transam84

I am about to buy a 82 4 cylinder Firebird from a woman who is the original owner. I am wondering if there are any issues with these cars that I have to be on the lookout for. I can tell the woman really took pretty good care of the car. it has been sitting in a garage for quite sometime I guess, but not for any reason other than she got a diff car to suite her needs. she was saving the car for her son who is now a teenager but doesn't want it b/c he thinks it is to wimpy which I can understand for a teenager.anyway info on these cars would help.

HalfInchWrench

If the car is in good shape and she is letting it go for a good price then snap it up. The "iron duke" 4 banger engine is garbage, I'm supprised there are any left around without being converted to a V8.

Ramair21

iTrader: (3)

yeah i agree!! if the price is really good then take it and drop a V8 in that sucker. and you got one mean bird that is ready to fly.

V8 Slayer

lol,How much horsepower did they make?

Were they 2.4 liter or something?

HalfInchWrench

11 hp, 16ft. lb's/tq at 2126 rpm. Could still take the 4 banger stang at the time.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

2.5L. 88HP I think...

That sucker will fly! It'll give that lil'ol stroker you got a run for your money!
huh, I couldn't keep a straight face with that...
You could always turbo it or something, I hear they have really strong bottom ends... then again, it still won't hold a candle to your stroker...

I think the useful info you want is:

Is the tranny any good? Isn't it a 200C4? I think it's a junk tranny, meant for the 4cyl... The rear end is the same as all others...
Otherwise I think the rest of the car is stuff you already know from your car...

RB83L69

Help me to better understand the question here.....And you're asking if there's any "issues" with a 4-cyl car?

Yeah, they suck.

Anything else you want to know?

HalfInchWrench

Of course not! He wants to beef it up and make it run with a new Vette! Head porting and a good rod/crank/cam combo would be a good start. Would be also good to know if a double roller can fit under the tiny front cover. I reccomend two bike chains.

anondude13

I thought the iron duke only came in camaros. Either way I'd like to build a turbo duke racecar lol.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

Iorn Duke actually has alot of torque for its size. At school they use one for the transmission dyno for Automatic tranmsission. It puts out enough torque that it will stall a AOD ford transmission to the stall speed rated for a 302. Like 1,800 rpm!!!!! That is a 4 banger that is putting out the same torque as a small V8. But then again it can barely pull over about 3,800 as it had a hard time actually making the transmissions shift with the stock governor. Oh yeah the transmission dyno is run on propane which means less HP and tq than gas by alot.

transam84

I was thinking about using it for a daily driver b/c of gas prices. I wasn't thinking at all about beefing it up, just put gas in and drive it and save money on gas, if I want to feel the grunt of a V8 then I'll pull out the 84 Stroker T/A for that. I know it's wimpy with power and all that, I want to know if the motor/tranny are any good in those cars is what I am really asking.

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

They are a durable engine that is simple to maintain and work on. They used them in the S10 and S10 Blazer/Jimmy and even the Astro/Safari used them. They are underpowered compared to many of todays cars but weren't bad for the time they were built. Consider the top engine in the 82 vette was the 205 HP cross fire 350. If you look up the specs those iorn dukes you will find that the 90 hp was in by 4,000 rpm and the 132 ft/lbs was all there by 2,800 rpm. Now look at the 2.8 from the same year, 102 HP @ 4,800 which is only 12 more horsepower at 800 rpm higher. It made 10 ft/lbs more for 142 @ 2400 which is 400 rpm lower. The 305 4 bbl only had 140 hp at that time. Compared to alot of other engines back then the 2.5 could really hold its own especially with a manual and highway gears. Should be okay to get you around and get decent gas mileage. By the way I had one in a 5 speed Astro and it would do 80 up and down hills and get 25 mpg while doing it. Didn't have much acceleration though. Once it got going it did OK though. Engine had a fair amount of torque.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

yea, the stigma is the engine won't die, they're incredibly durable... There are tons of non-v8 fbodies in wrecking yards (at least here...) so extra parts, specific to non-v8 should be plentiful...


but, gasp, dare I say, if you are looking for better fuel mileage.... Maybe not an F-body? there, I went and said it
I mean, cheaper on insurance if it's not a "sports car"....
but hey, if you really like the comfortable ride of an F-body (????) then sure, why not....

personally I think a slow F-body is a waste of metal... no cargo room like a truck, not a comfy highway cruiser, no tire smoking fun.... kinda useless... but yea, if it's a good deal, in good condition, drive the wheels off of it, then use it for spare parts later.

ruiterman

Everyone complains that a 4 banger Firebird is total junk, that the eninge sucks, etc. I owned one, and as far as performance, you're right, really none to be had. I only had one because my wife owned it when we got married.

But if you want an F-body car and good gas mileage, you can get it with the 4 banger. We had an '82 bird and I used to get 36 MPG on the highway all the time. I did get as high as 42 once, but that was a one time deal so I won't claim it was normal.

Basically, you can get a faster car, but not a more dependable one.

There was also another post on this subject in the past if your interested.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=240771

Vader

Another 2¢

I had three of those engines, but in P-Cars, not F-Bodies.



The engine is fairly durable, but they do tend to throw the occasional rod through the case.

They can be made to put out well over 115HP with just a cam and head/valve/manifold work:



I had one of those Fieros making a calculated (never dynoed) 122 HP on premium unleaded pump gas. The others calculated at 85 HP and 90 HP.

By contrast, the 2.2L Ecotec can make up to 290HP. You can buy one in a crate if you want.

http://www.turnkeyenginesupply.com/22290.html

iansane

iTrader: (1)

I would so love to have one of those iron duke birds. Just clean it up, paint it and have it as a cruiser. There'd be tons of room for a huge turbo and intercooler...

transam84

well I just picked up the 4 cylinder F.B today and I think I am going to like it. it runs really good and the car was very well taken care of. if this was my only F-Body I would not be very happy with it at all b/c of the lack of power but power is what I have my stroker T/A for. this car should be a great cruiser daily driver and should save me a ton at the pump. I might take it to a big car show this summer and have it on the dyno to see what 2 numbers (if you want to call them that) it puts out,brand new it was rated at 90 hp lol. curious to see where she is at after 134,000 miles.

Vader

Wouldn't that be "dyno number? (Singular?)

Just jerking you around a bit. You can take it. You've got the stroker for doing the real work. You should get fairly decent mileage even if you are hard on it. Just watch for the blowby.

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

do you mean other cars passing or through the rings?


we had this guy come into work with this old grand am (2.5 iron duke) he had done some eng. work and screwed stuff up. well long story short he broke the timming chain and retainer and the cam walked out a little bit. this broke off the roller on the lifter and some how he got the cam back in and this lifter took and cut out the lobe! v shaped you could see it when the oil pan was off. get this though he wanted to know why it ran rough and made a knocking type noise, he had us reseal the oil pan (clean out the metal chunks) and side cover gasket. because they leaked after his install we told him it was on it's last leg and would destry it's self shortly

stupid iron duke kept running


this guy was nuts he kept comming in for stupid things for half a year. I hope it died!

billsfirebird

iTrader: (1)

Ive owned my 84 Firebird since 1998. I paid $500 for it and restored it to original condition. I have contemplated pulling the little iron duke many times and have decided against it.

I bought other firebirds to get my "power" issues straightened out. I say keep it a four cylinder! I drove mine on a daily basis through college and I was very impressed with gas mileage. Very unimpressed with power.

I've put this car back into a more daily routine (only when it's nice weather) in an effort to save gas money. It sure comes in handy! Hey, you get a classic Firebird look with a big relief in your gas budget.

Please, by all means post pics of your new 4 cylinder bird! I would love to see it!

Welcome to the Iron Duke F-body club!

my 1984 firebird iron duke 5/speed

-bill

transam84

I have to say that I like my Iron Duke alot. I never that that if I ever owned one that I would want to keep the 4 banger right where it is but I have absolutely no plans what so ever to swap in a V8 ever, it a great daily cruiser. I like you do like the gas mileage and have to agree with you that the power is.....well GM forgot to put it in the car lol. it is very slow but it is a 4 cylinder so you have to expect that I guess, just a huge change going from driving a stroker T/A to this car lol. I will try and gets some pics up. by the way anyone know just how long it takes to change the cap and rotor on a 4th gen?? a mechanic I know said it took 7.5 hours for a buddy of his to do. my iron duke it took me under 30 min to change all 4, thats right all 4 plugs, plug wires,cap, rotor, air filter, and hood shocks. that is one of the things I like most about my little 4 banger!! easy to work on.

anondude13

4th gens don't have caps or rotors Congratulations on your purchase.

rx7speed

that motor might put out a decent amount of torque for an 80 4 cylinder but still isn't that much torque at 132lbs/ft and with the gearing they generally put on those cars even worse torque output at the wheels then quite a few cars

hell my rotary puts out more torque then it and that thing is far from a torque demon

rx7speed

just read a little more of the thread and want to say congrats at least on the purchase I hope you enjoy it. being that you have your fun car you can now still cruise around in thirdgen style albiet quite a bit slower.... but then again you can always race someone to the pump first one there loses and race for titles



only thing I heard bad about the iron duke is something about rods through block or some fire issues but I think most of that was fiero related

Gumby

It depends on the application ans use.

Here is an iron duke used in a swamp buggy for hunting.
It performs well for what its used. An Iron duke is not a racing motor but it will haul a load.

billsfirebird

iTrader: (1)

Ive faced a lot of criticism for keeping the Iron Duke in my bird. You've completely understood why I haven't. It is a great little cruiser car. Sure it isn't fast/powerful, but it has classic firebird styling. It is also a snap to work on too. I've had to replace the starter, hydrolic clutch assembly, clutch, throwout bearing and such, plus some other general repairs to the car. Easy access to almost anything on the motor.

If you need power then take off in your other Firebird. I've owned three other birds to get my power fix in, those have come and gone but I've always kept my Iron Duke bird.

Enjoy it, and I can't wait to see some pics.

How much did you give for it?

transam84

I paid $1,300 for it. I put about $200.00 into it after I bought it with basic tune up parts b/c the car was sitting for 5 years before I got it. I put new hood shocks,new cap and rotor, plug wires, air filter and of course last but not least oil and filter in the car so far. I still plan on a new coil and fuel filter and that should pretty much do it. none of the parts I put in were high perf parts, just stock replacement parts. the couple I bought it from were the original owners and they really took go care of the car.the int is near mint!!!the body is solid as a rock as is the underside b/c I think they stored it in the winters. onr thing my car does not have that yours does though is A/C and a 5 speed. I have no A/C and a manual 4 speed. well I will try to get some pics up this wkend, promise!!

transam84

I almost forgot!!! the original owners gave me some cool paper work with the car, the ORIGINAL purchase agreement from 23 years ago!the loan was at 15% intrest, the amount being financed was for $7,766.67+$2.590.29 worth of intrest is a total amount of $10,356.96 and this loan was obtained on August 23 1982 with 48 monthly payments of $215.77 beginning on September 18,1982 (car had only 507 miles) and the loan was paid for on August 6th 1986.when I bought the car it had 135,475 miles on it. I had the original purchase agreement laminated to preserve it lol, not many people get the original P.A. on a 23 year old car, and then to top it off I did find the build sheet on the car as well so I had that laminated to.

Slag02

Did the "Iron Duke" Happen to come in the 92 Buick Skylark?

Just wondering.

:Thanks:

83ho86tpi

I hear a lot of bragging about gas mileage on the 4 cyl.

I am currious as to what is typical for you guys on this car.

Just wanted to remind everyone that 20-25 MPG is very possible on our v8 cars with a good tune up.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

I'm pretty sure you could get an iron duke in a 92 skylark, I had a buddy with a skylark with an iron duke... think it was '86 or so though...
GM 2.5L = iron duke, plain and simple.

and yea, a well tuned, most likely FI V-8 can get 30MPG on the highway, i'd expect a lot more from a 4cyl... then again you have to rev the crap out of it to get the car to move.....

DeLorean247

I have that engine in my fiero. And the car is pretty quick, but its also mostly plastic.

My fiero owners manual says.
"The 2.5 engine incorporates a new swirl-port cylinder head, which is designed to force the intake air/fuel charge to follow a spiral path into the combustion chamber. The resulting turbulence creates a homogeneous mixture, which burns smoothly and completely"

I found that interesting I had not heard of this untill I got a Iron Duke powerd car.

Sounds like you have the perfect plan. you can have the fun of driving a firebird and not pay so much. I too have gone back to using my 4banger Pontiacs.

-Michael

MNformula350

iTrader: (2)

transam84's pix of his 82 Firebird 4 Cylinder:

MNformula350

iTrader: (2)

And the mighty Iron Duke

82knightrider

iTrader: (1)

nice car man

HalfInchWrench

When I grew up we always used v8's to make those!

ruiterman

As I mentioned in a post before, I had an '82 Firebird with the Iron Duke 4 banger EFI and a 4 speed manual tranny. I used to get 36 mpg on average and on one occasion I got 42 mpg. That's very similar to the small compact cars in a much nicer package.

Man, reading this almost ( I must stress the almost ) makes me want to trade my '89 V8 for an '82 4 banger. Brings back some nice memories anyway.

blacksheep-1

I'm with most of these guys, I had an Iron duke in my S10, you couldn't kill that sucker. It was dependable as an anvil, unfortunately, it makes about as much HP as one. But you ccouldn't beat it.