This past Saturday, I went to a small town parade with my son and when we returned my camaro, I found this parked right acroos the street where I parked.

I do not know much about Pontiac Firebirds, Trans Ams or for that fact TTA's. I am a camaro fanatic. I remember seeing a webpage that had alot of info about a month ago but I cannot find it.

I believe that about 1500 of these were built and were the fastest production thrid gen car. Correct me if I am wrong.

As you can see from the pics, it is damaged on the front and left front quarter. I tried to contact the owner when I was there but nobody was home to see if it was for sale.

How much are these worth? I do not know how many miles it had but it seems that it has been sitting there awhile waiting for somebody to fix it up. Also, how much body work am i talking about. I am not a body expert but it looks close to $3000. Another question is how much are these cars worth if it has 100k miles???

One thing it did have (if I remember correctly), I think it had cloth interior. i thought all TTA's came with leather????

There are 3 other pics of the TTA on my webpage at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/topduarte2





Any info on this car would be greatly appreciated.

Manny

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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

yea 1500 were produed, there a little rare, but not extreamly, i THINK ive seen em selling for like 13000, not sure thought, and the firehawk was the fastest third gen, but they didnt make too many of those

------------------
Trent
---Car---
89 Firebird/305 L03 TBI A4/t-tops
Open Element Edelbrock Aircleaner w/ K&N air filter/Summit Chrome Valve Covers
Edelbrock TES headers 3" out/flowmaster American thunder 3" exaust/Catco cat
---Stero---
Pioneer DEH-P730 Premium
Infinity 2way 4652 4x6's/Pioneer 4way ts-a6985 6x9's
profile cl640 110x4

 

I think I'm going to cry. Soembody buy that poor car and fix it. QUICK!!!

 

Buy it! They are really rare and if it is totaled just take the drivetrain and put it into a camaro since you like the exterior better. You won't be disappointed.

------------------
************************
91 z-28 305 700R4
3.73 gears out back
T-Tops and Black all over.

 

It looks like a GTA that someone put the pacecar decals on IMO. I do not see ANY TTA/20th emblems anywhere on the car except for the decals (which are easy to get).
All the identifying emblems are not there (taillight center piece, badges, etc).

The seats do appear to be 20th seats (and leather). The back seats appear to have head rest's. Very few TTA's had cloth interior.

I guess the best way to tell would be a look under the hood and a look at the Vin.

The car appears to be quite a project.

------------------
1983 TransAm
1984 TransAm
1994 TransAm GT
1994 25th TransAm GT
1990 T-Bird SC
1971 Boss 351

Four TransAm's are not enough. Firebirds for all.

 

As TAdan said, a quick check of the VIN and the engine compartment will confirm what this car is. The eighth digit of the VIN should be a "7" for the 3.8L V6 Turbo engine.

The TTA's had both leather and cloth interiors available, so either would be correct. If that car's got the rear headrests, then it is most likely authentic. Those are extremely hard to come by these days.

If the car has been sitting any length of time, I'd almost guarantee that the Indy emblems have been stolen off it. They are getting really hard to come by nowadays. I know two separate owners who have had to rivet their car's emblems on to prevent theft. Not the most sightly way to do that, but then they haven't been stolen again, either.

That's about how my GTA Notchback looked when I got it, and my repair bill on that car... parts and all... was less than $2K. It's a definite keeper if you can get it for a decent price.


------------------
Frankie Rider, 2
The GTA Source Page
-----------------------
'88 GTA Red Hatchback - 5.7L/A4
'88 GTA Black Notchback - 5.7L/A4
'88 GTA Gunmetal Hatchback - 5.0L/A4

 

Thanks for all the replies!!! I am probably going to go by there tomorrow to see if I can find the owner and if it is for sale.

It does seem that all the emblems were removed. I will take a look at the rear headrests if it has any, at the VIN (without that little chihuahua dog trying to take a bite at me).

Thanks for the info and I will get back with you guys on what I find out!!!

Manny



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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

Good luck...if you can get it then you have a definite keeper...

------------------
Jason E

'89 Camaro RS
-Medium Grey Metallic
-2.8, A4, T-tops, 95k miles
-Hypertech chip, Accel 8.8MM wires and coil
-K&Ns with gutted airbox
-Alpine 60x4 with Boston 746s and RX97s

'97 Z28
-30th Anniversary package (white with orange stripes)
-LT1, M6, t-tops, 46k miles
-Xtant 403a 50x4 + 300x1 powering a 10" Eclipse Aluminum in a JL Stealth box, Boston RM6 fronts, Monsoon rears (temporary!!), Eclipse 5341R CD, All Monster's goodies...
Speed Kills...Wanna live forever? Drive a Ford.
Long Live #3...

 

Well, it looks like you could just pop the hood, take a look under there and see what you find. A TTA wouldn't be a TTA without the Turbo if you catch my drift. Look at the VIN to see what it is trying to be and look around for TTA badging. I'd say it's got a good chance being one. See what they want for it to get an idea if they know what it is.

The TTA is quoted as being the fastest thirdgen and I believe they top out around 165 MPH... pretty quick cars.

 

Dont be totally fooled. I was a month ago. It appears to me that the center tail light filler does say "turbo" underneath...which is authentic...and it does have the headrests on the rear seats. But...I thought I was just as lucky as you. A month ago I found a "TTA" down the block from me....it had a lot less body damage than the one you are looking at. The guy even had the door. Well...it turns out that the previous owner of this '86 TA....swapped everything from an '89 TTA...even the interior badges and shoulder style rear seatbelts. It turned out to be a fake TTA...and really a 5.0 TPI '86 TA. The car is still sitting down the block, maybe one of these days I will go down there and get the seats and the rear tail light filler which says "Turbo" from the car. If anybody needs these parts let me know. Well, anyways....good luck...and hopefully you will have a lot more luck than I did. I thought that my first car was going to be my favorite third gen...an '89 TTA...but it turns out it is my good old '83 Trans am which is an '86 TA look a like.

James

 

James,

I appreciate the info. I remember reading your info on the possible TTA and wondered what happened.

I will check the 8th digit for a "7" and the 10th digit for the year which should be a "K"

I will take some more closeup pics of the TTA tomorrow during my lunch hour.

Manny

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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

Well if you buy it, you'll have to head over to the TTA board... All the TTA's were numbered, they can track it down and you'll know exactly which one it was.

 

Well, I just got back and could not find the owner home. I left a note with my number asking if the car was for sale.

I did notice that it is cloth upholstery, it does have the headrests on the back seats and it did have the "TURBO" on the rear lense.

The interior was nearly clean with except some wear on the drivers side lumber support.

Also, it had the remains of dirt grit on the front right quarter where it said "TURBO".

I could not jump the fence and see the VIN. Crazy chihuahua dog would probably try to take a bite at me!!!

I will just wait and see if the owner will call me.

Manny

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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

Well, the owner called me back and he is going to fix it up. He just bought it a few months ago from a guy in Chicago.

The TTA had originally leather , which he still has and he just got the emblems (which were $120 each).

It is car #1252.

Nice guy. I wished him luck on completing the TTA.

A buddy of mine told me of another TTA for sale around here for $12k. It has 40k miles.

I am going to go check it out this Saturday!!!

Now I just got to convince the wife for another toy or I might just have to sell my Z!!

Manny

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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

Well its nice to hear that it will be getting fixed up. Good luck looking at that other TTA. I dunno about getting rid of your Z, it sounds like a nice one.

 

Also glad to hear that there's one more competent thirdgener out there! I'd get a TTA if I could afford it, and I'd definitly sell my 'bird to help pay for one. (don't tell my car I said that )

 

Fastest production thirdgen? The 1969 COPO ZL-1 427 comes to mind.......

 

I believe the key word here is "third gen", when was the last time a 69 copo was called a third gen?

------------------
Tom:

1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am #718 / 1555

[This message has been edited by m0bius (edited November 03, 2001).]

 

November 01, 2001 09:17 PM

 

Sorry, but mobius really burned you good there... sure you didn't mean it that way though. Just say F-body in the future.

 

It is mine. I had bought this car from Joe Harrington in Chicago about 6
weeks ago. It came the way you see it.

Manny had taken the pictures when he attended the parade there in Kyle,
Texas last Saturday.

The car looks worse than it is. I have all of the fenders and bumper off
now. I also have the car in the shop and out of the weather.
I just need to fix the driver's side bumper horn in which GM saw fit to
be an integral part of the unibody.( Idiots )
This by far is the hardest part of the project. I have new headlight
assemblies. fog lamps, turn signals and tail lights. Still working on
fenders and front bumper.

The engine ia 1200 mile Precison Turbo block. It has a TA-49 and green
stripes. The enigine compartment is spotless. The chassis has 60,000
miles on it. So the car is tight, but being that it lived in Chicago
does have a little rust here and there.

The interior is great. Joe had put cloth seats in front. I do have the
original leather seats, but as you TTA guys know covers are hard to come by.
It has an incomplete exhaust.

I have owned Camaros and Novas for years. I just knew when I sold my 79
Z28 a few months ago( I had this car for 15 years ) , I wanted a turbo
buick. I was about to purchase a fairly nice 87 Turbo T when Joe called
and said the TTA was still available. Can't wait to get her on the road.
So I picked up yet another project instead of the instant gratification
I would have had from the Turbo T.

Mustangs always mistake these for white GTAs ( He He He )

BTW: The land the car is on is owned by my dad. This particular lot was
the location for the Coca Cola bottling plant in the 1920's then changed
to a local Cream Soda plant in the 40s - 60s....

Well, now that my damn car has been posted all over hell and back I
guess I will treat you with a update picture every now and then.

"ANY LUCK MANNY SATURDAY WITH THE OTHER TTA?

Gary
"The Be The Man, You Have to Beat The Buick"


------------------
89 TTA #1252
TE-49 and Green Stripes
The best Pontiac, Buick ever Built!!

It is what you learn after "You know Everything" that is the most important.

 

Gary,

I did not get a chance to go see the other TTA but I got an email today from I believe the same guy who is selling a TTA here in Pflugerville.

I emailed him back and told him to send me the info on his TTA.

I will let you know what I hear!!!

Manny

------------------
92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

As of 2001, even the Firehawk brochures claimed that the 89 TTA's were the fastest F-body (not just thirdgen) made to date....until the 2001 Firehawk's.

 

Ovrclck350 is right. the 92 Firehawk was fast but it wasnt faster than the TTA. also the TTA was a production car the Firehawk wasnt. But as of the debut of the LS1 the TTA is not the fastest F body. factory tests have the LS1 being a little slower but privately owned LS1 Zs have been running 12s bone stock for i believe two years now. thats if the driver is really good. GMHTP had Evan Smith take a 2001 SS to 12.96 bone stock in 90 degree heat. imagine that a mustang man drives the LS1 f bodies better than almost any one else around. and the fact that he is still a mustang man is beyond me. Trey

 

Firehawks and the new LS1 cars are fast sure enough. But when the TTA was released, the factory had the engine de-tuned so to speak so the casual driver could handle it. I know of two TTAs that run 12s, with 93 octane and a chip. No special tires, turbo, gas or anything else. Put some real tires and turn the boost up a little and see what you get. The other thing is that in a street race the TTA will hold its own because of the awesome launches these cars are capable of. The LS1 cars have higher trap speeds making them great on the high end, but usually a Turbo Buick will hand it to them on the low end.

My car will run 11s at the track with pump gas and an alky kit. You will never know that it is not stock. The car will be quite as a mouse, until you hear the turbo spool up. Also TTAs are capable of 10s without taking the engine apart. LS1, Firehawks will not come close to this "STOCK" engine performance.

Greatest F-body ever ?? That one is easy: 1969 ZL-1 Camaro. This car was awesome. Problem was no traction. Put some new wheels and tires on it and you are looking at 11s easy. The GM engineers screwed this car up. Why in the hell put 4.11s in a car that light with that much torque? This car has been listed as the 6th fastest muscle cars of all time. Only that low because of the horrible traction these cars have. The 1968 ZL-1 Corvette is 2nd only behind the AC Cobra. I know this car will beat the Vette with decent traction and gears.

My 02 cents...

------------------
89 TTA #1252
TE-49 and Green Stripes
The best Pontiac, Buick ever Built!!

It is what you learn after "You know Everything" that is the most important.

 

thats true i had forgoten that all that was needed was to turn the boost up which any owner could do. i was just remembering all the test reports in which that had the TTA running 13.0 and 13.1. any way reguardless of who is faster they are both and will forever be bad a$$ cars. Trey

Greatest F bodies ever: 67 Z28 and 69 TA. with their building the F body was from then forward known as being not only a drag strip car but also a road course car. which is why i like them so much.

 

No such thing. In 67 the Z/28 was a suspension option available to only racers. Nobody knew about it and was not a special car, only an RPO ocd for a suspension package that happened to come with the race inspired 302. Man what happen to GM. Remember when they let the Engineers run wild.

------------------
89 Trans Am Turbo 3.8L All stock 43,000 miles #1053 of 1555

Past Thirdgen:
86 Trans Am w/ built 355TPI with SLP goodies and too much other stuff to List. One sweet *** car, wish I would have had a good enough Job to pay insurance on three cars so I could keep it, but for a 89 Turbo Trans Am w/ Low miles, I think I made the right choice!

 

The z28 was an option (RPO z28- Special Performance Package) from 1967 thru 1974. In 1977 in became a seperate model. No z28's 1975-1976 except Chevy says that one 75 z28 was built.

It was not a suspension package. For 1967, RPO z28 included 302, 290 hp engine, closed positive ventilation, dual deep tone mufflers, special suspension, heavy duty radiator and temp controlled fan, quick ratio steering, 15 x 6 wheels, 3.73 axle ratio, special stripes on hood and rear deck.

Even in my 92 z28, my rpo list a "z28" as one of the rpo's!!

Hope this clears things up.

Manny

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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

YOu are correct, I wasnt sure of the specific things that came with it so I didnt want to quote out specifics.
THough in 69 it did become a seperate model.. Infact my mom bought one with the M4 and 302 with nonflip up head lights in MEtallic blue with white stripes. Specifically a Z/28... documented by GM as the firts mass produced Z/28.

 

I have a question for all of you...especially those who own TTA's. Well, of course they are my dream car...besides the LS1 Firehawks. Well, I am only 17 therefor I cannot afford one just yet. But once I graduate this year I wanted to get a new car. Here is my question...is it wrong to use a TTA or a Firehawk as a daily driver? I just love the TTA and always wanted one. I am hoping for some scholarships to pull through so that I can have more money to spend on a car. If I found a TTA...with like 60,000 miles on it...would it be wrong to drive it everyday? Or should it be more of a collectable car and one I just take to the track, to shows, and as a weekend cruiser? What would you guys do? Let me know. Because if I come across a nice TTA I want to snag it...but I could settle for a '98-'01 LS1 TA. The Firehawk can always wait. I actually dont know what I would choose...a TTA or a '99-'02 Firehawk.

James

 

Actually, the z28 was still an option through 74. It never became a "Separate Model" until 77.

There were 20 odd thousand z28's in 69 but they were rpo "Z28's". There were 4 models offered in 69.

1. Sport coupe, 6-cyl
2. Convertible, 6 cyl
3. Sport coupe, 8 cyl
4. Convertible, 8 cyl.

The non flip up headlights is the non "RS" option in 69. Just like the z28, the RS was an option (RPO Z22), not like the model it is on some of the third gens. The RS was an option I believe in 87 and 88 and became a model in 89.

Hope this helps!!!

Manny

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92 Bright Red z28, 350, 47k miles, pw, pl, power mirrors, power drivers seat, rear defroster, limited slip performance axle, 4 wheel discs, red leather interior and the Heritage Package!!

 

James the car will be yours do with it what you will and how you like. personally i would drive it every day unless i had something else to drive, but if you can only have one car i would take either one and drive it.

sorry for the confusion on the 67 Z28 thing. i knew that Z28 was the suspension package and 302 engine(for 67 only right?). i have just always referred to them that way. kinda like saying you have a 68 RS/SS Z28, instead of i have a camaro sport coupe with the RS/SS Z28 options. either way i hope y'all knew what i meant. Trey

 

I am not using mine for a daily driver, because if you dfo it will wear ourt like anyother car and oneday it will be the end of it.
I will probably only take my car to the track every now and then.
So yes I think it would be wrong not to preserve the car you love for use forever, but like was said above, if you own it, it is yours do do what you like with it.

------------------
89 Trans Am Turbo 3.8L All stock 43,000 miles #1053 of 1555

Past Thirdgen:
86 Trans Am w/ built 355TPI with SLP goodies and too much other stuff to List. One sweet *** car, wish I would have had a good enough Job to pay insurance on three cars so I could keep it, but for a 89 Turbo Trans Am w/ Low miles, I think I made the right choice!

 

Lol, whoops sorry guys I just finished reading a post of www.turbobuick.com and i think i was a little mixed up. yeah i was burned pretty good lol.