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Basically I found this not quite rolling roller on Craigslist last October.
The goals for this build were basically to look as stock as possible while still being comfortable to drive and reliable. Basically be all the things my other car was not.
The car had no rear, front seats, engine, or transmission. The plan had been to put my other Firebird on jack stands while I built an LS1 and 4l60 as well as fixed some rust issues.
We pulled the fourth gen rear out of my Firebird and brought it up to Allentown to pick this car up.
We had the Lightning working hard that day. ~6 hours of towing.
This car basically had all the options I wanted other than G92
We had to put the rear back into my Firebird so this is how the car sat until I found a rear for sale in March.
The car had been undercoated so after we had the rear we got it up in the air and sandblasted all the under coating off the bottom of the car revealing this:
We blasted and ground the surface rust off the floor and treated it with a rust converter and encapsulator
Since the car didn't need to be driven we took the time to rip the interior out and fix any questionable areas, there were a few
By the end of May this was the front of our shop/my fleet of Firebirds
I had decided to keep the drivetrain in the green car and began hunting down a 700R4 on Craigslist as I already had a 305 I could have used. I found the red formula about 30 minutes away with pretty severe body damage
It was pretty unfortunate because the car had ~55k on it and only 7k on the replaced engine with receipts to prove it!
Ended up making money on the car not including the parts I took from it.
Then June came around
We ended up finding out that the harness had been cut in a few stupid places for some reason. It also had ,what I believe is, a dealer installed alarm system. We took the whole drivetrain from the red Formula and swapped it over in a weekend. Also ditched the Camaro wheels in favor of the Formula's wheels
While the interior was out we treated the entire floor pan with rust encapsulation and converter and then proceeded to lay down some Dynomat.
Picked up a set of fourth gen camaro seats for $450 and a two hour drive. They're nearly mint!
The spoiler had some damage done to it at the mounting points but I figured there was no better time to learn to fiberglass and went to town
It didn't turn out perfect but you can't tell when it's on the car.
Once I got the car running and tagged I took it home and couldn't believe how good the paint was after all the dirt was off of it.
Ended up getting a Hooker Aerochamber exhaust for this one. The Hooker cat back had the best fitment out of the 4 different catbacks I've installed on these cars
It also ended up getting a set of SFCs that were meant to go on my Firebird
One last interior picture after it was all cleaned up
Still hoping to get a set of the Hawk's 17 inch GTA wheels for this car. All in time.
Yes it is. Especially considering how few 91-92 TAs there were. That's basically the reason I stuck an LB9 and 700r4 back into it and did all that work fixing what little rust it had. The car would have been perfect for the extra 350 I have laying around or even an LSx/4l60 or t56 but it didn't seem right knowing there's so few
Looking great!
I have the correct air inlet tube for that if you need one.
Just a quick FYI, the rear wing is a goofy plastic called zenon or something like that.
Looking great!
I have the correct air inlet tube for that if you need one.
Just a quick FYI, the rear wing is a goofy plastic called zenon or something like that.
I'll send you a PM about that intake tube.
I had wondered about the wing actually. It didn't exactly feel like fiberglass but the repair I did seemed to work. I even made small metal plates around the window mounting points so it hopefully won't crack there again.
I parked my car at work one morning, came out to go get lunch and found this
The guy who hit it took off and I only keep liability on my cars I figured out who did it (s10 Blazer, chrome bumper with a nice black scuff on it, right about the same height) but he denies that it ever happened. So I'll be fixing this over winter assuming i can get my other bird tagged.
The one who left lacks integrity, if you have uninsured motorist coverage you may be able to file a claim....since it was a hit and run.
I thought I had uninsured motorist but it turns out I don't. I was pretty disappointed to hear that. Not to mention a week before some junkies broke into my parents' shed and stole the GTA wheels I had been working on refinishing. November was not a good month.
But at the same time, the car had a couple spots that needed paint (Mirrors were starting to oxidize and the ground effects were fading) and I had an extra door, realistically I can prep the car and have it painted for only a little than what my deductible would have been. I'll probably keep it factory black.
The car always had this weird hard starting issue when it was cold, the fuel pump relay never enabled but it the car always ran and started fine after the first initial start. I decided to attempt to figure out what the issue with the car this weekend and found that the wire that runs from the ECM to the fuel pump relay was broken. The wire looked more like it was cut, the break was very clean and there was no damage to the plastic wrapping around the harness anywhere. I ended up just running a wire from the broken end and splicing into it on the other side of the engine bay, I don't exactly like how I fixed it, but the car works as it should.
Also did a custom chip for the car, feels slightly less anemic then it did previously. I'm really tired of the car feeling like it can't get out of its own way, I might swap the disc 3.42 9 bolt I have here into it. The engine will also be coming out soon, as the oil pan gasket is leaking pretty decently, really considering a pretty mild cam just to wake it up a little. The intake runners that came off the 89 donor car are all dented from some lazy ******* trying to make his life easier when it took it off, so I'll probably replace them and polish them or just get a polished set. Only time will tell.
Well, the car got hit again. Basically I drove it for a few months through 2016 and ended up buying a 2004 z06 and parked the car. It was really getting in the way so I was paying a relative to store it in their driveway while I tried to sell it. I had a buyer for 6500, when he showed up to check the car out, I pulled the cover off of it and long story short it got backed into while parked there and I filed an insurance claim that totaled the car. The buyer wasn't interested in the car in that condition. This was December 2016.
I bought the car back and started some of the repair work on it but I haven't made a whole lot of progress. The insurance payout was good enough that I should be able to fix all of the body issues the car had. The damage seemed purely cosmetic but I'm having some serious panel alignment issues which are making me doubt that assumption. I spent a few hours on the car and couldn't seem to get the new hood to align properly at all. The gaps at all panels were wrong. I have yet to take any measurements to verify there is structural damage.
I did add a set of black and then gold GTA wheels at some point during 2015 or 2016 before I purchased the z06. I also picked up the correct air filter ducting, but I need to get the piece from the duct to the TB. A set of undented runners and an actual SD plenum were also on track to be installed.
I've been spending more time on my 92 Firebird, which was my first third gen as well as my z06. Unfortunately a 210 horsepower automatic car isn't super appealing in comparison.
I'll post some pics later today, as well as a link to the Photobucket fix Chrome add-in to maybe fix these images.
This was before it got hit. I had picked up a set of pretty rough GTA wheels for cheap and it really completed the look of the car in my opinion but I got really tired of the triple black look quickly.
Then I got these. I liked this look a lot more. Posted it for sale 5 months later.
Then the second hit happened
This pic is actually taken through the gaping hole the truck made in my car cover.
Missing from those images is the broken fog light and damage to the bumper. It's hard to tell but the hood was bowed inward from that scrape. It sat close to half an inch over the fenders.
That sucks. I'd think a little heat and careful poking to push the bumper cover back in shape, then fix the tears. Replace the headlight door. Little hammer and dolly work should take care of the fender... I'm sure a skilled body guy could fix most of that pretty quickly. Just a shame it'll take someone really wanting to do it. Bummer.
That sucks. I'd think a little heat and careful poking to push the bumper cover back in shape, then fix the tears. Replace the headlight door. Little hammer and dolly work should take care of the fender... I'm sure a skilled body guy could fix most of that pretty quickly. Just a shame it'll take someone really wanting to do it. Bummer.
Most would rather just replace the fender than fix it and with labor prices were they are, can't say I blame them. I have parted out 14 of these since I started this thread and conveniently had the fender and headlight cover. I just needed a bumper, which I also now have. It's just a matter of getting it all assembled and realigned before paint.
any type of car meets in delaware my bro n law lives in middletown also he has a 84 camaro
There's meets at the 95 rest stop on Friday nights but it's more of an import crowd mostly. A lot of Hondas. There's a monthly cars and coffee in Middletown as well but the turnout on that has really gone down recently.
These are the current reasons the Trans Am isn't getting finished
Hopefully this spring I can get some more done with the Trans Am. I never updated this thread because it never seemed popular (It was more of a comprehensive, post-build thread, anyway). But now seeing that it has 16k+ views, I'm more inclined to update it.
Hahaha...yes i am. Im the one. Ed is a great guy. Shes all fixed up and ready to show. She jad some bumps & bruises on her when i got it but after $5-$6k shes back to stock looking...with the same upgrades Ed had, i just put my touch on it and went a little deeper. Mostly things you cant see.
Hahaha...yes i am. Im the one. Ed is a great guy. Shes all fixed up and ready to show. She jad some bumps & bruises on her when i got it but after $5-$6k shes back to stock looking...with the same upgrades Ed had, i just put my touch on it and went a little deeper. Mostly things you cant see.
That's awesome, I'm reeeeeally glad to see it fixed up and not get parted out. Hope you enjoy it!!
Didn't it have crosslace wheels on it? Which were on it from the factory? I know certain formulas got the crosslace but without ttops I'm guessing they didn't?
That's awesome, I'm reeeeeally glad to see it fixed up and not get parted out. Hope you enjoy it!!
Didn't it have crosslace wheels on it? Which were on it from the factory? I know certain formulas got the crosslace but without ttops I'm guessing they didn't?
PE0 on the SPID. Wouldn't crosslace wheels have PW7 on the SPID?
Yeah, that's my Formula. I added those Black Cross Diamond Spoke wheels. It just seem to fit the look better and they were a NO COST option in 1991 and 1992. Glad that someone saved it from the SCRAP YARD. ED
Yes i still have the black spoke wheels, their like brand new. They were not originally on the car when ordered. I do like the look, but ive always liked the originals a little better. I will keep the black wheels if i ever run her down the dragstrip (they are lighter wheels). I will keep Ed & everyone posted on the progress next year, shes away for the winter now.
Hahaha...yes i am. Im the one. Ed is a great guy. Shes all fixed up and ready to show. She jad some bumps & bruises on her when i got it but after $5-$6k shes back to stock looking...with the same upgrades Ed had, i just put my touch on it and went a little deeper. Mostly things you cant see.
09-08-2015, 09:31 PM
I figured out who did it (s10 Blazer, chrome bumper with a nice black scuff on it, right about the same height) but he denies that it ever happened. So I'll be fixing this over winter assuming i can get my other bird tagged. 
I ended up just running a wire from the broken end and splicing into it on the other side of the engine bay, I don't exactly like how I fixed it, but the car works as it should.
