I've seen this Trans Am sitting for over a year or so here locally and and not sure what year it is to be exact but looks to need lots of TLC. I contacted the business this was sitting in front of and got some info to contact who was responsible for it. Not sure how this works in the State of Florida... however there is no title or paperwork on it. They want $1k for it as it sits. I may talk them down some but curious what you all think here. Is it worth the hassle or not? Vin is in the pics and other pics below... Want to get back into another third gen and wondering if this i worth restoring? Currently it doesn't run and I'm sure there are a myriad of other issues as well... Thanks in advance!

 

I would never buy a car without a title

 

If you want it for parts, that is one thing. But you won’t be able to take what’s left to a junkyard. You might be able to sell it to someone wanting to build a racecar.

I would take the VIN to the police department and ask them to run it to see if it’s stolen. You can probably get a bonded title with a bill of sale, but there is a cost and process.

 

The hatch mounted 3rd brake light indicates 1986, and the VIN decoder here on TGO (in the "Tools" dropdown menu in the top margin) confirms it's a 1986 Trans Am. The 8th digit of the VIN (F) indicates the LB9 5.0 TPI engine.

 

No title, no sale!

 

I bought a parts-car with no Title decades ago BUT it had legal documentation certified by the Police department, so I knew it wasn't stolen...

 

Thanks for all the replies. I took more pics but will post them later. Found more rust problem areas and think i would be in over my head trying to restore this car. I'm better off finding one with a title and no rust plus less problems. The under carriage looked pretty clean and no rust, just the outside panels and the drivers side inner
t top rim/lip.

 

More pics as promised...

 

 

That's not its original engine. 86 had neither centerbolt heads nor a serpentine drive. But that's a good thing, as the 86 LB9 had the peanut cam. That's either a newer LB9 or, for someone to have gone to the trouble of swapping the engine, that might be an L98.

 

I see and thanks for chiming in. I won't be getting this vehicle because the costs of restoration to get it back to former glory would be ridiculous. Too many rust issues. If there wasn't any rust then I would consider it.

 

Update: The Trans Am is still sitting as of today. I spoke with the DMV about it and a local police officer. There is a process in getting a title for it if it is not claimed in a matter of time. That includes the bill of sale as well... I'm still debating on purchasing it by summer of this year. Hate to see it deteriorate and go to waste. May be worth saving? Also, I think it may be a good father/sons restoration project even if it takes many years. I have a 10 year old son and a 3 yr old toddler. They both show interests in cars. I currently drive a 5th Gen Camaro covered under Modern American collector insurance as well as a DD truck.

 

This Trans Am is barely a parts car.

With the rust it has RUN LIKE HELL.

You would be miles ahead taking your $1,000.00 and lighting it on fire.

 

I have restored worse, but that car is not worth $1,000.

 

If you can get a title, offer to haul it away for free. Then, part it out and sell what's left for scrap.

The car is a rust bucket, and as pointed, out isn't original. To restore it would cost a fortune, much more than it would then be worth, even if you did all the work yourself.

 

I have thought about that. The rust is troubling and have a pretty good idea that it would be costly to have a shop repair. I just do not know how much though.

 

I have had people in A FB Trans AM group tell me that the car is worth $6-8k as it sits and worth restoring. Some other's have asked where it was so they could buy it for themselves etc... So many conflicting answers and responses.

 

While I am aware it is not original that is not my concern. How much work is required to fix the rust issues? I imagine it would need to be cut out and new panels put in place? Interior is mostly intact and the dash pad just needs replacing from the looks of it. I have a buddy that would tow it for me.

 

Obviously you don't believe them or by now you would have bought it for $1,000 and flipped it for an easy $5-7k profit. Ignore those idiots.

 

I'm glad you said that. I didn't believe them... I guess I have watched too many Rust Valley Restorer episodes that I had at least some hope for this vehicle ha!

 

No.....just..............no.


Even without seeing the undercarriage, it's unlikely that any 'body shop' would take on such a job; they all operate on high-production in order to make a buck. That would leave you to find a 'restoration' shop (in and of itself, a major undertaking), and fabricating replacement panels at $85/hour or more will add up very quickly. The A-pillar and T-top area rust is most troubling.

As for the interior, if even just one rodent lives in there (and they are not noted for being 'solitary,' IYKWIM), the car may need an entire new interior. What about the power train? Is the engine seized? How about the transmission, brakes, fuel tank and lines, suspension, wheels/tires, and on and on; what is their condition?

But again, it's all moot without a title. Whatever you decide to do though, good luck.

 

I'm going to be a counter argument/consideration.

I've had several vehicles that when I've tried to sell them whole, people would send me messages, saying it wasn't worth $500, or worth $1000, or whatever low amount they felt happy to throw at it.

I'd ignore them, part out the car, and make way more money. In one case, tried selling a car for $3k (even though it came with 6k in new parts with it), got a bunch of $1500-2000 offers. I ended up getting around $10k by parting it out.
Another example: Got offered $50-100 for a 7m short block...pulled the crankshaft out of it and sold just that for $500 and sold the pistons for another $200. But when I had listed the short block up at $500, people would cry nonstop that it was overpriced.

My last example - bought a non-running Mk3 Supra for $1500. Guy talked himself down from $1800, because it didn't run/drive. Had a handful of Supra guys tell me that I paid too much for a "roller." - I've cleared $13,000 in selling the parts from that car, and still have about $1000 worth of parts left.

It's a weird dynamic. If you wanted all the parts that TA has to offer, it's WAY more than $1000. But somehow, when it's a entire car, it's worth way less than the sum of its parts. I think a lot of us (I'm guilty of this too sometimes) still think a non-running car is worth what they used to sell for - $500 or less. And that ignores the fact that a lot of the parts themselves are now a premium.

If it were me: I'd buy it in a heartbeat, as a parts inventory. Sell all the parts (or keep anything you think is worth using later), save the money in a "3rd gen budget" piggy bank, and buy a nicer condition one with a title. Granted, this only works if you have the space to store the parts. But it's amazing how many things can be crammed into closets.

Oh, and if anyone tells you that you shouldn't chop up a 3rd gen, just point them to threads like this that say it's not worth restoring.

 

I do agree with others that the rust on this car precludes it from being a reasonable candidate for a restoration. The thing with these cars is with all of the plastic body cladding, a lot of the rust is very well hidden. Once you start to see the rust on the outside, like with this car, the underlying rust that you don't yet see is really bad. If one were to take this car apart, I would expect it will need T-Top channels, partial or full floorpans, front inner/outer rockers, cowl/firewall repair, strut tower patches, rear inner wheelhouses, partial quarters, maybe doors, maybe fenders and probably a bunch of smaller patches.

My car had no visible rust on the exterior and when I tore it down to a shell, I had to address most of what I listed. It was surprising how much rust there was on a car that appeared to be very clean. This one will have significantly more.

If you want to do a restoration, finding a rust free starting point, even for more money is going to be better and less expensive overall.

 

Thank you all for the comments and giving me a better idea of what I would be getting into if I were to take on this car. I have decided once again I will not be touching it ha! I have a long enough driveway to park it on... but I do not have the storage space to break it down and sell it for parts. I guess I will keep looking for one to restore that is the right one and is a rust free candidate.

On a side note... I have a 3.91 rear end with other rear end parts that I need to install on my current Camaro... It's been sitting in the garage for about 3 years.. reason being.. the wife's DD and my DD had issues on and off that needed attending to. Not only that.... flame suit on.. I spent almost three grand last year summer having the AC evaporator replaced in my Camaro due to it leaking freon and the heater core replaced while the dealership was in it... The job required the whole dash to come out... and the windshield while they were in there.. I had them install a new heater core even though it was not leaking and install my new aluminum blend door as well. There is a two year warranty on it... local dealership has been good to me and has a good rep. Man I am happy! She blows ice cold air now and I do not have to worry about the heater core leaking anytime soon.

I am mechanically inclined... and have done most of my own work, however, the AC evap job and windshield removal I left for the shop to do. No time for that. Once the new rear end is installed and done...then I will start looking for another third gen candidate. So many listings right now and prices all over the board! I'm sure I'll find the right one. Whether I go back to my roots in a Third Gen IROC-Z or try something different... a Third Gen Trans Am.

 

my car had similar levels of rot when I bought it and I would not be eager to do another restore like it. It could definitely be saved if you have the time and enjoy rot repair projects, these cars aren't exactly fun to patch up though.

As TransamamGTA350 said, the rot you can visually see is usually only 40% of it. Once you pull up the carpet, take off the ground effects, etc; you will see how deep into the cracks and crevices the rot goes. you will have to cut out, make patch panels, and replace so many annoying and intricate sections.

The T top channel rust repair isn't fun at all either. I have a thread on how I repaired the t top channels on my car with new metal and it was an annoying process. If I'm ever in the market for another one of these cars, it will be a hardtop lol.

 

I believe you and all the other's that have posted their opinions and experiences. Please share the link to your thread that you did some repair work. I'm curious since the Trans Am isn't going anywhere anytime soon... I have the garage space.. but the Camaro is parked in it. Looking to install a shed in the backyard and maybe I can store parts in it while I part it out with just a Bill of Sale. Dunno... but it's def on hold for now unless something else comes along that's in better shape in Florida.

 

You're welcome to peruse my ongoing resto thread. Lots of detail on the rust repairs.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...ns-am-gta.html

 

Thanks for sharing this! Will enjoy reading.