At "only" 15 inches, the wheels are in proportion and look just fine. Personally, I'm tired of the endlessly increasing wheel sizes, they're getting ridiculous.
I agree, the 15" N89 wheels are perfect for this car. One reason why wheels got bigger on more modern cars is because of the increased weight cars have compared to the ones from 30 or 40 years ago.
I'm with you, also as an owner of many sports cars, i am completely over the 3/4 inch sidewalls. I am done with hitting a small blemish in the road and my tire exploding. My last sporty car - an Audi RS3 had 235/30r19's on the front and i had to replace 4 of them in the 1st 6 months. My previous car was a Cadillac ATS-V which had 245/45r17's lasted 3 years with no blowouts. Drove much better too.
These stock suspensions and components (in both cars AND trucks) are NOT designed for long lifespans when wheels are upsized by more than an inch or perhaps two. And in any case, the bigger wheels by more than an inch look out of proportion in most vehicles.
@@paddle_shift A young and foolish kid I know has the biggest wheels he can stuff in the fenders of his Civic Type R, with an absurdly low profile. He had to find a tire shop with a machine that could handle it, pay through the nose to get them mounted, and has had a couple of blowouts that happened much too easily. But he sticks with it, because "it looks so cool!" To me, it looks like several layers of electrical tape wrapped around the rim.
I was wrenching at a GM dealership when this new F Body came out and can say, without any hesitation, that it was the most highly engineered car that The General ever made! I mean, any company can take steel and make a car from it. But to take that much cardboard & plastic and make a functional car out of it ... THAT takes engineering!
I don't even want to talk about engineering. The dumbass who designed the fuel tank location should have been hung by his nuts. And a few years later what do you know they finally start put that so you could access the fuel pump from the trunk. 8 hours to replace a fuel pump complete bulshit good job Garbage Motors engineering my ass and glad I got out of that line of work
The third gen Camaro/Firebird were simply gorgeous. I owned a 1987 IROC-Z and a 1991 GTA, and miss both of them. If I could find a stock, good condition 1990 GTA in black, I would buy it instantly. These are very rare to see these days; we take our 1999 Firehawk to shows each summer, and while there are numerous 2nd and 4th gen cars, and even the odd 1st gen, you hardly ever see a 3rd gen. I'm glad you have kept this one so stock (even the bowling ball wheel covers, which are terrific). Great looking car, even if the mechanicals are problematic/don't live up to the car's looks. Enjoyed the episode.
My other half had an '82 Trans Am, just like this one but without the T-tops. Someone had put a Chev 350 and THM350 in place of the 305. 10 years old and already rusty, even in TX.
@@frankcastle2045 were they squeaky boat sized large displacement yet slow as shit.... yes they were. But did it, as well as the Mustang encompass a better time... a brighter time. V8s aside, i loved the mintish green RS convertible. But holy shit, it desperately needed sub frame connectors and a manual. Regarding the TransAm, it came into its personality and adulthood/body with the swooping spoiler and the grate lines above the pop up headlights. 1989 SCCA EDITION TRANSAM IN WHITE. Also, always wished I could find a well taken care of 1992 Z28 manual
Memories. My first car was a black 1982 Trans Am. After having the TH200 transmission blow up twice a friend helped me stuff in a TH350 from an old Z28. Never had a problem after that!
Adam, your T/A is in amazing condition still. I was a 29 year old Service Manager at the local Pontiac store when these came out. I believe they were pretty hard to get the first 6 months. Many customers and myself were very disappointed in the sloppy build quality. But, most of the GM line up wasn't much better. That Cross Fire set up was a mystery for some of the older techs. And, I thought those "bowling ball" wheels were so ugly back then, not so much today. I preferred the second generation Firebirds, especially with the 455 Super Duty in the early 70's.
Adam, your comment on being influenced by Knight Rider prompted me to write. I bought my ‘79 Trans Am because of Jim Rockford’s Formula. Mine was dark blue with camel cloth, AC, no T-Tops and the hood decal delete. I ordered it with the WS6 package as I loved the 8” snowflakes with the gold centers. My big disappointment was when I ordered the Pontiac 400. Since they were going out of production, my dealer wanted a $1000 premium over the approximately $300 up charge for that motor. Since I wanted the 4-speed, I had to take the 301 4bbl Pontiac built motor which was actually a credit option. I did not want the 403 Olds engine with the automatic. That car out the door was just under $8000. Since I was 28 and a technician with a major utility in NYC, I was making good money but not great money. The extra $1000 was too much. The 301 was surprisingly torquey with the 4-speed but after 60 mph, it didn’t have much left. All in all though, it was a real nice riding and handling car.
Nobody from the Knight Rider era could ever forget the "bowling ball" wheels! So glad to see you still have yours and I love learning from your channel! The 1991 Trans Am GTA in deep red with gold trim in original shape is still a dream car for me. Keep our memories and dreams alive!
Hey Adam, I've always been a fan of the 82 Firebird/ Trans Am, especially red ones with the T-Tops (even though they leak). I like the bowling ball hub caps too!!! Thanks for sharing this snowy winter video!!! 👍👍🙂
The dual exhaust setup on these 82s and 83s was quite interesting , with two transverse mufflers, instead of the single transverse muffler that would come out later on the V8 cars .
@@crankychris2 1985 T.PI. 305's were rated at 215 h.p. 1986 models had a milder cam, which brought the rating down to 190 h.p. Finally, in 1987, the T.P.I. 305 was offered with the T5 manual transmission, which had previously been limited to the LG4 and L69 carbureted 305 engines, and these were fitted with a hotter cam, and got the 215 h.p. rating again, while 700R4 automatic equipped versions kept the milder cam and 190 h.p. rating. All 1987 305's received roller lifters, which helped performance and fuel economy, as well.
Thanks for bringing this thing out again, and even in the snow for us to view! It does bring back memories like you say, I remember seeing these everywhere when they were still new, even in the winter, only up to the windows in salt🙂 People bought them as daily drivers and just used them up. They were still pre-galvanized steel back in those days, so many of them rusted out bad like everything else GM of the period -and just got used up and went to the used beater market or the crusher after 10 or 12 years. Making your example all the more rare -perfect for the channel actually. Cheers Adam!!
This car brings back memories of high school. I dated a girl who received a red Trans Am for her 16th birthday. Her car was almost exactly like yours, except she had the interior package, carberated v-8, power leather seats, no side strips, and the wheel covers were silver which I found out many years later is very rare. Very few cars came with the silver wheel covers. Always fun to ride around in.
That car really did go a long way during its run. They kept improving and changing. I recent saw a a photo of one with digital gauges. I was a fan of the Firebird/Trans Am. I fondly recall The Knight 2000 ( KITT) Trans Am. There were the better engines that came later too. I recall the one with the Regal Grand National engine too. Thank you Adam.
My dad had the exact trans am inside and out. I almost fell over when I saw it on your video. Wow that car brought back memories as a child. I even bought a 1984 when I got into my 20's. It's the sports car that started it all for me. Since then Ive gone through a few sports cars and now have a 2017 mustang gt with the performance package that I have put a ton of track modifications on it. Thank you for posting this video and your content.
Thanks for posting! This is the TA of my childhood. Love the styling and overall look of this car. Like others have said, the 15 inch wheels look well in proportion here.
Still a great looking car! I have a special place in my heart for this decade of TransAm and Camaro. I had the Red Camaro on my 2nd grade Trapper Keeper. I was like “someday I will have one of these” . I ended up with the 05 Mustang GT instead. Ha Found your channel by the way looking up my parents old 1984 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight coupe. We called it the Hooptie. My Dad loved that car!
Hey Adam, enjoy the Pontiac Trans Am video. a while back I mentioned to you that I have a 1983 base Camaro, with the Pontiac iron duke 4 cylinder. I have to laugh because you have the Pontiac with the Chevy V8, and I have the Chevy with the Pontiac 4cyln. My car is very bar bones. Got it with less then 10,000 miles. It's a 4 spd manual, no air. And sounds way more tinny then your car when I shut the doors. Motor sounds and shakes like it's tractor. The standard suspension makes it steer and handle like a drunken cow. Bought it with intentions of maybe putting a V8 in it, but from watching your channel I've come to realize that there's probably few of these around anymore. I've come to appreciate it for what it is. As always, keep up the great content
Seriously gorgeous, I have an '84 HO 5 speed W62, but I wish it didn't have the ground effects. They really nailed the styling on 3rd gens. I also have an 87 GTA, it's quite a bit better than the early one. It just feels tighter overall, and more refined. But the edgy and uniqueness of the 82-84 really makes them look more special. Actually, the TH200C was still the standard transmission in 1983, I had an 83 Z28 305 TH200C (matching numbers). It worked fine, I did fine a good amount of grey sludge in the oil pan...
My cousin owned a black '83 circa 1985--fun cruising around with him and my brother when I was 11-12 years old. That was followed by a black '85 Mustang GT for him, and in '86 my brother acquired a gray '84 5.0 Mustang with t-tops that needed some work, which we performed with the help of other family and friends. Good memories of the moments and experiences we had in all of those '80s muscle rides. Rode in more than my share of third-gen F-bodies, Chevy and Pontiac both, over the years. I spent fun times in my share of first and second gens too, although that's another tale. 😉
Thank you. I particularly enjoyed this one because it's an outlier within your collection. My fascination with mid-1970s Firebirds is similar in tracing back to a particular NBC show.
Fun and interesting review. My dad bought an 82 Trans Am equipped similarly to this one (except blue instead of red). He felt like such a hot shot with that car. Miss you dad. Thanks for the memories Adam.
A fine example Adam. I had an ‘86 T/A 5.0 not a ball of fire under hood, as you said, but where it lacked power it made up for with its styling and the fun to drive feeling with the T-tops off.
i have 15 inch bowling ball hubcaps. i drilled small holes into the plastic framing behind the hub caps & secured the caps to the wheel with tie wraps. They are secure & can be cut out so i can clean the brake dust out of the wheels. great video. early 3rd gens are really fun to drive. one of the most under-rated of the 80s pony cars. my 83 TA gets lots of chatter at the gas station. kids in the back of the school bus all gawk LOL.
Great video very informative. I had a 1985 T/A. Traded my 84 Sunfire Turbo 4 speed in on the T/A. The Sunfire was really fun but kept breaking down. The Trans Am was very dependable. Zero issues except once the tumblers failed in the ignition key. Mom drove an 82 Phoenix LJ. Those where the days!
My dad bought a new 1983 T/A with the carb'd 305 and manual gearbox. Same color as this one and the same wheels and bowling ball (lol) caps. I loved that car and it was a treat, as a 16yo in 1983, to drive it to school. Thanks for the memories!
I had an '82 Trans Am then later a '92 Formula with the 5.7 L98. With the '82, I experienced just about everything that was discussed in this video. I had the 305 with the 4 barrel & what the T/A lacked in power, it seemed to make up for in handling and braking. The newer Formula I had was put together much better and the TPI engine felt way more powerful than the older car, for it's day, anyway. Nice ride & thanks for sharing. This video took me back in time!
Bro I’m so jealous. My brother growing up had a 83 Trans am Daytona and I was in love with it. Iv tried to find a clean 82-84 Trans am that not stupid expensive with no luck. Your living my recurring dream since I was 9 years old. Thank you so much for this video. It being out my inner 9 year old.
Thanks for this informative video. 4 cylinder as a base engine. Wow. I bought a new 78 T/A and drove it for 4-5 years before selling it for a down payment on a house. It was a fun car to drive. I have never even sat in this generation T/A so it was very informative. Glad it has you as a steward to keep it original
Your video brings back memories of my first car. I really loved the design (that asymmetrical hood scoop was unique + the popup headlights, etc...) and this was what prompted me to buy one. My car was also red, automatic with the T-top, fabric seats almost exactly like yours. For the most part it worked well. Sadly, I had a small frontal impact which damaged the front bumper and this was never put right, with none of the local body shops seemingly able to match the paint properly. I have a vivid memory of continually find screws that worked themselves loose and collected them all in the ashtray. I ended up selling the car on to a teacher who paid through her credit union. I then went on to get a Saab 900 Turbo SPG, which was leagues better quality-wise. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing this excellent example of the 1982 trans am.one other unique to the Trans am models thru 1984 was the dual resonators exhaust system.I still have mine on my 1982 lg4 4 speed manual trans am and I enjoy seeing that set up on the knight rider series.it is a shame that some insist on removing the cross fire injection and also the dual resonators exhaust systems,which takes away some of the unique features found in the 82 cars.
I owned a 1985, with a 305 CI. MPI and stage 2 chip, 16 inch wheels with the WS2 handling package, 4 wheel disc brakes. It had mad power and I loved it! Knight Rider was an Inspiration to buy one!
Great video. I myself own a '84 Camaro Z-28 5.0 Litre H.O. my father bought new , and has remained in the family every since. It's in great shape all these years later mechanically, but 15 plus years ago I did have to have the car repainted, and o.e.m. graphics replaced due what I believe was the quality of the water-based paints used back in the day, especially here in West, Tx where the summers are brutally hard on painted automotive surfaces. I've come close to selling it , but I just could never do it, and although the L69 190 hp 305 by today's standards pulls as if it's tied to a tree, its peppy enough that I still enjoy driving it immensely. I think I'll just hold on to it. Really look forward to you vids, please keep bringing us great cars of the past. Thanks.
Those L69 engines were pretty good, It should go 0- 60 around 7 sec. Check the vacuum hoses, get the carb rebuilt and give it a complete tune-up. I almost forgot to say check the smog equipment.
@@markg7030 Yes, a very fun engine, and with the factory performance axle ratio with posi traction its a hoot to play with, eventhough its mostly a cruiser now. The engine is 100% bone stock, with the original 600 cfm Quadrajet carb, and all original emission smog system including the "monolythic" corvette high flow cat. converter. The car has just 72k original miles. A true time capsule indeed.
Man these cars look so good! Always wanted to find one of these and of course ls swap it. These were still everywhere in the 2000s when I was in high school.
It's 75F and sunny here in the Houston area--my kind of winter! I was a guy in my 20's when this came out. Like so many of us we still liked the seventies body and interior (the 70 1/2) Firebird more. Great video!
@@john1959ism I actually live in Lake Jackson, 45min south. Used to live in Bellaire and owned a home in Stafford. Amazing how different our weather can be!
Excellent contrast in the snow! It still is a great looking car, especially the early years in its most pure form. I'm trying to remember but it was either the Corvette or Cavalier of that same year that also had the faux screw heads that you had to watch out for. As a GM tech we were given a pen magnet to 'diagnose' stripped screw heads for the customer...
Great video Perfect background for that car and I always thought that early generation with the bowling ball hubcaps was very very clean. Thanks for all your efforts and Analysis and interviews they're all entertaining. Wilco
Thank you! Excellent car you have! The 3rd gen cars have timeless styling. They look great today but back then they were amazing. Whenver you see old photos outside the factory, the F-cars look amazing but all the other new cars look really really old. I forgot the man's name that designed the 3rd gen F-bodies, but he is a master
Very interesting. I didn't know that GM pushed the "cheapskate" envelope so as to not include a glove box, and put a Chevette transmission in there! Anyway, this video is much better than the other guy who uses the terms "quirks and features" on YT. Much more relaxed and casual. Very enjoyable. Thanks for sharing.
They stuck the THM 200 in everything, including Malibus and Cutlasses. Engines like the Buick 231 V6 and Olds 260 V8 were so weak they didn't overstress the trannies much. It was soon gone once the four-speed overdrive automatics (700R4 and 200R4) came out. Those should have come out 20 years earlier, as the overdrive gear dramatically improved highway fuel economy in any car in which it was installed. 1500-1700 rpm at 65 mph.
The light duty transmissions were about fuel economy. They put a lot of effort into making them as efficiant as they could, even using low drag brake calipers and those streamlined wheel covers.
Adam. Best part of your videos. Is the comments. I absolutely love reading these guy's stories about their memories. From working in the industry to family members owning one. I just love the nostalgia that each of your video brings. I sit for hours just reading these great stories that these men and women share in the comments. It's the best! So much history uncovered by your media business!
The rear wiper is cool. I can’t say I’ve seen one. I recall working on an early camaro with the vacuum operated hood scoops that opened when floored. Rare options are always cool 😎
Nice to see someone else who appreciates these cars! I have a nearly identical '82. Mine has the deluxe trunk option with carpet and lockable storage and the factory locking gas door as well. The only options I can tell that mine doesn't have are the split folding rear seat and the rear discs like yours. I 100% agree with you that this generation of Firebird, and the 82s in particular, are one of GM's most beautiful and elegant designs. Pontiac was really on to something with the design of this car. People poke fun at it for its quality issues and its lack of performance, but I think they're a wonderful cruiser. Great low end grunt and a nice V8 sound. The one thing that struck me as a new owner was how big it is. It's a large and long car! Also they may have flexed and be less weight than the previous gen, but I'm struck by the thickness and quality of steel used. A comparable '80s VW feels like it's made of paper. The factory side moldings were black, so perhaps yours is dealer applied. When you had the door panel off did you notice if they were riveted or glued on?
This is giving me flashbacks of my 83 Trans Am I owned in 1991-92 when I was 19. It was black and gold, like the one in Smoky and the Bandit 3. The cross fire backfired on me once, the motors on the lights went. I dented the front fender and covered it with a LeBra. Being 19 at the time, I couldn’t properly maintain it and beat on it that year. Ended up selling it to a friend for $600.
Man, this thing is sweet. I had several of these cars back in the day. My favorite was an '84 Daytona Pace Car edition. Had the HO 305 with a 5-speed and 3.73 gears. It was FAST back in the day. You mentioned the power pull-down for the rear hatch - that was not installed to prevent breaking the glass (never ever heard of one breaking), but because the the body structure where the latch was mounted was weak and repeated slamming of the hatch would cause it to crack and break where the latch bolted on. I have repaired many of them.
There were no “Daytona pace car” editions in 1984. The DT500 pace car was 1983 only, with a total of 1920 produced. There were 1500 LU5/MD8 cars, and 520 LG4/MM5 cars.
Your car is beautiful Adam,nice to see the famous 'Bowling Ball' hubcaps like KITT from Knight Rider. I love 1982 Trans am's. I am a huge Knight Rider fan and to me KITT will always be a classic.
As to the year 1982, this year produced one of the best looking cars ever built: The '82 Toyota Supra P-type. This car was slow, but it was beautiful and basically a Japanese Jaguar XJS. With the same performance and twice the fuel mileage~
In 87 I bought my 1st new car, a beautiful medium metallic clear coat (1st year)Camaro LT. It had the 2.8 which by then had 135hp. It was screwed together tightly as GM had the Norwood Oh plant and its Canadian counterpart in a contest of quality. So the Norwood cars, including mine were pretty rattle free. It was probably my favorite car that I’ve owned Great channel.
Gorgeous car...it is still one of those "drop dead" designs....My first car in 1989 was 1984 T/A HO with the aero body. That car was so fast for the time. Eventually got a used 1987 GTA which was faster and classier...but it is that 1984 with the "turbo" off set hood scoop that still lives in my dreams. Thanks for the great review of such a gorgeous car....
Good review. I had this exact car, same exterior color, my interior was tan "look of leather, but vinyl" seats and tan carpet and mine was the carbureted V-8 with the 3-speed automatic. Gosh, it was fun to drive, turned heads every where. Sounded like a beast, but it wasn't quite... but given the era, it was quick and zippy, by far more fun to drive than the 1981 Turbo T/A. The bowling ball hub caps were a disaster - I never passed a jumkyard without buying them out! My car had been ordered new by an anesthesiologist (his personal plates were "DR ZZZ") and I bought it lightly used in 1989. One of the older cars that I once owned and I wish I had kept.
That's a gorgeous 1982 Trans Am. It's very rare to see one on the road, especially when it looks original. I love the KITT look but in my opinion the factory is more appealing to me.
I love the KITT look 82 Trans am,most awesome car ever to be built,Adam's is beautiful too especially with those Bowling Ball hubcaps,like KITT. I have driven a KITT replica back in 2018 and he was awesome to drive,he also talked just like in the show.
Adam, if you look closely at your red firebird, the passenger side headlight door is actually what is out of alignment. If you look real closely, it’s moved over to the left towards the fender. The hood is fine. That could probably be manipulated and fixed. 👍🏻
I had an 82 SE. Dark grey metallic and maroon interior. Drove it 7 years. Had to put a cam in it. Looked good with rally II's. 305 auto 2.73 rear. 15.7s in the 1/4 with some tuning.
Dad bought one new after he sold his 70 Nova (his first car) it was red without t tops and had the (thanks to you and Steve Magnate) TH200 and the 305 Cross fire injection, it also had leather. He then bought an 86 Trans Am before selling it for a Pontiac 6000 when I was born.
I KNEW you would bring up K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider! As would I.. LOL.. Wish we still had my wifes red 88 Formula with the WS 6 package. What a handler! I never saw such a thick front sway bar!!
Probably one of the earlier applications of the General Motors "tone generator" applied to seatbelt, key in ignition and headlamp on warnings. A step up from the traditional buzzer. Considering GM used the car horn at low volume for key in the ignition 10 to 15 years earlier, it was a step up..and close to the era of Chrysler's electronic voice alert and Datsun/Nissan's use of a miniature phonograph for the "Lights on" alert of the 810/Maxima.
I love that design a lot. I love that "sweet grin" of the front and that plain panels at the sides upwards. I own a 1988 Formula in Germany. I think you missed one one-year-only thing: as far as I know, only the 1982 had double mufflers at the rear. From 1983 on it was a single muffler. Lovely car. Also Knight Rider "forced" me to have one one day. I like it that you never thought about to convert it and let it like it is. Perfect.
We bought a new off the lot 1990 Pontiac Formula 350 in red, no t-top, WS6, dual cats, grey cloth interior , from Pat Clark Pontiac in Vegas. It was the only 350 car on the lot without ground effects or the GTA package. Loved and still love that car, made a mistake getting rid of it.
My friend had one in the early 90s ...for the displacement not that many hp... but the torque made it a blast to ride around in. Another friend had a 87 GTA. Also fun
Great tour of a favorite machine of my formative years. Well before these were considered as mullet required before ownership - they had some middle class panache. Still lovely style to my eyes.
Wow. That l̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ is super clean! Awesome car... Just FYI you can adjust the whole Right Hand headlight assembly... 2 bolts you'll have to take the black grill off to get to them. 👌
