1989 Pontiac Firebird

Hatchback

3.8L V6 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel Turbocharged

Automatic

1G5FW217XKL239936

Rear Wheel Drive

Gasoline

Adjustable Steering Wheel

Up for auction is my 89 Turbo Trans Am. I bought this car last year after lusting after the best-of-the-best 3rd gen for years. Anyone who knows the Camaro/Firebird lineage knows of the special cars. These cars paced the Indy 500 in 1989, stock, with exception of special lighting. When I bought this car, it had been sitting for a number of years. It was parked because of a torque converter failure, which sidelined the transmission. Sitting so long was not good for the car. Mechanical Once I got it home, I began the rebuild, concentrating on the mechanicals. The first job was getting it to turn over. The battery was replaced with a new one, and the starter solenoid was also changed out. The fuel system was gone through, with a new fuel pump, new gas tank sender, new fuel filter, and a set of replacement injectors. The tank was flushed to get rid of all of the old stale gas. This got the car running, but then it wouldn’t move. The TH200-4R was removed and rebuilt. The rebuild was mostly stock, with a new converter (stock stall), new pump, all new friction/steels, sprags, TCC solenoid, and a couple replacement drums. Obviously all of the seals were changed and the case was flushed to remove all existing sediment. A new mount accompanied the transmission back into the car. Now that the car moved under its own power, it was discovered that the brakes were locked from the years of non-use. Nearly all of the brake system was replaced, front and rear calipers, front and rear pads, front and rear rotors, front and rear hoses, and finally front wheel bearings. While I was at it, I also swapped out the stock worn out struts and shocks for new ones from Monroe. So now it started, moved, and stopped. All of the tires on the stock gold GTA wheels are badly dry-rotted. The wheels do not have any significant curb damage, but the anodizing is coming off in places and the back sides have a good bit of brake dust. I swapped on another set of black GTA wheels with “better” tires so I could drive the car. I’ve driven it about 500 miles since putting it all together. It drives pretty well but obviously still needs some work. One thing that I know needs attention at this point is the exhaust. At some point the muffler was swapped for a flowmaster which is rusting out. Other than that, the exhaust is stock including the catalytic converter. The rust from the muffler extends into the intermediate pipe; I had planned on replacing the whole system at some point, but haven’t gotten there yet. Exterior The exterior of the car was not very happy about spending a few years baking in the sun. The 80’s GM paint jobs were crap to start with and this one was no exception. I have paperwork to show that it was repainted in the 90’s when the spoiler was replaced. There appears to be no other damage done to the car. The paint is in poor shape all over the car, but it is shiny on the sides. There is no rust on the exterior panels, some surface rust on the underside in the areas that are not undercoated, and some surface rust on the suspension components also. This car has no dents/dings that you would expect to see on a car of this age. I’m guessing that most of the owners parked far enough away to not get door dings. As can be seen in the pics, the spoiler is failing in the same way that they all do; the sides are becoming disconnected from the hatch, and the paint is cracking and peeling. The spoiler will definitely need replacement. All of the special Indy 500 badges are intact also. I suspect that with some elbow grease and a sander removing the existing paint, you could get a pretty nice car with just a paint job. Interior The sun did a good job of baking the interior. I have some pics of the interior prior to being parked and the seats were pretty bad before. They will definitely need recovering. Overall the interior isn’t all that bad, seat covers, carpet, and headliner will need replacement. The door panels aren’t perfect, but they are complete and untorn, just some sun fade. The headliner is bad, as in pretty much all of the t-tops. There is/was a leak from the t-tops; I have not tracked it down since I was concentrating on mechanicals. The steering wheel is in rough shape, not as bad as some I’ve seen, but it had a cover on it, which came off in pieces. I’m not sure if the steering wheel controls work as the factory radio does not function, and was draining the battery so I removed it. I do have it and can include it with the car. The other damage inside is the front seat belts. The passengers side front belt must have been under the drip from the t-tops as it is rusted in place. The drivers side belt functions, but could probably do with a replacement also. I have looked for replacement front belts (actually a whole set) but was not able to find them in tan. The rear belts are the shoulder type and I think they are ok. Stock specs engine: 3.8L SFI V6 Intercooled Turbo rated 250 bhp @ 4400 rpm, 340 lb-ft torque @ 2800 rpm trans: 200-4R 4 speed automatic with lockup torque converter brakes: power 4-wheel disc, dual piston aluminum calipers vented 12" front, 11.7" rear rotors Comments Overall I think this is a sound car. It will never be a winning show car with 125K+ miles on it. It can be a very good driver class car with some hard work. Or you can have fun and fix it up as you go. You will never see another driveable 89 Turbo TA for what I’m asking. I looked at a couple prior to buying this one and while they were in better condition, one was over $10K and needed work, the other was under $10K and needed a transmission. I will not get what I have into this car but I’d rather it go to someone who wants one of these and will enjoy it. I am taking a break from working on car projects for a while and I refuse to let this car sit and rot. I have a few other f-body parts that I may be interested in selling separate from the car; otherwise they will be sold on ebay later. I’ve been enjoying driving the car, putting miles on it. It’s a lot of fun to drive, and will make a great car for someone. Where I have set the reserve, I’m going to lose some money but someone is getting a killer deal. All of the special stuff that makes this car is there except for the air intake pipe. I have the original window sticker, receipts from back to the 90’s, a set of 1989 Indy decals (I’m sure they are bad by now), and the original owners kit. This car will sell with the original gold wheels which are shown in one of the pics. The black GTA wheels on the car can go with the car for a few bucks; the two fronts have significant curb damage and the front tires are old/worn. The car has a VA inspection “reject” sticker on it, but it is for the exhaust, the seat belt, and a fog light. Apparently the front tires have enough tread to pass. This car will sell so bid early. Any questions/comments, use the “Ask the seller a question” button. I’m sure that there are things I’m forgetting; I’ll post additional stuff later. Legal Stuff I have a clear title in my name. The car is for sale in Virginia Beach, VA 23464. No shipping is included with the price although I will work with your shipper if necessary. A deposit of $500 will be paid by PayPal within 24 hours. If you do not have PayPal, you need to “Ask the seller a question” to confirm how you wish to pay within 24 hours. The remainder can be paid via PayPal or in person at my local bank.On Oct-19-11 at 19:35:59 PDT, seller added the following information: Additional Info - 10/19/2011 I took a few more pics today. They are in my photobucket album http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g249/carcrazy1973/Turbo%20TA/ Showing the condition of the interior, rocker areas, and the general underside view. One other issue that I came across today is the hatch pull-down. The motor works fine but I'm guessing that the slide is cracked so it doesn't sit right. If you hold the latch as you put the hatch down, it will grab the hatch and pull it down as its supposed to. So its not a motor or motor case issue. The repair parts are available from Hawks. On Oct-20-11 at 18:31:25 PDT, seller added the following information: Additional Info - 10/20/2011 I ordered a set of new injectors today to replace the "good used" ones that I had put in previously. They were of unknown origin, supposedly from a Buick GN. I felt that the car didn't idle as well as it could so I bought the new injectors. They will be put in as soon as they arrive.