Ugh...decisions about my IROC - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

MerF · 08-15-2007, 07:24 PM

So I started up the IROC today, and that all-too familiar feeling of nostalgia flooded over me.

Not to mention I had recruited a slight mob to help me move the car "safely" from one friend's house to another. They were all pretty impressed to hear a 305 rumble like she did after being pretty much dead for 1.5 years. And of course there are so few 3rd gen convertibles around, it always gets some looks.

I have huge problems, mostly the fact that I'm no longer military and the car is still registered/wearing Florida tags. So to get it on the road I have to get it registered/titled in the communist-wealth here, which means it has to be safety-inspected.

Well let's just look at what that will take, shall we?

1) Brakes. The reason it's parked to begin with. I had to replace the rear-end 2 years ago. The replacement rear-end (junkyard special) had drums rusted solid from being outside for years...so I removed them, with full intentions of adding new brakes soon. Not sono enough however before the open rear lines caused the proportioning valve (I assume) to go out and something went out in the Master Cylinder (maybe seals from the sudden pressure drop of fluid dumping out when I hit the brakes?)

1a) Summary: I need a complete brake system for an '89 IROC convertible with a 1994 auto rear-end...including every last thing on the axles....yes, even the drums themselves.

2) The shifter. Previous owner did a ghetto ass install of the shifter, bypassing the nuetral-safety switch. Besides the obvious problem of it starting without having to be in park or nuetral, the transmission will not shift into Overdrive without it. Don't know why, but it won't. Sucks on the highway, let me tell you. Also, the shifter (B&M ratchet-style) won't ratchet all the way to 1st gear.

3) For some reason stepping on the brake makes the parking lights come on. I have read that having the wrong bulbs installed in the taillights/blinkers can cause this very strange problem.

4) The car will not run with the MAF connected. It runs fine in limp mode (no MAF) but this is not how I want the car to run.

5) Because of the above, the plugs foul very quickly and on average runs on 5-7 cylinders max at any given time. The slight advantage is it sounds like I got a mean-lumpy cam in it...hehe. This is assisted with the very decent catback with a Flowmaster dual-chamber on it.

6) In it's year hiatus...neighborhood kids broke my driver's seat. Hell it might have been my kid (ore-divorce when she lived with me), but someone broke my seat, it's no longer connected to the floor.

7) Aftermarket steering wheel...horn not connected. I hope that 89's didn't come with an airbag from the factory or this may really suck come inspection-time.

8) Heater core bypassed due to it exploding. Yummy anti-freeze in my interior one day while at work. Didn't take long to diagnose that one. Started to disassemble the dash to replace it, literally the next day the brakes went out.

9) Windows have been sitting too long, last night barely got them moving, the motors might have seized up from lack of use. I'm pretty sure the car chuckled when I tried to use the door locks.

10) The tranny slips badly. Since the day I bought it, the tranny has been in dire need of refreshing. The belts/clutches are fried (evident by the 1/2" of sludge on the pan-magnet when I changed the burnt ass tranny fluid right after I got the car). The tranny will NOT do the 2-3 shift under power, I have to let off throttle for it to shift into third.

There's the top-10 reasons it's gotta go into storage (which of course, after 6 months of storage, the repairs will have paid for themselves....but I'm not bright enough to realize this as I type it and will store it rather than fix it anyway).

All this being said (are you actually still reading this shit?) the car ran a 15.5@89 the day I got silly and took it to the test and tune. That's right...limp mode (no MAF), slipping tranny (won't 2-3 shift under throttle), convertible 305 TPI...ran a 15/5@89 MPH. WAY too fast for that car. My '91 that was MINT was considerably slower than that. The engine has been rebuilt and at least been touched up a little on the inside. no idea what, but something...the bottom end (looking at the block with the car on the lift) is spotlessly clean...it's been worked on.

SO!!!!!! The question I pose is...how much do you think it will cost for all this? I have my ballpark figure, which I won't share for the sake of making you come up with something...but I have to do something. I'm about to be sharing space and money with GF and two kids...times are changing!

Seriously, some of you just straight up skipped form the 2nd paragraph to this line, didn't you?

And of course... :tweetz:

alleykt123 · 08-15-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerF

I'm pretty sure the car chuckled when I tried to use the door locks.

If you think your car is laughin' at ya, it just might be time to step away…

*Mr. Wyndham* · 08-15-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alleykt123

If you think your car is laughin' at ya, it just might be time to step away…

I was thinking almost the same thing...:eek: Yeah, I did read that whole thing. A lot of what you said included the phrase "previous owner". I hope you got this thing for free, because the "previous owner" sounds like a fool, and this poor IROC sounds like it's been through the ringer!

I'm no Mechanic, or have ever had to do such extensive repairs - so I can't provide any type of figure, ballpark or otherwise...

I can offer a modest opinion though. It sounds to me that most everything except the engine itself needs to be replaced. Having said that...Do you want a 5th gen? If so, I suggest give the car one last, good :tweetz:, then retire the IROC, Sell it for $1.00

, or let a junkyard have it. Save the money for the 5th gen.....Poor, poor, car.

MerF · 08-15-2007, 08:58 PM

I wish it were that simple. Don't tell my lienholder, but me and the ex-wife did a consolidation loan on the title of this car...for $12,000. I really paid about $3k for it. But I still owe about $4k on it.

It's not going anywhere anytime soon, folks.

I'm gonna share some pics of her after her first bath.

TFord · 08-16-2007, 05:03 PM

MerF I got a navy buddy back in GA that has a beautiful 3rd gen vert. candy apple red with black racing stripes, american racing chrome rims on her. Ill see if I can get a hold of him. he actually built that Iroc out of 2 junkers that he owned. I think he'd be able to give you a good ballpark guess.

MerF · 08-16-2007, 05:33 PM

That would be swell.

Yeah, I said swell.

*TAG UR IT* · 08-17-2007, 01:50 AM

$3,000.....my guess. The majority of that going into the tranny. The rest of the parts are pick and pull parts...junkyard.

Just a Skidmark · 08-17-2007, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerF

Seriously, some of you just straight up skipped form the 2nd paragraph to this line, didn't you?

And of course... :tweetz:

ya, sorry dude, I have the attention span of a squirell when it comes to long scary novels...

AFSNightrod · 08-17-2007, 02:42 PM

How's the body on it? There are two ways you can go here. One is buy a slightly used LS1:tweetz: , new 4L80E conversion:tweetz:, and a new Moser 12 bolt:tweetz:. Get on LS1Tech and you should find everything you need for under ten grand. Or like Tag said about 3-4k using used(Junkyard is such a harsh term isn't it?) parts and getting a tranny rebuild done at a shop.:tweetz: Either way that car deserves to be saved. Third gen verts are fairly rare.

z28camaro2471 · 08-17-2007, 05:14 PM

:tweetz: :tweetz: What's the insurance value? It could always catch fire or get stolen!:tweetz: :tweetz:

MerF · 08-17-2007, 07:10 PM

Value for the car is about half of what I owe.

And I can't help but LOL at the fact that everyone has boobies wiggling in their posts now.

kuulkatdadieo · 08-17-2007, 07:55 PM

Hey, merf go to www.thirdgen.org . They give great answers to your questions. And I'am a member their, and they love firebirds and camaros from '82 to '92.

MerF · 08-17-2007, 09:48 PM

I'm a member, it's been a while since I was there. Honestly, I know what I need to do and I know what it will cost, I've done th ebudget for it forever ago and lost it. I just need to DO it.

Basically this was a rant more than anyhting.

ckellyme3 · 07-29-2008, 03:50 PM

yeah man if you still owe on the car then do it. it will be worth it in the long run. my 86 IROC was in great shape when i got it, it only had 23K miles on it and the orginal engine. it was originally my uncles and he threw the 406 stroker i bought along with a doug nash 6 speed and a new rear axle to handle the extra hp. All in all i put about 10k including buying the car from him and i only drive it on weekends and random days but its soo worth it when i hit the gas. these are great cars to mess with man. get on it sooner rather than later you'll be glad you did.

08-15-2007, 07:24 PM	#1
MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,533	Ugh...decisions about my IROC So I started up the IROC today, and that all-too familiar feeling of nostalgia flooded over me. Not to mention I had recruited a slight mob to help me move the car "safely" from one friend's house to another. They were all pretty impressed to hear a 305 rumble like she did after being pretty much dead for 1.5 years. And of course there are so few 3rd gen convertibles around, it always gets some looks. I have huge problems, mostly the fact that I'm no longer military and the car is still registered/wearing Florida tags. So to get it on the road I have to get it registered/titled in the communist-wealth here, which means it has to be safety-inspected. Well let's just look at what that will take, shall we? 1) Brakes. The reason it's parked to begin with. I had to replace the rear-end 2 years ago. The replacement rear-end (junkyard special) had drums rusted solid from being outside for years...so I removed them, with full intentions of adding new brakes soon. Not sono enough however before the open rear lines caused the proportioning valve (I assume) to go out and something went out in the Master Cylinder (maybe seals from the sudden pressure drop of fluid dumping out when I hit the brakes?) 1a) Summary: I need a complete brake system for an '89 IROC convertible with a 1994 auto rear-end...including every last thing on the axles....yes, even the drums themselves. 2) The shifter. Previous owner did a ghetto ass install of the shifter, bypassing the nuetral-safety switch. Besides the obvious problem of it starting without having to be in park or nuetral, the transmission will not shift into Overdrive without it. Don't know why, but it won't. Sucks on the highway, let me tell you. Also, the shifter (B&M ratchet-style) won't ratchet all the way to 1st gear. 3) For some reason stepping on the brake makes the parking lights come on. I have read that having the wrong bulbs installed in the taillights/blinkers can cause this very strange problem. 4) The car will not run with the MAF connected. It runs fine in limp mode (no MAF) but this is not how I want the car to run. 5) Because of the above, the plugs foul very quickly and on average runs on 5-7 cylinders max at any given time. The slight advantage is it sounds like I got a mean-lumpy cam in it...hehe. This is assisted with the very decent catback with a Flowmaster dual-chamber on it. 6) In it's year hiatus...neighborhood kids broke my driver's seat. Hell it might have been my kid (ore-divorce when she lived with me), but someone broke my seat, it's no longer connected to the floor. 7) Aftermarket steering wheel...horn not connected. I hope that 89's didn't come with an airbag from the factory or this may really suck come inspection-time. 8) Heater core bypassed due to it exploding. Yummy anti-freeze in my interior one day while at work. Didn't take long to diagnose that one. Started to disassemble the dash to replace it, literally the next day the brakes went out. 9) Windows have been sitting too long, last night barely got them moving, the motors might have seized up from lack of use. I'm pretty sure the car chuckled when I tried to use the door locks. 10) The tranny slips badly. Since the day I bought it, the tranny has been in dire need of refreshing. The belts/clutches are fried (evident by the 1/2" of sludge on the pan-magnet when I changed the burnt ass tranny fluid right after I got the car). The tranny will NOT do the 2-3 shift under power, I have to let off throttle for it to shift into third. There's the top-10 reasons it's gotta go into storage (which of course, after 6 months of storage, the repairs will have paid for themselves....but I'm not bright enough to realize this as I type it and will store it rather than fix it anyway). All this being said (are you actually still reading this shit?) the car ran a 15.5@89 the day I got silly and took it to the test and tune. That's right...limp mode (no MAF), slipping tranny (won't 2-3 shift under throttle), convertible 305 TPI...ran a 15/5@89 MPH. WAY too fast for that car. My '91 that was MINT was considerably slower than that. The engine has been rebuilt and at least been touched up a little on the inside. no idea what, but something...the bottom end (looking at the block with the car on the lift) is spotlessly clean...it's been worked on. SO!!!!!! The question I pose is...how much do you think it will cost for all this? I have my ballpark figure, which I won't share for the sake of making you come up with something...but I have to do something. I'm about to be sharing space and money with GF and two kids...times are changing! Seriously, some of you just straight up skipped form the 2nd paragraph to this line, didn't you? And of course... :tweetz:

08-17-2007, 07:55 PM	#12
kuulkatdadieo Stang Killer Drives: 1989 Pontaic Trans Am GTA Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tennessee Posts: 18	Hey, merf go to www.thirdgen.org . They give great answers to your questions. And I'am a member their, and they love firebirds and camaros from '82 to '92. __________________

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
5TH GEN CAMARO IROC Z28	06stalliongt	Camaro ZL1 Forum - ZL1 Specific Topics	21	11-13-2009 09:04 AM
WTB - 87 iroc wheels	3whiterag	General Automotive + Other Cars Discussion	0	03-10-2007 12:46 PM

08-15-2007, 08:58 PM	#4
MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,533	I wish it were that simple. Don't tell my lienholder, but me and the ex-wife did a consolidation loan on the title of this car...for $12,000. I really paid about $3k for it. But I still owe about $4k on it. It's not going anywhere anytime soon, folks. I'm gonna share some pics of her after her first bath.

08-16-2007, 05:03 PM	#5
TFord Camaro Fanatic Drives: 2000 Z28 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 1,809 View My Garage	MerF I got a navy buddy back in GA that has a beautiful 3rd gen vert. candy apple red with black racing stripes, american racing chrome rims on her. Ill see if I can get a hold of him. he actually built that Iroc out of 2 junkers that he owned. I think he'd be able to give you a good ballpark guess.

08-16-2007, 05:33 PM	#6
MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,533	That would be swell. Yeah, I said swell.

08-17-2007, 01:50 AM	#7
TAG UR IT www.Camaro5store.com Drives: 2014 ZL1 #705 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: SA, Texas Posts: 26,558 View My Garage	$3,000.....my guess. The majority of that going into the tranny. The rest of the parts are pick and pull parts...junkyard.

08-17-2007, 02:42 PM	#9
AFSNightrod Back in Black Drives: 2005 Cadillac CTS-V Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 326	How's the body on it? There are two ways you can go here. One is buy a slightly used LS1:tweetz: , new 4L80E conversion:tweetz:, and a new Moser 12 bolt:tweetz:. Get on LS1Tech and you should find everything you need for under ten grand. Or like Tag said about 3-4k using used(Junkyard is such a harsh term isn't it?) parts and getting a tranny rebuild done at a shop.:tweetz: Either way that car deserves to be saved. Third gen verts are fairly rare.

08-17-2007, 05:14 PM	#10
z28camaro2471 C5 Member #227 Drives: Camaros Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NY Posts: 808	:tweetz: :tweetz: What's the insurance value? It could always catch fire or get stolen!:tweetz: :tweetz:

08-17-2007, 07:10 PM	#11
MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,533	Value for the car is about half of what I owe. And I can't help but LOL at the fact that everyone has boobies wiggling in their posts now.

08-17-2007, 09:48 PM	#13
MerF Go Rays! Drives: 03 Trailblazer Join Date: May 2007 Location: St Pete, Florida Posts: 2,533	I'm a member, it's been a while since I was there. Honestly, I know what I need to do and I know what it will cost, I've done th ebudget for it forever ago and lost it. I just need to DO it. Basically this was a rant more than anyhting.

07-29-2008, 03:50 PM	#14
ckellyme3 Drives: 1986 IROC 406 stroker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: exton pa Posts: 150	yeah man if you still owe on the car then do it. it will be worth it in the long run. my 86 IROC was in great shape when i got it, it only had 23K miles on it and the orginal engine. it was originally my uncles and he threw the 406 stroker i bought along with a doug nash 6 speed and a new rear axle to handle the extra hp. All in all i put about 10k including buying the car from him and i only drive it on weekends and random days but its soo worth it when i hit the gas. these are great cars to mess with man. get on it sooner rather than later you'll be glad you did.