in 1986 my oldest brother bought a new 1986 Z28 with t-tops. and i fell in love, i was 14 and had bought a 68rs/ss with a 4 speed, i hated that car but i bought it for $20 and all it needed was brake work. and then when i turned 15 i bought a 4x4 pickup and i rarely drove the camaro. when i turned 16 a week later i blew the engine in my truck and my brother came down from minneapolis for a few days with his Z28 and we rebuilt my engine while we were doing that he let me use his Z for school. so when we got my engine done he decided he liked my 68 camaro. so we worked out a trade and he let me make payments to him for the rest. i had it til 1992 when i got married and a few months later my wife got pregnant so we decided to sell the car. big big mistake, it was wrecked by the new owner 3 weeks later and totaled out. since then ive owned 5 3rd gens but they just werent the same as my 86, so when i found my 86 Z 2 months ago from the second owner who had it since 88, it has 103000 miles and all original except the carb. i picked it up for $800.

 

Do you have any pictures of it? Does your brother still have the 68 Camaro? I bet if he did he has to be rolling around laughing if it is in good shape.

 

My first Third gen was in 1995, it was a yellow 82 Camaro, my second was a white 87 GTA that I bought in 1998 and my black GTA that I have now I picked up 2008.

 

i dont have any pics of the 68 or my original Z. and my brother only kept it for about 3years.heres a pic of the one i just bought

 

In late 1981 I got a real job after college. I was driving a 68 Camaro and needed a daily driver, so I went to the local Chevy dealer and ordered the new thirdgen Camaro I had only seen in magazines. They didn't even have a showroom model to test drive yet. The one I ordered was just a plain 6-cyl as that's all I could afford. The order kept getting held up, can't remember why now, so I ended up cancelling it and buying a new Mazda. It was a good car, but had no cool factor like the Camaro.

A few months later I went to California for vacation and rented a car. They gave me an old Pinto that kept breaking down. I finally had enough and demanded a replacement, which ended up being a brand new 82 Camaro. After finally driving a thirdgen, I regretted not waiting for the one I had ordered. In the mid 80's a couple of people I worked with bought new IROC's. After driving one, I vowed to own one someday. But marriage, a house and kids got in the way for many years. I also had another 68 that I was restoring. That was still my favorite generation.

Flash forward to 2007. My son decided he wanted a nice Camaro to show alongside my 68. The thirdgen was the only one he could afford, so we picked one up to restore. He's lost interest since, but I'm continuing to plug away at it. Someday I'll finally have the car I let get away thirty years ago.

 

My first memory of the third gen was in May of '82 when the car paced Indy. I was instantly hooked on the styling. The '82 Pace Car was the car I wanted to own.

In late '84 or early '85 my parents went out shopping for a new Cadillac one morning (my Mom had a DeVille and wanted a new one). When they got home, they told me to go in the garage and take a look. Uninterested, I wandered over to the garage expecting to see new Caddy, but they had instead come home with a brand new black with gold trim, TPI '85 Z28 with t-tops. I about died on the spot. The moment is seared into my brain.

I wasn't old enough to drive but I was close. Aside from the t-tops and the TPI, the car had zero options -- black vinyl seats and (no lie) an AM-only radio with no tape deck. My parents paid for the dealer to change out the radio with an AM/FM/cassette but they had to order it, so we had nothing but AM radio for a week. The car was a dream for me. I took and passed my first drivers test in the Z. When I got my license, Mom gave me a set of keys when we left the DMV and I was free to take the car whenever I wanted, even though it wasn't mine.

This was the first year for the TPI motor in the Camaro and the car was plagued with intermittent TPI problems. The injectors kept clogging up and the car would have an almost constant miss and poor idle.

The dealership was totally clueless on how to keep the car running smoothly and my dad, who is good at wrenching on cars, talked to several buddies in the industry (some working for GM dealers) trying to figure out what to do. He ultimately built a tank to hook to the fuel line to run dealer-grade injector cleaner through the TPI to get the injectors to fire properly. I'll never forget the first night we did this in our garage. The car would barely run so I had to keep on the throttle to keep the RPMs up while white smoke (from the cleaner) literally POURED out of the exhaust. It looked like the car was on fire there was so much smoke. But it did work, and the car ran great for another few months until the injectors started fouling up again. Ultimately, the ongoing issues with the TPI and the need to constantly clean the system caused Mom to trade it for an '86 Olds Cutlass about a year and half later. It was a another moment seared into my brain. I was devastated.

When it came time for me to buy my first car, I tried hard to find a cheap third gen Z28, but they were still too new and I was no where near able to afford one. I finally bought an '84 Z28 L69 5-spd HO in late '89. It was an awesome car, but it was also a midwest car and rust was starting to take its toll. I had the '84 Z for 5 years before I sold it.

Since seeing the 1982 Indy race, I have always wanted an '82 pace car. It has truly been my one dream car. A few weeks ago, in December 2011, I finally fulfilled that dream and picked up a fully loaded '82 Pace Car (sans J65 discs) with 67,000 miles. It's a complete, rust-free car that needs some TLC, but it has brought me back to the third gen family again. It feels good to be back and has re-ignited my passion for third gens.

People can say whatever they want about third gens, but IMHO they defined Camaro and Chevy performance for a generation. Ask someone about a 70s Camaro and they might not know what you're talking about, but mention a third gen/IROC and, disparaging remarks aside, they'll know exactly what you're talking about.

 

To update my own post in this thread that dates back 3 1/2 years, the one third gen I owned in that post is long gone, but I've added 3 since If anything, it goes to show third gens are way, way more than cars to me...

They're in my blood. I would collect them all, if I could...

 

I bought my first Iroc in 1996, I loved how they looked! Was looking to buy a new car and came across a 86 Iroc TPI, thought I died and gone to heaven! I had so much fun in that camaro. It was well taken car of, the guy i bought it from was like 6'7 and had 2 teen boys that were bigger then he was. That's why he sold it. I Drove it for 3 years and needed more room for my children. Biggest mistake I ever did was sell it. So after my kids were grown I had three cars and none were a camaro. Started looking but was not real smart in my search. I bought the 89 RS excited at the low miles. Sold the Mercedes, llincoln, and Honda. And started droping money on the 89.
I should have taken all the money and bought another Iroc! So I will have another Iroc just won't be my Yellow 86 Iroc, unless i find it and it is still in ok condition. Been looking for it

 

I got my 1st 3rd Gen when I was 16. My family had just moved to Florida from Ireland and my dad promised me hed get me a car after we moved. Now normally a kid would be all excited but if you knew my dad......you wouldnt be that excited. Hes a very practical type guy. I was really expecting him to get me some old Chevette or something. One day I came home from school....he told me he found a car for me and that we were going to look at it that evening. We drove about 20 minutes to the address we were given. The entire way there my dad never said what kind of car it was and I didnt ask for fear of finding out it was something I really didnt want to be caught dead in. Anyways........we pulled up in the Driveway and there was a blue 85 Camaro RS with a for sale sign in the window. I think my heart almost stopped lol. I then thought to myself....there must be another car in the garage thats for sale. At that point I couldnt hold it in anymore.......I asked my dad, "Is that the car?" and he said, "Yes, what do you think?". Of course I said," Its awesome!" After some wheeling and dealing my dad paid the guy $2500 bucks cash and I drove it home that night. I remember going outside at like 1 in the morning to look at it lol. It was hard to believe that it was mine and actually sitting in the driveway. At that moment.....I think I was the most excited and happy girl on the planet!!!!!

 

Got mine literally about a year ago. I'm 17, was looking for a first car. I worked landscaping to save up money, i soon had roughly 4000 put away. I knew I wanted a sports/muscle car. Every kids dream! Finally when i got my learners, my dad started helping me search out the perfect car. Found my 87 parked at some ghetto car lot downtown Regina. We inquired about it, I got behind the wheel, started it up for the first time, and slunk back into that black seat. I instantly fell in love. Guy at the lot wanted 5000 for it on account of the low kms and the mintness of it. So i just kept walking. I waited and waited for the right car to come along, meanwhile this one still sat at the lot. Finally, one day, it wasn't there anymore, so i shrugged, presuming it sold, and kept searching. Months later, still 15, I saw an 87 camaro on a localized auto website, listed by a private name, the price had dropped a 1000 bucks. (Car lot must've hyped up the price quite a bit.) My hopes got up again. I wanted that car baaad 0.o hahaha. Another few months went by, just about my 16th birthday, and the car was still there, and dropped down to 3700. This was when i went to the guy, looked the car over, told him i'd be back. 3 days later, i came with an offer of 3200, he took it. another day, and paperwork and plates later, i drove my car home I was the happiest kid alive! still am today!

 

It's just a beautiful feeling isn't it

 

I was always involved in cars and boats as a little kid and wanted after seeing a 1985 Trans Am at Autorama in Houston, I told my dad that I am getting that. It was the first car I bought when I turned 15. I found a 1985 Trans Am and bought it. Drove it for the next 4 years. Now after 19 years from buying my Trans Am, and owning all kinds of other bad *** cars ranging from Corvette to Lamborghini, I still went back and bought another Trans Am.

 

In all honesty, I had always been a tuner guy haha...I was a tuner guy all my life until I inherited my 1st car through a serious of random events (My grandmother was the provider of a doctor in her later years who had traveled that world..at some point in her life, she bought her daughter an '84 Trans Am..her daughter died a year later..being that her mother was handicapped, she couldn't drive her daughter's car; it was garaged for over 20yrs...the doctor grew older and weaker and eventually passed away.. my grandma was the only person left in her life and left her car to her..for the 1st time in my life, I fell in love with a muscle car..a brown and gold, pretty much brand new trans am...my grandma trashed it for 2yrs before passing it down to me..but I forgive her..because this trans am is honestly one of the best things to happen to me...it may not be a supercar yet..but where I'm from, u won't see any of these [unless theyre in terrible condition] so my baby breaks necks...when I drive it, I feel like I can do anythin...we are in perfect sync..I may sound a little weird..but if ya'll love cars the way I do..u would understand...I'm now 21 and got my baby cleaner than a 2006 and only 73,000 original miles..it's life has just begun and I don't intend on letting it end anytime soon.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/pict...ictureid=32228

 

April 29, 1986.

 

My obsession with Cars, let alone Third Gens - started when I was very Young... I grew up in a house surrounded by Muscle and Pony Cars; by the time I was 3, while my dad was in the store, I some-how popped his 2nd gen Camaro in Reverse and Floored it through the front doors... After that, it was obvious that I had an Early Curiousity for driving and learning what these Vehicles were all about... Yeah, i'm one of those guys that was taught to drive by sitting on my pops lap steering as he controlled the throttle and brakes... Sooo after crashing his car, instead of punishing me - he took me to the Toy Store and bought me My First Car... It was all Mine... 1985 Blue Iroc-Z w/ real rubber tires from Hotwheels - I was instantly in Love... By the time I was Seven, I was checking out books at the library teaching you how to draw cars... I drew thirdgen Camaro's and Firebird's all day long, some with guns or, of course, my version of KITT...


Fast forward to my 16th Birthday, I got my first Third Gen... 1987 Bright Red, 5spd Firebird - My key to freedom... Buttttttt that was short lived, soon after that it was stolen by a d*** of a family member and totaled... Not to long after that, my Girlfriend at the time was Sweet enough to buy Me my Second... 1984 Z-28, Full Gunmetal Gray Paint, 327 under the hood and a 5spd to lay down the power... That car was with me for 5 years until blowing the engine (timing gear lost all it's teeth) during a street race down in Philadelphia... Rebuilt the Engine and put it up For Sale... The reputation of this car was strong, so the offers rolled in... But guess what?! While I was on Vacation in the Hamptons, I gave the resposibility of meeting with the serious buyers to my Parents... Well one of these guys that showed interest asked if he could take it down the road to His mechanic to have it once overed - which really isnt that odd, def when dealing with a Vehicle that's Race Purposed... Because of how late in the day it was, the garage asked if it was ok to keep it over night and take care of the Check Out right away in the Morning... My parents called, gave me the 411 and I was A-Ok with it because they would have the keys and not the guy... Those that have early 5spd Third Gens know that on the steering column there is a Key Release button, well if you dont turn it all the way to lock before you take the keys out - you can actually start the car without them; which was very handy in the younger days when my parents tried to ground me from my car... Turns out, the guy knew this too and later on that night ended up Stealing it and CRASHING it into a local Police Car shortly after leaving the Garage... Ugghhhh... Needless to say, that one hit me HARD and I just felt I had to step away from the scene for a little...


Obviously, That didnt work and now i'm back w/ something meaner and cleaner... Let's just say I will NEVER get rid of this One, let alone be put it any situations like those again... I've poored My blood, sweat, and green backs into my baby and No One can take that away from me now...


Here's My 1991 Z-28 that I built from the Ground Up:








First pic of the Bolted in, All New TPI Based - Worked Drive-train:








Notice the Plate??








Lastly - My First Show Win (Pic Found on Google):





Stats and More Pics can be Found Here:


https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/album.php?albumid=666


I'm Proud to be part of the Third Gen Community and Never Again will I let someone try take that away from Me...


Keep emm Spinnin'!!


::Short Story:: 1988... hahaha

 

I was in Reno, Nevada during the summer of 1981 (around August) with my family. My grandmother lived there and we went to visit before school started back up. During our visit, there was a huge Chevrolet presence at the MGM Grand that took up probably 2-3 acres in one of the parking lots. My uncle worked at the Chevrolet dealership about three blocks away and was able to get us into the tent late one night through a friend of his who worked at the MGM Grand. Inside the tent as you go in the "lobby" there sat a dark blue 1982 Z28. I've always wondered if it was the same car that was in the '82 brochure.

It turns out it was that year's national Chevrolet dealer convention and the event was the coming out party for the new 1982 Chevrolets.

The Z28, and surprisingly the S10, were radical looking cars for that time and to me were the only thing in that circus sized tent worth looking at. There had never been any Chevrolets like that before, to me anyway.

When they started showing up on dealers lots around December, owning one was all I could think about. My dad's lot got a black LG4/4 speed in January and I was allowed to drive it for about five miles. It was all over then. As more and more of them came in, it just got worse.

My folks bought a 1982 Pace Car in late April of 1982 and I drove the wheels off of it whenever they would let me. Even with 165 horsepower, it felt good and it sounded good and it wasn't a slug compared to most other cars around at the time. Even at a 16.0-16.5 1/4 mile time, it was living in a world mostly filled with 18 second cars. The occasional 77-79 Trans Am or 5 liter Mustang were a problem, but they weren't overly abundant either. The lot traded for an '82 4-speed Trans Am that dad let me drive one weekend. It was interesting how different it and a Z28 behaved. It was also interesting how the crowd was split. My buddies went nuts over the Z28 and girls fainted over the Trans Am. It seemed like the whole world went crazy for them, as the sales would indicate over the first half of its lifespan.

I recall vividly that they drew crazy attention everywhere you went in them. It was like driving a concept car or something. 3rd gens continued to draw a lot of attention all the way into the late 80's until the aero/jellybean look replaced the square-jawed badass vibe a third gen has.

I bought my first one in August of 1983 and have had at least one ever since. As a result of those cars, I've made a lot of good friends and experienced a lot of neat things.

To me, that makes the third gen a successful product.

 

I honestly can't remember what pointed me in the direction of 3rd gen Firebirds but I remember that around a year before I was able to drive I was looking for cars that would stand out and be completely different from everything that everyone else here has (civics and trucks etc) so I was looking on craigslist at all different 80's era cars and somehow found out about firebirds and I instantly fell in love. It was weird because my dad grew up in the 70's and his all time favorite cars where 3rd gen firebirds and he never mentioned it and then my obsession for them grew completely randomly so I guess it runs in the family I ended up getting my first 86 base firebird about 6-7 months ago and it had to get written off due to someone backing into it and now I'm onto my t/a gta which is my new baby

 

I was 19, I bought this car, 85 Z it was maroon with gold, 5 speed, 305 carbureted.....within 3 years it was running mid 12s with a built 350, had painted it three times, had a cage etc etc



7 years later, after selling it I bought it back, was rotted away, stripped it and now the motor is in my 69 Corvette

 

I was a Kidd watching Smokey and the bandit as well as Knight rider when I noticed them the first time...it wasn't until last fall that I traded an 85 fiero GT for the Trans am I now have.

I should have it on the road by the end of may