Pontiac Power

Spotter's Guide
1978 Trans AM SE (Y82/Y84)

Following on the heels of the "Smokey and the Bandit" movie, Pontiac returned again in 1978 with the SE. Gone was the non T-top version. All of the Special Editions came with the T-Top roof. There were two flavors of the T-top roof. First was the Hurst which was replaced mid-year with the Fisher T-tops. The mid year switch was mainly due to water leakage of the Hurst T-tops. The were three versions of the SE, Y82, Y84, and Y88. The first two were black and gold. The Y88 was a one-year-only painted gold with brown stripes and a new five color "screaming chicken" on the hood. The only difference between the Y82 and Y84 black SE's was where they were built. The Y82 was built at the Norwood, OH assembly plant. The Y84 was assembled at the Van Nuys, CA plant. Only a handful were made in CA and are very rare and collectible today.

The 1978 Trans Am SE featured:

Starlight Black - Paint

Gold Hood Bird (3 color - Black/Light Gold/Matte Gold)

Gold Accented Grille

Gold Snowflake Wheels (15x7)

Gold Snowflake Wheels WS6 15x8 (w/original tires)

Gold tinted swirl dash

Steering Wheel with Gold Spokes and Gold Bird in Center Cap

Gold Bird on door panels (pwr. windows only)

Gold Bird on Shifter knob (Automatic only)

Gold Pin-striping

Gold bird decal on c-pilar

Black-out Window Trim

Look for these items when looking for an SE. Many people call a black Trans Am a "Bandit" or Special Edition, even though it does not carry these items. And even if the car has the special gold items, doesn't mean it came with them. The SE also have different font for the lettering than the non-SE cars. But these kits with the "gothic" font are readily available from Phoenix Graphix and Stencils & Stripes. Many times after a car is repainted they get the SE strips and lettering, so be careful.

If there is any documentation with the car look for the SE option on it. It should be on the window sticker and invoice for the car. It will also be on the build sheet as well. The Build Sheet is most commonly found in the rear seat back between the springs. Other common places are under the carpet, drivers or passengers side. Behind the kick panels and even between the gas tank and the trunk floor but are usually are in poor condition. Also, check the body tag located on the top of the firewall just below the windshield. On some cars the "Y" code may be on stamped on it. Just because it isn't there doesn't mean the car isn't a true SE, but if it is there, then the SE package can be confirmed.

If none of these items are present with the car, the only way to be 100% sure that the car is a true SE is to have it documented with Pontiac Historical Services (PHS). For a very small fee of $35 (or $45 for fax back) PHS will send you a copy of the original invoice or billing history, a letter decoding the car's options, a copy of a dealer order for that model year, a official photo of the year and model, and other miscellaneous info that may be available for that year and model. The information that PHS provides will show what options are on the car. Since the SE package is an extra-cost option it will show on the invoice and therefore provide the proof needed.

Production breaks down as follows:

Engine	Type	Trans	Total
403 (L80)	Y84	Automatic	210
400 (L78)	Y84	Automatic	68
400 (W72)	Y84	Manual	20
400 (W72)	Y82	Manual	489
400 (L78)	Y82	Automatic	2856
		Total	3,643

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