Pontiac Trans Am SE - Oldsmobile

Installation is only part of the process. There are things you need to know before ordering a kit. There are two styles of SE graphics: '77-'78 and '79-'81. The early SE used an Old English script, and the later SE used block-style lettering. In addition, the engine originally installed in the car makes a difference. The hood Shakers were marked with either T/A 6.6 or 6.6 Litre. The T/A 6.6 was used on cars installed with the Pontiac 400 engines, which have a Z listed as the fifth digit in the VIN. For those who lived in California or high-altitude locations, the Oldsmobile 403 engine notated by a K as the fifth digit in the VIN was offered and marked with the 6.6 Litre decal. The Olds 403 cars are quite rare, with only about 1,200 T-topped Y82 SE cars produced in 1977. You can also have the 6.6 Litre decal with the optional L78 400 engine.

The hood was recleaned with wax and grease remover. It must be absolutely clean for the big bird decal to stick.
The hood was recleaned with wax and grease remover. It must be absolutely clean for the bi
The taillight and trunk stripes were laid as one piece and then cut in the center with a razor blade.
The taillight and trunk stripes were laid as one piece and then cut in the center with a r
The rear Trans Am decal was centered on the decklid from the M and the T, not the smaller Pontiac script.
The rear Trans Am decal was centered on the decklid from the M and the T, not the smaller

The factory didn't specify a measured placement for the decals, though there are some general guidelines. The hood bird should be centered on the hood, and the Phoenix Graphix decal uses notches in the paper to locate the centerline. The front-to-rear placement is a little different. The tail feathers should rest about 1 inch above the front of the hood. The bumper and fender lines are more generic; these are placed in approximate locations. The rear decklid decals are centered, side-to-side on the panel. The hood Shaker decal should be placed just below the radius of the top and about 1/2 inch past the back of the Shaker (toward the windshield). The double-line striping will take the longest, as there are a couple hundred feet of it on the car.

To end the tail stripes, we simply overlapped the narrow stripe onto the wide stripe and trimmed off the excess.
To end the tail stripes, we simply overlapped the narrow stripe onto the wide stripe and t
The soapy water was liberally sprayed on the hood right before we started. The decal had been unrolled and pressed flat a few days before.
The soapy water was liberally sprayed on the hood right before we started. The decal had b
After using a squeegee to work the air out, the masking was carefully removed. The vinyl can peel up, so slowly removing the masking works best.
After using a squeegee to work the air out, the masking was carefully removed. The vinyl c

We followed along with Fred Murfin and the guys at Red Line Auto Sports in the process of striping a '79 Y84 SE Trans Am. The car had been repainted and was in need of fresh decals. The entire process took about four hours. These guys have done quite a few of these jobs, so experience shaves time off a project like this. Expect to take a full day if it is your first time applying decals.