Im looking to buy a 86 trans am t-tops and all digital gauges. I had one before but I sold it like an idiot, didnt know much then about it, now I want one and cant find any anywhere. If anyone knows any info on this car please reply. Thanks

Not my ad, but http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/3245765350.html

Really cool car at a good price. Of course, it would take a true collector to make the trip from Cali to Kansas, but a rare 88 GTA notchback w/ the digital dash. Some might disagree, but you almost can't go wrong buying it unseen and shipping it. If it needs mechanical work, I'd say it's worth the risk at that price.

Thats the thing, I find a few 88 trans am with the digital gauges, but the one I really want is the first year they used digital gauges, and thats an 86. The one in the craigslist ad was very nice and very low on price. I was a dumb teenager when I had mine, didnt know what I had. Now I hear they only made like 43 of them that year.

The 1985 Pontiac Firebird service manual has a section for it, and there's a part number in the Parts & Illustration catalog for 1985, so I believe mid-late 1985 was actually the first year for the digital dash in the Firebird.

What info are you wanting?

Yes, but my 85 service manual also lists 5.7 engines too.

The Parts catalog also has hints at the 5.7 Liter in 1985 as well... I suspect it may have been intended, but they chose not to in the end...

Per the 1985 dealer order book, the digital cluster was available and new for 1985:

Interesting. I've NEVER seen a digital dash in an '85 model.

I've never seen one either, I thought they started putting digital clusters in 86. Thats what i'm looking for.

U52 Cars
1986 - 878 (Dealer info)
1987 - 5,352 (GTA Source Page)
1988 - 7,683 (Dealer Info)

What I have does not show the Digital IP for 1985 Firebird... Seeing that they were quite rare in 1986, I would think they would be more so in 1985

Compnine doesn't show any U52 cars in 1985. Keeping in mind Compnine only has Canadian cars in their database for that year, which is only a few thousand, if it was available and the 1986 figures are any indication to the low production, it may make more sense. Additionally, the U52 would be slightly different for Canadian cars due to their metric gauges so that may be another reason why there was no Canadian 1985 U52s.

I can't say I recall seeing a 1985 U52 myself.

Really, despite the 1985 Pontiac order book clearly shows the option, which was printed in early 1984, I wonder if it was delayed and released in mid-late 1986? It would explain the small figures for 1986 when compared to the rest of the years.

Compnine also seems to be lacking Trans Ams... When I do a search on Trans Am's in Canada, they usually come back as null...

John

I show 3598 in their database for 1985. All of them show having the U21 (analog cluster).

Apparently they fixed it...

Thanks JT

2 years ago near Sacramento,I missed a CLEAN '86 T/A with U52.It was a blue/grey combo,T-top,Grey leather interior,LB9/Auto with black GTA wheels.It was a girls high school car and the father was only asking $1500 for it ran and drove fine

Had no place to keep it at the time,So I had to let it go , STILL kicking myself for letting that one slip away !!!

Dave