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It seems like every year I am chasing rust, removing way too much stock body and welding in new plates on my 84 TA not mention it has other issues. The paint was a gift from the previous owner not only was it not clear coated but the paint is too hard and it cracked everywhere. It also is hiding some sweet bondo bodywork. The car has been running so good I decided to pull the trigger on a new body that I will have it painted and swap everything over. I found this roller that was super clean underneath except where someone jacked it up by the fender mount. It is an 84 L69 just like mine so I am hoping most of the stuff I have bolts right in. My friend does high end restorations and said he would help me with the body work epoxy coating and paint if I get it prepped for him. I am going to strip it down over the next couple months and collect parts then after winter when he has room I will get it painted and swapped with my current 350, T5 and rear.
The chassis is mostly unmolested with the harness intact and it is solid which is a treat in the north east. I will make this my build thread
That is a great car to switch your powertrain into, in the northeast there is nothing better than a clean body. Those early third gen TAs also look amazing in black and gold.
I currently have a riveted cowl to a steel Hood but I wanted something a little nicer for this project so I picked up this hardwood bolt on 2-in cowl today got a great deal on Craigslist.
Been a while since my last update supply chain issues have slowed down the shop I am going to but we are just a couple months away. Parts collection has been underway all winter and sitting in my basement I have an *** load of parts to rebuild the front end, add sub frame connectors, hard and soft brake lines, bearings hoses and other rubber bits an AC compressor among other interior upgrades like new carpet and seat covers. So the project is not forgotten just slowed down.
Hawks sells that two-tone fabric. It’s not an exact match to the original but it’s all that’s available.
They’re the walnut & sandstone set at the links below. I think the original seats had 7 pleats.
Hawks sells that two-tone fabric. It’s not an exact match to the original but it’s all that’s available.
They’re the walnut & sandstone set at the links below. I think the original seats had 7 pleats.
Hi seats were solid brown, and he was holding out for some new old stock to get original material. But thank you for sharing that.
Wish that material was reproduced.
The covers are from ACME auto same ones Hawks sells but I got them off rock auto cheaper. They have a variety of colors split and solid have him take a look
Shop is open and I am finally getting to work. I got the new fender and hood fitted and I have started prepping the underside I am blown away how clean it is underneath and how unmolested the body is prepping for subframe connectors now. All the clips and brackets are still installed a few pics of progress.
just realized this is a car i owned for a few years. LOL. i bought it in PA for parts years ago, but was too nice to take apart. i ended up using it as a reference to put my other two 1984 Trans Ams back together and then sold it last year to a local kid.
glad to see it's still local and someone is restoring it.
just realized this is a car i owned for a few years. LOL. i bought it in PA for parts years ago, but was too nice to take apart. i ended up using it as a reference to put my other two 1984 Trans Ams back together and then sold it last year to a local kid.
glad to see it's still local and someone is restoring it.
That is awesome. When I have it done next spring we should get together and you can check it out.
A few updates got some of the body in sealer and high build. Also cleaned the engine bay for paint. Did dent and ding removal And getting ready for sniper conversion.
Painted some of the plastic panels in my Firebird today you can see before and after. They match the new door panel quite nicely I'm really pleased to get rid of the sun fading
Picture dump incomingI had a good night tonight got the second blocking done on high build with indicator basically a black powder that lets you know if you have any low spots. This is definitely going to be the nicest car I own when it's done. I also got the spoiler and the bumpers prepped
Painting until 130am but looks great. Paint, looks more blue like the hot wheels in person the booth lights washed out my camera. The metallic / Pearl come though nice. Sealed with epoxy, 3 coats Omni from ppg and 2 high solids clear.
Few more pictures got the engine out of the old one. Clean up and pull the rest of the 5 speed stuff. Also a paint sample and por15 coated suspension parts
More progress, I finished the holes for the shifter and clutch master. My friend saved the factory bracing on the shifter and cut the hole to be factory accurate then made me a new brace before we tacked it in. Super happy with getting this done.
Strange how it looks like the engine color changed after it was dropped into the car...
My phone camera does really weird things when I take a picture with the body. It starts blue then all goes grey don't know why. I decided to paint the Edelbrock manifold as well I thought it looked kind of cool and classic to have the whole thing one color
One more worry ball out of the way. Opened up the tank so I could put my sniper pickup inside of it and I am super pleased how clean it is for a factory tank on a 38-year-old car
Got new valve covers to clear the heater box. The Edelbrock were too tall. Then I got the master cylinder, valve and booster mocked up with new brake lines so I know they all fit. I got the dash in and everything that goes though the firewall including sniper wires. I am also going to try to get cruise working. I swapped in the rear end from my previous car and got all the suspension installed for both front and rear. Next pedals, steering and wires for the dash. I love the bare aluminum rims with this color, I will give them a refresh over the winter.
Big day for electrical stuff on Saturday. Got the factory harnesses back in place in the engine bay and under the dash. Tested the starter, lights, blower, ignition and gauges they are all alive and well. Fixed some broken wires on the wiring harness that came with my new shell and replaced all the fusible links with fresh wire. Also finished Custom ignition coil mounting for my system. Made this plate on Saturday for a nice discreet install
Lots of progress lately getting the front end together working on the interior now. I rebuilt the bumper with all new supports that I made and I'm making good progress on everything else.
The front end is almost done, the back end is finished and the body kit is on. Interior soon. I also swapped the power steering box the one that came with the car was leaking from the input.
08-22-2021, 12:00 AM
Holy cow! Very much past it's prime.
