brownie_ta

My girlfriend just bought a 99 transam about a month ago. Its silver with a t56,ram air, and t-tops. Now heres the fishy part. I ran the vin to see what gears it came with. I thought all 6 speed cars came with 3:42s but this one came with 2:73s. Then i read on and saw that the vin came back to a mystic teal pearl formula/transam vert with a 4l60e! The car has transam bumpers but no badging what so ever on the whole car except in between the tail lights where it says firebird, but my car says transam there. It also doesnt have chrome wheels like mine but i was told that they were transam wheels. Theyre 5 spoke wheels but have kind of a hump or a twist maybe at the outer end of the spoke. All the original stickers are there that i was told were not allowed to be reproduced if the car got repainted(i ran into that prob with my car). Also after super close inspection in every nook and cranny i cant even come up with even a speck of teal pain anywhere? I read in a car craft magazine or somewhere that in older cars people were swapping in a dash from another car to make theirs seem like something it wasnt. Such as a gto recieveing the badging and dash with vin tag from a judge to get more money from it. Is this possible with newer cars? If anyone else has ever saw anything like this id like to hear that im not alone. And that the car isnt bogus. thanks

01pewterbird

sounds like it's a firebird somebody made into a TA. Especially If the filler bird says firebird. Could have possible been wrecked at one point in time.

brownie_ta

well actually i was thinking stolen or totaled with a legit vin tag swapped in? is that possible?

01pewterbird

Who knows sometimes its hard to tell. My car has some wierd things about it as well, undocumented repaint, and the license plate filler has a tag on the back saying it was made in 2003!

94blownz281

iTrader: (12)

so the car also has a LT1?

300bhp/ton

Sounds dodgy, most likely a ringer of some description. 1 car with anothers identity.

brownie_ta

no its an ls

SilverStang00

iTrader: (2)

Most likely a wrecked Firebird that somebody made into a TA. Did she get a carfax before she bought the car? They dont always show everything, but it is something.

2000badbird

iTrader: (5)

formulas say firebird inbetween the tail lights

brownie_ta

yeah we got a carfax and it said collision with another vehicle in 99 and then went through about 10 auctions and was only actually owned by two people bfore us since 99

thunderdan74

iTrader: (1)

He said the vin came back as a Formula/ Trans Am so it was never a V6. It's easy to swap that plate between the brake lights. And it sounds like it used to have an A4.

What's wierd is The VIN is for a vert. That is a lot of work to go back from a convertible. That sounds very strange to me. Possibly 2 cars spliced together. Look at the floorpans under the car. and compare them to yours. Do you see any weld seams that are not on your ride?

brownie_ta

hmm didnt think of that one! Have to check when we get a warm day

question

iTrader: (2)

I know this might sound a little crazy, but are you 100% sure you ran the correct vin? Just wondering...

brownie_ta

Most definately positive the matching vin to the cars tag

VORTECFCAR

iTrader: (2)

see if there's a vin ethed into the back hatch glass and if it matches. There may also be vin etching elseware of glass to match up. If the back glass doesn't match the front, run the vin on the back and see if its from a T56 car (if yes, then suspect dash swap).

brownie_ta

well the story we got with the car was that the last guys gf smashed all the windows out of it so theyve all been replaced

LS1T/A4

iTrader: (3)

Sounds fishy...

Fibbado

iTrader: (8)

Well there should be another VIN plate somewhere in the car, not positive on F-bodies but somwhere on the frame (someone knows I'm sure.. speak up).

A convertible to a T-Top car would be so much work its not even funny, it has to he some sort of hybrid, which would also be a lot of work. Take it to a dealership and ask them to plug it into a scan tool, which might possibly be able to pull the VIN (not positive, it works on our newer cars at my work but not the older). Or just ask them where the 2nd and 3rd VIN plates are.

Whats your redline in 1st gear? Use that to at least confirm that it has always been a manual car.. should be a little over 40.. i think hehe
Then work from there.. if it has the T56, correct gears, T-tops etc.. its probably a dash swap... which is illegal if you sell it after the dash swap without telling the buyer.

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

sounds like a swap.

brownie_ta

Im even more confused now? Ok she wrecked the car last night and at the bodyshop they pulled the vin and in there computer it came back as a silver trans am? I am so freakin lost! Is it possible that all 5 gm stores i called were idiots? But even if they were then that means the car fax was wrong too? im lost?