Hi everyone,

I'm going to be looking at an 84 Firebird Trans Am.

It's got t-tops, a 3.73 limited slip, a 700r4 and a carburetted 305HO boat anchor.

The problem is, this is Canada. Winter kills cars here. I'm worried about rust damage.

The dude said there was some minor rust to fix, nothing important. He mentionned specifically in the lower door area on the passenger side.

There's an exhaust leak, the front shocks are gone, the oil pan has a dent in it, and as far as he knows it's never been in an accident, though he's not the original owner.

He says there's a new water pump and alternator. Motor should be fine. Carb needs work though.

Last thing he mentionned is that the slushbox is leaking. he's not sure if it's from the tailshaft or elsewhere.

My question is this:

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR??!

Do I pull up the trunk carpet? Do I poke at the underbody with a screwdriver? etc. Basically, what can go wrong on a northern f-body, and what might i find that will be impossible to fix?

He's a mechanic and he's ditching the car for a low price. that's one of the things that worries me.

What's prone to rusting out? Etc...

Thanks in advance!

I plan to take a few pictures to bring back to you all so you can comment...

Thanks in advance! Any hints would be highly appreciated.

 

The 305 HO L69 is not a boat anchor, it is arguably the best 3rd gen engine.

 

How's that?

it only makes 240 lb-ft...?

 

it'll pull past 6500 rpm!

Less torque than tpi but a much more useful powerband

 

I don't know if I'd say it's the best thirdgen engine, but it's one of the best 305s at least, certainly the best carbureted engine. The peak torque numbers of TPI are more impressive, but the L69 has a flatter curve and doesn't fall on its face at high-RPM like TPI does.

The L69 cars also had better gears than the TPI cars, which gave it pretty decent overall performance.

 

Good to know. Thanks. Never underestimate a quadrajet, i guess!

I read somewhere that the rear shock towers tend to rust out.

Any truth to this?

 

when I was buying my camaro, I was warned to make sure the body is good with the frame because its a uni-body if anything in the frame goes, you can't replace all that easily. One thing I'm also told is that you may want to add more structure to the frame because of this by adding sway bars and cross members. I was told to look right where the steering box was as those become rusted out on those a lot and apparentley they're quite hard to replace. The spot where I found rust on my car was under the rear tire wheel well but it was actually under the coating thats why I didin't notice it at the time. But make sure your 100% on the frame cause that'll make or break one of these from what I was stressed when I was buying! Good luck on the buy dude

 

Yeah, the HO 305 is respectable at least. They have more potential than many give it credit for. It's not a 350, but the next best thing IMO.

Check for rust where the floor pans meet the lower door sills. That's the most likely area you'll find it - and some are pretty bad. F bodys are prone to rust there....not just older ones either...I've seen worse floorboards on 92's than I have on my 83....just depends on how many winters it's been driven in. Also the battery tray, the rear wheel wells and under the ground effects.

Some small stuff can be repaired - just remember it's a unibody, so if it's real rusty in the floorboard area, it can effect the structural integrity of the entire car. Good luck!

 

As said, the L69 is the best motor available in these cars in that year, and one of the best overall. You could do ALOT worse.

But more importantly, that's a top-of-the-line drive train, with several big expensive things already setup optimally or nearly so, from the factory; which means you have to spend less to undo what they screwed up to make it fast. Basically it's among the best of these cars to mod.

Rust is killer to any car; more so to these than to some, because one of the things that tends to rust, the floor pan, is structural. It costs more to fix rust sometimes than it does to buy a plane ticket to California or Texas or some such where, and buy a whole rust-free car. Regardless of what motor it has, if it has the cancer, steer clear.

Doors are easy to come by and replace. If that's REALLY the worst thing about it, and not just the worst thing you can see out in the open, then it's not too bad. Problem is, usually the whole car gets bathed in salt, not just the door; so odds are, if it's rusted anywhere at all that you can see, it's got more cancer in places you can't see it without a little more looking.

If a "mechanic" is "ditching" it, that's a VERY bad sign. Unless of course he's just tired of it or something, like if has the itch for a newer car maybe.

Look over the whole bottom of the car over carefully; inside the rear wheel wells, peel up the carpet near the door (4 Phillips screws take out the door sill in about 10 seconds) and look at the floor from the top, under the rear seat carpet (1 10mm bolt per side), and in the spare tire well. If you see ANY rust in any of those places, then it's not a good candidate for a project car.

 

Hey all,

Thanks for the great tips!

The mechanic said he had two other cars already - collector's car and a new '05, and that he cound't justify/allow himself to have three. Whether this is true or not. I don't know. May be BS... the guy did sound like kind of a bum.

Is there any way to determine/see if the car's been smashed before?

 

Well, that was that for this bad boy.

The motor sounded healthy but the body - and who knows what else - was shot to **** and beyond.

There wasn't an original part on the whole car. A sloppy amalgamation of various parts of various years in various states of decay.

The car wasn't even suitable as a parts car, considering how far from complete it was.

Oh well, back to car huntin'.

 

If your in alberta there is a trans am for sale near where i live.....i went and looked at it.

V6 ( )
Dual exhaust
700r4
sunroof
pretty good body

 

Nope.

I'm in montreal.

 

you could pay alot of shipping haha

 

Heh, you have to look at it this way; Your thinking about buying a car that is 21 years old. I wouldnt be too picky. Just use your judgement. If the motor has never been rebuilt or a new one installed you know your gonna have to deal with that, eventually. Peak under the car for signs of any severe visable rust, etc.

When I bought my 84 T/A I knew it had a few rust areas but only surface which I have already taken care of an the car will be painted very soon, however, I just spent a little on the motor. Just comes with the territory I guess. I do like it though.

 

That's the problem.

I'd pay $3-4000 if I could find a car whose motor/trans/rear/brakes/etc were within an inch of their lives, as long as the body didn't require any welding or structural repair.

Hard to find where I live.

It's helluva frustrating.

 

Here are some things to look for.

http://www.fbody.com/cgi-bin/3gen/re...id=54130#54170

 

Hot dog!

Sweet thread!

Thanks!