I saw a '82 T/A on ebay and the odometer shows the zero on the sixth digit, I didn't think the odometers showed over 100k until like '86 or '87?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...3756.m14.l1318

 

'82 Firebirds had a sixth digit odometer and then GM must have figured the car wouldn't last past 100,000 miles and went back to five digits in 1983. The six digit odometers returned, I believe, on the 140MPH speedo in 1986 and all Firebird speedos in 1987.

 

You believe correctly: the bird's new electronic 140mph speedo in 1986. The other cool thing about that '86 speedo was that it had no kph on it. So it has a very clean look.

 

Oh okay, I got it now . My 87 GTA has 6 digits, but I do remember the '85 T/A I used to have only had 5. I guess they went back with 6 digits when the new backlit gauges were introduced. I didn't know that fact about the '82 models though, that's strange .

 

The 82 camaros also had a 6 digit odometer.83-89 had 5 digits.I believe the 90-92`s had a 6 digit odometer also

 

my 85 berlinetta had 6 digits/

 

my 89 Iroc only has 5 just rolled it over that was an exciting moment will probaly only see that once in a life time

 

Mine has 6 digits (7 actually, it has 1/10th mile also), currently showing ~172K, but it's digital

 

Actually the no KM speedo was a partial year only in 1986, From mid 86 - 92 they used the same speedo...

 

Ya, my 86 had KM/H on it.

What is funny is that the cluster I have in my 88 Formula came out of my 90 formula parts car, it has 140Mph with no KM/H and an 8K tach.

 

My '86 base model 'bird had a 5 digit, 85mph cable driven speedo that was done with the same backlite as the 140 in my GTA, but then again, it only had a speedo and a gas gauge.

 

early 82s also came with 5 digits not just 6, honostly don't know why they kept jumping back and forth between them.

 

Yeah, like it cost them so much money to put the sixth number on there.
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My sister used to have a '86 Firebird with the dummy lights. Nothing but a speedometer and gas gauge. Hers wasn't backlit though, it was more like the '85s. The best way I can describe it is the needles didn't light up.

 

Just a trivia note . . . this topic has more impact on the US models than Canadian.
The Canadian gauge cluster (RPO U19 - Speedometer, Instrument- (Export)) is different because that country uses the metric system and those are the numbers that are emphasized on the speedo and odometer.
Because kilometers rack-up faster than miles (at a rate of 1.6km to every 1 mile), all those odometers automatically required 6 digits.

PS; that's also why it's important in topics like whats your mileage on your fbody? that when somebody posts their mileage as 150K, you know what they are talking about. Is it miles or km's? Usually if they post where they live, you can take a pretty good guess what they're talking about. But even then you won't really know 100% unless they specify. (F-body's do cross the border through private sales and gauges can get swapped).

 

You bring in a very good point there about the miles and kilometers, but despite that fact I still have seen early 3rd gens with 5 digits and 6 digits and both which where read in miles.

 

Yes. It's a phenomenon that seems to be isolated to the US models. Seeing that since they used miles, they appeared to have the flexibility to interchange between 5 and 6 digits at times. Or, it may just seem that way until we discover if there is actually a pattern or reason.
We may find that out here.

 

Actually the 1986 - 1988 (or whenever they stopped using the idiot lights) those speedometers were Cable driven... It was the only way you could have gotten a cable driven Firebir Speedo in those years... If you got the gage package you automatically got the Electronic speedo from 1986 & up...

That would explain why it was not backlit...

John

 

I recently bought an 88 GTA. It had the awesome digital dash and I was wondering if the odometer on them had a 6th digit? Mine is only reading 59,000 and some change.

 

I also had a '88 GTA W/digital cluster YEARS AGO and it read 217,xxx miles on it, So congrats you have a low mile car lol


Dave

 

I guess so! Thanks I was afraid no one was using this thread still.