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Thanks for the nomination guys!
Mine is a 1988 GTA 5.0 5 speed. One of 809 made. all stock except the exhaust tips at the 50% tint on the windows. I used to have black formula rims and also had plastidipped my gold crosslaces. it is now back to the original golds and lookin sharp
I am honored to be among these great Trans Ams!
Last edited by IMissMy86TA; May 23, 2016 at 08:22 PM.
Every time I see that black GTA on here I get super jealous. It's the exact kind of GTA I wanted to buy years back. Was close to getting one, but found out it had frame damage from an accident. Sucks, but at least I got the TA that I have now. Good luck to all nominees this month.
Hard month once again, all great cars and one I have some history with. That being said, I had to vote based on what car of the 5 I would want to have if all things were equal.
Low miles, t-tops, 5-speed dressed in black/gold is a VERY hard combination to turn down.
Hi All, Thanks for the nomination!!!! We see how it all goes! They are some truly exceptional 3rd gens, it's gonna be tough! Good Luck to all!
A little information about my 1985 WS6 5.0 TPI
I have been looking for a 85 WS6 for a long time to complete my 3rd gen collection. This one pretty much fell in my lap out of nowhere. As you all know, I bought it from a member on 3rd gen not too long ago.
After speaking to PurelyPMD (Chris), and looking at the pictures and details he provided me, I decided to buy it in March of last year. It was shipped from Connecticut to Alabama via covered transport.
This car has 100% original paint, now with 57100 miles & the interior is in STUNNING condition. 1985 was the first year for the new ground effects look and this car is finished in beautiful code 26 Dark Blue enamel paint - WA8596. The dot graphics stripes are in perfect condition, with no cuts, scratches or peeling of any kind and the lower grey accent ground effects are perfect as well.
The car has been garage kept it's whole life. The brand new for 1985 LB9 Tuned Port 305 CID rated at 205 hp & 270 lb feet of torque.. Coupled with the automatic, WS6 handling package, GW6 3:27 performance gears in the J65 Borg Warner 9 Bolt rear axle.
The interior got the AR9 Custom cloth 2-tone grey buckets with split folding rear seats and deluxe luggage compartment trim. The top of the line UQ7 cassette stereo w/EQ found it's way in and works flawlessly with the factory sub woofers. Cruise, tilt, A/C power mirrors, windows, hatch release. The sun visors are tight & nice as is the original headliner and sail panel trims.
Once here, I decided it would be a good idea to go through the car and replace what was needed being that it was all original. I started with a complete brake package with rotors, calipers with the recall kits, brake hoses, ceramic brake pads, and new wheel bearings. The tires that were on the car were "brand new" 10 year old tires that were hard and had some noticeable cracking. I decided I would give the baby some new 245/50/16 BF Goodrich G Force Sport Comp 2 sneakers.
After that was completed, I then moved to the engine where I replaced all the hoses, belts, thermostat, cap and rotor, plugs, wires, and vacuum lines. All these items I replaced had the original date codes on the lines and original GM Packard wires. I retained all the parts removed for the future. Also purchased a new complete AC Delco air conditioning system for the conversion.
The car was originally bought in Pennsylvania and has lived in the northeast all it's life and has of undercoating where I don't want it. A little tar remover and elbow grease took care of the over spray. It was such a sticky job!
I have been driving and really enjoying it regularly and have yet to take it to a car show with my other cars.
Here are a few picture to enjoy! Thanks once again for the nomination and good luck to all!
Hi All, Thanks for the nomination!!!! We see how it all goes! They are some truly exceptional 3rd gens, it's gonna be tough! Good Luck to all!
A little information about my 1985 WS6 5.0 TPI
I have been looking for a 85 WS6 for a long time to complete my 3rd gen collection. This one pretty much fell in my lap out of nowhere. As you all know, I bought it from a member on 3rd gen not too long ago.
After speaking to PurelyPMD (Chris), and looking at the pictures and details he provided me, I decided to buy it in March of last year. It was shipped from Connecticut to Alabama via covered transport.
This car has 100% original paint, now with 57100 miles & the interior is in STUNNING condition. 1985 was the first year for the new ground effects look and this car is finished in beautiful code 26 Dark Blue enamel paint - WA8596. The dot graphics stripes are in perfect condition, with no cuts, scratches or peeling of any kind and the lower grey accent ground effects are perfect as well.
The car has been garage kept it's whole life. The brand new for 1985 LB9 Tuned Port 305 CID rated at 205 hp & 270 lb feet of torque.. Coupled with the automatic, WS6 handling package, GW6 3:27 performance gears in the J65 Borg Warner 9 Bolt rear axle.
The interior got the AR9 Custom cloth 2-tone grey buckets with split folding rear seats and deluxe luggage compartment trim. The top of the line UQ7 cassette stereo w/EQ found it's way in and works flawlessly with the factory sub woofers. Cruise, tilt, A/C power mirrors, windows, hatch release. The sun visors are tight & nice as is the original headliner and sail panel trims.
Once here, I decided it would be a good idea to go through the car and replace what was needed being that it was all original. I started with a complete brake package with rotors, calipers with the recall kits, brake hoses, ceramic brake pads, and new wheel bearings. The tires that were on the car were "brand new" 10 year old tires that were hard and had some noticeable cracking. I decided I would give the baby some new 245/50/16 BF Goodrich G Force Sport Comp 2 sneakers.
After that was completed, I then moved to the engine where I replaced all the hoses, belts, thermostat, cap and rotor, plugs, wires, and vacuum lines. All these items I replaced had the original date codes on the lines and original GM Packard wires. I retained all the parts removed for the future. Also purchased a new complete AC Delco air conditioning system for the conversion.
The car was originally bought in Pennsylvania and has lived in the northeast all it's life and has of undercoating where I don't want it. A little tar remover and elbow grease took care of the over spray. It was such a sticky job!
I have been driving and really enjoying it regularly and have yet to take it to a car show with my other cars.
Here are a few picture to enjoy! Thanks once again for the nomination and good luck to all!
It is hard to not drive it, believe me!
I am the fourth owner. The guy I purchased from owned it since 1990 so the other two only had it a year. I had wanted the one from 1badGTA on here but when I saw this one I just knew I had to have it! after driving a GTA with a 5 speed I was blown away how the driving dynamic was. Not as refined. a bit on the rough and fun side. I felt more like a 60s muscle car with great handling
I have it currently for sale and If it sells I am going to be very sad to see it drive off....
I have rebuilt the headlight motors and she has a new headliner and replaced the speakers with ones that sound better but fit with no cutting. I appreciate all of you guys and feel honored with the competition! such great cars!
Thank you so much for the nomination for COTM. It is a real honor.
So here she is. My 1988 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. A two owner, 54k mile “survivor”, if I may borrow that term.
I had a chance to speak with the 1st owner, a retired GM engineer, who worked at the GM Tech Center in Warren, MI. The T/A was an ordered car, delivered through Rinke Pontiac GMC (which was just down the road from the Tech Center). This car had a stable mate for some time…a yellow Formula belonging to his wife. Those cars would have been a neat pair to see in the garage next to each other.
When he ordered the Firebird, he checked the boxes for many options. Among them: Trans Am Package, WS6 Suspension, PW7 Wheels in Bright Red, 4-way Manual Driver Seat, Power Windows, Power Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Antennae, Power Hatch Release, Tilt Column, Cruise Control, Air Conditioning, T-tops, T-Top Shades, Floor Mats, Cargo Cover, Rear Window Defogger, Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel and Shift ****, Wheel Locks, UM6 Radio with UQ7 Performance Sound System (Subwoofers), and perhaps a few I’m not thinking of. He also had the dealer add a Goodwrench alarm system, and had all the glass etched with the VIN number.
I guess everyone will have their own idea of what the car is, but to me, it seems like the original owner wanted a Grand Touring car, not necessarily the fastest muscle car. Heavily optioned for comfort, style and handling, yet with the base L03 V8, automatic transmission, and standard 2.73:1 rear gears.
From Wikipedia, “A grand tourer (Italian: gran turismo) (GT) is a performance or luxury automobile capable of high speed or spirited long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement."
One of the cars key visual features...the Bright Red PW7 wheels. Available in several colors over the years, Bright Red seems to be among the rarest. The factory Goodyears have been replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport A//S Plus tires in the O.E. size.
The only non-OE pieces in the interior are the vintage aftermarket Trans Am floor mats. And a factory Pontiac CD player with MP3 jack is on the way.
She has a few more miles now, but this is still pretty accurate.
As mentioned above, the original owner had a GM Security System installed at the dealership. The speaker and keypad are still present, but the module was removed (it’s in a bag in the rear storage compartment). I recently picked up a Goodwrench remote for it, which needs a mini-restoration of its own. Also seen in this photo, controls for the UQ7 subwoofer, rear window defogger, electric hatch release, and air conditioning.
Between a low-mile, pampered life in a garage, and a cargo shade, the rear compartment trim and T-top bag are in excellent condition too.
CarFax indicates all the reported service work was done by a GM dealer, and the only parts under the hood that appear to have been changed (the battery and the alternator) are both AC Delco, keeping it all GM, and as original as possible. I’ve done some cleaning, but there’s always more work to do.
And “original” includes: the date coded radiator, and factory hose clamps...
...date coded radiator hoses...
...Harrison Thermal A/C compressor...
...Packard Electric spark plug wires...
...and heater core hoses.
I’ve really enjoyed the car so far. It’s fun to run errands in, tour the countryside with no particular place to go, make a pass down the ¼ mile, or enjoy a nice evening at my favorite cruise spot.
I'm going to wait to place my vote. I just need more time to decide. I would love to own each one of these cars. You all must be very proud of them. I know I would. I'd be the person who opens and closes the garage door about a 100 times before finally going to bed just to see it again.
Thanks again for the nomination. The other Trans Ams nominated this month are fantastic and I feel fortunate to have my 1988 Trans Am in the mix.
After graduating from college in May of 1987 I started thinking, or really dreaming, about buying a sports car / muscle car. My dad had always been a GM guy and thus that kind of made me one by default. The Ford Mustang was really the only other option at that time in the class of cars I was considering, but it didn't do much for me and I just gravitated toward the Camaros and Firebirds. I especially liked both the IROC and the Trans Am models. I took both for test drives and spent a lot of time reading and re-reading the brochures. Both were great cars and really couldn't go wrong in my opinion.
Ultimately I think I liked the interior a little better on the Pontiacs as well as a few things on the exterior including the pop-up headlights and the rear spoiler. So after working up a budget to save enough for a down payment, I ordered the car I wanted from a local Pontiac dealer in February 1988. The anticipation over the next 8 weeks was nearly unbearable. The car arrived around the 3rd week of April and I was ecstatic.
When I finally got it home I just wanted to drive it. I never thought about how long I may have it or that I would have it now for 27+ years. That first summer I put 12,000 miles on it. When November came around I put it into storage as fortunately I still had my old 1975 Olds Delta 88 that had previously been my parents car. So needless to say the Trans Am has never seen snow or salt that come with Wisconsin winters. The next year I put on 6,000 miles, and each year after the miles diminished. My wife and I got married in 1990 and we did drive it up to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior for our honeymoon, but after we had kids there were a number of summers where I never even took it out of storage. That was tough. Getting it back out in the spring is always a great feeling with much anticipation. So this year I finally got it out of winter hibernation on May 7th and the car is running and performing perfectly.
As for the car itself, it is a 305 TPI with a 5-speed manual transmission and the WS-6 suspension package. T-tops, power everything, and AM/FM with cassette. The car just hit 49,000 miles this past weekend. Everything is still stock with the exception of the tires (which were finally replaced only three years ago), the alternator (that finally died two years ago), and the water pump that I just replaced last summer. Paint and all interior items are original. I did install new after market speakers last fall as the factory speakers had started to crackle, but the head unit is still original. The speakers are still concealed and I the size matches the stock speakers so as to avoid cutting anything.
The color of my '88 Trans Am Maui Blue with the silver ground effects. In the Trans Am model, this was the only year for this paint scheme. As mentioned above this is the original paint. It is a survivor!
Thanks again for the nomination and for your consideration.
You guys have some amazing will power. I would be driving the heck out of these cars.
I may not be driving it at all in the near future since it is in the process of being sold. Hopefully it will go out with a bang on here.
I will miss it. I will get to drive it this weekend and that may be the last time if this deal closes.
I may not be driving it at all in the near future since it is in the process of being sold. Hopefully it will go out with a bang on here.
I will miss it. I will get to drive it this weekend and that may be the last time if this deal closes.
Why are you selling? Do you have another third gen in mind?
I want to thank you for nominating my '82 TA. This is something I wasn't expecting. The nominated cars all look great in their genre and I wish ya all good luck and a fun time participating.
I do have a favorite and it's that BLACK beauty. A sure shot I'm telling ya
Here's a short long history about my TA.
It was build in Norwood, Ohio, back in the second week of August 1982. The first owner ordered and bought it at CUNNINGHAM PONTIAC INC. in New York and shipped it to Switzerland in September 1982 where it would have spend nearly 3 decades. The car sat for about 5 years till it was bought in 2010 and was listed for sale by a classic/exotic/sports cars and trucks dealership from The Netherlands.
It was unfortunately modified and repainted all red when I purchased it in July of 2012. The TA looked nice but was no more in it's original appearance. It had the 85+ bumpers, ground effects and 77-79 Snow Flake wheels. The steering wheel was gone but the interior was in very good and almost original condition. Mostly stock, except for a mid 80's Blaupunkt AM/FM cassette radio (the car was ordered with the radio suppression option), an alarm system, fog lights switch and some Firebird stickers on the map pocket and center console.
The original carb/distributor and air cleaner assembly was dropped and replaced with an earlier and higher top one. The carb is a tweaked M4ME with electric choke, a higher carb spacer and a GM (none stock) air cleaner assembly that was later replaced by me with a 10'' Edelbrock open air cleaner. The Vacuum Tank is mounted on the passenger strut tower and gone are the ECM, Lock-up solenoid, Air Injection System, Oxygen Sensor, Canister Control Valve and the Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor. The engine runs good and strong for a 305 LG4.
The stock dual resonator exhaust system is NOW back under the car and I'm amazed of the sound it produces. It has a way nicer and deeper sound than the Walker Quiet-Flo muffler that was installed when I purchased it and at 3000 RPM on the highway the car has a cool rumbling sound at deceleration and it's very noticeable in the car. Oh man it sounds sweet. Passenger even noticed that it sounds deeper and louder than before. The Dynomax Super Turbo muffler was installed for a year and a half and it sounded almost like the stock resonators. Ok I know the stock system obviously flows less good than both systems mentioned above but it looks and sounds cool and not too obnoxious.
The exhaust manifolds and Y-Pipe are still stock. The end of the Y-Pipe was cut and welded to a 2.5'' factory Pipe (L69? TPI?) and is now connected to a Magnaflow Cat. that is welded to a Intermediate Dynomax Super Turbo 2.5'' exhaust pipe system that is welded to the factory dual resonator setup.
The car was equipped with its factory performance handling package (WS7) but I upgraded new adjustable struts and shocks by KONI. It's lowered 1.2 inches with VOGTLAND Springs but also new rear heavy-duty tubular lower control arms and a on-car adjustable panhard bar by UMI Performance. The front and rear sway bar bushings/brackets and end links were replaced with Polyurethane ones. It handles like a champ and the tires stick on the road with less body roll.
The transmission is also stock but lock-up is disconnected. It could need a rebuild but it still shifts good and smooth. It's a very good running car that was well taken care off.
I was planning to restore the car little by little to its stock appearance but unfortunately it was in a frontal car crash caused by 3 cars. Luckily I wasn't injured but unfortunately the two women from the two other cars were.
After a week I got news from the insurance company. After inspection and expertise of the damaged Trans Am, I was gonna get a compensation for the damage caused on it. I wasn't expecting much and would have been happy if I would have got half of what I had paid for it. To my surprise I got way more than I even paid for it, because of it's general condition, mileage and of course because it's a beautiful car. So I purchased another 1982 Trans Am, from a guy I know, that was sitting since a few years. The car was in OK condition but the interior was very humid. It was customized as a KITT replica. I negotiated the price and got it for cheap.
As you can see the red one is now fixed but it was a PITA for the mechanics to disassemble and reassemble the car and for myself, it was a struggle to find the parts on the web and to travel to The Netherlands and Germany to bring the 82-84 Firebird parts back to Luxembourg.
There's still some details to take care of but they not so important for the moment. I'm glad it's back on the road and still running like a very good street cruiser.
Things I did by myself to this day was to replace the old front and rear sway bar bushings/brackets and end links with new polyurethane ones. I did the oil change with a new oil filter, the intake manifold gasket, valve cover gaskets, replaced the positive crankcase ventilation valve with grommet, fuel pump gasket, the thermostat and housing gasket, radiator cap with upper and lower hoses. Much patience is needed and one has to be willing to buy the tools too. I usually don't count how much I spend on the car. I know for me that it can cause headaches just thinking of it but in the end it will always be worth it because I enjoy what I have how I can with deep passion.
Last edited by Fireblood83; May 26, 2016 at 05:17 PM.
kfsullivan gets my nod on this one. Great story on choosing a well thought out combination of options for a factory order. And then sticking with the car through the lean years. Not sure how it works at your house, but I would have felt the heat to move something that never moves.
Could be an awesome road trip is that terrific GTA of yours! Just pick up route 66 as you head west.
You have an awesome car. Good luck with the move and hopefully you'll find another third gen out in California!
thanks. actually I am already out here in CA. wife and I drove my nissan altima out here and she flew back. we hit a deer at night ... i would hate that if that happened to the GTA
Fantastic story and awesome how it all came together. Interior looks like it came out of showroom yesterday and the engine bay shows great attention to detail. I know that getting parts over in Europe can be expensive and a PITA, but to see such RARE T/A (with bowling ball hubcaps also) was a tribute to all your hard work.
My Dad worked for GM and when I was a senior in HS my dad bought for me my 86 Trans Am. I ordered it just the way I wanted from the factory. It looked like this:
I miss my 86 TA (hence my name on here) and when I got the GTA I wanted to recreate the look. I tried to get formula wheels so that I would have the same wheel look but with gold badging and gold interior I thought silver wheels would look bad with so much gold.. I wanted 16" rims to keep the tires so I bought some formulas and had the professionally powder coated.
Below is a video of what it looked like then. I have since gone back to the gold cross-lace wheels. Fun times I now prefer the golds but I also liked the blacked out look but its not elegant. those wheels would look great on a modded out blacked out car. if anyone wants them I will sell them!
Here is a video of it I made on a cold winter day before I put on the exhaust tips
Tough month for me to choose. I love them all!! You can tell they are all owned by real third gen enthusiasts, with great attention to detail. Will have to ponder for a while before voting. Good luck to all!!
I've got to know a bit more about every one's car. Interesting read and very informative. I'm amazed that a few owners still own their car since day one. I was not fortunate to own mine when it was brand new but the way I see it, if I would had the chance to, I would have done my best to still own it today.
What amazes the most is that our cars still have a trace of their history wedder complete or partial. Like kymmee mentioned above, we're real third gen enthusiast. It can be seen on all our cars. It's gonna be hard to pick a car as they're all beautiful. Yes we're all winners indeed.
For those who are curious about how my TA used to look like when I purchased it in July 2012.
First time I saw it in person I fell in love with the interior. Some of you might know why...
I always wanted a black & gold t-top since I was a kid but '82, '83 and '84's are very very hard to find in Europe... especially the '82's. I was about to purchase a fully loaded black t-top but it had some heavy rust on the under-body and on the roof what made it leak very easy. The car was humid and carpets were wet. I wanted to purchase it for a fair price but the seller wanted almost the same amount I paid for the red one, so I turned it down.
This '82 was it way better condition in and out, even if it wasn't stock looking anymore.
These pictures were taken 5 months before the accident.
That grey car cut-off a car's lane and hit it while it was trying to avoid the grey one.
The black car lost control and crashed frontally on another car that was was on the left lane to turn left. I was on the right side to keep driving forward.
The red car was pushed backwards on my lane. It took like a second but I couldn't do anything.
The worse is that I could see the grey car from far trying to pass and I had my foot over the break pedal just in case.
I couldn't see it anymore once the red car took the left lane with the other cars.
I'm still amazed that the seat belt kept me from hitting the steering wheel or windshield at 40-45 mph.
I have to give my vote to imissmy86ta, that car is exactly how I wish my car would look like when its all done.
Fireblood83, your car honestly looks immaculate, that interior looks like it rolled off the assembly line yesterday. I would refuse a ride in it just in case I accidentally sat in something that day or left a scuff mark on something.
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