Jason E

To combat a few of the more combative posts on here recently (ones I've admittedly taken part in), I thought a lighter, fun-to-read thread might be in order. Yeah, yeah, this is history/restoration, but for me, the history I have with these cars is one of the reasons WHY I care so much about them. So, Scott, John, JT, I hope I'm not out of line here...I think this could be interesting for everyone. We haven't done one of these in awhile.

I'll start (I apologize to the regulars that have probably watched me babble about my cars multiple times before ).

91 Camaro:
Bought it in May 2006, after being thirdgen-less for about 4 years. My first two, an '89 RS and '89 Formula, were both sold in '02 when I went to grad school. The RS was totalled by the buyer within 6 months...the Formula is supposedly STILL in the process of being restored a few towns over. Anyway, I took the '91 in on trade for $1,000, and bought it. Its the only third gen I've taken in on trade, ever. It was solid but rough all around, and has been a far larger project than I ever imagined. Because its a red/stick/t-top/V8 car, I immediately fell in love with the car and had to have it. But, every time I did something, something else went bad. It had 107k on it when I got it...has 119k now. The guy who traded it in came by to see it 2 years ago...he couldn't believe it was the same car. It looks and drives better than brand new, but its been a long road. All thats left to do is to make a fiberglass sub box I'm painting body color, and putting in this Spring.

86 Trans Am:
Bought in March 2010. I found it on Craigslist, barely 5 miles from my house. The funny thing was, the guy had listed it a year prior, and I almost went to look at it then. At that time, I decided the lack of t-tops wasn't for me. When I found it again, I decided the low mileage (30k) and TPI meant I had to go see it. While it looked far rougher than my RS did when I bought it, it drove like a gem. With no t-tops, its completely tight, and I love the Firebird suspension setup with the 15s...it rides so smooth, and still handles awesome. After debating for a day, I called him up, got him down $500, and drove it home that night. I was lucky, because I didn't look it over as closely as I should've, but the car is in far better shape than I anticipated. After a good tune up and changing fluids, and fixing a few bad interior pieces, I'm saving the $5,000 it will cost me to put used fenders on the front (both are dented a little), a repro fiberglass spoiler, and paint it the right way. The only deviations from stock will be an 86-correct screaming chicken on the hood, and the '93 Bonneville CD player already in it.

88 IROC:
Bought June 2010. This one is funny...and is the car I never thought I'd get to own. I found it also on Craigslist, literally two weeks after the TA. I thought to myself "sure, great. I buy a 305 hardtop TA, and now my dream IROC (grey, 350, t-top, 21k miles) is staring me in the face. What do I do now?" Because the asking price was in the mid teens, I ignored it and moved on. But every few weeks, I kept seeing the ad get refreshed. I finally called on it, and I remember driving to see it I told my wife "look, I'm not buying it...never seen a grey IROC, it'll be fun to go see, then we'll leave." When the owner opened the garage door, I won't lie...I actually got goosebumps. I looked at my wife with a stupid grin, and she said "so I guess you're buying it, eh?" 2 hours later, we left with an agreed price, after I combed the whole car. I told her I needed time to think...but I called back within 12 hours and agreed to buy it. I picked it up on my dealer tag that night, and the rest is history. I replaced the original tires (keeping them in storage, of course), added a pound of R12 to the A/C, and will need to change the intake gasket this Spring (leaks coolant on the y pipe when cold). That's it. This car is truly a brand new 1988 IROC. The only mod is an early 90s CD player...I have the original tape deck.

To same I'm lucky is an understatement. I figured I'd be lucky to hold onto one third gen through my life...never thought I'd own 3, one of which was a car I'd always dreamed of, but never even SEEN before.

I look forward to other stories!

AutoRoc

iTrader: (1)

Always memorable stuff buying a car.

I bought my first car ever 4 days before getting my licence. Paid 4000 for a red 305 TPI 85 IROC-Z w/t-tops. Can't remember the mileage but the owner had a ton of receipts from a performance shop. It had 3.73's, auburn posi, headman headers and y pipe, dynomax exhaust, and a 219/229 Comp RV cam. I blew a few transmissions, wiped out lobes on the comp cam and had a jasper 350 put under the TPI. It ran mid 14's and then I t-boned a Dodge Dakota one night and that ended it all. I parted the car out and a lot of those parts are on my convertible or friend cars. I had subframes welded in 3 days before the accident and they actually prevented more damage from happening in the accident. Those same subframes are on my convertible now.

My 89 convertible was bought for asking price, $7500, and the owner was so proud tuqt is had a low mile, factory stock IROC. 305 TPI 60k miles. He was pointing out the original paper filters, etc. It ran 15.70's stock, 14.20's with a 75 shot. With a carb intake and 150 shot it went 12.80's. 3 engines later and a 8 point rollbar, I would like to take it back and show it to the first owner. It's been in the 9's on nitrous and will now have a turbo inline in it.

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

Bought my 1982 Firebird S/E with a torn down engine in near perfect condition in 1996 for $350. I was 16yrs old. I then bought a fuel injected V6 out of a 1986 (I think) Camaro. I put the carb setup from the Firebird and got it in. I did it over the summer of 1996. I drove the absolute living **** out of that car for 2 or 3 years. I literally killed it, I won't even say on here what kinds of things happened to that car while I had it. I'm not proud of what I did but hey, I was young, dumb, and stupid. I traded it straight across for a 1960 El Camino SS that was 100% original and ran but drank a qt of oil every 50 miles and the floors were rusted out lol.

I bought my 1992 Trans Am GTA on July 1st 2000 for $7K cash, had 69K miles on it. This one I've been taking the best care I can of but accidents have still happened. I'm not letting this one go.

xjcamaro89

My 89 RS:

My mom bought a 89 RS in 1995. I was 13. She drove it for a couple years. I have no idea on the mileage when she bought it, but im guessing that it was somewhere around 80-90,000. When i was 16 i got my first job, a good paying one at that. I turned 17 within a couple months of starting that job. In May of that year, 1999, my parents asked me if i would like to buy it from them for $3000. And of course i said yes. So i gave them $1000 up front and paid the rest off over the next 6 months. That became my daily driver for the rest of 1999 and half of 2000. The summer of 2000 i graduated high school and cooked the motor a week after graduation. My future father in law (who is a old school chevy tech) tried to resurect the motor, but it didnt work out. So i parked it for 2 years while i went to a 2 yr computer tech school.

During 2002 we pulled the dead 305 TBI out of it, and got a lightly used 95 350 out of a truck and rebuilt it and cleaned it up and chromed it up a little. At that time i also cleaned and painted the engine compartment and just about everything else that could have been cleaned and painting on the entire car. I tore the interior apart fixing or replacing everything that needed it. We then put the 350 in then stripped the paint and repainted the entire car. Since then (2002) i have not put 6,000 miles on it, i drive it to work every now and then and to car shows and cruises. I have collector car plates for it and collector car insurance ($130 a year for full coverage with total loss at $6500) i clean the crap out of it all year long and it always looks like it just came off the showroom. Its my baby.

scottmoyer

That's a nice RS.

Jason, you are very out of line!

86TA355SR

iTrader: (1)

Bought my 91 GTA in spring of 95. Knew the original owner, and when it came up for sale, I bought it. Saw it the day it was new and I had to have it. Worked my butt off at the time just to make the payment. Car is still straight with no rust at all. Bought it with 33K miles, in 16 years it has just turned 42K miles.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Well, I was into 3rd gens before they were even out. I was following the spy pics and reports in all the magazines. That's what we did before the internet. I remember getting excited reading about the rumored 190 horsepower Crossram "fuelie" motor in the upcoming Z/28, paired to the expected 4 speed manual trans, of course.

When I recieved my Dec. 1981(?) Hot Rod magazine with a red Z/28 on the cover and full report inside, I was simply blown away. Wow!!! I carried that thing around for a week so I could show everyone!

Shortly thereafter, I saw my first 3rd gen Camaro at Z Frank Chevrolet in Chicago. It was their very first one and it was parked in front on the sidewalk. It was a silver base car with maroon cloth interior. If I'm not mistaken it had an Iron Duke and dog dish hubcaps. I can't describe what it was like to see it. So new. So modern. So gorgeous. So different. It's rakish stance was so agressive.

A week later, the same dealer recieved it's first Z/28. It was maroon and was the centerpiece of the showroom. I remember sitting in it and being so impressed by the modern design of the interior. It even had real leather on the steering wheel, shifter ball and parking brake handle. Good Lord, it was awesome - especially compared to the other cars of the era. I couldn't wait for the rumored mid-year certification of a manual trans for the top motor.
And the handling was simply on a completely different level than anything before it.

It wasn't all love fest though. The 190 hp CFI only put out 165 and the 4 speed stick, GM was promising to certify it with, never came. I swore I'd never own a Crossfire because:

1) No stick.

2) Wasn't faster than a Mustang GT in a straight line.

But whaddya know, in 2008 I ended up buying one of those Crossfires.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

About 4 years ago when my son got his license we bought him a sensible '97 4 door Civic. A few months later he announced he'd sold it to a friend at high school and bought a car from another friend. It was a base model '91 V6 F'bird. From a distance it didn't look too bad but the interior was a bit rough and it ran very badly and overheated when stopped because the fan was bent and jammed. It barely passed smog because it ran so rich and hadn't been serviced for a long time. My son went to college in our Camry and I started playing with the Firebird. It died and sat for a few months then I replaced the injectors, filters, sensors etc. and poured in the Seafoam. It now runs and idles well and as the Seafoam cleans out the soot it is getting better all the time. It wouldn't rev above 3k when I started but will now pass 5k with some left. I joined a car club and now run it in auto-x. I could have sold it and bought a competitive car but after reading all the handling threads I've decided to see what I can make it do against the hot cars/drivers in the club. It is a ton of fun to drive and handles well even without the hoped for mods. My kid's terrible deal turned out good in the end! Who would be without a Third Gen?

eseibel67

In November 1991 no dealer had the car I wanted in stock, so I factory ordered a 1992 Formula LB9 5 speed, in dark green. I picked it up on February 14th, 1992. My brother drove me to pick it up, and he shot a video of me barking the tires as I pulled out of the dealer's garage on it's maiden voyage. I didn't take very good care of it and I unloaded it after a few years.

Fast forward nineteen years. Two weeks after my son's 16th birthday, he bought himself his first car. A 1988 GTA LB9 5 speed, T tops in bright red. Totally rust free. He says he's going to keep it forever, but only time will tell. Teenagers say a lot that they don't actually mean.

xjcamaro89

I remember saying that when i got mine, and still to this day have not even thought about selling it. You know why, cause you talk to all these poeple now that say, "I used to have a 60 something camaro, firebird, corvette, chevelle, etc....i should have hung on to that" i dont want to be one of those guys that when im 50-60 yrs old is kicking myself for selling my camaro for some quick cash when i was in my 20's.

herbz28

iTrader: (1)

i will join in on this as well

2003- bought my first camaro from a guy in a grocery store parking lot. paid 200 dollars for it and drove it home. Car did not have an exhaust on it and was missing alot of interior parts. Being still kinda young did not know anything about cars so i sold it to a guy who kept saying it was his dream car.

go ahead about 7 years to the present bought my z28 in january and since then have purchased a 1990 corvet 350 tpi motor to swap in it. Car has 107 thousand miles on it and runs like a champ. It is the first z29 i have ever owned and a 5spd at that. I love the car to death and now starting to get my fiance into it as well

xjcamaro89

You better hang on to that, i think you might have the only z29 out there!

Just givin you a hard time, lol

i know it was a typo!

74Novaguy

88 Camaro 5.7 IROC-Z:

Well this guy has been bugging me for about 7 years to help him replace this motor that blew up in his 88 camaro. He could never tell me if it was a 305 or 350 or even a 6 cyl. from the way the story always went it seemed like the car should have been in the scrap yard. well last newyears he was drunk and said come pick the car and crate motor he had for it tomorrow for 150 dollars. I figured he was drunk and blew him off. About a week later my brother calls (since it was his friend) and said he wasnt joking come get the car. So I ran down there with the trailer and loaded the car up with out even looking at anything. When i got home i found out it was a 5.7 TPI brand new crate motor that was just sitting in there oil pan bolts werent even tight yet. and the interior was in decent shape i just need to get the drivers seat redone and i need to fix the steering column and the prior owner just replaced the carpet. The body needs a paint job and accouple of door dings fixed. I even got a new box of seals for the ttops and doors. as of now its in my garage awaiting me to put the motor in that i just finished getting the intake on.

GerryCat09

iTrader: (1)

Great thread, I love these kinds of stories.

When I was little my dad got a 1982 Firebird S/E, and when he got it the quarter panels were all messed up, since he owned a body shop he cleaned up the body, got tail lights of an 87 GTA, and painted it black, when he rolled it out of the shop I thought it was KITT (I was 4) lol. after a few years though the car had too many problems and money was needed elsewhere so the car was sold. I missed it like crazy and told my dad I wanted a firebird when I got my liscence...

Flash forward...I'm 18, hanging out with a friend, and we go to check out his new Trans Am, a 1986 WS6 he bought from the original owner, I took one look at the car and had to have it, but he wasn't selling. A few months later he is selling, I'm broke..a kid buys it, guts it, and starts making a "race car" out of it. My buddy sees it, can't stand the thought of it being destroyed and buys it back to save it, next time I had money the car was heading to my garage where it is still being restored. Its a WS6, with Ttops and digital dash, originally all white, its now in primer. I'm restoring it back to factory condition.

Another friend of mine had a 1983 Trans Am Recaro Edition, the floors were rotted to hell and it was going to be too much of a PITA to get a title for it, so I bought it, took every possible good part from it and sold off the body. (hated to do it, but I didn't have the ability to save the body).

A year later the same friend I got the 86' from has a 1991 Firebird, and after a year and a half of cruising around in it, he bought a thunderbird and sold the Firebird to me, the car is still my daily driver. Its incedibly solid and clean, and runs great. Its getting a lot of the body parts from the 83', including the bumpers and functioning turbo bulge hood.

All I've ever owned is thirdgen Birds, lol.

herbz28

iTrader: (1)

fine fine fine z28 feel better lol

Dartht33bagger

I got my 91 Z28 in December 2009, the day after Christmas I believe. My grandpa, my dad and I went up to Washington to look at this car that we had been trying to see for a month and a half (from before thanksgiving). The people kept going out of town and then there was an ice storm warning so it took forever to actually go see it. Once we got there, I knew it was the perfect car and my dad and grandpa agreed. I took it out for a test drive and came back and said "I only have $3500, will you take it?". They wanted $4500 but after I told them I had saved all the money myself they gave it to me because apparently their daughter saves no money and they were surprised someone my age would.

Took it home and got it all cleaned up and have been happy ever since. I've done a lot to it over the past year to make it look nicer and keep it on the road. 19 year old car is kind of a pain for a DD but at least I'm getting my neighbors 2002 Ford Escort LX for my DD next year.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

Exactly! I sold my '67 convertible Firebird a long time ago and regretted it from the moment it was driven away.

camaronewbie

Sorry - can't tell you dates really...

My brother worked at a Ford dealership - parts manager. He was always 'in-the-know' about trade-ins and other good deals. He calls me about 3 times a year, tells me to stop at ATM for $ and head his way, and I always do. About 6-7 years ago, he calls, says to grab $500 and hurry up. So I did ... 1990 RS TBI Auto, has big dent in driver door, but runs well. Can't beat $500 for a running V8 anything, so I drove it home. Figured it would be an extra beater to have in case my other vehicles crap out. After finding this site (yes, I blame TGO ), I got the 'bug'!

Had the car about 3 years - never did fix the door, but I dug in elsewhere just to play. Swapped to a 3.08 posi rear, did basic suspension/brakes, tune up, clean up. Then tore into motor. Did #416 heads, ported/polished myself thanks to TGO, cut intakes valves to 1.94 left exhaust at 1.5, new Manly valves and Viton seals, added 1.6:1 roller tip rockers. Swapped in a LT1 cam, did free TBI mods, AFPR, Weiand intake, TBI adapter, headers, gutted cat, Hooker Aerochamber muffler. She was set, but I wasn't. I'm no computer geek - took me 6 months to get a chip programmed for her, and then the best I got was barely running ... consistently super rich since poor little ECM couldn't understand all the new airflow and just dumped gas on it. If I had carbed her, she would have been a nice 305 car.

But - all the while I was doing all that ... I realized I'm having a blast. But - it wasn't a T-top car, and I love T-tops! So, went on the hunt ... located a 1992 RS TBI Auto in Maryland on the bay. Seller was young, and wanted a 4th gen real real bad. Car overheated on him, fuel pump was erratic at best, and battery gave out. All EXCELLENT reasons to 'tell dad' that the car was toast, and get him to help finance a 4th gen. When I contacted him, the car needed a battery, fuel pump, and head gaskets/maybe even heads. But the car had a mint interior (minus dashpad and driver seat), every piece intact inside and out, one small dent pass rear quarter panel - Teal color black interior. AND T_TOPS!!! Sale price ... $900.

Grabbed the neighbors F-250, rented a U-Haul car trailer, headed 5 hours north. Nice sunny day in NC, but still had 4 inches snow on the ground in MD. Used come-along to snag her heavy snow-laiden butt onto the trailer, handed the kid 8 $100 bills, he smiled, and I dragged her home. Next day, got under the hood. Bad oil pressure sending unit was making fuel pump run 24/7 which killed battery. Fan relay connector was fried which made car overheat - nothing wrong with heads or head gaskets at all - changed fluids, tune up, a wash/vacuum, and she was happily on the road in less than 3 hours! Gotta love a young seller with a father that knows nothing about cars!

{If your reading this kid ... I'm very thankful in deed!}

That was 5 years ago this month. I've since totally restored her, had her dent fixed, HOK Kandy Teal paint, IROC louvered hood. Yanked her 305, swapped in an old used carbed 350 with 10:1 dometops and a mild cam, headers, gutted cat, Aerochamber muffler. Had tranny rebuilt strong, added shift kit, vette servos/boost valves. 4th gen rear with LS1 rear disc and 3.42 posi gears. Entire suspension redone now with poly bushings, adj Panhard, Eibach Pro-kit, Bilsteins all around. Added 84/85 Camaro clock (I just love the fact that there is a real factory Camaro clock), overhead console, interior LED lighting, underhood LED lighting, AM/FM/CD with amp & sub, glass T-top swap, rear cargo shade & power mirrors added, and mint dashpad.

And I truly love her! Still have things yet to do. Would like more power (thinking carbed LSx swap someday), and other little things here & there. So here we are, spending almost every weekend of the year (and many weekdays) attending car shows, cruise-ins, and having a blast! In general I know Americans are crazy about their cars, but I never figured one would keep me so happy! Guess it's because I never had anything remotely 'hot rod' material as a teen, and now I'm reliving my youth.

Not a 3rd gen, but about 3 years ago brother called again, this time $2800 and hurry. Arrived to find a 1997 Z28 LT1 auto in great shape - now the wife's car. So the driveway has a 25th anniversary and a 30th anniversary. If the gods ever shine my way, maybe someday I can add a 1st, 2nd, and 5th to the collection! Think I'd like to have a 1st gen Bird, as well as a 1977 Bandit T/A. I'll bust if it ever happens, but doesn't hurt to dream every so often!

ohsnaps88

I just bought my first one last week. it looks like a piece of crap but it actually runs pretty great. it starts right up every time, even in the cold amazingly. I was debating on what to do for almost the past 2 years. I have been on craigslist searching for camaros almost every single day believe it or not. hopefully ill get it looking nice by the summer so I can drive it down to porkys in st paul mn

86blackiroc

iTrader: (12)

I'll just mention the ones I have now.

'85 Silver IROC, originally looked at this car in summer of '01. I had known about this car for a while, but happened to notice it was for sale while I was driving around for the heck of it. I had an '89 IROC at the time. I really wanted it, but didn't have the funds. I think he wanted $2400 for it, not too bad, he was the second owner (since '88), but the car was beat. Fast forward to summer of '08. I found out through my brother that the car was for sale again. I went later that afternoon to see the car. It was basically the same condition, but with more rust, less clearcoat, and a crappier interior. It had only been driven a few more miles since I looked at it in '01. I agreed to buy it for 1K.

'86 IROC, bought it in late '02 after selling my previously mentioned '89. I found it on ebay. It was in SD, but I couldn't find a black/black IROC here locally, and gas was still cheap. The starting bid was $2800, I emailed the seller an asked how much to buy it outright (ebay still allowed it then). We discussed the car, and he talked himself down to $2100, lol. I went to SD, paid for the car, and happily drove it back to Ohio.

'88 IROC, bought in fall of '07. This car basically fell into my lap, a friend told me about it. I went to look at it, thought it would be cool to have, so I offered a Z34 Lumina as a trade. The seller wasn't interested. A month later, I got a call from him, he wanted to know If I still wanted to trade. He said there was a catch though, the car had been been primered (it was horrible too) and the starter took a dump. I said "That's OK, the Lumina needs an alternator and a power steering line". We agreed to make the trade.

'84 Z28, picked it up very early in '10, from a member here. I think I paid $225 for it, it was intended to be a parts car. It had been sitting in his field for quite a while and gathered up it's fair share of underbody rust, and raccoons had been living in it. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to part the car out. Just couldn't bring myself to cut it up. I washed it, pulled out the stinky interior, and put a nice SMC hood on it. I recently put it up for sale here, nobody else seems to want it, so I guess I'll just hang onto it until I can devote time to it.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Any pics of the silver '85? I had a chance to buy my friend's silver with red interior '85 and didn't, and always regretted it.

86blackiroc

iTrader: (12)

I have this (stalled) project thread going for it https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...er-iroc-z.html

Other members have posted pics of their Silver IROCs in it too

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Cool thread!

I'm glad it fell into the hands of someone who has the ability to save it.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Jason, why don't you start a pic thread for your gray IROC in MC? I don't recall seeing pics of it posted.

As for mine, it's not all that interesting. I'd been wanting a 5.0 Fox Mustang for a long time because let's face it, those were some hot cars at the time. Those were what the guys in high school all had; there was also someone up the street from me who had a friend with a black/gray two-tone one that would bust ***** through the neighborhood in it every once in a while when he'd come around, it was a nasty car and I remember rubbernecking at it up the street every time it came by.

A friend of the family owned a body shop and had all the ins on auctions. I was having trouble finding a decent one, so he decided to start looking for one for me at auction. One night we went down to his body shop with another friend of the family (and mutual friend) and there backed in was a bright red '91-'92 RS, black leather, T-tops, 305, 5 speed, 32k miles, virtually flawless. The only thing wrong with it was it had kissed a curb, and was there to have the spoiler resprayed.

I remember looking at it and thinking, "Wow, that interior is awesome, way better than the Mustang." So at that point I had opened up the possibility of Camaros as well as Mustangs, and at that point it was just an issue of finding the best car for the money in either camp, though I knew the 5.0 was probably the better car in a lot of ways.

Unbeknownst to me until years later, the mutual friend had actually told the body guy to stop looking for a 5.0 for me, I guess he thought that I would total it (...) or whatever. Opened up the paper Autotrader magazine (remember those days, going down to the convenience store to get the weekly Autotrader and flipping to the performance car part?) one day and there was my car staring me in the face, 1990 Camaro, one owner, full power, blue/black, V8, Auto, garaged, stored winters, $4300/bo. Sometimes when you look at an ad you just know it's the right one, that was the situation with this one. Called them up, went to look at it, and bought it on the spot for their asking price (didn't have the heart to lowball, it was just too nice and plenty fair for their asking price).

That was Summer of '99, still have it. Somewhere I do have oldskool 35mm pictures of it from back then, the first night I bought it and those first few years. I really hope I can find them when I get back to the States later this year. I was fifteen at the time, and remember going to high school football games and bringing the pictures in a ziplock bag to show my friends.

89rs454

5 years ago i was 18 years old when i got my 89rs, and it was the best day of my life lol. 67,000 original miles an old man owned it fresh miles me and my dad new we had a keeper 1000$ dollars later my first love was born.

89rs454

Garage kept 89rs will always be with me I'm the second owner.
I kept the 305 tbi and 2.73 rear gears and wheels just in case i have to revert back.

IMissMy86TA

My dad worked for a GM plant in columbus, ohio. I was crazy abt the F bodies when i saw them at the plant's new car show it would put on every year on the lawn. it was cool to see the 82s. I was 15... I kept dragging my dad to pontiac and chevy dealerships for the rest of the year. I was an only child so I was a bit spoiled.. My dad bought a black 83 camaro sport coupe with a 6 in it for the "family". It was mine when I turned 16.

Over my sophmore and jr years i proved to my dad that i was responsible.. no tickets, etc. so at the end of 85 he ordered for me a TA from the factory the way I wanted it. Just no TPI allowed...so i got a black TA with t-tops (camaro didnt have those) with the black areo package with the red stripe at the bottom. I didnt get the WS6 since i liked the wheels of the standard setup more... we requested the dealership take off the red stripe tape so it would look all blacked out. Had the white letter eagle GTs with silver interior.. damn sharp. no guts 0-60 in 9 seconds..ouch. got the windows tinted out and dual twin slash cut exhaust tips that came from a mail ad right after we got the car. they were called hot pipes and were designed to fit our cars pipes (clamp on). they were an awesome addition... I sold it 2 years later to a buddy of mine who sold it a year later too. My mom had totaled 3 chevettes over a 3 year time and my dads insurance with the GTA and a teen and her was driving him nuts.

now..present day, i missed my 86 really bad. for the last 7 years i looked for a black GTA(to have some power). never liked GTAs since they came out the year after mine and copied my "no-tape" monochrome look that I never saw on any others but mine until then! I hated that they used stupid BMW wheels. not tough looking like my deep dish turbos. I wanted t-tops, TPI and black exterior. most came with gold interior which i am not wild abt.

I looked at 1989 5.7 s since that was the only year with t-tops. most were crap and the nice ones too $$$$ so I found a local 88 GTA 5-speed tpi with gold interior and t-tops with 20K on the clock. it only has 10 HP less and they only made 809 so pretty rare bird. bought it for a decent price and changed the wheels. wanted chrome, but with the gold interior and accents i had to go black...got formys 16s (have originals bagged with orig tires) and searched for the exhaust tips. got them a year later. they look incredible.
next is tint!!!!!!

85 ZXX

iTrader: (1)

In the spring of 1995 my son and I saw this Z28 for sale on the side of the hwy for $1400 It had a knock (piston skirt damage) on the LB9. My son begged me to get it. The car was complete, even the T-Top shades and flashlight. I had a local mechanic put a new engine in it and he terrorized the town in his high school days...aka..."BIG Z".

In 2000 the Z28 was replaced by a 99 Cobra drop top SVT 4.6 5 spd. The Z28 was put out to pasture and used once in a while for a few years. In 03 a job loss forced the Cobra to a new owner and my son started driving the Z28 again. In 06, after 2 rears, 3 auto transmissions and 2 engines it was time to get a brand new L98 350 crate engine. The mechanic put the new motor in and my son drove it a couple of miles and it caught fire. Dirt daubers had closed up the vent on the 700R4 transmission.

The fire caused major damage to the interior and electrics. We found a 89 IROC donor car and had a local mechanic remove the manual trans, electrics, etc. to get his Z28 going again. The repair work that was done was shotty at best. In 07, the fuel pump quit and the car was pushed out of the carport to make room for his wife's new Honda Accord.

As the tree sap, black mold, water and ants were taking a huge toll on the Z28, people started coming by and making cheap offers for the Z28. In Dec 08 I stepped in and bought it back from my son to restore as best as I can and promised him that It will not be sold to anyone but him. Now it is a work in progress and a slight money pit, but now I am having fun working on this car once again.

J91

My 87 IROC, I bought from a friend in the fall of 03, worked on the car, had it painted. I brought it oit in spring of 04, drove it for a month and some woman in a Lincoln Nav. made an illegal left turn and killed it bad!

Early that summer I purchased my 91 Z28, Arizona car as a roller, very clean but dinged up and in need of drivetrain and interior. I took everything off the 87 and built this one. Since then I am on my second engine and trans setup, 2 rearends, radiator, struts, wheels/tires, exhaust, etc. I am very happy w/current setup. If I ever upgrade again will definitely go w/ LS combo....

eseibel67

IMissMy86TA: You're an old geezer just like me! I actually remember when the 82's first came out, they were the coolest new car of all time.

Your father factory ordered a TA for his teenage kid, and his wife is driving a Chevette? Is that a typo? Did you mean Corvette?

Jason E

Eh, what the hell...Scott and John haven't locked me down yet

Here's a few the TA and IROC...

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/...riversSide.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/...OCInterior.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/...RearRHSide.jpg

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/...rontRHside.jpg

You can see in the TA shot, its a great 50 footer Get up close, and its paint sins are revealed.

Taking the RS out today for its first ride of the year...nice little 100+ mile jaunt to NH!

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

She's a beaut! I like the blue stripe too. I always think "Gray cars from the '80s? Those can't look good, they can only look drab," but yours definitely proves me wrong!

I'm a sucker for a red 350 IROC but I'd love to own that gray one...

The TA doesn't even look bad, looks very solid IMO.

Jason E

I agree about the blue stripe! Its weird because when the previous owner first opened the door, it shocked me...I didn't expect it. I've only seen one other grey car with a blue stripe. I didn't like it at first...now I love it.

The TA is VERY solid. The only exterior rust is what you see in the photo. The undercarriage only has surface rust on the front crossmember, control arms and sway bar. Its almost like the nose of the car was parked over a lawn for some time, but the firewall back was on blacktop...no rust anywhere else under it. 2 front fenders, a spoiler (typical rubber spoiler delam) and a fresh coat of paint, and the exterior is flawless. Even all the lights/door handles etc. are perfect.

Its too bad someone let it sit outside for however long it was out there. Works for me, though...if it hadn't, it wouldn't have been as cheap, and because I'm a perfectionist, I likely still would've painted it anyway! The IROC's paint is near perfect...few small flaws, nothing I am going to bother with. Its 99% perfect. The previous owner of that car was even more neurotic than me

scottmoyer

I love the gray they used in the 80's. I had a gray Cavalier Z24 and it looked so cool.

http://www.users.qwest.net/~smoyer/i...cars/86z24.JPG

I'll play with Jason's post a bit here... In 1985, I was getting the itch to own my first car. I told my parents what I wanted and one night in December 1985, my dad called from a Chevrolet dealership and asked if I was interested in a blue 1983 Z28. It was a stripper. LG4 with the 5 speed, no cassette, manual windows and locks, etc. I bought the car for $7500. I didn't get my license until April, so I was able to wash and wax only and drive it with my dad on my permit. Got my license on Good Friday, skipped school to get it, got home with license and took the car out for the day. Ten days later, the first day back to school, I was hit by an 18 wheeler that ran a yield sign. I saw that he wasn't yielding so I locked up the brakes and had the nose of the car crushed from the windshield forward.

The replacement to that was an 82 Z28, fully loaded with the cease fire engine. I had the car about a year and it was in the shop more than it was on the road. GM offered to replace the engine with a new TPI engine, but that offer came a week after I sold the car. I drove other cars until 1993 when I heard about a red Camaro that someone was looking to sell. It was the Sport Coupe. Bright red, fully loaded car. Nowhere near the handling or power of the old 82! It had 19k miles on it and the guy wanted $7500. I paid up and replaced the hood with a Z28 hood, and replaced the rear spoiler with a Z28 spoiler. The headlight buckets were blacked out also. It looked like a Z28 with the wrong stripes, but since it wasn't a Z, it was fine. I sold that car when I had some simple problems that nobody knew what they were or how to fix. The issues were banging sounds when lighting the tires up (tranny mount) and the front end sat high (springs weren't correctly seated).

The current ride was purchased in 2000. I found a black/red IROC-Z in PA with 2k miles on it. I arranged to pick it up and the owner backed out of the deal and decided to give the car to his son or nephew or something. I was ticked that he backed out, so I spent the night surfing the web looking for another. I found an ad on cars.com for an 87 IROC-Z, 350, TTops, loaded with 6500 miles on it for $10k. I called the guy really early Saturday. He was looking for just the right buyer. I drove 2 hours to Rochester MN and found the owner was a 19 year old. It was his mothers car and she recently passed away. He didn't know what to do with the car because he was into imports and needed some money. A few others also called on the car, but when I told him I was looking for a show car, he waited for me to show up. His mother purchased the car with every option because she wanted a future show car herself. He sold the car because the check engine light kept coming on (Code 32), there was a tranny leak and the tires were dry rotted. A friend told him the tires would cost $600, the tranny could be a grand and the check engine could be anything. I drove it home and got it fixed up. Now, it's as good as new 11 years later!

eseibel67

Wow. What a score. No matter how much that guy was into imports, you know that today, at the age of 30, he wishes he still had that IROC instead of the turbo kit he wasted on his Minnesota rustbucket.

scottmoyer

A few months after I bought the car, it was at the World of Wheels car show in St Paul. He showed up with a friend and they saw a group of girls checking out the car. His friend punched him and said that he should've kept the car! He mentioned to me that he never thought it would be "that" show worthy.

86blackiroc

iTrader: (12)

Ah, those were the good days My grandpa retired from there, we went to the show every year.

A few years back, they sold off the large property along broad street, and there's a strip mall there now. Last summer the plant got demolished. It looks so different to drive past there now

eseibel67

Too bad, but you still have the memories.

The GM engine plant in St. Catherines, ON still has a show on the lawn beside the plant every August.

Any GM powered vehicle is welcome, and of course the new models are always sitting on top of the hill so you can sit in them and get a taste.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Very cool story Scott, and you completely stole that car...insane price. I assume the woman was the original owner?

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I got off a on a little tangent on my previous post....

Not much of a story with my '89 really. I simply went into the dealer and ordered it. Well, maybe a little bit of a story. I had to wait all model year for the N10 dual cats to get certified and the salesperson didn't believe me when I said a "decal delete" was available. I intended on getting a 1LE, but since I thought this was going to be a daily driver, and I got tired of showing up to work sweaty everyday in a shirt and tie, (no AC in my car at the time), I decided to get AC at the very last moment. Who knew I'd never end up driving it to work!
Within afew months, I knew I'd better buy another car to daily drive.


So fast forward a couple of decades, I posted pics of it on another Camaro website and someone I know from GM saw them and asked me if I'd be bringing it to the 2008 Camaro get together at Indy. I told him the only way that car was coming is if someone wanted to provide an enclosed trailer. No way was I driving it in the rain and *gasp* leaving it in the hotel parking lot all weekend. So I started looking for something different and uncommon to take there, (CFI, F41 SC, Iron Duke, etc.), but it HAD to be a 3rd gen. I ran across an ad on CL, and bought my '83 Crossfire expressly to take to the Indy GTG. I found it on a Wisconsin farm. Not exactly a barn find, but it lived in an actual barn with it's t-tops off, apparently. It was completely filthy, it's blue interior looked grey from the imbedded farm dirt, and was probably the worst running/slowest car I've ever driven when I bought it. But, it was all original, unmolested and virtually no rust. They use sand on roads up there, not salt. I brought it's cosmetics back to life and actually had a ton of fun cleaning and detailing this car, (it literally took me months but I love that kind of stuff!), and thanks to the help I've gotten here it now also runs great, purrs like a kitten and keeps up with modern traffic just fine. .
It even won a trophy at last year's ThirdGen Fest! Who wouldda ever thunk it.

IMissMy86TA

No typo. She liked the size and gas mileage

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I agree. The impact those cars had in '82 was TREMENDOUS. Exponentially bigger than say, the 5th gen's impact.

IMissMy86TA

Yeah I remember the days well... after 85 there were so many on the road. you would see several a day..now look..sigh..

I am 43 Love my GTA.. happy i went for a 5 speed car.. drives like a real muscle car should.

IMissMy86TA

Yeah now it should be a casino..sigh.. times change

8t2 z-chev

in 1985,i looked over an '82 or '83 z28 at a used car lot
and that thing was cool!-loved the consol clock,the
shifter,the hood flaps,and just about everything else!
couldn't afford one at that time(settled for a '69 camaro)
In 1990 i started to look for my third gen and found a
nice LG4/super t-10 hardtop '82 z28;bought it for 4500
and have it to this day-after problems with the tranny,
swapped in a th350 in 1993,an '84 vette 350 in '94,
700r4 tranny in '95-the modified 'vette C/F 350 still
going strong today
Recently i have noticed an '85 hardtop T/A that may be
for sale-may have two thirds soon...

jermdm

I've had 3 thirdgens in my life. My first one I bought was a black 89 rs 5 speed 6 cyl. with red interior and it had the black 5 spoke wheels. No options, no t-tops, rear defogger, power windows or locks, I dont think it even had cruise. Really sharp looking car but it was wrecked at one time and repaired before I bought it. I bought that one in 1994 for like 4000 bucks. Kept it for about a year and traded it for an 88 plain camaro. Thats what it said on the rear bumper and ground efx's. "Camaro". It was orange with gray ground efx's with a 6cyl. auto but it had t-tops power windows, locks, all the stuff that my other one didnt have. Not forsure what I paid for it back in 1995 but I got it from a used car lot with my 89 rs trade. I'm thinking around 5000 is what they were asking for it. That thing broke down constantly for the year I had it and after the last time it broke down, I went looking for another. Found my 89 iroc with the 350 tpi sitting on a chevy dealer used car lot. They were asking 10,000 for it but it had 44,000 miles on it and it was a 1 owner car. As soon as I seen it, I loved the car and had to have it. Hood was already on it and it still had the original tires on it but they were wore out. I traded my 88 camaro in on it and drove it off the lot on 11/6/1996. Not ever planning on selling it or getting rid of it. I've had it too long and its a great looking car. Something I've always wanted. I've also had a secondgen, 79 camaro berlinetta back in 2000 but sold it when the motor went bad.

Jason E

I miss Z24s I never owned one, but who didn't have a friend that had one? Or a few??? Cool little cars.

Yeah, grey is my favorite third gen color. Admittedly, I'm VERY biased...to continue the twist Scott and Charlie started, my first third gen was an '89 RS 2.8. In September '89, I was 9, and a die-hard Camaro nut. I worshipped Camaros as a little kid. I would beg my dad to stop by the local Chevy dealers during weekend errands so we could poke around.

I still remember this one day...my dad was in the bathroom shaving, and showed me an ad he ripped out of the Saturday morning paper. The local Chevy dealer had TWO leftover '89s they were selling for invoice...a grey RS and a black IROC. He said we were going "to just look."

Well, to make a LONG story short, after haggling and spending hours there, my dad traded his '88 Subaru DL wagon for the Camaro, and gave it to my mother for her 32nd birthday present (he took her '85 Calais from her, and drove that). In dark grey with the custom cloth interior and t-tops, it was gorgeous. I was in sheer love.

Fast forward to June 1998...with 56k miles on it, and in flawless condition, my mother gave it to me for my high school graduation gift. I drove it to UMass for 4 years, adding 40k on the clock, taking beautiful care of it, and garaging it every winter and driving a beater. In March 2002, a month before I graduated, I sold it for $4,000 I wanted something newer that was better on gas, and I had picked out a '95 Grand Am coupe on the lot where I worked. I'd owned my Z28 for a year, and the niggling problems with the RS, along with its slow-*** performance and gas guzzling nature (I NEVER got over 20 with it) told me it was time to let it go. I sold it to a 17 year old girl...she crashed it 6 months later

The month after I sold it, I regretted it...I bought a Maui Blue '89 Formula 305 TPI that came in on trade for $1,000. A lot quicker than my RS, but a LOT rougher. It was supposed to be my Summer driver, with the Z28 for weekends and the Grand Am for winter. That lasted for 4 months. After puking parts all over Western MA (had 105k on it, but it was a rough 105k), I sold that one for $4,000 as well, and never looked back. I sold that and my '95 for a brand new '02 Grand Am GT...the only new car I've ever owned.

Heading to grad school that fall, it didn;t make sense to drag the crappy Firebird with me...so the new car was great for awhile. But, I never forgot my third gen roots, and I've more than made up for it now.

So THAT is the reason I needed a medium grey IROC 350 with t-tops and grey custom cloth. And yes, my mother LOVES it

85f-bird

My father bought my 85 brand new 26 years ago. He's often made mention of seeing it one the truck as it pulled into the dealership. He gave me the car when i was 17, and i've had it ever since. It survived a teenage highschool driver, years of abuse daily driving, outdoor parking abuse during college, and nearly 300,000 miles (the first 230,000 on the original v6/700r4 combo) the last 60k or so on the new sixer and rebuilt 700r4.) Great little car that is currently undergoing a makeover...If I have my way, it will NEVER leave my garage (unless i'm driving it)!

Jason E

Great stories, guys. Please keep them coming!! I've enjoyed reading every single post...thanks to Scott and John for going along with this

I think its important to share how we came across these cars, what kind of shape they were in, etc. Its all relevant to the history of this line. Its sad so many of them have dissappeared through the hands of abuse from kids, accidents, etc. I feel very fortunate that after so many years, I was able to score both an IROC and a Trans Am, and get good examples of each at that.

I took my RS for a 140 mile ride yesterday, and enjoyed every minute. I can see, though, why as these cars aged people could get irritated with them. I love my RS...my wife barely tolerates it, though. The rattles out of the t-tops are ridiculous, so I just turn the radio up The ride quality with fresh shocks and struts, but with 17s, is awful. I've considered throwing the TA 15s on it and seeing how much it improves, just out of curiosity. The leather is a little dried up, and has made the seats a little stiff. The front end is the only part of the car that hasn't been rebuilt...its tight, but it wanders over every road imperfection. This could be tires, though...getting new F1s for it this Spring.

Its a fun ride, but I can see how as these cars aged, as daily drivers they get tiring. You need to keep after them, much more so than newer cars. I know some people say mileage doesn't matter, but to me it definitely does. The RS has 119k on it, and I've redone nearly everything...but parts of it still feel old. Meanwhile, with 32k on the TA and 21k on the IROC, they both feel and drive like brand new. This is especially surprising on the TA, because it obviously was exposed to the elements for some time.

Stratocaster25

1987 Sport Coupe:

Bought in May 1994. I fell in love with third generation Camaros the previous summer. I use to put together model cars and I had a bunch of old Mustangs and Camaros. I remember seeing a 1991 Z28 Camaro at the store and I picked it up. As I put it together I started thinking that I'd like to have one of these as my first car. A year later I saw a white '87 SC sitting at a local dealer and I had my dad go down with me and take it for a test drive. The very next day I took it home. A year later I had it repainted and had RS ground effects installed. I drove it until 1999 and sold it as it started to nickel and dime me to death. I still see it from time to time, so the new owners must be having better luck with it than I did!

1992 Z28:

Bought in August 2006. After selling my '87 Camaro I always told myself that I'd have another one someday. I always liked the look of the 1991-92 Camaros so I set my sights on those, and I also knew that I wanted a Z28 this time. I started looking around 2005, but the only cars I was able to find needed a lot of work. I don't have any "car skills" to speak of, so I knew that I'd have to be patient and find one that was already in good shape both body wise and mechanically. Finally in August 2006 I found one on autotrader.com. I ran the VIN through carfax and the report came back positive, so I went and took it out for a test drive and it was sitting in my drive way the next day.