First off, Im new to this place so if this is in the wrong forum, mods feel free to move it.

So theres a guy not too far from me selling an 85 IROC Z. Im going to look at it saturday and most likely purchase it as well. I dont know a whole lot about camaros except that almost everyone in my family has one. This has 86,000 miles and the body seems to be in great shape from the one picture I saw. When I called the guy he said it runs great and his ad said "everything's rebuilt." His asking price was $3500 obo. It sounds like a good deal but do you guys think theres some things he isnt telling me? Cuz that price seems kinda low for an IROC that "runs great." It does need misc stuff like a new windshield, headliner, and some work on the seats.

The other thing I'm worried about is he said theres a "350 corvette" engine in it. Now I've seen a couple other IROC's with 350's so it must be a popular mod but I dont know what year the engine is or how much power it puts out. He didnt mention any other mods so I hope the auto tranny can hold the power.

The point is, is this a shady ad or do you think its just a good buy?

 

I dunno. Sounds pretty good to me. Usually, from what I've noticed, changing motors in an Iroc usually causes depreciation. Unless it's the same motor. However, I don't recall ever seeing an 85 Iroc....I thought they didn't come out until like 86 I could be wrong though. Anyway, sounds like a decent deal though. Of course, I'd talk him down.....lol.
Lowell

 

Well, being an 85, if the motor is original then it is a 305 no matter what the owner say's. It's always possible the motor has been changed, but with 86K on it it's probably original.

Although they did put 305's in certain years of Corvette, it is not a "Corvette" motor. It probably is a TPI 305 which many people think is a Corvette motor, but it is not.

If it's in good shape with receipts for the "rebuilt" parts, 3500 is an OK price, miles are pretty low for an 85.

 

well he didnt tell me it was the original motor so im not worried about numbers matching. i dunno i asked my uncle about it cuz hes been around a fan of camaros and when he bought his he had to look at 40 different ones before he found the right one. so im gonna do a little looking before i jump on the first one i see but i thank you for the information. im trying to learn as much as i can about third gens cuz im definitely stickin with one.

 

if you buy a car with a 350 in it MAKE DAMN SURE it is a 350 before handing over the cash. there are casting numbers in different places depending on year.. if you search in the FAQ section or the TECH/GENERAL ENGINE section for "305 or 350?" you will turn up a bunch of threads

 

really? I had no idea. i guess its a good way to rip people off. if i find one with a "350" ill be sure to look at those threads first. thanks for the heads up

 

also when someone tells you its a "vette" engine..
its generally either
A. hes an idiot
B. he thinks your an idiot

just my

 

Here's an article that I wrote a few years ago that might give some insight when looking the car over:
Buying an IROC

Since this may not have the original motor in it, you're going to have to do some of your own homework to figure out what's in it. First off, is it a TPI motor or is it carburated? If it's TPI, and if it's not the stock 305, I'd find something else. The 85 computer is a pain in the ***, and if you've got a different motor in the car, chances are that stock computer isn't handling it properly, and unless you feel like having a project right away, find something else.

If it's carbed, well, at least that's easier to straighten out if it's not properly tuned or matched to the motor.

Anyway, get the block numbers off the motor. This will be right on the flat pad that's just in front of the passenger side cylinder head. Run the numbers at mortec.com to see what the motor is. If it's a smog-era Corvette motor, it's still junk regardless of what car it came from. The 70s L82s barely made 200hp and the L48s were boat anchors. Neither is an improvement over a stock LB9 or L69 305.

It's one thing to get a good deal, but it's quite another to get somebody's half-assed hacked up modification.

 

I still didn't think Iroc's were available in '85? Am I badly mistaken or were they not available untill '86-ish? I'd appreciate the input on this....
Lowell

 

that probably explains why it was so cheap. the first IROC came out in 85 im pretty sure.

 

This is one of the best sites for IROC info I think. They have alot of stuff about just the IROC's. Adam :-)

IROCZONET | IROC-Z Forums & Community, Photo Gallery, Pictures, Links, History

 

You are badly mistaken. The IROC was introduced in 1985

 

I sure hope so, otherwise I've been living a lie all these years.

 

Jim, that would make two of us. I remember when the IROC came out - I graduated high school in 1985 and could only dream of having one! Years later I went looking for an '85 ...

Tyme, have a look - Circa 1985 ... http://mohotcars.com/iroc.html

Mike M

 

I also wanted an IROC the minute they came out! I finally got one....it had 24,502 original miles on it , and in "near" mint condition.(black) It is a 305, (they only made 305 in 85) TPI. I paid $9,000 for it. The lady I bought it from was a parts manager of a chevy dealership in OH and had this thing stored in an "enviormentally temperature controlled garage" for years, when I looked at the car,we lifted the hood, the engine had cob webs....then we installed a new battery in it, and VAROOOOOM she started first try in "YEARS"!, That is why I bought my Iroc! I am the 2nd owner. I have all the papers and the original window sticker (even the gator goodyear tires) I have since changed them to goodyear eagle, only cause the originals dry rotted! I know for a fact 85 was the forst year for an Iroc and 1990 was the LAST!

 

 

The Iroc option package came out in 1985, and replaced the Z28 from 88 to early 1990, when IROC dropped the contract in favor of the Dodge Daytona (?)

 

Yeah, got the old 85 IROC.

JamesC

 

just making assumptions based on the information that i have been given. if it is an 85 iroc, stock it had a 305 motor, either a 4bbl carb, 4bbl carb high output, or a TPI. the current owner says "everything's reubilt", which means that if it does have a 350 corvette engine in it, i am more than positive it is the old L98 that corvettes used to have and later were given to the IROCs in the 86 1/2 year model when the corvettes received the LT1. i think the only reason people say that IROCs have Corvette engines in them is to make them sound faster and more valuable.

if i were u i would double check everything, especially with it being completely rebuilt. do your homework on the vin, rpo codes, and more than anything, be sure to drive it. if there is even one thing that seems bad about how it drives, i wouldnt buy it. especially if there is no warranty/guarantee remaining on either the engine or the tranny.

 

The Corvette didn't go the the LT1 until 1992. The Vette usually got the new engine 1 year before the Camaro got it.

 

What?! The f-body didnt get the L98 until 1987...end of story. Also the Vette didnt get the LT1 until 1992.

 

just curious, did the corvette have the L98 until 92 or was there another engine between the two?

the tech articles on this site say that the 350 IROC was an 86 year model used for testing purposes only. it was decided that they would not be introduced until 1987. so, the 350 IROC was made in 1986 but not sold to the public until the 1987 year model.

here is a link to an article produced by motor trend when they tested the car. when this article was produced, it had not been decided by GM not to produce the car for this year model. thats why i assumed that there 350 IROCs available to the public.

 

The Corvette used the L98 until the LT1 replaced it in 1992. You are correct when you say GM made 350 IROCs in 1986 for testing, but werent introduced until 1987. I read an article saying some of the prototype 1982 Trans Ams were powered by the 301 turbo engine from 1981, and were tested that way. I dont consider that at all a reason to say Pontiac made a thirdgen Trans Am with a 301 turbo, just like that tech article is no reason to say there were 350 IROCs in 1986. There were, but there werent...if that makes any sense.

 

i know what u meant. i new that there were 86's with 350s, so i just assumed that they were offered to the public. i had never read the tech articles on this site about the 86 IROC 350 nor had i been told that they were not in production until 87 until i was challenged about it and proven wrong. sorry for the confusion.

 

Well, thanks for clearing that up for me. I don't know why I thought 86 was the first year for Irocs. everybody

 

It's all up to you the buyer. I paid $5,000 for my 1989 Iroc 5.7 t-tops, every option except leather. I looked for about 5-6 years for a 5.7 and t-top car. Gave up and all of a sudden,bam here it is take it or leave it. People thought I was crazy for spending 5 G,s on a car that was 17 years old with 78,000 original miles. But once they saw the car(especially my parents) they were like" wow, nice car,It's inreally good shape for a car that old" Don't get me wrong, she's not perfect and I already have about 2-3g's into the car but when I'm done(probably at least another $10-15,000 to get her mint like I want her) I'll have a $20,000 car that's worth 5g's,but I will love her and that's all that matters to me!

 

I was looking over some sources for a previous post, and came across some info on that 350 from iroczone.com The first 350 went into an Iroc in 86. According to the site, only 50 or so have this option, so check the vin

 

Corvettes used iron headed L98's until 1986 when it was swapped to an aluminum head. 350's didn't actually debut in the F-bodies until 1987. If you really look at it, they did do an engine swap a year before it came out in the f-body, and then it was the iron headed version of the L98, otherwise known as option code B2L (at least on the window sticker, RPO list still showed the L98)