I have a 1986 trans am. I have replaced the radiator and thermostat. My hood latch broke off so we put hood pins on since then it's like the car isn't getting enough air and is suffocating everyone is trying to talk me into cutting holes into my bumper but I'm just not sure about that. Anyone have any ideal want could be going on or what I should do.

 

If the body is "all good" then you'll have to check into the fan and find out if it's working correctly or not.

Check under the front bumper to see if the "air dam" properly installed.

Because the front of a Firebird has no holes for air, it's VERY important that all the factory bumper trim panels under the nose are properly installed. May cars have additional air deflectors around the radiator support area too,..... so if the front of the car was ever damaged, swapped, or changed those other air deflectors might not have been re-installed when the front of the car got rebuilt.

 

Like John said, check to see if the plastic air dam is still under the car. Its mounted to the bottom of the radiator support and just hangs down a few inches to help scoop air up into the radiator area.

Also verify that the fan is turning on once the temp gauge gets a little over 210 degrees.

Faulty thermostats can also cause overheating.

Dont listen to anyone who tells you to cut holes in the bumper. That is the dumbest advice I have ever heard of

 

This right here. It is pointless cutting holes as it will do nothing to help with airflow. The air dam is responsible for getting air into the car when at highway speeds. When in town and idling it's the fan. Like they said check to make sure the components of the air dam is properly installed and you thermostat is opening up. Also what does your coolant look like? I had to have mine drained and flushed because of a lot of crap in the system, and even then I replaced the radiator because of the build up blocking the channels in it.