Just thought I'd say hi. Just picked up an 86 Firebird Trans AM 5spd 305 with 60,000 original miles last week. The previous owner had it since 1987 and the car was garage kept it's whole life and never seen a single winter and it shows. Everthing works great on the car and it drives very nice. Last time the car was inspected was 2000 LOL Paint is original and is very nice but I think I'm going to do a repaint. There are some scratches here and there and on the top of the back bumper the clear coat has come off. Not a spec or rust anywhere on the car though which is awesome for this area! Where would the RPO codes be on this car? There are 2 stickers on the drivers door and residue of a third. There is a large sticker on the bottom of the armrest door in the center console. Would that be it? Couldn't bring the car home to my garage yet as the roads are still salty so I had to store the car near where I bought it from. Well looking foreward to spending alot of time on the forum gathering info!

 

The SPID sticker, with all the RPO codes, should be on the inside wall of the center console lid. Open the center console lid, remove the cassette holder (if equipped) and the black/white sticker should be on the inside wall. It will contain a bunch of 3 character codes and your VIN.

One thing that stuck out is the Trans AM script, on the front bumper, is the passenger side. I'm not sure that's correct as I've always seen it on the driver's side.

Nice Trans AM.

 

Thanks for the info on the RPO codes!

Yea I'm not sure about the Trans Am script. I know the car has alot of pinstriping all over the place. The previous owner was an older fellow who is going to retire soon which is why he was selling the car. When I first went to look at the car I felt like I was on a job interview. He really wanted the car to end up with someone who was going to care for it.

 

nice TA welcome to the thirdgen addiction

 

Nice Find. Looks to be in good shape.

 

Just curious, for what approximate thousand dollar price range did you purchase the car for in your area?

 

Thanks for the comments guys! Car is super clean and everything works. Interior is near perfect and nothing is missing. Engine bay is also very very clean.I'll get more pictures and put them in the photo gallery. Only paid $2500 for the car so I feel like I got an awesome deal on it.

 

It doesn't matter what area you're in, you got a heck of a deal for a low mile car!

 

pinstriping was really popular in the 80's. I know of cars that were striped at the dealership before the first owner took delivery.

Being an all original car I would first try to see if someone could work out the scratches without doing a repaint, and then only repaint that which needs it, like the top of the back bumper... I am not sure if the stripes are still available, so look into that before tearing into it.

The LG4 with the manual is a pretty unusual combination in a Trans Am... I like the wheels, but a nice set of factory 16's would be nice, either the WS6 "Formula" style rim like they used on them in 1987, and the Trans Am in 1985 thru 1987, Or the spoked rims like the GTA used... they were an option... I think it would look really nice, but hold onto the original wheels as they will help the value of the car.

 

Nice deal! Post up some more pics when you get time...

Looks familiar





Cept mine looks a LITTLE different now. Also runs and handles a tiny bit better.

J.

 

Very Nice TA!

 

Dang they could be twins J.! I like yours better without the pinstripe though. Just seems like a cleaner look to me.

Took mine to a body shop for an estimate plus it was an excuse just to drive it since it was so nice here yesterday. Guy thought it looked to nice to paint but some of the scratches are too deep to buff out. We are going to try and paint just the area's that need it like the back bumper but I'm not sure how it will look and if I will like it. I'm pretty picky when it comes to stuff like this.

I'm not sure where I want to go with this car yet. I like that's it's all original but at the same time thoughts of putting a 383 stroker in it along with suspension and rims are running through my head.

 

Mike, I was only able to get half of the pinstripe off. That stuff is tough!!! The only way I could get it off, is to leave one side of the car facing the sun all day. Even then it was a pain. Figured Ide just wait until I paint it, so I can just sand it off.

Here's my opinion on modifying it. Its an 86 Trans AM... LG4... Nothing really special about it. Its not a GTA, or limited edition. Although, I read that yours is a 5spd? I guess that does make it somewhat uncommon. But, its not a collectors car. So I say, do what you want to make the car as you want it. Thats what its all about to me. I want to be happy in my car...so thats why I did what I did.

I couldnt stand that LG4. I went from a 305 TPI auto, to a head/cam 6spd LS1, to an LG4... so to me, I couldnt wait to rip it out haha. A 383 stroker was my plan before the LS1 swap.

For the outside of mine, I plan on doing a repaint. Midnight blue metallic, and Im keeping the GFX silver. Losing all the stickers except for the birds on the sail panels and nose. Moving the third brake light under the spoiler. And keeping my wheels as they are. Otherwise, Im leaving it alone...

Good luck with her! Keep us updated with your tinkering!

J.

 

VERY nice find and a GREAT price! Welcome to TGO - you'll find a ton of great inforamtion and good people willing to help!

 

I thought they were factory wheels. Could you tell me what year the rims would have come from?

Here is a link to a TA with the same rims:

http://www.firebirdgallery.com/3rd%2...s/86ta17.3.jpg

Please don't touch a thing. This is the exact car that I am looking for. Plain jane orginal TA 5sp for around $2K. I sold my TTA but I just miss having a 3rd gen in my life. I have had 4 of them in my garage for the past 10 years now nothing. Enjoy your car.

 

They are factory wheels, those particular wheels were either the base wheel design or an optional design for the Trans AM IIRC... I do know they were available in 1986 as were the rims on the other trans Am in post #10 . They happen to be 15" is all...

from 1985 thru 1987 only the WS6 got the 16" wheels, I want to think that ll Trans Am's got the 16" rim in 1988 & up except the tires were different. The WS6 got 245-50R16, and the the non WS6 cars were narrower, I want to think 235-55R16 from 1988+ off the top of my head...

Just saying that I really like the looks of the factory crosslaced rims on a TA or GTA, or silver (if you could find them) would look killer on the car IMHO...

 

I had those rims on my old non-WS6 1986 Trans Am. They were kind of the precursor to the 16 inch crosslace GTA wheels that came out in 1987.

~Matt

 

I was under the impression that the crosslace 15's were originally intended for the Firebird SE. They were an optional wheel on the Trans Am in some years, and then optional on the base Firebird either from midyear 91 and on, or 92 with gold painted centers.

Before the big wheels craze, the crosslace 15's were pretty snazzy. Now they're worth as much as scrap aluminum as they are as wheels. People just don't appreciate them. I think they still look better then most aftermarket wheels. If you don't mind the size, leave them be.

 

Actually the PW7 (Super lightweight) Cross laced Wheels first appeared in 1986 as an option with the Trans Am with the WS6. They were available on the TA in either Gold or Charcoal in 1986... In 1987, they were only in Charcoal on the Trans Am and gold only on the GTA. Then in 1988 and 1989 (& possibly 1990), they were available in Red, White, Charcoal, Silver, everything but Gold for the Trans Am, and Gold only for the GTA... In 1991, the Gold wheels were an option on the Trans Am, and still standard on the GTA, and the Black rims were an option on the Formula and standard on the Trans Am.

The 15" cross-laced rims you have there were also used on later Base Firebirds, I have seen several later 91 & 92 Firebirds with those wheels IIRC.

Just an FYI... its off the top of my head, so bear with me.

I highly agree with Drew that most of the factory rims look better than 99% of any aftermarket rim.

John

 

Is there an RPO code for the wheels that are on my car?

 

N90 if I remember correctly.

 

Nice car - excellent condition, way under 100k miles, and a good price, too. Welcome to TGO, and enjoy your car!

 

Thanks Mark!

Well I got all the RPO codes copied from the glove box and I've been decoding them. N90 is one of them. The car is indeed an LG4 car with the M39 5spd borg warner and MM5. It also has GU5 3.23 gear Ratio.

For right now I'm going to stick with the wheels that are on the car plus they do look nice on the car. I do like the GTA wheels though and would probably buy a set if I could find a nice set. I also like the AR Torque thrust wheels although you do see them on alot of cars. I even have a set of them on my 69 Cutlass. LOL

 

Just to give you an idea, a similar car is for sale in upstate NY. 1986 Trans Am LG4 5 spd with over 90k miles. They want $5900 and I know its a dealer, but you got a hell of a deal on your car. It also has the same wheels.

http://www.automotive.com/1986/65/po...c=True&index=0

~Matt

 

I think too many people are taking that attitude though. Just look at the ads for T/A's for sale, the majority seem to be GTA's because that's all people are collecting. I have a GTA but sometimes I think I would rather have a regular T/A because it seems like unmolested ones are getting rare.

 

I think the graphics are available here....
http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/transam/8586ta.htm

I believe the silver graphics with blue accent code would be what you need (someone correct me if I'm wrong).


If you end up repainting the whole car you also might consider getting the fiberglass replacement spoiler, it would be a shame to paint the whole car only to have that rubber spoiler crack 6 months down the road.

 

About the spoiler, its easy to replace, I would not go nuts if it looks good... If you repaint, and the spoiler goes bad, get one at that point, don't buy it just because its better (it really is) but there is no need if your spoiler looks good...

Of course if you buy a spoiler keep in mind that your original has a texture, the aftermarket ones are all smooth like the 1987 - 1990 type...

Of course you can take the point of view to replace the spoiler and store the original away in a safe place...

My spoiler split when it was in a heated garage over the winter, so it may never make a difference...

John

 

Nice T/A welcome to 3gen family

 

My 86 still has the original unpainted, textured spoiler on it. It sits outside 100% of the time, and was just covered all winter, not in storage. Thing still looks nice. No bulges yet that I can see.

I actually have a fiberglass one that I want to install when I move my high mount stop light under the spoiler. Ide love to sell my original to someone that wants one...just dont watn to deal with shipping and all that jazz...Im lazy

Funny thing about those parts. My 87, the wrecked one, had a perfect dash pad. I had a sun visor thing, and a car cover on it...and the dash pad still cracked. Seems like if you let them sit, bad things happen. Drive em every day, and things last. Weird haha.

J.

 

I brought my TA home today!! It's been in a storage unit near were I bought it from because of the snow. It's been so nice the past week or so I was able to get it home to my garage! I've already washed her and I'm going to buff her out next. The only bummer with the car is the pinstripes. The pinstriping is missing in alot of places and it really makes the car look bad. I wish I could get them all off without hurting the paint.

 

Congrats mike!!

There are a few ways to get that pin stripe off without messing up the paint. You'll have to be careful with the clearcoat on your 86. 86 was one of the first years they used clear coat at all. Mine was really thin, and had tons of orange peel on the rear half of the car. Just keep that in mind when youre buffing and waxing...its thin. Also, try to keep her out of UV rays as much as possible. Mine was garage kept all its life. After a year of sitting in the sun with me, it was all chalky and the clear is almost gone on the top surfaces.

When you go to remove the pin stripes, I HIGHLY recommend doing it on a warm sunny day. Let the sun soften those stickers up. From there, you can try a plastic chisel. Something with a nice edge. Take your time here. If you can get the stripe started, you might be able to pull it from there. Thats why you want it to be nice and warm.

Another way to get them off is with a pinstripe remover wheel. It basically amounts to a pencil eraser in a wheel form, that you put in your drill. It'll rub off the sticker without taking off your paint. You'll be left with a little resiude of course...but you can just use OOPS or something like that and get it off. Then clean/wax the area.

IF you need more info on the wheel, let me know. You'll probably have to order that online or get it at a body shop if you have one near you.

Enjoy her!!

J.

 

she's a beaut. best of luck with her.

 

Congrats! Looks nice and clean! I just got my own '86 with 30k miles on it, with TPI...however, your's looks a lot nicer. My car sat outside for some time, so while the interior and chassis are like brand new, the paint is completely shot...

And I agree with what someone else said above...everyone is collecting GTAs. I bought my TA because of its low mileage, and its something different...

 

We are in the middle of repainting a friends 1986 Trans Am... Where there was original paint and he has owned it since new in 1986. While messing around we found that the green or blue masking tape would literally peal the clear coat from the car, especially on the tops where the sun beat down on it... interestingly it even stripped it under the spoiler... it made it kind of fun... put tape on, peal off clear-coat...

When he bought the car new, someone special ordered it but did not take delivery, for one reason or another, so there was some pin-striping on the car from the dealership... it looked ok, but overdone IMHO... we were able to peal that off for the most part... there were places that it would simply not come off without some effort, since we were not really interested in saving the paint we used all sorts of things like knives and blades to peal it... Under the stripes we ended up with ghost stripes... The paint was badly faded to a pink, and under the stripe it was still bright red... It actually looked pretty neat, but not what either of us would have wanted...

John

 

Ok guys this is driving me nuts. I just can't decide on rims for my TA. I'm stuck on the Torq Thrust II's or M's in 17X8's and the GTA's in black. I think both will look great which makes it harder. Any thoughts?

Car is getting a full repaint in it's original colors.

 

Where are you located again??

 

About 30 min north of Scranton PA.

 

Well looks like my wheel choice was just made easier. I called Hawks and they said the GTA's won't be available until fall as the company who makes them is changing the molds. I'm not sure why they have to change the molds though. I think I will go with the TT2's for the summer and see how I like them.

 

From what I hear/read the reproduction crosslace wheels are of pretty poor quality, so that could be the reason the company is re-tooling. TT2's are classic and look good on everything so you cant really go wrong, would be a good choice in my opinion. Just for reference here is a pic of my old roommates 86 TA with factory 16" crosslace wheels... BTW nice TA, clean low-milage examples are getting very hard to find without spending big bucks (for a third-gen anyway). Enjoy!

 

I LOVE TTii's...and if I had the dough, Ide ditch my 4th gen wheels in a heartbeat and put a set of them on. But thats not in the cards.

Just for another visual...here's what your car would look like with gold crosslace WS6 wheels. Crappy pics of my dirty car...haha.





I sorta liked the gold wheels with the blue/silver...but they werent my favorite.

Polished TTii wheels on that car will look GREAT though.

J.

 

I think it looks nice with the gold WS6 rims! I like looking at your car to see what my car would look like with out the pinstripes! I can't wait until my car is done and the pinstripes are gone!

I'm going with the Torq Thrust "M"s in 17X8 4.5 BS and 0mm offset with 245/45/17's. I love the look of the M's but I don't like that they only come in chrome or painted. Would rather have a polished rim.

 

Yeah those are hot... Ide love to have a set of those for mine. As wide as I could stuff under her haha.

J.

 

Went for our first long ride in the TA this afternoon since it was in the 70's here. We had the T-tops off and all I can say is........AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean the car drove great!! It was a very relaxing drive!

 

I did the same in my car yesterday. The weather was awesome! That was my first time driving a thirdgen with the t-tops off.

~Matt

 

Mike...I didnt like how soft the suspension was in my 86 when stock. I also didnt like how quiet and easy to drive it was. HOWEVER...it was a nice ride with the tops out haha. It was kinda cool having a comfy quiet thirdgen, and it almost made me want to pick up a nother to just leave alone.

I just prefer the loud, smelly, rough ride that my set up gives me haha.

Glad you got her out and ejoyed her!

Justin

 

Yea I know what you mean ghettocruiser, although after 24 years any suspension would probably be soft. I can't wait to throw on the shocks, struts, springs and bushing that are just sitting in my Trailblazer's trunk. I wish headers and cat-backs were cheaper too...

~Matt

 

Hey just to give my opinion here I think the torque thrust wheels look great but for some reason I don't think they look the best on 3rd gens. I would try to find some cross lace wheels used or wait until the reproductions are available. Nice car by the way

 

Here's some pictures of the car that I tood next to our pond. I will start a photo gallery also.

 

Nice bud!!! Looks good! Those pin stripes around the headlights are interesting... Ive never seen those before. Was that a GM offered thing or just someone's personal touch?

J.

 

Thanks! I don't think it was factory. The previous owner probably added them after he bought it. I know I can't wait until the pinstripes are off. Just wating on the body shop to call and say they are ready for it.