out of one and it just hung in there ready for more. Guess it didn't have enough power to tear itself up.
TheGunfighter45acp do you remember the “Knight Rider” episode when K.A.R.R first appeared? K.I.T.T. had said something to the affect of K.A.R.R. giving the Pontiac Trans-Am a bad name.
I'm so glad you used clips from the pre-remastered versions of Smokey and the Bandit where they replaced all the bad ass sound effects with lame ass modern effects.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE So that's what that yellow dot is in your avatar. My eyes aren't what they use-ta be. Here's to hoping you don't have an LT-1 under the hood of your Buick.
This one is my favorite so far. I'm a Pontiac nut and Smokey and the Bandit is one of my favorite movies. Saw it theatres back in the day. the GTO is my favorite car but you can't count out a firebird
I've heard that the NHRA tested the 400ci T/A motor and they said it made around 260 horsepower. Quite impressive for the time considering that's how much power my 99 mustang GT makes 😂😂
You are absolutely correct as NHRA factored the HP to 260 in 1977. I had a 1974 Charger Rallye 440-4 magnum stock 275 hp but with 375 foot pounds, with the 3 speed torqueflite and 3.23 gears. Bone stock with a super tune ran 14.00 at 92 mph. The T/A suffers from a hefty weight and running out of breath at the top end. What they give you from the factory is good bones to work from.
@@burningblue1254 A 440 71-4 charger is one of my dream cars, there literally is one that is sitting and rotting a block from my house but the lady that owns it refuses to sell it. I've inquired so many times 😂😂. It's really a shame more people don't appreciate the muscle cars from late in the era, you just have to put a tad bit more work into get them to the beasts most people knew they could be
I converted a 79 Bird with a 301 into a 428 powered Trans Am / Formula clone.Had Trans Am fenders and functional Formula hood. Bought a disc brake rear from an 81....I miss her.
Back in the day I had a 68 400 firebird 2 buddies had a 67 & 69 400s and then another had a 1976 455 4spd black & gold edition firebird. We went to see the movie in the black and gold edition and when we came out there was a crowd around that black and gold bird. Took us forever to get out of there and we were laughing because that car was a dog compared to our 67 -69 400s even though it was a 455. People were saying WOW this one's a 455 ! If I remember the hp was the same, just a little more torque. It was a no go show boat. LOL
True, but you also get a lot more tech for the money. That 34k is one of the most expensive adjusted prices I’ve seen on the channel. I believe the Avanti was the most expensive
Brother the true Y72 package Pontiac 400s in the 78 and 79 models were rated at 220hp and 330 lb ft torque, and actually nhra rated them at 260. Car and driver ran one in 78 in the 1/4 and it ran a mid 14 at 96mph. They were the fastest domestic cars that year, even faster than the corvettes. That's more than respectable, especially in that time period. We had one and it was incredibly fun, not to mention having serious low end torque
I always thought his hole shot at the traffic light used the genuine exhaust note. (The burning rubber sure was real.) Stock 6.6 Litre TA's did not sound like that. I'm a Pontiac purist, and prefer to believe it had a hopped up Pontiac 400. But it could easily have been a 350 Chevy.
Trans Am info below. I owned a new 1978 Z/28 black n gold auto, 79 berlinetta 350 black 4spd, and a 80 gold v6. Ugh yeah I owned it about a week. Lol Stock the Z/28 ran a 15.4 @ 90mph. I didn't race the other two camaros. I owned 3 Trans ams. A 75- blue 76- black and 77 bandit edition, 6.6 auto. The 77 was 180hp. Stock they came with 2.56 gears. It shifted out of 2nd at 80mph. The only way to get the 3.23 gears was to get the optional 4spd man, and TA/6.6 engine which was 200hp in 77, and 220hp in 78 & 79. They all weighed @ 3600lbs. The 77 had Hurst hatch t-tops. They were small but sealed tight. The 76 I had was a 455ci.auto with 200hp 345trq. It would light the tires up easy. It also had a great top speed of 131mph, for then anyway. It ran a 15.77 @ 90mph 1/4mi. The 75 Trans am had a 400ci. With 215hp 350trq. And 2.73 gears. It seemed fast at 15.6sec. @ 96mph quarter mi. These were not California cars. My friend bought a 79 T/A WS6 (WS6=4 wheel disk brakes, 8inch wide snow flake wheels, and stiffer suspension goodies , polyurethane bushings bigger roll bars etc). California car with the 403 Oldsmobile small block engine (all the 400's were big blocks.) 185hp 320trq. It had 3.08 gears and ran a 15.9 @92mph. It laid rubber when it changed into 2nd. Lol. All the Trans ams with the convertor removed, and timing turned up ran much better. The 455 I later put headefunctional. On all ta's I made the hood scoop funtional. Now. Believe this or not the 78, 79, and 80 camaroZ/28's were faster than all but the TA/6.6 TRANS AMS. In the 1/4mi anyway. I loved the z the most of all. We used to race every Saturday night weather permitting. My new ram would smoke them all, that's weird huh? If you have any questions about those cars or others from that Era let me know. P.S. the car in the movie that did the stop light burn out and 2nd gear rubber was a 1976 T/A 455 4sd. Sorry I wrote a book.
The true Pontiac 6.6 was rated at 220 hp, but tested by nhra to be around 260hp with 325tq....they ran a 14.6 at 96mph when tested, and they were completely starved of airflow. You'd be surprised at what just a free flowing exhaust would do. They were the fastest domestic cars built in 78 and could very easily be turned into low 13 high 12 sec cars with minimal work. Our solar gold auto ran a best of 13.27 at 101 with basically just an open exhaust and very few other tweaks. Maybe not all that impressive today but still respectable and very fun. Another fun fact is it wasnt hard to wrap the speedo back around to 0 as there was no peg at 100 to stop it. Put it around 130 mph. That low end torque at 1600rpms would literally make the car lunge forward. Good times. I wish my dad would have kept it. Alot of people dog these cars, but from the mid 80s until he sold the car in the mid 90s, i dont remember him ever losing a race
The operative words were "Look fast." I remember being so paraniod when one of those pulled up beside me in my first car, a 66 300 with a 440..... Yup, even with that heavy Chrysler, just smoked him. My Mom's 77 Buick with a 305 couldn't keep up with a 66 straight 6 chevelle...... Cars in the late 70's were just junk.
I hate the word "iconic" because it's overused and misused by so many people trying to sound hip (like "awesome"; how is EVERYTHING awesome). But this car distinguished itself, for any number of reasons. I love it and wish I had it with the manual transmission. No other way to drive.
I'd like to see that Ford run against a 57 Dodge D501, 355hp 56 Chrysler 300 354 Hemi with two fours in a lightweight 57 Dodge Coronet body was really quite a badass...
I used to have a 78 trans am that was mostly stock other than some hooker headers and a 4.11posi rear. That thing was pretty fast for the day and used to make awesome donuts
I have four 79 Trans Ams, along with 6 Formula birds, 71, 72, 74, 77, 79, and 98, the 79s can easily pull down 20mpg and run 145mph. They were built for top end more than drag racing. The 72 Formula I have is a 455 HO, it runs mid 12s easily with only a set of headers and a mild cam the previous owner installed. The 79 Formula has a 700hp Butler Performance pomp gas 467 in it, and is now around 3000lbs with me in it. I'm more of a GTO kinda guy, but when I was in my teens and 20s these cars were dirt cheap so I picked up a few as drivers and others as parts cars. I got all but the 10th Anniversary TA($2500 in 1987), the 72 Formula($6000 in 2005), and the 98 Formula($7500 in 2004) for less than $500, a couple of them were even given to me for hauling them off.
Your description of the ford 3-speed auto is wrong. You don't drop into low gear for 1st gear. You simply depress the accelerator hard and it drops from 2nd to first gear. The two speed auto would not kick down from second to first.
Bandit rolling in his grave thinking you guys are ruining my muscle car legacy🤣 and Buford T justice rolling in his grave thinking that's all I needed was a Ford like this to catch that Sum Bitch 🤣
Okay, something's not right about that first run. You say the T/A ran a quicker ET and more MPH. I witnessed it being in the lead at half track. But the Ford went around it and passed on the top end, despite allegedly running 13 less MPH. That's not possible. If you're going to win with reaction time, you're in the lead at the start, you don't come back around your opponent on the big end. You can't get passed by a car doing 13 mph less than you. Edit: Okay, I watched it again, the MPH clock is simply wrong. That MPH is impossible for the Ford to be passing a car running faster at that point.
Oh boy, where to start. The result seen is most definitely possible, and the mile per hour is not wrong. Those supercharged engines really pick up mid track, and you can see in the video he easily passed the Trans Am around that time. The mile per hour is less because he was sandbagging (let off the gas) at the end of the 1/4 before the finish line, maybe to be sure he didn’t break out and get disqualified. If you actually drag race you see that all the time.
Okay, I have hundreds and hundreds of passes down the track, so it's not my first rodeo. You cannot be that far behind at mid-track, (the T/A had its whole body in front of the Ford) and then run down your opponent while running 13 mph LESS. Impossible. If you run down ANYONE, it's because you are moving faster. This wasn't a bracket race. There was no dial-in, he wasn't worried about breaking out. If you watch the video, the Ford just barely caught the T/A at the end...it was CLOSE. He did not have time to hit the brakes and lose over TWENTY mph from what it really runs...as seen in the next pass. He only ran .2 quicker, but 21 mph faster. And the race was nearly exactly the same...very close. Was actually closer at mid-track, due to the Ford having a better reaction. But still close. Bottom line is, the MPH in the first run was simply wrong. Timer glitch or something...you cannot scrub off 21 mph and only lose .2, and he wasn't on the brakes anyway...it'd have been obvious if he was on them that hard. Remember, the MPH timer is only 66' from the finish line. I'm not sure you can lose 21 mph at that speed in 66' , but if you did it would have been nose-diving like crazy. Finally, the explanation given is simply incorrect. He said the Ford won with a slower MPH/ET because of reaction time. That's not true. If the Ford was in the lead from the start, and the T/A was the faster car and simply didn't catch him, THAT would be because of reaction time. But that's not what happened. The Ford was behind the first 2/3 (at least) of the track, and only caught the T/A at the end. THAT can only happen if you are running FASTER, and "Faster" means "More MPH" And he also said that in this type of racing, the clock doesn't start until you move. Um, that's ALL types of drag racing. The clock NEVER starts until you move and your front tire clears that staging beam. You can redlight and it starts, or you can sit there for 5 minutes and then it'll start when you move, but not before. Only logical explanation is, the clocks were simply wrong. The Ford really ran a quicker ET and more MPH than that, but the clocks were wrong. Happens all the time. T/A was quicker off the line, Ford had the top end. Clock was just wrong the first time.
@@SealofPerfection Jesus Christ you have too much time on your hand. And yes, you can break out in pure stock racing. Next time look on the website. And yes that can happen if you sand bag and let off the gas before the finish line. You’ve obviously never drag raced.
@@theangrydragon182 Dude, this race here is heads up. You can't break out. YOU look at the rule book. It says nothing about breaking out...that's only bracket and class racing. This is heads up, whoever gets there first wins. Just accept the fact that I'm right and you just learned something.
When they came out with the Trans-Am in '77 I would take my '70 Road Runner out looking for them. Won a bit of money off those fools who thought they were quick. My friends knew me by my favorite line, "I hate Trans-Ams..." Them was fighting(and losing) words for a Trans-Am owner....
Next week I'll probably try posting the drag race video on Tuesday or Wednesday morning instead of the usual Monday. Just a heads-up for you!
the trans am does not weigh 3900 lbs
I would rather have the Ford but I'm old.
@@RC-nt6fo do you realize that you can easily look up the information online? Learn to embrace the beauty and convenience of the Internet, genius.
@@garymckee8857 I would rather have the Ford too. Nothing to do with age, just smart.
OBI-JUAN -KENOBI it sounds on the heavy side to me too but with driver, maybe a full tank of gas, it’s believable. I would have guessed a couple hundred lighter.
That jackie Gleason line about the Germans is still one of the funniest things ever
I still lose it every time I watch that part
💘 that line!!
hahaha yea & I did have something to do with it {born in Germany mid '60s came to the States in '72}...I was there for a lot of the filming of the movie since it was all around my neck of the woods
Now I want to watch “Smokey and the Bandit” again...for the 105th time!
I did..... still good
One of my childhood favorites
Donald Hollums interestingly, as I ordered a 77 TAm77 SPECIAL EDITION/Hurst in OCT 76,,& got in March 77.....ps the Hurst Hatches seeped down into frame and body ,etc also: junkied it in 1995?) ..Ziebart just kept all salt and moisture inside body, frame. , and sort of helped sound deadening, and outside, etc,
That was really interesting. LOVED seeing the 57 Ford and Trans Am race!
That T/A is super clean! Not very quick but very cool!
I believe it’s an award winning car
@outdoor fun dude, we can see the video. The car is slow as shit. Smoking the tires doesn’t equate to a fast car dumbass. Nonsense is right, you fuckin condescending moron.
@outdoor fun Actual Muscle cars were, a Factory stock 79 TATA is a Dog, even Jim Wangers said so.
Replace the cylinder heads Ram air #3 with the exhaust manifolds then it becomes a monster
There was a Z7 performance option on the Pontiac 400. It was 220 hp net. 1/4 mile 14.78 w optional 3.73 gears. That was my personal experience
I believe the speed on the Ford's first run was actually 94.73 as it came from behind and passed the TA.... confirmed by 95mph in the second run.
Yeah, it's pretty hard to catch someone if you're going slower than them. Maybe he just spiked the brake at the end?
Smokey And The Bandit has actually aged pretty well, unlike a lot of movies from that era. Gleason was absolute money
Very true! I wonder if they’ll ever try to do a remake. It’d be pretty hard to live up to that movie
Movie car wasn't stock.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE no shit, genius
@@sometimesieatcake4156 Lol...you acting like you already knew that. That's funny, extra chromosome boy. Tell us why you dine on dog pecker. You know...for another good dinger.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE Um, yeah, I did know that. But are you too fucking stupid to realize your comment had NOTHING to do with my original statement about how the movie aged well? Talk about extra chromosomes, moron. HAHA. And why are you obsessed with "dog pecker?"
That 57 Ford with the factory supercharger is definitely my favorite non-Mopar of the 50's. They were probably the fastest car you could buy in America in 1957. Ford conservatively rated them at 300 horsepower but the company who built the supercharger...Paxton McCullough...said that the supercharged Ford 312 Y-Block was capable of anywhere between 340-360 horsepower depending on how it was tuned. The blown Ford's dominated NASCAR in 1957 until superchargers, fuel injection, and multiple carburetors were all banned. The only thing that really held those cars back were the 3 speed manual transmissions. I think Chevy was the only manufacturer who had a 4 speed manual at that time and the only really good automatic transmission out there back then(especially for racing use) was the Chrysler 727 Torqueflite. I recently watched a video on TH-cam on a red 57 Ford Ranchero with the factory supercharged 312...1 out of only 2 Ranchero's built that year with the factory blower. The same people actually own them both now along with literally about 1,000 other classic American muscle cars and hot rods. It's called the Brothers Collection. Lucky bastards
Cool car. I would like to see that ford run against a 57 rambler rebel.
be a good race between the Ford and a 57 Merc super marauder, think the Merc would win though
Jeremy Thompson me too. & , love the 57!!!!Had 56 FORD TBIRD Engine/ 4 Door/ AUTOMACITC/ AC )?)LOW MILes , that got wrecked just after buying( not my Gault) ALSO,Had at ***77 SPED ED / Hurst/6.6 L,TAm, for MANY YEARS,... not real fast, but BEST DRIFINGMAND HALDLING, was fairly high speed with standard rear ended .....
F code Fairlanes/T birds in ‘57 were way cool and a neighbor actually had a new one in
‘57. Red 2 door post car. With that said the fasted cars in ‘57 were 392 mopar hemis with 2x 4 bbls. Look up Dodge 501D ( not the 500D) or Chrysler 300
Kim Morrison thanks, I forgot about the dual Quad MOPAR, not sure about rated HP,,,, Actually I was Ford fan then too: had a 56 FIrlane T Bird engine/ AUTO/ 4 Door** LOW MILES Florida Car ( have a memory of ac, not working.) rare ,, for totaled in two Month: had plans to SAVE & work it up & keep it. .. Though Led to 61 Ford Clnvertible ( a junk), and my 66 GALAXIE XL/400/ 4 SPD/352/ Burgandy:: that I really drove a lot , and improved until 1973 ish....
In the movie one car was stock and the one that raised hell had a mild built 455. My dad has a magazine from the day. I remember it had roller rockers. I played the pick up the bride scene over and over as a kid to see that 2nd gear rubber until my vhs tape wore out 🤘🏼
Brother you ain't the only one to do that sweet strips!! Hope your doing good man..
One of the movie T/As was a 4 speed.
Hal Needham said in an interview {its somewhere here on TH-cam, look it up} all of them had the base 400 automatics expect the one that did the bridge jump which was a built 350 as the 400s 185hp {W72 400 4sp was 220hp} were not powerful enough to jump the car
Ford man here. This truly warms my heart. GO FORD GO BLUE.
I learned to drive in a 57 custom 300, blue and white with 272 cid engine. Had another about 30 years ago. Love that body.
I learned in a 57 RanchWagon with 292 tow package. Loved it. Like to have one now.
I'm not a Ford guy but, I'd have to say that the 300 is my favorite between these two since I find there's an awful lot of those Trans Ams out there and I've never seen an old Ford with a supercharger like that before.
I've drag raced everything from 9 sec altereds, to 22 second pintos. I love drag racing and know they were having a ball regardless of the et. The Ford winning on a hole shot was awesome!
As long as the competition is close, it's a lot of fun.
A great video! I love the combination of a 50’s car when things were starting to really move and a late 70’s car when things were slowing down! People were starting to get used to the lower power but still enjoyed racing them! An interesting time
Pretty interesting match. When I saw they got paired together I wasn’t sure how it would go 👍
my dads 57 ford beat a 77 trans am, In 1965 he blew up that 312 in his 57 country squire 4 dr wagon. replaced the 312 with a 368 out of a 57 merc marauder. the 368 was a "y" block and bolted right in and the dual quad's off another 312 made that WAGON very quick. you were right about Ford's best offer was a 312, Not so with Mercury!!
I know it been a year since anyone commented but needed to put my 2 cents in. I am 77 years old and used to race back in the early 60's as a young dude . In the right setup you could make those 312's move! In 1963 I had a 1954 2dr Ford Mainline (2980 lbs) a 1957 312 bored .60 over, heads cleaned up and shaved, big thumper cam, Mallory ignition, dual 4 barrels (was an option in 57) 4:11 gears Race clutch setup and 3 speed box (Hurst shifter). Mostly raced on the streets and at the Friday night Grudge Races at the old Puyallup Drag strip in WA state. It would make those 62 Chevy 327 SS guys so pissed when that old Ford would beat them....It was fun car! But I soon went the FE route for more fun until Uncle Sam said he needed me! Then it was no Fun! lol
My dad had a '58 with a 352 Intercepter Special. He street raced, and beat a Savoy with either a 392, or a 413 twice.
The nice thing about those TRANS AM'S, easily built up.
You can build a very good running Pontiac 400 or 455 even today using mostly aftermarket parts, lots of great NOS stuff out there too.
A cam, exhaust,shave the heads for more compression,they will wake right up.
well he better start right away. That was embarrassing
You could wake up those old T/A's easily with headers and exhaust and timing. They were 14 second cars with just that, easily. I had a 76, same motor. 2.41 gears, headers, and I bumped up the timing....it ran mid-14's and mid-9's in the 1/8.
They were great cars considering the crappy suspension and feather like power steering. I remember the rear swaybar bushings going out which caused a really dangerous rear wobble under speed.
I had a 1977 Trans Am with the better TA 6.6, auto and 3.23 rear. Oh and those heads had a bit more compression and I found had threaded rocker arm studs so I was able to put those RA ones right in. With just a true dual exhaust, the addition of Ram Air IV 1.65 rockers which really woke it up, recurved distributor and a functional hood scoop I got 1/4 mile times at Milan dragway of between 13.85 to 14 between 98 and 100 mph. The engine had a lot of potential if tweaked.
I used 6x #4 91cc heads on a 68 428...Gave me about 9.6:1...The exhaust valve reduction from 1.77 to 1.66 in the 6x didn't hurt performance at all as these were actually good flowing heads
Another trick is a R/A float in the Quadrajet. increases fuel capacity. The float is smaller.
Edward Pate Thanks....yes, ,me too. We ordered the SPECIAL ED/ HURST/6.6/ automcruise, Velour INTERIOR,ERC ON OCT 1976, getting from Hurst in March 1977.... super driver: I tweaked slight with Recurve, REJET CARB, OPEN HOOD SCOOP, ETC. ANYWAYSM , never a monster Horse power,, FOR some reason, I,did not order TA6.6 Engine:: interestingly in retrospect: I’m would have skipped the Hurst Hatch( they le@ked), and gotten 4 Speed/TA ENGINE(** then out those “ NEW “ cruise Controls in that......Ziebart outing helped some, except seepage from tops into frames and body,,,...good times.
You know what I loved about the old days . Freedom., .40c for a toll . And nobody to stop you . When you heard the cartoon wind up to the highest whine ..
The carbs stop flowing into a stale bliss … bad ass sounding.
Impressive numbers for a low compression smog motor that weighs nearly 2 Tons
my first car was a '57 ford 300....292 with a 3-spd and yes 4.11 rear end. i blew up 6 tranny's trying to get 100 mph out of second gear, then the engine blew and i swapped it out for a junkyard 312, i put the 4 barrel off the 292 on it.....i made it thru my first winter and sold it to a friend so i could buy my '62 bonnevile 389 tripower with a 4 spd. life was good. thanks for posting this blast from my past.
i would rather have the 57 ford custom even with the bad transmission what a sleeper
Crazy thing is that when he had a 3-speed manual column shift that car was running in the high 13s!
@@CarsAndZebras I have seen them with a 3 speed manual + overdrive and a there isn’t much from that period that quick. Maybe a Chrysler 300- D but maybe not even those. In ‘58 maybe an AMC Rebel and a Mercury 430 ?
By 1959 big-blocks we’re taking-over.
Damn those Trans Am just looked the business! Slow cars but who cares. You can still do some sick burnouts and just cruise! Love these videos! Why, you don’t have more subs, is beyond me?
Compare the 72 to 79 Formula and Trans Am to the Mustang, Camaro and any car from Dodge, and despite the regulations they were doing good for the time. High 14s were enough to win most street races until the late 1990s.
I’m lucky to have the subscribers that I already do. The muscle car era is pretty much dead, so only so many people interested in stuff like this now. That’s why I add the other humor; just trying to get a younger crowd interested.
@@CarsAndZebras Ya know, driving around in my 65 GTO I get lots of college age and younger kids geeking out over it. They think those cars are cool, but they also think they can't afford one. They think they have to spend $20k on a Kia or a honda, rather than buying an old two door for $1500-$5000 and building it the way they want it to be. Then they think the honda is going to be faster, because they believe the propaganda.
Look at the racing videos like SRC and 1320, its lots of young guys going fast with junk and turbos.
You're right about a big thing, the chalk mark resto guys are losing influence and dying off, they want the car they couldn't afford in high school, or one like they had before my 50 year old ass was born.
The guys my around age and down to 40 are building crazy street machines, that turn, haul ass, and look cool. I kinda like looking stock but hauling ass. My 65 is a daily driver, so it has wheels and a 2012 Ford paint on it. Then it has hidden stuff, like the sometimes EFI 455 on E85, 700R4, WS6 swaybars, Jeep steering box, and a thumpin stereo I can hear over the Pypes system under it.
People want to see cars racing more than they want to see some crazy guy like me building them. Also it takes hours of working on the car and then making the video to do the build videos.
Its kinda cool seeing them in pure stock form running good times like 12s and faster. The humor is fun, I laugh at some of your jokes, groan at others, but smile at all of them. Keep doing your thing, and post more often, you'll get more subscribers.
@@CarsAndZebras I have a buddy whose well off in his early 40's and he buys old muscle cars all the time has a matching numbers Chevelle SS (forgot the year) and a n original paint black 69 Z28. So he's always wheeling and dealing old muscle car parts with old timers and they always tell him "you're a rare breed man, nobody cares about these old cars anymore can't even get my grand children into them" :( it's really sad to hear. But thats the power of videos games.
@@SweatyFatGuy That or they would rather spend $25K on a used skyline from japan. While its a cool car and all but for $25K you can go much much faster..
I think I may have taken a nap during that drag race.
Pontiac designers did a fabulous job maximizing the visual appeal of the Firebird and Trans Am; these cars were gorgeous, available in great colours and brilliant graphic packages, and 1977 saw the introduction of the glorious "Snowflake" wheels. The Formula Firebird could also be embellished handsomely. The engines were sluggish in the mid-range, but low end torque was strong, making them still satisfying to drive in everyday conditions. They sold extremely well, peaking in 1979 with an astounding 116,535 Trans Ams produced, up from 93,351 in '78.
Very true. I’m sure pontiac knew there was only so much performance they could put in the car, so they made it as fast-looking as possible.
Burt Reynolds better be driving that Trans Am!
Also, Jackie Gleason is the best part of Smokey and the Bandit. He was beyond hilarious and perfect for the role.
The T/A's time is totally indicative of the time it was built, when the Vette wasn't making any more HP than the T/A. Very sad days/years for car fans around the country.
Haha great edit when you mention Sally Field 🤣🤣
I was like ,yup that's her 🤣🤣
Probably how she is the most memorable for a lot of us 😏
2022: Excellent. Very cool and very informative. Thank You
Neither one burnt up the track, however both look to be fun!!!
I wouldn’t complain about having either car! I wonder what it’d be like driving the Ford every day
Wow my childhood dreams are crushed!!!! I always thought the Pontiac were fast.
Well....... it at least looks fast 😎
@@CarsAndZebras yeah I am use to all show no go. I am a Cleveland Browns fan......
The 1974 Trans Am with the 455 SD was the last fast Trans Am from that era.
Pontiac continued to slip the 455 SD by the regulators until the unleaded gas debuted in 1975.
The 1974 Trans Am 455 Super Duty was faster than 1972-74 Corvettes with the 454 LS5 engine.
ted101975 it’s the rear gearing for the later ones if you had either the 400 or 403 the poor horsepower output could be fixed with basic engine parts even if you had the automatic what is holding it back is the fact that the gearing is meant for cruising not speed
I live not far away from the Mid Michigan Motorplex and I also happen to own a 1979 Trans Am Y84 Special Edition "Bandit" T/A 6.6 400/4-speed. Its a restoration project and I hope to take to the Motorplex in the future. I'm not surprised about a stock T/A's performance, but this was the smog era and very few cars were fast, but the T/A was the top dog and could be given good power if it had a tuneup. Good video and great background on both cars.
Even though the 77 was made well into the net HP era, I can say with full confidence that it did not make peak power at 3600. Not saying it made 180/200 at 3600 and 400 at 5k, but they made peak power at 4500ish rpm. The question remains, how much power is there left in that extra 1000rpm? And the 1600rpm is very low rpm for that torque figure, which is good, but as with hp peak torque was probably closer to 370 at 2500-3k rpm. They rated it like it's a diesel lol.
I was reading on some TA forums and most said their cars bone stock were 150-170 at the wheels. So crank up could very well be in the low to.mid 200s. But the gearing lazy automatic and weight really drag the car down.
NHRA rated the T/A 6.6 at 260 horsepower, but there’s a lot to be gained just from exhaust work
TA is awesome car, but I was pulling for the Ford, 50's cars had style that still hasn't been matched.
It’s an oddly close match!
I’m surprised that the Ford does not blow away the Trans Am. Those were dark days (late 1970’s) for car enthusiasts. 180 HP from 400 CID motor. Hard to imagine.
Ford was putting out 360 hp in the 50’s !?!?!
Probably more like 330-340.... but yeah, pretty crazy.
Don't forget that the Ford's horsepower was rated with gross horsepower, which was a higher number rating system....while the TA's horsepower was rated as net HP, a lower number rating system. After 71, the HP rating systems changed to the lower net numbers for all cars. So, if the Ford were rated with net HP, like the TA, its HP numbers would be lower. If the TA's HP was rated with the old gross rating system, its numbers would be higher. So, the HP between the 2 cars is not as far apart as it seems, but the Ford still probably had 60-70 hp more than the TA. With it's lighter weight and lower rear gear ratio, I'm surprised the Ford didn't win by a larger margin.
I've seen that ford run much quicker than it did in this video I think this channel has another video on it also showing it stretch its legs out
@@trevordevins1042 CnZ said it had a 3 speed before..
That was like watching the highway or a parade. 😆
Kind of like a parade, just a little slower
@@CarsAndZebras still cool though I learned alot about the fjord
Nitrous oxide helped the movie car. The actual car for the public is one slow car.
Funny how much they changed the sound of the bandit car for the movie
Yeah..... they just changed the engine. It’s pretty much stock. 😎
They removed the mufflers and the cat. The movie car was far from stock.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE yes, we all know that. My point is that this sounds very different from a stock 6.6 litre
@@theangrydragon182
A stock 77 TA exhaust is whisper quiet. My friend had a maroon 77 TA 455 and his stock exhaust was whisper quiet. Another friend of mine had a black and gold 79 TA with a 403 and his stock exhaust was also whisper quiet. Don't know what ur comparing sounds to.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE Removing mufflers and cat doesn't make the car "far from stock"
I had that exact TA except for color, I was beating a dead horse trying to step it up so traded for a 4 speed TA 6/6 and the difference is way more than the 20 HP specs would make you think. Revs waay higher stock and chirps 4th gear.
I remember racing one of those 'birds with my '78 Chevy van. There were no emissions on 3/4 ton trucks - so you got the 4-bolt engine and didn't take much to help it breathe a bit better.
So sad to see a van able to beat a T/A. Trucks ruled at the time due to that emissions rule.
That van was 2800 bucks out the door.
Yep. That's the reason Dodge built the Lil Red Express and Midnight Express trucks
7.6:1 compression, 4000 pounds, and 3.23 gears... Thanks EPA. Way to ruin a good thing.
Actually the 180 hp 400 had a 2.41 gear from the factory and the 200 hp 400 had the 3.23 gear.
@@1972Ventura455ho ouch. Its amazing people didn't just abandon cars and but mopeds.
Th EPA, destroying muscle since 197x.
Good video. I remember reading that the Trans Ams that were in the movie had built big block Chevys in them to get them to do the stunts for the film's. They sure we're great looking and handling car though. The question is, was Fred in the back seat .....
:)
Were they actually drag racing or were they just Sunday driving?
Timothy Isenhart yeah, after watching the Plymouth and Dodge Hemis and the GM Big-Block cars run it was easy to get drowsy watching this film.
They were having a casual conversation down the quarter mile. You can see that the Ford has his window down
No way. those guys were white knuckled and screaming the entire length. "YEEEEHAAAA"!!
(LOL)
My teenage years were back in the mid-70s. Low 16 sec. Was actually pretty good for a new stock car back then. Camaros were a little slower than trans am's and Mustangs were in the mid 17 sec. range.
@@donaldhollums3278 yeah but we are talking old school bro 13s14sand low15s wasn't bad it seems like yesterday when my 13.7 lt1 ws6 use to kiss some ass back when they first came back out in the later 90s I gave stock 5.0s hell back then
New York Pontiac shop Nunzi Pontiac had a set up, really cheap and easy, to get these T/A’s in the low 13’s. A curve kit for the distributor, bigger jets in the carb, shift kit in the trans and 3:73 or 4:11 rear end gears. Back in the 80’s I simply found a used 3:73 rear for $100 and swapped the entire rear.
Love to resto mod a 70's trans am! Love the shape of those cars!!
I swear I have seen that ford run considerably faster in the past. He had a brush with the wall a few years back. I wonder if he slowed it down after that so as not to destroy the car?
Could have used movie clips from Thunder Road staring Robert Mitchum and the 1957 Fords.
I would have expected that ford to be way heavier
Goodday C & Z
East bound & down.
I remember watching the movie back in the 70's, thinking where do you buy a car like this in Australia.
Saved all my money & bought a model based on the Bandits Poncho.
Loved that model, back then no video or TH-cam to reminisce the movie.
Now I own all 3 DVD's.
Doesn't matter the time on the quarter it's the quality.
Both cars are beautifully presented.
Your number 1 Fan in Australia
Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
That’s a pretty interesting story! Those Trans Ams seem like good drivers
Bit odd but certainly good even matchup. I can attest to the toughness of the 77 T/A. I abused the hell out of one and it just hung in there ready for more. Guess it didn't have enough power to tear itself up.
A lot of the parts were over built in that car, and you’re right, with that power output it really wasn’t tested all too much
The T/A truly is an icon. You gotta think Pontiac was thinking the same thing when Knight Rider & KITT came out, but...
TheGunfighter45acp do you remember the “Knight Rider” episode when K.A.R.R first appeared? K.I.T.T. had said something to the affect of K.A.R.R. giving the Pontiac Trans-Am a bad name.
Hell yeah....I chose the Ford.
Good choice!
My '57 Ford Custom would easily humiliate the '77 T/A by at least 3 seconds quicker. Less CID engine than the T/A also.
50s cars are gorgeous
I'm so glad you used clips from the pre-remastered versions of Smokey and the Bandit where they replaced all the bad ass sound effects with lame ass modern effects.
BTW The Smokey And The Bandit Series is one of my all time favorites!!
Felt like I was watching a turtle race
pack a lunch for this one
Most Pontiacs and Fords are like that.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE Funny guy. You must be a bow tie lover.
@@joequillun7790 Yeah, that's why I have my '70 Buick Stage I GSX as my picture. But I do love Bowties and some Pontiacs too.
@@LT1HILLINGHOE So that's what that yellow dot is in your avatar. My eyes aren't what they use-ta be. Here's to hoping you don't have an LT-1 under the hood of your Buick.
This one is my favorite so far. I'm a Pontiac nut and Smokey and the Bandit is one of my favorite movies. Saw it theatres back in the day. the GTO is my favorite car but you can't count out a firebird
H-O Racing Specialties made a nice blow-through turbo kit for these and the low 7.6:1 compression ratio made it a prime candidate for one.
I've heard that the NHRA tested the 400ci T/A motor and they said it made around 260 horsepower. Quite impressive for the time considering that's how much power my 99 mustang GT makes 😂😂
You are absolutely correct as NHRA factored the HP to 260 in 1977. I had a 1974 Charger Rallye 440-4 magnum stock 275 hp but with 375 foot pounds, with the 3 speed torqueflite and 3.23 gears. Bone stock with a super tune ran 14.00 at 92 mph. The T/A suffers from a hefty weight and running out of breath at the top end. What they give you from the factory is good bones to work from.
You are correct with the NHRA rating the T/A 6.6 as 260 horsepower. I don’t think they had much to say about the 6.6 Litre.
@@burningblue1254 A 440 71-4 charger is one of my dream cars, there literally is one that is sitting and rotting a block from my house but the lady that owns it refuses to sell it. I've inquired so many times 😂😂. It's really a shame more people don't appreciate the muscle cars from late in the era, you just have to put a tad bit more work into get them to the beasts most people knew they could be
Yes I think that was a w72 400 they held some back for the 79 10th anniversary T/A as well
Sorry, it ran a 15.00 flat at 92 mph. My mistake!
I converted a 79 Bird with a 301 into a 428 powered Trans Am / Formula clone.Had Trans Am fenders and functional Formula hood. Bought a disc brake rear from an 81....I miss her.
Back in the day I had a 68 400 firebird 2 buddies had a 67 & 69 400s and then another had a 1976 455 4spd black & gold edition firebird. We went to see the movie in the black and gold edition and when we came out there was a crowd around that black and gold bird. Took us forever to get out of there and we were laughing because that car was a dog compared to our 67 -69 400s even though it was a 455. People were saying WOW this one's a 455 ! If I remember the hp was the same, just a little more torque. It was a no go show boat. LOL
You are correct, the 455 in 1976 was only around 200 hp! 😖
@@CarsAndZebras Yeah, I'd give it a 3 fart ratings.
@@benkrom2737 Those 68 firebirds that had the little known RA2 engine were dragstrip terrors.
34k car today is pretty normal.....Sally is HAWT
True, but you also get a lot more tech for the money. That 34k is one of the most expensive adjusted prices I’ve seen on the channel. I believe the Avanti was the most expensive
Jackie Gleason was a comedic genius BTW!!..
On the TA remove all smog crap and the car would run very strong
Could have been tuned better too, block the heat risers, advance the cam for that piss poor compression and run more timing than the law allows...
Brother the true Y72 package Pontiac 400s in the 78 and 79 models were rated at 220hp and 330 lb ft torque, and actually nhra rated them at 260. Car and driver ran one in 78 in the 1/4 and it ran a mid 14 at 96mph. They were the fastest domestic cars that year, even faster than the corvettes. That's more than respectable, especially in that time period. We had one and it was incredibly fun, not to mention having serious low end torque
As long as they were TA/6.6 cars yes they had 220hp. And the test was a 1979 TA/6.6 4sd car. Still have it.
I don't care who wins that Ford is awesome!!! Maybe I'm just old!!!
Most people, "That TA is gonna win."
Ford, "Hold my beer!"🍺
Me,👍😁
Pretty close race! 👍
The TA has an edge in aerodynamics as well...
I believe the bandit ta used in the movie had a hopped up 350
I always thought his hole shot at the traffic light used the genuine exhaust note. (The burning rubber sure was real.) Stock 6.6 Litre TA's did not sound like that. I'm a Pontiac purist, and prefer to believe it had a hopped up Pontiac 400. But it could easily have been a 350 Chevy.
Nicee cars and raceee¡!¡¡
👍
How does that sweet Ford keep getting around the bird on the big end!?!
Trans Am info below. I owned a new 1978 Z/28 black n gold auto, 79 berlinetta 350 black 4spd, and a 80 gold v6. Ugh yeah I owned it about a week. Lol Stock the Z/28 ran a 15.4 @ 90mph. I didn't race the other two camaros.
I owned 3 Trans ams. A 75- blue 76- black and 77 bandit edition, 6.6 auto. The 77 was 180hp. Stock they came with 2.56 gears. It shifted out of 2nd at 80mph. The only way to get the 3.23 gears was to get the optional 4spd man, and TA/6.6 engine which was 200hp in 77, and 220hp in 78 & 79. They all weighed @ 3600lbs. The 77 had Hurst hatch t-tops. They were small but sealed tight.
The 76 I had was a 455ci.auto with 200hp 345trq. It would light the tires up easy. It also had a great top speed of 131mph, for then anyway. It ran a 15.77 @ 90mph 1/4mi.
The 75 Trans am had a 400ci. With 215hp 350trq. And 2.73 gears. It seemed fast at 15.6sec. @ 96mph quarter mi. These were not California cars. My friend bought a 79 T/A WS6 (WS6=4 wheel disk brakes, 8inch wide snow flake wheels, and stiffer suspension goodies , polyurethane bushings bigger roll bars etc). California car with the 403 Oldsmobile small block engine (all the 400's were big blocks.) 185hp 320trq. It had 3.08 gears and ran a 15.9 @92mph. It laid rubber when it changed into 2nd. Lol. All the Trans ams with the convertor removed, and timing turned up ran much better. The 455 I later put headefunctional. On all ta's I made the hood scoop funtional.
Now. Believe this or not the 78, 79, and 80 camaroZ/28's were faster than all but the TA/6.6 TRANS AMS. In the 1/4mi anyway. I loved the z the most of all. We used to race every Saturday night weather permitting. My new ram would smoke them all, that's weird huh?
If you have any questions about those cars or others from that Era let me know.
P.S. the car in the movie that did the stop light burn out and 2nd gear rubber was a 1976 T/A 455 4sd. Sorry I wrote a book.
The true Pontiac 6.6 was rated at 220 hp, but tested by nhra to be around 260hp with 325tq....they ran a 14.6 at 96mph when tested, and they were completely starved of airflow. You'd be surprised at what just a free flowing exhaust would do. They were the fastest domestic cars built in 78 and could very easily be turned into low 13 high 12 sec cars with minimal work. Our solar gold auto ran a best of 13.27 at 101 with basically just an open exhaust and very few other tweaks. Maybe not all that impressive today but still respectable and very fun. Another fun fact is it wasnt hard to wrap the speedo back around to 0 as there was no peg at 100 to stop it. Put it around 130 mph. That low end torque at 1600rpms would literally make the car lunge forward. Good times. I wish my dad would have kept it. Alot of people dog these cars, but from the mid 80s until he sold the car in the mid 90s, i dont remember him ever losing a race
You speak faster than these two cars.
He’s actually the reason youtube allows you to change playback speed
Just take much to do that
The ones used in smokey and the bandit were 76 models..due to movie production. They just put a 77 nose on it..and it had the 455
The car jumping scenes did not have the 6.6. They needed a lightweight engine so they went with the 350 Chevy. This is what I have read.
Don't Play With Yourself On My Highway... The best Buford line of all IMO!!
The operative words were "Look fast." I remember being so paraniod when one of those pulled up beside me in my first car, a 66 300 with a 440..... Yup, even with that heavy Chrysler, just smoked him. My Mom's 77 Buick with a 305 couldn't keep up with a 66 straight 6 chevelle...... Cars in the late 70's were just junk.
I'll take the 57 Ford .
I voted for the Ford Custom, but I don't think I even heard any wheel spinning... 😂😂😂... did you notice Burt was using your Zebra 🦓 hammock? phttttt 🤣
Just do a neutral drop on that T/A and could probably get those tires spinning
when i was a kid back then we thought those t/a's were fast 16 second 1/4 mile!!......its stats like that that the fast and furious films go by
I hate the word "iconic" because it's overused and misused by so many people trying to sound hip (like "awesome"; how is EVERYTHING awesome). But this car distinguished itself, for any number of reasons. I love it and wish I had it with the manual transmission. No other way to drive.
RIP Bert Reynolds
I'd like to see that Ford run against a 57 Dodge D501, 355hp 56 Chrysler 300 354 Hemi with two fours in a lightweight 57 Dodge Coronet body was really quite a badass...
Hay man lets watch the grass grow
Sally's tush was the highlight of the movie.
anything on the studebakers from 56-57 ?
nah, but at some point in the future I will have a race featuring a 1955 Studebaker Commander.
I used to have a 78 trans am that was mostly stock other than some hooker headers and a 4.11posi rear. That thing was pretty fast for the day and used to make awesome donuts
I have four 79 Trans Ams, along with 6 Formula birds, 71, 72, 74, 77, 79, and 98, the 79s can easily pull down 20mpg and run 145mph. They were built for top end more than drag racing.
The 72 Formula I have is a 455 HO, it runs mid 12s easily with only a set of headers and a mild cam the previous owner installed. The 79 Formula has a 700hp Butler Performance pomp gas 467 in it, and is now around 3000lbs with me in it. I'm more of a GTO kinda guy, but when I was in my teens and 20s these cars were dirt cheap so I picked up a few as drivers and others as parts cars. I got all but the 10th Anniversary TA($2500 in 1987), the 72 Formula($6000 in 2005), and the 98 Formula($7500 in 2004) for less than $500, a couple of them were even given to me for hauling them off.
And 30 years after the Smokey TA, Pontiac gave us the gift of the Aztec. smh
And then the closed their doors shortly thereafter.... coincidence?
Your description of the ford 3-speed auto is wrong. You don't drop into low gear for 1st gear. You simply depress the accelerator hard and it drops from 2nd to first gear. The two speed auto would not kick down from second to first.
That 1977 T/A was heavier than that year's downsized Pontiac Catalina/Bonneville B-bodies! (4/10/2022)
TA wins auto for me since I owned 1 & it is 1 of my favorite cars. Love the 77/78 TA.
Bandit rolling in his grave thinking you guys are ruining my muscle car legacy🤣 and Buford T justice rolling in his grave thinking that's all I needed was a Ford like this to catch that Sum Bitch 🤣
Ford for the win...my guess
Okay, something's not right about that first run. You say the T/A ran a quicker ET and more MPH. I witnessed it being in the lead at half track. But the Ford went around it and passed on the top end, despite allegedly running 13 less MPH.
That's not possible. If you're going to win with reaction time, you're in the lead at the start, you don't come back around your opponent on the big end. You can't get passed by a car doing 13 mph less than you.
Edit: Okay, I watched it again, the MPH clock is simply wrong. That MPH is impossible for the Ford to be passing a car running faster at that point.
BTW, Smokey and the Bandit is an absolute classic, YOU SUMBITCH!
Oh boy, where to start. The result seen is most definitely possible, and the mile per hour is not wrong. Those supercharged engines really pick up mid track, and you can see in the video he easily passed the Trans Am around that time. The mile per hour is less because he was sandbagging (let off the gas) at the end of the 1/4 before the finish line, maybe to be sure he didn’t break out and get disqualified. If you actually drag race you see that all the time.
Okay, I have hundreds and hundreds of passes down the track, so it's not my first rodeo.
You cannot be that far behind at mid-track, (the T/A had its whole body in front of the Ford) and then run down your opponent while running 13 mph LESS. Impossible. If you run down ANYONE, it's because you are moving faster.
This wasn't a bracket race. There was no dial-in, he wasn't worried about breaking out.
If you watch the video, the Ford just barely caught the T/A at the end...it was CLOSE.
He did not have time to hit the brakes and lose over TWENTY mph from what it really runs...as seen in the next pass. He only ran .2 quicker, but 21 mph faster.
And the race was nearly exactly the same...very close. Was actually closer at mid-track, due to the Ford having a better reaction. But still close.
Bottom line is, the MPH in the first run was simply wrong. Timer glitch or something...you cannot scrub off 21 mph and only lose .2, and he wasn't on the brakes anyway...it'd have been obvious if he was on them that hard. Remember, the MPH timer is only 66' from the finish line. I'm not sure you can lose 21 mph at that speed in 66' , but if you did it would have been nose-diving like crazy.
Finally, the explanation given is simply incorrect. He said the Ford won with a slower MPH/ET because of reaction time. That's not true. If the Ford was in the lead from the start, and the T/A was the faster car and simply didn't catch him, THAT would be because of reaction time.
But that's not what happened. The Ford was behind the first 2/3 (at least) of the track, and only caught the T/A at the end. THAT can only happen if you are running FASTER, and "Faster" means "More MPH"
And he also said that in this type of racing, the clock doesn't start until you move. Um, that's ALL types of drag racing. The clock NEVER starts until you move and your front tire clears that staging beam. You can redlight and it starts, or you can sit there for 5 minutes and then it'll start when you move, but not before.
Only logical explanation is, the clocks were simply wrong. The Ford really ran a quicker ET and more MPH than that, but the clocks were wrong. Happens all the time.
T/A was quicker off the line, Ford had the top end. Clock was just wrong the first time.
@@SealofPerfection Jesus Christ you have too much time on your hand. And yes, you can break out in pure stock racing. Next time look on the website. And yes that can happen if you sand bag and let off the gas before the finish line. You’ve obviously never drag raced.
@@theangrydragon182 Dude, this race here is heads up. You can't break out. YOU look at the rule book. It says nothing about breaking out...that's only bracket and class racing. This is heads up, whoever gets there first wins. Just accept the fact that I'm right and you just learned something.
How does that work do they subtract your reaction time from your ET?
When they came out with the Trans-Am in '77 I would take my '70 Road Runner out looking for them. Won a bit of money off those fools who thought they were quick. My friends knew me by my favorite line, "I hate Trans-Ams..." Them was fighting(and losing) words for a Trans-Am owner....
Btw the 3800 lbs is a skyliner. That car weighs 3100 empty and 3300 with a driver