QUOTE __________________________________________________________________________________

The most appealing aspect of the Trans Am is the fact that it works so well using old technology.
No state of-the-art tricks here, just smooth V8 power driving the rear wheels through an
automatic transmission.

-John Baechtel, "Different Strokes", Hot Rod, July 1986
__________________________________________________________________________________

THE TRANS AM LOG
__________________

THEN

October 1985- The 8668th Pontiac Firebird of the 1986 model year rolls off the GM F-body assembly line in Norwood, Ohio. This model is a black and gold, two-tone Trans Am, LB9, 700R4, T-tops, WS6 and tan cloth Recaro interior optioned car. It is later delivered to Premier Pontiac Nissan, Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas.

NOW

Thursday, March 9, 2006- While surfing Ebay, I don't know what gets into me but I find myself looking at third gen Pontiacs again. How I got from C4 Corvettes to F-bodies is a mystery to me but there I am, looking at old Trans Ams. I hit upon the mother lode with a 1986 low mileage all original Pontiac Trans Am, black with tan Recaro interior. The asking price was kind of steep but for a low mileage, meticulously maintained LB9 / auto TA with rare Recaro interior and T-tops, sporting just 48,000 original miles and flawless mechanical operation of every option, it wasn't that hard a choice to make. The car is located in North Carolina, a fair piece to drive but it should be an adventure if this works out.

I'd really like to have a black and gold third gen TA but if I win this car, I can always paint the ground effects gold and add the fade stripe to the body.

I print out the entire auction from Ebay and send the link to my father. We are looking for a car we can campaign at local car shows and work on together and it is our mutual opinion that the '89 Formula is simply too far gone for anything other than parts or salvage. Or, to put it another way, I could spend the same amount of money that I intend to spend on purchasing the '86 Recaro TA in restoring the '89 Formula and I still wouldn't have the same grade of car as the '86 TA appears to be.

My initial misgivings on the auction center around the fact that the 1986 TA does not appear to be a WS6 car. This concerns me somewhat since WS6 cars are more desirable and I'm not getting the basic heavy duty hardware, from the factory, that I would like. However, even this minor misgiving is not a problem since I have access to a 3.27 geared 9 bolt Borg Warner posi rear end and 16x8 inch aluminum wheels with almost brand new tires on them courtesy of the '89 Formula 350 I have in storage. I might have to swap in a quick ratio steering box but since I plan on ripping out the entire factory suspension and replacing all the parts with heavy duty aftermarket parts in the not too distant future, what size sway bars this TA currently has on it now makes little difference to me. Still, it's just strange that you would find a TA that was optioned with the high dollar stuff like the TPI engine, the mandatory automatic overdrive transmission, the Recaro interior and T-tops. Why this TA isn't a WS6 car eludes me but that one fact alone won't keep me from acquiring this car should I decide to do so.

Currently, the car is selling for $7495.00 instant buy and there are 8 bids on the car totally just shy of $1100.00. The reserve has not been met. I play around with owning the TA in my mind and set up several scenarios for acquiring it, all of them feasible and easy to implement. I go to bed as my mind starts to work out the details.
Friday, March 10, 2006- I discuss the purchase of the '86 TA with my father. We come to basic terms with the idea and begin to work out the details. Checking on the TA that night, I notice that the number of bidders is up to 10 and that the price has risen to $2600 with the reserve still not being met.
Saturday, March 11, 2006- The bidding is up to $3550 now. My father says he is in on the deal so I queue up the TA in my Ebay sniper and plan to war-bid on the TA a few minutes before the auction ends to see how cheap I can get this TA. Knowing in my heart of hearts that this was the TA for me and that I was going to win this TA come hell or high water, I went ahead and bid on a set of the correct year factory 16x8 inch high tech turbo wheels, a 1986 owners manual for this car, and a Monogram 1/32 scale model of the 1985 black and gold Trans Am in the color scheme that I have always admired. I won the aluminum wheels and the Monogram TA model later that day. The wheels might need to be stripped and repainted but I'm thinking I'm going to powder coat them gloss black around the rim and outer lip and flat black on the inside surface, leaving the raised surfaces a natural flat aluminum finish.

Here are the correct year 16x8" aluminum high tech deep dish turbo
"feather" design wheels as they were presented on Ebay.

Here is the 1/32 scale Monogram model of an '85 TRANS AM which I won. This model is presented in the two tone color scheme which I really like. Whether I paint the lower ground effects gold and two-tone the car or just keep it monochromatic black is up for debate right now. I really have wanted a black and gold TA but this car is just too good and too clean to pass up. The debate on whether to keep the stock factory monochromatic paint scheme or go to a copy of the two tone black and gold paint scheme will play heavy on my mind for the next week and a half and I'll look at my options from every angle, trying to find as many pictures and color combinations of monochrome and black and gold two tone TAs that I can find.

Monday, March 13, 2006- I tell my dad that I am going to "war-bid" on the TA. A lightly heated discussion ensues via email at which point he convinces me to go ahead and just "BUY IT NOW." During lunch, he and I go back to the family home and acquire the TA through the "BUY IT NOW" option on Ebay (see backstory for full details). We wait for the seller to contact us.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006- The seller contacts us. We exchange information and wire him the total funds for the car, bank to bank. The TA is paid for in full. Initial plans with my father and I driving over to pick up the car fall through and my wife can't go because of a previous engagement. It looks like I'm going Man Solo on this adventure. I tell Dad that I'm going to hop over there on a Greyhound bus but Dad travels so much, he has a bonus ticket just gathering dust and no time or reason to use it. He arranges the bonus plane ticket on Delta airlines for Saturday in my name and the seller says he will meet me at the Greensboro, NC airport to pick me up, carry me back to the business office and complete the paperwork before delivering the car. As it stands, I now have a pristine 1986 Pontiac Trans Am waiting on me four states away, a plane ticket to get there and all I'm doing is killing time between now and the day I pick up my new TA.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006- I call my insurance agent (State Farm) and tell them I have purchased a new car and give them the information such as make, model, year, VIN. I plan on dropping everything but liability on the Formula 350 until I can swap parts between it and the TA and then sell it. I plan to transfer full insurance to the TA. My agent tells me to drop by tomorrow and I can pick up a packet that will include all the information required to cover the new TA under my existing multi-car and multi-insurance policies.
Thursday, March 16, 2006- I acquire the insurance packet from my State Farm agent. I begin to assemble a checklist for my trip and pack. It's going to be a quick trip so I carry light. I get home and check my email. My Ebay sniper has netted me a mint, NOS 1986 Trans Am owners manual. The price is $41.00. A bit steep and I probably could have beaten that price but this manual is brand new, never issued and represents a book that is 20 years old, in pristine condition and no longer in print. I look up a similar item from an OEM dealer that I use and the price is only $2 cheaper with a 4 to 6 week shipping rate. I'll settle for two bucks more and it being here next week.

It's my money, I feel good about the price since I'm going to be the first one to crease the cover. While I'm online, I lock my sniper onto several other publications including an original GM shop manual for the 1986 Firebird. 1900 plus pages of chassis illustrations, wiring diagrams and charts redefines serious toilet time reading.
Friday, March 17, 2006- I spend most of the day getting my bag packed and all the details of the trip finalized.
Saturday, March 18, 2006- Up at 1AM, in Jackson, MS at 4:30AM. In the air to Cincinnati, OH by 7AM, on the ground in Cincinnati, OH by 9AM. In the air for Greensboro, NC by 10:45 AM, on the ground in Greensboro, NC by 11:55 AM. I meet the owner of SNAPPY AUCTIONS, Joe, at the airport and he drives me back to their company office in a local strip mall just a few miles away. I finish the paperwork and take possession of the 1986 TA. One of the first things I discover is that it actually is a WS6 car; it has the wrong size wheels and tires which is what was confusing me when looking at the pictures provided with the auction. The car is perfect and appears to have been transported through a time warp in 1986 to present day.

On the long trip home (750 plus miles), I discover that the smaller wheels and tires are really throwing off the speedometer reading by upwards of 15 to 20mph. Everything on the car works perfectly. An intermittent SES light I attribute to the wrong size wheels and tires and bad data at the VSS Vehicle Speed Sensor. The whole day from the time I woke up to the time I put my head down that night in bed has been one grand adventure. I spend the night in Jefferson, GA at a Comfort Inn. There I verify that not only is this TA an original, all factory WS6 car (by decoding the RPO sheet in the center console) but that she also originally came with the 16x8 wheels. What ever happened to the original wheels is a mystery, one of many surrounding this TA.
Sunday, March 19, 2006- I get an early start on the road as I have about 350 miles to go. Rain sets in around Atlanta and continues throughout the trip which is mostly gray and drizzling. The TA handles perfectly in wet weather, even at high speeds. I arrive back in Columbia, MS about 4pm in the afternoon, tired but with a prize Trans Am that was well worth the trip. Total mileage spent driving in the TA; 768.4 miles. Total time since I started my adventure; 40 hours and some change.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006- I receive the Monogram 1/32 scale 1985 Trans Am model in the mail. It is unopened, still in the shrink wrap. The car features the WS6 suspension, a 5.0 liter LB9 TPI V8 and strangely, no T-tops. I reason that I can pick up a later 3rd Gen Firebird model with T-tops and mix and match parts at this level of detail to provide the final model I desire with the options that my car includes, but that is an rather minor adventure for another time.

I go by my local body shop and show the owner the car. He is amazed at the TA and agrees it was a great buy. When I ask him how much to paint the ground effects gold and apply the "square-dot-fade" decal, I get a quote of $450 parts and labor, if I supply the decals (which will be about another $250 give or take). He still says it won't be until late July before he can get to spraying the ground effects, he's booked solid until then. No problem. I've got to get the correct wheels and tire sizes mounted on the car and probably will have to refinish the wheels.
Thursday, March 23, 2006- I sample several audio files in MP3 format of the TA starting up and revving the engine. Performance MP3s of zero to 60 runs and zero to 100 runs (and perhaps top speed runs) will be forthcoming when I can get some track time to play with the car. Videos are also possible but I don't have a tentative date for when I might get a chance to take any video of the car.
Friday, March 24, 2006- I receive two packages today, one is the original 1985 black and gold Trans Am ad and the other is my NOS 1986 Firebird owners manual. Current plans are to replace the gold decals with black decals, add a power bulge hood and deck the hood out in a black 1984 "louvered" bird decal and 2x black "5.0 LITER H.O." decals. Phoenix Graphics is probably going to supply the kits for this endeavor. I plan on printing out the 1985 ad as two large 24" by 36" posters and framing one for my office and one for home and to use at car shows.

The TA has performed flawlessly this week and met with the admiration and approval of both friends and family as well as coworkers. People who see the car in a parking lot or at a drive in like SONIC always comment on how clean the car is and how nice it looks. My ego swells, like it really needed to get any larger. Cold weather has prevented me from washing and detailing the car and from taking pictures.
Saturday, March 25, 2006- I finally got around to washing the TA and my CBR. First bit of good weather we've had in a while. Upon visiting my parents, my dad hands me a flyer for a car show in Laurel, MS on April 8, 2006. I plan on attending even though my father and his '55 Oldsmobile will be unable to join me there due to a prior scheduled engagement on his part. I remind him that Cruising the Coast should be in late September to mid October. This is the yearly gathering of Southern hot rods, muscle cars and all kinds of hi-perf and custom vehicles, from old to new, stock to wild. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the show last year but this year, I've heard rumors that the "survivors" of the event will be out in force to show that a hurricane can't keep us away from our beloved toys. I plan on being there, my first appearance in my own car though I've been to a few previous years events while riding with other people in their MOPARs and Mustangs.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006- I'm informed of a benefit car show at the local Walmart parking lot set for Saturday, April 1st, 2006 and asked to attend. I plan on attending to put the TA in and see what kind of presence she can generate. I tell my father about the show and ask him to bring his '55 Olds to show it. My father decides to roll out his '55 Oldsmobile for the show since he's going to miss the car show the following weekend on the 8th.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006- I have the original TA ad pictured above scanned in at high resolution and printed out as a 24" by 36" poster which I frame. I intend to show the full size poster and the original ad with the TA this Saturday, as well as a three ring binder with the RPO codes and the VIN decoded along with the engineering specs (3 pages worth) of the car.
Thursday, March 30, 2006- Just when I had finally decided to not repaint the lower ground effects of the TA gold or change her into something she was not originally, just when I decide to not only keep her all monochrome black but to also finish the low key blackout of the car by powder coating the 16x8 wheels black and swapping out the factory gold decals for reproduction black decals, I review the RPO codes again line by line and make a surprising discovery. My "monochrome" TA is actually an ex-two tone TA. It left the Norwood assembly plant in 1985 as a black and gold two tone Trans Am and somewhere along the line in the last two decades, she has had her lower ground effects re-sprayed (and lost her original 16 x 8 wheels). I've got the wheels inbound and will get them refinished to a natural aluminum flat finish with a band of black around the rim and the inside of the "feather" vents finished in flat black.

It looks like I'm going to get the lower ground effects repainted gold after all, just to restore this car to her original self again. It also looks like I'm going to need some factory decals added, namely the gold "TRANS AM" name above the left front driving light and the plastic "PONTIAC" emblem normally found in the headlight groove. Wow. The car I always wanted is the car I got. It's kind of like one of those Russian dolls that is a doll within a doll within a doll. As I peel back the parts of this TA that I didn't like, I find what I am looking for underneath. I wanted an adventure, I sure got one!

The black and gold two-tone TA that I always wanted as a teenager is now mine, and it was hidden under the wrong size wheels / tires and repainted ground effects. Forecast calls for restoring this car to her original factory specs and color scheme then campaigning her on the local show circuit for a while. The first thing I'll probably add is new coil springs to lower the car an inch and a half all around, new KYB shocks and struts, and some SFC sub frame connectors to tie up the unibody and keep the roof paint from getting crow's feet in it from body flex. I'll probably add a strut tower brace to keep the car stable, removing it when I go to shows. Later, I'll add in the rest of the suspension components; new larger sway bars, front end rebuild kit, lower control arms, panhard rod and torque arm, all with polygraphite bushings where available. I remember building a similar suspension on my '90 Formula with the 5.0 liter TBI V8 and that suspension was king hell tight on curves. I can't wait to get that feeling again with this car.

While fueling up the TA, I get a chance to crawl up under her somewhat and inspect the recent custom exhaust work. The Flowmaster is present and accounted for, the exhaust pipes are going to either have to be chopped and moved further inward so they don't stick out past the rear bumper or they are going to have to be replaced with less obnoxious tips. The exhaust work looks good and the exhaust pipes are frigging huge! I'm wondering if they are too large for a 305. The motor doesn't feel as strong as I expected it to feel, "peanut cam" not withstanding.
Saturday, April 1st, 2006- Well, the TA didn't make it to the local show because I had 30 hours without sleep under my belt and needed to put a pillow under my head. My dad made the show with his '55 Oldsmobile but he didn't win anything. The show wasn't very well organized, no categories so my TA wouldn't have stood a chance against the fully restored '50's Studebaker which won. There were only two prizes, first and second place. The show redefined the term "rinky-dink." It was also claimed to be a "cycle" show but the only "cycles" that showed up were a small group of about five posing Harley riders in full dress. We didn't stay long because I was hungry, tired and short of a '69 Camaro convertible pace car, there really wasn't anything there that made me want to look more than twice and that was while I was at a brisk walk. Let's hope that the show coming up on April 8th is bigger and categorized.
Monday, April 3rd, 2006- The '89 Formula 350 is sold for $2500 cash. I manage to snatch a few extra magazine ads and dealer albums, brochures off of Ebay.
Tuesday, April 4th, 2006- While surfing Ebay for "stuff" for the TA, old brochures, old magazine articles, etc. I chance upon an ad for a 1985 black and gold TA. The ad is Canadian, I believe, and is pictured below. As soon as it arrives, I'll update my site with it.

"FEEL THE RUSH"
Canadian 1985 magazine advertisement
for black and gold Trans Am

Saturday, April 8, 2006- I receive my two dealer brochures I found on the Internet. Both are Canadian but other than where they were distributed, there is no real difference. One is for a 1985 Firebird line and the other is the 1986 Firebird line, both are mint condition. I'm going to scan the cover of the 1985 version and make a T-shirt / Polo out of the front image of the black and gold TA, with some mods to the design.

1985 and 1986 Firebird model line dealer brochures, Canadian GM issue

I found these two ancient brochures online at McLellan's Automotive. Communication and shipping were friendly and super quick, I highly recommend these people if you need an old brochure or other type of literature for your car!

I enter the '86 TA in a local car show. I'm late so I miss the judging and any awards given out but the car meets with a lot of awe for its condition and seems to attract a fair sized crowd from time to time. I spend most of my time there answering questions about how I got the car and on the third gen Firebirds in general. The only other Pontiacs at the show are a golden green '68 GTO, '76 red Trans Am (though it has a clock in the dash where the tach should be and it is sporting 1979 gold decals instead of the correct 1976 decals so I can't verify its authenticity) and a super sweet old red Lemans convertible that I would love to own.

I join the club that is putting on the car show, The Cool Cruisers of South Mississippi, and am invited back that night to the monthly cruise-in at the Sonic in Oak Grove, MS. I've been hanging out there with the club for months now with my father and his '55 Oldsmobile so they know me. During the car show, I make several contacts and begin to track down a local powder coater out of Columbia. I am also invited to two more shows in the next few weeks, a show for the local armed forces personnel at Camp Shelby (April 22) and a car and bike show in Collins, MS in the first few weeks of May. The cruise-in at Sonic is shorter than most due to the car show that very day but the TA still draws a small crowd from time to time with a follow-up Q&A session when someone in the club points the crowd over to where I'm sitting.

Monday, April 10, 2006- I received in the mail the "Feel the Rush" ad along with a 1985 issue of Popular Hot Rodding detailing the first tests of the (then) new 1985 IROC-Z vs the 1985 Trans Am.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006- Mike emailed me with the following missing RPO code from my list of three unknown RPOs.

60P = WHEEL COLOR, BEIGE according to my May, 1999 GM factory RPO code book.

No N0 (zero) D listed, (the letter �O� is not used as a second digit) but N04 thru N09 are all for either locking fuel caps or locking fuel filler doors

No WS1 listed, either.

Good luck!

Mike

Thanks, brother!
Friday, April 14, 2006- I hit Google and tried to find the last two remaining RPO codes. I found both the WS1 and the NOD codes after about five minutes worth of searching. The WS1 code represents a dealer ordered package that included CC1 ~ Removable Glass Roof Panels (T-Tops), N33 ~ Tilt Wheel Adjustable Steering Column and K34 ~ Electronic Speed Control w/resume. By ordering these three items together (possibly a prelude to the later 1SC groups), the dealer could get these three items at a lower cost than if they were ordered independently. The NOD RPO code is the designation for the Norwood, Ohio assembly plant where the car was built in 1986. Cars built in the Van Nuys, California plant received "VAN" to their RPO codes.

Sunday, April 16, 2006 - Well, son of a witch! Look at THIS bit of unexpected good fortune!

RPO	SERVICE PARTS CATEGORY
WW5	APPEARANCE PACKAGE: AERO #5
19Q	MOLDING COLOR (BLACK)
41U	PRIMARY COLOR, EXTERIOR, BLACK
62D	TRIM COMBINATION, CLOTH, LT SADDLE (D)
62I	INTERIOR TRIM, LT SADDLE (I)
629	SECONDARY COLOR, EXTERIOR, LT TAUPE
60P	WHEEL COLOR, BEIGE
81A	STRIPE COLOR, ACCENT, TWO TONE, RED / BLACK

I was going back through the RPO codes and look what I found. My "monochrome" TA isn't a monochrome TA at all, but an original, black and gold two-tone TA! Words cannot describe the ecstasy I am feeling at this instant in time. I wanted a black and gold WS6 optioned TA, I settled for a monochrome black Y99 optioned TA. Then I discover that the TA actually is a WS6 car and is wearing the wrong wheels and tires. Now I discover that the TA was originally a black and gold TA and one of the previous owners painted the gold rocker panels black (and removed the "TRANS AM" name on the front, the square-dot-fade stripe around the car and the "PONTAC" emblem from the front driver's side headlight. I guess they were trying to "build" a GTA (which didn't appear until 1987). How's that for luck?

Unbelievable... I now own, through a very strange set of circumstances, the very car I was looking for in the first place. Some (re)assembly required.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006- I received a second OEM T-top bag, black, from a guy on Ebay who was parting out his black GTA. The bag is mint but doesn't have the "GM" logo stamped into it like my original bag does. I'm going to put my original bag up for storage and use this spare bag when I need to.
Tuesday, May 2, 2006- I received the OEM "PONTIAC" emblem for the front right headlight recess. This emblem came standard on all Firebirds but was missing from my TA. I picked it up off Ebay from a guy in Canada for $10 bux.
Friday, May 5, 2006- I received the OEM-styled "RECARO" emblem for my car. Not sure where I'm going to apply this emblem yet, perhaps in the recess of the headlight on the passenger front side (opposite of the OEM emblem above).
Monday, May 8, 2006- I received the 1986 GM Pontiac service manual plus all supplements for the 1986 Firebird model. Over 1200 pages, quite extensive.
Thursday, May 11, 2006- I made a contact through the local car club of a guy who can powdercoat my 16" rims for me. He said he couldn't get around to doing the wheels until late July or sometime in August due to his current backlog and work schedule. That's fine, apparently everything is getting put off until the end of Summer anyway. The only problem with going to the new larger wheels is, of course, going to be that I'm required to buy new, larger tires. Looks like the old wallet is going to get hit for about $800 for a set of four P245/50VR16s all mounted and balanced. I'd say I'm looking at a good $1000 total for powdercoating and new rubber. If I could have just five minutes alone with which ever of the past three owners of this car sold the original factory 16 x 8" wheels, I would do my best to beat him senseless with a well worn dog chew toy that squeaks.
Saturday, May 13, 2006- I've noticed a slight bump along the drive-train when I either put my foot on the accelerator or take my foot off, like there is some slack in the drive line and the transmission is rocking a little back and forth in a straight line. I'm thinking a worn transmission mount... that's what happened to me on my '90 Formula. I'll check it out when I get the transmission serviced.
Monday, May 15, 2006- Well, the Mississippi hot weather is here, folks. Not only did one of the three previous morons who owned this car convert the AC system from Freon to the less efficient RC134A, but they did it on a black car with a huge rear glass hatch and T-tops (and where the original OEM factory T-top sunshades are is another mystery...). I was thinking of tinting the T-tops but that would kind of ruin their effect at night. I'll just pony up and get a reproduction set of the original sunshades (about $60 bux from Year One or OEM). The fact that the car rolls down the highway with the temperature needle pointing due south to 220 degrees also bothers me (and can't be good for the AC system). She doesn't overheat but I never have liked any of my cars to run that hot. Time for a 160 to 180 degree thermostat and maybe a PROM change if the ECM doesn't like the cooler thermostat.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006- Bought a new fuel filter at Autozone and paid a guy at the local garage to install it for me (it was worth the ten bux he charged me, trust me). The fuel filter he removed was the original filter. Go figure. The TA is averaging about 21 and some change miles per gallon, with the AC on or the tops off / windows down and some spirited driving every now and then. This car has some guts, folks. I don't rag her and it is seldom if ever that I get down on her hard but I got caught behind some stupid people the other day and ... well, when the way got clear, if they weren't going to make up their mind (uneducated inbred rednecks from Lamar county should never be allowed to drive on paved roads...), I sure as hell knew where I wanted to go. I had had a long day, I was eager to get home and when Mr. Indecision in front of me moved over into the turn lane (after keeping traffic behind him moving at 30mph in a 45mph zone), I just punched it (one of the few times I have and this time was at the lowest speed ever). Whoa! The LB9 roared and the front end of the Trans Am lifted as she squatted down on her haunch, barked rubber and shot ahead.

"Go, baby! Go!" I shouted, amused that the old girl still had some guts to her after 20 years.

The 700R4 four speed automatic had down shifted when I stomped it and when the tranny shifted up, the rear tires let out a very authoritative, very crisp and rather pronounced bark that surprised even me. I looked down at the shift indicator as my foot let off the accelerator and my finger tapped the cruise control at 45mph. The shifter was in overdrive, I hadn't touched it to shift manually at all.

The old girl still has some teeth and a bark to match. Hot damn!
Monday, May 19, 2006- My father contributed $200 to the project for KYB front struts and rear shocks. I'm going to hold off ordering these units until July or August when I can get some Eibach lowering springs and a pair of weld in subframe connectors for the TA as well. I might just wait and get all of this done at once, with the larger wheels and fatter tires being installed.

Currently, I am in the unenviable position of being in direct contrast to the situation that Pontiac first experienced in 1984 with their 15th Anniversary Trans Am. The FATA was the first third generation TA blessed with the 16x8" wheels as part of the package specific tunings of the WS6 suspension and the FATA package group itself. Only the FATA had the 16x8" wheels in 1984 (wheels that would become the standard wheel for the 1985 WS6 package). The problem was, while the wheels and tires had tremendous grip, the rest of the WS6 suspension wasn't quite up to the task of working with the 16x8" wheels. On the other hand, I have a suspension set up for 16x8" wheels and I'm having to take corners with four inches less of rubber on the bottom end. The 15x7" wheels are okay, but no where near what the rest of the car can produce in the way of handling. Going into a corner at high speed sometimes gets hairy and I've come to realize that this car just isn't going to feel "right" until the 16x8" wheels and P245/50VR16 tires get back on all four corners. Right now, it almost feels like I'm going into the corners with four space saver spares mounted on the car, that's how it feels (at least to me). Pontiac had the problem of the 1984 WS6 suspension wouldn't keep up with the grip of the 16x8" tires. I have the problem that the 15x7" wheels and tires won't get near the handling and performance of what the 1986 spec WS6 suspension is set up for. Mostly it's just seat of the pants feel but boy, is it seat of the pants feel. Maybe I'll also hold off until October when I can throw on larger sway bars front and rear along with the rest of the suspension (LCAs, panhard rod, etc.). We'll see. I rather get it all put on at one time instead of a piece today and another piece next week.

I plan on ordering the PHS package and repro window dealer sticker this week. I'll scan the results when I get them and put them on the site.
Friday, May 21, 2006- I ordered the Pontiac Historic Services information packet on my Trans Am. I'll post the information when I get it and can scan it. Right now, from what I can tell, I'm saying that my TA cost about $19,200 brand new. That figure is taken from the base price then adding in all of the options. Dealer or factory group packages may lower this due to group discounts on options. It should be interesting to see how close I got given the information that I have at my disposal.
June, 7, 2006- I received the PHS packet for the wrong car. Apparently, from what I can tell, someone transposed the "8" in my VIN as a "3" and thus I received the information packet for a Trans Am with the production number of 203668 instead of 208668.
June 11, 2006- I received the reproduction T-top sun shades from Year One (taking advantage of one of their 10% off sales). The shades are in tan color and the difference in interior temps during the day while driving with and without the shades in place is noticeable.
June 15, 2006- The Trans Am springs a leak. I'm slowly losing coolant near the firewall, ala the oil cooler line on the '89 Formula 350. However, since this engine / TA does not have the oil cooler installed, the problem is similar but different. Not wanting to worm my way under the car for two nights, I run the car up to a local mechanic. The problem is a leak in a heater hose. $15 hose, two hours labor. I'm rolling again.
June 20, 2006- Dad has the car for a day. He decides it needs new brakes and rotors. He installs OEM parts all the way around. Sigh. I would have told him to wait and let me put the GM Durastop rotors and the Z-rated carbon / metallic pads all the way around but he's my dad and he's impulsive like that. Since he picked up the tab, I can't fault him too hard for doing it. New brake rotors and pads all around for the old girl.
June 22, 2006- the incorrect dealer price window stickers for my car arrive. They are for the 3668th Firebird produced in 1986, strangely, it is a black Trans Am with gray interior, LG4 engine, automatic, no T-tops and not much else. A real plain jane kind of mass produced dealer-spec'ed TA. I'm still waiting on the correct window sticker for my car.
June 23, 2006- PHS sent me the correct info on my car. The correct window stickers will, sigh, be along at a later date.
July 7, 2006- I received the correct window stickers for my car. The car was originally sold through Premier Pontiac Nissan, Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas. She retailed brand new for $18,868. Adding up the options and doing the math by hand, based on John Gunnell's "Standard Catalog of Firebird," I had already estimated that this car would have retailed, with the options she had, for somewhere in the high 18's / low 19's. I was right. The PHS stuff is posted under the appropriate area.
July 10, 2006- Curses! The TA is starting to run hot and I'm smelling burnt coolant. Again. This time it appears that the radiator is boiling over into the coolant tank. Since everything else appears to be working properly, I'm guessing its a 20 year old thermostat gone bad. I get a new OEM 195 degree thermostat, gasket, and both radiator hoses as well as fresh coolant. Just to check on a nasty hunch, I pop the top of the radiator and prepare myself to see some kind of brown / rust colored sludge. I'm, instead, pleasantly greeted by a radiator that looks so clean, it could have been installed yesterday. I've never seen a radiator this clean before in a car with this many miles on it. Unreal. So, thermostat it is. I look at the "igloo" that houses the thermostat and realize that if I don't want to say a lot of words that will make Jesus cry, I'm going to have to take off the throttle body to get to the two bolts holding the thermostat housing in place. I park the TA, cover it in its tarp and cover, and plan the project for another day when I have some time.
July 31, 2006- I can't put the TA off any longer; I've got to tackle the upstart thermostat problem. So, marching out to the car with an armload of tools and a head full of knowledge, and after an hour of basic work, in high humidity, at the end of the day with overcast clouds, I carefully remove all the attendant hardware, sensors and electrical leads that form the nostrils of this Firebird. She's bare all the way to the intake plenum. I then manage to (carefully) knock the throttle body off the plenum (with a resounding tap from the bottom of my mighty fist) and I have (limited) access to the thermostat housing. A mixture of WD-40, psychology and extreme profanity along with the torque provided by a 9/16 ratchet manages to get one of the bolts (the front one) off with some protesting and not a little effort. The threads on the bolt don't look good and after I clean them they still don't look very good. That bolt isn't going back into the housing, it's a future problem waiting to happen. The rear bolt is kind of funky, it looks like someone drove a screw bolt into the block then spun a nut down on top of it. It's one of those inverted bolts that makes no sense being used where it is being used. I'll be replacing the rear bolt with one identical to the front bolt when I replace the thermostat. I also need to get a new throttle body gasket.

Taking a cue from the days when I owned a L98 powered Corvette, I look at the back side of the throttle body and notice it is caked solid in black dirty grit and the interior of the plenum looks like the inside of a chimney. Sigh. Time for some TB cleaner / solvent, a soft toothbrush and not a little bit of elbow grease to clean it up. I'm hoping idle quality improves somewhat, it is quite dirty. You also don't want to use anything stiffer than a tooth brush on these TBs and if you take your TB off with any kind of pry bar or screw driver, you're in for a special treat. The TB is made out of aluminum and aluminum is a soft metal (choir sings "duh"). Any cracks or creases you put into your TB are going to lead to air leaks later. The intake of the plenum is also covered in a fine layer of soot. I'd take it off and soak it but I don't have the gaskets or the time right now. Or maybe I do. I might just get the plenum gaskets tomorrow, yank off the plenum and soak both the TB and plenum overnight to remove the buildup.

On a side note, I was almost surprised to see that there was no aftermarket throttle body performance air foil in place. So far I've found the wrong size factory wheels and tires, repainted rocker panels, missing body stripes, missing factory decals, missing hard emblems, an aftermarket radio that was gratefully replaced with the original unit right before I bought the car, an AC conversion from R12 to R134A (a less efficient refrigerant used in a car that has soooo much glass ... why?!), a really deep sounding Flowmaster muffler complete with ugly-ass Pimp My Ride type ghetto chrome extension tips (welded on or I would have unbolted them the day after I got the car), a K&N air filter, and apparently a performance shift kit in the transmission. The fact that I didn't find a TPIS fast pack set of goodies was just a little bit of a disappointment and only reminds me that some real idiots owned this car before I did.

Taking apart the air intake system down to the filter and canister (to wipe it all out) makes me realize just how poor a design the intake air tract is on the 1985 to 1992 "bottom breathing" Firebirds. No wonder the V8 Camaros had more power, they had better air induction. How the engine in the V8 Firebirds gets any air at all is a miracle, let alone that it can get air that is any colder than that available under the hood. I cleaned everything I could, made a list of what parts I needed to replace (TB gasket, 2x thermostat housing bolts, some tractor clips for the small coolant hoses, and perhaps some coolant hose itself to replace the small pieces around the TB).
August 2, 2006 - Finished up the thermostat. It took about three days and three hours total labor (spread over those three days) but that's because I did the job in little bits, I didn't work very long on it each time, I had to go get some spare parts to replace worn parts, and I cleaned and remounted the throttle body in the process. I cranked the car, let it idle and looked for leaks or problems. None existed so I ran the car down the road. The temp gauge hovered well below the middle mark until I sat for a while in the median of the highway and watched the temp gauge head towards the middle point and a little beyond. I got back underway at speed and the needle again began to fall towards 195 degrees. I'll run the car to work tomorrow and see how she does.
August 3, 2006- Shade tree failure. The TA runs fine on the highway but as soon as I pull into the parking lot at work, she barfs up about a gallon of coolant through the reserve / overflow tank. Steam everywhere from the coolant bubbling in the reserve tank and leaking green coolant all over the parking lot. Sigh. I've replaced the thermostat, the radiator is clean enough to drink out of. Not kidding here, folks, no corrosion or build up at all. The radiator looks like it just came out of the box and was installed only yesterday. I sat at work and thought about the problem, the layout of the cooling system, the components, etc. The car runs fine and only barfs coolant after you park it and turn off the key. I'm thinking there is an air pocket in the system. I'll take it to my radiator specialist in a few days and let him look at it. Thinking that the radiator cap might be old and not holding pressure, I go to Autozone and buy a replacement cap that has a pressure release lever. The original cap was rated at 15 pounds, this one is rated at 16 pounds. While I've got some free time, I think of what else I can do to the car and I realize that I'm just two miles from my exhaust artist, Jerry's Auto Repair Center, which has been doing my exhaust work since 1984. This would be a perfect time to run the car over and have the crew there "Unpimp My Ride" by torching off those stupid ghetto exhaust tips and I might can find some answers to my coolant problem. Total cost for "unpimping my ride" comes to $74.47. Given what I have done to the cooling system, the consensus is that I have an air pocket in the system since there is no corrosion in the radiator and the thermostat is brand new. I'll work it out tonight before dark.

I load up with coolant at the end of the day (I took a gallon with me just in case ...) and head home. On the way home, I have to kick the car down from low speed to pass someone. The car has never felt stronger. The car doesn't run hot and when I park at home and turn off the key, I pop the hood; no bubbling and no overflow. Maybe it was the cap after all. It was a weird problem to be sure. Some notes here to add to my to-do list. The throttle body coolant hose is cracked and needs to be replaced. I need to replace the other small coolant hoses as well on top of the engine. I didn't get a chance to replace either of the radiator hoses but that's okay because I still want to yank the radiator and get it tested just to make sure. When I do that, I'll swap in fresh coolant and hoses top and bottom. During all of this I did learn what a crappy, crappy, inefficient intake system these TPI cars have on them. It consumes nothing but hot air and how it can even draw enough air to let the engine breathe, I don't know. Looks like the SLP kit is in my future. I was going to also drop in a Jet Stage 2 computer chip and lower temp thermostat but since I needed the car this weekend, I didn't want to leave it disassembled while the aftermarket delivered my goods to me. Maybe in a few weeks I'll order the Stage 2 chip and lower thermostat. Oil change is coming up soon as well. Make note on PDA to remind me when it's time.

One other nagging little problem that I am having is that the stock radio doesn't always like to work. Sometimes when you crank the car, it won't even power up (no clock display, power button doesn't work). Other times the clock display will come on but be frozen. No buttons on the radio work. Other times, the radio works fine. The subwoofers still aren't hooked up either. Since the last owner did the stereo work himself, I don't trust his labor. He also didn't put the center console in like it should be so it's now canted a little bit to one side. I'll yank the console when I get a day free and check the leads for the radio, see if I can track down why the factory subs aren't working with the factory radio. I need a replacement power antenna as well since the factory / original one doesn't retract.

Also on the list of parts I'll be buying in the future for preventive maintenance; I've got a worn V-belt on the air conditioning. Bad worn. It's starting to sing like a bird and it's gotten really loud so time to replace it in the next few days. I'll probably go ahead and replace all the V-belts at the same time. V-belts. What a holdover from the old generation but still kind of cool. I miss a serpentine belt but there's just something ... cool about seeing all of those belt driven accessories and those belts. I'm a sentimental fool for stuff like that. Fine lines and hold over technology, a mixture of old and new, EFI and V-belts. Poetry for the eye.
Friday, August 4, 2006 - Well, I ran the TA to work and back (about 70 plus miles round trip) and she did fine on the highway. In town, she likes to run a little bit hotter. When she gets to work at the parking lot, she is venting a little steam from near the cap side of the radiator, the coolant in the overflow tank doesn't have a bubble or burp to it. However, she starts to leak coolant again, not much, just a steady drip-drip-drip that drops perhaps two cups worth from somewhere under the lower air dam and in the middle of the radiator. On the way home, she uses about an inch worth of coolant from the overflow / reserve tank. I'll have to slide under her when I get the chance and see where the leak is coming from.
Monday, August 7, 2006 - Another coolant hose leaking. I replaced all of the coolant and heater hoses and the car runs fine. While I was at it, I replaced a few V-belts that were looking a little worn. Yes. V-belts. How old tech can you get other than V-belts except maybe a carburetor. I don't know, I love a serpentine belt but when you pop the hood and see all of those pulleys and belts, it kind of takes you back to the way things used to be. TPI and V-belts, almost on the verge of transcending. The 1980's; an era of constant evolution and change and 1986 was the crux of many changes for the Pontiac Firebird.
Wednesday, November 14, 2006 - Well, it's been a long while since I updated mainly because not much has changed and nothing has gone wrong with the TA. I fixed all of the coolant / leak problems but I honestly can't remember the steps I took. Suffice to say, it didn't take much or cost much and it's fixed. Most of the "new owner" deferred maintenance seems to be behind me. I think I will replace the entire T-top gasket set (on roof and tops) and the weather seal on the rear hatch come Spring (the car leaks in heavy rain). Shocks, struts, and new lowering coil springs should be dropped in within the next two to three months. I just scored a factory dual electric fan setup off of a 1989 350cid TPI Trans Am on Ebay. It's some simple insurance against things to come and should be plug and play with the existing hardware.
Friday, November 16, 2006 - I picked up a "wonderbar" from a 1986 IROC-Z off of Ebay. For those who don't know what a "wonderbar" is, it is a brace that connects to the steering area of the third gen F-body. Why Chevy used these and Pontiac didn't, I can't tell you but they're plug and play between the two corporate sibling rivals and since this is a known weakness in the design of the third gen, you need to shore it up if you plan on doing any serious handling (or autocross) with your car. Yes, I could have gone with an aftermarket unit but this one was cheap and with a little bit of cleaning, I'm sure it will do the job just fine.

Third Gen F-body "wonderbar" steering brace / support

Tuesday, November 20, 2006 - Well, I just completed my third gen Pontiac advertisement collection, with full dealer binders for each year (1982 to 1992), dealer pricing guides for each year, each advertisement that ran in major magazines and some other small stuff. All of this will be part of and contribute to The Speed of Heat book that I am writing. This stuff is rich, I was lucky to be able to get a full set of the dealer materials, especially almost 20 years later when most of this stuff was simply thrown away.
Thursday, November 22, 2006 - I forgot when I picked this model up but I had remembered it from my youth. By the time that the Transformers and Go-Bots were popular, I was already swinging wrenches and chasing women so I'm afraid that I can't tell you very much about this model other than it was one of two models from Monogram in the 1980's that featured a third-gen Trans Am in the same color scheme that my car originally came with. I picked it up cheap to display along with the car at local shows. Of humorous interest is the fact that this is a 1985 / 1986 Trans Am but that it features the 1983 style 25th Anniversary Daytona 500 Trans Am Pace Car "aero" wheels (although gold in color). You can't see it at this detail level, but at 1:1 scale (model box in hand), that's either a guy wearing a black open face crash helmet behind the wheel or David Hasselhoff with a really, and I mean really bad perm / afro. This model also comes with a decal for the new style hood bird and if you look closely, a power bulge hood (though it is greatly reduced in size from the normal PBH).

"A fearless fighter of the future, this GoBots(tm) warrior can change from a mighty robot
into a sleek Trans Am." - Golly jeepers! Says so right there on the side of the model box.

Wow. I better go check to see if my TA came with this rare high performance transforming option... Now that you mention it, I think it would be pretty cool to be sitting in traffic, in Lamar county, next to a pickup truck full of hayseed chewing, Earnhardt worshipping, donkey-bangers when I flip a switch and my TA transforms into a giant robot right next to them. Why, I'd bet they'd either piss their overalls or swallow their chewing tobacco trying to get out of the truck. Of course, it's not like my Go-Bot Trans Am could do a lot ... it doesn't even have hands, just two big rectangles for arms and tail-lights for kneecaps. What a gyp.

In other humorous news, the old girl barked rubber again, hard, on the highway. JC and I were going to lunch one day, exiting the on-ramp from highway 49 to highway 59 when we had to come to an almost complete stop. Traffic on the highway was preventing us from merging so I rolled along in the TA at about 5mph, idling. I saw a break in the traffic and put the long, tall pedal to the carpet. The LB9 roared under the hood and the front end of the TA lifted noticeably as she shot ahead. The clocks were spinning as I gently moved over into a four car-length slot in the traffic and when the TA shifted from first to second, she shifted so hard that the rear end broke loose, tires barked and the car slewed to the side noticeably. A big look of sudden surprise appeared on JC's face then the biggest smile replaced it.

"Hell YEAH!" he said, laughing. "I don't know what got into you but I wish you'd take it more often!"

Friday, November 23, 2006 - My luck held strong when I scored a complete set of new 1986 Trans Am owner's materials. These are the usual books and pamphlets that are included with most new cars when they leave the dealership and which usually become lost in the first few years of ownership. I already had a owner's manual for this car but a spare never hurts. Interesting stuff but I wonder ... the packet came with information on Firestone tires but my car rolled on Goodyear Eagle GTs when it left the factory. If anyone out there has any factory / dealer documentation on the Goodyear tires, original issue, would you scan it at full size and send it to me via email? Hell, if you want to sell it to me, I'll cough up a 5 or 10 spot for it just to be complete. Pictured below, from left to right, top to bottom are; Pontiac wearables / collectibles catalog, Uniroyal new tire information, Firestone new tire information, 1986 GM Maintenance schedule, Delco 2000 series ETR radio instructions, 1986 Pontiac Firebird owner's manual, and a copy of the one year MIC General $10,000 occupant life (death) insurance policy issued by GM that year on all of its new cars. The Pontiac / Firebird collectibles brochure is hilarious and I'll try to scan it in shortly to share the mirth. Think open shirt and gold chain with a Firebird medallion on a guy trying to look tough for the camera. Shudder.

Original new Firebird owner's packet

Tuesday, November 27, 2006 - I picked up an ADS SuperChip on Ebay, $36.00. I don't even know if it works or not but the price was right and I was willing to take the chance with some pocket change (whereas a new chip went for about 5 times that much). I still haven't had a chance to work on the TA any due to work schedules and days free. I'll slide the new PROM in when I get a chance. If nothing else, it gives me something to document in TSOH. When I get it popped in, I'll let you know if it adds any "seat of the pants" excitement or if it's performance that you had better measure with a good set of instruments and a dyno. If I install the chip, that will bring the total aftermarket mods of this car to four; K&N filter, unknown brand shift kit in the tranny, Flowmaster cat-back and ADS chip.

Thursday, November 30, 2006 - The NP5 steering wheel is mine! Yes! No more feminine / dainty steering wheel for this car! No! Now I have the big, beefy optional steering wheel with thumb grips, a wheel that SHOULD have come standard with the WS6 but no... When time permits, I'll yank the old steering wheel and install the larger one. I've seen these wheels go for upwards of $200 on Ebay but I was patient and one of these finally popped up on Ebay for less than $50 (including shipping and fondling) which is a bargain. Yes, it came with the horn hookup and the Jesus nut. The NP5 steering wheel that I picked up is in almost new condition (which is surprising). Now, if there's one thing I can't stand on a sports car, it's a dainty little steering wheel in a car that can burn rubber at the drop of the accelerator, or a steering wheel that hurts your hand when you drive (ala my '86 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z's steering wheel). I swear, the way I've been yanking and jerking on the stock wheel in some late afternoon spirited driving, I was honestly scared it was going to pop off the column or that I was going to bend / break it. Oh, well, at least once I get the chip (above) installed and this new wheel, any time I go into Lamar county, I'll be better prepared for the idiot drivers. That or I may just start to grow hair on the palms of my hands...

The optional NP5 steering wheel that I've been chasing for five months now
(one of the few options my TA didn't come with)

Saturday, December 2, 2006 - just got in a set of factory locking lug nuts and key, the kind my TA came with from the factory but somehow failed to retain in the past 20 years (they're probably sitting somewhere with the original wheels my car came with). I probably won't use these lug-locks other than to clean them up and have them for display but it's nice to have a complete car after all, with all the correct parts that came from the factory. That way, if I sell it, the next owner won't have to scramble around like I have for six months. Yes, I'll have locking lug nuts on the refinished 16x8" factory wheels but they'll be aftermarket locks and brand new. The set of factory locks is just for show / completeness and since I got them for ten bux, the price was right as well.
Monday, December 4, 2006 - I pulled into the local SONIC drive-in to grab some lunch. A bunch of kids were standing around their cars, mostly Hondas and other plebian imports that the youth today like to try to hot rod. As I slowly pulled towards them, one of the kids turned to look, then quickly elbowed his friend who also turned to look and I heard him tell me as I slowly drove past "Man! That car is bad-ass! I love the sound!"
Thursday, December 21, 2006 - I found a private collector who was willing to part with the entire series of Pontiac Dealer Product Manuals along with the accompanying yearly official dealer price guides. Now I have the complete third gen library of official material on these cars, listing colors, options, rare models like the Mecham MSE and the Recaros, options available, prices for cars and options and a wealth of other information. The asking price? About $50 a year puts you close to what I spent but it was worth every penny (at least to me). Not only will this help me finish up some details in the book I'm writing, but this collection may also help me answer the odd question people tend to ask me in email (like "Hey, BE ... I have a 1988 Firebird and I was wondering what RPO code WSL was ...? No one else knows. Can you help me?"). Once my book is published, I may scan and post the relevant Firebird material from these PDPMs as an addition to the material that will already be found in my book.
Friday, December 29, 2006 - Curses! I got off early from work today (because of the impending holiday) and since it was bright and sunny, and since the temperature was such that I could take the T-tops off, air out the TA, and do it all while wearing nothing heavier than a T-shirt for the drive home, I took the chance to do some open air motoring. Just as I put the second T-top into the bag and went to close it, the zipper pulled away, intact, from the bag material itself. Grrrrr. Oh, well. Time to take the bag to the local saddle shop and see if they can work some magic on 22 year old material. I have a spare T-top bag I picked up on Ebay a few years ago but it is a later model bag that doesn't have the "GM" logo stamped into the material. I'll probably try to save this bag then put it up and only display it at car shows. The other bag, from a parted out GTA, should work fine for normal use. As for the trip home, it was great. The fresh air blowing in through the open roof, the windows down, the LB9 growling in cruise control and people passing me on the left waving and nodding at the car. It even got two new fans at the Oloh Chevron where I stopped to top the tank off so my wife could use the TA for the weekend. I spent ten minutes talking shop to a man and woman who walked up to admire the car after they had finished filling up their white Denali. Oh, and just to rub it in; remember, I'm in a black T-shirt, driving a 1986 Trans Am, T-tops off, windows down, at 70 plus miles an hour, at the end of December. It's good to live in the deep South. All of you who are reading this right now and looking out your window at two feet of snow ... sucks to be you.
Saturday, December 30, 2006 - On a whim, I picked up a set of 33 issues of Popular Hot Rodding off of Ebay, spanning the years 1984 to 1994. It cost me 10 bux plus some shipping and fondling. For those ten dollars, I managed to get spare copies of several road tests for the third gen cars, including one I already had (that was in poor shape) and one (a Pontiac Formula vs. Mustang LX heads-up comparison) that I was looking at on Ebay to bid on (for the sale price of ... ten dollars). So, for ten dollars, not only did I get the article I was looking for, but the entire magazine, a pristine copy of another article I already had, and 32 other magazines to reminisce with. Reading these magazines, the letters in them from frustrated owners of new third gens (and other high-tech computer controlled '80's wonder cars) makes me remember a time when there were very few parts for our cars, when almost no one knew how to work on them (not even the leading magazines of the era) and when, in one year, going from a stock 150 horsepower to a stock 190 horsepower was considered monumental. 190 horsepower! Kids who were teenagers when the LS1s were around don't know how good they had it. Ah, the memories... some of these magazines were ones that I used to have and read during high school. It's a trip back in time to see old advertisements for Rhodes lifters, PAW, Wholesale Automotive, Banks, Ranchero Suspension, etc. The perfect end to an almost perfect year; sitting down in my favorite chair with some hot chocolate, the wife and child are tucked away in bed, I have one lamp on and I'm thumbing through the stack of PHR, bumping from reader's letters that I remember to advertisements that I liked, as a teen.
Sunday, March 18, 2007 - The one year anniversary of owning the 1986 TA. I've put over 10k miles on her in the last year mainly because she's a fun car to drive. T-tops off in the morning, drive 35 miles to work. T-tops off in the afternoon. Drive 35 miles home. The CBR600RR is gathering a lot of dust lately.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - Crap. I just discovered a one inch tear in the side bolster of the driver's side Recaro. It's my fault. I'm going to have to get a little creative to not only fix it but also to build up the area around the tear (on both sides) so that this problem doesn't occur again. The bad news is that Recaro seats are not only rare but they sell for a king's premium if you can find them on Ebay. The good news is that the cloth pattern really isn't that fancy (not like the multiple "Ruffles" ridges seen in the later Firebird seat designs) so a competent upholstery shop should be able to repair this tear easily.
Friday, June 8, 2007 - I finally got off my butt and ordered the suspension parts for the old girl. Coming soon from PST are:

Performance Polygraphite front end rebuild kit (includes polygraphite front sway bar bushings)
Idler arm
Center link
Hotchkiss coil spring set (x4) - will lower the car about 1" to 1.5" all around for a more aggressive stance
Weld-in subframe connectors to tie the subframes together and strengthen the structure (especially with the T-tops)
KYB front struts / rear shocks
Rear polygraphite sway bar bushing kit (24mm)

I was going to go ahead and order larger front and rear sway bars (the stock ones are 36mm front, 24mm rear) but PST didn't carry anything near the size of the stock bars. I'll try Hotchkiss for the sway bar upgrade. I'll follow up with a Hotchkiss complete rear suspension, adjustable panhard rod, aftermarket torque arm and a front strut tower brace in the months to come. My goal right now is to get the old girl back to handling like she was new, repaint the ground effects, restore the factory decals and mount the original 16x8 wheels with correct rubber before September 2007.
Saturday, June 9, 2007 - I finally removed the dinky Firebird steering wheel and installed the optional (for that year) leather wrapped Trans Am steering wheel. The feel between the two wheels is like night and day, the larger wheel really is the better one to use in these cars, especially if you intend to throw her around any corners or road courses. The finish on the wheel is a little faded but a local shoe / luggage repair shop said they would re-dye the wheel and repair the slight damage to the leather wrapping for $10. Deal.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - The parts arrived from PST in three very heavy boxes. I threw all three into storage and locked them up. I'm glad that they do free shipping to the continental US. That's some serious weight to ship...
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - after losing a bid on a red factory 1988 Formula power bulge hood on Ebay, I hit the Internet looking for a hood. By some twist of fate, I wound up on Craig's List where I found a 1983 Crossfire Injection setup and functional hood. After some email bartering, a deal was struck for $350 including shipping and fondling. I only purchase the hood, leaving the CFI setup behind as I have no use for it other than as a desktop decoration...
Friday, July 27, 2007 - Well, I got gypped and it's taken me over a year to realize it. Yeah, yeah. You will remember that I picked up a set of four factory aluminum wheels off of Ebay right before I purchased the TA? Well, the 16x8 wheels used from 1984 to 1992 require specific off-sets, that is, you have front wheels and rear wheels and they aren't interchangeable. I knew this. When I purchased the wheels, I knew this, but part of me assumed that I had bought / been sent a full set of wheels so I only gave them a cursory glance to make sure they weren't dented / dinged up then I threw them into storage and forgot about them for over a year. When I was getting ready to have the wheels I bought on Ebay stripped and powder coated, I had a dark little thought go through my mind ... I saw that the inside was stamped "REAR" and I said to myself ... "do I have two front and two rear wheels or a mixture?" I turned the wheels over and ... sigh ... CRAP. Each wheel had "REAR" stamped into the backside of the wheel flange. I had purchased four rear wheels which meant that somewhere, out there, someone had also purchased four front wheels (and were probably thinking CRAP as well when they discovered their predicament). Maybe the seller had two sets and got them mixed up, maybe the seller was sold these wheels and didn't know that they were a mismatched set. Or maybe the seller did know... let the buyer beware.

Luckily, I had made an Internet contact with a man who had a complete set (two front, two rear) wheels, 16x8, in the correct year pattern and the wheels were also already the way that I wanted them (aluminum finish with black paint in the vents). Richard was kind enough to ship them to me and problem is solved. Maybe I'll get a thick piece of glass and use the four rear wheels to make some art deco coffee table... Important note to all newbies upgrading from 15x7 to 16x8 (or larger) and using the factory wheels to do so. Make sure you get a complete set (2 will be marked "FRONT" and two will be marked "REAR", stamped in the aluminum on the back of the rim). It's my fault, really. I got the wheels in and I assumed (uh-oh) that the seller knew what he was shipping me. I don't know if it was malicious or accidental but the end result is the same; I have two too many rear wheels and two too few front wheels. No problem, it happened and like always, I landed on my feet and got what I wanted to begin with. All in all, even given the mistake with the first set of wheels and the cost / shipping of the second set, I still managed to get a complete set of near mint wheels in the correct color for less than the cost of a single replacement or refurbished wheel from some companies or even the cost to powdercoat the beige colored wheels to the more natural aluminum finish with black painted vents. Lesson learned. Lesson passed on. Recovery complete (with flying colors).
Thursday, August 2, 2007 - the correctly matched (F/R) set of 1986 factory 16x8 wheels arrived and are in great shape. Since these wheels are the aluminum finish with black paint in the vents (the way I wanted the other wheels to be painted), I won't have to do anything but clean them up a bit, slap new rubber on them and mount them on the car. Thanks again, Richard, for your help in this project crunch.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - the power bulge hood arrives. It is black and, save for some rust on the underside, in near perfect condition. It is also gloss black, the same shade as my car and the paint is very, very good (with one ugly mark where the paint wrinkles for about an inch and a half near a crease). Here are some pictures of the hood being shipped, being cleaned up then installed on the '86 TA. I'll still get it stripped and repainted when I paint the ground effects, going back with a standard factory OEM style louvered bird decal for the scoop (in light gold).
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - the passenger side driving light burned out. Cost to replace? $52 plus shipping and fondling. I order four, it's just better to replace them in pairs and I like having a spare backup. These lights won't be produced forever, hell, I'm lucky I found someone still making them. By the time the next light burns out, I may not be able to get them. Ditto for the headlight motors. I may buy a couple of those as spares. I saw a guy who was offering third gen headlight motors with a metal gear instead of the nylon gear.
Thursday, August 16, 2007 - unpacked the '83 power bulge hood and began to prep it. A cusp brush and power drill makes short work of the surface rust. Black primer and rust converter goes on next. I'll order a replacement '83 hood insulation mat to complete the installation in a few weeks.
Saturday, August 18, 2007 - prepped and coated hood is installed. If the car turned heads before, it really does now. The hood really compliments the lines of the '85 to '90 TA body style (less so on the later "Batmobile" / Banshee style Firebirds). Whether or not I keep it on the TA is another matter for discussion. I'll probably repaint it, put the decal on it, then hang it from my garage wall behind where I park the TA and switch back to the flat hood for shows and casual cruising. Four bolts and the deed is done / the switch is complete.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007 - I've developed a rather annoying rattle under the hood. It could be a bearing in the alternator or another accessory. The rattle starts at idle and sounds like someone sticking a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle. If you give the TA gas, the rattle goes away at anything above 1800 RPM or during the adding of power / throttle. Once the engine RPM falls below 1800 RPM, the rattle returns. Since the rattle doesn't increase with engine RPM, I believe that the problem is either something loose under the hood or an accessory / belt about to give up the ghost. I'll look at it Saturday morning. I still need to look for one or two pieces of the rear interior panels as mine have been faded and destroyed by the sun (the carpet has faded as well which is why I'm going to go ahead and redo the interior). I've got a line on a few sets of replacement panels (the one behind the driver's side seat can literally be scraped apart with your fingernail, it has become that brittle with UV exposure over the last two decades.
Thursday, September 6, 2007 - The "rattle" under the hood appears to be the smog pump having given up the ghost. I purchased a new smog pump from Discount Auto Parts for $50 and the new belt brought the total to just over $60 tax and all. I took my Gerber EZ-Out folder and sliced the old belt. No more rattle under the hood. I'll replace the smog pump and new belt the first chance I get.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - the suspension parts are scheduled to be installed. This includes a complete front end rebuild kit from PST along with all the other front end and steering geometry pieces, KYB shocks and struts, Hotchkiss performance lowering coil springs, and PST weld-in subframe connectors.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - Fresh P245/50ZR16 tires mounted on the correct 16x8 inch factory aluminum wheels are installed. Combined with the suspension rebuild, the car rides and drives like it was brand new.
Friday, October 5, 2007 - the interior parts that I PayPal'ed someone for have yet to arrive. When I questioned the seller, they said that they would give me a refund. Two weeks later, no refund so I've turned them into PayPal as a non-delivering sale. It's only $50 but still, I can't abide a thief so I hope that Karma is rather swift in dealing with this particular individual. A few days later, I managed to track down the person's wife on the Internet. An email to her about the situation got me a prompt refund through PayPal. The quest continues for replacement interior "hips" for the passenger and driver's rear side of the car.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 - Over a year has passed in what seems a blink of an eye and I've done nothing with the car but accumulate parts. Every time I think I'm going to have time to restore this old lady something comes up and takes that time away. I've probably put 400 miles on the TA in the last year and she does nothing but sit under a tarp in my garage, with Damp-Rid(tm) packs scattered throughout the interior. I crank her once every two weeks and take her for a spin every month, T-tops off to blow out the interior, just to keep the fluids circulating in the engine, differential, transmission, cooling system and AC. I managed to pick up another set of factory wheels and center caps which will make the resto easier by allowing me to ship the loose wheels off to be refinished while I keep a good set on the TA. I picked up some interior parts as well, a complete black plastic set but it was from a car with shoulder belts so I've still got to find two black colored rear passenger 'hips' for the interior. The smog pump still hasn't been installed either... still in the box and the smog pump belt is still in its plastic bag stored in the center console.
March 2009 to June 2011 - I did absolutely nothing to the Pontiac during this time. Thought about selling it but then Pontiac Motor Division was killed off by General Motors thus ending any loyalty that I might still retain for The General and pretty much assuring my switch to FoMoCo as a future car buyer. I ripped the interior out of the TA, fixed some spot rust on the roof T-bar, left only the driver's seat and driver's seat belt still in the car then put the Pontiac into deep storage and basically forgot about it. I bought a '91 Z07 Corvette in March of 2009, fixed it up, played with it for two years and then basically got bored with the Vette in quick order. In a bid to simplify my life, I sold the Z07 Corvette in June of 2011 and decided that it's time to get back on the '86 TA. One toy is enough.
Friday, July 1st, 2011 - Moved the '86 TA from deep storage back into the garage. The battery was dead and I had to put some high-test into it but she fired up and drove fine. Changed the fluids, did some basic maintenance. The inspection sticker is several years out of date and the tag is long ago expired. Guess I'll get those taken care of this weekend. I won't be driving it very much with only a driver's seat and single seat belt in the car so the interior is going to be the first thing that gets restored, followed by paint, decals and refinishing the wheels. See the pics here for what she currently looks like. I decided to put the stock '86 hood back on her as well. Still haven't gotten the SFCs installed but I'll need to before I get her painted. The company that I was going to use to install the SFCs went out of business two days after I made an appointment with them. Go figure. If anyone knows of a good place in south Mississippi that can install weld-in SFCs on a third-gen F-body, let me know. I'd even be willing to drive to Louisianna or Alabama if need be. You wouldn't think it would be this hard to find a shop that would do this work but no one around here wants to handle the work.

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