I have NEVER seen a Trans Am without body side molding. EVER. But I've had two or three different body shops(including one restoration place) tell me TAs did not come out of the factory with body side moldings.

Fact or Fiction? I want to do it right when I repaint it.

 

Your 83 didn't have them but from 85 and up all t/a's had them

 

You mean GFX, right?

My 84 just has little things in fron of the wheels, almost like spats, but way small, I consider it non-GFX

 

Ok, here is the deal. 1982-1984 Trans Am did have GFX, but they are the small 'spat' types that bradley is talking about. Yours is an 83, and I by what I can see your car is correct for 1983. Post some better pics to help us verify. You car from the factory had a small ground effect at the front of the front wheels and at the front of the rear wheels. That's it, and it is correct. If you wanted to run GFX that would be correct looking, you could look for the Aero ground effects kit, which was factory on 1983 Daytona pace cars, or an option on the 1984 Trans Am. They are similar but different to the 85-90 GFX. But in short, your car is correct without the ground effects.

 

FX or those door ding prevention strips?
I have both...

 

I'm not referring to GFX. I was pretty sure those were right (but thanks for the confirmation! ) I'm talking about the "ding strips" on the doors...between the wheels along the side. (Forgive the previous owner...for he knew not what he had!)



Side note: How could ANYONE let these get in this shape?! This is what it looked like when I picked it up!

 

the door ding strips did come from the factory. and good job saving her, I hope you slapped the previous owner! lol

 

Well, in his defense, it wasn't completely his fault. Although, he WAS going to make her into a KITT. BUT, he had three turbo casts, sent them off to get cleaned and never saw them again. He bought the poor thing from a salvage yard for $600, where someone had been trying to sell it for a few years.

He DID put on a new radiator, heater core and hoses, fuel pump, took the computer out, put in the carb, and did some MAJOR work on it before I bought it off him for $750...pre-KITT conversion. I drove it all the way home (three hours) and the only reason I had to call a tow is because I got a flat tire!!

Caveat: I DO know how to change a tire...the trunk had no lock cylinder and couldn't be opened!

 

My 86 T/A didn't have any.

 

guess someone removed them then?
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sorry,I thought you were orig. talking about the gfx.
Yes those ding strips do appear to be orig.

 

A previous owner could have removed them, or the original buyer could have had the stealership take them off.

When I bought my 97 Tahoe, the 4 factory chrome wheel well lips came off on day 2. And the door ding strings came off the first weekend I had it. Black Tahoe & the strips came off with zero pant damage. Not hard to do with the right stuff.

 

The parts catalog lists them for all birds. I don't see why they would've gone with anything else. Although, I would go with the later style. My '87 and '91 have smoother looking ding strips than my friends '85. The '85s look like they were added from a JCWhitney Catalog.

 

I guess I should have been more specific. My RPO sticker doesn't show a B9K option as having been installed on my car. And it came new without bodyside mouldings. Although if it did show the option, I guess the dealer could have removed them.

 

I DO know that my mechanic said they were riveted to the door. Does that help any indication? Geesh, this is frustrating... Maybe we'll never know?

 

If the mouldings on the car in this pic are aluminum rails with seperate end pieces and a colored plastic insert, they were aftermarket and probably applied at the dealer. Pretty common back in the day. Any factory bodyside moulding would have been stick-on.

 

That answers that, then! You are absolutely right! The inserts are all drawn up, too, and they look HORRIBLE. I'll be happy to get them off!