Hi everyone ...This is a 1986 Trans Am LG4 305/V8 Auto. My dad bought her in 1989 and used it as a daily driver up until 2000 when he purchased a newer car. Therefore the car was parked in the backyard and left there for 11 years till about a month ago. The car was still in running condition and well maintained inside when it was parked. I myself have always loved all fbodys but really love the 3rd gens, but things happen and i ended up buying an integra, instead of fixing the bird . About a month ago me and my dad decided to bring it back to life. We filled the tires with a air compressor and where surprised to find out that they held air (still have those tires on for now). The car did not start so we had it towed to my mechanic. The car was given a tune up, new timing chain, distributor, alternator, belts, hoses, brakes, thermostat and relay, Kyb Shocks, FloTech shorty Headers, 2.5inch piping no cat, 80 series Flowmaster. The interior is clean. The steering wheel has a little rust and the center lid is cracked. I removed the headliner, sail panel, and visor to get redone with black suede. I also found me a nice pair of 02 ws6 black leather seats for it. Used dash pad with no cracks. None of the interior is installed yet. We will be installing it after we finish painting the car(rustoleum lol). We just started sanding her down,the cars body is in good condition with some paint chips. (i am no professional nor is my dad) Hope this works. It cant come out worse than how it was . Future plans are to lower it on some sportlines with gta gold honeycombs, a cam( just want to swap out the stock cam in the Lg4), posi rear with a new set of gears and in the FUTURE a 350 swap. The pictures where it looks shiny is because the car was wet ,, but you can tell the difference when its all dried up. I'll keep the updates coming and any advice will help ! Im trying to upload my pictures(jpeg) but i think there to big .. how do i make them smaller ?
Good luck with it.....but really why cheap out and shoot it with Rustoleum? You can probably get a good single stage paint and a cheap spray gun for under $500. It'll be a much better finish and more durable.
I have owned two different 86 LG4 Trans Ams. Have fun with it and don't forget to change the trans fluid/filter and rear diff fluid.
~Matt
Only reason i havent changed it because somewhere in another forum i read it was bad to change the trans fluid on a car thats been sitting so long... it doesnt make any sense to me, which is y i will be changing it. thanx for the advice
Good luck with it.....but really why cheap out and shoot it with Rustoleum? You can probably get a good single stage paint and a cheap spray gun for under $500. It'll be a much better finish and more durable.
i know rustoleum is the cheap way out , and will not look as good as a single stage,, but currently im recieving unemployment and have alot of time on my hands...so this fits my budget for now. i have been putting in alot of time into the prep work....we'll see how it comes out :/ ....ill post updates pics of the paint.
had a car done with maaco before and did no like it much..i feel i can do better lol...but if worse comes to worse and this paint comes out like crap,,then i will be maccoing it lol
recently bought some ws6 16 inch formula rims...not the gold mesh gta,,but they will do for now..ill post pics up of them. paid 100 for 5 rims with 4 good tires and caps ,,,couldnt pass up that deal ,,but had to drive to CT for it ..ill post pics tomorrow of them
Only reason i havent changed it because somewhere in another forum i read it was bad to change the trans fluid on a car thats been sitting so long... it doesnt make any sense to me, which is y i will be changing it. thanx for the advice
Where did you hear that? Were they talking about a 23 year old car or a newer car that sits?
__________________
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."
- Henry F*rd
where people run into problems is when they only change part of the transmission fluid. IE only pan and filter. if its never been changed before its a good idea to change the pan gasket and filter and follow that up with getting a shop to do a machine flush, that replaces 99% of the fluid
__________________ Formerly known as blk95formula 86t/a_ram_air on TGO
2018 Silverado 1500
Last edited by greenformula92; 10-03-2011 at 07:24 AM.
Trans service can be a bad move for several reasons.
Depending on the condition of the fluid, you might not want to do it. Burnt fluid could be an indication that there are other problems. Trans fluid replacement, along with a filter, is a maintenance thing, not a fix-it thing, which lots of people think that's when they have to do it. Over time, the tolerances between clutch packs and other parts become looser, but the particles and dirt in the fluid help make up the difference. When you replace that dirty fluid, those loose tolerances show themselves with slipping shifts.
If it hasn't been maintained, I would be worried about doing it. Sitting or not, check the fluid.
__________________
2/20/2013: They Day the ****s Stopped
Yes to be more correct and in-depth, flush the trans and then change the fluids/filter. Maybe have a local shop check it out after the flush and/or get it rebuilt.
A 25 year old 700R4 with only 5,000 miles would probably still need a rebuild.
__________________
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."
- Henry F*rd
where people run into problems is when they only change part of the transmission fluid. IE only pan and filter. if its never been changed before its a good idea to change the pan gasket and filter and follow that up with getting a shop to do a machine flush, that replaces 99% of the fluid
thanx for the advice will keep that in mind if i decide to change it
Trans service can be a bad move for several reasons.
Depending on the condition of the fluid, you might not want to do it. Burnt fluid could be an indication that there are other problems. Trans fluid replacement, along with a filter, is a maintenance thing, not a fix-it thing, which lots of people think that's when they have to do it. Over time, the tolerances between clutch packs and other parts become looser, but the particles and dirt in the fluid help make up the difference. When you replace that dirty fluid, those loose tolerances show themselves with slipping shifts.
If it hasn't been maintained, I would be worried about doing it. Sitting or not, check the fluid.
thanx for the advice bigal ...the tranny seems fine right now,,its not slipping and shifts smoothly...i guess ill just ride this one out,,and if worse comes to worse,,ill buy a rebuilt one or have it rebuilt
Here is the car with the new rims and tires i just purchased ...i plan on polishing the lips on the rims...car is primed and reeady for paint.. ... I will be painting the cars interior black in the next 2 days to match the black leather seats i have and black headliner,sail panels and visors...then the outside ...everyone stay tuned
like the new wheels! eeeeek on painting interior plastics, just find black pieces. that paint chips pretty easily with any kind of flex to the panels if u have to pull one out
__________________
88 Camaro
95 Impala SS
97 Trans Am WS6
98 Blazer ZR2
00 Corvette
04 CTS-V
04 Grand Cherokee
07 Sublime Charger Daytona
09 Grand Cherokee Limited HEMI
12 Tahoe LT
17 Malibu LT
I've had great luck with duplicolor's vinyl and fabric paint? Hell, I've seen door panel leather painted with it and I could poke it all day long, would never know it was painted.
. About a month ago me and my dad decided to bring it back to life. We filled the tires with a air compressor and where surprised to find out that they held air (still have those tires on for now). The car did not start so we had it towed to my mechanic. The car was given a tune up, new timing chain, distributor, alternator, belts, hoses, brakes, thermostat and relay, Kyb Shocks, FloTech shorty Headers, 2.5inch piping no cat, 80 series Flowmaster. The interior is clean. The steering wheel has a little rust and the center lid is cracked. I removed the headliner, sail panel, and visor to get redone with black suede. I also found me a nice pair of 02 ws6 black leather seats for it. Used dash pad with no cracks. None of the interior is installed yet. We will be installing it after we finish painting the car(rustoleum lol). We just started sanding her down,the cars body is in good condition with some paint chips. (i am no professional nor is my dad) Hope this works. It cant come out worse than how it was . Future plans are to lower it on some sportlines with gta gold honeycombs, a cam( just want to swap out the stock cam in the Lg4), posi rear with a new set of gears and in the FUTURE a 350 swap. The pictures where it looks shiny is because the car was wet 
,, but you can tell the difference when its all dried up. I'll keep the updates coming 
