Topic: Needing help classifying my car

[winks79]

The build sheet is definately from a 1980 Formula with code 11(cameo white) exterior, and code 26(blue) interior. As stated earlier, the door is from a 1981 Trans Am.

[OkieTransAm]

The build sheet is definately from a 1980 Formula with code 11(cameo white) exterior, and code 26(blue) interior. As stated earlier, the door is from a 1981 Trans Am.

im gonna try and see what i can do as far as pulling the air box and if the vin is different then ill have the vin ran and hopefully comes back clear

[Wallington]

Ignore the door decal if it doesn't match, easily swapped out. Check the underhood build plate too, and how attached. Also, the rivets holding the dash plaque.

Oh wait, no cowl tag? Run. Not good.

Oh, saw VIN dash plate too. Not good either, nothing else on car matches '79 where it differs to 80/81. And that dash hole looks hacked up, sanded and filled. Not at all how it was from new. Bad news all round.

[4speed76]

Looking at the picture of the VIN you posted, it looks like there has been some filler work done in that area.  Maybe a cowl change/repair with a different vin?  Does the cowl have the 2 dash speakers?

[OkieTransAm]

Looking at the picture of the VIN you posted, it looks like there has been some filler work done in that area.  Maybe a cowl change/repair with a different vin?  Does the cowl have the 2 dash speakers?

dash has two speakers (speakers arent there but yes)

[winks79]

Looking at the picture of the VIN you posted, it looks like there has been some filler work done in that area.  Maybe a cowl change/repair with a different vin?  Does the cowl have the 2 dash speakers?

Looking at the picture of the VIN you posted, it looks like there has been some filler work done in that area.  Maybe a cowl change/repair with a different vin?  Does the cowl have the 2 dash speakers?

dash has two speakers (speakers arent there but yes)

Late 80' or 81' then. Only single center speaker in dash through 79' and early 80'.

[OkieTransAm]

well heres some stampings ive caught on the car.

first is the passenger inner fender


second is the front core support


core support


this is on a bracket on the driver inner fender


here is the partial stamping behind the air box (didnt take the full thing off just the half closest to motor)

[Wallington]

All handy details. They are mostly just the stamped part numbers for the fenders and support brackets, but a few there also have date codes of when made, I think it's the same photo. In the bigger picture it doesn't tell anything as these can be swapped out after a bump, but yes, still point to a late 1980+ car as dated. The extra dash speakers would never find themselves on the same panel as the '79 VIN plate.

Does the 114008 on firewall match anything so far? Normally I'd say that reads as 2BL- Pontiac 1981 Van Nuys and then the number. But others will jump in.

The buildsheet was inside the rear seat? Easily visible? Seems weird to leave it there if swapping them out.

[OkieTransAm]

All handy details. They are mostly just the stamped part numbers for the fenders and support brackets, but a few there also have date codes of when made, I think it's the same photo. In the bigger picture it doesn't tell anything as these can be swapped out after a bump, but yes, still point to a late 1980+ car as dated. The extra dash speakers would never find themselves on the same panel as the '79 VIN plate.

Does the 114008 on firewall match anything so far? Normally I'd say that reads as 2BL- Pontiac 1981 Van Nuys and then the number. But others will jump in.

The buildsheet was inside the rear seat? Easily visible? Seems weird to leave it there if swapping them out.

I figured those other numbers were possibly production/part numbers but wasnt 100%, yes build sheet was 100% visible when i pulled the seat as well as there was no rear seat separation board (between seat and trunk) I'm not sure if those came factory or what? The 114008 doesnt match anything......Guess I'll go up to the police station see what they recommend as far as if they can run the numbers....Rather find out now rather then put time money and work into the car then just have it stripped from me. Nothing is adding up, 80-81 interior, build sheet doesnt even match the partial vin on the firewall behind ac box, nothings matching, title and dash vin match but dont match the buildsheet and interior and underhood things dont match up to the year vin the title and dash shows.........

[Wallington]

Yes, seeking advice doesn't hurt at all.
The fact there's no board behind the seats at least suggests that the seats have been out then.

[OkieTransAm]

Yes, seeking advice doesn't hurt at all.
The fact there's no board behind the seats at least suggests that the seats have been out then.

now decoding that partial vin shows that the 114008 is the production number, the L is Van Nuys the B is 1981 but the 2 could possibly be the check number according to the 1981 vin decoders

this site under the 1981 shows that the 2 could be the check number
http://allgentransams.com/production_information/vin_decoder/gen2.html

It would in my opinion make more sense to have it bc the check* number rather then the number for pontiac bc if it was for pontiac (which it could possibly be) why would they skip numbers for the partial vin bc then it would be xx2xxxxxxBL114008 (the x's are for the unkown numbers that would be left out)

If the 2 is the check* number then the vin would be xxxxxxxx2BL114008

[Wallington]

The make number is 2 for Pontiac, tells it apart from a Camaro on the production line. Check digit is possible but it was new in 1981 and not sure how you'd check it anyway or know what it was.

There's date codes on a lot of things, even the glass, but if course these can be swapped so not conclusive but can paint a picture. Same too of the control arms visible either side of engine with date codes, these also differed in type for 81 compared to 79, again could have been swapped.

[4speed76]

I took the liberty of taking some pics of my '81 firebirds 3 vins and hopefully it will answer some questions.  First photo is the vin on the dash BN123955 are the last 8 digits in the vin, 2nd photo is not the best but it is located under the A/C box just under the Blower motor hole BN123955, and the 3rd is in the same location as the one you posted BN123955.  All 3 of these should match.




I hope this helps.

[4speed76]

Also the '80-'81 vin rivets should visible on top of the dash.

[winks79]

According to the partial vin you found behind the a/c case, you have an 81' T/A. Those digits match the digits that I can make out on the driver door vin which is 1G2AW87W1BL114008. The build sheet does not go with that car, again it is for an 80' Formula. Looks more like someone put a 79' VIN in place of the 81' VIN and filled in around it to cover where the rivets were on the dash. If you will look closely at the driver door sticker pics you took you can make out what I did and see that it does match. Car would have been manufactured in DEC. 1980 and that could be correct for the radiator support stampings that show a date of Sept. of 1980. I'm voting that it is mostly an 81' T/A, and according to that vin, came with the 301, built in Van Nuys.