Hi everyone, I'm new to these boards and I wanted some advice and help on restoring a 1988 Firebird GTA I will be acquiring next week.

Now let me make this clear, this car has been car dream car ever since I was 5. I always loved this car, especially with the T-tops. Fortunately I was able to bump into someone who was selling one for $2500, and when he saw how much it meant to me, he let it go for $1800. The engine is as solid as can be, it has under 80K miles on it and the stock gold rims are as pristine as can be.

The only issues is it needs some cosmetic work.

The 3rd break light needs to be replaced, the spoiler was ripped out, front leather seats are all torn up, the dash is cracked, there's no headliner,the driver headlight motor is shot, and finally it has a couple of small dings and a small rust spot on the hood.

I'm willing to put in a lot of work and money into making this car as good as new, and I hope with all your help, I'll have the car of my dreams looking like a dream in no time.

So for my first question...

where should I start?

 

Well i cant say too much right now because im in the process of fixing up my 85 SE Bird. But what i can tell you is if you are going to restore it you need to start from the ground up. If you just fix a few cosmetic parts then you will end up having to deal with rust, leakes, electric issues, and all that comes along with an old car...you can just make it look good.

I dropped my gas tank last night which marked the end of my tear down process. The car has nothing but whats welded directly to it so no i am going in and working out all the old caulk and cutting out any rusted areas that need to be filled in later but by doing this im basically assuring myself that anything i put into the car will be worth while beacuse i know the car will last me a few more decades . It only took me $700 in tools and a week to do this so it doesnt take much. Now comes the exciting part of spending every last penny for the next few months on new parts and rebuild kits and paint.

Just make sure to take pictures, label and document everything you do Dont lose any screws!
Hope this helps

 

Thanks man. I appriciate it.

 

here's the danger...and I have found this from experience.

If you buy this car, immediately strip it for a ground-up resto, you are nearly guaranteeing that the car will be out of commission for a long, long time while you finish it. It is easy, as the months and years go by, to get desperate and frustrated as you look at a totally stripped shell of a car, which you are trying to put back together after work or school, and which will cost thousands.

It might be good to just drive and enjoy the car for a while before you strip it to the shell.

 

hmm.... See that's the problem. What If I don't want to completely over haul it. I mean I'm not looking to race it, I want this as my summer and spring car. I already own a 99 Grand Am GT. I was thinking of using that for the winter and Fall. If I were to fix up all the little cosmetic problems and then give the GTA a nice new paint job and add a few new decals (especially a 3rd gen hood bird) would stripping it down be necessary?

 

stripping it completely won't be nessicary, take things like the ground effects off, do a little body work, and make her look great again.

 

Thanks. Any advice or opinions on completely redoing the interior and changing it from tan to black?

 

See, I agree with your current line of thinking. Only do enough work to make the car presentable and enjoyable to drive. If there is surface rust on the undercarriage, clean, sand, acid, and then coat it with a product like POR 15 or Master Series.

As for swapping the interior, find someone with a parts car that has a complete interior you can buy. tpi-hearse, in Connecticut, would be able to help you out with that when you are ready. He has a mountain of thirdgen cars and parts.

 

Awesome! I can't wait to get started on this car! I always wanted my Firebird to be black on red anyway! =)

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/technical-articles

read there and you'll find most of what you're looking for. also stop by and say hello at the gtasourcepage.com

 

Thanks I will!