1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Thought I would start a thread to document my car and its return to the road. The car has been sitting for many years so it will need a complete going over but fortunately I have alll the parts and even the rare parts that should have been returned at the end of the season. I will start the thread with a picture of the car when I picked it up and when it was new, hopefully when its all done it will look like it was in 1986.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

That sounds awesome! I can't wait to see your progress!!!!

Alex

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Nice, It'll be very cool when done..

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Interesting car. I don't know anything about these cars. I look forward to learning more about them following this thread.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Here is a photo of the race seat used in the series. It was kept stored away with a plastic cover. Its a bit dusty but a good vacuum and brush should bring it back to new.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Here are some photos of the Brembo front brakes, adapter brackets and spindles. Zoomed in on the stamping number on the adapter bracket in case that helps anyone.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

What size rotor did this setup use? 12"?

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Yes I think it was a 12" from what I have read, I have some rotors in a box(I have lots of boxes and milk crates full of parts to go through-see cube van and the car was packed as well!!) that I will try and dig out and see what size and if any stamping numbers.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Do I spy gatorback tires in there? and would you happen to have another set of the calipers?

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Awesome Thread!

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Great find! Did some racing team have this in storage or was this abandoned in a storage unit or something?

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I have 2 sets of wheels and Gatorbacks. The one set was on the car and they are completely cooked. The spare set holds air but haven't checked them to see how badly cracked. I haven't checked the car to see what calipers are on it but teams only got one set so I would think they are the stock ones on the car. Now I need to go check!( Stock ones on the car)
The owner had the 1986 Trans Am and an 1987 and 1988 Camaro from the series and kept everything. Another member on the site bought the 87 and 88 and this car was sitting outside for most of it life. Looks rough at first glance but has a ton of potential and all parts are there and like new due to it having just 3800KM. Ill keep the pictures coming as this is a true time capsule.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I have added the 1986 series recap video to YouTube. "1986 GM/players" should bring it up. I will add link later tonight. Enjoy!!

Link....

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Thats pretty neat!

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

My car shows up at 9:21 sideways!! The car also set fastest lap during the race on lap 9 according to the race printout sheet I have.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

That's so freaking cool Munyguy! Thanks for the link on the video! I love automotive history. Especially the history of our Thirdgens! Hope the progress with your player's car becomes a successful one! I would love to someday build a reproduction thirdgen racer to mimic the player cars. Hopefully with guys like you restoring your vehicle, it can give me a guide map on building one. Keep us posted on your build!

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Is this a G VIN 305 HO car? Thank you for sharing.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Yes this is an A4Q G VIN 305 HO car.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Just watched that whole video Munyguy. Awesome piece of history, that I knew virtually nothing about. Thanks for posting that.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Started to spend some time on the car today, picked up all the loose hardware laying around in the interior, vacuumed all the carpet and the seat. I was very careful not to damage the original plastic still on the carpet. Wiped down the steering wheel, shift knob and e brake handle with some good leather cleaner and conditioner. Looks like they will be in great shape.
Next stop is the engine bay...

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Got started on cleaning up the engine bay. This is just to get things cleaned up so I can start working on it, not for show yet. Found 1 dead mouse, 6 cobs of eaten corn, a nice collection of nuts and assorted items and I believe some interior insulation nicely tucked into air cleaner intake!!! Wires all look good thankfully and oil looks clean on the dipstick. Numbers match on the block and I have also added a photo of the race engine and stamping for reference.
Pictures are before and after as well as race engine and stamping.
In a couple of weeks I should have the car on the lift and ready to drain fluids and get ready for a start-up.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

wow.awesome car I thought the GN as the pace car was pretty sweet too. good luck

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Very cool!!

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Anybody else think the series looks really cool from a fan and marketing perspective but would suck to actually race in? Every time you make contact with anything you have to bring it back to street spec. Having to run crummy brakes that fade dangerously. Real glass breaking. A full interior that could easily catch fire. Soft frame that might not want to bend back. Car's kind of expensive to start with too; I bet you could get a used race prepped 3rd gen for $7k at the time. I guess driving the cars to and from the track wouldn't be that bad but you still need a chase truck anyway. That means two people have to drive at all times rather than one. Hopefully they lived close to Mosport! And then you are driving a car on the street with a cage and no helmet on. Overall I'd consider the series quite dangerous.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I believe one of the requirements of the Players series was you had to be able to drive the car to and from the race.

The crummy brakes were replaced with larger brakes, and starting in 1988 it became the 1LE package. More or less the 1LE was made for the Players series. The Firehawk series was similar, but it was a little more serious, Firehawk cars could not be driven on the road as I believe they had the VIN removed.

Furthermore the cars had a roll cage to help with structural rigidity.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Right, the cage helped, but I'm talking about the front subframe bending in crashes and also the rear unibody. 1LE brakes certainly helped as well but are good but not great for wheel-to-wheel racing especially on street courses and ovals. Witness drivers blowing corners on the Toronto track due to fade.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I believe the premise of the Players series was a way for a low budget race teams to race a car off the assembly line, with some minor changes for safety. Racing used to be comparatively inexpensive form of entertainment (it was never inexpensive). It was kind of like the idea behind Formula Vee, it was basically make any car you want but you have to use a VW beetle engine. But like everything else, there are people that have deep pockets and they start making it so expensive to compete.

I believe many of these players cars were literally driven to and from the track.

As for the front and rear of the cars, the trick to not getting your front end or rear crunched would be not to run into anything. A lot of these cars survived, it is not like NASCAR Sprint cup where every week every car has at least one dent, rub or something that has to be repaired.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Gentleman racing is a bit different than nascar

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

No kidding... I am to the point that NASCAR is filled with children who have egos too big and they get all bent out of shape when it does not go the way they want it to.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I've never understood the appeal of driving around in circle anyway.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Now that we are seriously off topic.

It is not just driving around in a circle, it is going really fast to do it, pushing yourself and a machine to its physical limits for several hours is exhilarating.

John

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

And exhausting

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

The ONLY reason I never became a NASCAR driver was after 50 laps I got board, and lost focus... ;)

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I understand racing. I use to race snowmobiles back in the 70's. My point is, with these cars, a road coarse would be much more entertaining. I like right turns as much as left ones.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Supposedly a complete Dual aircleaner setup for one of these on facebook for 75 bux

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

It's not NASCAR, but ALL spec series have more contact than you see in classes where more changes and different types of cars are allowed. There's no good way to get a run on anybody since everybody has the exact same car. Take a Spec Miata race -- those have a lot of contact. Drivers get frustrated. The cars get bunched up.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

get back on topic, moar history and racing pics :p

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Ok, question about the brakes seen in the '86 video. Are they prototypes of the 1LE brakes or did the needs of the teams that season help them determine what the 1LE brakes would be? Are the 1LE brakes better than what they used in '86?

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

The front brakes i saw at around the 40min mark are 4 piston brembos.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Nice looking dual aircleaner setup for this on FB.
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...5892&source=48

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Cool car - subscribing!

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

IIRC the 1LE brakes are actually from a Caprice? Might be different bolt pattern

John

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Just the rotor is, kind of, its a 5 on 4 3/4 instead of 5 on 5 bolt pattern but the rotor is from the caprice.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Were the rears drums in '86 in this series?

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Rear are disc as well.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Exactly. It fits the 79-96 Caprice bearings, spindles, dustcaps. 91-96 Caprice used wheelstuds the same thread and knurl size as third-gens.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

One of 26 ! The rarest 3rd gen (by engine) ! Incredible find, and it's in good hands.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Fairly sure the spindles are way different between the 2 cars.

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

I agree, the spindle assemblies are probably way different. However they might use enough of the same parts, IE bearings, to get them to work.

John

Re: 1986 GM/Players Trans Am
 

Yeah, the spindles are different.
The caparice uses upper and lower control arms but the bearings and seals work.
I think the 1LE rotor uses a bigger outer bearing than the 10.5 rotor.