As it turned out, it was a white Ram Air III TA that was in pretty bad shape. As I found out later, the car we were looking at, was a true PHS documented, high optioned, Ram Air III, California TA that still had the original paint, engine, heads, trany, rear end, door panels, fenders, floor pans and quarters. It had very little rust, as described above. The shaker even had the solenoids, wiring, and all the goodies that make the flapper open when you accelerate. My friend Randy and a huddled up and came up with an offer of $950 and he took it! I became the third owner and the seller was friends with the first owner, so he had a lot of history on the car.

We had the car towed home as the motor had not been turned over in 8 months. The next weekend we started the restoration. The last thing, but the most important one of all, was the engine rebuild. In 1990, the compression had finally gone almost to zero. I decided to find someone who could rebuild the motor. I didn’t have to look far as I had met Carl Lower at one of the local Pontiac club meetings. At that time, Carl was staying with Bruce Fulper-Rock & Roll Engineering and came highly recommended.

In 1993, I moved to Texas and only have had to replace the normal parts a car goes through..

Although I show my TA in many San Antonio and surrounding area shows, the best times I’ve had with the car are when I’m driving it to and from these shows, to a cruise night or two, or just around the area where I live on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. This car was my first one to try to restore and will always be very special to me. I feel very lucky to have found it.