bobbyk3lly

i dont know, i had the engine block looked at before i bought the WS6 parts car and it came back to a 350... maybe the old owner swapped it?

daferris

iTrader: (8)

My wife and I went to our local Chevy dealer looking to get one of the new Diesel pickups that were new in '88 to replace my '84 F250 diesel.
When I found out that the camper parents used with my pickup would not fit past the tailgate on the GM pickups we decided to give Mom & Dad the Ford and get a car...

They had a White 35th Anniverary vette with an automatic but I didn't like the way it looked all white and my wife wanted something with a back seat. The had 2 IROC's one black with a 305 auto and the one we bought (after a really fast test drive) a bright red 5.7 car in hindsight I wish it had something other than 2.77 rear gears but we fell in love with the car bought Friday left Saturday to vist my brother in NC. Remember someone in one of the turbo Tbirds of the day thinking thinking he could keep up with us in the WV moutains did not stand a chance .

Fast forward to 2008 My oldest son was going to graduate from high school and asked if he could drive it the last week of class. (he has drooled over the car since he could get in it!) He got so attached to it that later that year he found a '92 Z28 that had a decent body on Craigs List and bought it over the next couple of years he and I did a complete restoration of it but that is a story he needs tell...

My '88 still survives to this day Completely stock has 45K miles the only things not original other than oil and gas are...
Front brakes
Intake gaskets
Starter and flexplate
power mirror switch
and the distrbutor went on the '92 to see if that was the problem (It was) so mine has a new one.
Still have the original '88 tires (in '92 I bought a set of take off GTA style wheels and tires from SLP that came off the "92 firehawks)

Have from the '90 5.7 parts car we used to build the '92 I have a 9 bolt 3.45 rearend with PBR's and spindles modded with brakets for LS1 front brakes.

In 1996 for the 100th birthday of the automobile I put it in the parade in Detroit got Jay Leno's autograph and had a ton of fun but mostly saw an old lady their that her dad had taken her on the 50th birthday parade in a dodge pickup and at the 100th her son was driving her in the same truck...
My goal is for the 150th to drive my '88 in the parade
The photos are my '88 My son's '92 before (teal) and after (red)

86rocjoc

Bought mine new in 86. I bought an 82 Z, white over red and gray stripe, new in 82. I was in the Air Force and was the only one within 100 miles to have a new 3rd gen. Reason i went out and got the Roc was my bud and i were heading to our favorite watering hole one night in 85,around 9pm....we were on a long stretch of road and i usually cruised the Z at around 80 or so.....saw these lights coming up behind me and was getting ready to see if this guy was going to run me....wellll....he passed me and i saw it was a Camaro....BUT....i saw the words "IROC on the side as he passed me.........and right then and there i knew i'd have one. 6 months later...i had my Roc...and had her ever since. I love it. My dream is to find a yellow one to go with it lol. Well, thats my story...i apologize for rambling on lol.

firehawk1988

Well I ended up getting mine as fate would have it. In the summer of 92, me and my dad was out looking at cars. The local chevy dealer had a beautiful 88 Formula for sell. The crazy thing was it had the Trans Am gfx, and front and rear bumpers. But the Vin, and rpo codes showed it was a true Formula. We both took it for a test drive and my dad loved the car. But he thought it was too much car(and money) for me to deal with at the time. I wanted it so bad but there was no way i was going to get it. For years i looked at alot of 3rd gen Firebirds, but they didn't spark my interest. They were either too much at the time or total junk.

Fast forward to 2001. It was my birthday and i picked up a new copy of the local Bulletin board sales paper. It was just out that day and i got off work. In it read....1988 Firebird...350TPI Auto....The number was a near by town so i called. Turns out the guy was 20 mins from me and i immediately went to look at it. When i got to the house i seen the car in the yard. I knew right then it was the car we test drove 9 years earlier. The paint was shot, one headlight didn't work, the driver seat was tore. It still had the T/A bumpers and gfx too. He said 3 people called about it while i was on my way there. It didn't have a 350(it was the original 305 matching the vin). I drove it and knew it was mine. The guy wanted $1000 for it and would have taken less since he listed the wrong motor, but i said that was fine. I drove it home the next day and my dad was shocked. He remembered it too and said " I guess you finally bought the one you wanted"

I later took off the GFX and T/A bumpers and put the original Formula bumpers on it. Then a few years later i changed the front to a 91-92 Formula which i always loved since they first came out.

So in a way it was fate or destiny that I got that very same car. Reminds me of the movie Christine when he spotted that car in the weeds and fell in love instantly. Its funny how life can come full circle sometimes and how small the world really is.

True Story....swear to god

bobbyk3lly

thats how it was with my convertible trans am firebird, and i love that movie lol, my fiance calls me cuntingham haha

firehawk1988

LoL.....My girlfriend thinks i love my car more then her. I told her thats ok because she has her own Firebird to love too.

I used to have a red 78 Camaro and a red Toyota celica and both cars would break down everytime my ex-gf would get in them. My friends called both of those cars Christine. I guess with my red Firebird it doesn't give me any problems when my girlfriend is in it. I tell her my car approves of her.....lol

Jason E

Its funny this happened to you, because the same thing happened to me. I don't think I mentioned this in my original post...when I took my car in on trade in '06, before I saw the car the customer mentioned that he had a '91 Camaro he wanted to trade. I asked him the color, engine, t-tops or no...then he mentioned it had grey leather.

I said to him "did you buy that from Dana Chevrolet about 5-6 years ago?" He looked at me, puzzled, and said "I bought in '99...why?" I burst out laughing and told him how I tried to buy it myself before he did! When I still had my '89 2.8, I was driving by the dealership one night and I spotted a red '91-'92 style RS Camaro. I pulled in the lot, and looked it over. Had 81k on it...original radio was missing from the dash...looked clean...had a 5 speed...and what was this? Leather in an RS coupe! The salesperson came over, said they were closing, said they were asking $6,000 for it, and said I could come back and try it. They sold it before I got back there.

All those years later, what triggered the memory of that night was him telling me about those damn leather seats. So, 7 years later, it became mine...26k hard miles were added to it, but it looks good as new, now

bobbyk3lly

hahahahah my Fiance thinks the same thing, and yup same with my 1988 camaro sport coupe i had, and my 84 sport coupe, they wouldnt start if my ex was in them, (they would act like their batterys were dead,) and the second she would leave, id hit the key and it would be running like nothing was ever wrong, and no i didnt charge the battery

firehawk1988

I guess our cars are smarter then we are. They knew we were with the wrong woman and tried to tell us(in their own way of breaking down). And eventually "allow" us to be with the right one..........LOL

I intend to keep my firebird for a very long time and I tell my gf she's not getting rid of hers. She'll say why is that and i'll reply its a good car, its needed very little and its easier to work on then any of these newer cars. She has me as her mechanic and if she had to take a newer car to a dealership to get fixed, she'd have a heart attack.

bobbyk3lly

oh yeah thats very true, nowadays its an arm and a leg to fix a newer car

bloodyjaws

Ok. Here's my story. In September '95 I was looking REALLY hard at a '68 427/4speed corvette. The dealer was in trouble with the IRS and was selling all his vettes cheap.....I'm talking $9500 out the door! It was white with blue interior, factory sidepipes.. Very nice car, would bark the tires through 3rd gear. So I'm on the way to the bank to get the money for it when (2 blocks from the bank) I see a black Iroc sitting at a car lot. After a heartattack I whipped into the lot. The Iroc was a black over tan, gold stripe convertible!!!! So $6500 later I drove away in my new Iroc. I still own it today and found the sales deal I signed back then the other day (after 4 moves). I brought our second daughter home from the hospital in it, and she will get it when she turns 18. Sine then I have owned 14 3rd gens and own the Iroc and a '91 Z-28. (my 7 year old son will get it when he's 18). I am also working a deal on a '88 L-98 Trans am and an '89 305tbi formula.

Jaws

irock88

Back in the day had to sell the muscle cars due to family obligations.Now that the kids are grown up I had the itch for another muscle car.Looked around and couldnt afford to get the ones from the 60-70`s.
Came across the 90 Iroc convertible liked it had a flatbed deliver it home.
As the car was being off loaded (wasnt home as of yet)the wife called in a panic that some lady tow truck driver was dropping off a car in our driveway and that she kept insisting that she had the right house(never did tell the wife that I had bought it or that I was even looking for one, middle age crisis as she called it).......I certainly had some explaining to do.
The second one was....well.........I drove it home and just parked it in the driveway and told her I was going to flip it........just didnt tell her when I was going to flip it!

IMissMy86TA

And now the 68 427 4 speed vette is worth over 50K... how much is the iroc worth? Dont feel so bad, I bought a 1957 chevy 4 door instead of a 67 Vette 4 speed convert...
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/appli...&aid=221&pop=0

midias

Could be worse my dad sold his 62 fuelie for a house down payment now it is worth more than my house.

Berendt

i got my 82 firebird S/E a few months ago from one of my mothers close friends. she needed some money and at the same time i was looking around for a muscle car that i would enjoy. shes kept the car in her garage for the past 10 years and it had no rust on it but everey hose was dry rotted. she lives in virgina while i live in florida. she sold it to me for $3000 before i even saw it, we flew up to get it and drove it back.. in january. now i have an 82 firebird s/e with everything stock except the wheels and an after market sterio. it even has the origional weather stripping where the t-tops are. i think getting this car was the best decision of my life... oh and its a 305 4 speed manuel

bloodyjaws

I know. The vette is worth much more cashwise but the Iroc is worth more "heartwise". I'll do you one better then that....I took my new girlfriend (now wife for 15 years) over to look at the vette. It was gone, but the guy says "nice camaro, I always wanted one like that. Want to sell it." I said "um, no". "How about a trade?" Takes us over to a '65 silver on silver small block roadster. He says "straight up". I thought about it for about 2 seconds and said "no thank you sir". The girlfriend's 5 month old baby was asleep in the back seat. Didnt really like that body style anyways. Yes I know what it's worth......, but I do soooooo love my Iroc. It was a car I always wanted too. I went and looked at a brand new 91 black Z28 convert when I was 17. Always told myself I'd get one someday. I dont regret it a bit.

Jaws

Camaroteen

About 11 years my parents bought a 1982 Chevy Camaro Z28 INDY 500 pace car. It was sitting a in a pasture for just a couple years then. The teen that drove it before letting it sit in the pasture destroyed three engines and a couple trannys with it. My parents paid $600 for it. My mom used her workmans comp to get $5000 in parts for it and it's been sitting since it got pulled home by my trust 92 Chevy Silverado with a 454. That truck would never back down from anything. It kept going till the fuel pump gave out back in 08. Right now I got a 350 goodwrench crate engine waiting to get hooked up to a turbo 350 transmission. I was thinking of putting the old CFI on the new engine but decided to put a 4 Barrel carb on it instead. I plan on put the Ford mustang guys in their place with my ride. but My Camaro still needs major work done to it before then.

White'89

iTrader: (8)

I bought my car right before Winter in 2010. I saw this add for a 1989 Trans am on craigslist and I was hesitant about calling because I didn't know anything about them at the time and figured they would want an arm and a leg. But I ended up going to look at it and he had it cleaned up and sitting in nice lighting and it was love at first sight. A guy came and looked at the truck I was selling the next day and bought it from me so I called the guy back and told him I would take it.

The motor was pulled and I had no idea if anything worked but I gave $1500 for it. I have since regretted paying what I did, but it ended up going into an LS1/4L60E swap and I have learned enough for this whole ordeal to be priceless.

The funny part about all of this is I'm 19 and only have a temporary drivers permit.

burnout88

In Jan. 1996 I found mine at an Oldsmobile Dealership in the suburbs of Chicago. When I test drove it I could not go faster then 25mph because it was near blizzard conditions. This was before the big website boom and when you had to look through newspapers and print ads to find cars. Attached is a copy of the ad from 1996. Oldsmobile and the dealership both no longer exist. My car is listed in the lower right hand corner of the black & white ad. You will also notice my hand written notes from when I called the dealership and they told me the color of the car was "bronze" (it turned out to be the rare medium orange metallic) Also, the name I wrote in the top corner was the salesmen who sold it to me "John Lyons"

90IROC1

iTrader: (4)

I am on my fourth third gen. I have loved them since they came out. It was the car to have when I was in high school but I could never afford one at the time.

I bought my first in the spring of 2005. It was a blue 91 305 vert auto, and I picked it up for a grand not running. It would start and die, and I knew it was the fuel pump so I towed it to my buddies shop and put a new one in. I had fun with it for a while and sold it in 2007 when I foud my second third gen.

Number 2 was an 89 IROC-Z 5.7 auto bright red with t-tops. I liked the car but was not a fan of the t-tops so I sold it and was on the hunt for another one.

#3) I was going to my sisters wedding in Reno when I was on craigs list via my phone and found the car I always wanted. It was a 1990 IROC-Z black with red interior 5.7 auto. I picked it up for 800 dollars with a partialy blowen trans. I had it towed home and a trans built for it but it just never ran or drove to my liking. It was beat pretty bad so I sold it at the end of 2007 for 5500.

#4) I was surfing craigs list again a few weeks ago because I missed my IROC and came across an ad for a 1990 IROC-Z trade for a seadoo or 4500. I happend to have an 2004 seadoo that I have only been on twice, so I e-mailed the guy and texted him some picks. He sent me back some too. The car is a 88k documented orginal 305 5spd bright red with black interior. It is by far the best car I have owned out of the four. I will keep this one. I have put on sfc's, lca's, and a bunch of other goodies.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Wait a minute! I think I know you.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

Got it 12 years ago from my parents when I got out of high school as a present for christmas, along with a chiltons manual, and that infamous "how to tune modify your camaro" book.

notoriouscamaro

I bought my 92 RS in December of 2010. White with Black Stripes, L03, 5 speed and full power options. I love it. I fell in love with third gens when my dad had a
1985 camaro with a 2.8 auto v6. It was white too. Love these cars!

White93z34

iTrader: (1)

My 87' Sport Coupe was my uncles new, then my dads, now mine, unfortunately between that bright red car in my uncles garage and the car I have today are over a decades worth of hard winters and nearly 200,000 miles. I drove it for a few years till a brake line poped in 2007 and by that point the rust was to the point of failing state inspection, so it sat and sat. I decided to try and get it going again last year but I kept finding new holes in the body (firewall, footwell, rear floors, rear rear wells, windshield frame, etc etc.)

I have been casually looking for another red 87 for the past year now and last weekend I picked it up, an 87' IROC in Illinois. It did the nearly 12 hour drive home perfect. just over 100k miles, LB9/auto/G92. Even found the window sticker in the hatch. Loving every minute of it, it makes me sad that my SC will be parted out, but its given me plenty of good memories...

86pontfirebird

i traded an ar-15 for mine

one86CamaroGirl

Purchased my 86 sport coupe in 1995. It has a 2.8L v-6 5 speed, original motor and is getting really close to 300K miles. It's been a great car, and still runs great! Wouldn't consider selling it. Has some cosmetic issues that I'm slowly working on. Paint job coming soon.

84TransAmNY

Pretty cool thread I love the guys that were young kids when these cars were the coolest things since slice bread......Last february my 2003 cappuchino loaded impala LS was t-boned by a one armed driver (not lying). The car was totaled out and I began looking for my first sports car. I wanted a 2003-2004 Mustang Gt, but there was only one 5 speed that was in my price range. The car was gone before I got to check it out. My dad talked me into buying a truck until I was done with college. Then in August I was on my gf's pc and seen a friend of hers was selling her ex's 84 trans am s/e 5 speed on facebook. She wanted a grand and it didn't start. When I saw it, I fell in love with it, it made me think back to when I was a little kid looking through auto traders. My dad went with me to look it over, he told me it was a solid car but warned me to not get it because it would be a money pit. 800 bucks later we towed it home with my truck. Bought a fuel pump and a slave cylinder and the 1974 350 purred like a kitten.
Sorry to ramble on, the engines out and being rebuilt and the car is all sanded down about to be painted in a few weeks. Before it goes down the road around may I will have dropped about 3g in it. Maybe it was a money pit, but I can't wait to cruise with the T-Tops off this summer. And I guess it's relatively rare car with the 5spd, ws6 suspension, t-top and it came with the L69 engine not a recaro though. I blew out the 3.73 gears two days after we got the car running.

hydrolic144

iTrader: (2)

Nice stories here! Keep em coming!

I'm 22 now and have owned 5 so far, hopefully getting another soon.

Can't really remember the years of all when I got them but here I go.

1990 Black T-top 3.1 V6 Auto Firebird. Grandad bought it from a neighbor and it sat on the side of his house. I remember going over there and instantly fell in love with it. I think I was 13 or 14 at the time. It wouldn't start. Long story short, dad got it from him, had the tank and fuel pump replaced and he started driving it to work everyday. When I turned 16 it was mine. Shortly after I got into a accident and messed up the whole front clip. I was heartbroken but was determined to get her right. Found a guy locally parting a Formula and went and got the whole front clip, front bumper support, all black interior and went to work. I had never did anything to a car before and here I am in my parents driveway doing a interior swap and replacing body panels. Turned out great and I have pictures of it all. Not long after I ended up overheating and got a rod knock. I wasn't inclined enough for repair or swap so I sold it for $300. Most solid car. ZERO rust.

Bought a 1987 V6 2.8 5-speed Red Firebird T-Top for $400. Guy had a alarm and one day it went insane and locked the ignition and you couldn't start it. I contacted him about it and went over there, shortly after I started the car up and we made a agreement that I'd make payments on it since I wasn't really working. Drove the car home and it ran like a champ. About a few months later, got the title and it was 100% mine. I blew this engine before it was street legal. I was like DAMN! Got on here and did lost of searching and sleepless nights for doing a swap. Ended up taking a stab at it and got a motor from a buddy I went to school with that had a 90 Bird with a 3.1. Got a hoist and did the swap in one day by myself in my parents driveway. That car went a long way. Had some slight rust around the fender wells. Great engine. Drove about 30mins with no water (freeze plug kept blowing out) had to drive for a bit, kill the car, crank, drive, kill. All the way home. Next day filled it up with water after replacing freeze plug and crossed my fingers. Started up like nothing happened. The brakes also went out on that and I ran a police roadblock, went to court, did 6mos probation, blah blah. Think I was 17-18 at this time. The steering locked up on me one day and I hit another car Didn't do much damage though. Sold that for $375.

1987 Blue Formula 350 with a Sunroof $500. Raim Air Hood. Saw the CL add for it, guy wanted $1500. Said he didin't know what was wrong with it and thought it was the starter or alternator (mind you the car was cranking but not starting). I checked it out, the under dash wiring was a mess since he was trying to troubleshoot it. I was young, didn't know anything. Pulled the dipstick and smelled gas in the oil. I thought the engine was a goner for sure. I passed. Went home and looked it up and found it was common to find gas in the oil on a carb engine if it continuously cranks but doesn't start. Called the guy back the same night and picked it up. Towed it home. Next day went out and looked under the hood to see what was going on, had no spark. It was a $20 part, the ignition coil. Slapped a new one on and it roared on the first crank. Me, my brother, and dad were pretty excited about that one since they had doubts. This car also went a long way but the driver side floorboard had some bad rust and was so bad that one side of my transmission fell cause the core support was rusted. The exhaust from the cat to the inlet of the muffler also flew off while driving down the freeway since it was pretty rusty. Ended up taking the engine and trans out and started looking for a donor car. Sold the shell without the hood for $300 and the hood for $275.

1988 Trans Am WS6 Silver T-Top for $500 (Donor Car)
Bought this car from a member here, cam91rs I believe his name was. Eventually he got a bad rep for not shipping out parts I think.
But me and my grandad hopped in is 2007 Dodge Dually with a Turbo Cummings with a U-Haul trailer and headed 2 hours south. Got the car and next day started with the swap. Everything went smooth for the most part. Fast forward, I was at the gas station fueling up and left it running in park. Figured no biggie. Went inside but as a did, I heard the cars RPMs drop like when you put it in gear. Didn't pay it no mind. I got in and went to look for the car and it was GONE!! I panicked. I saw a bunch of people rush for the street and there she sat, backed up into a fire hydrant and knocked it clean over. Left a nice crunch in my quarter panel. I got it home parked it and said I'd never drive it. Ended up selling it for $1200.

1989 GTA 5.7 converted to carb, all primer.
Another CL ad, think the guy wanted $2000 for it but the engine ran funny. It had hooker headers, ported heads with bigger valves, bored .40 over, forged bottom end, etc. Checked it out, had a buddy then check it out and he told me to pass. I had other plans. Beat him up at $1k and he gave in. Tailored it home and I got to work the next day. Couldn't start it cause something was up with the ignition and if you turned it all the way, it'd kill itself. Learned I had to turn the key half way after the on position and it would fire. Checked everything out and even pulled the heads only to learn the valves were hitting the pistons. Ended up selling the engine complete for $400 and found another engine for $450. Nicely built but just needed some freshening up. I got it, did the entire gasket set. Had it down to the bare block. Put everything back together, (first time taking apart a engine and putting it back together btw)
Mated it back up to the 700R4 but the entire car would shake shake shake. I didn't like it. Had the transmission out about 10 times trying to figure out what was up. Ended up being the flywheel I believe. Car lasted a pretty long while. About 2 years I think. Eventually had a slight tick when warmed up and I sold it for $2800. Bought a 1990 Mustang V8 swap, 5-speed. Wasn't the same. Sold it for same price I paid, $2200.

That's my history!! Sorry it's kinda long. I have pictures of all these cars as well.

mechmit

I feel pretty old here reading most of these stories. I'll try and keep this short. I bought my first IROC brand new. I ordered it in Oct 85 and received it Dec 85. Fortunately I worked for GM and got a good discount, however I was young and didn't do the homework on ordering cars. Anyhow it was Bright Red , LG4 , auto , t-tops, pw,pd,ph, custom cloth interior, ERS Delco am stereo fm stereo with eq and tape. With dealer soundproofing and Waxoil undercoating the price back then was $18,700 Canadian (1986 dollars). I put 17,000 KM on it and sold it in Sept 87. Getting married , buying a house and starting a family was more important. In June 1990 I cried knowing it would have been paid for, LOL.
24 years later July '11 I'm browsing Ebay and came across an 89 IROC-Z with 42,000 original miles. I said to my wife I want this car, she said go ahead get it. Within two weeks I was right back at home behind the wheel of an IROC. I hope to keep this one forever. Flame red metallic, 5.7 , auto, t-tops, power everything, air, leather-cloth combo interior, Bose Sound.

I glad I found this board. Lots of info and great pics of 3rd gens.

IMissMy86TA

you should read my story. similar to yours in some ways. bouught an 86 ta in 85. from the factory . mine was One of the first 86 the dealer got. I had ordered the whale tail then found out the 86 came with it standard and the silly brake light on top of the back window. I was 17 and my father worked for GM bought it at discount. I sold it a year later due to insurance was killin pop wih mom having 3 wrecks in3 years
found a 20k milage GTA and got it. never wanna let it go.

wait till our generation retires and wants these. they will climb in value

j88l98irocz

iTrader: (4)

Well I've had around 50 third gen camaros, to tell the story of how I got each one would take way too long so I'll just mention a few.

First third gen was a white with silver gfx grey interior 1986 z28 305 tpi 700r4 stock with a fowmaster muffler and a open rear, I bought the car for 1,200.00 when I was 15, I remember sneaking it on the road when parents weren't home laying one legger burnouts everywhere sold it 3 months later and bought my 2nd third gen which was a bright red t-top black interior 1987 IROC-Z 305 5 speed car disc brake 3.45 9 bolt with mods, previous owner Swapped a 350 with a cam and vortech heads so she ran much better then my 86. Long story short I sold that one also and the kids dad blew the engine and put a 305 back in it and I bought it back 6 years later completely re painted it and sold it again.
Skip a few In between next one that was dear to me was a 1988 black/gold 5.7tpi 700r4 3.27 disc 9 bolt IROC-Z hardtop got it with 77k original miles. The car was beautiful. I had it two years till some a$& bag pulled out in front of me I wish I would have fixed her instead of parting her out still regret it to this day. Skip a bunch more in between and I really miss my twin turbo iroc but I still have my 90 5.7, 1992 25th Rs with 51k and a 2000 SS with 42k I could go on for hours but that's a start sorry for lousy punctuation but I'm working at the same time

Pitbull91z28

I've had three Third gen's in my life the only generation camaro that i've owned. My first was in Florida it was an 89 RS with a 2.8L fun car to drive. i remeber racing a 5.0L mustang and keep up door to door with and pegging the speedometer needle against the odometer reset button lol piece of s*** mustang. My second was in Maryland and it was an 87 IROC-Z 5.7 TPI I hate that motor never want one again those runners are a pain to take apart. It had an internal coolant leak so it always over heated so i left it with my dad in Maryland. when i moved back to Florida i went looking for a nice camaro and found my favorite one yet a Blue 91 RS 5.0 TBI T-Tops first one with T-Tops love them now and mine has the plexiglass replacements very light. Before I bought it someone put Z-28 tags on it when it was repainted but RPO's show it has the upgraded Z-28 suspension and the 2 1/2 turn lock to lock steering box so i deserves the Z-28 tags. This one is my favorite camaro yet i love this car. I plan on taking it down to the frame and put a roll cage in it but hide it so you cant see it and dropping a new LS motor in it with a 6 speed manual transmission and a 12 bolt posi track with 3.73 rear gears. It will be a labor of love but well worth it

sc@hms

iTrader: (1)

1983 L69 Z28---bought new in 8-83, sold a '67 El Camino and saved up for one since the night my dad bought a new '82 pace car. I wanted a stripper with a stick and the L69 came out before I had enough money. It worked out well. I'll keep it until the day I die.

1984 L69 T/A---bought earlier this year from dealer. One owner car, 7000 miles, all original. I always liked the early T/A. It's a stripper optioned car as well. She needs some love, but we're getting there.

1985 red IROC---bought new in 8-85. Sold a bunch of cars and parts that summer and just had to have a new IROC. The selection was limited that time of year, but it had most options, including TPI and rear disc.

1985 yellow IROC---went out to the middle of nowhere in October of 2010 to buy a 454 GMC pickup and saw the car poking out of a garage. 17,000 miles all original. Spoke to the original owner and struck a deal, because he had a daughter just starting college. It's a G92/Conteur car, which is pretty neat. Drove it a lot last summer. It has 21,000 miles now.

1990 1LE---went to look at a '63 Corvette for work and saw it in the original owners collection of cars. He was thinning out his collection for business capitol due to the economic meltdown. I bought it with 800 miles in December of 2009. It was pretty neglected for a car with so few miles. Really dusty and didn't run, but untouched. Spent Christmas break 2009 sorting it out. 1600 miles now.

1992 L98 T/A---bought from second owner in July of 2011. Perfectly maintained/detailed with 48,000 miles. Ironically is one of the best all-around third gens I've ever owned, but the highest mile. Awesome car and I always liked the 91-92 nose.

1992 Z28 convertible---bought at Bloomington Corvette show from the original owner. 14,000 miles, 100% original. Filled it with gas and drove it home. 18,000 miles on it now. Just taken out of mothballs for the spring.They were selling it to buy a new Corvette.

There's something about the driving dynamics of a third gen that are hard to beat. I like them all. I like seeing the variety on the site and seeing everyone's take on their cars. It's cool that there is room for all types!

jtsk

iTrader: (3)

Both of my sons had 3rd gens, an 82 z28 and an 86 z28, and being a dad who loved cars, I would help them along the way to tinker and tune them. One day, in 2009, a 92 z28 shows up at a garage one of them worked at, and the owner ended up selling it to the garage owner, who intended to flip it. However, my boys went in halves on it and bought it for me as a thank you gift. Talk about being floored! It is a non T-top 5.7 car, and I love it, and it's extra special because of the love behind it. Never miss a chance to get involved in your kids projects is the best advice I ever had.

3tas4me

I bought my 1984 L69 5-speed T/A in 1987 with 10800 mile on it. I was looking for a car to replace my 1980 Firebird Esprit 301 4bbl auto. I loved the Esprit, but it wasn't fast enough for me. I knew I had to have a Trans Am. I decided before looking that it had to be a manual transmission car and I preferred it to have t-tops. I had almost bought a 1984 LG4 Z28 a few months earlier from a used car dealer in Platteville where I was going to school. It was a 5-speed with t-tops and I test drove it and decided it was the car for me. Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right so I had to pass on the deal. A few months later I started actively looking again and came across the 1984 Trans Am for sale in my home town. I was the first person to respond to the ad (newspaper ad, no internet then). I test drove it and loved it. It was the L69 with 5-speed but no t-tops. I decided the performance advantage was worth passing on the t-tops. Here it is, 25 years later and I still own it. 59k miles on it and still mostly factory paint. Been in the family too long to get rid of it now. I drive it now mostly in spring and fall when it is too cool out for t-tops. I think the L69 is very underrated. She pulls all the way to the 6000 rpm redline

19875speed

iTrader: (2)

Bought my 87 firebird 5-speed v6 with 77k in June 2011. I saw it on craigslist, was looking all over for a stick v6 in good shape. Finally found one but it was 4 hours away. I asked the owner if he would meet me half way and he did. We met at a Cracker Barrell right off the interstate, I checked it out, took it for a ride and the rest is history.

taonindo

i built a motor for a friend and ended up with a new cam and no engine to put it in. i bought a block and built my first 406 sbc. now i had an engine and nothing to put it in. found a old 82 bird being sold for parts bought it for 75 dollars. 12 years, 2 engines, 4 transmissions, 2 rear ends,and 2 major off course accidents, there is not a panel thats not wrinkled. wouldnt trade it for anything......yet.

chevy91z28

i got my first third gen on april 3rd 2012 (like 4 weeks ago)

i traded my 99 3.8 v6 mustang with 173k on it and 350$ for this beautiful 91 z28 5.0 305 tpi with 143k on it. i found it on craigslist an hour away from me and i drove their three times before deciding to go through with it.

i dont have any pictures yet but it has a beautiful new red paint job (painted a week before i picked it up still needs wetsanded), 3in cowl hood, posi rear end, really beat up interior but the exterior is showroom quality. it used to have a lot of mods on it and has a lot of wires that dont go anywhere but he took all the good stuff out before selling it. he said he was running 11s with it at its peak.

this thing sucked to get it home, he suggested i didnt drive it home but i insisted, as i was getting out of the gas station the fan came unplugged on a hard bump and i ended up overheating 10 miles into the freeway strech home .2 miles away from a rest stop. i waited a good 20 minutes let all the steam pour and coolant pour out (no overflow) and moved it up to the rest stop instead of the side of the freeway and waited nearly 2 hours for him to come tell me it was just the fans and i couldve done it myself, he poured a good 2 gallons of water in their and i drove home at about 220 degrees for an hour.

a week later the camaro wouldnt start (blown fuse) and before i even told the guy i bought it off of he texted me and said the motor in the mustang just took a dump

Mr.donuts

for three years i searched thirdgen and craigslist for a 350 iroc in van nuys.while my friends told me to give up and buy a honda. i found one and while its mpg is decent I bought it because i want to own a chevy like my grandfather.plus my iroc put my friend in his place when he was in it on the freeway with some motley crue

tango1112

thanks for starting this thread.... Going to post my story shortly.

tango1112

Welcome to the world of 3rd gen's... They are awesome cars but do have their "quirks" indeed. looking forward to the pics.

SCCAjunkie

So I had just dropped out of college and was driving a 1980 Chevette.

My dad was friends with several car lot owners (he was a bank manager), so after getting a "good job" (which was a requirement if I expected to have a place to live), I convinced him to help me get a better car. My cousin had gotten an 85 Camaro about a year before, and I liked the car a lot. My dad wasn't real high on the V8 idea for me at 18 (I payed my own insurance since I had my 1st car, and it honestly would've been difficult to afford), but he did ask around. One of the lots had a 1987 Firebird, all black (with tinted windows and factory(?) louvers), and a V6/auto. I wasn't wild about the drivetrain, but the car was gorgeous, with only 40k miles (this was 1992), and my dad could get it for me for $3700. He told me if I wanted a Camaro or Firebird and I wanted his help, this was the car, so that decision was made. I had the car from 92 until 94, when I sold it to get money to go back to college. Since I had taken great care of the car, I sold it/traded it for $3000, a three-wheeler in nice shape, and a set of wheels/tires for my 77 Chevy Blazer.

In 2001 I got the itch again after helping my dad upgrade his LX 5.0 Mustang. I found a 1990 Formula 350 for $2500 at a wholesaler lot, talked them down to $2200, and took it home. Plans were to turn the car into a track-day terror (I am an instructor for NASA and SCCA) and fun street car. After upgrading the entire suspension, dropping in 3.73s and a Torsen, and putting on a ported SLP TPI setup, and PROM tuning, the 160k mile 700R4 gave up, and the car sat. I had all the T5 parts gathered for a conversion, and then my first daughter was born in 03. I "fixed" the 700R4 and drove the car every now and then, but when my second daughter came along in 05, that even stopped. The car sat until 09, when my friend and fellow racer bought it for the suspension parts.

Then a few months back, I got an insurance check for my "totaled" Neon (hail damage) and was looking for something to drive while I put the Neon back on the street. I ran into my friend who bought the Formula, and he had a deal for me. He and I still race together, and he wanted his wife to start driving as well. He picked an 84 Z28 (L69/5sp) from the "Camaro tree" in his back yard and built it for her. In the meantime, she began co-driving another car, an 01 Z28 auto. She really like that car, so they decided to get a 4th gen for her, and he wanted this car to go to someone who would appreciate it. I bought the car for a STEAL ($2000) and payed a few extra $$ to get back all the suspension off my old Formula. He built this one with a L98 long block and Holley TBI, and it's got 3.42s and a T2R out back, so with my suspension, it's almost exactly the car I was building before. The greatest part is that since he made money on the car I sold him, he let me steal this one, so I really feel like I'm not out anything over the long haul.

Thanks for the opportunity to let me share, and I know I've gotten a TON of help over the years from TGO.

Tony V

iTrader: (5)

My first 3rd gen was an 82 Z28. (this pic was taken in staging lanes at Riverside Raceway in CA....yes, I'm old)


Had to sell it in 94 in order to move from NC to TX. (military orders)

Picked up an 87 Berlinetta in 2007. Put a BB in it and raced it at Budds Creek for 2 years.

Now have an 88 with a 383/TH400. In the process of finishing it up. Hope to be racing within the next month.

I just dig the body style.

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

My car still isn't much but thought I would share my story.
In April of 2010 my ex blew the motor in her 98 Bonneville and I was trying to buy it but she tried to pull a fast one on me and so I told her no and started looking for something else that should have been better on gas than my truck.
Back up to 98 and I had a black 81 Corvette that got totalled. She spent all the insurance money so no car and nothing to show for the money.
After she pulled what she did on that Bonneville I started looking and found a 91 Firebird on Craigs List. The seller was asking $900 but a friend called and she said she would take no less than $700. I was thinking about it and it was back on there for $700. I called and went to look at it. It wasn't running but they told me what they did to it and what they now thought. It was the V6 that I wanted for fuel mileage so I talked to her and she agreed to 600. It sat there till the next weekend when I went with my trailer to haul it home. It came with a power bulge hood and 85-90 T/A bumpers and ground effects as well as other wheels and lights and gray plastics etc.
It was funny because with the style of the 91 nose my ex thought I bought another Corvette.
I fell in love with them in High school when Knight Rider came out. So yeah I am another old geezer. lol
Plans for the cheap transportation went out the window when I could not get the Vats bypassed and a carb still did not run right. So now am planning a 350 TPI w/ T56 swap. I would do carburetor but like the looks of the TPI so I will have to learn FI which I despise.