'99 TransAm & Tire/tool trailer for sale

Hey folks,

Some recent life changes have motivated me to try and sell my car and autocross accessories. It's been really wet out here lately, so the car is just too dirty to take any nice pictures of it (besides, you all know what a '99 Pewter TransAm looks like (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ). Once we dry out, I'll get it cleaned up and snap some shots. For right now, I'd like to sell everything as a package, but priority goes to selling the car. So if someone wants the car but doesn't want the trailer, wheels, tires, etc, then I'm more than happy to work with that. I'm not willing to sell any of the parts or the trailer until the car sells, or until at least a week or two go by.

Also, if a deal is made before June (when classes start up and I no longer have the free time), I'm willing to drive a fair distance to help get the car delivered. Maybe not all the way to the east coast, but probably half way, near a major airport.

I'm asking $13,000 o.b.o. for the entire package below, and I'm willing to mix and match if you don't want everything. Some options include leaving out some/all the wheels, tires, and/or trailer (pretty obviously). I'd also give a discount if you want it with out the stereo/speakers/sub/amps if you're looking for strictly AutoX'ing and want to cut out a little weight and cost. I'll also consider discounting the car if you want some suspension downgrades, but would rather keep it as a package for now.

Here are the basics:
1999 Pontiac TransAm
One owner
5.7L LS1 V8 Engine
6 Speed T56 Transmission with Factory Hurst Shifter
82k Miles on the Chassis, 19k miles on the Engine

Changed or serviced when the engine was changed, or more recently:
-New Clutch and Flywheel
-New A/C Compressor and Condenser
-New Alternator
-New Brake Pads and Rotors
-New Iridium Plugs and Wires
-New Fuel Filter
-New Optima Red Top Battery
-Serviced Entire Coolant System
-Serviced Transmission
-Serviced Differential
-New ARP Wheel studs
-New Yokohama S.Drive 275/45-17 tires (3k miles)

Handling Upgrades:
-Shocks - Koni Adjustable Sport Shocks (8k miles)
-Springs - Strano Performance Springs (8k miles)
-Sway Bars - Strano Hollow Sway Bars (35/22mm) (8k miles)
--Panhard Bar - UMI Double Adjustable Chrome-Moly (8k miles)
-Brake Pads - Hawk Performance HP+ (19k/5k miles front/rear)
-Strut Tower Brace - Hotchkiss 2-Point

Sound System:
-Pioneer DEH-P880PRS Head Unit (only upgrade that is always visible)
-Infinity Reference Series 7541a Amp (111W x 4 ch)
-HiFonics Brutus BXi1206D Amp (900W RMS Mono)
-2 Pair MB Quart 2 way component speakers (8 speakers total)
-TC Sounds OEM 10 Sub (800W RMS, Dual Voice Coils)
-Fully concealed, except for the head unit, for security
-Remote bass amplifier control
-Steering wheel controls
-Valentine One radar detector

AutoX bits and other pieces:
-4 17x11 ZR1 styled wheels
-4 315/35-17 Kumho 710s mounted (getting hard, but still way better traction than streets)
-4 315/35-17 Kumho 710s unmounted (lightly used, VERY soft)
-Tire & tool trailer
-Class/number magnets (ESP, 2, and 7)
-2 point sub frame connectors (new in box, not installed)

I'm also including the original 16x8 chrome wheels, factory stereo, and CD changer at no cost in case you ever want to "restore" it to completely stock form.

Since the engine was replaced, the car has not been drag raced, street raced, or over revved. The engine replacement was done by a dealership and had a full factory parts and labor warranty when it was done. That warranty has since expired, but I had NO problems with it at all. The car is setup to be able to AutoX very well but is not so harsh that it gives up daily drivability. It's an absolute blast to drive on the mountain roads we have around here. I've done nothing to the engine (other than replacing the engine) or drivetrain.

When I got the original engine dyno'd, it put out 310HP at the rear wheels and 317 ft lb of torque at the rear wheels. I never dyno'd the new engine, but I can say for sure it feels stronger than the original did. Of course, the original had over 60k miles when it was replaced, so it may have lost some of its umph and the gain I'm feeling could just be from getting back to where it started.

The exterior is in very good condition as it has been in covered parking or a garage all its life. There are a few small rock chips in the paint, but for an 11 year old car, it's in terrific shape. As for mileage, it's not hard to get 28+ MPG on the highway. I got 31 MPG coming back from Wyoming last summer. Normal freeway driving typically nets me mid to high 20s.

I apologize for rambling on so much, but if you still have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call.

$13k OBO

208-890-1177
jwm at jwmhome dot com

Need an air filter tray

Anyone know where I can pick up an air filter tray on the cheap? I don't know if this part changed at any point in the 4th gens or if there's even a difference between Camaros and Firebirds, I just need one that will fit a '99 TransAm. If it's not clear what I'm talking about... it's the large piece of plastic that the air filter goes into, and turns out, helps hold the radiator and fan assembly in place at the top.

For those that are interested... my car slipped off my jack today (was jacking on the k-member like always, must have just not had it far enough back). It came down fast and hard, and I'm happy that nobody was hurt and that there wasn't more damage done. I broke the bottom part of a fan shroud, but everything still seems to be in working order in that regard. When the jack hit the fan shroud, it pushed the entire radiator assembly up enough that it broke the the air filter tray all the way across. Now everything is still in its proper place, but I'm concerned about how much force is being generated on the lower portion of the supports as it seems that's what's holding it together now. The last thing I need is for the entire assembly to fail and have the cooling fans come crashing into the accessories/belt. To help with that, I'm just keeping it garaged... which sucks as tomorrow is our first autox event and it's been nice weather lately.

Anyway...

I'm hoping someone may have done a cold air induction set up and have this piece just laying around somewhere. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Clearing up hazy headlight lens

Anyone know of any sort of compound that can be used to clean up old hazy plastic headlight lenses? I have an Explorer and I'm just about to the point of replacing the entire assemblies because of how bad it's getting. They're not broken or cracked, just can't get them to clear up with anything like normal glass/plastic cleaners.

C5/6 Z06, 3rd gen RX7, 240z...

I'm not planning on switching cars in the immediate future, but I've been kind of day-dreaming/brainstorming over what might be a nice setup in the future. If anyone has experience, or even a good opinion, of which of these setups might be the most "enjoyable" (I know, very very subjective) then chime in.

Option 1 - 240z: I've heard these drive like they are on rails. I'd likely eventually set it up for BSP using a 2.8L engine out of a 280z. The biggest pro of this setup is cost... a chassis can be had for ~3k and I can hack at it all I like with out having to be upset about ruining the cars resale value. Smaller tires and less power mean less cost to race as well. If I ever got bored of it, I could always consider moving into EM (or wherever it might land) with something like an LS3 engine. 500+ HP in a 2400 pound car could be amusing (although maybe not as drivable as I'd like). I also really like the idea of this just being a project car.

Option 2 - RX7: These appear to have a nice mix of handling and power right out of the box. Probably not the most competitive for the stock and street prepared classes, but I'm not trying to win nationals, I'm just trying to have fun. If I wanted to get serious about racing, I could drop a 3 rotor engine into it and run SSM. I could also eventually go with an LS1, LS2, or LS3 and run in a prepared class (XP?). A lot of options here, but quite a bit more costly.

Option 3 - C5/C6 Z06: A lot of my thoughts on the other 2 cars started by thinking about what I could drop a Corvette engine into. It dawned on me that I could also just start with a Corvette. I've raced a C5 Z06 once but was still very inexperienced (not saying I'm all that experienced now either) so while I could tell it handled very very nicely, it's hard for me to draw comparisons. My TransAm was a hodge podge of mostly stock components or poorly chosen upgrades at the time, so of course the Vette was a huge jump up. But how does the handling of a Z06 compare to the RX7 and 240Z? This would be the most costly initial setup, but a lot less work to do to get it ready to race. The downside there is I wouldn't really see it as a project car, and that's part of what I'm looking for.

Are there any other well balanced, great handling cars I should think about? I'd prefer something a little bit older, at least a few years old, so that used setups are a good option.

Safe to jack from a Hidden Hitch?

I'm just curious if anyone has an opinion on jacking up an F-Body by placing the jack under a properly installed "Hidden Hitch?" If I remember right, it has 6 well secured mounting points in the rear of the car and doesn't budge a bit. I'm thinking that this would be safer than jacking from my differential (which is what I do now) for changing my rear wheels at autox events. It's also much easier to do since I can't get my jack to fit under my exhaust with out rolling the rear tires up onto some ghetto home made 2-3" ramps I have.

Yay or nay?