Hello all... simple question (I hope)!

I have a 1986 Firebird Base, and I want to swap out the 1986 Firebird taillight housings for earlier model Trans Am housings. The problem is the number of bulbs - the Firebird comes with six bulbs and the Trans Am only has spots for four. (Additionally, the turn signal socket doesn't fit inside the Trans Am housing.)

What's needed to "convert" one setup to the other?

 

Trans Am tail lights:

from left to right (center to edge)
1 bulb that functions as reverse light (clear center)
2 bulbs that function as tail lights, break lights and turn signals (2 in the middle).
1 bulb that functions only as a tail light (far edge).

All but the 2 small bulbs should fit the Trans Am housing (I would just remove the bulbs and don't cut any wires). The only difference is that Firebirds have only 1 turn signal and Trans Ams have 2.

I would simply insert the turn signal into the far edge slot.
Insert the break lights into the 2 middle slots.
Insert the reverse light into the clear center slot.

 

I am unsure if any other modifications will be needed, but the bulb sockets are the same.

 

Thanks for the information. If it came down to it I figured I would just yank the bulbs from the two small sockets and cover them up.

This is not correct. The sockets themselves that fit the bulbs are the same, but the plastic housing for the turn signal bulb is different than the plastic housing for the tail/brake lights. The turn signal socket housing does NOT fit in the hole for the tail/brake light socket housing. It's a different part with a different shape.

 

That's an easy fix, just replace the old socket with a new one that has the correct locking pattern.
I had to replace my tail light sockets a wile back and if I remember correctly, on the Trans Am the 3 tail light sockets are all the same.

 

And you guys are all forgetting that he has to rewire under the dash for the brake lights to work properly...

Just get a harness that goes with the tail lights. Remove the old tails, harness and all, and plug in the new harness and tails. Done. Except you need to rewire the body harness connector under the driver's kick panel or you won't have brake lights.

 

Why in the world would anything need to be rewired?

 

In the base models and Camaros, the blue wire in C208 B goes from the brake switch to the tail lights. In the TA/GTA, the blue wire gets looped from B to A to transfer the brake signal to the TURN SIGNALS. The turn switch turns the brake lights on the side where the turn signals have been activated OFF and instead uses the lights as a turn signal.

Hence, if you don't connect the blue wire to the white wire in the C208, you won't have brake lights. There is no blue wire in the TA/GTA/pre-85 harnesses.

 

You don't have to change anything underneath the dash unless you swap to the TA taillight harness, which you do NOT have to do, so please don't go to all that work; your existing harness will work just fine. It's almost as simple as rearranging your existing light sockets, as Rickey suggested.

Follow the directions in the thread linked below. It's the BEST thread about this topic on this entire website. It doesn't get any better or simpler.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...ula-trans.html

In a nutshell(but read through the thread linked above), the only changes to your existing taillight harness you'll need to make are to remove the two 194 bulbs/sockets from each side, replace the turn signal socket with a 3-wire socket like the two existing brake/tail sockets, run one of the brown(tail) wires from one of the now-unused 194 sockets to the new 3-wire socket(making it a turn/tail socket) and use the same bulb in the new 3-wire socket as you have in the two brake/tail sockets. Put the new turn/tail socket in the outer-most location in the TA taillight(or any of the three locations you desire), use the two brake/tail sockets in the other two TA taillight locations, and use your existing reverse socket in the reverse location. DONE.

 

Hello, and sorry for bump this old post.

I have a base 92 fireird tail light with amber lights, and now I want to change into a 82/84 T/A lights secuence.

I have read this post:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...ula-trans.html

and it is an option, but I want get the T/A 82 brake/turn secuence.

What I have to do?, In some post I ve read only change te harner (plug & play), but in other the said I have to rewire under the dash for the brake lights to work properly.

I already have Tail lights and the sockets.


Thanks!

Nick