Here's an easy one (for Camaro owners at least).

I'm trying to figure out what year they changed from what I consider to be the ugly taillights to what I consider to be the nice taillights. My apologies to anyone with the ugly taillights, and please feel to rip on my 91 T/A for having the "ugly" front end.

The ugly ones have two horizontal rows of lights, and I've seen them on maybe every base model before '91 or so. I'm pretty sure even the 91-92 RS's have the nice taillights with three horizontal rows, and I want to say that maybe all the IROC's have the nice lights (I think people maybe call them "grid" taillights? Technically both styles have grids though), but it's hard to tell with people swapping taillights off different years/models.

As I'm not nearly as good as identifying Camaros as I am Firebirds, the taillights seem to me like an easy way to identify the year (assuming that both styles weren't available the same year).

So, what style of light is correct for which year/model?

You can't use the taillights of Camaros to determine the year. The "ugly" taillights were used on 82-84 Z28s, 87-90 RSs (including the 88 Sport Coupe) and certain lesser models. The grid taillights became available on all Z28s (IROC-Zs included) from 1985-1992 and the 91/92 RSs.

i love the "ugly" tails i ripped off my grid lights for em

Yep, to each his own. I guess it's nice that they made these cars long enough to have different factions of third gen enthusiasts (early vs. mid vs. late models). In my mind, that breaks down into 1982-84, 1985-90, and 1991-92.

Thanks for the reply Scott -- now I know that if I see a Z28 with the ugly taillights, it's an 84 or older. And if I see a pre-1991 base model without them, I'll know they've been swapped

Woof woof:

I also have seen the old style headlights on early production 91 Rally sports too. Idk but i have bumped into a few 91 camaros Rally sports with the old style Z28 tail lights.

That is the nicest Rally Sport i have ever seen!!! All my buddies have destroyed such beautiful examples like your car. Original over modded ANYDAY!!!!! Young kids please stop destroying original looking camaros! Take notes from puma you foolish kids!!!!

Okay, weird...they look good on your car! Maybe it's just the lack of ground effects and spoilers that I'm used to seeing those taillights with that makes me not like them.

There were a few variations of the non-grid light in the early years. Some very early, maybe 82-84 Sport Coupes got tail lights without the stripe in the middle. I have not seen a set of these in years. The other variation was the Berlinetta tail lights, with the additional trim, usually in gold. I dont care much for either of these versions, though I do like the tail lights with the single black stripe in the middle