Well, a very nice 84 trans am has come up for sale in the neighborhood. It needs some cosmetic work and TLC, but the motor was just re-built, and it only has about 50 miles on it. Now, its a carbed 305, so I pose this question......keep my 92 RS V6, or do I opt out for the older 305? Some feedback would be much appreciated. On a side note, the engine sounds great, but the tranny has a little hesitation when its WOT to down shift. Should I be worried about something like that?

 

The 1984 is the 15th Anniversay of the first Trans Am usage.
It's important
Preserve it
Buy it
It'll appreciate in value very quickly.
On other hand the 1992 RS is the last of the third gens
It'll appreciate in value also.
Yet due to you a V6 it "won't, but will".
Buy the Trans Am & fix it & preserve it.
A better investment.
Easy fix is to upgrade the tranny to a later 1988 or later tranny. Engine install a 350.
BUT keep both items (drivetrain) originals, due to that'll be important one day to someone else.
IF it's a T Top you score big time.
IF it has Recaro seats you score big time
IF it's a Daytona Pace Car special, you score biggest!
The Daytona package is a WHITE CAR T Top Charcoal fabric/vinyl/leather interior w/Recaro seats & Video Dash I believe.
Don't worry as much about performance as you can swap in & out anything but keep original stuff.

 

yeh, what he said.

 

tranny is the same 700r4 tranny as long as they are both auto. if not go with the manual 5 speed version. it is the borg warner t5 that i have stock in mine. the borg warner is a better tranny than the 700r4

 

TRANS AM BABY!

 

Different bell housing pattern.

Keep the newer car, and whenever possible, trade up, not down. ( 77T/A being an exception )

 

eww, to the 77, go 79....as far as trading up, versus trading "down" i think its comparable to apples and oranges...having a newer version is nice, but is it really going to appreciate the way the 84 would? probably not, that and if (big if) the 84 was the special edition car, then it'll be even bigger $$ , and sooner. Kinda like that last model 4th gen trans am aniversary car, now, that's the last of the firebirds that'll ever be produced (that we know of) and as a result, will be very collectable. The last model year of the thirdgens, not so much, just like people don't covet an 81 trans am, last of the second gens, not necessarily the best. Also, a 92' Camaro/Firebird w/ a six banger (auto or manual) isn't going to appreciate much either for another 20 years, lol. The same is true for an 02' sixer, while it's the last, it's not exactly the "valuable" one, don't see much chance on appreciation, or future value, except the v8 car.

 

I got a 1979 Trans AM for sale
Want to buy it?
Rust free, too.
As in California.
Give a shout

 

I agree with keeping the RS. If you want to get a V8, swap it in. The 305 is crap and I personally cant stand carb. Swap an L98 TPI 350 in your RS

 

The only good 79 T/A is teh one that came w/the 400. Others are posers.

If you really want the vee-ate powwa, & want the 92 looks/qualkity, save up for an Ellis Juan/Tu swap. They weigh only about 20lbs more than a 3800 and have sheesh loads more horses.

 

My girlfriends dads got a 79 t/a with the 403 its looks perfect, love the body style but it is slower then my 3.1

 

gotta watch out for those 79's, the 403 and the 400's were considered the 6.6 Litre engines, although the badging was different for the pontiac blocks i believe. Trading down to a 305 isn't that big of a deal, if he's trying to gain performance, it'll be easier to make the v8 swap when he feels ready.

Another big question however would be reliability, a 92' isn't exactly a new car by any stretch of the imagination, however, an 84 is even older. reliability will be worse on the 84 than on the 92, and so will fuel economy, is this car your daily driver? If so, then that'd be something i'd be willing to consider. also, how does condition compare between the two?

 

yeah, its a daily driver, i'm slowly modifying my 3.1 as money comes in, gas mileage would definately be an issue, i didn't think about that. well thanks for the input guys, looks like i'll stick with the 92 for now, and then maybe i'll swap a 350

 

I have a 92 RS with a perfect body with the exception of paint (I put a ding in it a couple weeks ago too), and a damn good interior also, just need a dashpad and some front seats (minor rips, look ok now but I want near perfect)

It also has the 3.1

I'm going to do all the V8 suspension with the 3.1 still in it, then I'll do exhaust right before I swap a fuel injected 350 in later.

That way when I drop it in I only have to worry about the motor itself and getting IT running right... Not worrying about other little crap.

I would never trade it for another thirdgen unless another 92 came along that was in decent condition and it was a z28/iroc etc...

(an earlier 3rdgen MIGHT take its place if I came across a 5.7 that was in really good shape)

other than that... no

I like having the last year, and I like the 25th anniversary badge on the dash. (not to mention it impresses people that don't know anything about cars, hahaha)

I'd like to get a 69 and 02 SS if I could too.

stick to your 92 RS for now, we're way cooler than everyone else... lol