im looking at an 87 trans am roller tomorrow and noticed it has a digital dash in it, but pretty sure it is not a GTA, how common is it to find a regular trans am with a digital dash

 

I don't recall or believe there are any exact figures. According to Frankie's GTA Sourcepage website, there was 5,352 Trans Am and GTAs with the digital cluster for 1987 with 9,481 GTAs built in 1987. I don't believe those count exports. Our data says 21,788 Trans Ams built in 1987. My 1988 T/A has the digital dash.

If your 1987 T/A has the 350 (as your profile shows) from the factory, I think that would be a more bigger deal as the 350s generally went toward the GTA and Formula and people generally rate/want performance options over things like non-performance options like digital clusters, etc.

 

no i have a 350 in my 87 trans am, but it has frame rot so i am looking at this roller tomorrow that originally had a 5.0TPI in it not a 350

 

I have owned a few birds over the years and can't say that I have ever seen a non GTA bird with a digital dash. My '88 GTA w/ a 350 had one, but my '90 305 GTA did not. My '86 & '87 T/As also did not. Might be a mislabeled GTA or an off the wall optioned T/A.

 

The first time I ever saw a digital dash in these cars was in a 1988 burgundy and silver Trans Am owned by a lady that lived in my neighborhood. This was back in 1994.

 

The digital cluster was available on the Trans Am before the GTA was even introduced in 1987. The last year for the digital cluster was 1988 and so no 1989-1992 Trans Am / GTAs would have it from the factory during those years.

 

Well now I know JT thanks for the info!

 

Digital Dash was an option from 1985-1988, I am not sure if like the 89 notchback there apparently was 3 in 1989, but not enough to count.

 

There was actually several 1989 Notchbacks (exported) but none of them show the digital cluster option on their SPID records so those are officially out. I'm not sure about the 1 non-exported one (Frankie's documentation found just 1 for 1989). Even if that 1 got it, then there's 2 more unaccounted for with the digital cluster. One of those things where information is missing.

 

Didn't the 1986 S/E Firebird have the optional digital dash?

 

I guess I did not make it clear, I was trying to compare the only 1989 notchback that Frankie has on his website, to the 3 digital clusters... Kind of obscure and almost not worth counting, or trying to find one in a junkyard type of thing.

Sorry.

JT, The question still remains, did they actually get the hatch or just the RPO for the hatch? I cannot understand why they would not have offered here in the states too...

John

 

It may have, it would not surprise me as the S/E you could get everything from a Trans Am except the GFX and the top engines... Otherwise you could deck one out with options. I have never looked... I am looking at the worksheet and I cannot even figure out how to get the digital dash at all for 1986... All they show is the U21 Gages

ok, call me crazy... How do you spell gauge? is it "Gauge" or "Gage"? I am reading the dealer order sheet and it spells Gauge as Gage... I (with a spelling disability, and dyslexia) always want to spell it gage, and change it over to Gauge when my spellchecker says its misspelled.. http://www.merriam-webster.com/ says it is gauge, but like colour or color and grey or gray are both technically correct?

Just sayin'

Edit: Apparently it depends on the source... Gage, is used often with things that are technical (from what I can quickly tell) Train Gage (the width of the tracks) or things of the like. Gauge is an instrument on your IP, however gage can technically be used. Whew! now I don't feel so stupid.

Edit2: Found a dictionary from 1929... its says that gauge and gage are the same.

 

Anything from 1929 should be correct! LOL You can't trust anything now-a-days

 

My 1986 trans am has the digital gauges originally came with 5.0 tpi

 

I always spell it gauge.

 

gauge, colour, labour = British
gage, color, labor = American

 

My great granny was British.

 

They got the RPO on the VIN and they're also on the invoices with the appropriate line item charge and RPO. I've personally not seen one since they're few and all exported, but I suspected the invoices with the charge and RPO makes it a stronger case? Some of the invoices I have are dated a few months after the announcement of the discontinuation bulletin.

 

That is interesting indeed... I would love to see one, that would really be sweet...