The car that made me fall in love with Camaros

[olrocker]

I was 12 years old. I was already a car nut thanks to the Dukes of Hazzard when I was 6. I knew about older Camaros from the muscle car era and thought both they and the early 80s Camaros were cool, but when they rolled out this baby with that awesome intake plenum and what was an incredible 215 hp (and eye popping 275 lb/ft tq) for a reasonably priced car that I knew even then my parents could afford if I could con them into buying one ( ), this was IT for me. I never looked back. I knew one day I was going to own a Camaro:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/951804...ibextid=Ls6BEq

Does anyone know of a manufacturer who could fabricate an aluminum intake manifold to at least look similar to this one that would somehow bolt on directly to our modern LT1s to replace that hideous black plastic monstrosity we have hiding under an even worse fake plastic monstrosity?

[102SS]

The LB9 5.0L and the L98 5.7L were the best truck engines they never put in trucks

I remember falling in love at first site too.

The bundle of snakes look had a very cool exotic appearance but didn't flow very well above 4500rpm which made putting them in Vettes Camaros and Birds kind of funny.

Stop light to stop light the torque was great but at the dragstrip it was a dog.

You want eye appeal for your LS3/L99 there are a bunch of Ram type intakes available that flow way better than the old TPI...40 years of technology will do that

Summit has a bunch

https://www.summitracing.com/search?...ke%20manifolds

[102SS]

Sorry just seen you bought a new LT1 Camaro and I am not sure what would fit in that application.

[olrocker]

Originally Posted by 102SS

Sorry just seen you bought a new LT1 Camaro and I am not sure what would fit in that application.

Yeah I just looked through Summit Racing parts and stuff that looks cool and I thought might fit the Gen V LT1 are for forced induction or require other modifications. I don’t want to go crazy, just a nicer looking aluminum intake is all I want.

[Evergreen6]

IROC for me too. There was no way in hell my folks were going to let me own one even if I paid for it myself. By the late 90's, LS cars were all the rage and LT1's were reaching "young driver" affordability. I had a couple of V6 4th gens until I moved out on my own, and then I had an LS1 Z28. So I never owned an IROC until I was about 35. Bought one that was all original but had been off the road for more than 10 years. I slowly brought it back to health. It was a nice example, had 60k actual miles, but lots of rot from just sitting. It smoked and leaked, the whole thing had to be gone through.

That was an example of meeting one of my automotive heroes, though. The LB9 is hideously slow by modern standards. The whole car except for the drivetrain is built like junk. I don't mind plastic, but it's all cheap, brittle plastic (even when it's new). But the car's lines are amazing, and the intake plenum is iconic, and the sound and technology is so signature 80's, absolutely delicious. And they're still wickedly fun to drive. I've loved them since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

[olrocker]

Originally Posted by Evergreen6

IROC for me too. There was no way in hell my folks were going to let me own one even if I paid for it myself. By the late 90's, LS cars were all the rage and LT1's were reaching "young driver" affordability. I had a couple of V6 4th gens until I moved out on my own, and then I had an LS1 Z28. So I never owned an IROC until I was about 35. Bought one that was all original but had been off the road for more than 10 years. I slowly brought it back to health. It was a nice example, had 60k actual miles, but lots of rot from just sitting. It smoked and leaked, the whole thing had to be gone through.

That was an example of meeting one of my automotive heroes, though. The LB9 is hideously slow by modern standards. The whole car except for the drivetrain is built like junk. I don't mind plastic, but it's all cheap, brittle plastic (even when it's new). But the car's lines are amazing, and the intake plenum is iconic, and the sound and technology is so signature 80's, absolutely delicious. And they're still wickedly fun to drive. I've loved them since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

I didn’t think the interior plastics in 80s F-bodies were that bad. After ‘85 GM had strengthened/beefed up the chassis a little so it didn’t flex and shimmy as bad as early 80s third Gen’s.

The interiors were Certainly better than the plastic fantastic interiors GM would produce from the late 90s through the mid-2010s. Those were Fisher Price level bad. Yikes!

I never compare classic cars to modern cars. I compare them to what was currently being produced at the time the car was produced. It’s unfair - our current Gen V LT1s in our 6th Gens make the kind of power only available in a Lamborghini Countach in ‘88. And more. Heck the ultra low production ‘87 Buick GNX was the fastest car GM produced that year, faster than the Corvette, and it’s about as fast as the 6th Gen 3.6 V6.

[102SS]

I enjoyed my 1988 TA GTA L98 in fire red(looked like maroon) with camel cloth interior and digital dash.

I modded it and got a 14.1 out of it before I sold and bought a 1994 TA GT which ran 14.01 stock(of course it didn't go 13.99)

Just like my 5th gen going 13.08 stock oh so close

[Evergreen6]

Originally Posted by olrocker

I didn’t think the interior plastics in 80s F-bodies were that bad. After ‘85 GM had strengthened/beefed up the chassis a little so it didn’t flex and shimmy as bad as early 80s third Gen’s.

The interiors were Certainly better than the plastic fantastic interiors GM would produce from the late 90s through the mid-2010s. Those were Fisher Price level bad. Yikes!

They were that bad from a materials and quality standpoint. Not to argue the point, though. I do prefer the design of the 3rd's interior over the 4th gen (until 97).

The early 4th gens 93-96 saw a lot of design and quality improvements, and things got better in the later years 97+. Overall, still pretty cheap though.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by olrocker

I didn’t think the interior plastics in 80s F-bodies were that bad. After ‘85 GM had strengthened/beefed up the chassis a little so it didn’t flex and shimmy as bad as early 80s third Gen’s.

The interiors were Certainly better than the plastic fantastic interiors GM would produce from the late 90s through the mid-2010s. Those were Fisher Price level bad. Yikes!

I never compare classic cars to modern cars. I compare them to what was currently being produced at the time the car was produced. It’s unfair - our current Gen V LT1s in our 6th Gens make the kind of power only available in a Lamborghini Countach in ‘88. And more. Heck the ultra low production ‘87 Buick GNX was the fastest car GM produced that year, faster than the Corvette, and it’s about as fast as the 6th Gen 3.6 V6.

So glad you said that. It’s amazing how so many don’t actually get this. The other day I was on a Detroit expressway and a late 60s Shelby GT350 drove past. He looked at me and floored it. I let him go. That car is one of my dream cars, but I know that compared to the technological improvements in the car I was driving he didn’t stand a chance. I wasn’t gonna be the one to ruin his dream.

Good luck finding the plenum that can work with your LT1.

My love affair with Camaro started in the mid-70s, ironically started by seeing a 1st gen. I’d seen them before of course, but this one was maxed out and just beautiful and sounded totally bad-ass. I came within a whisker of buying a ‘76 Z28 in ‘79 but I was smart enough even then to check on insurance before putting money down. Wound up buying a ‘76 Mustang Cobra II. While attending General Motors Institute . By the time I graduated I had owned four different Mustangs, including two Indy Pace Cars. For those of you that I tend to spar with in other threads it should now be plainly clear that I’ve always been that against-the-grain kinda guy. My ‘17 Camaro Fifty is the first and only Camaro I’ve ever owned (many driven, only owned this one).

[Evergreen6]

No doubt I will be demonized for bringing up the 3rd gen's cheap interior. It was cheap back then too. But that was part of the car's success -- affordable performance, other things were secondary. The IROC was a leap forward in the segment with its computerized engine controls, electronic fuel management. It brought Corvette performance in an affordable and more practical package. When I think of under-appreciated cars in terms of historical significance, the IROC is at the top of my list.

I'm selling a low-mile early LT1 Z28 today to a young man. In the back of my mind I was hoping someone more likely to preserve the car would buy it, but then I thought on it for a moment. Nope, actually, it's going to the perfect buyer. I hope this kid enjoys the hell out of it. The car should be driven and it deserves to see more miles than I've put on it in the past few years. This car is "it" for him, just like we're talking about here.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by olrocker

I was 12 years old. I was already a car nut thanks to the Dukes of Hazzard when I was 6. I knew about older Camaros from the muscle car era and thought both they and the early 80s Camaros were cool, but when they rolled out this baby with that awesome intake plenum and what was an incredible 215 hp (and eye popping 275 lb/ft tq) for a reasonably priced car that I knew even then my parents could afford if I could con them into buying one ( ), this was IT for me. I never looked back. I knew one day I was going to own a Camaro:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/951804...ibextid=Ls6BEq

Does anyone know of a manufacturer who could fabricate an aluminum intake manifold to at least look similar to this one that would somehow bolt on directly to our modern LT1s to replace that hideous black plastic monstrosity we have hiding under an even worse fake plastic monstrosity?

Look through here and see what you can find, I'm sure there is something. Just stay away from Jegs, as they are having issues with the company!!

https://www.bing.com/search?q=custom...AVST&ptag=1100

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

Even though I haven’t got around to getting it running after it broke last fall I still love my all original 50,000 mile 87 IROC.

[ariZona28]

Full disclosure: As a young hot rodder in the '80s my enthusiasm for the 3rd Gen was minimal. Overpriced and underpowered I still rooted for them since I was a GM loyalist. I hoped that someday a palatable improvement would arrive. I also lost interest in Nascar as factory produced front-wheel drive 4-door cars were allowed to masquerade as racecars . Everything changed in early '14 when I stumbled upon an Exfinity (Nationwide?) race and a 5th Gen Camaro was Chevrolets representative. I've been a HUGE fan of the 5th Gen ever since. Still think they look 100% badasss in full race attire.

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

I remember those nationwide cars vividly. Definitely an awesome race car. I wish they had run the ZL1 in the cup series during that time instead of the SS sedan.