Just bought a 87 iroc never driven it because its been sitting up for three year and the temp gauge doesn't work so I don't want to drive and over heat it. It just sits in a straight up position never moves any ideas how to fix

 

Remove the wire from the temp gauge sensor in the head and ground it
What does the temp gauge needle do ?

 

It's a tpi motor where on the head would it be?

 

Driver side head, between the first two spark plugs.
The wire is dark green with a quick spade (female) connector.
If you disconnect it, the gauge should drop to full cold.
If you ground it, the gauge should jump to full hot.
Of course, with ignition on.

 

Looks like the needle might be stuck on the upper edge of the gauge itself. Some needles will bend/warp as they age and the factory gauges are made to "Max Out" as part of the system self check. When the needle bends just enough, it will begin to get stuck a the top of the scale.

Might need to access the gauge to correct this. Bending the upper edge of the gauge works sometimes, but you might need to replace it altogether......

If your worried about driving the car - just take 10 minutes of your time before driving the car around. Start the car, open the hood and have a drink,...... Feel the radiator hose; when the thermostat opens up the hose gets hot fast. About 2 minutes later the electric fan should kick on,... then it should shut off a minute or 2 later. As long as those things happen you should not overheat, because you just confirmed the 2 things that cool the engine work.

Now put the drink down and take that IROC for a ride !!!

 

Careful, make that a non-alcoholic drink.