Well guys, I never thought I'd ever see this car again. Here is a photo of my very first Pontiac, originally a Regatta Blue 1973 Pontiac Lemans Sport Coupe. It had a 350 v8, 2-bbl, AC, and a 375 TH transmission, and a white vinyl interior. I purchased this car shortly after I graduated from high school. I graduated in 1978.

I drove the car for about a year and then the rust started coming thru the rear quarter panels. So the following summer, in 1979, I started sanding and bondoing the car. I eventually primered, block sanded and then applied six coats of Martinique Blue Poly (a 1978 Trans Am color) lacquer (yes - lacquer) and 8 coats of lacquer clear. I painted the car in the family garage while my parents were on vacation in Scotland. They were pissed that I got paint on the garage floor but my dad was happy to see the car all one color and not "Bondo" colored. I used my grandfathers tiny air gun and compressor to do it too. It was at least 50 years old then!

The thing that upset me most was that two weeks after I completed the paint job, I parked the car in the student parking ramp at my local community college that I was attending. Some "mofo" keyed the car - up one side and down the next! I had spent the entire summer working on this car and some jealous SOB destroys it in seconds! Campus security could do nothing since there are no security cameras in the student parking ramp, only in the facility ramp. Huh. imagine that. Students pay the bills but we can't afford cameras to protect their vehicles. Grrrr.. So I touched up the paint as best I could temporarily. My parents were upset as well since they knew how hard I had worked on the car. I spent the next summer re-doing the paint job but my heart has not quite in it at that point. I drove the car two more years and then sold it for a brown '80 Buick Regal with a 231 V6.

While I had the Lemans, I purchased a "Trans Am" Formula steering wheel. I added a set of Cragar wheels and Goodyear and BF Goodrich tires to it. A set of Gabriel Airjacker air shocks raised the back end to allow for the L60-15 tires in the back to keep from rubbing on the fenders. I added a B&M shift kit. This is when I learned I had a 375TH transmission. At that time, I had never heard of a 375, just the 350TH and 400TH. I bought a 350TH shift kit but the new oil pan gasket was all wrong. I went back to the speed shop 4 times to get the right gasket. Finally the guy had me bring the pan in, that's when he knew I had a 375TH.

I still have the Formula steering wheel, it's on Lucy today. When my dad passed away in 2018, while cleaning out his garage, I found my old Cragars. They are somewhat rusted and pitted, but I have them, lug nuts and all. I think I will have them re-chromed someday and use them on something. I'm not sure what. The backspacing was all wrong back in the day and they are all wrong now, but I'm sure I'll find a use for them.

The photo you are looking at is when the Lemans was still in primer. You can see the Cragar's on it too. I never knew my dad took this photograph. This is a 35mm slide photo that I recent found and converted to digital. So the photo quality isn't the greatest. Man I hope I find more photos like this.

 

Edited July 5, 20205 yr by Frosty

Nice! Always love coming across old photos. Already laugh at the photos of me on the day I bought my G6 and that was only 14 years ago 😮

So now you can see that back in 1995, when I purchased Lucy, you can now understand why I was a sucker for a blue exterior and a white interior convertible Lemans. It was meant to be. It was karma.