1991 trans am ?????????
could you get a trans am with a 5.7, not a gta
the car has t-tops?
4 wheel disc brakes
black lace wheels
the sticker under the hood says 5.7
there is no gta emblems on the car
anything i should look for
i will check the vin and look for rpo sticker, this weekend
thanks

 

The 350 TPI came in the Formy, TA and GTA. However, I don't think the t-tops are stock, probably aftermarket C&C ones, the RPO code for stock t-tops is CC1, if the RPOs are still there.

 

The VIN will tell you what motor came in her originally.The eighth digit will be a "8" if it's a 350(L98) or "E" for the 305(LB9).The SPID(RPO sticker)will indicate what motor also.First make sure the VIN on the sticker matches the car then look for "L98"(Z28/IROC's also used RPO-B2L for the complete package but I'm not sure Firebirds used the same.Again LB9 will indicate a TPI305.
She sounds like a nicely equipped car.Hopefully the more knowledgeable Firebird people will correct my info if I'm off base.But AmorgetRS makes a good point on the T-Tops probably noT factory.

 

Ha, took me awhile to find the thread, but here is a thread in the "For Sale" section no less about 91/92 Birds with 350s and t-tops. Good pointers on telling the difference, too.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fire...3BC+t-tops+GTA

 

thanks
i thought you could only get the 5.7 in the gta ??
i will post my finding this weekend

 

THe 5.7 was STANDARD on the GTA, the Formula and TA it was an option... In reality a Trans Am could be made basically identical to the GTA if you ordered the correct appointments. THe only diffrerence would be the badging.

Where I think you might be confused is the GTA was NA as a convertible, and the Trans Am used only a 305 in convertible form. THat might be part of the confusion.

But when you bought a Trans Am with a 350 you should have gotten the dual cats, the performance enhancement groups like the better gear ratio, etc. Without going and spending a ton of time looking into it the Trans Am was available with the WS6 suspension, however it may have been manditory with the 350... Also the GTA was standard with the Ultima seating, where the Trans Am it was an option.

The only way would be to look at the RPO's Even so if it is a Trans Am 350 with all the GTA stuff that would be more rare than a GTA.

As far as the T-tops the car has the aftermarket C&C tops.

8 = L98
F = LB9
E = LO3 NA on TA this year


John

 

OK
THE CAR IS A FACTORY 305 CAR...................
YOU GUYS ARE GREAT..........

NOW, ONE MORE QUESTION,
IF THE MOTOR WAS CHANGED TO A 350,
IS THERE ANYWAY TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE???
BETWEEN THE 305 AND 350

AND COULD YOU GET THE WS6 ON A 305 CAR ??
THANKS AGAIN

 

Please, caps lock off.

Yes, there are ways to tell if it was swapped to a 350, but it isn't really easy on a Thirdgen.

Here is a post for ya:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...erence+305+350

WS6 could come on a 305 car.

 

No prob
You have a few options...
1) If you remove the valve cover you can get the casting number from the head... However that will not determine the engine size, but it might point you in the right direction. You can also check the casting number of the exhaust manifolds and hopfully they took those from the donor car.
2) From 82-87 behind the Alt there is a hog that has the last 6 digits of the VIN that the engine came from. there is also some other numbers like the factory and the line, IE 2 = Pontiac, 1 = Chevrolet, 3 = Olds etc... I believe it also may have the Year code which if you can compile where the vehicle came from originally then you can recreate a VIN using the appropriate engiens for that model car, calculate the check digit and then start plugging them into CARFAX or Autocheck until you get a hit.
3) On the back of the engine block on the drivers side under the wires, under the A.I.R. Tube there is a casting that will have 350, 305, 5.0, or 5.7 etc... Depending on the year it will say different things...

Beyond that nothing will tell you.

Yes, WS6 was standard on all Formulas & GTA's it was an option on any Trans Am...