Does anybody know if it was possible for a Trans AM to have the GTA tail lights? Because the VIN number I have off of a Firebird that I thought was a GTA really came up to be an 86 Trans AM, but I thought that only the GTA's had the different tail lights? Can someone help?

 

Do you have these ones?


this is the standard lights on all 85-90 Trans Am's and GTA's
(NOTE: I have the wrong center piece between the tail lights)

 

There was no GTA in 1986. The '86 TA came with "crosslaced" wheels like the later GTAs. My '86 is bone-stock, and I've been with the car since it was delivered from the dealer (although my neighbor was the original owner). These are the tail lights that came with it:

 

Thnx I just wanted to know because I will be buying an 86 Trans AM from the junk yard and at first I thought it might be a GTA because it had those tail lights and I thought that the GTA was the only one that had them.

 

The center filler looks pretty much the same as mine in that photo. What I am curious about is how you got an '87 deck lid on the car...

 

Well, if you notice, my center filler doesn't have the reflector on the bottom.

This is the 3rd hatch I have had on this car.
The one on there now is from a Formula, an 88 I believe.
I swapped my decklid with the 91-92 Camaro high rise Spoiler for this decklid and spoiler.

 

:nono:

Could come with. Mine didnt.

 

Right. Thanks for catching that. I've heard so many times that those wheels didn't appear until the GTA in 1987, but you and I know better...

It's just another oddity of the "bastard" year, 1986. There's lots of confusion over the one-piece rear main, roller cam, improved trans pump and valve body, MAF, 140 speedo, etc.
Some TAs still had 15" wheels. It's not a lot different than trying to figure out when Volkswagens switched to a 12V system, which is still not well defined.

 

i didnt relize this many people had 86 T/A s i have one. how would you know if it had the better trans pump and valve body or not?

 

My 86 Trans Am didn't come with a trans pump or valve body.

 

Zepher,

That's an option, too.

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Pheonix,

Most of the cars built through early '86 got the older style pump (a 7-vane pump versus 10-vane pump) and single valve body in the trans. You can find the manufacture date label in the left door jamb.

You can also look at the transmission pan. To clarify identification, GM changed the pattern of markings on the pan bottom where the magnet is located. These markings are visible from the underside, near teh right rear corner, and form a square shape about 1-3/4 inches. The later pans (holding the auxiliary valve body) have unequal length lines (one set is longer than the rest) unlike the earlier pans which have all lines equal length. Also, later pans are slightly deeper to accomodate the extra valve body.

You can verify all this by looking behind the torque converter. Look for a casting number on the front pump. If the last three digits are "732", then you have the newer version of the 700-R4.