When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
ConvertiblesDiscussed here are problems and solutions to convertible specific questions, including difficult to find part numbers and other convertible tech help.
Been chasing this car for years, finally got to take it home. It was my dad's car when I was a kid, he's tickled to death that it's back. '88 GTA convertible, bright red, gray leather, digital dash, UQ7 option, loaded as can be. 49k miles on it. I still can't believe it.
Dropped the tank, replaced the pump and sending unit, and it fired up like it was never parked. Up to 50k miles now. A new set of BFGs did a huge service for the ride. I absolutely love this car.
Beautiful Car.....Now it looks like it's time for a new convertible top!
And BTW.....I saw the button.....I remember "Clifford" alarm systems back in the day!
Is that an AMC Javelin behind it?
Thank you very much! The top is original and still in pretty good shape, I think I'm going to just have the window replaced. This car still has the original power pull down motor for the rear of the top, and I'm nervous that a new top may be tighter and cause issues with it. The car was sold new in Chicago Heights, I doubt anything fancy left the dealer without one of those alarms! Lol. The car behind it is a '69 AMX, it's my cousin's car I'm getting back on the road for him. Stout 454, TH400, front and mid plates, Strange 9", it's an old school pro street build. Super cool car!
Car looks amazing, cleaned up really well. Is that the original paint too? Gotta pretty rare with the digital dash and the vert option. Were the verts dealer options for the firebirds?
Regardless, thats a great score. Any old pics when your dad owned it?
I still have my old clifford alarm i bought in 1989.
Thank you guys for the kind words! The car has cleaned up really well. I'm hoping to wrap up a few small irritations early this Spring. Injectors, window sweeps, and a rear window would have me feeling very good about things for a while.
Originally Posted by mikeceli
Just curious, does anyone refurbish those digital instrument assemblies?
I'm not sure, but this one had a few dead pixels. I removed the dash assembly, disassembled and cleaned it, and reinstalled. All of my issues went away, and it was a good opportunity to switch to all LED bulbs.
Originally Posted by 84 1LE
Car looks amazing, cleaned up really well. Is that the original paint too? Gotta pretty rare with the digital dash and the vert option. Were the verts dealer options for the firebirds?
Regardless, thats a great score. Any old pics when your dad owned it?
I still have my old clifford alarm i bought in 1989.
Thank you very much! It is original paint. There's chips and dings here and there, but the only parts looking very noticeably weathered are the ASC parts (trunk, wing/spears, tonneau). Unsure if I'll simply have those parts repainted or if I'll eventually have the whole car brought up to an OEM or better standard. As for the convertible option, they were dealer ordered. Aside from the paperwork half of things, the conversion process was identical to the Camaros. There were 104 Firebird convertibles total in 1988, unfortunately there aren't any more specific numbers available but the fact remains that it's a low number car for sure. In the 15 years between the time my dad sold this car until I brought it back, I never did find another optioned like it and found only two similar, one in black over tan cloth and another in black over gray leather with the 5 speed. I sure would love to know where that 5 speed car ended up.
Looks amazing, i can imagine how nice that feels! My dad had the same exact car black on black. He sold.in the mid 2000s and has since passed. I would love to locate it, Would you share how you tracked it down. I am just starting my journey to find his.
Congrats!! Nice Vert. IMO the GTA and Trans Am make a beautiful Convertible!!
Thanks! I agree, they really are beautiful cars!
Originally Posted by Rbrennan43
Looks amazing, i can imagine how nice that feels! My dad had the same exact car black on black. He sold.in the mid 2000s and has since passed. I would love to locate it, Would you share how you tracked it down. I am just starting my journey to find his.
Thank you! Black on black had to be a really cool combo, a friend of mine has an '89 in that combo. I knew where this car was my whole life, just couldn't put a deal together until a couple of years ago when I hauled it home. I'd contact Wes at Lost Muscle Cars on Facebook, it's amazing the things he's been able to find in the past.
