1977 Macho T/A’s

1977 was the first year Macho T/A’s were made available to the public. As DKM was testing the waters with the first batch, there were only a handful of ‘77 Macho’s with only 26 built. Many are often seen with aftermarket wheels, as for the 1977 model year, the Firebird was limited to 15x7-inch wheels from factory. Predominately, they were equipped with the W72 400 Pontiac as there was no limitations or transmission requirements for drivelines from Pontiac for this model year.

1977 Machos are hard to document, but if you believe you might have a 1977 Macho and you’re unsure, order a Pontiac Historic Services information package. If you Firebird shows it was originally sold at Mecham Pontiac in Arizona, reach out to us, and we can investigate further!

1977 Macho T/A #4

Owner: Barry (Site Owner)

Macho T/A #4 is currently the earliest known Macho to still exist! It features a Cameo White/Gold paint combination with a deluxe vinyl Buckskin interior. It retains it’s original Pontiac 400 W72 and 4-speed manual driveline, and is in excellent condition.

1977 Macho T/A #5

Owner: Jim O.

Macho T/A #5 was saved by Dennis, a collector with a few Macho’s under his belt. It was sold to Jim O, another Macho collector, and is currently undergoing a very high end restoration! DKM ‘77 #5 features a Brentwood Brown/Gold paint combo and deluxe Buckskin Tan vinyl interior. It still retains the original Pontiac 400 W72 and 4-speed manual, and has a D58 Rear Seat Console added to the back.

1977 Macho T/A #12

Owner: Currently under restoration at Texas Trans Ams

Macho T/A ‘77 #12 seems to have bounced around a little bit, with one of the previous owners providing a great Polaroid photo of the car in excellent condition in 1984. It seems the wheels have been changed a number of times, and the car was reported to have a 455 Pontiac swapped in place of the original 400 Pontiac at some point. In 2016, Texas Trans Ams began a restoration on the car, and it appears to have been found in a very similar state compared to the photo taken in the mid-2000’s with the white Turbo wheels. David Mars of Texas Trans Ams has advised the car is still under restoration, with the subframe and suspension powder coated with more progress on the way. It is awaiting some replacement panels, and a new 455 driveline, as the 455 it arrived with threw a rod!

1977 Macho T/A #17

Owner: Ken73

It’s currently unknown where Macho T/A ‘77 #17 currently resides, but these photos were captured in the mid-2000’s. The car appeared to be in a state of disrepair, and it was reported that the original driveline had been replaced. It was for sale at the time these photos were taken, and it is not clear if the car had been sold at the time.

Update: I think i’ve found the owner. On PY Forums I was going through an old thread when I saw posts by someone with the profile name of Ken73 that resides in Warner Robins, GA. Apparently he’s an Ex-USAF Analyst. I’ve reached out to him to get more details.

1977 Macho T/A #21

Owner: ??

1977 Macho T/A #21 recently appeared and sold on Facebook Marketplace, it had apparently been held by the same owner for around 30 years! The car appeared to be in a very original state…. but in extremely poor external condition. It had very significant rust all throughout almost every panel, and was in need of dire restoration. It appeared to have the original Pontiac 400 W72 and 4-speed driveline, as well as the original interior and Concord HPL-101 Stereo as installed by DKM. The car appears to have not been attended to in some time, as it appears very similar to the photos from the early 2000’s from the previous owner, Mark.

1977 Macho T/A #24

Last Reported Owner: Brad Thiem

I spotted Brad on a post about Macho T/A’s on FB, as well as a comment on a Barnfinds Macho T/A article where he mentioned he had owned DKM #24. I had thought he was referring to 1978 #24, but I had a brief chat with him where he mentioned it was actually 1977 #24. Brad was able to give us a bit of important history on the car as well, as he had mentioned that he got the car off his brother, and his brother had purchased the car off the original owner. Brad explains that the original owner had the Macho T/A decals removed, and that he only kept the DKM decals and the number. Lucky he did, otherwise this would’ve just gone unidentified as a regular Trans Am! The original owner also had the Macho taken to Loper’s Performance in Arizona (which is still there to this day), where it had considerable engine and exhaust work done, as well as a change of rear gears. What’s very cool to find out is, a while ago, Lynn W. had submitted the contact form to the website and advised us that he bought 1977 #24 from the ARNLUND Automotive Group in Billings, Montana back in 1989. He bought it as it was seen in the old Polaroid photo, but it had it repainted as he hadn’t thought of much behind the decals at the time. Lynn has sent in some photos, and the PHS confirms this was a Mecham Pontiac delivered 1977 T/A. These two parties had never spoken before, so by putting the pieces together, we’ve been able to identify this is indeed 1977 #24! Lynn plans on repainting the car back to the original Macho livery.

Specs

Factory Options:

  • C60 Custom Air Conditioning

  • UA1 HD Battery

  • AK1 Custom Seat Belts

  • K30 Cruise Control

  • A01 Soft Ray Glass

  • B93 Door Edge Guards

  • WW7 Hood Decal

  • BS1 Additional Insulation

  • Y92 Lamp Group

  • B37 F+R Floor Mats

  • D34 RH Vanity Visor mirror

  • B80 Roof Drip Molding

  • A31 Power Windows

  • UN9 Radio Accommodation Package

  • N33 Tilt Steering Wheel

  • YJ8 Aluminium Snowflakes

  • WS6 Special Performance Package

  • Y90 Custom Trim Group - Cloth

Specs

Engine: Pontiac 400 W72

Transmission: TH350 3-speed Automatic

Numbers Matching?: No

Current Engine: 1974 400 Pontiac

DKM Options:

  • Macho Package