1984 Pontiac Trans Am

[Bigbng]

Okay, I've got my eye on another "beater"
Probably can pick this one up for 500 bucks (I've always wanted one of these....)
Anything anyone can recommend that I shoud look for or be wary of?

2nd owner, originally owned by a mechanic who bought it for his wife, but got rid of it when they had kids.

 

[dieseltrooper]

Is it a V-8? 5.0 0r 5.7? auto or stick?

Parts avail. shouldn't be an issue. Fuel mileage might be.

 

[Bigbng]

Just going to check it out again tomorrow, but so far, all I know it is a V-8, and has a shift kit. (It has the scoop on the drivers side of the hood, does that signify which V-8 ?)
Original paint, interior looks good, exterior has some slight surface rust near top of rear wheel well, tires and wheels are in good condition.
Needs some exhaust component, (I didn't quite understand what he meant, some sort of 3 way splitter or resonator or something. (has to do with dual exhaust into a single resonator and back out to two again? does this make sense?) I'm just starting to check out 3rd generation f-body sites on the net.
I'm certainly not buying it to commute, so if I go through a tank of gas in a month or two, that will probabaly be a lot. I just wanted a "performance" car to take for a drive on nice sunny days with the t-roof open, and blow away some of those "Fast and Furious" ricegrinders. From my understanding so far, at the time ('84) it was the most aerodynamic vehicle produced.

Any input greatly appreciated.

 

[CTCStrela]

Big, a stock 84 firebird (305HO) will not blow away any rice-grinders. In fact most soccer mom's in their minivans are going to beat you in a drag race (and get better mileage doing it). They are *slowwww* and they get atrocious mileage!
The drag coefficient was .32, while good, there were many cars with better in 84.

Specs for that year-
145hp
240lbs of torque
0-60 9.4 seconds.
1/4 mile in 17.3 seconds.

 

[dieseltrooper]

Don't be discouraged by CTC's splash of cold water!
If the motor still has full compression, you could have some fun with upgrades. Eliminate smog crap, install Edelbrock performer intake with Holley 600 vac secondary. Upgrade ignition coil and wires. Get an open air cleaner w/K&N filter. Install underdrive pulley to reduce accessory drag. A/C? Rip it out!
Next, gut the interior ala Mad Max. Remove door glass and get window nets.
Ok,OK... No NASCAR buildup, just go as far as the underdrive pulley...

 

[CTCStrela]

Lol diesel, I went a little hardcore on that, didn't I?

Best mods for the firebird, that'll make a hell of an improvement (on the cheap)

4bbl good carb. Cam, headers/exhaust.

Better idea.

Yank the smog-o-matic out and drop in a fresh 383 with a 4 bbl and some good heads. Then you'll be giving vettes a run for their money.

 

[Bigbng]

Thans for the input. As luck would have it, the car was sold! (I kinda figured it might be, seeing as it was the last day of school and might have made a good "graduation" purchase)

Okay, so your valued opinions are required here.
What recommendations would you offer, for a north american car, given my previous posts as to why I wanted the trans am.......

 

[CTCStrela]

For 500 dollars?

An old Datsun Z car. Easy to work on, cheap to make fast, reliable well past 300k miles.

 

[Bigbng]

How about '90 240 SX, sunroof, all power options
or an '88 300 zx 5 speed, t-roof ?

 

[CTCStrela]

They're newer cars, but still stone-reliable.

Only weak point on either is that they both have timing belts and interferance engines.

Expect to spend 300 bucks on a new timing belt and water pump as soon as you buy them, for peace of mind.

 

[Bigbng]

Looked into it a bit more, (internet pics) and it's pretty amazing how much alike a 300ZX and the 3rd gen Tans Am look, The 300 ZX is like a scaled down version.....

 

[CTCStrela]

Kind of, yes. Good engines and drivetrains in them, really. Not rocket ships, but decently peppy and fun to drive, and they get 30+ mpg on the interstate.

 

[Beast]

If you want to know about the car, I would go to the library and look for a really old copy of Consumer Reports. They are pretty good about pointing out the good and bad points of a car. If the car is solid and mechanically sound then it might be a good buy. Just keep in mind that some parts for a 20 year old car will be getting pretty hard to find by now. Most sports cars seem to get especially hard use.
My dad has a '83 Chevy Caprice (station wagon) with the Estate package on it. Some parts are only available from the junk yard. As me how I know. This car is in very, very good condition, but parts can be hard to come by.

 

[F.Drew]

IF I WERE UPGRADING...

Best power upgrades usually for the money are (a) performance air filter/air box and (b) performance computer/chip.

After that, you might move into a less restrictive exhaust - downpipes, high flow catalytic, high flow mufflers.

Personally, as a non-mechanic, I would be hesitant to start monkeying with precision-engineered components such as cam shafts, rockers, or new carbs (though most cars since early/mid-80s are fuel injected). This affects the entire system, and if the car has a computer, these changes might require custom reprogramming to get optimal performance. And this work typically voids warranty, if you have one.

After doing mods (a) and (b) above, the next most important to me would be (c) transmission cooler and (d) shift (improver) kit. Then I'd get a drop-in high flow exhaust.

Of course, you can't stop there. You need to improve handling with new coils/struts, wider/better tires, beefier stabilization bars/arms, etc.

PS - and I had an 87 T/A 5.0 for much longer than I should have, and it was a fun car to drive. Heavy, not too fast, but lots of fun. DO NOT get an 86 or 87 unless you have a guarantee that it had been repainted correctly. These years are notorious for paint problems - when GM switched to water based paint. Didn't acknowledge it until long after my warranty was up.

 

[F.Drew]

Another source of info

And the other very good source of info on cars are specialty forums for a particular model usually, such as Pontiac T/A forums that I used to frequent.

Depends on car for the age/experience of the people posting, but generally, I found the collective knowledge to be quite impressive. Lots of it through trial and error, but two of the forums that I belonged to (when I was interested in upgrading), even had auto dealer mechanics that provided very useful (free) help.

You will also be able to identify the notorious problems that plague certain models/years, as well.

 

[CTCStrela]

Fdrew...that's an 84 T/A....Quadrajet 4bbl...it has a computer..for the choke and the o2 sensor...closed loop

 

[Bigbng]

Yup, found quite a few 3rd gen. F-body sites with tons of info.....

Thanks

I'm still keeping my eye out for just the right one.

I'm going to be $ ready though, as I've already been burnt once......

 

[F.Drew]

CTC - Yeah, I suspected it was a quadraject, just like on my '87. The carb was out of spec for a few years before I found a great carb repair shop that tuned it in, like a new car.

Don't know about the details (closed loop), but I noticed improved performance on mine with a Hypertech Chip and KN airfilter (and also after the carb rebuild). I think the computer on my car also affected shift points, or something else, fuel/air at WOT? Not sure.

I planned on upgrading lots, and keeping the car forever. I was able to put in high flow catalytic that made a big difference, and removed all mufflers (straight pipes), wasn't too loud. Then it started falling apart, rusting, and getting really old.

Just shy of 200K miles when I sold it for $500. I really loved that car, even through its old age, kind of like a family dog that you had since it was a pup, I guess.

 

[night driver]

I have seen FOUR Grand Nationals in the area, with 2 of them for sale I just don't have the bux for them.....

Drool whenever I see the other two on the road hereabouts.....


C

 

[Bigbng]

ACK!!!!
Just picked one up at a garage sale. All it needs is tires and to get it road- worthy.
The guy showed me his list of stuff thet he replaced in the last two years. I couldn't believe it! The parts he's replaced are worth more than the car. Okay, so it has a little surface rust, but it is original rust, and not yet through the body. He had it painted two years ago, new fuel pump, alternator, tranny rebuild, complete exhaust system, battery, radiator, I mean this guy kept spending $ on this car. Now he said his insurance was going to cost him too much so it was time to say goodbye. Just MY luck.... It's a base model, (no T-Top) and only a V-6 but this puppy purrs like new. I just couldn't resist. I don't know if I'm just going to flip it and make a couple of 100 bucks on it, or if I should keep it to putter around with. Even the spare tire compartment is rust free!

 

[Bigbng]

Well I'm in a pickle.
Do any of you have ANY experience opening the hood of a 3 gen F-body when the hood release doesn't work? I think it must be something with the latch, as I can feel it retract, but it doesn't give the extra "click" to release it!

 

[CTCStrela]

1st try: Have someone push down on the hood (pretty hard) while you pull the hood release handle...that might unload it enough.

2nd try...see if the cable is broken...if it is broken, reach from underneath and pull on the cable before the break.

3rd try, from underneath, manually work the latch mechanism to unlatch.

Good luck!