On another thread here in the History Resto section, someone was saying that the handling package on the 15th anniversary Trans Am was not a WS6, since it had even bigger sway bars than the WS6 cars did. I have had one of my cars documented through PHS, and I decided to look through that package to see what options my car had.

Here is what the listed options for my car were:

A01 Glass, all windows soft ray
A31 power windows
B34 Mats, carpet front floor
B35 Mats, carpet rear floor
B48 Luggage compartment trim
CD4 Windshield wipers, cont cycle
C49 Defogger, elec rear window
C60 Air Conditioning, Custom
G80 Differential, limited slip
K34 Cruise control w/accel. features
MX0 Automatic transmission, 4 speed
N33 Steering wheel, tilt
TR9 Lamp group
UU6 AM/FM ETR ST W/cass, S&S, EQL, CLK
U75 Power antenna, automatic
Y82 15th Anniversary limited edition

No mention anywhere about WS6 in this.

 

Even though there was no mention of WS6 or anything like that, there is something. I was looking through the rest of the package that I got from PHS, and I came across this Pontiac Sales and Information bulletin. It is dated November 17, 1983, and is SIB #84-9.

This sales bulletin announces the 15th anniversary Trans Am, and it says the following:

In addition to the normal Trans Am standard equipment, the 15th Anniversary model will feature:

- White exterior paint with specific 15th Anniversary identification
- Specific white aero package
- Bright blue hood applique
- Light sand gray leather Recaro seats with medium sand Gray cloth inserts and the
Trans Am name woven throughout the inserts
- Light sand gray leather appointment group
- Hatch roof
- 5.0 liter H.O. V-8 engine
- WY6 special performance package with four wheel disc brakes
- 16" x 8" white hi-tech turbo wheels
- P245/50VR16 Eagle GT BSW steel belted tires

I find it odd that it mentions that the WY6 package is standard on the 15th anniversary TA... Mine was optioned with the limited slip differential, so wouldn't that make it a WS6 car? According to the 1984 Firebird car order worksheet, the only difference between the WS6 and the WY6 is the limited slip.

Of course the worksheet also says that the driver's power seat option, AC3 is not available on the special edition Recaro Trans Am Y84. Since there are some pictures of cars with the power Recaros, I'd say that the sheet isn't entirely accurate.

 

That's true, there is some documentation that shows you couldn't order a power driver's seat on the 15th Anniversary cars. However, it has been confirmed that is was available. My car has it and has documentation to prove it came with it from the factory and there are a handful of others out there as well. I believe there are less then ten 15th Anniversary cars known to exist with the power seat so it's definitely a very rare option but it does exist.

I know everytime I see one pop up for sale I always check to see if it has a power seat and I've never found one.

 

In mid 83 there was a shortage of posi rear ends. I suspect the order sheet was printed during that time. As the year goes on the posi became available. What is the printed date of our order sheet?

 

wasn't the WS6 minus posi due to the shortage called WS7, not WY6? I notice that CC1 (hatch roof/ t-tops) wasn't on the list originally posted, but appears to be included within the Y82 package.

 

WS7 was WS6 minus the rear disc brakes

 

WS6 less G80 posi is WY6.
WS7 less G80 posi is WY5

 

I'll have to re-check my RPOs. I could've sworn I have WS7 and my car was rear disk open differential 3.73 gears. Maybe it was WY6 after all.

 

So... Does this mean that a 15th anniversary Trans Am is actually a WS6 car or not???
One of the other misconceptions that I had, apparently, is that ALL L69 305 H.O. engined cars got 3.73 gears with a 5 speed trans, and ALL L69 305 H.O. cars got 3.42 gears with an automatic trans. This is what I have always thought was the case. I read this somewhere, I think. Someone else on here suggested that the 15th anniversary cars had 3.73 gears, regardless of transmission. Were the 3.73 gears an option on the 15th anniversary cars, or on an automatic-equipped L69 engined Trans Am?

Basically, I am wondering what rear gears my 15th anniversary cars have in them. I have two of them, and I figured that both would have the 3.42 gears and a posi. Now, I find out that one of them might not have the posi (the one I have not had documented) and that they might indeed have different rear gears, or they could both have 3.73 gears.

CONFUSING!!!

I thought that the package was much more standardized than it apparently is... I was under the impression that the only thing on the 15th that you could NOT get on a standard Trans Am was the 16" wheels in 1984.

 

'84 15th Anniversary T/As had an exclusive suspension that had gas charged struts and shocks, larger swaybars, retuned springs and rubber bushings, and 16x8 rims. It became the WS6 suspension in 1985.

 

I posted up an article from Motor Trend of a 15th Anniversary Road test. You can review that in the Media section to clarify a few things. The suspension under the 15th TA did indeed become the following year's WS6 package. As for 3.73 gears and the 305 HO/T5 combo my car was built late in the year so I have WS6 and Posi as well. Mine is not an anniversary car but you can use that as a reference.

 

My car is an auto and has the following RPO codes....
GT4 3.73 rear axle
G80 posi, limited slip
MD8 700-R4 trans

 

Mine also has the GT4 3.73 rear axle, G80 Posi, MD8 4spd auto & J65 disc brakes

 

OK. Yesterday afternoon, I went up to the barn where I have both of my 15th anniversary 'project cars' stored. I got the service parts identification tag off of the underside of the glove box lid... it was about to fall off of there anyway. I checked the VIN number on the tag with the one on the car, and they match, so this is definitely the right one.


According to the codes given by some of you above, my car DOES have the GT4 3.73 axle ratio. Where can I decode the rest of these? I have the book 'standard catalog of Firebird 1967-2002' and it has some codes in it, but it does not cover everything.

For instance... I found out that my car has the A01 soft ray glass, the W62 trans am aero package, the UU6 am/fm cassette w. equalizer, and of course the Y82 15th anniversary package. Where can I go to decode the rest of this? It is terribly interesting to me. I am going to try to find this same information out on my other car, that way I can see if they were optioned the same or not.

BTW... Both of my cars are manual seat cars. I would have been shocked if the second one had the power seats.

 

Go to wildjeffs site and download his pdf file.

wildjeffs 82 - 84 Firebird Decoder

 

I was just looking at the SPID sticker and thought I did check out mine for comparison. I was shocked to discover that I have more RPO codes compared to the anniversary car. Someone please tell me I am not losing my mind here. I thought these cars were fully loaded.

Heres mine for comparison. I've been told that its a well optioned car.

I agree with WildJeff's decode on his site. Not every single one is on there but most of them are.

 

The 15th anniversary cars were not fully optioned as the 1983 DT500 cars as part of the package. The 15th's were built to order.

There was a low optioned 15th on eBay with manual windows and hardly any options. Where as the DT500's included most all options included in the package.

Correcting wrong information over the years.

1) WS6

2) White Leather / White Vinyl



Part 1)

The RPO WS6 was NEVER associated with the 15TH Anniversary Trans Am by Pontiac.

The Special Performance Package (RPO WY6) was a Sub RPO when used with the 15TH Anniversary (RPO Y82).

RPO WY6 included the new steering box, shocks, sway bars, bushings, etc. RPO WY6 was never listed on the Window Sticker, Invoice, Build Sheet or SPID.

RPO WY6 was also used on the normal WS4 Trans Am and W84 Recaro Trans Am and it was listed on the Window Sticker, Invoice, Build Sheet and SPID.

The Limited Slip Differential (RPO G80) was an option on the order sheet and NO it did not make your 15TH a (RPO WS6) car.

Part 2)

The leather and vinyl used for the steering wheel, shift ****, hand brake, front and rear seats, dash map pocket, door pockets, etc. was all Light Sand Gray.

It has been called, white, off-white and cream in most books and magazines……



15TH References:

1) Car Distribution Bulletin 84-F-7 that is dated 11-1-83

2) Sales Information Bulletin SIB #84-9 that is dated November 17, 1983

 

Something else to note,
Is that Anniversary Trans Ams thruout the years always had some options that came optional for that year/car, become standard the following year (or, as an option for the car line). Sometimes, not at all.
This included second gens, as well as third gens.
Also, as with the 15th Anniversary Trans Am, look at the 1989 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am.
These cars came with both WS6 and the 1LE parts.
Although stated they have WS6 from Pontiac, what does that make the car with the 1LE parts?

Makes you wonder,

George

 

I looked on that site... LOTS of great information... but there are several codes on my sheet that are not listed... Such as 11A, 11L, 11U, 6KR, 60I, 604, 609, etc.... Some of those may correspond with the car's colors at various locations, but I don't know.

Both of the cars that I have are fairly well optioned. Both HAD the AM/FM cassette stereo with eq. and scan function... Both had power windows and locks, both have the tilt column, and at least this one has a power rear hatch. The other car had a power antenna at one time, but it is long gone. I think that the Y82 code pulled in so many others that there just aren't as many codes on the sheet.... Such as there are not any codes on the sheet for the special suspension that I can see... It was just covered under Y82.

It would seem more likely to me that a car that was optioned by an individual purchaser would have more codes than a special edition 'build to order' car.

 

On my build sheet it has some of the codes you are looking for, they are as follows:
11A D85 WHITE ST
604 S/GRAY LEA/SU
60I SAND GREY MIX
11L WHITE PAINT

 

I believe that 11A is the paint code (White) and the 11L and the 11U is to designate the lower and upper paint code, for instance some T/A's had a lower color (Black, Gold or Silver) to accent the main upper body color so the code would be different for the lower color designated by ??L and the upper color would be ??U, since the 15th's were all white for both lower and upper color they code them 11L and 11U