2002 Pontiac Trans Am

Confirmed ACS build number 1315 and for T-top manual transmission models it is #443 of 839 and was converted on Feb 6, 2002. I am the 4th owner and purchased on Jun 29th 2020 from an Illinois independent auto shop. First owner in Nevada had the car for 11 months and only put 27 miles on the car. Second owner in Nevada and later California had the car for 12 years and put 38,000 miles on it. Third owner in California had the car for just under 5 years and put 7,500 miles on the car. I purchased the car with just over 44,500 miles on it and found a lot of overdue maintenance was needed. This was my first time purchasing a car in another state so I hired an inspection company, negotiated a price based on inspection report, worked with the seller to arrange shipping, and nervously awaited delivery.

Upon receipt the 1st order of business was a mechanical status and critical items list to begin working on. Within 2 months of ownership the dreaded clutch pedal sticking to the floor occurred. The fluid indicated it had never been changed and leaks were discovered in the bell housing. A McLeod Extreme Street clutch kit was installed and the 1st round of maintenance items were addressed (new fuel filter, rear end gear oil change, transmission oil change, radiator flushed, new clutch master and slave added, engine rear main replaced, new rear suspension bushings and transmission mount bushing installed). There were issues in getting the clutch shifting correctly and it ended up replacing everything with a different mechanic shop, they also fixed the steering column being loose. The clutch system needed bleeding again and this time the Tick master started leaking into the floorboards.

This kicked off the interior refresh as brake fluid collected on the drivers side requiring stripping to bare metal, prime and paint. Sound dampening was applied, new batting and carpet installed. Speakers were changed, new head unit that added dash and back up cameras and GPS navigation, amp mounting board installed and 3 amps added as the Monsoon was long gone by the time I got the car. Broken AC vents were replaced, door panel cracks fixed and window seal fix applied (replacing staples with zip ties). A speed bleeder was added to the slave which allowed for proper bleeding of the clutch system without need for a vacuum bleed which is the most like culprit for the 1st Tick master to fail and leak. Tick lost my master and took 18 months to get it back. I ended up trying 2 carpets and this took and additional 6 months. The car sat in the garage for 3 years between the 2 and passed its last required emissions inspection September 2026 and is again fully registered and back on the road. I have only put 1,400 miles on the car since purchase but plan on driving it much more now it has an interior and is registered.