Hey guys! Finally found some time to start this thread. I recently bought a 1988 Trans Am GTA (who I've affectionately named Nina) for $1500. This had the exact combo I wanted: 305/5spd combo with the digital dash and T-Tops. (If anyone can give me some production figures for this combo I'd appreciate it.) It had been sitting on the POs lawn for about 6 years. Apparently it was pretty well known in the area for once being a badass ride but unfortunately now she needs a fair amount of work to be drivable. Let me start with:

The Good:
- Straight body/frame
- Unmolested engine
- New clutch
- Flowmaster exhaust system
- Twin Turbo Hood (some may call this BAD, but I like it quite a bit)
- Overhead Console in good shape w/flashlight

The Bad:
- Needs new T-top seals
- Needs interior plastics
- Could use a paint job down the line
- Needs new tires
- Most of the bad is cosmetic, or really easy/inexpensive to do

The Ugly:
- Floorpan rot (mostly in front/rear passenger area and wheel wells)
- Completely hacked up interior wiring

I just got it to fire today after replacing the starter solenoid and positive battery lead. It runs a bit rough from sitting, and overheats. Also the guy before me wired in a push button switch to attempt (I think) this https://www.thirdgen.org/solenoid

So now that it's running and has good solid connections I want to rewire the original ignition switch, flush all the fluids, the whole cooling system (all sludge), oil, trans fluid, etc. Then work on replacing the radiator fan/shroud (held together with shoelaces )

Ultimately I want to do a full restomod 'ala WhitedevilTA including mediablasting and undercoating, but right now I just want to fix (correctly I might add) everything that's been torn apart and destroyed. Also I'm open to all suggestions at this point for what to do next

I'll try to be on here on a regular basis to update as I go, I have some good friend who are lending their time when possible too so I'm excited!

Will get pics soon, hope to hear from y'all!

-Jack

 

Hey man sounds good, you have any pics?

 

Yup, here are a bunch I just took. It's a scary sight but I think it looks worse than it truly is.

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Also I have a set of ZR1 Corvette seats I'm installing and eliminating the back seat, so I'll be selling all 4 of the original Ultimas. As you can see from the pic above they'll need to be recovered. The rears look better than the fronts however all appear to have good foam. I'd prefer to trade locally for parts that I need, but I may be willing to ship them at buyers expense.

 

A lot of work ahead of you but well worth the effort. Can't wait to see it progress.

 

I have almost a full interior to put in from my previous base model bird that I stripped and I won't be using the back seat area. My plan is to have it "walled off" with a fiberglass panel similar to the autoform verts. That should alleviate quite a bit of the interior work. I also have a guy getting me clean left/right floor pans and a buddy who'll weld them in.

Started flushing the cooling system, ran 2 cycles of water through it but I want to do one more just in case and then fill it.

Unfortunately today, when I had installed the battery cable, I hadn't routed it properly (see pic) and melted partially against the block and shorted and caught my fuel injector rail on fire... no damage is done besides needing to replace the rail, and get another battery cable however this is a lesson I won't forget soon.


***Also found out the other day, it wasn't the fuel rail itself that melted, just part of the fuel line. That was leaking before so it'll be replaced anyways. Phew!!***

 

I put aside the engine work for a bit, considering I know it runs and what the problem is. I really want to focus attention on the floor pans before it starts getting cold. I had to cut through the seat bracket just to get the drivers side seat out, and it revealed a huge, almost square hole that had rusted through. It's pretty gnarly but I'm working around it with a wire cup and grinder to really determine what I'm working with. My biggest gripe is being able to get in there with a grinder without tripping over all the electrical...

 

You're a VERY brave man. Good luck with your project.

 

Good luck man hope it all goes well for you

 

Yeah that rust is pretty intimidating, this is behind the drivers seat:



Also, I can't shut my doors which I'm assuming is because of the flex without the pan. I really want to get it off the jack stands as soon as possible.

 

I have a few leads on some good full floor pans, also picking up a replacement fuel injector rail off the boards hopefully soon!

 

Jack, to be honest....I think for $1500, maybe even a little more, you could have found one in better shape than that one. You have a lot of work ahead of you. I look forward to seeing what you do with this restomod though.

 

This is true, I'm kicking myself a bit because I knew it was going to need work I just wasn't expecting THAT much rust. The frame is solid though and the engine/trans is good. I'm justifying the price with the fact that this does have all the original options I wanted. Plus I have a bunch of good friends who keep me motivated

 

Yea I know what you mean when you come across a car that is exactly what you. Want then buy it only to be like damn that's more work than I thought. I would just strip it out as the engine and trans cleaned up is worth what you paid.

 

I just hate the thought of stripping it as this is a rather hard to find combo on a GTA. The rust looks real bad, and I don't like it but nothing that can't be cut out and welded in. It seems sourcing a plasma cutter is proving to be the trickiest part at this point.

 

So I'm meeting the guy tomorrow to get the floors, he settled for $50 if I come up and cut them out. He also said we could grab a bunch of the smaller interior stuff too. an't wait, this is the stuff I live for!

 

Ouch, I would have passed on that car. Or I would have bought it solely for the purpose of parting it out.

Props if you have the time and money to restore it properly. But thats going to be a long project.

 

Lol, well maybe not the money so much, but definitely the time!

 

Not much of an update but I finally got around to gutting the majority of my floor pans last week, and today have removed the majority from the donor car I sourced. I couldn't finish cutting tonight as I'm running into a bit of a problem with where the subframe connects to the rear seat pans. It's just really tough to get in with a cut-off wheel and reciprocating saw. Hopefully some fresh blades, and a refreshed mind can get it tomorrow!

 

Zzzzzz, yeah I know ya'll are falling asleep on me lol, I know it won't be long until I get into the fun stuff! Got the complete rear pans home today, just took some finesse with the recipro saw and a torch. Didn't want to cut through the reinforcements on the trans tunnel so I cut down the side. Once these go in with the fronts, they're getting a nice, thorough rustproofing. I want to make sure I don't have to go through this again!

-Jack

 

Also it is downpouring outside. I figured now would be a good time for a car wash

 

Got some more work done yesterday, removed most of the area where the floor pan meets the rocker. I just dug in between the spot welds with a screwdriver and then got in again with the trusty recipro saw. Also I took the LCAs off the donor pans (better bushings than mine) and my buddy cleaned 'em up with a wire cup brush.

Still not sure on which route would be the best to take as far as rust prevention in the future. I've read about the mixed things about POR-15, and the bedliner that TwinTurbo and whitedevilTA used look beautiful! Then again, folks seem to be recommending tractor/farm implement paint...too many choices...

 

 

Just as I'm reading your post Mantaguy, I realize what kind of rabbit hole I fell down! I'm reading this post after wanting to find out more on how those LCAs work and what I found nearly made me sh*t a brick. Pretty sure this is eerily similar to what I'm facing as far as fabrication. (Learning a lot about suspension though, I love it!)

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...r-control.html


So what I'm gathering is that my LCA mounts are part of what I cut out (see evidence #1). The large channels on the bottom of the rear pans (where they curve into the gas tank hump) are indeed part of what I feared as the actual subframe itself. I can definitely tell the body has flexed a bit as the door unnaturally scrapes the corner of the rocker when I close it.

Now my rays of hope., my donor pans (see exhibit #2) are solid through and through and seem like they have all the necessary bracing and substructure to boot. The only piece left open is in the wheelwell (picture #3) where it seems a small patch would do it.


Maybe I'm completely off my rocker...or control arm more appropriately! I want to try and take the plunge. It looks like this guy handled it pretty well: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...inal-88-a.html

But I shall hold back no more, let the wise words and gasps of horror come forth!

 

and again forgot the pix... lol one sec

 

 

So I'm pondering this situation... In the 92 camaro thread I posted previously, it seemed that the biggest concern was throwing off the geometry and alignment of the rear end by driving it in such a condition. The whole car, let alone the rear end on mine has been stationary long since I started cutting. The only thing I did was jack up the rear passenger side enough to get the wheel off for more working room. Given that, it seems unlikely that the rear would have moved or walked any besides maaaaybe a couple milimeters.

What do you guys think?

 

So I think this project's going to be on hold for a while until I can source a clean shell. The further I get into this, the more rust and decay I'm finding and it just doesn't seem worth it. I guess essentially I paid $1500 for a bunch of great parts... which is cool because I can use almost all of them. Until then I'll keep y'all posted.

-Jack

 

That's a hard decision to let a car go but I think in the long run you'll be way happier with a new shell to start with....It really does pay off to buy a better car at the start and avoid the herculean effort to restore a cheap rust bucket..