1979 Pontiac Grand Prix Coupe

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

This one's kinda neat: 4-speed '79 Grand Prix

tc · Guru

ANY THREE PEDAL CAR IS COOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Very few people know that a four speed was available in 1979, Grand Am too. 400 was added however as W37 package with 301 4bbl was top dog in 79. Neat car. I know someone who will like it too.

03cts sport · Uber Guru

Man, I love those cars. Even more so being a standard. (I wonder how it has coped with the eastern salt?...)

SD 396 · Poncho Master!

I remember parting out a 79 Regal with a factory four speed. Tach gauges and posi were all donated to my wifes car at the time.

87 player bird · Poncho Master!

I had a 78 cutlass with a 4 gear, frame broke. Cool daily driver though. Any Idea how much? confuse

-- Edited by 87 player bird on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 06:40:07 PM

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Thanks for the reminder, guy I knew had a 78 slope back 442 305 4 speed.

-- Edited by 73SC on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 07:10:15 PM

Jonno · Poncho Master!

You guys are getting me all misty eyed talking about four speeds like this.

Neat console. Very unusual, thanks MC.

69-Tin Indian · Guru

Beautiful looking little rig! She sure would be a really fun car to drive. Don't ya just hate it when people put cars up for sale but don't include a price? UGH!

ga · Addicted!

seem zillions of these cars over the years, never seen a 4 spd car before,

would this have been an extra cost option, or a credit option? meaning

would they give u money back because and automatic was standard and

u could apply the credit to the 4 spd, or was it part of a specific option group?

NOS · Poncho Master!

neat; but no AC on a 79 ?
Dale @ NOS

chevy4ever · Addicted!

It was my second favorite car I owned a 1980 grand prix LJ with a 301 4 bbl T-roof ,air power everything automatic,console and cannot believe I sold it for $2500 with new paint and no rust.

87 player bird · Poncho Master!

If it has 3 pedals it's a cool RIDE! Bangin' gears, thats what it's all about boy's. Autotragics are for daily drivers, ya wanna go? Ya gotta drive with both feet! ( If really good, right foot down, and pull thaat shifter for all she's worth!)

CdnGMfan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

ga wrote:

seem zillions of these cars over the years, never seen a 4 spd car before,

would this have been an extra cost option, or a credit option? meaning

would they give u money back because and automatic was standard and

u could apply the credit to the 4 spd, or was it part of a specific option group?

I have an old Motor Trend article on the 1979 Grand Prix SJ. The test car was equipped with a 301 4-barrel & 4-speed! The automatic was standard on that model, but to order a 4-speed you had to know enough to ask and it would be yours with a credit applied. I seem to recall only about 50 were built as 4-speeds. The test car was equipped with factory genuine wire wheels (not wheel covers) and was 2-tone Carmine Red (pictures were all b&w).

My older brother's friend worked at Dennis Searles Chevrolet in Caledonia (was Wills Motors until about 1979) and remembers a 1978 Monte Carlo 305 4-speed trade-in.

Our local, languishing car club was lead by a guy that owned a 1978 Malibu 2-door 4-speed. It was powered by a 1972 Z28 350.

I love those 3-pedal A-body (or was it G-body by then?) intermediates. Back in 1982, GM Canada repatriated a fleet of unsold but new 1981 Iraqi taxi Malibus that had 3-speed manual floor shifts & V6s. They sold them cheap in Canada after retrofitting them with emission controls. I used to see them all over but now you don't.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Buddy had an Iraqi Taxi - Chevelle with 3 peed on the floor and V6

Ghost Post · Poncho Master!

A buddy o' mine had a 78/79 Monte stick car too..

The Chevy's are rare enough but any of the BOP '78 & up A-Body stick cars would be cool to have especially if bolting in a 455!.

Someone had a decent looking Iraqi Taxi advertised cheap recently...here or Kijiji???

~

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

CdnGMfan wrote:

I love those 3-pedal A-body (or was it G-body by then?) intermediates. Back in 1982, GM Canada repatriated a fleet of unsold but new 1981 Iraqi taxi Malibus that had 3-speed manual floor shifts & V6s. They sold them cheap in Canada after retrofitting them with emission controls. I used to see them all over but now you don't.

I worked at Autoport in Dartmouth back in high school at the time when they were preparing those Malibus to sell in the Canadian market. I was basically moving them around from compound to compound and to the shop and back. Seems to me they were replacing clutches in them as well - this is a bit of a foggy memory - but I remember a mechanic that I knew telling me that they originally had "Chevette" clutches in them when they were going to Iraq. (???)

I can remember looking out over a "sea" of '81 Malibus and thinking that I had never seen so many cars of one type in one place before in my life. I also remember that they would get good rubber in first gear! biggrin

These cars had been sitting in 1 spot for like a year and some of them wouldn't move due to sticking brakes when you tried to go. I distinctly remember the sickening smell of burning clutch from those ones that refused to move. (hey, maybe that's why they were replacing clutches!)

Little remembered is that there were a few wagons as well among the fleet, but they were all V6 automatic cars, to my recollection.

69-Tin Indian · Guru

I emailed the fella with this 4-spd. Gran Prix and was honest enough that it was a little too far away for me to pursue, but just wondered what he was asking and if he didn't mind telling me.
Musta minded 'cuz I never heard back from him. Yuz never knowz until yuz asks and then, sometimes yuz still don't know 'cuz no one will tell yuz!

omp60 · Addicted!

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/cto/1947814863.html

1979 Grand Prix SJ - $2000 (Richmond)

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Date: 2010-09-10, 9:40PM PDT
Reply to: sale-zq6ek-1947814863@craigslist.org

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1979 Grand Prix SJ, factory four speed (M20), Hurst shifter, V8 , Bucket seats, console, A/C (not working), PDB, PW, PDL,AM/FM Cassette, Tinted Windows, 2 tone paint (silver, grey - black interior), Original owner, Rally wheels, Full documentation Build sheets. 280,000 Kilometers, No major accidents, Some rust in trunk areas, Driven daily.

Location: Richmond
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

SD 396 · Poncho Master!

omp60 wrote:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/cto/1947814863.html

1979 Grand Prix SJ - $2000 (Richmond)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2010-09-10, 9:40PM PDT
Reply to: sale-zq6ek-1947814863@craigslist.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1979 Grand Prix SJ, factory four speed (M20), Hurst shifter, V8 , Bucket seats, console, A/C (not working), PDB, PW, PDL,AM/FM Cassette, Tinted Windows, 2 tone paint (silver, grey - black interior), Original owner, Rally wheels, Full documentation Build sheets. 280,000 Kilometers, No major accidents, Some rust in trunk areas, Driven daily.

Location: Richmond
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

I like the colour combo on this car. Fair price too even if it does need a little work. If this car were closer to home I would probably own it.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/cto/1947814863.html

image 1947814863-0
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-- Edited by SD 396 on Saturday 11th of September 2010 06:46:45 AM

69-Tin Indian · Guru

I gotta reply from the fella about the '79 Gran Prix 4-spd this morning. He writes he has the orig motor for it and that he's the fourth owner and knows the original owner and it's never been winter driven in it's lifetime.
Said it's been painted twice in 30 years; has a rebuilt 400 engine, 4-new coil springs, new shocks, new heater core, rebuilt transmission, 308 posi, new dual exhaust and 4-new tires and a sway bar package. He says it's appraised at $18,000.00 and he'd really like to get $16,000.00 for it. I thought it was really nice of him to reply even though I told him right up front that I was too far away to even consider it, but just thought it was unique and would be a fun car to drive and that I couldn't get over how shiny the paint was. So there ya have it fellas. As mentioned in an earlier posting yesterday, like I said, if yuz never asks yuz never knowz! LOL!

68 427 · Poncho Master!

Ghost Post wrote:

A buddy o' mine had a 78/79 Monte stick car too..

~

ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF 4-SPEED MALIBUS, I HAD A '78 MONTE WITH 4-SPEED, 1 OF 74. FUN CARS TO BE SURE. I JUST SOLD THE LAST OF MY 4-SPEED MALIBUS A COUPLE OF MONTH AGO.

CDN2PLS2 · Uber Guru

I Also had Two Iraqi Taxiz. I think they were Great cars.

GrandAmMan · Member

Both are very nice! Though I've never seen one without a tach. The red one should have a brushed silver gauge bezel (78's were woodgrain) but that's no big deal)

I have 4 1/2 1979 Grand Am factory 4 speeds

76GLM · Addicted!

I think the biggest problem with these car's is frame rust, I've seen more than my sure that have the rear bumper hanging off. I owned a '80 Grand Am that came from Edmonton that had rear frame rust, I bought it as a part's car. The ad for the two tone gray GP above note's in the ad on KIJIJI that it has frame rust?