WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE: You’re finally shopping for a new (old) car, and you find just the right one. It’s the year, make, model, body style, engine, transmission, and even color that you wanted! Or it’s not exactly all that, but it’s close enough, and it’s within your budget. Your dream, or some semblance thereof, is within your grasp.
So, you pull the trigger, only to find that, uh-oh, it’s not like that at all. Your enthusiasm outstripped your caution and now you have a project on your hands. That’s exactly what happened to John Prenzno, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, back in 2008. John went to an auction and picked up this 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. It had a 455-cu.in. V-8, a four-speed, and it was finished in the…