Re: Value question - 1969 Trans Am
Unfortunately Dave has passed away due to cancer.
I was just at a car show at a Chicago Mall on Labor day (09/02/2013). I met with some Pontiac gurus. Dave's name came up in our conversation. I was told that he died due to cancer, but I have only heard this from the one person. I assume it is true.
I was at Dave's shop a few decades ago when Dave was building his 1969 Trans Am. I do remember that he wanted to put every option on the car. He had a 1969 Firebird convertible sitting outside. He was taking the factory air conditioning off of the Firebird convertible and installing it on the Trans Am.
He had previously installed factory air on his 1973 Trans Am Sd-455 with a manual transmission. He also previously had installed factory air on his 1974 Trans Am SD-455 with a manual transmission. In case you did not know, Pontiac did not offer air conditioning on the SD-455 if it was equipped with a manual transmission.
I also remember that back in 1983 he installed a SD-344 in a black 1983 Trans Am. He also aded the ground effects package that was only available on the Daytona 500 Pace Car that year. He wanted to make sure that the centerline of the crankshaft of the SD-455 lined up with the centerline of the original 5.0 Liter engine. He made some special motor mounts to accomodate this feat. He also had to notch the underhood insulation hear the alternator so that he had clearance.
My most memorable moment with Dave was the first time that I went to his shop. He had some binders on the shelf. They contained all of the Car Distribution Bulletins and every memo send from the Zone Office to the dealers. He had binders for every year from 1969 through 1975. It was great to see the original memos to the dealers for the 1969 Trans Am as well as the original press release. It is also very interesting to see when various options went on hold status and got released from hold states (such as the SD-455). He let me take the binders home with me and photocopy every page. These documents are some of the most valuable I have for the Trans Am.
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