IROC Lovers?

[57taskforce]

As a some of you have probably seen I'm a big time Camaro guy. (I’m sure there’s a lot of us on here)

Well I bought another one to compliment my 2010 2SS/RS.
A 50,000 original mile ‘87 IROC Z TPI 305 with T Tops. The inside is in great shape but the NM sun has had its way with the paint. It’s been sitting since ~2003. It’s stupid loaded, only big things it was missing new in my opinion were either the 5 speed or the TPI 350 (couldn’t have both at the same time) it’s even got the G92 performance 3:27 ratio G80 disk brake rear end.

I wasn’t really planning on buying another one but the deal was too good to pass up. Just planning to get it running for now and see what comes up. The over all direction I want to go is a cammed 5.3 and some good suspension mods to get it to carve even better.
Anyone else got an IROC?

[Thealien]

I always liked those, underrated IMHO. Enjoy

[LS short box]

We did a LS6/4L60E swap into 89 RS for my car buddies son. Great swap.

[dagnabbitt]

These cars do not get nearly enough love. Great buy.

[Just call me Sean]

I had an '83 350/350 with a daytona hood. Spun a bearing the day I got it because I wasn't used to the console shifter and overrevved it shifting it manually. Put in another 350 and drove it for a while until I traded it to a young kid for an '86 K5 that was sitting in his yard for a long time. He came over some time later mad that the engine was making noise. He almost blew it up because he didn't know he had to check the oil. Then a tree fell on it during one of our hurricanes so he cut off the roof to make it a convertible.

[FleetsidePaul]

I had an 87 too, in about the same shape. I got it cheap. A great looking car in my opinion. But I got offered stupid money for it and sold it. I regret it now.

That paint doesn't hold up well in the sun. Mine had a "sunburn' just like that.

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice find and cool car! I like your plan with it too. Bye bye TPI.

[truckin 79]

I had a 90 Firebird with the aeropackage looked like a trans am. I loved the car but is terrible in wet weather. Even with the V-6 any light ran the tires would spin with light acceleration. Mine also came with the sun shades for t-tops and those held shade the interior. I forgot those once in the summer and man did the interior get hot. I almost bought a 89 Iroc but the guy backed out on me. I do like the look of the 3rd gen F-bodies

[LT7A]

I'm definitely an F-body fan but the one I have is an '88 Trans Am GTA. Outfitted very similarly to the one you bought. Had Cal Custom T-tops cut in by the previous owner since GTAs couldn't be ordered with the T-tops because of the body flex. And the body does flex, haha. But what would a Trans Am from the '80s be without T-tops? I'm sure glad you grabbed that one before it got baked further into the desert. Definitely worth the effort to bring back into drivable or even better condition. What would you think about doing a alternate tinkering thread? I like the IROC version a lot too.

[Greg58]

Patina!

[57taskforce]

Thanks guys, this thing is gonna be a blast. Glad I’m not the only one who thinks these things are pretty cool. My dad bough an ‘86 Z28 non Iroc brand new. I am getting pretty excited. Not looking forward to digging it out though haha. Gonna have to get a set of roller tires to get it sucked out and on a roll back.

[LS short box]

Couple things we did to my car buddy son's car.
Added CTSV Brembo front brakes using C5 13" rotors.
Changed out the stock rear end to the Aussy 9 bolt rear end.

[LONGHAIR]

Those cars were sadly a product of a lousy time in American car manufacturing.
Somehow the factory "engineers" were way behind the 8 ball in the area of fuel economy and emissions technology. Every vehicle built in that era suffered the mayhem that they imposed.
Ridiculously high gear ratios with overdrive transmissions, worse ignition curves, abysmal performance and a 305?
Even Corvettes suffered back then.
The IROC Camaro was supposed to be a tribute to a racing series, but the cars were a dud, so was the Z/28, and everything else at the time. They even saddled some of the 3rd gen cars with 4 cylinder engines?


I am a huge Camaro fan, owned 4 '69s, the first one being an SS/RS. Still have a '14 that I bought new. My favorite are the first gens and the current version is a decent tribute to them.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

Those cars were sadly a product of a lousy time in American car manufacturing.
Somehow the factory "engineers" were way behind the 8 ball in the area of fuel economy and emissions technology. Every vehicle built in that era suffered the mayhem that they imposed.
Ridiculously high gear ratios with overdrive transmissions, worse ignition curves, abysmal performance and a 305?
Even Corvettes suffered back then.
The IROC Camaro was supposed to be a tribute to a racing series, but the cars were a dud, so was the Z/28, and everything else at the time. They even saddled some of the 3rd gen cars with 4 cylinder engines?


I am a huge Camaro fan, owned 4 '69s, the first one being an SS/RS. Still have a '14 that I bought new. My favorite are the first gens and the current version is a decent tribute to them.

They were sad times indeed. Regulations strangled them. My 76 Corvette was a perfect example. It couldn't get out of it's own way. Emission controls and those ugly bumpers that came out in about 1974 ruined so many great cars.
Uglier than a one legged whore rolling in around in mud.

[LONGHAIR]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

They were sad times indeed. Regulations strangled them. My 76 Corvette was a perfect example. It couldn't get out of it's own way. Emission controls and those ugly bumpers that came out in about 1974 ruined so many great cars.
Uglier than a one legged whore rolling in around in mud.

Second gen Camaros really got hit in the mouth with those regulations. The early ones (70-73) looked great, then came the plastic/rubber garbage to cover up the bumpers? Yuk

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

Those cars were sadly a product of a lousy time in American car manufacturing.
Somehow the factory "engineers" were way behind the 8 ball in the area of fuel economy and emissions technology. Every vehicle built in that era suffered the mayhem that they imposed.
Ridiculously high gear ratios with overdrive transmissions, worse ignition curves, abysmal performance and a 305?
Even Corvettes suffered back then.
The IROC Camaro was supposed to be a tribute to a racing series, but the cars were a dud, so was the Z/28, and everything else at the time. They even saddled some of the 3rd gen cars with 4 cylinder engines?


I am a huge Camaro fan, owned 4 '69s, the first one being an SS/RS. Still have a '14 that I bought new. My favorite are the first gens and the current version is a decent tribute to them.

I'd still bet the 4 cylinder was more reliable than the 83 Crossfire.....

[LONGHAIR]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

I'd still bet the 4 cylinder was more reliable than the 83 Crossfire.....

They were perfectly fine engines, later version of the Iron Duke 151, just not a performance car engine. Vega, Chevette, sure.

3.1 (or 3100) depending upon which car it went in, where pretty much the boat anchor of that time.

[Tom]

I love IROC's.
I just love 87-93 GT hatchback mustangs more lolol

[Rickysnickers]

Me too Tom, except I preferred the LX 5.0

[57taskforce]

I guess because I’ve always been a Chevy guy, I could never get into the fox bodies. They never had the cool factor to me that they do to a lot of people. One thing is for sure then and now; a Chevy engine still makes them the fastest they can be!

Longhair- I’m going to rectify the biggest problems with the 80’s performance don’t worry! A little LS here and maybe a little boost their and it’ll be a big load of fun.

LS shortbox- I’ve read about the C5 brakes. Definitely on my list. I’d like to get my hands on a moser 12 bolt down the line and run a big disk kit on it as well.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

I guess because I’ve always been a Chevy guy, I could never get into the fox bodies. They never had the cool factor to me that they do to a lot of people. One thing is for sure then and now; a Chevy engine still makes them the fastest they can be!

Longhair- I’m going to rectify the biggest problems with the 80’s performance don’t worry! A little LS here and maybe a little boost their and it’ll be a big load of fun.

LS shortbox- I’ve read about the C5 brakes. Definitely on my list. I’d like to get my hands on a moser 12 bolt down the line and run a big disk kit on it as well.

I never got into Fox bodies either. Everyone had them in high school. When I was in college I loved beating on them with my "stock" 97 F250 PSD. My Uncle had a 93 Convertible 5.0 and blabbed how fast it was until he rode in the old powerjoke. He still has that car and 2 other LS swapped ones too.

A guy local to me has one of the baddest Iroc's in the USA I'd bet. It has all kinds of trick stuff on the LT including LS coils and operating system. It also is beautiful blue. Here's some inspiration for you.

[FleetsidePaul]

Tyler, you messed with me today. I was at the market and a guy drove by in a black IROC like my old one and my first thought was to chase him down like a lunatic and ask if he wanted to sell it.

Fortunately for my checkbook, he drove away fast.

But I've got the fever. I want another one.

This isn't my car. But it's close. Mine was a little more beat up... Okay a lot more beat up. But I liked it.

[Bigdav160]

While the third gen cars handled well and could pull good G's in the corners, I always thought the ride sucked. Very little suspension travel and harsh. (I drove a lot of them as a Chevrolet tech).

Call me old school, I prefer my chrome bumper Z28 (but have fun with it!)

edit: What's wrong with a TPI? I have one installed in my '73

[LS short box]

Couple more things on my car buddies son 89 RS.
We used a Speartech LS harness. We sent the engine chassis harness to Speartech and they integrated it with their LS engine harness so everything plugged in including the AC.
They had to notch the right frame rail to clear the AC compressor. He used 2002 Camaro FEA stuff.
In the summer of 2008 the son ran the fastest autocross time in the late model class at the Car Craft Nationals in St.Paul. Featured in Car Craft magazine in Jan 2009.

[Shifty One]

I miss her...