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Hello all,
I'm new here. I couldn't find a specific area on this forum for build threads but noticed someone else had a restoration thread going on so I figured this might be the right spot.
So, where to begin?? As a kid, I had an 85 Camaro. It was a great car but I always liked the GTA trans am. So, one day shopping around for another project that I do not need I stumbled upon this car. It was rough in appearance but appeared to have reasonably good bones ad the price seemed decent. We drove 2 hours to take a look and made a deal and I drove it home. It might not have been as well represented as I had hoped so maybe not a smokin' deal but. It's mine now...
So the details- 87 GTA, hardtop, 5.7L, light saddle interior, Y84r, WS6, G80... The claim was 121k- yet the odo is broken so yea...
Body is straight, wheels are original, interior was wrecked, some small rust bubbles.
Car drove fine except for all the wandering on the road. 40 year old neglected car. What do you expect. Trans shifted firmly- felt like it might have a shift kit. Engine was smooth except when it wanted to sputter and die at idle. (which was around 500rpm), Gauges told me I had 60 psi of oil at nearly all times and the temp said I was at 220 most of the way. I've read that these gauges are not very good so, likely the issue. Also, noticed that the I couldn't fill the fuel tank without it kicking off. Lights work, power truck lid works as well as it's release, power windows work slowly (don't they all), the mirrors work, door locks work. Even has the original spare and jack, and all new tires So, not all bad.
Got the car home and started cleaning but it was simply too much nastiness so the entire interior came out. Lots of mouse houses, and even a dead bird under the back seat- literally feathers and bones... We cut the carpet to pieces and pulled all the plastics. The front driver's seat was stuck in position and we could not get the one of the bolts loose without significant time spent fighting. Finally got it off and discovered that the track had a deteriorated CVS bag jammed inside. It took a while of fishing but I got it all out. Lubed it and now it moves...
Cleaned and disinfected the interior and discovered a few more rusty bits than anticipated. A couple holes under the the front of the car where it appears a jack might have slipped of a pinch weld and some rot out back in the spare tire well, hidden by the cladding.
I didn't think much of it until I discovered that there aren't body panels for these cars... WTF??? Then the issue with sourcing matching interior pieces?? I thought these cars were popular! Ugh. Oh well...
So once stripped and cleaned, I turned to the master cylinder as it was leaking. I painted it to prevent rusty appearance and did the booster as well. I'll be going through things little by little to make the car road worthy-er.
Lots of odds and ends to sort through. Console is being repaired. Rear view mirror the auto dimming one has been dismantled and cleaned, Since I am trying to do several things at once, we also pulled the dash pad to be recovered, (headliner was already missing), and put some sound deadener down to keep us moving in the right direction.
Last edited by Boostmaster; Apr 13, 2026 at 01:13 PM.
The sound deadener was just placed in the spots seen and the trunk. I have more coming in order to do the doors and the floors- after we figure out what we are doing with the rust.
While we wait on that, we have a few pieces on order- fuel tank vent valve, trans rear seal, new filer and gasket for trans, new rear diff fluid, fresh oil and filter, steering pieces, etc.
If you noticed the fuel hard lines look rougher than a night in jail so they have to be replaced. Maybe the brake lines too. Still need to figure that out.
When I removed the air box and charcoal canister I found some "custom wiring to some sensors that was done with speaker wire and wire nuts- Can't make this stuff up. Maybe someone can point me to what I need to fix this mess properly. Also need to figure out vacuum line routing as most were rotten and many disconnected.
Last edited by Boostmaster; Apr 13, 2026 at 01:30 PM.
Side note: I was bummed when I noticed the RPO sticker was missing but I found it under one of the seats. Also, a very nice build sheet under the carpet and the seller gave me a copy of the original window sticker so that's kinda cool!
I also forgot to mention that the idle issue was likely the result of the TPS only having one bolt as the other one had been snapped off in the throttle body... Ugh.
It occurs to me that I forgot to ask... I would like to install the original style radio (cassette or cd is fine with me). The original was missing as were the mounting pieces and some "genius" cut the connection wires in order to install something aftermarket so I also need to source the connector ends as I like to have things as clean as possible.
If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great.
Side note: I was bummed when I noticed the RPO sticker was missing but I found it under one of the seats. Also, a very nice build sheet under the carpet and the seller gave me a copy of the original window sticker so that's kinda cool!
I also forgot to mention that the idle issue was likely the result of the TPS only having one bolt as the other one had been snapped off in the throttle body... Ugh.
where did you find the build sheet under the carpet I have a car I got from the original owner and have been looking nothing was under the seats, thanks
It occurs to me that I forgot to ask... I would like to install the original style radio (cassette or cd is fine with me). The original was missing as were the mounting pieces and some "genius" cut the connection wires in order to install something aftermarket so I also need to source the connector ends as I like to have things as clean as possible.
If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great.
If it were me, I'd look for one in a wrecking yard and cut off the oe connectors then solder them into my car. Or, source them from someone selling a parts car on Facebook. Where are you located? I know there's a guy or 2 in the Long Island area who sells a ton of used third gen parts, used to come across the listings on FB marketplace.
where did you find the build sheet under the carpet I have a car I got from the original owner and have been looking nothing was under the seats, thanks
Build sheet was under the front drivers side carpet.
I think we're going to pull the dash-maybe just enough to remove the rest of the sound deadener. Wife says under the dash smells like R. Kelly's sheets- pissssss. (funny song reference)
Anyway, we'll clean all that and put some new sound material and while we're down there probably take a look at the heater core. While I don't think it was leaking, there seemed to be some dampness on the pass/firewall sound material which I think could be coming from the fender area- I had an 85 Camaro in the 90's and I recall the dealer putting a bunch of silicone somewhere around the antenna area to stop some leak I kept getting on the floor. Anyway, it's worth a look while I'm there.
Also, just ordered the Odometer gear repair kit as the odo stopped at 121k and this car has much more than that.
Interestingly, I discovered (after looking at the supplied paperwork that the engine was replaced in 2005 with the car having only 97k on it. This seems like a car someone was just using as a fun car on the weekends (around 5400 miles a year) so, if that was the case and they continued in that pattern the "new" engine would have something like 113k. The body like 210k. But for living its whole life in Ohio, there's not as much rust as one would expect from such high miles, so it is likely much less... Just trying to get an idea of what I'm working with.
Yea, I thought it was decent for being an Ohio car for some 40 years. I really expected more rust. I talked to my body guy but to fix all the small issues here and there will kill me in labor costs so I think I will do a cheapie fix so I can put the car back on the road asap and just enjoy it until I decide on a full resto.
Thanks. It's not going to be a restoration but rather rehab in order to make it a regular driver. I have other cars that are so nice I CAN'T drive them so this one needs to stay a little rough so we can enjoy it.
Speaking of which- DynoDave, I stumbled upon your thread and got lost for 26 pages! Lots of great content.
Last edited by Boostmaster; Apr 17, 2026 at 09:56 AM.
So, today I managed to remove the fuel tank vent valve. Had to cut the line. It was a mess. I have a new one to install maybe tomorrow. Also, removed the leaking trans tail shaft seal and installed a new one. What a PITA that torque arm is! I'm still fighting with it as I'm on jack stands and everything is a bit greasy-might jump under there tomorrow with degreaser and try to clean it up a bit before doing anything else...
Also, discovered the ECM has stock chip. No one has hacked any wiring or modded anything from what I can see. Once I get all the basics handled, this could be a blank slate...
Sprayed some degreaser yesterday and also discovered the poorly installed windshield is leaking. yippee!
Pulled and cleaned the dash gauge cluster, repaired the broken odometer and reinstalled. Then focused on grinding the rusty areas. For now just going to seal with POR and fiberglass everything. I'll do the proper metal work later when I have a lift.
Need to purchase fuel lines next. These are rough looking so I think they need swapped. Maybe the brake lines as well. Any recommendations where to get them all in a package deal?
A few updates:
Had windshield removed and we cleaned and fixed everything underneath before having it reinstalled. Now it feels like the interior is finally as clean as it's going to get. We added some sound deadener and it's feeling and sounding way more solid and quiet. There's a few touch up spots that have been addressed as well.
Since I am prone to doing too many things at once, we have the dash pad almost ready to be re-covered, the abs headliner covered and ready to install, the front seat frames torn down and ready for clean and paint, some odds and ends sourced, rear shocks installed, & tail lamps polished.
Still trying to get a good interior paint match for the light saddle. Also, going to try and rebuild the visors since we have extra headliner material so we will at least have some matching bits. Also, going to attempt to repair the wing out back.
In hand we have front struts, wonderbar, front end rebuild bits, filters and fluids and new carpet.
I'm going to try and post pics as I go but my phone is being uncooperative lately...
A few updates:
Had windshield removed and we cleaned and fixed everything underneath before having it reinstalled. Now it feels like the interior is finally as clean as it's going to get. We added some sound deadener and it's feeling and sounding way more solid and quiet. There's a few touch up spots that have been addressed as well.
Since I am prone to doing too many things at once, we have the dash pad almost ready to be re-covered, the abs headliner covered and ready to install, the front seat frames torn down and ready for clean and paint, some odds and ends sourced, rear shocks installed, & tail lamps polished.
Still trying to get a good interior paint match for the light saddle. Also, going to try and rebuild the visors since we have extra headliner material so we will at least have some matching bits. Also, going to attempt to repair the wing out back.
In hand we have front struts, wonderbar, front end rebuild bits, filters and fluids and new carpet.
I'm going to try and post pics as I go but my phone is being uncooperative lately...
The sun visors might be tricky because they have that perimeter stitching on both sides. I had my visors redone at an upholstery shop. I supplied the correct headliner material, though.
I’d recommend getting the fiberglass aero wing from Hawks. It’s about 1000lbs lighter and you won’t ever risk having it crack again in the future. I tried to fix the original wing on mine and it still cracked again on me even sitting in storage. Once that inner metal structure starts to rust/corrode, it seems like there’s no way to stop it.
Mikos_89- We did consider the Hawks option but that thing is pricey. I've seen a few old rubber/urethane/plastic pieces saved on various cars so we're going to give it a try. It already has damage so I can't really mess it up much more. I may try to cut out all the rusty metal and maybe redo it in aluminum... Not sure yet. Still need to see the extent of the damage.
Today I was able to put my rust remover to work and go all the metal seat components cleaned and dried. Only some got painted as it was still chilly and the paint was not cooperating as quickly as I wanted. I'll try and wrap up the rest of the metal tomorrow. And I'll try and post some more pics.
Last edited by Boostmaster; May 6, 2026 at 08:23 AM.
Since we are trying to keep this "project" moving, we are doing several things at once so that there are limited delays when waiting for parts or for paint to dry, etc.
Current progress:
Interior gutted, cleaned and sound deadened
Seats dismantled, cleaned and frames painted (still trying to work out color for upholstery)
All plastics cleaned (ready for paint- but still trying to source best color option)
Damaged plastics being addressed with various methods to try and save what we can
New windshield installed
Rust spots on body addressed
Master cylinder and booster pulled (master replaced)- still not reinstalled as I need space to address fuel lines
Vacuum canister and air box pulled and cleaned. Mount cleaned and painted (not reinstalled as we need to address funky wiring job)
Cowl plastic pulled, cleaned and painted
Cowl cleaned and painted
Rear shocks installed
Odometer gear fixed
Dash pad pulled and being worked
Fuel lines removed
Oil/filter changed
ABS headliner sourced and covered (not installed yet)
Fuel tank vent valve
transmission tail shaft seal
air filter
tail light stud cushions/seals
Sourced items:
Factory service manual
lug caps
TPI distributor cover
Console ashtray lid replacement (I ran my other one over)
Side GTA and Bird emblems (still need to source a correct hood emblem)
trans filter and gasket
steering pieces (drag link, tie rods, ball joints, etc.)
wonderbar
front struts
SS rear brake lines
front brake lines
new power window and door lock buttons
unbroken seat belt plastic trim
exterior door/window felts
new bushing for torque arm
new rear hatch trim clips and screws
new carpet
new t-stat
new rad cap
As time and weather permits we will be continuing to plug away at this. Trying to take lots of pics for reference so if anyone needs or wants a pic, I am happy to post if I have it.
I have at times posted a question in my build thread, then posted in a related forum with a link back to the build thread. I also add a link to the other question in my build thread. This is useful in coming years when people are looking for answers.
I don't like to "pollute" the forum with a lot of double posts, but it is relevant to the build, so belongs there IMO. The second post is legit because a lot of forum users don't read the Auto Detailing & Appearance forum, so you often have to do that to get an answer.
Yeah- I thought this web board was a little less intuitive than the others I frequent. Most usually have a separate section for members rides or build threads... I only discovered this section by accident.
Torque arm cleaned - ready for new busing
Front suspension removed and cleaned
Front steering components removed- ready for new bits
Rear Brake lines removed, new ones installed
Intermediate brake line removed - need to make a new one
Brackets and clips cleaned and painted
Fuel lines removed
Antenna removed
More body work started
Lots of little things but as many of you know this is all time consuming...
Yeah- I thought this web board was a little less intuitive than the others I frequent. Most usually have a separate section for members rides or build threads... I only discovered this section by accident.
More progress this weekend. Torque arm cleaned - ready for new busingFront suspension removed and cleanedFront steering components removed- ready for new bitsRear Brake lines removed, new ones installedIntermediate brake line removed - need to make a new oneBrackets and clips cleaned and paintedFuel lines removedAntenna removedMore body work started Lots of little things but as many of you know this is all time consuming...
Sounds like you're leaving few stones unturned, so the time investment will be well worth it!
You are correct sir! We had intended to do a quick down and dirty refresh so we could drive the car sooner than later. However, our tendency is to want to fix everything we see and well, the rabbit hole....
More updates: Discovered tophats/strut mount bearings were crunchy so ordered new stock style replacements. Contemplated big brake swap. Shelving that for later as we're really knee deep right now.
Also did some rust remediation on the deck lid. Sanded and skimmed the spots on top and underneath the deck lid so hope to have those ready for a quick touch up in the next few days.
Have yet to order my upholstery and decide on an interior paint color as the stock style paints feel too orange.
Also, since brake and fuel lines are out of the way, thinking about removing all the smog crap- There's just so much in the way of everything, but it's a little crusty and I dread breaking stuff and adding to my misery. Half tempted to pull the engine to make it easier- but that would likely lead to a full reseal and paint job and...
If I decide on the smog delete, What are my obstacles for the bits around the back of the block? I presume there is some sort of mounting bracket that holds it all in?
From: Franklin, KY near Beech Bend Raceway, Corvette Plant and Museum.
Car: 1992 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 5.0L L03 TBI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73
Re: 1987 GTA, build thread- sort of...
Originally Posted by Mikos_89
I’d recommend getting the fiberglass aero wing from Hawks. It’s about 1000lbs lighter and you won’t ever risk having it crack again in the future. I tried to fix the original wing on mine and it still cracked again on me even sitting in storage. Once that inner metal structure starts to rust/corrode, it seems like there’s no way to stop it.
Originally Posted by Boostmaster
Mikos_89- We did consider the Hawks option but that thing is pricey. I've seen a few old rubber/urethane/plastic pieces saved on various cars so we're going to give it a try. It already has damage so I can't really mess it up much more. I may try to cut out all the rusty metal and maybe redo it in aluminum... Not sure yet. Still need to see the extent of the damage.
Trying to repair the urethane aero wing is a Fool's errand. Many have tried repairing them before. They aren't repairable.
It's one of those things you have to pay once and cry once and be done with it. Don't try saving money on a aero wing from anyone but Hawks Motorsports. The OER aero wing sucks.
More updates: Front steering bits installed along with wonderbar. New top hats arrived so those will be getting installed along with all the cleaned up stock brake stuff (for now)
Waiting on some parts so I decided to remove the top of the A/C box after watching an antenna rebuild video (which I plan on doing as well). Glad I did. Found a mouse condo! Insane!!!
Pulled the receiver dryer to remove the evaporator and went to pull the orifice tube since I figured it would need changed and it broke off inside the tube!! WTF?!?!?
Anyone have a trick to pull this POS out of there? I've tried several sizes of needle nose pliers to no avail. I really don't want to have to order a new evaporator too.
Also, started getting the R4 compressor ready to pull since I am guessing it will need rebuilt so that is also in the plans. Fun, fun, fun!!!
Antenna: I expected it would be non functioning so I pulled it to rebuild. Opened it up and it was fine! Lubed and reassembled and tested and it's smooth as butter. It was zip tied into it's spot.. Not sure what bracket is supposed to be there to hold this in place.
Headliner on abs panel. Covered the back of the panel with some more sound deadener. Also, forgot to test fit the center roof console so there was some serious cutting to do. I've not taken a pic of that. I try to take one later and add to this post.
The dash pad: This was cleaned and sanded to remove rough or high spots. Cracks opened up to give us more to work with. Some small cavity spray foam filled the cracks. Let it set for a few days and cut it down flush with a hack saw. Sanded everything and then went over the repairs with a very light skim coat of filler. Sanded again and cleaned. Attached scrim to give us a more plushy base to set the vinyl on. Test fitted and currently unfinished or trimmed. Need a few really hot days to make the vinyl super pliable. I'll cut out the vents and speakers later.
The a/c box mouse condo. I hadn't planned on opening this up since the smell was gone from the car but when I was watching the antenna repair video on you tube, the guy opened his to find something similar. SO glad we did. Everything cleaned and disinfected. Even pulled the panel from the heater core to discover a little more and clean everything. Also, since we were in there ran some water through the core to check for leaks. NONE. All good. Then moved on to the evaporator and flushed the lines. Pulled all the lines, cleaned them up and put new seals and a Ford orifice tube. Buttoned all of it up pending the receiver/dryer. And the compressor rebuild. It's all coming along slowly but surely.
Finally, pulled the seized air pump and mounting brackets. I'd like to remove that whole system without destroying it but it's likely that will need to wait till the engine is pulled. Not sure if or when that would happen. It just frees up so much more room for activities without all that crap in the way.
The a/c box mouse condo. I hadn't planned on opening this up since the smell was gone from the car but when I was watching the antenna repair video on you tube, the guy opened his to find something similar. SO glad we did. Everything cleaned and disinfected. Even pulled the panel from the heater core to discover a little more and clean everything. Also, since we were in there ran some water through the core to check for leaks. NONE. All good. Then moved on to the evaporator and flushed the lines. Pulled all the lines, cleaned them up and put new seals and a Ford orifice tube. Buttoned all of it up pending the receiver/dryer. And the compressor rebuild. It's all coming along slowly but surely.
Is it easy to pull the top of the AC box? Just pull the screws from around the perimeter? Or is there a bunch more to it?
Yes, just a bunch of 7mm screws. Hardest parts are the few at the bottom of the blower if you are removing that too (I would if you've not done so already.. Then there are a couple of 10mm in the two corners against the firewall. It might take a little persuasion to split the case but it will come loose. The harder part is pulling the evaporator as the wire loom is tight and wants to fight you.
Updates: tore the compressor apart and just received the new gasket set. Should be back together in a few days. I'll post pics later with the whole break down.
Also, getting ready to pull the headlights to get those pellets replaced...
Last edited by Boostmaster; May 20, 2026 at 07:37 PM.
Pics and info for the R4 compressor: Tear down and inspection. The tool kit I used, the jig I made. main issue I ran into on this one was that the seals were really stuck so I added a bunch of penetrating oil and it finally came free. Interestingly, as tough as those seals were they were mostly flat.
Last edited by Boostmaster; Yesterday at 09:57 AM.
