Had a lot of fun reading the various tales of third gen ownership on here so thought it was time to share my story with you all. I'm 50 yrs old and had a 78 Trans Am back in the 80's when I was young free and half decent looking. Marriage and kids saw the TA off and I never dreamt I would own a bird ever again.

That was until 6 weeks back when I came across my son looking on-line at an advert for an 87 GTA for £2500. It grabbed my attention and within 24 hours I'd phoned the owner and bought it! Hence followed a 600 mile journey to collect the car and my gut instinct had paid off! Although tatty in a few places, overall it was a good solid car that I knew, with some carefully applied TLC, could be a real beaut! 2 (yes 2!) owners from new and only 55000 miles I reckon I got a bargain! Solid, no rust, mechanically sound, it made the return journey home as smooth as silk!

First problem I encountered is the rear 'after market' spoiler which is big! so big in fact that the overhang prevented the GTA from fitting in my garage! I've temporarily got round this problem by lifting the back hatch, not good but a necessary evil until I can find time (and the energy!) to hack a section of wall out!

The GTA itself is not without faults. The lights don't pop up, no interior lights working, front indicators don't work, odometer doesn't work ( though the mileage is genuine, I can tell from the past MOT documentation) and the interior is grimey and missing the console lid. As said, good, straight bodywork but the door sweeps are brittle and falling to bits.

Wheels are a set of 'after market' alloys, these, together with the rear spoiler are the only 2 things un-original.

As said, much TLC required and I'm now into my 4th week of applying it. I gave the paint a good t-cut and polish and took to the very pitted alloys with a brillo pad and autosol creme. Bodywork now gleaming and the wheels have come up like chrome. It's had a re-spray somewhere in the past and a few panels are slightly mis-matched in colour but it's hard to notice unless you look hard and I haven't the budget for a respray. I've attacked the various stone chips and have got to go to the local paint shop to get some matching paint made up. General expected wear for a 26 yr old car is gradually being sorted!

Am keen to get into the interior and am on course to start that this weekend. A lot of grime to remove and trim to be put back in place but otherwise the interior is good. One cigarette burn on the back seat is about the worst thing!

Have sourced out a console lid (which wasn't easy!) for $40 on ebay. Brand new (original) door felts for $190, again ebay. various other bits and pieces ordered also.

Have bought a full decal package, gold hood bird, fender TRANS AM and 5.7 LITER FI decals and also some large front and rear window decals, PONTIAC and FIREBIRD in white and also a large TRANS AM white decal to sit on the rear spoiler (in an attempt to take away the huge bare expanse of white!).

Once I've done the interior the GTA is going in to a local garage to get the said mechanical faults sorted. Whilst it's in I'll be hacking a hole out of the back wall of my garage!

Once I get him back I'm attacking under the hood and then the bird will be ready to fly! Am absolutely aching to get it all done but am wise enough to know that if a job's worth doing then do it right, no short cuts. If all goes to plan should be done and dusted for the end of June so plenty of summer left to cruise.

Tiring hours in the garage after work but it's a labour of LOVE! As said, never dreamt I'd be a Trans Am owner again and I really am living the dream! (even more so come July!!!

 

Hi there,
Sounds like you got a real bargain. Congrats!

However, pics or it never happened! JK

 

Pics will be posted I promise. Am not very tech minded so have to get my son to do it for me! Thanks for the kind words though. Yeah I figure I got a good buy. Frustrating waiting for it to be done but will be worth the wait. A dumb question now, can anyone explain. What the controls on the roof do/are for? (the little odometer, etc).

 

GTA's do not have TRANS AM on them anyplace except below the GTA on the fender and hood badge. They get GTA emblems. Also all the birds on the car are gold. All the inside badges read GTA.

Also they look good with nothing but the gold cross lace wheels. I think when you see a lesser car with the gold wheels you should to kick it or something. LOL

Do you have the digital dash?

 

You can set it for service intervals or what ever they read. I don't use mine for anything. I guess they never thought of smart phones back them.

Do you have the flash light in there? If not you can pick one up on ebay.

 

Hey thanks guys! Yeah I would love my GTA to be totaly standard but the spoiler and wheels are beyond my budget to replace so I figure a few 'wrong' decals aint going to hurt! Thanks for the dials info and yes I do have the flashlight!

 

No I haven't got the digital dash. Glad really, seems like too much to go wrong!

 

Another long session in the garage tonight. Repairing the trim around the T- tops. Ripped away so have glued it back. Anyone tell me what the wire running under said trim is for?

 

No wiring there factory. Maybe for an old antenna? Wiring for the overhead console goes under the headliner .
Haven't seen pics yet, but from the way ou describe it, no wing would look better than what's on it.

 

Thanks for the wiring info! I guess when you buy a 26yr old car you have to expect strange things having been done to it. Got the T-roof trim all glued back up and finished. Could have looked better but for the difficult job it was I'm more than pleased with the result. Have to just live with some things as I'm on such a tight budget.

I will try and get my son to post some pics on here tomorrow. Te rear spoiler isn't as bad as it sounds. I actually do like it (in a perverse kind of way), it's just something I wouldn't have put on myself! It does actually suit the car, just a pain in the a** due to the overhang. Taking it off would, I think, be a mistake and the car would look 'empty'.

Starting on the interior tomorrow. Stereo fitted but I've an interior window mounted aerial to route. Centre console will be glued and clamped aswell (coming apart mid-way along it's length). Various bits of trim to fasten and secure and then the mother of all cleans! Seats very grimey, carpet needs a good shampoo and a whole lot of dust and dirt to remove. Sounds like I'm going to have fun!

 

Chuffed to bits! My center console lid arrived today. Had to pay an £18 customs charge but so pleased with it. A few scuff marks but other than that it's great. Cost me £40 plus the custom charge so I figure I did well there. These things are sooooooo hard to get hold of. This should really cheer the interior up. Got all the roof trim tucked away neat and tidy today. Gettiing there bit by bit!

 

And I promise pics will appear soon. Just need to get my son to get his a** into gear!

 

So, my son got the interior light working today! He also had a go at getting the lights to pop up and found that there is no electrical power getting to the motor, ( he tested the plug/socket at the motor). The lights are on but down. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Also, he replaced some fuses but couldn't get the front indicators to work (rear ones work fine. I have, however, got indicator arrows lit on the dash. they are both on together though, again any thoughts anyone? I do have the drivers side front marker light not working, could this have anything to do with the problem. Thanks in anticipation.

 

These types of random light issues typically come down to a bad ground somewhere.

 

Yeah I'm hoping that's all it is, thanks for that!

 

Not sure if you already know about this, but here is a site with great information. Also, there are message boards under "community", FYI

http://www.gtasourcepage.com/

 

Thanks for that. Have been on that site but I find this one much more helpful!

 

[QUOTE=Sad?Old Hippie;5558775]Got the T-roof trim all glued back up and finished. Could have looked better but for the difficult job it was I'm more than pleased with the result. Have to just live with some things as I'm on such a tight budget.

Not happy with this job at all so I've cut it all out and today made a template and cut out some new fabric. Gluing it on tomorrow, should look a lot better.

 

We're along for the ride. How about some pictures?

 

Yeah I really must kick my son's a** on this. I'm useless at that and haven't a clue how to put a picture on. Will try and get some on tomorrow for sure. Acheing to show it off! Thanks for your interest, best thing I did joining this forum, everyone is so friendly and helpful, like a big happy family!

 

Okay, my daughter has put a couple of pictures up on the first message of this thread, there'll be more to follow I promise. The two up were taken two days after I'd bought my GTA. Note, the pic of the car minus me, my TA is not bent, it was my daughter trying out her panoramic facility on her phone, I think it looks cool! The car is as I bought it. I've since cut and polished the paintwork, polished the wheels to a chrome finish and done lots of other jobs on it. You can see the aftermarket spoiler, big isn't it!

 

...

 

Hey thanks ! Never heard of Mecham? Nice though. Mu GTA spoiler is similar but bigger, more overhang!

 

Okay, another stint in the garage finished. Busy rubbing down chip marks, etc for touching up. Found a local company that came out to me yesterday and scanned my paintwork in order to make me some matching coloured paint. Glued and clamped my center console that was coming apart, just need to find those elusive hinges for the lid now, not having much joy on that one so far. Am soooooooooo desperate to get my bird finished and release him onto the lovely coastal roads around where I live. I can now see light at the end of the tunnel!. A labour of love for sure but a sometimes frustrating one!

 

Love the wheels!! Those are Ronal wheels, the same as came on Firehawk Firebirds in later years.
Here is a quick Eblay ad for you to see

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1992-Firehawk-17-Ronal-Rims-Tires-From-Real-Firehawk-/140979250355?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20d304a4b3&vxp=mtr
I have no clue on that spoiler though.....

 

Hey! Wow, got me all excited then! Unfortunately I think they are just 'lookalike' rims. They have the name BOYDS on the centre cap. Since that picturw was taken I've polished them up to a chrome like finish, they look really smart now. No, the spoiler is mystery to me also!

 

Long session in the garage today (Saturday so no work). Filled and sanded the cracks in the rear spoiler. Kept accidently rubbing grooves in the surrounding paint which was annoying. Ready for paint tomorrow. Had some mixed up by a local company which is a perfect match. Only miniscule areas so brushing not spraying, rub down with fine grade paper, cut and polish. Busting to get into the interior which should be early next week. Said it before, labour of love! Will report on paint tomorrow!

 

Similar to the Boyd "haze" wheels but I still think they were made by Ronal. Maybe just the caps are Boyds.

What size are they?

 

Not sure on the size, will check. Looked on the Boyds website and can't find them, probably discontinued as I've no idea how old they are. Don't think they're Ronals as there is a slight difference. Must put a picture up of them now I've polished them up, look awesome!

 

Paint successfully applied! Matches nicely. Let it harden up overnight and cut and polish tomorrow. My Trans Am amazed me today. Not started it for 2 weeks and fired up within a second of turning the key! Got the nod finally from the local mechanic for all the tech stuff that needs sorting, goes in a week Friday. That gives me chance to cut a hole in my garage wall to accomodate the spoiler! I see light at the end of the tunnel. My end of June finish date looking promising!

 

Pant cut and polished. A nice match but a few areas need doing again, didn't get enough pant on. Long laborious work, be glad to get this part of the restoration finished.

 

Got the paint touch ups more or less finished. There comes a point I think when you have to say 'It's done' and move on to the next job! Pleased with the outcome overall, good as I can get it! Noticed oil on my garage floor today and on investigation it's coming from the differential. Nothing major, just a few drips but will get that sorted when it goes in this week for the niggly tech faults to be sorted. Hoping it will just need a new gasket. Finally located a pair of hinges for the console lid I got through Ebay. Hawks are selling me a used pair, SPECIAL thanks goes out to Heather there! Ordered a motor repair kit for my dicky headlight too. Tomorrow I'm going to run a length of flexible rubber edging around my big spoiler to cover up the bodge job it has now of silicone sealant applied in anything but a neat way! Next week I'm going under the hood to smarten it up and on friday he's away to have the techy bits sorted! It's all go!!!

 

Put a new length of plastic trim around the rear spoiler today. Slow work but the effect is really pleasing! Previous owner had used silicone sealant which looked poor. A good day today, feel like I've turned a corner.

 

If you need to use your pop up lights. Those headlights have a manual override. It's on the LH side right by the headlight. And from what you said, your headlight motor is fine, just follow the wire and find out that way. Check your relay, it's by the firewall.

 

Thanks for that! GTA goes in to be sorted this week by someone much more understanding of electrics than myself, he'll get to the bottom of it whatever the problem is. Have bought a motor repair kit in case, been told that the pins shear and cause the gear to slip, we'll see. Can't wait to press the button and see them pop up, not very cool winding them manually, (but so glad to have that option!)

Attacking under the bonnet tomorrow!

 

Decided to leave under bonnet till yhe mechanic has had his way under there. GTA goes to him this weekend. Spent this week finishing off jobs. Got the t-roof sealed and finished today. Going to be weird not having him to work on buy will make use of the opportunity to chissell a section of garage wall out so the car can fit in properly. Definitely getting there now. Radio adapter kit arrived in post, that should smarten the interior up a bit. Will try and get some more pics on here.

 

Trans Am gone in for the jobs to be done and I have spent the hottest weekend of the year in my garage chiseling the wall! Dedication, I must really love my GTA!

 

Post a pic of the garage when you're done, I'm curious to see what you do. I might have to do something similar. The IROC is a little too long for my garage. Never realized how big these cars are. My 68 Camaro fits fine with room to spare.

 

Hey! Yeah will do that for you. Busy cutting out the hole again today, long and tedious work. Have taken into account the possibility of having a slow puncture and have therefore allowed for this by making the hole dimensions big enough! Cutting into the concrete blocks about 2 inches deep, am halfway there! Will take pics tomorrow and get my son to put them on here.

 

Have taken some pics and am waiting on my son. Trans Am still away being sorted. Garage almost sorted. Once hole finished going to line it with cardboard then give the garage itself a lick of white paint. Once I get the GTA back have just got to finish off a bit of boywork, sort under the hood (clean and stuff) and get the interior cleaned up.

 

How bout those pics ? lol
I lived in the UK for 2 years and only saw 1 3rd gen the whole time I was there!

 

Hey!

So long since I've been on here and so much has happened.

The 87 GTA has gone! It all happened in a flash 6 weeks back. Buried under a mountain of work still to do I saw an advertisement on Ebay for a 96 Trans Am and couldn't resist it. Did a part exchange and am now the very proud owner of a red, pristine Bird. No more endless hours in the garage, he's ready to go!

Broke my heart to let the GTA go but was soooooo tired.

Guess that means I can't come on here anymore then, have joined the 4th Gen forum but not had the time to post, (too busy playing with my Trans Am)!

Yeah you don't see many 3rd Gen TA's around, even less 2nd Gen's.

Keep the faith everyone, not like me!!!!!

Hell, will still visit and post if you guy's don't mind.

 

My IROC is in storage right now and like you, I have been driving around my '93 Formula. I like the comfort and power of the 4th gen but nothing goes around corners like a properly set up third gen.

Anyway, post pics of your T/A and keep your Opti dry......