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History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
Hey guys (and gals) I hope you can help me out. I just purchased a 1984 firebird 500 limited edition. Has anyone ever heard of this before. I purchased it from the original owner. He told me he bought it 23 years ago and that it was a special dealer car promotion for california dealers. It has a gold plaque on the dash that says 283rd out of 500. It has a trans am type front bumper with the black slots in it. On the sail panels is a blue firebird and in a circle around the firebird is written "500 limited edition". Also on the bottom of the doors in blue are the letters LE. It is white and the graphics are in blue. But most of all is the rear spoiler. I have never seen one like it before. It's like the regular old trans am spoiler except the lower parts that rest on the quarter panel extend at least another 4 or 5 inches along the top of the quarter panel. The interior is blue and the front seats have like a shoulder bolster. It is a standard "H" code 5.0 with a automatic. It also has silver steel wheels with polished trim rings and a black center cap that covers the lug nuts. I will try to get a couple of pictures to post. In the mean time if anyone can help out I would appreciate it. Thanks!
Charlie
Basically a sticker package. They were all white with blue stripes in 84, had a rear spoiler from an aftermarket company, the decals, wheels (just a Pontiac rallye wheel of that era) and the dash plaque.
Thanks Madmax. I was wondering exactly what it was. Even though it was just a sticker option car it was in wonderful condition and I got it for 800 dollars. I will take some pictures and post them. I also have a 1987 GTA and a 1987 Formula. Thanks again for your help.
Charlie
Pictures would be great, especially get the sail panel decal and the dash plaque. The nose bird too, thats not like the replacement decals GM was trying to sell either.
I've got a 1983 Firebird 500, #36 of 500. It's a 305 5-speed. It's been repainted slate gray, but it still has the dash plaque. Also, it only has 63K original miles (verified by Carfax). I bought it three days ago for $2800. It runs extremely strong, has zero rattles, and the chassis is still pretty firm.
Reminds me of the guy that did a engine swap on a Vega Cosworth and wondered why he could get over 3 grand. Your car is now just a very nice Firebird with a dash plaque, you could have painted same color with new stickers.
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Ohh, and you got rid of the wheels............... BUT, you still have the dash plaque!
Last edited by rideon1200; 05-24-2008 at 09:03 AM.
Reason: Automerged Doublepost
I didn't repaint it, the previous owner did, and yes the original paint was pretty bad from the polaroids he showed me. I still have the stock rallies, but they're pretty thrashed.
As a side note, I have no intention of selling this car, so the fact that it's 1 in 500, to me, is nominal. Plus, I believe it was nothing more than a dealer sticker package. From the pictures I've seen of original, stock Firebird 500s, I like the way mine is a lot better.
Maybe it wasn't a dealer option, I don't really know. However, and without trying to pick a fight with anyone here, I knew what I was getting into when I bought the car. The only reason I brought up the fact it's a Firebird 500 is because I stumbled upon this thread. I'm fully aware that a factory original classic is worth more than a modified, non-original. I don't actually know what my car is worth because there's no "Firebird 500" listed in KBB or NADA. I bought this car because I love third gen's, and I missed my old 84 Berlinetta I had years ago. I didn't buy it to sit on and watch appreciate, I bought it to drive.
The cars were not created through GM channels nor did they carry a unique RPO code. They were made by a single dealership, so its value is questionable.
The cars were not created through GM channels nor did they carry a unique RPO code. They were made by a single dealership, so its value is questionable.
The cars were built at the factory under a zone order by the Southern California Pontiac Dealer Association. It was an 80's COPO, like the California IROC with the flat hood and no rear spoiler.
I just recently purchased a 84 T/A 500 limited edition myself. It is #43 out of 500. I have also been searching for info. on this car. This one has also been repainted. It stands today black with silver ground effects and has red metal flakes in the black paint. The decal on the sails appears to be embedded into the car. There has to be somewhere we can get the info. from on these cars. Also, mine just has the normal spoiler for that year, not the one that comes across the quarters.
Thxs. Don in Arizona
Last edited by mopar68don; 06-01-2008 at 05:02 PM.
Reason: new pic.
That's amazing that you found one. I live just up the road from you in Escondido. I saw one on Craigslist here early in the year. It was listed by a salvage yard up in Ramona. They wanted $600 for it. The car started and seemed to run fine, but the interior had been attacked by Tweakers. Or that is what it looked like. It was too much of a project for me and wasn't the car of my dreams, so I passed on it.
The '84 models were all white with the blue interior. The '83 models were silver and I believe it was only available those two years. They could be had with either an automatic or a manual, but all came equipped with the LG4 V8. The cars were fairly well optioned but most, if not all, came with roll-up windows. What options does yours have?
My 83 Firebird 500 is number 388 of 500. Originally it was silver with a double red pinstripe. The previous owner repainted it. Glad to finally hear some info on this model. Mine has the 5 speed trans.
i have a 1984 LE. I love it caud it has a 5 speed tranny.. everything is stock down to the paint, exept for the rims and the flowmaster, and i even got the metal louver on it, it looks bitchin
yes thats another PITA aout this site .i think there should be seperate sections ,one for current subjects and one for old posts that arent bad from a information standpoint. but all in all TGO is WAY better than the 305 haters over at "camaroforums.com"
This is my 83 Firebird 500 LE #388. It was origionally silver with 2 red pin stripes and had a stock hood. It now has an 89 TA hood and has been repainted. I plan on making it silver again.
Unfortunately there does not seem to be a market for 3rd gens with body garnish.. a SE or not... Right now the interest leans toward those cars with more Performance orientated options IE the 1LE brakes, or the Bigger engine options...
Unfortunately there does not seem to be a market for 3rd gens with body garnish.. a SE or not... Right now the interest leans toward those cars with more Performance orientated options IE the 1LE brakes, or the Bigger engine options...
maybe where you live . but here in east TN . IF you find a 3rd gen that hasnt been "school boyed " to death. and it can be made into a complete running car (thanks pull a part ! ) with all its options and features present and functional. it sells itself. i have bought and sold 7 in the last year. with 3 more in the works. im finding that around here camaros sell 6 to 1 against firebirds. they arent as desirable for some reason. its very satisfying to roll around my town and see cars i personally brought back from the dead and sold to people . one thing i wont do is buy a 4th gen . people just dont want them here . (maybe its the plastic body ? or the un fortunate placement of the engine ? ))
Has anyone found a picture of what an 83 Firebird 500 LE would have looked like?. There are plenty of pictures of the 84's floating around, but I can't seem to find any pictures of the silver 83's with red pinstripes. I'm looking to restore my 83 500 #258 back to original, but somebody previously has already painted over all the decals and pinstriping.
Has anyone found a picture of what an 83 Firebird 500 LE would have looked like?. There are plenty of pictures of the 84's floating around, but I can't seem to find any pictures of the silver 83's with red pinstripes. I'm looking to restore my 83 500 #258 back to original, but somebody previously has already painted over all the decals and pinstriping.
No, I'm not sure what the trim is exactly called, I'm guessing it's just generally called a 500LE. The listing on the car when I bought it a few years ago was "1983 Pontiac Firebird California 500." It has a dash plaque that states "Limited Edition Firebird 500, 258 of 500." The 83's are supposedly silver with red pinstripes and the 84's are white with a dark blue or black striping. The car has been repainted to blue but the paint code comes back to the silver color. They also have a unique spoiler compared to all other firebirds. From what I read, one of the dealers in California performed all of the modifications to the cars, so there isn't any RPO code on the car that specifically indicates it is a 500LE. I was hoping to find a picture of an 83 500LE, but there is not a whole lot of information other than what is on this website. I found a car on Copart last night that got scrapped in California last year that was an 83 500 LE, but I'm not sure how much of the car is still original. The rally wheels were gone, and it did not have the firebird emblem on the sail panels or the striping that runs along the bottom of the car like all of the 84 models have. It did have the correct spoiler and the dash plaque proving that it was a 500LE though.
08-16-2007, 11:55 PM
