hi all, i am looking for a 1988-1992 formula, trans am, trans am gta. car must have t-tops, & factory black. it also needsto be a 5.7 tpi from the factory. some hard tops may be considered. must be rust free!! hit me with what you have. cash in hand ready to buy the right car. thanks

 

T-Tops were only available in 5.7L (L98) cars from 1987-1989. From 1990-1992 they were a dealer installed option only. The dealer installed T-Tops were conversions done by a company called CNC. They went out of business shortly after the third generation F-Body run was completed. T-Tops are next to impossible to find for them and they are expensive to say the least. Even worse is the fact that all headliners and T-Top hardware for them is custom. New T-Top seals are impossible to find as no one makes them. No offense to owners of these cars but frankly as a buyer you should avoid these cars at all costs.

Might I ask why you don't want a 1987 5.7L T-Top car? The 1987 cars are the same as the newer cars with few differences. The 1987 cars are V-belt instead of serpentine, but the change over isn't that difficult with basic mechanical knowledge. The 1987 cars also do not have airbags or the ugly steering wheel that almost all 1988 and 1989 cars have. (Excluding the GTA.) Aside from that there are no changes from 1987 to 1988 cars. In 1990 they had a few changes, but few of them are note worthy. The third brake light was moved from the spoiler to underneath the top rear portion of the hatch glass. The switch panels underneath the dash bezels changed as did the drivers side knee bolster. The steering wheel was also changed again.

 

a 87 is not out of the question, but unlikely. thanks for your input.

 

I largely brought it up because there were more cars produced in 1987 than there were in later years and the differences between an 87 and an 88 are few and far between. Having shopped for third generation cars many times I can tell you that 1987 cars seem to be the most common. Though their production numbers pale in comparison to 1986 and 1985 models.

Here are some production numbers taken from this site to help illustrate my point.

1985: 95,880
1986: 110,465
1987: 88,612
1988: 62,445
1989: 64,409
1990: 20,553
1991: 51,184
1992: 27,569

These are total production numbers. In most cases only about half of them are Formula, Trans Am, or GTA models. The rest are going to be Firebird models which are of course not what you are looking for. 1985 cars and 1986 cars are similar to what you are looking for in terms of styling but they never came with a 5.7L TPI engine. I only noted them for reference purposes. Given the break down between Formula, Trans Am and GTA for 1987 you end up having many more chances to find what you are looking for options wise than you will in 1988 and 1989 model years which are really the only ones that meet your initial criteria unless you drop the T-Top requirement. If you do you opt for hard top cars (which you noted as a possibility) you still end up with thousands more prospective 1987 cars than you do for 1988-1992.

You can want whatever year you like. I'm just saying that expanding your search to 1987 model cars will greatly improve your odds of finding exactly what you are looking for. Now if there is something about the 1987 cars you don't like, well then disregard what I'm saying. (Though I am curious as to what disqualifies the 1987 models from your search.) Good luck with your search. I hope you find the right car.

 

Damn, double post.

 

I have an 89 GTA, black with black leather interior. T-Tops, new tires, 67,583 original miles posted for sale on this site. Take a look at the pictures and contact me if interested.

 

here's what i have: NOT RUNNING, black 1989 Formula 350; rust-free, West Texas car. the motor and trans are included, but not in the car. i pulled the motor and trans for a paint job that fell through. there are no serious body issues with the car - no rust, no bondo, just one minor ding in the DS front panel. it is a REAL Formula 350 with a 5.7 TPI, T-Tops, WS6, ect... all wheels have original center caps. original color is black. car includes several hundred dollars in brand new restoration parts still in boxes (to include front bumper, complete weather stripping including T-tops, flawless dash pad, new window motors, and more...)

clean title; no salvage

i'm letting it go for $1,500.00. it would have to be shipped from Washington State.