Proud new owner with a few questions - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

SupraSonic · 09-06-2009, 12:11 PM

Hi everyone,

As the title says, I'm a proud new owner! I just came by way of a 1983 Trans Am that needs some work which I definitely will bring back to its full glory.

Since the car has been sitting for quite some time, I will need to bring it to my mechanic and replace all the fluids and see if this TA will start.

My questions:
1. How do I find out what my car was equipped with, I know I should be able to get that from the VIN?

2. If so, then where do I get that info to read the VIN?

I look forward to restoring my car and would like to leave everyone with a few pics. Thanks in advance!

Robert

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86NiteRider · 09-06-2009, 12:39 PM

Nice car. Should be fun to restore. Nice seats. A lot of people are looking for those. Welcome to the Black and Gold Club...lol. One of the best color ocmbos if done right.

To answer your question you want to look for what is called your RPO codes. They are either located on the inside of the center console armrest or possile in the rear hatch glove box on the drivers side. There will be a bunch of 3 didget codes like Z28, B4C, etc. Copy those codes and then come back here and look those codes up and it will tell you what your car left the factory with. The Vin will also give you some clues to engine size but not much else...Good Luck

The codes look like this. Sorry for the blurry part.

V6F1R3BRD · 09-06-2009, 01:33 PM

OOo You got a nice one! lol congrats

DanJz · 09-06-2009, 02:17 PM

Great find!! Those seats are immaculate!!! It'll be a fun project for sure. Congrats

Thirdgen Ranch · 09-06-2009, 03:35 PM

Looks like it will make a great project. The interior looks to be really nice. Your RPOs should be on your console door. Unfortunately, they are very often missing so they may no longer be there.

BlueIroc-Z · 09-06-2009, 05:17 PM

This page from CamaroSource.ca has a vin decoder and an RPO decoder.

There is also the TGO RPO decoder (must be installed on your computer).

There are some codes that neither of these will properly decode, for those I just do a Google search and see what comes up.

Nice car, BTW.

SupraSonic · 09-07-2009, 02:16 AM

Thanks everyone, I'm pretty excited and appreciate all the help.

The interior is immaculate and look forward to bringing this Trans Am to its full glory. Again thanks everyone, I guess I better start looking for those RPO's.

82FirebirdTA · 09-07-2009, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SupraSonic

Thanks everyone, I'm pretty excited and appreciate all the help.

The interior is immaculate and look forward to bringing this Trans Am to its full glory. Again thanks everyone, I guess I better start looking for those RPO's.

Nice find! An '83 Recaro Trans Am is a rare car!

You won't find an RPO sheet because the first year for that is '84. The next best thing is the tag on the radiator support which has a few RPOs.

Good luck with the car!

Iroctopless · 09-07-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SupraSonic

My questions:
1. How do I find out what my car was equipped with, I know I should be able to get that from the VIN?

2. If so, then where do I get that info to read the VIN?

Nice looking ride.

1. The VIN will not tell you what your ride was all equipped with, only a few things.

2. Here's one of many places on the internet to decode your VIN.

Also ignore the SPID RPO decal tips above, as 82FirebirdTA mentioned above, that didn't start until the following year.

There's also another possibility to find out your options,but it's like winning a little lottery. Some rides may have a "trim", or even better, a "build" sheet tucked away somewhere (under the seats, under the carpet, behind door panels, etc). But this is purely a roll of the dice, and you may not want to dig into your nice ride for something that may not be there.

Again, nice ride and good luck with things. Love the interior.

SupraSonic · 09-08-2009, 12:19 AM

Thanks everyone, I'm a little sad because I only had 1 day to go through the car. I cleaned it as best I can in such short time I had and covered it with a real nice car cover until I can bring it back to where I live in Southern California, currently the car is Northern California.

This was my wifes brother-in-laws car but he had passed away 10 years ago and my wifes sister had just left it out in her yard to rot. Everyone and their grandmother was giving offers for it, but it had such sentimental value to her that she could not let it go (it was the car they used when they were dating). Eventually she asked her sister, my wife, if I wanted it (as she still wanted it in the family). I said, "HELL YES!!!!!!!!!!!". Thinking it was a regular 6 cylinder run of the mill firebird (nothing against them), it took me the 10 years after my wifes brother in law to pass away before I even knew what he had. Boy was I bonehead! Everytime I was at my sister in laws house to visit, I never went to the backyard.

The story is that he actually was driving it before his death, so I am hoping that replacing all the fluids from front to back, changing the battery, plugs, hoses . . . etc., that she will fire right up.

Once I have it with my mechanic is when I will be able to truly look everything over. I now can't wait to bring her down and starting tomorrow going to make arrangements to do so. Wish me luck guys!

Iroctopless · 09-09-2009, 03:59 PM

Good to hear the ride is still in the family. I know a neighbour not to far away that has a '60 Olds I'd love to get. It was the owners mother's car and she passed away decades ago. I offered to buy it but he refused. Too much sentimental value. Instead it's been rotting away for 2 decades now and has become worthless.
If a car really means that much, wouldn't finding it a good home istead of letting it suffer make more sense? I think some people believe that if the car isn't used, nothing happens to it. So wrong.

Anyway, make sure to check the brake system including the brake lines and the emergency (park) brake. Safety first. Look for any leaks or cracks. Also, if the brakes happen to pull badley to one side there might be a plugged line.

Good luck.

SupraSonic · 09-10-2009, 01:18 AM

Thanks, I will definitely have the brakes checked and I defnitely agree, safety first, especially when my kids will be with me.

SolarGoldRaptor · 09-11-2009, 05:28 PM

I'm surprised nobody told you about the PHS documentation. After the build sheet, it's the most informative documentation you can get about a Pontiac.

Go on their website : www.phs-online.com
It costs $50 but they give you a LOT of info for this money.

itsMikey · 09-11-2009, 05:42 PM

definitely a great buy! looks great..

SupraSonic · 09-11-2009, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarGoldRaptor

I'm surprised nobody told you about the PHS documentation. After the build sheet, it's the most informative documentation you can get about a Pontiac.

Go on their website : www.phs-online.com
It costs $50 but they give you a LOT of info for this money.

Thanks man, I'm going to do it. That'll be a great help!

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsMikey

definitely a great buy! looks great..

Thanks for the compliment.

captbarbosa · 09-11-2009, 05:51 PM

Absolutely a great find. From the pics, even the console looks in excellent condition. I should be so lucky on my next bird. Which, hopefully, is tomorrow!

1985HO305L69 · 09-12-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 82FirebirdTA

Nice find! An '83 Recaro Trans Am is a rare car!

You won't find an RPO sheet because the first year for that is '84. The next best thing is the tag on the radiator support which has a few RPOs.

Good luck with the car!

There's also a buildsheet hidden somewhere in these f-bodies, but unfortunately some do not have them, like my car.
Some of the places you can find them are: under the carpet, on top of the gas tank(under carpet), under the seats,and possibly even under the rear plastic panels. But only look for a buildsheet if you are willing to take the interior apart. Good luck with your T/A!

coolram62 · 09-12-2009, 07:34 PM

Congratulations a very nice Recaro T/A. It's also great to see another CFI car that will be saved. It looks like she is heavily equipped (looks like a power antenna too). Does she have rear drums or discs?

I agree PHS will be your best bet for getting the most info on her. The trim tag on the radiator will give you a lot of basic info (build date/plant/exterior & interior color/trim style etc). Wildjeff is another member you should contact and check out his website ( http://www.82firebird.com/ ) as he knows a great deal about early 'Birds.