How to tell if its a clone or not? 1983 trans am Daytona 500
 

Just curious how to tell if its a clone/repaint or a real daytona 500 pace car edition.
It is a 5 speed car which I have not seen before. All that I find are automatics. Also its a T-top car.

Not anywhere near mint condition and the engine is now a 350.

What do I look for to see if its an original 5 speed and Daytona 500 edition?

Can post pics tomorrow. Going to see it tonight.

Thanks.

Re: How to tell if its a clone or not? 1983 trans am Daytona 500
 

The shifter hole is a dead giveaway for whether it was a 5-spd or not... unless the person who did the conversion went to the junkyard and got the entire trans tunnel and changed it out. Basically, pop the shifter boot off, pull the carpet back, and look down in there, and see if there's a reinforcement kind of thing welded around the hole on the outside and smoothly finished edges, and of course the thick factory rubber "lower boot", or if it's just been Jeffrey-Dahmer-sawed out.

The Daytona 500 thing I can't say. I don't recall any major non-appearance differences about those when they were new and I was test-driving them, but that was a long time ago now.

Re: How to tell if its a clone or not? 1983 trans am Daytona 500
 

Here's a thread that was posted by another member with the same question:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...-i-verify.html

In short, some of the things you're looking for are Y82 (Trans Am) and 11U, 11L and 82M (mid-body two-tone paint offered on the Daytona) on the tag that's located on the radiator support.