Does anyone know what R8A means? It doesent come up in the RPO decoder.

Could it be the vinyl top? I havent seen any other third gen Firebird with one.

Sales item 51 is all I can find on it. I can't find what "item 51" is though.

R(Number)(Letter) such as R8A are Sales Control Items, it could be anything, I would suspect it was a part of another option package. Another option that I found was "Processing Option" it may have been an expidited purchase or possibly the dealer may have made a blanket order of cars and in order not to flood their lot they may have delayed the production of the car.

John

Thanks. Bye the way does anyone know how many Firebirds were made with a vinyl top? Mine has one and as far as I can tell it's stock. Just wondering because I have never seen any other third gens with them.

My car has a vinal top, but I can fold it down into a boot. I guess that makes it a convertible.


There were no 3rd gens with a Vinyl top. Take a pic that would be interesting.

Here it is. Sorry the car is a little wet from the dew in this picture. Actually took this picture last year.

Is their anyway for me to find out if it is or isnt stock.

To be honest I am 90% sure its not stock. Trim guys for years have been making vinyl tops for cars that originally did not have them. Some of the give aways are the metal strips that actually retain the front and the rear and what kind of looks like Door molding on the bottom. I think one way to look at it is there is nothing else chrome on the car, since there are the chrome strips I highly doubt that GM would have done that. The only other chrome pieces I think which were installed on F-bodies that come to mind are door handles and I think those went away around 1985. Other than emblems of course.

Its definately different.

John

Definately not a stock item.

Hate to imagine what may be going on underneath the vinyl.

somebody wanted a monte :-p

+1 to being interested whats underneath. It's different none the less but i would have to agree that it was not a stock item. Whether it was dealer done or not is argueable...but from factory i would have to say no.

There is unfortunetly some rust appearing around some parts of the vinyl. I am planning on removing the vinyl because of rust. Just wanted to find out first though if this was some rare option installed. I am the second owner of this car and the original owner was an older lady. Guess she liked the vinyl look on earlier cars.