My 92 GTA is finally in the body shop getting completely repainted, the right way with not a single corner cut (ouch in the wallet BTW!!!).

As such, I need a break down for the painter of which exact types of black are used on all the trim.

Here are all of the pieces I have on my list and what color I think they were originally by memory, please confirm for me tho!

Nose section in front of the fog/turn signals: GM Trim Black
Fake side hood vents: No paint, just black plastic
Front inner fender liners: No paint, just black plastic
Metal trim ring for power antenna: Gloss black
Windshield washer arms: GM Trim black
T-Top center bar (exterior strip): Gloss black
T-Top front/rear/side edge: GM Trim Black
T-Top drip rail: No paint, just black plastic
Door handles and key cylinder covers (including hatch): Gloss black
Metal trim all around the hatch glass & 4 plastic caps for hinges: GM Trim Black
Rear inner fender wells: Satin Black or a semi-gloss?

Anything that I'm forgetting?

So what do you guys think, does all that sound about right? I'm going for a 100% original job on this correct for a 1992 Firebird.

Oh, my hood nose vent grills need to be re-anodized gold, mine are slightly faded, one side worse than the other too. Who does everyone use for getting these re-anodized the proper gold?

Thanks!!!!!

Alex

 

Really? All the experts on here and no one wants to touch this? Lol

Seriously tho, I need to have this to my painter by tomorrow afternoon. I know my memory can't be that good.

Anyone? Or hell if you think I'm right, confirm so I feel better about it haha!

 

All the info I have just say's,Paint to Match.The info you have above sounds right except the hood vent,isn't that supposed to be the same color as the car?

 

The outer bezel portion of the hood vents are body color but the side vents by the cowl are 100% black plastic grill under the outer bezel and on GTAs the metal grill is gold under its outer bezel.

Thanks for your thoughts, I feel allot more confident I'm on the right track. It's difficult when everything is faded but I do have a few pics from 15yrs ago when things weren't and my memory is partially reliable I think lol! Or hope ha!

 

I didn't think the TA / GTA got black paint in the fog light area? Just body color.
ok
Ok
ok
Semi gloss (can still get nos)
ttop center part is all the same semi gloss black. Over time the center part polishes up due to wear and rubbing on it.
..
ok
Hatch trim is semi gloss. Hatch hinge bolt covers are plastic. door handles, lock covers i get new from GM
The hood nose grills i have seen are gold anodized under the black anodizing.

I use a combination of gm, john deere, sem and even rustoleum, semi gloss spray paints because they have the proper brown tint and different levels of glosses that GM suppliers used

 

No black in front of the fog/turn laps? Wow, I always thought all 91/92 Firebird models did, that's crazy. I'm certain I've seen an all original red 92 Trans Am vert which had the black painted there. Hmmm. Mine was repainted by the time I got the car. EDIT: You're totally right, I just looked at the giant 1992 GTA poster in my garage and for sure it doesn't have the black, makes it easy to tell cause it's a yellow one with the fog lamps on. Thanks for the correction!!!!

The nose grill, on Trans Ams I've seen the black wear away to a goldish silvery finish but I've always seen 91/92 GTAs with the gold. Mine was gold when I bought the car and it was a nice dark gold that matched the wheels and the car was fairly low mileage garage kept, I'm certain it was never anything but gold :/

 

I believe only the Formula's have the black by the fog lights. Its a plastic piece.

 

Check the underside of those Mesh screens for the proper color, it seems that airflow from normal driving wears away that coating. The correct coating will reveal itself on the bottom. (Im not a GTA guy but it doesnt make sense to have gold grills in front of the hood and blacks in the rear?)
Formulas and base cars also have some black paint around the turn signal lights

 

Will do!

 

If you say the wheels are the same gold as the mesh screens,then it should be Gold Met.52C on your RPO sheet

 

Yeah I only have 52P for the wheels. But by the same token I don't have an RPO for the nose grill color at all so....

 

OK,still looking in the Parts Manual.

 

Thanks! If it turns out mine wasn't originally gold, I'll eat crow and post it on youtube haha! I'm that sure lol. I'll be really curious to see the bottom this next week when the boy shop has them removed...

 

I wonder if there are any NOS grills floating around.. hmm

 

Well like mantaguy said, it would be all in the parts books. I'd expect to find a P/N for the Trans Am (black) then another for the gold version for the GTA for 1991 and 1992, if I'm even right...

 

I like digging for these little details, thats the best part i think!

 

I looked in the P&I book earlier today on this. There is only one part number per side with no notation about colors. Only WS4/Y83. It's #6

 

Well hmmm. It must be they were all originally gold then and PMD decided to spray them back for some reason. Mine were a perfect wheel matching gold when my car had low mileage and now is a faded gold, especially on one side more than the other, but no where near a bare metal looking silver finish. Odd.

Here are pictures taken back in 2002 when the car had only 70,000 miles on it. Oldest ones I could find on my HD.

 

Yeah, the gold is a nice match for the gold wheels but ive never seen a full gold screen (again, not a gta guy)
Always seen them with black over the gold.
Those in the pic look just like my buds Trans Amn then i took them out and they were black under the plastic and on back side. Its crazy.

 

The only other Gold used for the wheels was Myan Gold for 92,but that was used on the N90s, 15x7 Wheels.

 

Myan gold, haha, awesome name. Too bad it's all Spanish gold now lmfao!

 

Like TTop said,why would the screens be 2 different colors

 

 

Maya Gold (born 11 August 1981) is the stage name of a Hungarian pornographic actress. She began her career in 2002 and worked under other variants of the Maya Gold ...
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/myangold

 

LMFAO! I had to Google image search that lol Only because she's my age you know

 

Alex,

Mine were just plastic, cleaning them up, getting the bug and stone chips off, etc, I just used SEM trim Black. (Of course I had a Formula) Not sure on the GTA, should be just lights right?

They should be painted body color, but the little grills inside should be Trim black

Closer to a Semi-Gloss Black than true full gloss.

Sounds right
The original one I got out of the junkyard was close to a semi-gloss, not really trim gloss, definitely not full gloss.

Sounds right
Again, not a true gloss black, it should be a semi-gloss

Mine were all between Trim Black and Semi-Gloss

Actually just undercoating black.

When we painted my friends 86 TA his were the anodized color like you speak of... Actually I think they are aluminum. But when we took them completely apart you could see around the non exposed edges that they were originally black. This may have changed from year to year, but it is like the hood scoop on the Formula and early T/A those are usually anodized or silverish by the time they get aged, but they were originally Black, they painted them with something very thin and the abrasiveness of the air wears the paint off.

I would bet they were originally black like everything else.

John

 

Thanks for the feedback, very appreciated!

 

I took some pix of Hawk #11 today. If I get time tonight i'll upload them.

 

Did you buy #11?

John

 

The screens in the hood are a metal and painted a semi gloss black from new. Mine, from years of desert highway driving wore the paint off in some places. It does looks like its anodized, but not really.
Hope this helps

 

I'm looking for one ea. L/R #9 hood extractor screens, can't find them???

 

Pretty sure anything thru GM is long gone. I would try a junkyard.

John

 

Thanks John
The people at the junkyard just laugh at me!

 

Most hoods should still have them. I know getting the assembly out is a pain because the tool you need to unscrew the speed-nuts.

Try a different junkyard, or just wander around. ebay might have them on occasion.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-92-Firebird-Trans-Am-Driver-Side-FRONT-HOOD-VENT-SCREEN-gta-tpi-89-88-87-86-/371206405114?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item566da03bfa&vxp=mtr
There is one

 

I'll be looking. One huge problem here is the yards don't have any "older" Camaros and Firebirds. It's mostly newer gen 4&5 stuff. I guess I should start stock piling stuff for my 2000 T/A

 

If you are going to keep it for the long haul, for sure!!! NOS parts I bought just 5 years ago, some I can't even find anymore and the ones I do, prices have increased 4x!!!!

 

Member t/aws61985,just wrecked his 85,I'm sure he would sell his.

 

Thanks! It's funny, when I would take pics of #003 I was always focused on stampings on hoses, paint marks underneath the car, various labels and other details etc, never did I really take pics of the common stuff like the black metal painted trim around the hatch glass close up. These are the only black trim pics I have. Looks like both Formulas AND base model Firebirds got the black paint in front of the lamps in the nose and the Trans Ams GTAs didn't. Odd. Haha, you can see my reflection in the taillight pic, damn does the curve of the lens make me look fat lol!

BTW, the body guy sent off my door handles and lock cylinder caps for powder coating, including the key cylinder cap for the hatch. I so glad the painter/owner seems to think on the exact same page about everything that I do! Too bad his body guy doesn't and already broke the friggin tip of the aero wing I took them because he wasn't careful!!!! I'm so pissed and loosing sleep over that it's not even funny :/ I really need meds for my OCD I think.

 

The wing can be glued very easy! If the correct stuff is used. If u search i have posted the correct glue to use.

 

I'm just going to trust in their so called plastic welder guy and just inspect the hell out of the final product. What really got to me was the fact that ift hey managed that, what the heck else are they screwing up/shortcuting on you know? I went by today and they had 2 plastic drinking bottles tossed inside my car like it was a trash can I'm just going to step away until it's totally done lol.

 

Ugh..... the glue is ur best bet. Its a oddball plastic called xenoy
3M 8235 is what u need.
Wish i could upload pix here from my phone.

 

Well he's shooting the color tonight so too late All I can do is hope for the best.

 

Well poopy pants

 

Lol, yeah I thought the same thing

 

Well good news, the guy hadn't repaired the aero wing so I was able to communicate to specifically use the 3M xenoy stuff, I gave him the P/N you posted. They haven't started any color because they are still busy breaking things from not being careful and caring plus other little issues keep popping up we are taking care of.

Second, looks like I'm eating crow again haha! Here are the pics of my nose grill removed from the car. Rather than paint, I'm going to take them to a couple plating shops in town and see what they can do for a permanent black finish.

 

Sadly, a lot of body shops or employees just don't care or have the skills to do the job properly anymore.

I just hit those grills with a scotch pad, cleaned them and gave ours a light fogging coat of semi gloss..

 

Tony, What I find is there is a few different kinds of body shop. Those that really look at the details and are really good at what they do, Those that are in it for a buck and are good at what they do. Those that are in it just for the insurance money and make it good enough for most people.

But then you have a restoration shop, they are expensive, however they take their time to make it right. I struggle with sending my 89 Convertible to get it done by a "professional" I have no problem with the quality of paint, they paint better than I do, However they really do not care to take care of the details. For example I get excuses why they do not want to remove the door moldings, because they would not go back on straight (when I have done it twice without a problem) Or not take off the hood insulation and get over-spray on it (so I have to paint it black again)...

I would rather deal with the details, than actually work with the big picture. I like taking those little parts and making them look right as I can, I can paint primer, sealer and color, but clear just gives me fits.. I want to flow it all on and have it look all pretty, but then it sags (gurr) I need to learn that orange peal is better than runs, but for some reason I just cant get it...

 

"What I find is there is a few different kinds of body shop. Those that really look at the details and are really good at what they do, Those that are in it for a buck and are good at what they do. Those that are in it just for the insurance money and make it good enough for most people."

And that, is the sad truth.
I remember years ago visiting those restoration shops/custom paint shops, and watching them work (friends Dad owned one.). It was like they where surgeons working. And when that car was done and rolled out, it was breathtaking! AND, the workers were beaming with pride knowing that they had done their best.

Unfortunately, those type are very few and far. Not to mention like you mentioned, EXPENSIVE!

 

It all comes down to, you get what you paid for......

As far as the door moldings, they are right, the reason they can't put them on straight is because they are removed improperly and they bend the metal thats in them.

Orange peel, dirt and a sag or two should be included in a "proper" restoration of these cars.

 

You need to cut the VHB tape off with a razor blade as you go, you just cant pull them off. If you just pull it will elongate them by 1/4" inch or more (ask me how I know). When I put them back on I have a 6' Long straight edge that I tape to the car and then put them on, it lines it all up nice and tidy.

John