86WS6

iTrader: (1)

There is a 1982 Pontiac Trans AM WS6 currently for sale on E-bay. I know most of you couldn't care less about an 82, however the 82-83's are my favorite body style of all the thirdgen's. Afterall those are the original thirdgen's that started the whole thirdgen era. S&B III, Knightrider, and all of that early 80's stuff. The car is owned by the original owner and currently has 24,300 miles on it. It is supposed to be in good mechanical condition, and all original except for the radio. It is not perfect, but seems like a very nice car from what I can tell by talking with the owner over the phone and from pictures. The car has the 305 4 barrel, auto, T-tops, and the 15 inch wheels offered with the WS6 package in that year. It still has the OE Goodyear tires on it. I have not seen the car in person, however I am planning to drive there to check it out within the next day or so. This is the third time the car has been placed on E-bay, and the first two times people have bid the car up and than became deadbeat bidders, not following through with the deal. The last time the bidding stopped the high bidder was at $9900.00. If the car is as nice as the owner represents it to be, it will be a nice addition to my small collection. Although I love my 86, I owned three 1983's all bought new back in the day. Two of them were white like the one currently for sale, and the third one was sliver. I sold my last 83 in 2003 with 42K miles on it and have regreted selling it every since. I doubt if this car will reach any sort of collectable status in my lifetime, and I am not buying it to make a profit. However a truly nice documented 82 with 24K miles on it should not be common as grass either. I would like to think that I can recover my investment when I reach the age that these cars are not much fun any more. The car will be stored indoors, kept stock, used for some light weekend cruising and the occational 100 point show like the F-Body Gatherings. I don't need a daily driver. Lets hear some thoughts...

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

I saw that car - looks like a nice survivor. I am partial to the 82-84's as my first car(which I still own) was an 82 TA. Good luck with it if you buy it. It deserves to be collected and kept as original.

Junqueboi

I'd go for it. So many people get caught up in the "what's it worth" frame of mind. I seldom buy cars as investments. If a car speaks to me, is affordable, and is approved by Mrs. Junqueboi, I buy it.

I find the earliest F-body cars the most interesting, particularly the '82s. Original examples are becoming rare as hen's teeth and white looks so good on these.

The metric transmission won't take much abuse but I doubt this example has seen any & should hold up fine for your purposes. I hope you end up getting it!

2007xl50

I love the looks of my 87 TA, but I also love the simple looks of the 82's. i say if the car is nice and you have the funds then go for it.
i just looked it up on Ebay and it's sweet car-in fact love it. keep us posted once you go look at it. By the way you have one very sweet TA.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Thanks everyone for the advice, words of encouragment, and the compliments on both cars. Hopefully this 82 is going to join my 86 as a stable mate. Having the two cars both original, and both with than 30K actual miles on each suits my wants perfectly.

I spoke with the boss (wife). She is OK with my getting the car. She offered to drive me to SC to pick it up, however I am going to haul it back in the trailer I use to haul Amanda, the 86WS6 around in. With the OE tires, and as much time as this car has spent sitting, I feel more comfortable hauling it back then driving it.

I spoke with my finanical source, J Best Bank, a company that specializes in financing classic cars, and eveyrthing is a go on thier end.

I spoke to the owner of the car, and they decided on thier own to pull the car from E-Bay. I think that the fact that I am a collector, a thirdgen fan, lightly use the car, and will maintain it in stock condition appeals to them, as they act like they want me to have the car.

The current plan is to drive down after getting off from work on Sunday morning. If the car checks out, I will give them a deposit, and start everything in motion to complete the purchase.

So maybe with a little luck, I will have it back here on the mountain in a couple of weeks. At my current age, 56 I am still young enough to enjoy the cars for a few years. Maybe when I am ready to let them go, they will have reached the age where no one would dare modify them or finsh them off as DD's. These cars were built in mass numbers and are meant to be enjoyed, however a few of them should be saved as suvivors. It does not seem like many people thought to save a few 82's or 83'S. As for the little weak turbo 200 trans, I doubt if it will see enough abuse to be a problem. If it does, I will have it rebuilt.

Charles

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

I placed a deposit on the car!












It is a timecapsule as you can see from the photos.

It has 24,300 miles on it, and is completely original except for the battery. The Goodyear Eagle GT's are still on the car, although they ride like rocks. The original owner had problems with the transmission from day on. It never shifted right. It is a turbo 200 with a locking torque converter. Pontiac would not fix it when the car was under warrenty, so in 2007 he had the transmission rebuilt. He has all of the reciepts which go with the car. he has driven the car 240 miles since the rebulid. Shift points are perfect, and it shifts firmly and positively, so I don't anticipate any issues with it. The A/C has a new evaporator and has been converted to 134A. It blows ice cubes.

Charles

Junqueboi

Congratulations! That red interior with those awesome seats makes it even more beautiful. Hearing about the transmission issues & fix make it a better deal too. It's good to know the car will be preserved & kept original.

I have not seen a decent original example of one of these in many many years. Love those wheels. Did the owner still have the window sticker? 09/82 is a real late build. When did the '83 model year cars begin production?

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Nice! Good thing you are going to trailer her home. I wouldn't trust those tires.

kymmee

I had been watching this car on ebay and kept seeing it re-listed. I'm glad you are getting it. There is not much love for the early cars, but the fans of them are true. I have two 1982 birds. Both have fairly low miles (31k and 22k).

The car is beautiful and its really hard anymore to find an unmolested one.
Congratulations! Post more pictures when you get her home.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Thanks everyone!

I am very happy to find this car. It is very similiar to the 83 that I sold in 2003 with 42 K miles on it I had bought new in 83. My 83 had the 700R4 trans, and was not a WS6, and had a blue interior, but has a lot of similiarities to this car, espically the white/black exterior color.

These are pics of the 83.












[URL=http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll171/gcsprayjr/1987%20Ramcharger/Trans%20AM/?action=view&current=MVC-005F.jpg]


I would have tried to buy my old car back if the owner would agree to sell it, however he won't, and besides the car is no longer stock now. He does keep it nice though.

Granted the 82/83's are not the most popular models...

For me this 82 is a lucky find, for the condition of the vehicle, and it is almost a ringer for my 83.

The red interior does seem unusual as I have never seen one before. I love the PMD seats in any color. The car also has the WS6 option and rear wiper/washer option. I can't wait to get it home and decode the RPO codes.

Yes the car comes with all paperwork including the original window sticker. The original owner saved everything, even the oil change stickers, all repair reciepts, everything...

I am courious about what gear is in the diff. The car is suprizingly peppy for a 305 carb car. It will bark the tires shifting to second. It looks to be a 9 bolt diff, however I will have to get it up on a lift to make sure. Since it is a WS6, I assume that it is a posi diff.

As for the tires, they do show the 24K of wear, and Eagle GT's had a life span of about 30K. The side walls look good, not a crack insight, however I will be afraid to drive the car much with those tires. For show purposes, I may leave them for now, however for driving they are pretty much past being safe.

My 86 which has 29K miles and is original except for tires, radiator hoses, belts, and battery, however having those items make the car drivable if I want to. I have some decsions to make regarding this car, drivable vs original?

Charles

Phenom-1

I love the '82'83s Simple body yet highway bruisers when they came out especially after the release of knight rider everybody wanted one. This one even has the rear window wiper! Nice find this one should definitely be kept in mint original condition.

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

There should be a tag on the rear that states the ratio.

DD9TransAmGTA

iTrader: (1)

I have a soft spot for the 82-84 firebirds, that is a great example of one too. Makes me want to go get this one that someone has in their driveway covered in junk, its been there for atleast 15 years looks like that one on ebay.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

It's cool that so many others like the early thirdgens.

kymmee

"Red" was not an available interior color in 82 for firebirds/TA's. "Maroon" was the color, but yours does look more red in the pictures. My firebird is maroon exterior/maroon interior but it looks darker. Do you think the seats have faded somewhat? It would seem unusual for a low mile car. The cowl tag under the hood will tell you the color. Exterior should be 11 (white enamel) and interior should be 79 (maroon). Posting a picture of my interior to show you its a little darker.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Correct, the color is not red, but is a deep maroon color. Someone else called it red, and I never corrected them, as it does not make that much difference to me. Than I repeated them incorrectly. My bad. You are also correct, there was no red offered on those cars, however I have not seen another maroon one. The color does not look as dark in the pictures as it does in person. There is no fading, as everything including the edges that never get sunlight are the same color as the rest of the interior. The original owner has stored the car inside of an air conditioned garage without any windows, and kept a thick cover on the car all of the time. It is like a cave inside his garage. If there is a color difference between your car and this one, it was because they were made that way.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

The one on north dirkson south of Oreillys?
You should walk up and see what else is in the driveway and whats unseen behind the house...

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

I am going to take that back about not ever seeing a moroon interior. In 1982some friends of ours bought a brand new 82 Firebird Iron Duke 4 cylinder. It was maroon inside and out. They only kept the car a few months, and I had forgotten all about it.

DD9TransAmGTA

iTrader: (1)

You bet lol, my dad saids its been there FOREVER. He apparently has more Pontiacs in the garage?? Down the road at accent autos I think it is they have a black and gold 82-84 and a 82-84 Mecham thats red

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

This car is going to be my first 82. I have owned three 1983 TA's, so I am fairly familiar with that year. I see some obvious differences between the 82 and the 83, but wonder if I missed anything. The first difference that I noticed are the PMD seats. Next of course is the three speed automatic in the 82 compared to the first year of the 700R4 in the 83's. The shifter is different also. Do all 82's have a six digit odometer? All three of my 83's had five digit odometers. The 82 has the famous Ironing Board hood scoop, and on the 82 it is not functional. All three of my 83's were functional. Was that a year model difference, or an option? The 82 that I am buying has the 83 style door panels, but since it was built in 9/82, it may have been a late 82 change over. Most of the 82's that I have seen with power windows have a black plastic cap that covers the part of the door panel where the crank would mount if it had manual windows. My first 83 was also built in 9/82, so September must have been the month that the year models changed. It had the later model seats like my 86 and the 700R4 transmission. What do others have to add about differences.

1984DarkHorse

so glad you are getting the 82! I love them as well as everyone else posting on this. I bought my 84 with 22k on it and i absolutely love it. It was worth every penny and i hope you love yours as much as i love mine! totally awesome find mine was also listed on ebay several times before It ended up in a dealership and then turned over to me.

Keep us posted on the news when you pick it up and get it home. I'd love to hear what you discover about it when you get it home.

jez3941

iTrader: (1)

For the functional hood i think i read someplace that for the 82's it was different for the various levels of the trans am suspension. a friend of mine has an 82 recaro crossfire and has the functional hood. i know your 82 is a carb but im pretty sure that some of them had it in 82

Phenom-1

Looks like burgundy to me. reminds me of the same interior of my grandfathers '81 Oldsmobile cutlass supreme brougham, cloth too. But I love these '82s for their Unique Black Shifter, I didn't like the T-handle one they started using in the '83's on forward. that's why I love my '92 Camaros Classic style Thumb Shifter with the Button on top, also '82s 3 speed automatic, thin steering wheel, and the body without the lower rocker panel spoilers they added for the later years like the GTAs, just makes you wanna jump in put it in drive and burn those 15" tires.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

No mods will be done to this car, however it would be cool to have a functional air intake in the hood scoop. If the functional hood scoop was an option for 82, it seems odd that a WS6 would not have it. Maybe it was strictly part of the Cross Fire package in 82? The scary part is that all of our cars were ordered by a dealer sales manager, sometimes knowing very little about the cars other then what the sales brochures stated. Can the Turbo 200 be built to be dependable? I remember those things from the late 70's being complete turds. We used to pull them out and replace them with a Turbo 350, or 350C. This one shifts very firm and shift points are perfect. I wonder what sort of upgrades could have/should have been done when it was rebuilt in 2007? What gear ratio would you expect this car to have? I will check the tag when I get it home. One website listed an optional 3:23, however most are around the 3:0 range. Does the 200 have a low ratio first gear like the 700R4?

kymmee

My car is an earlier build (1st week of april 82), so I'm sure the seats were manufactured off a different bolt of fabric-accounting for the slight color difference. Does the PO have the build sheet? If not, you should check under the front seats, found both of them in my 82's there, one under passenger and one under driver.

Yes, the 82's have a six digit odometer. The 82 TA I have, has the crank window mount covered with a bird emblem. It is also an earlier build. Other than that, you have mentioned all the differences that I can think of.

2007xl50

I love that white 82, and so gald that someone on here got her. Now she will still live an easy life and be cared for.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info Kymmee. Everything you said makes perfect sense.

Thanks also 2007xl50. I also believe that some of the low mileage stock examples should be preserved. The car will not just sit, but we won't drive the wheels off of it either. My 86 gets driven about 750 miles each year, mostly to local car shows and meets. I plan to run this 82 in the same manner.

Maybe by the time I am ready to let go of both this one and the 86WS6, they will have enough years on them that more people will see to need to make sure that a few are kept original. I did not buy them to make a profit. I love the thirdgens for thier style. The fact that one can do so much with one doesn't hurt either. A solid little platform, with a small block Chevy engine gives one limitless choices for what someone can make out of a thridgen.

It seems as though many F Body people believe that the 82 was the low point for the Firebird line. I am old enough to remember when second gens were considered throwaways. Thirdgens will have thier day also. I am glad to hear that there are more nice cars of this vintage in existance. We attend the F-Body Gathering in Atlanta every year, and the Rod Run in Pegion Forge TN twice a year. We see lots of Irocs, Z-28's GTA's from 87 up that look new, but rarely see a really nice 82-84 maro or bird.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

We are still proceding towards a pick up date. Probably next week sometime... Hagerty is going to handle the insurance on both cars. I have used State Farm since I started drving 40 years ago. My parents were with SF, so it was natural for me to stay with them. SF is a decent company, so I have had no reason to change. Most of the standard insurance companies have no good policy choices available for old cars, collector cars, and classics. With Hagerty, I ended up with an agreed value of 12K on each car, high limit liability matching my SF policy, and it is going to costs less to insure both birds with Hagerty than it costs to insure the 86 with SF.

yo soy el warg

I ran into the same situation with Allstate who I have been with for 34 years. To keep 5 of my cars on comprehensive during the months I didn't drive them it was costing me as much as Hagerty charges for full coverage all year long on them.

I've kept my families 7 other daily drivers on Allstate.

I also have the Hagerty roadside or emergency coverage for only $90.00 a year which covers all the vehicles registered to me. If your car needs towing it is put on a flat bed tow truck for up to 135 miles per tow without additional charges, for as many times as you need it per year on any of your cars. Plus other services like battery jumps, key lock out, and running out of gas. Most others offer tows to just $100.00 in towing fees, which can be as little as a 10 mile tow job.

Nobody that I know of can touch what Hagerty offers. With cars as nice as yours you certainly need good roadside service.

Enjoy your new ride, it looks fantastic!

oldtimer

Great choice picking up on that original of an early car. HARD to find the early cars at all, much less unmolested ones. I love the early Z28's myself, having owned a new one in 82 while in high school. Do not fret as to how the 82 may or may not stack up to later, more powerful cars. That is insignificant compared to the car's condition now. As far as the trans is concerned, do not worry about that either. The thm 200 is not going to suffer behind a stock 145hp 305 unless you abuse it. My car was a 4 speed manual, but my cousin had an 82 Cross Fire Z28 with that trans, also in 82. He did break it, but was known to do the occasional neutral drop. Broke several trans mounts, and finally the tranny like that. Short of that level of abuse, it will perform like a champ. Had a female cousin with an 82, 305 Berlinetta with the trans, too. It was an open diff car with 2.73's, and it would faithfully chirp the tires on a wide open 1-2 upshift, stock. Congrats on the buy. Counterman.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Good advice

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info. I am not worried about how the car is going to hold up. How stressfull is it on the transmission to pull into the trailer, back out and drive through a parking lot to its spot in a show? This car may see some sunny afternoon cruises around the mountains where we live, but nothing harsh. Think Grandma and Grandpa with the t-tops out... Actually 145 HP is probably more power then we will ever need. The wife thinks that the 86 has too much power, all 205 HP of it. My interest is more of a matter of understanding what I have. I am interested in the history and details. As soon as the car is at my house, I will start adjusting, lubing, cleaning, detailing, and doing small touch up items to make everything work perfectly and look perfect. The car is decent now, but as time goes on, it will get better. Most of the detail work is going to be the chassis, and under the hood. The original owner bought a rust proofing package from the dealer when the car was new. Thankfully they did not spray anything under the hood, just the undercarriage. The car has never seen salt, and rarely seen rain. There is zero rust anywhere, however that black rust proofing looks grey and dull, giving the undercarriage an old look. It is a thin rust proofing, about the thickness of chassis paint, and it is all intact. I think that the easist thing to do will be to mask off everything and spray a nice coat of gloss black on the undercarriage. It will not be OE, but will look better than it does now. Besides at the 100 point shows we do, they don't judge the chassis. If it happens that one show does judge chassis, and it will probably get waived for being dealer installed option when new. Also, I doubt if all of that goo could be cleaned off and make it look OE.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

http://www.oldcarmemories.com/content/view/49/1/

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

The link posted in the previous reply has a lot of information about the 82's. LG4 equiped cars were not offered with a functioning hood scoop or Ram Air option. A non-functioning hood scoop was a popular option, but the flat hood was standard on an LG4 car. Cross Fire equiped cars came with the functioning Ram Air option included with the LU5 option. WS6 cars included a 3:23 gear ratio in the diff. That explains why the car has some pep to it, even though it only has 145 HP. WS7 cars came with a 2:93 gear.

Dens71TA

iTrader: (5)

WS7 was WS6 without the rear discs due to a HUGE shortage of rear disc parts during that model year. GM greatly underestimated the popularity of the rear disc option.

The gear ratio is more dependent of the drivetrain option. LU5 Crossfire engines required Level III (WS6/WS7)suspension and came with a 2.93 ratio standard or 3.23 optional. LG4 cars came with Level II suspension (Y99) and had a 2.73 standard with the Level III suspension upgrading it to a 3.23 ratio.

Have you confirmed your car is a WS6 car? According to GM dealer order documentation released on 5/21/82 that the WS6 option would no longer be available for the remainder of the model year and any orders in the cue on or after 5/27/82 would have J65 deleted or WS6 option automatically changed to WS7.

If your car was made in 9/82 and came with WS6 that would make it highly unusual that it was built that way. The latest WS6 car I've seen was a first week of June '82 Van Nuys built Trans Am that I used to own a few years ago.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Hi Dens71TA,

Good points, and I remember that shortage of disc brake setups. My first 83, also built in 9/82, bought the end of September was a WS7, and I remember trying very hard to find a WS6. It was a four speed LG4 car and had all of the high performance upgrades like a Cross Fire, because it was a stick shift. Sadly it only lived about 10 days from purchase. It was washed down a river in a flood with less than 1000 miles on it.

After the insurance paid off, I special ordered a WS6, and told them that I would wait as long as necessary for them to get the parts back in to build them. Of course the factory put it on back order. The dealer offered me a WS6 Cross Fire, however I refused it. A good friend of mine was a technition at the dealership and he cautioned me not to buy a cross fire car. The dealer searched and found a brand new 83 WS6 LG4 with a 700R4 automatic in white. It had the 15 inch Turbo Mag wheels, with the small center caps, not the bowling *****. It was loaded with every option except for Cross Fire. The build date was in November 82, and I took delivery on New Year's Day 1983.

Unforunately the car was one of those 83's that the factory mistakenly installed an four cylinder radiator in, and the engine cooked itself at 3100 miles. There would be a recall later on, but they did not know there was a problem when my car went to pieces. The factory patched up the engine, new head gaskets and such, but it was not right. They installed a resistor in the circuit between the temp guage and the sender, so that the temp guage would read lower then actual tempeture. The car made it to 3600 miles, and the engine seized up. The factory replaced the engine with a new one, but they did not replace the radiator, and the problem continued. It got so hot that it scortched the white paint in the middle of the hood, and warped the plastic shroud on the ram air. it also bubbled the dealer installed gold screaming chicken on the hood. In March I got a recall from GM. They replaced the radiator with the correct one, and the transmission crapped out two weeks later. I was afraid that the replacement engine had been damaged also, and the paint did not match any more. The Pontiac rep told me that every once in a while every company builds a car with more problems then average. He did not use the word Lemon, but we both knew what he meant. I pitched a royal fit and they asked me what it would take to make me happy. I traded the car for a new 83 K5 Blazer and drove away. They gave me all but 3K of my money back for the TA. So I got s**** and did not even get kissed.

In September I decided that I wanted another Trans AM, went to a dirfferent dealer and bought an 83 base model also with an LG4. The decision almost caused a divorce, because of the problems with 1983 TA number 2. The car had 14 inch turbo mags on it like the SE's did, but was a real Trans AM. It had all of the goodies including ram air, T-tops, and a 700R4 auto. It was not a muscle car, but it was real pretty and ran very well with no problems. I owned that car until 2003. Pics of it are further up this tread. So, yeah I remember the whole WS6/WS7 thing first hand.

As for the car that I am buying, you have posed some questions that I can't answer until I get the car home and check it out. The owner maintains that it is a WS6, but he will also tell you that he does not know much about cars. It has the factory 15 inch bowling ***** on it and the big sway bars. So it is a WS something?, 6? or 7? I thought that I saw disc brakes on the back, however was also pretty tired. I had just got off of work after 5 X 12 hour night shifts at at two hospitals, about 70 hours. I may I thought I seen disc brakes? Come to think of it, there may have been pink elephants under the car for all I know. I spent more time looking for signs of previous body work, rust or other problems then acutally looking at the exact option packages. No matter which options the car has, it is way too nice and low mileage to pass up.

After your post I put the vin through a couple of different decoders. The car is a Norwood built car, and it is an 82. The car is 125 miles away, so the rest of it will be speculation until I get it back to the house and check out the RPO codes, diff tag, and a few other things.

Charles

kitt_me

iTrader: (3)

Beautiful car Charles,I love it,mines also a 1982 April built having rear disc brakes,post some high resolution pics when u get it home

Cheers
zaib

SolarGoldRaptor

The 82-84 Firebirds have a certain "je ne sais quoi" that make them stand out of the crowd of later rounded angles Firebird. Those sharp edges and little details taken from the 2nd Gen make the difference. And those PMD seats are gorgeous, I really wonder why they didn't keep them for the later years...

It's a great buy, which proves the reviving interest of 3rd Gens among car enthusiasts.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Plan to pick up the car on Monday. I am going to swing by Hawks Thirdgen on the way home, and check out thier selection of parts for this car and the 86. Nothing big, just little stuff to make the small details perfect.

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

I am getting excited about bringing the car home, and introducing the two Trans Am sisters for the first time. It will be cool to decode the car and see exactly what I have. I spoke to the seller again on the phone, and he says that he is sure it is a WS6. He says it has disc brakes on all four wheels. I guess I will find out for sure when I get there. That is probably the first item I am going to check. Of course if it is a WS6 and not a WS7 as we all expect, that will create additional questions about the car. The car is going to be treasured no mater what options it has, but it will be cool if it is unusual in some way also. My 86 is a California car, while this 82 is an Ohio car, so I will own one from each factory. I hope to have it ready for the Fall Rod Run in Pigeon Forge Tenn, September 14-16, however I will trailer it over the mountain since it has those OE Goodyears still on the ground. I don't trust 30 year old tires no matter how good they look. We will be driving the 86 on the Tail of the Dragon, and through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as the 86 has updated tires, hoses, belts, and such. Several TGO members are attending the Rod Run that weekend.

Touareg

That car for sure has the WS6/7 setup. The hood and 15" wheels are WSX, also the ride height is lower on the WSX car.

I have an '82 Crossfire, it has the WS7 (drum brakes) the 3.23 gears are part of the package regardless of brake setup.

Morgan

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

With the build date of September 82 and the shortage of WS6 parts in late 82I fully expect that the car is a WS7. If it happens to be a WS6, there will probably be more mystory than answers. It has to have been one of the very last of the 82's built that year. I did not think to ckeck for rear disc or drums when I looked at the car the first time, as I was more interested in condition. I am working tonight at the hospital, however my F-350 tow vehicle and car trailer are waiting in the hospital parking lot for quiting time in the am. A 2 1/2 hour ride to Anderson SC (125 miles), and I can check the rear brakes first hand and see which one it is. It will be cool if it happens to be a WS6, however either way the car is coming back to NC. I doubt if I will be able to find another survivor car that nice, with the range of options the car has, espically that close to where we live. My goal was to duplicate my long lost 1983 Trans AM base model with T-tops and this car does that and than some. The things that I am going to miss from the 83 are the working cowl induction and the 700 R4 transmission that was standard on the 83. I am trying to decide if I want to make an exception to the original rule and add a working cowl induction to this car. It is easy enough to do and will look factory, however I don't want to start modifying the car from OE. At the shows people love to see stuff like cowl induction, even if the silly little engine only has 145 HP...

Touareg

Its a great buy, knowing what I know about these cars the '82 has its downsides but being the first year it is unique. The transmission is a joke, even rebuilt properly it still has major limitations, but if done right it wont go out again. The rear-ends are also known to be crap, usually they howl.

I think its probably better your car has the LG4 engine, the Crossfire is just a headache. It requires constant attention. However my car runs very well.

I have owned an 83, 84, 84 and now the 82. I think the 84 was most refined, and so was the 83 from a reliability standpoint, however when I went to buy I had a chance to get a nice 83, I chose the 82 instead, the wheels and hubcaps alone are valuable.

Morgan

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info. Do you have some pics of your car on this site? I loved the Crossfire cars when they were introduced, and still have a soft spot for them. Your car sounds like a gem with 39K on the clock! I will have to look on my home computer because our hospital computers block most pictures. All we can see is text. The hospital computers also combine everything into one paragraph, which makes my posts look pretty crude. The Turbo 200C does not worry me. I have owned a couple of them over the years, and it is a total POS, however you are right that they can be built to run OK, just not very tough. The original owner says that the transmission never worked correctly from the date of purchase, and that he finally had it rebuilt in 2007. The car has only been driven 200 miles since 2007. The transmission shifts perfectly, which was a total surprise to me. Since the car only has 24,257 miles on it and has never been run hard, everything is tight and quiet. There is no noise from the drivetrain at all. This car may see some light cruising, but will never be pressed to do anything close to what one would call performance driving. I really doubt if the mechanical parts will give much trouble.

Junqueboi

Sounds like you are doing everything right by trailering it home. Adding the functional hood scoop looks pretty straightforward. I have a few extra setups that you are welcome to have if you want to tinker with them. The only problem is that these are off of CrossFire Cars so the rubber gasket is rectangular instead of round.

I'll be headed to Alabama here in a few months to hopefully bring back my '82 base Camaro (hopefully still sitting in a field where I left it) & can literally go right through Bryson City on the way down & could drop the scoop stuff off. I'd really like to check your cars out sometime anyway...even though you don't know me from Adam.

Hope everything goes well!

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the offer Adam, however I am not much for improvising. I think that the best approach is to use an 83-84 carb style cowl induction, so it will all bolt together, and it will look OE when done.

As for your coming by to see the cars, let me know when you will be driving through. You are more than welcome to see them.

Consider coming to the Smokies on September 14-16. We are having a TGO meet on the Tail of the Dragon and Hell Bender on Saturday. We are going to cruise from Cherokee to Pigeon Forge through the national park on Sunday, then onto the Fall Rod Run.

See the link for the tread listed below for more info...

The car is home now. Drum Roll Please..... We have a bouncing baby WS7. The car has rear drum brakes. The window sticker lists WS7 High Performance Suspension package, and the RPO codes confirm it.

eseibel67

Consider this a blessing. Those cast iron offset brake calipers aren't worth beans. Congrats on getting it home, the deal is never really done until you get it into a safe harbor.

Touareg

WS7 is good, the drum brakes worked much better than the disks due to the parking brake design.

I don't have pictures of my 82, but I can try and figure out how to get them uploaded or emailed.

I think the thing about the 82-83 cars is the sound of the exhaust, it is by far the best sounding system even though its restrictive.

Morgan

86WS6

iTrader: (1)

As for the WS7 package, it is fine with it either way. I owned a new WS6 in 83, and remember the reputation those things had. POS.

The car is really a gem. Everything fits like a new car. The doors are tight, and the car has no rattles or squeaks. It is almost like going back to say 1984, and buying a clean used 82.

Hawk's Thirdgen, a sponsor on this site is close to Anderson SC, and I stopped there on the way home with the car yesterday. I have met Bruce the owner, and his son Kyle at the F Body Gatherings in Atlanta, and have bought items online from them, but had not seen their shop. They were both very complementry about the car.

I planned to post a link to our cruise tread yesterday, however my computer crashed and it did not get posted.

I will try it again...

Jason E

Congratulations! Good to see another pristine third gen in the hands of a board member. Selling my 88 TA to a fellow board member felt better in my mind than selling it to a random person...

On a side note, I have become obsessed with an 86 WS6 on eBay right now