Dual86TA

Good day to you all I want to start by same I'm happy to join thirdgen.org I have been visiting from time to time whenever I do Google searches for questions on either of my two 86 Trans Am and usually the most accurate information is found here so I decided to join. I live up here in the Northeast in Western New York just outside Buffalo so you can imagine the winters are especially harsh on these types of cars but the two that I have acquired just within this last year after 20 years of Desperately wanting one since I was 16 were found just within a few miles of where I live.


both of them are under 120k miles and then well-kept condition virtually no rust to speak of and they were owned by guys collecting cars that had died and their collections were sold off so both these cars were stored in their respective places for at least 10 Years each. Strange coincidence between the two are they are both 86 WS6 Trans am's that I was lucky enough to find the ads just as they went up and I was the first to call on both of them before dozens of other people try getting their hands on em.
now to the cars them selves, my first acquisition is a 1986 t-top Trans Am 305 with a 700 R4 along with the WS6 options. It was completely stock with the original owners manual and owners service schedule book. Apparently the original owner that bought it with only a hundred miles on it was some hydraulic Service Company about 10 minutes away from my house and I'm not sure what the purpose of having a car like this in the company's name is but perhaps it was just for a form of advertising or just a wild company car. Anyway the question I had about this car that I've had a lot of trouble figuring out is the paint job that's On It that can be seen on the pictures down below that is it appears to have the original Trans Am black and silver bottom with the red graphic stripe but then it also has silver on the entire top surface of the car .Originally I had thought it was something custom done after it was purchased. However sometime after I got it after doing some searching around and purchasing historic memorabilia I came across a picture resembling at the exact paint job in a 1989 Turbo Trans Am brochure catalog book not sure why it was in there but it showed a picture of that car under a section describing the suspension and Chassis specifications I have not been able to find any kind of GM related literature or anything otherwise about if anyone out there happens to know something cuz I figured it was just a custom job but maybe it was special order option?
the car started up and ran but not wear well after even replacing it sensors and other components with no luck so it has since been converted to carburetion and drives perfect and aside from the future installation of simple suspension and drivetrain components it will remain relatively stock as is. I did however replace all the lighting with new LED lighting and added the scoop through the hood and I molded a 4th generation spoiler on to the rear decklid.










as for my second 1986 WS6 Trans Am that I just acquired two weeks ago at first glance to the untrained eye it would appear to be a GTA but obviously being an 86 that is not the case apparently the original owner was obsessed with GTA's and for whatever reason could not get one so he spent an equal amount of money just about to switch everything over so that it looks like one. It even has a factory cd player from a later year. Originally a 305 automatic car if now has a 350 with a Borg Warner 5-speed . The car was originally white and then painted pretty well I might add where you wouldn't even know it unless you went inside and started removing inner panels and carpet and a couple other spots underneath rubber stripping and this car to the T it was fated to be mine I believe because everything about it is exactly what I was going to do with my first T/A being black ,manual ,and 350 swap and a added bonus that made it even more worthwhile was that it has the AS5 Recaro seat option. Future upgrades include tubular K member West control arms coilovers subframe connectors rear control arm and related suspension components and a fresh 383 stroker bolted to a T56 Magnum. All of wish should be completed by middle summer

jimmylev

Nice finds. Love the recaro seats. Enjoy the vehicles

GO BILLS!

JT

iTrader: (1)

What does your RPO sticker show? It will provide what the car was from the factory. Not what a dealership may or may not have done or any of the previous owners that car has had in its 35 years.

That color combination was not available in 1986. If the car was originally black as the main color, then the aero would have been black or champagne gold. Silver was not available with black. The car has quite a bit of non-factory modifications to point to the paint job being one of those customizations.

Dual86TA

when I got the car a lot of the modifications weren't done the hood scoop the carburetion conversion the GTA wheels and the 4th gen wing were not done on it , all that came with was the regular straight spoiler that was in the earlier pictures, originally it did come with a wraparound spoiler because the clips we're still on the edges of the rear hatch and unfortunately both cars did not have the RPO stickers in them still though there was evidence they were there at one point with the leftover shape of the residue.
what is strange though is that when I look underneath several panels and under the t-tops in the headliner especially the silver color was sprayed on the inside of the body as well as the outside not something that was just done over the outside where they just taped off the gaps and such which is why I thought it was strange that somebody had went that far into it.
I fully agree it's not like any factory paint job that was ever offered or anything that I've ever seen but just the level that was taken to do the paint job is a little above and beyond what I would ever see somebody do it for themselves so I'm asking the more experienced folks out there if there's anything to it like maybe a third party option or anything in that regard otherwise I've already accepted a was just something that somebody had done themselves but I was just curious

Dual86TA

thank you and that's one of the great things about this find at least for me at least unfortunately on the driver seat in a little bit on the passenger the center section it is starting to pull away and stretching the stitches so there is a reputable upholstery shop in my town that when I have time I'm going to see if they could got so much refurbished what tighten up everything and get it back to the way it should be

JT

iTrader: (1)

So maybe the car was originally all Silver Metallic (13) and the black accents were added. It's not an original paint scheme or special edition from the factory. While there was some aftermarket companies (such as Choo Choo customs, etc.) those usually have the name somewhere on the car. I see no name on the car and you didn't note any name on the car. It also doesn't look familiar to me by any of the known companies that dressed-up the cars after the factory. So my best guess is it's completely custom by a previous owner.

The 5.0L sticker is located on the wrong spot on the fender so that further suggests alterations to the body/paint.

Dual86TA

I figured as much, that's why I wanted to join on the Forum and have an opportunity like this to get information that I'm lacking in learning new things about these cars. And you are correct I did not find any kind of marking or insignia on this thing only thing it has is what you see in those first two pictures when it is in the garage that was the day I brought it home

irvan

iTrader: (1)

I like your cars, great finds.

King Kong Bundy

Both are great.

Could the unknown paint job be inspired by pace cars?







Probably not? Some similarities.

What a great story. Looking for one, then get two.

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

Paint not original.

Dual86TA

you just might be onto something there, that's something I didn't I think about but seeing them all lined up like that really does put it in perspective in a way