hello guys, I was hopeing some of you trans am guys could give me alittle help. I was looking through my local craigslist today and found a nice 1986 trans am for sale for $1900 and he is stating that it has a ws6 package. could anyone tell me what that package is all about and what RPO code i should be looking for. I want to get to know alittle about these trans am's before i call the guy and go look at it. Do you guys think the car is worth it? here is the link tell me what you think. thanks

http://binghamton.craigslist.org/cto/1340196694.html

 

if i had the money, i'd jump on it. I think it's becoming a rarity to find a two tone T/A. It even states that it has a 5 speed!

Things to look for on this car would be the RPO code "WS6" located in the center consule...its the white label that is know as the SPID sheet.

If that's not in there then you have to see if you can measure the front sway and rear sway bars. (Front would be 36mm and the rear would be 24mm)
Special shock valving is performed on ws6 cars, however as old as this car is, more then likely those original shocks have been replaced with aftermarket ones.
Another thing to watch for is the steering gear box ratio. WS6 cars have a 12.7:1 quick ratio gear box. I believe turning the wheel lock to lock is about 3 full turns...( i may be wrong on this)

Maybe noted as well would be the center caps. Instead of the silver bird emblem on the cap, it would instead say in silver "WS6 Pontiac Performance Suspension."
Although it's possible someone may have replaced the original ones just to make the car look legit as a ws6 car

hope this helps if any..

 

so its rare to find a T/A that is two toned in color? now is the 5 speed rare also? thats what i thought about the ws6 rpo code, just wanted to be sure. whats the difference between a GTA ws6 car and this one? with the ws6 package the motor could be either a 305 or 350 correct? or was it a special motor to? looks like a nice car but pics can hide alot. might be able to talk him down on the price too with cash in hand.

 

350 was not available in 1986. Nor was the 350 available with the 5-speed. WS6 is basically a suspension package, so no, no "special" engine. I'm not sure I would consider two-tone Trans Ams exactly rare. Would like to see some figures to show either way.

I will say that it appears to have the PW7 16" rims, which makes me suspect it has WS6 - but that's not a given since the car is 23 years old.

 

guess the only thing to do is to go look at it closely and check for the ws6 rpo code in the console. he doesnt even say the mileage in the ad so i guess we will find out what its all about when i call him.

so i take it, it does not matter if its a ws6 car cause its not something special? any other info would be great. thanks for helping me out guys

 

Some things about 1986.
1) The M5 was not available with the LB9 in 1986 (the combo started in 1987 MY)
2) The Wheels pictured may be original as they were an option. However I think they were originally a Charcoal color, those appear to be black.
3) The 350 was NA in 1986 (Again started in 1987 MY)
4) The two tone Trans Am is pretty common, I am painting one exactly like that except the wheels.
5) IIRC You could technically order a 350 in 1986 around February, but the order would come back as canceled around April or may. If you ordered the 350, you could not order A/C or T-tops... In the end, it is more or less a moot argument because they never made any.

The car in question appears to have been repainted. The reason I say this is 1) the color is bright, like it should be, unfortunately the original color, unless hidden in a garage, under a cover faded badly, especially if it was a Van Nuys car. Also the Trans Am on the RH fender is missing. The Bird on the sail panel is also not in the correct area. The correct area is actually lower, toward the door. The door handle also appears to be red, it may be due to the jpg image tho. The spoiler could be original as it was the last year for the wing as an option. The Black Aero Spoiler was the Standard, and for a credit you could opt for the wing. It is very unusual, but available.

John