AssaulT/A

Hello everyone, this is my 1986 Trans Am. I've had the car for a while, but never got around to making a thread for it. I just finished my first semester of college, and have some time on my hands, so here it is. I bought her in June of 2012, right before I started senior year. She's got the 305 (not sure which one, i think LO3), T5, and what i believe to be a 2.73 peg leg. There was 243,000 on the clock when I bought her, with an engine rebuild 80,000 miles back. Interior was all original minus a radio, and it even had the stock exhaust. No visible rust, I'm sure there's some because the T-Tops leak, and a straight body. I bought her from a small-time dealer, but the previous owner was the manager of the local Chevrolet service center, and his teenage daughter drove the car. I paid 3500, which I feel was a pretty good deal. The only problem I've ever had outside of normal maintenance was my brakes going out about 6 months ago. She runs fantastic, and even with the 305, she gets up and goes pretty good (and I get 29.7 mpg on the way home from school)! I've done very little modification so far, a Spintech muffler in the stock location (with stock tubing ), tint, a 15" sub and custom box, and a new shifter boot. Plans over the winter are subframe connectors, new sway bar bushings, new strut mounts, possibly new struts, new headliner, new air dam, and the blue LED guage cluster mod. I would love an LS swap down the road, but I want to stay manual and T56s are crazy expensive nowadays. So I'll enjoy her as she sits, until I can save up some cash.
http://s865.photobucket.com/user/Hbj...tml?sort=3&o=0
http://s865.photobucket.com/user/Hbj...tml?sort=3&o=1
http://s865.photobucket.com/user/Hbj...tml?sort=3&o=2
http://s865.photobucket.com/user/Hbj...tml?sort=3&o=3
http://s865.photobucket.com/user/Hbj...tml?sort=3&o=4
Please excuse the dirty car, I literally got home yesterday night.

86T/A_Ram_Air

Good looking car man. You probably have the LG4 engine. LO3 was TBI and IIRC TBI came out in 87 and I dont think trans ams got TBI. None the less clean looking car.

AssaulT/A

Thanks! It's got the CCC quadrajet, so I believe you're right about the LG4.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

LG4 was standard for 86 TA with the 5speed and L69 was also available as an option with the 5 speed also

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

Wow 243K miles - that car looks well kept and clean.

My 172K mile iroc vert was rode hard ... but now I don't feel too bad fixing it up.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Now that's a High Mile Survivor,when you get time to clean it up post it here. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...html:thumbsup:

AssaulT/A

Thanks! It actually has more than 243K now, the odometer quit working about two weeks after I bought it in the summer, and then I daily drove it to work and school every day senior year and then work in the summer lol! I'm figuring about 255K now, but that's just a guess. I plan on trying to fix the odometer when I have the dash out to swap the lights here pretty soon.

AssaulT/A

Manta, that link is not working for me. I'll look for the thread when I get it washed here soon!

AssaulT/A

Also, I ordered some gold plastidip for my wheels. I really like the white/gold GTA combo, but I can't afford wheels right now, so I think this will look pretty good! I'll take pictures before and after for a comparison. I forgot to mention that i'll be painting my suspension parts (SFCs, sway bars, wonderbar, etc.) either red, gold, or blue, so Ill take pictures of that as well!

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...hird-gens.html
There you go

AssaulT/A

Small (sort of) update: I was going to start cleaning my engine bay today, because it's filthy, but we got a lot of rain that halted my progress. Hoping to start tomorrow or monday. Also, I've been having some minor issues with my chin spoiler/air dam/thing. My driveway is really steep, and there is no possible way to get out without dragging it. So I've ripped out holes, drilled new holes, used JB weld, and it usually works for 2-3 months between repairs. I've been at school for the last 4 months so I'd forgotten all about it. Well tonight I was coming home from a friend's house and it just straight up fell off in the middle of the road. There was no traffic, so I picked it up and made it home, but this is the last straw. As soon as I get a chance, I'm going to a junkyard and picking up a later 3 piece to replace my older 1 piece version. Also, I'm still undecided about what color to paint my suspension parts, so if anyone has an opinion, I'd love to hear it!

AssaulT/A

Hello again everyone! Sorry for the long wait (if anyone is actually reading this thread), but I had relatives come into town for the holidays, then I had my wisdom teeth removed, which was not fun, but I have recovered. Anyways I have gotten quite a bit done since the last update, and taken some pictures for you all to see. I replaced the front/rear sway bar bushings and endlinks with Energy polyurethane, and that tightened up the steering/handling quite a bit. I bought a new toy to do that with
I also plasti-dipped my wheels black instead of gold, and used the glossifier for a shine. Opinions? My caster/camber plates are in, and I ordered my SFC's, just waiting for them to get here. I also cleaned my engine bay quite a bit, and removed my washer tank. I also fabricated a new air dam from a 4th gen one I grabbed from a yard, and it works great! So in the next few days I hope to get my strut mounts on and my SFC's installed.

AssaulT/A

Greetings everyone! Inspired by Chazman, I'm calling this update "Observations from daily driving a LG4/T5 Trans Am."

So in case you didn't know, I'm a college student. I go to school about three hours away from my hometown. My 'bird is my only car, so I drive it to and from college, and around up there, and around to work and school down here as well. Several things I've noticed that I felt like sharing with you all:

This car is not fast. I'd certainly like it to be fast, and I am competitive with my friends that drive SUVs, but the LG4 is indeed a turd. Now, I do believe that this is partly the fault of my extremely low gear ratio. It just feels like a DOG pulling through first gear. I'd also like a posi lol.

On the other side of that coin, there is low-RPM torque in spades. I can lug it around in just about whatever gear I choose to in town with no bucking. And I do like the low gear ratio on the highway, I turn about 2100 RPM at 80(ish) MPH down the highway. I did calculate the mileage one trip (before my carb started acting up) and got 30 MPG! And unless I need to pass some one "right now" I usually don't have to downshift, I can just roll on the throttle in 5th.

I want a louder exhaust. And more power. LOL. But really. What I have right now is stock piping all the way back save a test pipe, and a single in/out Spintech muffler in the stock location. I love the way this rumbles at idle, and it sounds great at full stomp, but it's still not that loud. Just regular driving around town, I can't hear it really, I just feel it through the floor. I also suspect I'm giving up some power to the crappy exhaust as well. Sometime in the future I'll do something about it.

Handling-I have some no-name struts and shocks and what I suspect are factory sagging springs, and some crappy 10 year old tires (note: I have replacement 17" tires and wheels at the house, currently working through a fitment issue that I believe to be alignment related). Even with all these detriments, the car handles very well (except in the rain. OH LORD). However, I have never driven anything new and sporty so this could be just total ignorance on my part.

Overall, I love this car. I love the interior, and the car has been dead nuts reliable for me so far (knock on wood). So I'm biding my time until the motor/trans take a crap. Priority List is as follows:
Solve fitment issue and install new wheels/tires
Replace Shocks/Struts/Springs
Exhaust
Autometer Phantom Gauges
Save for the eventual LSX/T56 swap when something dies.

AssaulT/A

Driving down the local parkway coming back from a friend's house last night, saw this new 370Z. Chatted a little bit with him at a long stoplight, apparently he used to have a 3rd gen 'bird. We both took off from the light and I was even with him for a little bit, but he must have been babying it, because I heard him shift into second, and he was GONE. I'm talking gone like he left a ghost image of himself where he was. That sucker was quick. I was hoping he would let off so I could ask him what he'd done to it (if anything) but he stayed in it and was long gone. This LG4 is just the worst.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Don't be too hard on your LG4. No powertrain GM put in a 3rd gen. Camaro is going to run with one of those. Time and technology march on....

"Locked and loaded with a 332-horsepower, 3.7-liter VQ37VHR V-6 and unique "SynchroRev Match" six-speed manual, which blips the throttle on downshifts without a heel-toe maneuver, the Z rips to 60 in just 4.7 ticks on its way to a quarter-mile run of 13.3 at 105.7."

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...0z_first_test/

AssaulT/A

WOW I didn't realize they were that fast off the lot. dang. And I know the LG4 is old I just hate how slow it is lol. If I was done with school I would already be swapping a H/C/I 6.0 LSX and a T56...

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

You better take care of that 300,000 mile TA.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Well, to compare apples to apples (some won't agree with that), the comparable 1985 300zx (called the Fairlady in Japan, so at least we have that going for us) ran 0-60 mph 8.0, quarter mile 16.1. So a much fairer fight for your '86 T/A, according to these folks.

http://www.zeroto60times.com/Nissan-0-60-mph-Times.html

AssaulT/A

Well that does make me feel a little better. My buddy's got a 2006 Mazda 3 (not the Speed3, those things are fast). We may go for a run tonight, think I can take him? He's been saying he'll whip me for months, but I think I could take him...