As the title states, I am restoring a 1985 Trans Am that has the 5.0 HO motor and 5 speed. The car is about 85-90% complete, and I am in need of what appear to be fairly uncommon parts to finish it off. I apologize if I am posting in the wrong area, but if anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

The items I am in need of are:
Center Console
Dash Board
Dual Horn Air Cleaner, intake "tubes" and Intakes (mounted on the radiator support)
Russet Colored Seatbelt 'holders' that attach to the headrest
Cargo Cover (black 'windowshade' pull out)
AM/FM Cassette w/equalizer (working)
Dome Light Cover

Thanks!

 

Just curious, is it a WS6?

 

have you checked any junkyards around you, ebay and craigslist sometimes you can get lucky also.

 

If your looking for used at a reasonable price check out:
www.thirdgenranch.com

 

I don't know how to tell if it is a WS6 or not, the lid is gone from the center console and I don't know the RPO codes for the car. The car is also in beng painted, so there is no easy way for me to look at it atm, is there any distinguishing features that would indicate it being WS6?

 

Doesn't matter if it's "a WS6" or not; that's mostly just a bunch of spank-off. Nobody cared about that until they started sticking stickers that said that on the side of some the 4th gens. Before that it wasn't a buzzword yet.

What matters, is if the springs have been changed out, since if not, they're yerbasic 25-yr-old wore-out sagging stock garbage, and were less than the ones that came in other cars in later years anyway, particularly in later IROCs and Z28s which typically got more aggressive suspension treatments than the Birds; and whether the sway bars have been upgraded, since the "WS6" ones in that year were also lesser than the ones in other cars in later years. Parts count more than buzzwords.

Not sure your Bird would have had the intake setup you are describing, as the one you are talking about is the Camaro one. AFAIK it won't fit under the Bird hood (hood is too close to the adiator core support) and wouldn't get any air there anyway (Camaro has open headlight pockets that give access to air but the Bird has disappearing headlights). Maybe somebody with a Bird L69 can fill you in on what air cleaner setup those came with. Might even have been the hood with the vacuum/electric cold-air door thing.

Most of the rest of that is REAL TOUGH to come up with... the window shade thing disintegrates due to sunlight (no you can't have mine ), as does the dash pad; the cassette.... brand-new ones ate tapes, and besides that, you almost can't get cassettes any more which renders it about useless, and most people took that garbage out and threw it in the trash and replaced it with something that actually WORKS and that they can get media for. I know I sure did, after my original one started eating tapes after about a year and the next 2 or 3 or so that I scabbed out of junkyards and cleaned up and fixed and got to not eat tapes, but they failed again after a while; I guess it was in around 1990 or so I gave up on it and put in a CD player which is there to this day, WORKING.

The dome light cover, you can probably get from a junkyard; just gotta get the right one for whether you have the roof console or not. Although, those too, have a tendency over the years to turn to dust and crumble, and the little tabby ear things that hold them in to break off, and the light bulb burns a nice crispy brown spot in them.

 

Why the WS6 hate? In 1985, the difference between a Trans Am and a Trans Am with WS6 is greater then the difference in performance between a Z28 and an Irocz, or the difference between a 1LE and a Z28. It's a minor difference, but some of us prefer cars with performance options to those without.

WS6 is a suspension package. In 85 the resulting suspension is exactly the same as it was in 1992. WS6 cars came with FE2, which is the same as an Irocz, or a G92 92 Z28, Formula or a GTA. For 85, look for 16" wheels as the dead give away. Early Trans Am's without WS6 got 15" wheels. Also the front sway bar should be 36mm, and the rear 24mm. BZW or BZX front springs, NNL or NNM rears. WS6 cars also got the upgraded steering box. Early cars really aren't my thing, but i want to say in 85 rear discs were also part of the package. I'd also expect that an 85 T/A would have harder rubber bushings with WS6, than without...

 

As far as I know, disk rear brakes were not part of the WS6 package, but were common on the WS6 cars. The RPO for disk brakes was J65 IIRC. GM had shortages of the disk components throughout the 3rd gens, and many cars ordered with them wound up with the aluminum drums. I own a WS6 and a non WS6 and there is no reason to say there is no major differences, WS6 is quite the performance upgrade over the stock suspension! To answer the OPs question though, if your car is a WS6 you'll see a "Performance Suspension" badge on the lower passenger side dash panel. Dosn't always mean its the WS6 package, but more than likely if you have 16" wheels and the badge, thats what you have. Also, on the tape deck issue, I put the stock deck back in my firebird and have no problems with it, I enjoy the stock look. I just use a tape adapter for mp3 players. Its easy to find the tape decks with equalizers in square body blazers through 1994, may not be the exact deck you need, but it will work, I got my 1986 T/A deck on ebay for about 50$ rebuilt, and it works great as well. Good luck with your restoration, and lets see some pics!

 

It varies by year, in 1985 the brakes were part of the WS6.

 

I was the 2nd owner of the car, and when I got it, it did have the dual horn air cleaner, hoses and radiator support intake pieces. Over the years these have gone the way of all things when you work on your own car and don't stop to think about later years.

Items of note on the car, 16" wheels, 4 wheel disc brakes, California Emissions package (junk), am/fm/cassette w/eq and the dash slider bar (bass?). I don't remember seeing the performance suspension sticker as you mention, but it'll be at least a month before I get the car back from it's repaint. If you'd like to see some 'before' pics, check out https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...mbers-l69.html That was 6 years ago, and before the neighbor backed into the side of it.

 

I stand corrected, I wasn't aware of that. My WS6 has the disk rear brakes, but a friend of mine has two WS6 cars with aluminum drums because of the GM parts issues those years. Its cool to know that disk rear was part of the package in 85.

 

Sounds like a nicely-optioned TA. And it looked good in your pics.

For small parts like the dome light cover and the seatbelt headrest guides, check Modern Day Muscle.
http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/

Center consoles can be found in junkyard cars. Most will be junk, but it's not unusual to find one in good shape. Just search your local yards regularly. The lid, however, probably won't be in good shape. But good used ones can be found at places like Hawks or Thirdgenranch, as sonjaab posted.

Dash pads and cargo covers will probably have to be found from a vender too, as good ones are also hard to find in junkyard cars. But, again, every once-in-awhile you'll get lucky. It's just a matter of persistence.

Yes, 1985 had the dual-snorkel air intake. 1983 and '84 did not because they had the functional power bulge hood, which provided the extra air. But 1985 TAs had the flat louvered hood.

But those dual-snorkel intake components will be nearly impossible to find. They've been discontinued for years, and the air cleaner assemblies aren't being reproduced. There were so few of them that they rarely turn-up for sale or in junkyards. And if you do find one, it will probably be a mess. This will probably be the most difficult thing to find, but you might get lucky, so don't give up; keep looking.

Ramairbox reproduces the snorkels in fiberglass. They're expensive, but that might be the only option left these days, other than plain ole luck. They also sell tubes, but I don't know if they fit a stock air cleaner. I think they're made to fit their own style air cleaner.
http://www.ramairbox.com/snorkels.html It's the last item on the product list.
http://www.ramairbox.com/tubes.html Again, it's the last item on the product list.

Its rear axle should be a Borg Warner 9-bolt with 3.70 gears.

If you want a totally reconditioned GM radio, checkout M and R. It might not be cheap, but it'll be like brand new, so it will likely beat the heck out of any used ones you might find. They don't show the all-touch control EQ radio, but they do show the same EQ radio with *****. And don't forget, Pontiac radios had gray *****/buttons; Chevy radios had black *****/buttons.
http://www.mnrelectronics.com/delcasrad.html

If it was the one in my pic below, then that will be very hard to find in good working condition. But also check Fieros, as they used the same radios as Firebirds. And yes, the slider/switch is for the subwoofers in the "Performance Sound" system.

 

Thanks for those links, while a bit pricey, it looks like I may be able to use those snorkels to make it look closer to original. While my radio is very close, it is not identical to yours, as it does have the gray *****, and the one I got from a junkyard actually has a silver faceplate and silver *****, which I was going to check and see if they could be swapped out. After contacting the guy painting it, he said he got backed up and it'll be at least another month before he is done. I told him that I preferred it look right than be rushed. Especially since I have only seen 3 cars that were russet with gold effects. Mine, a Camaro in Hawaii and a Firebird in Ohio. The cloth for the seats was a rough one to find, apparently a lot of racers liked the russet color and when someone was found that had some, it ended up being $900 just for the cloth, not to mention the reupholstering.

 

I will also mention that Pontiac radios will also have RED display and back
lighting. Chevy and others had green display/lighting

 

Don't forget to also check Hawks Third gen parts, he has a ton of third gens with alot of parts that you should be able to find. Bruce is a sponsor here and has a link on the side banner of the forums.

The rear that is in my GTA came out of an '85 T/A HO car and can verify that it should be a 3.70 gear in a BW 9 bolt.

 

Huh? Where did that opinion come from? Sounds like the justifications of someone who wanted a WS6, but couldn't fine one. Drive a V8 'Bird with the standard suspension, then drive one with a WS6. There is no comparison. Yeah, Pontiac made it a marketing buzzword for 4th gens. But I had it on my license plate before the 4th gens appeared. It meant something to 'Bird lovers.

Brakes--
My WS6 has the drum rear brakes. Performance difference between drum or disc rears is negligible. On hard stops, 95% of the braking power is in the front.

Rear axle--
WS6 did NOT automatically mean Borg-Warner 9-bolt with 3.73 gears. Mine came with a Chevrolet 10-bolt with 3.08 gears and an Auburn posi. I'm not even sure that WS6 automatically included posi, for sure. Most definitely had it. There's nothing wrong with the 10-bolt, unless you're building big power and plan to run it on the drag strip with slicks. I have kept my 3.08's, 'cuz I've built for street torque and smooth highway cruising, not the strip. The "right" gears are the ones that match what you want, not what somebody else tells you.

Radio-- I hunted for and found an AM/FM/Cassette with equalizer for my resto. With stock-sized biaxials in front and triaxials behind, it sounds great.

I'm pulling the original lock out of the steering column and shaving the lock opening on it, and building a hard-coded disabling push-button on/off/start under the front of the console lid. Why? So I can park on a nice day with the windows down and unlocked. Nobody's gonna steal a Delco AM/FM/Cassette. With nothing else left inside to steal, and no way to break the ignition system, people leave it alone. For tunes, I use an XM receiver inside the console. Nobody will steal it, either, 'cuz it has to be coded to an account. So I encourage you to go for the stock look.

Yeah, I know. Anything is stealable. A pro that really wants it will just tow it away. But no joy riders or radio thieves will bother.

Console and lid, dash pad--
Finding a dash pad that is not cracked is nearly impossible. I found one, and it cracked while I was transporting it home. You'll have to hunt hard for a good or repairable console. The console lid is like the dashpad. I found a hard plastic cover for the console lid. But since I didn't like the hard plastic, I learned how to cover it with padded "stretched vinyl." I'm working on doing this with the dash pad and with the hard plastic surfaces in the back. The result is a new looking surface that is softer to the touch, looks more modern, and helps cut interior noise.

Can't comment on the dual intake. Since I had a blocked bulge hood, I unblocked it, and I'm mating it to the top of my air cleaner. No snorkels at all.

 

I think someone is reproducing the dual snorkel air cleaner, I only just heard of it so not sure who maybe classic industries or year one.

I have the power bulge hood and it was functional. Vacuum switch opened it up. I suspect they changed to a dual snorkel when they changed to the vented hood in 85. But don't take my word for it.

As for the rear, I think that was dictated by your powertrain combo. For example, if you had an L69 with a T5 you automatically got the 3.73 gears in 84 at least. I usually see that the L69s had the higher gear ratios. TPIs and TBIs had the lower ones. I could be mistaken.

 

I found some of the parts you mentioned on Ebay, pretty darn cheap too! if i wasnt broke id buy a console! haha

 

For the record, in '86 WS6 included rear disc brakes as well. By '87, it did not...I just looked at an '87 WS6 that had drums.

Personally, I really like my non-WS6 Trans Am. The ride quality is quite good, yet it still handles very well. My car is an oddball, because it came with the optional wider 235/60/15 tires, posi and rear discs (both included in WS6). For a paltry $200 more, the customer who ordered my car could've had a WS6. Makes me wonder...did they not want it for a reason?

I do know the 18k mile GTA I just drove with WS6 rode a LOT harder...

 

Unfinished project, then sold it. Still kicking myself. 85 H/O WS6. Find one of these with Recaros and I will make a few bricks and then some.

 

Wow, what a year, and the car still isn't done. Between losing the HD on my computer(and thus acces to here for a while), the shop where my car is being worked on being broken into and the guy ending up breaking his leg, my car seems to have been back-burnered. The nice things is I have gotten a lot of the aforementioned parts and just need to get the paint done and will be able to start installing them. I did find the best trick to getting your car worked on by someone who seems to have a lot of problems come up over time... go to work for him. While I am not getting paid, I am getting 'free labor' on the car(mine) and progress has been outstanding. 2 weeks of half days and the car has the interior stripped out, the hood, fenders, doors and bumpers are all off, everything has been sanded down to bare metal except the bar around the windshield (won't do that until after we cut out the windshield). On the ground effects, I just have 2 pieces left to sand down, one is on order(the passenger side under door piece) which should be here within a week if I am lucky, and the nose cone which I just got the replacement for yesterday. Both doors and rear quarters have now been primed along with the hatch back deck piece, so I will have some wet sanding to do in the near future. I also had the speakers replaced in the back seat area, so the sound system will hopefully impress when put back in. Will try to get some pictures, if I ever remember to take the camera along lol.

 

Do you have the 3.70 9 bolt? I bought a 86 TA 305 5 speed blue with silver ground effects, this TA has ws6, L69, and all the goodies!!!

 

You sure it's an 86 L69 ? There were about 20 of those built...and from what I read, most of them were race cars.

 

Yes it is a L69, and it has the 9 bolt with 3.70 gears, 4 wheel disks. I have to read the 8th digit to confirm this but it has the dual snorkal air cleaner and all of the L69 equipment to show for it!!! That 20 only made is horse crap cause i have seen too of those show up at the junkyard this year, one red/silver and the other was blue/silver like mine!

 

I think mine has 3.73 gears, and no idea if it is 9 bolt or not.

 

It's easy enough to find out. Crawl under the back of the car and count the bolts on the differential housing. Not sure about the'85s, but on later models there is also metal tag with the diff rear ratio stamped on it attached to the housing.

 

Cool keep it and do not sell it!!! I am low on funds but that TA is in my parents garage awaiting restoration! I had a buddy from my car club whom purchased a 9 bolt off a 86 TA HO 5 speed and claims it has 3.73's but i thought they were 3.70's. Pull that cover off and check the ring gear bro to see if it has 3.73 stamped.

 

Got a chance to take some pics, so here's the current status of my restoration:

The only spot of rust on the car, the drivers floor pan:



A look from the front:




The back end, primed and ready for blocking:





Passenger's door, already primed, blocked, re-primed, wet sanded, re-primed and awaiting a final wet sanding before color coat.



Driver's Door, just finished 1st wet sanding:



Driver's front fender awaiting priming (also repaired from being backed into):

 

The hood, front and tail bumper covers:




Old dash and new dash, rear speaker boxes and center console:

 

I climbed under the car yesterday and did find out it is a 9 bolt rear end, but the only tag I saw was held by one of the bolts and said something like slip resistant differential, use appropriate lubricant only. Didn't have the best light, so I may have missed something.

On the restoration: I did find a new manual console plate that has a small crack and have a set of fog lamp brackets on the way as well. I also found a new, in the original box, 5.0 liter H.O marked air cleaner. I'm kind of torn about installing it, it's look great in pictures, but I'd hate for it to get damaged.

 

I have a vinyl cargo cover. The one that clips into the rear quarter plastic and the hatch lid. PM me if interested