Pontiac Trans Am "Patina King" Has Compound Turbos Aiming For the Sky

Who doesn't dream of a Pontiac Trans Am build? Well, we know a few die-hard Mopar and Blue Oval fans that would probably say no to such a muscle delight, but they're outnumbered by those who spend their nights (and days) fantasizing about putting such a Poncho together. Well, a certain enthusiast named Tim decided to stop dreaming and start building, and the Firebird Trans Am sitting before us is the result of that.

This late, second-gen Trans Am is unapologetically home-brewed, with the said owner documenting the project on his YouTube channel (that would be the aptly-named Armchair Mechanics Network).

Every dent in the body tells a story, with lens master Larry Chen documenting the retro muscle car during the recent LS Fest West for the Hoonigan AutoFocus channel in the clip at the bottom of the story.

Unsurprisingly for a vehicle that spent its winters in a state where this season requires a significant wardrobe change—Minnesota in this case—the bad boy had quite a bit of rust when it was purchased for $4,500.

And while some of it is still visible, hence the nickname in the title, you should know Tim actually replaced most of the vehicle's rear end while sharpening his fab skills while adding various metallic bits to keep the structure rigid in other areas.

Especially given the reasonable financial plan for the build, there was little sense in trying to work on Malaise-era 301 ci (4.9L) V8 that came with the car, so Tim went down the beaten LS path.

As such, a Gen IV V8 from a 2005 GMC Yukon landed in the engine compartment and, to address the elephant in the room engine bay, the motor received a compound turbo setup that pushes the output north of 550 horsepower (mind you, this is a butt dyno estimation). And the setup is about as high as a classic Charger Daytona's wing.

A Turbo TH400 GM three-speed auto with a shift improver kit sends that power to the bias-ply rear tires via a 4.11 rear end.

All in all, this build has required a $15,000 investment up to this point, base vehicle included. So, if you've ever wondered what happens to all the cars that get rescued after years of neglect, this is a pretty good answer, at least as far as not breaking the bank goes.