Crayzboost

hey guys i just picked up a 86 trans am for 450 bucks from the car dealership i work at...needs paint, new interior, engine work(runs good though) weather stripping, a little body work and a lot of TLC, but i have no ideah where to start. any recommendations? i will post pics of it tomorrow.

thanks in advance guys.

super_kev

iTrader: (4)

I would start on the engine first. Fix it, then move to the interior. Rip it out (if it's trashed), clean it, throw some sound deadener in there, and install new/better stuff. Then body and paint the car and replace the weather stripping (no sense in risking taking out new weatherstripping just to paint it, install it afterwards).

CrazyBear

yeah get it running good first, make sure everything works good like guages, power steering, etc. Then clean out the interior or get it redone, then body work and such.

86NiteRider

iTrader: (10)

...joining this site will be the key. You will get and need lot's and lot's of info.

Can we see some pics and welcome to the thirdgen world.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Whatever you do, have a firm plan in mind at the outset; otherwise, you may backtrack, spending more time and money than needed.

JamesC

Crayzboost

here those pics guys.

[img=http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/4601/dsc01210je1.jpg]

[img=http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/1353/dsc01211ny6.jpg]

[img=http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/622/dsc01212qg7.jpg]

[img=http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/999/dsc01214lw1.jpg]

[img=http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/6221/dsc01217jh2.jpg]

[img=http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/2290/dsc01218fb5.jpg]

Crayzboost

DSC01210.JPG

DSC01211.JPG



DSC01212.JPG

Chr1s46536

i say when you paint it definetly keep it the same colors, i love red with the silver ground effects on TAs

Check out Sspecial K's car

systalis

I'm in the same situation with a 92rs. Definitely make a plan and decide what you want the car to be. Start from the ground up. I mean after you get it running, do the suspension first, then drivetrain then engine then paint. As tempting as it may be, do the paint last. Ask me how I know.

Crayzboost

lol how do you know?

systalis

I got mine painted because I thought I wasn't going to do anything else to it. Then I started reading this board and shocks, struts, lca relocation brackets, front and rear sway bars, wonderbar, springs, subframe connectors, and now an engine swap..... lets just say it hurts my heart every time I find a scratch in my new paint.

gotabekidding

I should of gotten my engine compartment painted while the engine was out, prior to the whole car getting painted. fixin that this winter, more of an additional cost. I would suggest the wonderbar and frame connectors a must! the difference in ride quality/control is amazing. Picture what you are going to use it for first. Daily driver, Occasional driver, Show or race and figure what you need to finish it. After all is installed then paint/interior. You can spend twice as much going back and doing something that could of been done in the first place.

David M

Congratulations, what a score! Yes do the mechanical things first, and don't forget to go through the braking system. You don't want to wad this car up!

scottmoyer

I disagree with some on here that are saying to do the engine first. It's a bad feeling to get an engine running, fix any wiring issues and spend time on the gauges just to find out the frame and undercarriage has damage beyond repair.

A guy that restores cars told me that the first thing you want to do, is work on the chassis, frame and body. The engine should be out of the car at this point. Once that work is done and determined to handle having a motor in it, then you drop in the motor and tranny. The last thing to do is the interior. This will also give you the chance to repaint the engine compartment when painting the car. Why spend months on the engine to get it running great, chrome it up and leave it in a crappy looking engine bay? Good luck.

systalis

The only way that I would get it running first would be if I needed a car now to get from point "A" to point "B". Thats what I did.

First performance mods should be chassis and suspension

okfoz

Scott hit the nail on the head...

Ever Watch Overhaulen or Rust to riches Thats exactly what they do, find a car with a good body, fix the body, then install the ingine, and lastly the interior/Glass

John

tagta189

Looks like a good find...Seems to be original still.Right down to the crappy gm paint that turns pink in the sun.For some reaon it doesn't do that on the bumper covers...mine looked the same way.Finding one that looks kind of worn but hasn't really been beat on or messed with is sometimes a good place to start.Check the floors for rust.

Crayzboost

Hey guys thanks for all the replies....i definately need to get the motor running in top shape because i might need to drive it a couple places.. dont get me wrong the engine runs good now, but you never know..

rik89gta

That car is in better shape than my old 87 TA that I paid 1,500 for.
It even has the same factory paint scheme...

Crayzboost

well i feel better now, not to say anything about you for paying more but at least i know i got a good deal. but again everytime i look at the car im like sheesh where do i start..lol

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

From the pics it looks like you got the car for a killer price. I know a guy who wants $300 for a formula shell(no engine, drivetrain, wheels, interior half gone, not one body panel doesn't have a huge dent in it) that's been sitting in the weeds for about 5 years.

Scott I think said it best.

Additional stuff I recommend is throwing away that stock foam spoiler and getting a fiberglass one. If you don't like the high mounted 3rd brake light, may want to consider swapping the rear glass from a non-86 thirdgen.

gcgarner

Wow ... that looks almost EXACTLY like my dad's 86 ... virtually the same condition. His is metallic blue/silver though. He's starting work on his soon. He got his for $600, but everything works like a charm and the old TBI engine runs GREAT.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Give it a simple hand wash job, change the oil, and fix any glaring problems that are easily remedied. Then put a for sale sign in the window with $1,000 on it and cross your fingers.

You're going to have a couple grand into it before you even get it out of paint jail. All that original faded weatherchecked paint is going to have to come off. The 85-86 rubber wrap around wing is notorious for loosing its top coating and there is no fix short of replacing the spoiler. The 15" wheels and white letter tires are dated and anything better is going to be expensive.
You didn't say, but I'm guessing from the pictures that its probably a carbed automatic car, LG4 700R4. The 700R4 if it hasn't been replaced will probably need to be rebuilt as soon as you start driving it hard. Expect to spend anywhere from $800-1,900 on a quality rebuild. The interior work will probably run between $500-1000 if you can salvage most of the plastic pieces.

You're standing in front of a $5,000 overhaul/clean up and when you're said and done you'll have a $3,500 car. It would be further ahead to sell it now while you're ahead of the game and not attached to the car then to wait until you've spent 2g's and figure out you're in over your head. As always there are exceptions, if you can do the body work, paint, interior, and all of the labor yourself you might be able to do it for less then buying an unmolested original car.

tagta189

yeah,maybe we should all just give up and scrap all these cars.

rik89gta

Not good advice if You ask me.... He got that decent looking car for a killer price! Now why would You turn around and sell it if You liked it enough to buy it in the 1st place. It shouldnt cost 2-3 grand for a good paint job either.

Randy82WS7

Drew is right though it is not cheap to do this stuff to vehicles, he is just trying to save a guy some headache and high dollar spending

i know how it goes , if you are on a limited budget and dont have savings then youre going ot have trouble trying to compelely repaint and refurbish a vehicle

correctly anyways

but if he really likes the car for sure and has funds supply thats adequate enough then it may be a great idea to do all this to it then

good luck

vindoo

We all know restoring cars is expensive, no matter what type of car. But if you have the time and the spare money to invest and you enjoy doing it, then by all means go ahead. It can be a fun a rewarding hobby and its great to see the end result of your efforts. Just be smart about it, make sure there are no major rust issues before getting to involved. Have a good plan and stick to it and be smart with your purchases.

Get to know all the local scrapyards too!

Jason E

I can see what Drew is saying as well...it all depends on what your plans are, and your commitment level to that particular car. I spent $1,000 on my RS (buying it wholesale, just as the original poster did, from my dealership), but by the time I am done with it I will have a good $7k in the car...and it will still make around 180hp.

Personally? I'm ok with that. I'm spending about $1,500 to redo the interior in OEM style cloth from Classic Industries (the OEM leather is there and looks ok, but is pretty baked) with matching door panels and new carpet (never knew until poking around here that ACC carpet sucks!!!). I've already spent $1,000 on the car to recharge the air, replace shocks and struts, do a full tune up, change all the fluids...even make the hood and trunklid stay up!!

I just spent $700 on an Edlebrock STB, TDS SFCs and a wonderbar, along with an open element Edlebrock Elite air cleaner and a Pro 5.0 shifter. In the spring, I'll be spending about $1,400 on new AR Torq Thrust IIs and used 245/45/17 BFGs my friend has, because my tires are baked and it will cost me $200 for new center caps and $600 to redo the wheels...for $300 more, I can get the TT2s...so why bother with the OEM wheels? After that, I'll be spending $650 to have the entire car wet sanded, buffed and have the nose resprayed (the paint was done over 3 years ago, but the clear is not the best in spots).

Bottom line? For a $7k investment, I have a like new running and looking vehicle...that yes, only makes around 180hp It will handle better than my Z28, and be a great cruiser...something to have fun in, and keep miles off the Z. I'm the type that I'd rather spend the $$$ on a new interior, and leave a great running motor pretty much alone for now...

Sure, for $3k-5k more (aka not that much in the grand scheme of things), I could have a mint 350 IROC with low miles. But I wouldn't want to drive it much...I wouldn't want to mod it...and I'd be **** retentive over it.

I guess in the end, it depends on what your intentions are. A 109k mile, clean RS, IMO, isn't going to make me feel guilty if I clean it up and drive it!