Pontiac Firebird (1982) – Ultimate Guide
Introduction
- A new, aerodynamically restyled Firebird was 1982’s foremost news from Pontiac.
- Instead of the previous four models, the revised Firebird came in three variations:
- base coupe
- luxury SE coupe
- Trans Am coupe
- Each one had its own suspension and tire setup.
- Engines:
- Base engine was now a fuel-injected 151-cid (2.5-liter) four cylinder hooked to a four-speed manual gearbox.
- The SE carried a standard 173-cid (2.8-liter) two-barrel V-6, also with a four-speed transmission.
- The Trans Am had a 305-cid (5.0-liter) four-barrel V-8 with a four-speed transmission.
- Trans Am buyers could also step up to a dual throttle-body (crossfire) fuel injection V-8 with fresh-air hood induction.
- Body:
- A low nose now held electrically controlled hidden halogen headlamps.
- Park/signal lamps sat in squat slots inboard of the headlamps, barely visible with the headlamp doors shut.
- The twin air slots contained horizontal bars.
- At the rear was a large, contoured, frameless all-glass hatch.
- The tail lamps were housed in a full-width back panel.
- The Firebird SE added full-width black tail lamps, body-color body side moldings, lower accent paint (with striping), turbo cast aluminum wheels, P205/70R14 steel-belted black sidewall tires and rear stabilizer bar.
- The Trans Am included bird decals on hood and sail panel, front fender air extractors, front and rear wheel-opening flares, and an aero wing deck lid spoiler.
- A WS6 suspension (optional on SE and Trans Am) included P215/65R15 steel-belted radial (SBR) tires on 7-in. aluminum wheels, larger stabilizer bars, four-wheel disc brakes, a posi-traction rear axle, and tuned springs, shocks, and bushings.
- Standard Firebird equipment included P195/75R14 glass-belted black sidewall tires, hubcaps, a black-finished grille, a front air dam, power brakes, power steering, a front stabilizer bar, side window defoggers, and a black-finished instrument panel.
- Interior:
- Reclining front bucket seats were standard.
- A new Formula steering wheel had an energy-absorbing hub.
I.D. NUMBERS
Pontiac introduced its new 17-symbol Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) | ||
---|---|---|
It was located on the upper left surface of the instrument panel, visible through the windshield | ||
Position | Character | Description |
1st | 1 | US built |
2nd | G | General Motors product |
3rd | 2 | Pontiac Motor Division vehicle |
4th | A | Manual seatbelts |
5th | S | Firebird |
X | SE | |
W | Trans Am | |
6th & 7th | 87 | Body style number: two-door plainback special coupe |
8th | * | Engine type where * is replaced by the following
|
9th | ? | A check digit that calculates the characters in the serial number and gives it a single digit code and can be used to verify that the serial number is legitimate |
10th | C | The model year where C = 1982 |
11th | _ | Manufacturing plant code |
12th to 17th | 100001 and up | Production sequence serial number |
IDENTIFICATION
Model Number | Style Number | Body Type | Seating | Factory Price | Shipping Weight | Production Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2F | S87 | 2-door Hardtop Base Firebird – Four | 4 | $7996 | 41,863 both 4 & V8 |
|
2F | S87 | 2-door Hardtop Base Firebird – V6 | 4 | $8121 | ||
2F | X87 | 2-door Hardtop SE – V6 | 4 | $9624 | 21,719 | |
2F | X87 | 2-door Hardtop SE – V8 | 4 | $9819 | ||
2F | W87 | 2-door Hardtop Trans Am – V8 | 4 | $9658 | 52,960 |
ENGINE
VIN Code | R or 2 | X or 1 | H (Chev) | 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cylinders | Four (inline) | 60° V-6 | 90° V-8 | 90° V-8 |
Valving | Overhead valve | Overhead valve | Overhead valve | Overhead valve |
Block | Cast-iron | Cast-iron | Cast-iron | Cast-iron |
Head | Cast-iron | Aluminum | Cast-iron | Cast-iron |
Bore & Stroke | 4.00 x 3.00 in. | 3.50 x 3.00 in. | 3.74 x 3.48 in. | 4.00 x 3.00 in. |
Displacement | 151 cid (2.5 liters) | 173 cid (2.8 liters) | 305 cid (5.0 liters) | 305 cid (5.0 liters) |
Compression ratio | 8.2 : 1 | 8.5 : 1 | 8.6 : 1 | 9.5 : 1 |
Brake H.P. | 90 @ 4000 rpm | 105 @ 4800 | 145 @ 4000 rpm | 165 @ 4200 rpm |
Torque (lb-ft) | 134 @ 2400 rpm | 142 @ 2400 rpm | 240 @ 2000 rpm | 240 @ 2400 rpm |
Main bearings | Five | Four | Five | Five |
Valve lifters | Hydraulic | |||
Carburetor | Throttle-body fuel injection | 2-barrel Rochester E2SE | 4-barrel Rochester E4ME | Throttle-body fuel Injection |
TRANSMISSION
Four-speed Transmission | Standard |
Three-speed Turbo-Hydra-Matic | Optional |
Final drive ratio with V-6 | 3.23 : 1 |
Final drive ratio with V-8 | 3.23 : 1 |
CHASSIS
FEATURE | Firebird | SE | Trans Am |
---|---|---|---|
Wheelbase | 101.0 in. | 101.0 in. | 101.0 in. |
Overall length | 189.8 in. | 189.8 in. | 189.8 in. |
Height | 49.8 in. | 49.8 | 49.8 |
Width | 72.0 | 72.0 | 72.0 |
Front tread | 60.7 | 60.7 | 60.7 |
Rear tread | 60.6 | 60.6 | 60.6 |
Tires | P195/75R14 GBR BSW | P205/70R14 SBR BSW | P205/70R14 SBR BSW |
Steering | Recirculating ball | ||
Front suspension | Modified MacPherson struts with coil springs between lower control arm and X-member | ||
Rear suspension | Torque arm/track bar with coil springs | Torque arm/track bar with coil springs and anti-sway bar | |
Brakes | Front disc, rear drums | ||
Ignition | Electronic | ||
Body construction | Unit | ||
Fuel tank | 16 gal |
OPTIONS
HISTORICAL NOTES
1982 Firebird Notes
- Introduced on Jan. 14, 1982
- While other Pontiac models dropped in sales, the Firebird increased from 70,899 to 116,382
- The new Firebird design received extensive wind tunnel testing
1982 Automotive Notes
- GM news:
- Ford news:
- Chrysler news:
- AMC news:
- Other makes news:
- Top American Automobile Corporations for 1982
1. General Motors 3,516,326
2. Ford  1,162,642
3. Chrysler 592,605
4. AMCÂ 101,915
5. Others  2,412
- Top model year production for 1982
Chevrolet 1,297,357
Ford 748,732
Buick 739,984
Skyhawk  47,918
Skylark  145,855
Century 102,965
Regal  225,419
LeSabre 98,820
Electra  76,232
Riviera  44,071
Oldsmobile  702,340
Pontiac  541,061
Mercury 328,597
Plymouth 247,936
Dodge  241,359
Cadillac  235,584
Cimarron 25,968
Seville  19,998
DeVille  98,820
Eldorado   52,018
Fleetwood Brougham  37,330
Fleetwood Limousine 1,450
Chrysler 103,310
AMCÂ 101,915
Spirit 20,182
Concord  43,810
Eagle  5010,965
Eagle  3026,958
Lincoln 85,313
Checker  2,000
Excalibur 212
Avanti IIÂ Â 200