History / RestorationGot a question about Third Gen (1982-1992) Camaro or Firebird history? Where can I find these original parts? What is this option or RPO code? Those questions, answers, and more!
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I just did some thinking today and wondered about factory freak third gens and what people have seen or own. Im talking about cars that were not supposed to available with certain options or color combination's. Examples that i was thinking of...
-crossfire car with a 5 speed/4 speed?
-yellow iroc with red conteur interior (other colors and combos too that were not offered)?
-85 TPI with a 5 speed?
Those are just a few ones i can think of off the top of my head. Just curious whats out there if anything. I kno that in another thread there was an older article about a 92 formula with the 1LE AND A/C so thats probably what spurred this thread.
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My brother-in-law, who special ordered my 82 actually got the dealer to order, and approval from the zone manager, and they placed the order for 4-speed & CFI, The car took 4 months to come in & had LG4!
well a while back i made a post about a hi-rise rise wing on a 91 r/s . i recieved lots of flak on it . i have nothing to prove or justify . vin #s match , not a replacement hatch . anyway it's my car & i don't have to prove "shirt" to anybody . it's my car and i consider it a bit of a factory freak . it's an 91r/s , TBI , T-5 , LO3 eng. ( here we go again , lot's of flak ) . o.k. , anyway it's real & i don't care what y'all think . ( the factory was not perfect ) . cheers !!!
almost forget a member of our club " GULF COAST 3rd GEN " has a vert , t-5 , with 5.7 decals on GFX . . he is original owner and claims it came like that from dealer . it's not a 5.7 and he knows that . ( factory perfect ? i don't think so )
There is a possible 1LE convertible running around Canada. Not sure if it's: 1. Legit, 2. An ASC conversion after the fact or 3. A car w/ completely fabricated RPO codes.
I've heard about the car from two different people. Don't know year or anything else. I have a Players Car w T-Tops (aftermarket) that was likely a pace car. I could only assume the same for the Vert. Does anyone know about this car?
I have a Players Car w T-Tops (aftermarket) that was likely a pace car.
They didn't race it with T-tops did they? I know the biggest issue with sanctioned racing is if its not a hard top you can be given lots of grief, if it didn't have a roll cage. Well if it didn't have any safety equipment in general you have the same problem, nonetheless I don't think they would have let a car on the track in the players series with a pair of glass panels for a roof...so I'm assuming they were added after it's career as a players car.
They didn't race it with T-tops did they? I know the biggest issue with sanctioned racing is if its not a hard top you can be given lots of grief, if it didn't have a roll cage. Well if it didn't have any safety equipment in general you have the same problem, nonetheless I don't think they would have let a car on the track in the players series with a pair of glass panels for a roof...so I'm assuming they were added after it's career as a players car.
Here's what little if I know about the t_top Players. Maybe someone on the board can help?
Its a 1989 R7U Camaro that was originally white. It had a roll cage installed at one time and was raced. T_tops were installed early in life but were not original.
I bought the car from a guy whom had owned it since the 90's. He said the dealership told him some big time racer traded the car into the lot (located around the Toronto area?)
When he went to purchase the car he asked the dealership to remove the cage b/c he didn't care to have a race car. He didn't know what R7U was until way after her purchased it. Unfortunately I haven't made time to chase the history.
Oh, here we go with Uncle Toms spoiler thing again!!!
I'm just kidding Tom. I really hope that your car came that way and you never find out differently. The factory does all kinds of weird stuff. Just ask LeonardS why his car is one VIN number higher than the total number produced for 1992. We may never know.
MichelleO, a friend of mine over at earlythirdgen.com, just bought this black and gold (check door jamb in the pic) 1982 Trans Am with Dark Claret Red interior.
This was an impossible combo according to the 1982 dealer book. 1982 Black & gold Trans Am's could only get Tan (beige) or Charcoal (dark grey) interiors.
Yet the car's cowl tag proves it to be original, with codes 79D and 19L/19U.
This Recaro T/A shown below is owned by a guy named Andrew in New Zealand and is an original LG4/automatic, which was not a valid option for 1982 Recaro T/A. The only options were LG4/4-speed manual and LU5/3-speed auto.
__________________ FIREBIRD TRANS AM : WINS THE DRAG RACE STANDING STILL.
1985 base Firebird, LB8/F41/GU6/DE1, '82 T/A wheels, CB, 153k
1982 Norwood Recaro LU5/WS4/WS6/Y84, 3466 original miles
1984 Firebird S/E HO V6, LL1/WS6, 114k, sold 5/02, repo 9/02, kennedy
(1982 Trans Am WS7, GM Goodwrench 5.7L, T-10, daily driver, 88k)
ÆÆÆ Join 82Recaro forum http://ohok.com/82recaro/forum/index.php
wanna talk about weird... do yall think its possible for my vin to be wrong? my cars all original. an old lady owned it, garage kept for 10 years.. and some reason the vin says its a berlinetta. everything ive checked so far shows that its a sports coupe. it doesnt have any options a berlinetta had. and mines an 84! any ideas?
my uncle bought an 87 formula from the dealer.
red with a 350 and 4sp auto.
from day one the fans never worked, and he also noticed that the AC compressor was on the wrong side of the motor.
when he blew the headgasket, he took the heads to be ported and they were already worked on said the guy at the machine shop
his girlfriend at the time also had an 88 firebird with a 350 and he said his pulled much much harder
the ac being on the wrong side and the heads being pre-worked on is what gets me
also the fact that the fans never worked from day one until he brought it to the dealer and they were hardwired on to the accessory circuit (they must not have known any better)
my uncle bought an 87 formula from the dealer.
red with a 350 and 4sp auto.
from day one the fans never worked, and he also noticed that the AC compressor was on the wrong side of the motor.
when he blew the headgasket, he took the heads to be ported and they were already worked on said the guy at the machine shop
his girlfriend at the time also had an 88 firebird with a 350 and he said his pulled much much harder
the ac being on the wrong side and the heads being pre-worked on is what gets me
also the fact that the fans never worked from day one until he brought it to the dealer and they were hardwired on to the accessory circuit (they must not have known any better)
That sounds like someone messed with the car before your uncle bought it.
Oh, here we go with Uncle Toms spoiler thing again!!!
I'm just kidding Tom. I really hope that your car came that way and you never find out differently. The factory does all kinds of weird stuff. Just ask LeonardS why his car is one VIN number higher than the total number produced for 1992. We may never know.
thanks scott , one of the very few positive comments on my wing . hope all remember that factory line workers are concerned about one thing . production . so goof ups can/do/will happen . cheers !!!!
Not a 3rd gen does this count?
A couple yrs ago,I went with my dad to look at Chevy trucks.
He saw one he liked and I went over to see it.He walked around it 3-4 times then told me to go arond it and see if I noticed anything.I couldn't see anything wrong.
Then he pointed it out----
one side of the truck was badged Chevrolet..the other side was badged GMC.There was nothing on the tailgate.
thanks scott , one of the very few positive comments on my wing . hope all remember that factory line workers are concerned about one thing . production . so goof ups can/do/will happen . cheers !!!!
I wouldn't actually call them all goof ups. I've heard some stories of line workers putting empty cans and other garbage in-between body panels and stuff or last shift on Friday and anything can happen. Some of those line people barely got out of high school with a diploma
"I wouldn't actually call them all goof ups. I've heard some stories of line workers putting empty cans and other garbage in-between body panels and stuff or last shift on Friday and anything can happen. Some of those line people barely got out of high school with a diploma"
LOL, that is ****** **! Do I need to take my panels off now and look around? Andrew
my uncle bought an 87 formula from the dealer.
red with a 350 and 4sp auto.
from day one the fans never worked, and he also noticed that the AC compressor was on the wrong side of the motor.
when he blew the headgasket, he took the heads to be ported and they were already worked on said the guy at the machine shop
his girlfriend at the time also had an 88 firebird with a 350 and he said his pulled much much harder
the ac being on the wrong side and the heads being pre-worked on is what gets me
also the fact that the fans never worked from day one until he brought it to the dealer and they were hardwired on to the accessory circuit (they must not have known any better)
The AC compressor would be on the opposite sides for a 1987 & 1988. From 1985 - 1987 The TPI used a V-belt setup where the AC compressor was on the drivers side, and the alternator was on the passenger side. In 1988 GM went to a serpentine setup and the AC compressor was logically moved to the Passenger side, and the Alternator logically went to the drivers side.
There were some cars that came off the assembly lines with the wrong interior, I have heard of Camaro interiors in Firebirds and vise-verse.
I have personally seen the S-10/S-15 thing at dealerships, I suspect it may have been reasonably common as they were virtually identical.
from what i understand, the 87 AC compressor was on the wrong side compared to the 88, but i could be wrong.
my theory is that someone from the factory or dealership had a little fun with the car before it was sold
They still screw stuff up from the factory
(5thgen I rode in had the wipers on opposite sides so they scratched the windshield)
Back in the 3rdgen days there was a lot more 1-offs and specials VIP orders.
They probably did all kinds of things we'll never know about or be able to prove.
To bad they don't do that anymore. Everything is standard. No special, sneaky combos get through like the 'old days'
from what i understand, the 87 AC compressor was on the wrong side compared to the 88, but i could be wrong.
my theory is that someone from the factory or dealership had a little fun with the car before it was sold
All V8's were that way in 1987... look at my previous thread, it explains that ALL V8's had the AC compressor on the Drivers side from 1982-1987, and on the Passenger side from 1988-1992
I know they ran out of gray headrests on the last day of production.......OK I have slept a few times since Aug 27, 1992 so I don't remember if they ran out of Firebird or Camaro headrests but they determined that they were so close in color that they just substituted them to finish out the day. So some of you with late VIN numbers on cloth interior cars have the wrong headrests.
i agree that its too bad there are no more "special hidden option packages" like the 1LE being made anymore
the closest thing is in the new S2000, there is a package called ARC or something that basically is a special suspension and body kit package.
i think ferrari has special packages as well but who buys a ferrari these days lol.
still, its nothing like ordering an ac delete among a few other things and getting a 1LE
its also sad that there are not more aftermarket companies making modern day firehawk type cars
terrible, just terrible lol
ok, so that must have been a misunderstanding about the AC thing then OKFOZ
ill have to check with him and see what he says though.
i tend to think that if he says it was on the wrong side, he did his research first and it really was.
i could be wrong though.. i have been many many times before
from what i understand, the 87 AC compressor was on the wrong side compared to the 88, but i could be wrong.
my theory is that someone from the factory or dealership had a little fun with the car before it was sold
LOL, So, you think the workers got together, and decided it would be fun to reverse the A/C comp. HOPING to sneak it out of the factory, without managment noticing or without the supervisor seeing it.
Plus, what about the brackets for the Alt(reverse) and the A/C Comp(reverse)????
Dealerships Don't do S**T for Free, there is NO money to be gained in doing this!
once, I heard of a ford that started everytime you turned the key for a year straight. I believe this to be a factory defect or oddity as fords are garbage. does that count? usually they break before the first year! lol jkjk but seriousley.. Im glad i own a GM product. :P
once, I heard of a ford that started everytime you turned the key for a year straight. I believe this to be a factory defect or oddity as fords are garbage. does that count? usually they break before the first year! lol jkjk but seriousley.. Im glad i own a GM product. :P
I own a 94 tempo, 98 ranger, and proudly own a 87 GTA. That post is hilarious....good one!
Back in the 3rdgen days there was a lot more 1-offs and specials VIP orders.
They probably did all kinds of things we'll never know about or be able to prove.
I'll back this statement up because I worked as a line mechanic in a Chevy dealership the '80s.
Quick story that is possibly relatable (like the S-10/S-15 comment above). I was in charge of two cars being prepped for a wealthy customer. They were '86 or '87 Cavalier wagons that were meant for their 'staff'. Not interesting until until you find out that these wagons are outfitted as Z-24s without stripes or badges.
Wagons didn't get Z-24 treatment (wheels, suspension, 2.8 multiport, etc) until later. At the very least, they didn't get the 2.8.
One-offs happened if you had John Deere money. They probably happened with 3rd gens, too.
Not third gen related, but I know that GM made two yellow T-type regals. IIRC the color was not special to the regal, but to the T-type... The story was that The dealer had to order two to get them made, one car was for the customer, the other car was for the lot. I want to think they also got all of the GN equipment, like the better turbo. So things do happen.
Although never proven, there are rumors of 350 engines in 1985 Trans Am's, matter of factly in the parts catalog there are several mentions of the L98 parts for 1985... Like I said, there is no proof, no one has ever had one on the board, and I highly doubt it exists, but interesting nonetheless. I am not talking 1986 mind you, where there were supposedly 50 L98 cars made... Those cars were all test cars, I suspect the 1985's may have been as well..
John
__________________ 87 FORMULA - 5.1 LB9/A4 T-tops 3.73 Modified (Yellow/Black)
87 FORMULA - 5.0 LB9/M5 T-tops 3.45 (Yellow/Gray)
89 FORMULA 350 - CONVERTIBLE 3.27 All original (Red/Gray) www.3rdgenformula.com
My brother-in-law had black 91' RS 305 TPI with hood blisters and high rise spoiler. I thaught the hood and the spoiler was an option on the 91-92 RS but standard on Z28. ONLY 1 or 2 COMMENTS PLEASE. NOT TO START A WAR.
It was possible to get a TPI in an RS, it was called a B4C or Police package or special service package. But those cars did not have the Z28 spoiler, nor the hood blisters.
I suspect that the car may have had someone change the emblems to RS from Z28... that would be the easiest & cheepest explanation.
__________________ 87 FORMULA - 5.1 LB9/A4 T-tops 3.73 Modified (Yellow/Black)
87 FORMULA - 5.0 LB9/M5 T-tops 3.45 (Yellow/Gray)
89 FORMULA 350 - CONVERTIBLE 3.27 All original (Red/Gray) www.3rdgenformula.com
This "freak" thread reminds me of those two 1986 GTA Kambacks i.e. station wagons, even though technically those jobs weren't factory. And yes, I know that GTA started in 1987. Anyway the red one surfaced again recently at Barrett Jackson and went for $26K plus 10% fee. Any info on the white one, or was it still crushed way back as far as we know?
__________________ FIREBIRD TRANS AM : WINS THE DRAG RACE STANDING STILL.
1985 base Firebird, LB8/F41/GU6/DE1, '82 T/A wheels, CB, 153k
1982 Norwood Recaro LU5/WS4/WS6/Y84, 3466 original miles
1984 Firebird S/E HO V6, LL1/WS6, 114k, sold 5/02, repo 9/02, kennedy
(1982 Trans Am WS7, GM Goodwrench 5.7L, T-10, daily driver, 88k)
ÆÆÆ Join 82Recaro forum http://ohok.com/82recaro/forum/index.php
Not so "freakish" but when I was shopping for a new '91 Camaro, I looked at a new Z28, that actually had a Z28 emblem on one side of the rocker and RS on the other. also I wanted to order a '89 RS with the IROC steering wheel and the dealer told me no way Chevrolet would do this. When I did get my '89, the first night I had it , I noticed that the rear marker light wasn't working, instead of taking it to the dealer, I pulled the panel to access the light and I saw the socket wasn't even plugged in at the factory, it was just hanging there.
My factory original front seat colours don't match exactly. Driver's side is black/grey (like the rest of the interior) and the passenger side is a dark blueish/grey. I know they're original because I found factory trim sheets in the springs of both seats and they both have the same VIN as my ride.
Often what happens is, unless fabric is used from the same roll to make the same set of seats, often things don't match. The dye isn't always 100% consistant even when used to make the same colour. It's kind'a neat but wierd.
Not 3rd gen related but the last time I went truck shopping for a new Duramax Silverado we found one on the lot with everything we wanted until we took a closer look at the sticker which said it wasn't a diesel despite all the badging saying it was. Opening the hood proved the sticker was right and all the badges were wrong.
Mine is kinda weird, its a mix between an 85 and 89. The VIN says it is an 89 IROC-Z, but the rest of the car (dash, interior, hatch, etc...) is of an 85 Z28/IROC
But i got over it not being original and still love it
and i hear stories of back in the day you could special order stuff and get different engines and such. but as someone said earlier now everything is by the book or standard.
but i think that if you knew the right guy, or walked into the right dealership and/or waved around enough money, i bet today you could still get some pretty cool stuff done
