Im restoring an 86 Trans Am and am having trouble locating a replacement hatch spoiler. Is there any recommendations on where to find one, and was the 86 the only yr to have that particular spoiler design.

 

good luck finding a good one. Apparently they were made out of rubber and are notorious for cracking. Many are going to hawks and replacing thiers with original duplicates made out of fiberglass.

 

also GT fiberglass sells the fiberglass reproduction, but they've had some bad feedback with shipping. these wings were originally made with rubber, metal and foam, so the metal would rust out and crack the rubber.

 

Yep, 84redta is right nemesis.The original spoilers are rubber and rot away easily if the car is not loved for and protected from the elements(like extreme heat (Florida) and bad freezing/snow (Michigan/Canada) you get my drift right?
Check here for a perfect replacement as 84redta suggested.
www.hawksthirdgenparts.org
yes,they are kind of expensive,but thats your only option unless you can find a nice one in a junkyard like yours,or you find a 4th gen one in a junkyard (the 4th gen one can be modded to work on your car.

 

Wont the fiberglass ones offer problems, too? I mean, my dad had a 68 vette that was all fiberglass, and he had to repaint the car every year because the car would actually shrink and expand from summer to winter.

 

with everything you will have your issues. I don't think that you will have to have it repainted every year, it seems a bit much (not into classic vettes so i can't vouch like you), but as apposed to finding a rubber one in the junk yard, paying a fortune and counting the days until it cracks, it is a much wiser investment to pay for the fiberglass, instead of it being an entire car which may present it's own issues, it's a smaller spoiler, and it shouldn't have that much variation, i got a '91 formula spoiler when they started using fiberglass with orignal paint, so i can vouch for fiberglass spoilers, and i'm sure that many more people can jump on this thread and vouch for the service and products coming from the companies mentioned!

 

BUY THE FIBERGLASS SPOILER! It is definitely a wise investment. I've had mine for four years now, never had to repaint it, still looks brand new, and the hatch is SO much lighter now. I thought my lift supports were worn out with the old garbage rubber wing, but four years later with the 'glass wing, the same supports are still on the car and they raise the hatch as soon as I push the button. The car sits in the garage all year, but it isn't heated and I've never had any issues with shrinking/expanding. BTW, it was 10 degrees this morning, so you know it gets good and cold here! Also, I'm sure that the materials/resins used today might be a little better than what they had 40 years ago.

 

Also, that rear spoiler was used from the factory on all 86-90 Trans Am, GTA and Formula's.

 

FYI last i checked yesterday there is someone that has one, and he says it isn't cracked, if you are going for straight up restoration and require this rubber version, check the exterior parts for sale forum, and see if it's something you might be interested in, otherwise i would suggest either a 91-92 original spoiler (made of fiberglass already) or get an aftermarket fiberglass version of the one that belongs on your car. Good luck!

 

Actually I just found out that though the spoilers all share the same profile and shape, the 86 models were the last to have the 3rd brake light above the hatch window and not in the spoiler.

Thank yall for the help.

 

These are a few pics of my TA if it will help. Also notice that the 3rd brake light is at top of hatch as opposed to in the middle of the spoiler.

 

The 87-90 Trans Am/GTA's and Formulas the third brake light was under the spoiler not in it. So you can use one off those cars.

 

My bad everyone i've looked at looks like the brake light is part of the spoiler. Is there a recess in the other spoilers for the brake light that I'm not seeing?

 

I spoke with someone, I think Hawks but don't quote me, about whether or not the spoiler came with the recess you are talking about. I was told they could make one without for our 86 model.

Give them a call and ask. Wish I could remember for sure if it was Hawks or not though, sorry.

 

ALSO... wasnt 86 the only year for them to come unpainted? I just bought a low mile 86... Has the factory unpainted wing on it. Its textured, not smooth, and its black (cars blue). It almost looks like its covered in vinyl.

I have a fiberglass one that Im putting on, mainly because i want the third brake light under the spoiler like on my 87. Im going to be sellin my stock spoiler. Its still perfect. It was garage kept all its life. And was treated often. No lumps, no cracks, none of that stain running out from under the spoiler mounts.

J.

 

I have a 91 Formula and I'm trying to find a factory style trunk spoiler, the one with the notch in the center. Any one know where I can get one?

 

A buddy of mine had two spoilers like that on his. The first whole car was black and badly faded so I couldnts tell if the spoiler was unpainted and faded very bad, or simply unpainted. I think it was an 86 model but not certain. I recall it had these strange TA emblems on the fenders that had a small gold bird and said Trans Am beside it with an orange stripe behind the letters. The logos where stock but I have never seen them on another car. It did have the textured surface on the spoiler kinda like the bumpy texture on vinyl but was in pretty decent shape aside from the colors.

His other car was an 87-88 model TA and it was red, also badly faded. The spoiler on it was red to match the car, but it was rotting out in places along the edge and you could see the foam and part of the rubber outer shell of it where the paint was coming off, and it had the same textured surface on it. You couldnt see the texture on the painted parts, so they must have used some kind of thick primer to fill in the texture when they painted them, since his both had the texture, and it was original paint.

I guess the point Im getting at is that its possible they all had the vinyl looking texture to them, and the smooth ones have just worn down or been sanded smooth.