East bound and down, loaded up and trucking, someones gonna do what they say can’t be done. Which in this case is restoring these two 1977 Pontiac Trans Ams. Both of them were found sitting outside of a garage at a prosperous body shop in North Eastern Ohio.

One of the cars sports a rough but complete interior with a Hurst shifter on the floor which transmits the power from the mighty 400 mill resting in the engine bay. This could make an excellent musclecar for someone. The other Trans Am has side pipe exhaust, which means it probably had a lot of fun as a cruiser in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

In the summer of 1977 American audiences were treated to a movie with a plot that has since become a favorite among the F-body community: Smokey and the Bandit. The film starred Burt Reynolds as The Bandit after he had taken a job to lead The Snowman (Jerry Reed) to haul a load of Coors to Georgia (were believe it or not it was illegal in 1977) in less than 48 hours.

Audiences were wowed by Reynolds’ persona, Frog’s (Sally Fields) good looks, Buford T. Justice’s (Jackie Gleason) dark humor and of course the sexy 1977 Pontiac Trans Am.

With its rugged lines, attractive black and gold paint job, a Herculean 400 engine (in some cases 455), its a no brainier as to why this machine became an instant con. Roadways of the late ‘7os that were dominated by boring land yachts, pizza delivery hatchbacks, and disco vans made the Trans Am stand out as a rebellious punk rocker on wheels. It’s a long way to go and a lot of elbow grease to get there before this Phoenix can fly once again. Would you take one or both of them o