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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:15 AM
  #1  
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tail lights

hey guys, ive got a 91 bird, and i was wondering what years of taillights will fit this car. I can find a really good deal on t/a tail lights but they're a few years older. will they fit?
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:37 AM
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From: Bertram (outside Austin), TX
Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: tail lights

All 82-92 'bird tail lights will physically interchange. But there are some wiring & bulb differences between the 4 different styles on 'birds. Which set do you have & which set do you want to put on?
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:44 AM
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Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
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Re: tail lights


He probably has these


and wants to put these on.


I have these now and they are the best looking ones.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:54 AM
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Re: tail lights

I have the ones in the first picture, and i wanna put the ones in the second picture on. remember tho its for a 91 bird
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:59 AM
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From: Norfolk, VA. USA
Car: 86 Trans Am, 88 Formula
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Re: tail lights



I installed those lights on my friends 92 about 8 years ago.

you will need to change the bulb socket on the turn signals since they are too long.
the rest just plug in.

the small running light bulbs can just be unplugged and tucked away, or you can drill a small hole into the outermost housing so that the entire tail light will light up with the parking lights.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 10:24 AM
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From: Bertram (outside Austin), TX
Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: tail lights

Originally Posted by Zepher
.....the small running light bulbs can just be unplugged and tucked away, or you can drill a small hole into the outermost housing so that the entire tail light will light up with the parking lights.
I would just cut the wires to the small bulb & wire in a socket like the inners, instead of drilling & putting in that tiny bulb. Then it could be made to light like the 2 inners for tail/brake & turn lights.

Last edited by Stephen; Aug 12, 2010 at 10:33 AM. Reason: typos fixed
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 10:48 AM
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Re: tail lights

ok so basically if i dont want to go and mod wires or sockets, stick with regular fb lenses? That if i went with t/a or gta lenses , i'd have to modify all that?
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 10:58 AM
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From: Bertram (outside Austin), TX
Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: tail lights

Originally Posted by LWCS561
ok so basically if i dont want to go and mod wires or sockets, stick with regular fb lenses? That if i went with t/a or gta lenses , i'd have to modify all that?
Yep. The wiring & bulbs are different, but nothing major to be worried about.

Or if you can find the wiring from a TA/GTA....Just unplug it from under the rear seat & that should plug right in to where yours unplugs.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 11:29 AM
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Car: 88 Firebird.
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Re: tail lights

Originally Posted by Stephen
Yep. The wiring & bulbs are different, but nothing major to be worried about.

Or if you can find the wiring from a TA/GTA....Just unplug it from under the rear seat & that should plug right in to where yours unplugs.
Where under the seats? That sounds alot better then my idea of cutting the wires in the storage area and resoldering all the wires with the different harness.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 11:56 AM
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From: Bertram (outside Austin), TX
Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: tail lights

Originally Posted by Killert
Where under the seats? That sounds alot better then my idea of cutting the wires in the storage area and resoldering all the wires with the different harness.
I found it under the drivers side seat, under the carpet, on a 89 GTA.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 07:59 PM
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Re: tail lights

The tail light harness connects to the body harness behind the rear trim panel, near the locking compartment. The only mod needed to use these harnesses is to either retrofit the existing connector onto the replacment harness (pre-89 to 89-92 tail harness or the other way around, can get these connectors from a junkyard car if desired, wire colors match up ) and to pull the driver's side kick panel and cut the wire in the 15-pin connector slot A (white) and connect it to the wire in B (light blue).
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 08:33 PM
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From: Bertram (outside Austin), TX
Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: tail lights

Originally Posted by Maverick H1L
The tail light harness connects to the body harness behind the rear trim panel, near the locking compartment. The only mod needed to use these harnesses is to either retrofit the existing connector onto the replacment harness (pre-89 to 89-92 tail harness or the other way around, can get these connectors from a junkyard car if desired, wire colors match up ) and to pull the driver's side kick panel and cut the wire in the 15-pin connector slot A (white) and connect it to the wire in B (light blue).
No it doesn't. It goes through a grommet, but does not disconnect there. I have that 89 GTA harness piece here & the plug is where I indicated. Under the rear seat, not at the rear body panel. There certainly wouldn't be 2 plugs, just 5 ft apart
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 08:46 PM
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Re: tail lights

Originally Posted by Stephen
No it doesn't. It goes through a grommet, but does not disconnect there. I have that 89 GTA harness piece here & the plug is where I indicated. Under the rear seat, not at the rear body panel. There certainly wouldn't be 2 plugs, just 5 ft apart
I beg to differ with you. I've seen the connector with my own eyes on a 91, which is what the OP is asking about, and the connector is in the same position in my 92 FSM. 83/84, 87, 92, they're all pretty much in the same spot, hooked to a bracket welded to the tail panel of the car by a plastic clip, attached to the body harness that runs to the hatch pulldown, cargo compartment light, and the hatch terminal strip on the tail trim panel. In his case, if he gets an older set of tail lights, he would need to swap over the connector if he doesn't want to modify his existing tail light harness.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:23 PM
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Re: tail lights

maybe the location changed between 89 and 92? from under the seat to near the back? I've also heard from other people it's near the back.
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Old Aug 12, 2010 | 09:34 PM
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From: Bertram (outside Austin), TX
Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: tail lights

Must have. I know the 89 GTA harness is like I described, since it is sitting in my garage with the tail lights as well.

With the F-body being redesigned in 93, it not surprise me to find out the 'bird harness is the same as the Camaro harness (if the Camaro harness is like that). It would have been cheaper for them to do a small design change & have 1 part # that fit both F-bodies, than to continue producing 2 different parts for only 2 years.
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Old Aug 13, 2010 | 05:49 PM
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Re: tail lights

Well, 89 did have a lot of 1-year only things...
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