OLDER PICTURES OF THE 1986 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM
I liked the 1999 Grand Prix "headlights in your face" promotion ad so I duplicated it with the '86 TA.
Here's the TA, washed and waxed, in April of 2006 at a car show in Laurel, MS. The poster is a custom blow-up of the 1985 "Saturday Night" Pontiac ad. I've got a copy hanging in my office at work and one hanging in the garage where I park the TA. I have several more classic Pontiac ads blown up to poster size that decorate my garage, office, and home.
The interior shot showing the Recaros, full 140mph / 8000 rpm tach cluster, 700R4 transmission and factory radio.
Don't let the dinky little rims fool you. She's a factory WS6 optioned car currently wearing 15x7 inch base model Firebird aluminum rims. One of the previous three owners either sold or traded the original 16x8 factory aluminum rims for these ash trays. She'll be riding on the correct size factory wheels and rubber before the end of the year.
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Well, I made a change in my life, Hell froze over because of it and this is the end result. January 13, 2008 with the TA out at the property in the county. Here's the TA with the correct (though unrestored / unfinished) 16" x 8" wheels and Z-rated tires on her. Also note the retrofitted '84 power bulge hood which serves as a functional heat sink to remove underhood heat and built up air pressure at high speed. Unlike the stock hood with its four fake vents, this hood really works and making it functional is just a few bolts and removing one block-off plate away. Some of you may not know what it is like to drive a sports car that has been lowered all around and which came from the factory with a wrap around full frontal spoiler but if you can imagine a snow plow then you can understand what driving a 1986 Trans Am around in five inches of snow was like. I had the same problem with my '88 Z-51 optioned Corvette back in the Spring of 1992 when it also snowed heavily in this area.
Here's the rip in the driver's side Recaro. I'm not sure how this happened but I'm to blame for it.
Here's a picture in better weather of the '86 TA with the '84 power bulge hood installed, the factory correct 16"x8" aluminum wheels, and needing a good detailing. It's time for a new digital camera, I've had the one I'm using to take these pictures for well over 7 years now ... picture density is less than 2 megapixel capacity so yeah, it's time for a new camera and soon.
The Trans Am name on the fender is damaged. I took the car through a "touchless" car wash and when I drove out the other side the TA fender name as well as the sail panel bird on that side were both missing part of their structure. Not to worry, all of the decals will be replaced when I get the car repainted. So much for "touchless" car wash.
Front view of the TA with the '84 power bulge hood installed. Both birds on the hood will vanish when the car / hood is repainted and won't be coming back. In its place will be a bright gold (to match) "louvered bird" decal as found as OEM on these '82 to '84 power bulge hoods. Here is a picture of the replacement graphic that is going to be used to really bring out the character of this car with the retro hood.
The side fender engine callouts will be deleted and a pair of custom engine callouts will read "5.0 LITER TPI" instead of "5.0 LITER F.I." and will be displayed on the hood bulge much like the "5.0 LITER H.O." decals are above (but will probably be larger and longer in nature). I chose to go with the custom "TPI" rather than the lame "F.I." emblems because the "F.I." nomenclature used by Pontiac was used on both the TPI and TBI cars making identifying the car by engine type almost impossible in the later years.
Side view from the passenger seat, power bulge hood and 16"x8" wheels installed with matching OEM sized tires.