t5535

I have a 87 trans am that is rusty but has new motor. I also have a 89 firebird with a v6 in it. motor and trans are gone body is solid with t tops. I want to transfer all the trans am stuff over to the firebird. Or I could cut the rear quarters out of the 89 and put them on the 87. There is other rust spots on the 87 also like the driver side rocker panel and some rust on the doors and so on. hmmmmmm Dont know what to do here. I want the 87 trans am look. What problems mite I run into doing this?

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

Well I do not know about your swap but I can share my experiences with mine.
I had some parts left over from my wifes GTA and I found a rust free Texas rolling chassis in good shape. It was just a roller no doors, fenders or much of a electrical harness but was a 86 Trans Am ws6 car with T-tops. I then purchased a 91 base car with a bad motor and I had a good 305TBI motor from a truck and that is what the 91 had. So I am in the process of putting it all together.
It is pretty straight forward but you do run into things when you combine some different years- like the old Johnny Cash song! TPS sensor, seat belts, dash brackets were all things I have run into so far and I am sure there will be more.
I do feel this is a cheap way to put a nice car together because there are third gen parts cars all over the place! Most have rust and worn out drivetrains. It is a big job to completely strip one down and swap it all over but then again so is rust repair that is usually deeper than originally thought.

So I guess it is up to you. I am a "car guy" and have restored a few Firebirds mostly 1st and 2nd gens and now our two thirds. I like this project because I won't be fitting repair panels and welding so much but I will be mating it all together. Half of one, six of another- depends what you are good at or enjoy the most.

Might want to read the sticky on 6 to 8 swaps.

t5535

they are both automatic cars. the cars actually look identical (even in color). all but the ground effects and so on. The interior on the 89 is the same and in better shape then the 87's. so I guess the main things that I would be swaping is the ground effects and the bumper's and tail lights. but I think the gauges are different but not sure. As long as the body wireing harnesses are the same I don't see any problems with engine and guages. I already striped the ecu out of the 87 (don't need it). I rewired the car for the sb 350 with a carb so I could use my body wiring that I made. but then there is the rear end and suspension. I dont know what the differences are. Im not running a 700r4 so I dont need the electronics for that either im running a th350 and thinking of swapping in a t5 or something like that (manual tran) if I can find the parts.

novafirebirdguy

All of the gfx, bumpers, taillights, etc will switch over no problem. Now the engine swap is another thing, you'll have to replace the computer and most likely the engine bay wiring harness. Everything else though should be pretty strait forward.

t5535

My engine does not require any ecu. The only wiring that i need for motor is the basics (tach, oil pressure, temp, hot wire for spark ect. I am thinking of putting in a mixture gauge. what about the suspension? MY 87 Trans am has the performance suspension and the 89 hmmmm I dont know what kind of suspension is under it. Gonna have to cut hood and make a cowl so air cleaner will fit.

t5535

One other thing that I am wondering about is the title issue. I want to keep the Trans Am title.

Motopsyco

sounds like most of your work is basically straightforward, since you dont need the ecm or original wiring, simple swap out there, just use your t/a parts and your set, I think the suspension for the most part is the same except maybe sway bars wich is an easy swap, you may want to keep the 89 rear in there because if it was a v6 you'd (should) have the 3.42 gears in there, just swap in the correct gear in the tranny. your 87 might have the 4 wheels dics and the 89 will probably have the drums, so thats a choice upto you, if you want to keep the discs just swap the rears over, again not a bad job unless your bolts are rusted to the bushings inner sleeves, thats what happened with my 91, but if so you can cut those bolts and find some cheap control arms unless one of your pairs turn out good. basically it would be time consuming, but all in all nothing really overly involved technically. as for the title I dont think theres a way you can keep the 89 legal as an 87 t/a, but you could always keep the 89 bird title as is and enjoy cheaper insurance knowing your really driving a trans am. Hope this helps you out a bit. Also you shouldnt have to cut the hood, or just swap them out.

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

Title would depend on your state.
For me it was a couple of trips to the DMV until I got a good person to help me. In MN you want to document everything as you bought it and have bills of sale for the car and the parts. I have plates but no title until it is finished. Here they want to have pics before and after and as much documentation as possible.

To be legal, the car is registered by the vin. People do commit fraud and swap vin tags and they are hard to see with the windshield in place.
But then people steal cars too!

Is it a W for a T/A of Formy?

t5535

what is a W?

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

In the vin that is the letter for a T/A I think.

t5535

The problem with the hood is on the 87 also. I got a big intake and carb on it so it wont fit under my t/a hood either. Prob gonna cut the 89 hood and keep the 87 hood intact. I hate to cut that hood I like the vents and so lol. But then again it mite make a cool cowl hood with the vents.

I just wish the 89 was a 5 speed and It don't look like the swap from auto to manual is all that easy and getting (finding) all the parts seems to be a pain from what I have read. So turbo 350 trans it is.


What about the fog lights and so on. Does the 98's (steel) bumper have the holes drilled in it for them? I also see that on my 87 the ground effects are in the doors also so looks like im gonna have to drill some holes. also holding the rocker panel covers is a bracket to hold them on under the car. Are there holes drilled in the 98 for any of that? I guess the big question is are all the frame parts the same or are the different?

And what is a good resource for new parts like the little brackets that hold the upper part of the rocker panel cover (ground effect) on the fender and rear quarter?

I will check out the suspension on the 89 as soon as I get it moved here. I gotta strip the 87 first only got a 1 car garage lol.
This is good that I got to strip the car anyway (better for painting) lol. I am gonna try my first paint job on this car. Going with the house of kolor's 3 stage brandy wine kandy or close to it depending on budget by that time. This is gonna be an interesting project.

t5535

Title says Trans Am. I will have to check the vin tonight and take some pictures of the 87 before I strip it anymore. Gotta have progress pictures lol.

t5535

Can I use the fuel pump out of the 89 and get rid of my manual fuel pump?

cal30_sniper

iTrader: (16)

You can't put the electric fuel pump from the FI car into the carb car without a fuel pressure regulator, which are reputed to not work all too reliably IIRC. Why would you want to get rid of the mechanical pump? It's simple, cheap, and much easier to replace.

-Levi

t5535

Good point.Think ill keep the manual on for now. I am thinking about going twin turbo also. But wanna do it right. The turbo manifolds with the turbos cumming out the fount look to be the best considering all the room up there. And its cheep to do lol. I don't care much about putting in a inter cooler. I like the way banks did it. Im not trying to get 1000 Hp out of this thing lol 400 or so would be just fine. http://bankspower.com/magazines/show...Revival-Part-1. Everything looks placed right. Considering the amount They make a kit I am waiting for them to call me back for pricing. The main piece that I am after is the air box. There was a option back in the day when these cars were new from backs for a twin turbo f body.