well i found pics of what it is suposed to look like factory.
after spending hours of finding paint codes and such, i wondered what u guys thought.
just let me say that i like both combos that i'm about to ask for ur oppinons on.and i know that ultimately its my choice. i would just like all ur oppinions.

it will stay the fact brilliant red,but the ground effects. should i get the silver stripe into charcole with charcole,silver or black painted ground effects with matching fading hood decal.

this is my car now. i'm almost possitive its been repainted before b/c there is no sighn of a hood decal or stripe kit.





this is the pic i found. this is how its supposed to be.

 

I like the factory look (rarely see a great condition factory car these days) but you might want to update to 16" rims

 

yes i agree. i will keep the fact 14"ers but i want to get the Year One deep dish 17" snowflakes. i think that those wheels will look like they belong on the 82-84 t/a's. since the bulge hood and the louvered tail lights were a carry over on the 80 -81 t/a's with some changes to the tail lights of course. those things kind of belong on the early 3rd gens, imo.

i even got a steering wheel from an 81 t/a that my buddy has in near perfect condition. that is all that will not be original in the appearance of this t/a. outside of all new and modern suspension and stuff like that. motor,trans and the 3.73 10 bolt will be rebuilt. regardless of the fact that its cheaper to put a 350 in it. if i wanted gobs of h/p,i would have got something else. i would love to find the dash applique that was on all the 2nd gen t/a's. u know the machined metelal they had??

i will massage the motor and build the tranny and rear up. i just want a nice original appearing show car with about300 -350 h/p.

i have decoded all the options in this car with prices. its got $5,011. in options. thats why i am goin the route i have stated. i've had 3 T/A 3rd gens and this one has all the options that were available in 84. so while it may not be special to anyone else,it is to me.
thanks for commenting 871Le.
jay.

 

your rims are 14"? Are you sure they are not 15"?

 

to ws6blackhawk88 ---- i know the dash trim you're talking about, i really like that look too....and i was in a sign shop a couple weeks ago that made the flexible and magnetic signs and they had a material that looked a lot like the dash applique you're looking for. I asked if it came with adhesive back but didnt get a good answer, but i thought i'd keep the material in mind if i had a place to use it.....you might try looking at a sign shop....i think the guy kept saying it was vinyl....but since i wasnt getting good answers to my questions i let it slide till later.......hope its useful information.....

 

yeah i'm sure. it has the same wheels that are pictured in the pic of the one i posted. atleast i think they are. i'll have to look at my tires. even if they are 15" i don't like the way they look.

RArnold. that place u are talking about, they don't have a website or a phone # do they??
u could always use sylicone to apply it. but i would get a diff dashin sert and use that. just to keep my original.

 

no website....it was just a local sign shop..i went there to get some flexible magnetic material that refrigerator magnetic calendars and stuff are made out of....they had all kinds of plastic materials that they made signs from, and the stuff i saw looked just like a sheet of engine-turned stainless steel and immediately i thought of a dashboard insert, and particularly the 2nd gen t/a's (a buddy of mine had one and it was awesome)...the guy at th sign shop kept saying it was vinyl I think, i wanted to ask a few more questions, but he didnt seem too sharp.........

 

RArnold.
i found a website that has them in vinal sheets.
http://www.hotrodworks.net/decal/dash.html

also just do a search for this. engine-turned aluminum

it will give a couple sites that acually have it to order via ur specs, if u want to pay for it. the vinal is only 5.00 per foot. so i might go this route.

u know what they say... Vinal is Final. lol

 

went to that website---that looks just like the stuf at the sign shop---that is an excellent website..thanks for the tip.........

 

no problem. i actually found something better. a comp that will custom make it out of metal. yes it will be more expensive, but it will definately be more authentic of the 2nd gen T/A's. so tomorrow when i get up, i am goin to call them to see if i can ship them the gauge housing and see what kind of price it will be.

i will offcourse send them another from an 82-84. i will not send mine. i want to keep the original.

i f i can get this worked out and its under 500. to have it done. i'll get it.
then all i need is the year 1 snow 17"snowflakes, the 78 steering (which i have), and a shifter handle from an 82 or a 2nd gen. u know the one that is verticle with the button on top.
oh. here is the site.

http://www.fpmmetals.com/automotive.php

 

the round **** button style 82 83 th200 shifters only work on those shifters


and why is elroc so surprised by 14" wheels on an 82 83 84 for ?

they were way more common than 15" those years

the early 3rd gen birds were so much different than 85-up


my 82 was 14" originally as well


very common

and howcome your '84 has the solid bumper grilles ?

do you have the buildsheet from it ?

usually those were only on aero('84) or special package/pace, etc


theres no real way to know for sure what lower stripes(if any) yours had originally unless you have the buildsheet, or something else good, and even then you couldnt be for certain

 

yes i do have the build sheet on it. and it has the areo opt. and from what i have found out. it has $5100. in options. from LS seats to power ant and 6 spkr stereo with EQ and fact sub. of some sort. i do have the stripe rpos too. so i do know what is supposed to be on there now. only in the last 2 days,that i found that. i have decoded the whole build sheet.

this is one optoned out T/A. i feel blessed to have found it,no matter what others say,its rare to me.
i don't know why he was so surprized to hear that itonly had 14" wheels. 14" was big back then. unless u had a vette thats all u got.
i have the rpo's and more pics if u want to see them. thanks for e-mailing me too. i appreciate it.

 

I say its a great time. I catch a lot flak over my 2000 nhra formula, but my plain jane 86 bird means just as much to me and as long as you like it, that is all that matters. I was rather amazed at the look my old 86 got after it got out of the shop. Enjoy it and have fun because they are getting harder to find.

 

Those wheels you have ARE 15", I have the very same wheels.
15s werer used on most of the better optioned Firebirds back then, the 14 were on the lesser models or one without much in the way of options.
My 83 came with 15 as part of the WS6 package.

Leon

 

Maby the alloys were swaped for 14"s some time over the years, but from my understanding the 15x7"s were a part of the WS6 package?