Okay guys, let's talk a little bit here. I'm kind of at a crossroads with my '83 CFI, now that I bought the '85 IROC. Is three 3rd gens too many? If one has to go, it'll be the '83. I've pretty much thought about three different scenarios for it, maybe my TGO buds can give some input.


1) SELL: First, I'm not really sure what I could get for this car. Certainly not as much as I have into it. And I'm okay with that. It's been fun, that alone is worth something to me.

2) STOCK: I could just simply continue improving this car with some of the nearly impossible to find parts I've collected for it. For example, I have a blue LS Contuer interior (with both style door panels and NEW blue GM floormats), which I have wanted to convert to.

3) Autocross: I could just drive the poop out of it and take it autocrossing now and then. I've replaced the springs/shocks/struts/strut bearings and added a wonder bar. This car handles like a go cart, even with it's mediocre Dunlop all season tires. The Crossfire's posi puts down enough low end torque for autocrossing I think, even with it's 2.93 gears. The spongy brakes would DEFINITELY have to be addressed though.

So, what do we think?

 

"Too many third gens"

I don't understand what the above quote means.

 

No! It is too nice to autocross! Either keep it as is or sell someone who is going to keep it as is. There are not many Crossfires left. The amount of work you would need to turn it into a competitive racer, you would be better off starting with a basket case and putting in an LSX drivetrain.

 

Oh, I wouldn't autocross it seriously enough to take it far from stock. It would be just for fun. The biggest risk would be hitting an occasional cone. Tires would be the biggest issue.

 

Lightly mod it (exhaust, gears, lower it, better brakes/suspension work) and enjoy it as a Friday night driver. You obviously don't want to drive your 11k mile '89 much, and I'm not too sure what your plans for the new yellow one are, but it is low mileage. Since the '83 is high mileage and you'll never get what it's worth back on it, I say keep it as a nice driver.

 

Keep it stock, IF you have to sell, they will be worth more, and it opens your options up to more buyers.


I would not sell now unless you absolutley need to. Market is real poopy, you will get more in the spring.

 

1) You have the room.
2) You do not need the money.
3) You enjoy owning the car.
4) It is not a low mileage car

1+2+3+4 = drive it, autocross it, have fun with it, and cruise it No need to part with it, and there is no such thing as too many third gens, anyway! I speak from experience

 

I've already got a 3" exhaust and L69 exhaust manifolds. It's also lowered about 2". Gears and brakes would be nice though.

 

Well, I do like it when the hood flaps open when you punch it......

I had my family over tonight for Christmas Eve, and my brother in law is into cars too. We were talking about how nice it would be to have a warehouse you could use to stash away cars, which aren't on your personal front burner anymore. That way, in a couple of years when you miss them, they'd still be there.

 

Chazman I've done similar upgrades wth my '83 LU5 Z28. I ported the intake to go along with the L69 exhaust manifolds. I also added the 36mm hollow front and 24mm rear bar along with Lakewood LCAs and adjustable panhard. I used black bushings so it's not a visible change exept for the panhard and LCAs (have all the original parts stored). The biggest visible change is to 16" single stripe IROCS (all fronts). They don't look out of place with the correct gold accents and offer a better choice in tires. I'm lucky mine is a G92 car. It's funny she has the aluminum bumper bar and composite hood but that's offset by the fact she's loaded.

I said all that to say if you have the room ,and funds, to keep her I agree with the others to do so. Since she is a higher mileage example ,mine has 104K, then you can enjoy her more often. Unless you sell to someone that wants a CFI car it's almost a certainty her induction would be changed. That would be one less nice original running LU5 Z28 in the ranks.

 

I had a little time before Christmas festivities today, to putz around with the cars. Tried to start the '89, but the battery was dead, so I hooked up the charger. The '83 started right up, so I took it for a spin. You know something? Back to back, it drives better than my new '85 IROC. It reminded of how much sorting and fiddling I've done on it in the past 3.5 years. And how much my '85 still requires.


Soooo, for now, I think that I'm not selling anything.

 

I'll add another thing...

I'm fairly sure that as they sit right now, if my '83 Crossfire and '85 TPI had the same gears, the '83 would blow it away. Just sayin'.

 

Why? Age, out of tune?

I have seen lots of cars that were built correctly and broken in correctly that made then very fast.
My old 94 Z28 6speed would knock off 13.9 all day and if i just removed the muffler it would get down to 13.7's

So many variables what do you think those variable are on your cars?

 

Well, I've done alot of fiddling on the '83. L69 exhaust manifolds and 3" exhaust, K and N airfilters, advanced the timing afew degrees, most sensors are either new, adjusted correctly or cleaned. I've sorted out the trans after the previous owner's mystery rebuild with "Corvette servo". Suspension improvements. Just done alot of stuff.

I haven't done anything to the '85 other than free up/adjust the TV cable, (it was shifting at 6200 RPM before), and set the TPS. As I mentioned in the other thread, I haven't even checked the timing yet, the balancer is so covered in dirt and clay, I can't find the marking. It also has some generic muffler which sounds pathetic and is certainly creating some back pressure.

 

Timing is one thing I need to check on my TAs...I only know the IROC is ok, for sure. We checked that one when we did the intake gasket.

Why am I not surprised the Z28 is staying?? For the $5,000 or whatever you'd get for it, I'm willing to bet it supplies far more enjoyment than anything else you'd do with the money. Enjoy it!

 

SINNER, baby Jesus is crying until you clean it!

 

For now Jason, for now.....

 

Glad to hear you are keeping the CFI. I agree with 82tarecaro, there seem to be few CFIs left and while not the most liked system, I think they'll find a spot somewhere in the history books.

 

Don't you worry, all of that stuff will get cleaned!

 

I vote #2: STOCK.

Finding early Z28s, with the LU5 no less, seems to be a difficult thing these days, especially in the condition of yours. Sure, an H.O. car would be better, but you still have functional hood flaps! You've improved some things without going overboard which is nice and I'm sure they could be put back to stock easily if needed. That car is almost exactly the Camaro that originally got me into Third Gens, just seeing one like it looking nice and almost stock is an awesome thing. IROC-Zs might be my favorite, but I will always have a soft spot for those Z28s. It doesn't even have a whole lot of miles for it's age. So I vote keep it and do the kind of things to it that you have been.

 

Another vote to keep it and to keep it stock.

You said yourself that the CFI draws small crowds at car shows...thats gotta give you some sort of satisfaction. I know it would for me. Enough that I'd want to keep the car.

 

Gotta say, although I'm not 100% finished, the car runs so much better now, than it did when I got it. It just ran so horribly I'm surprised I even bought it. If it wasn't so original and rust free, I would have walked. It had big vacuum leaks, carboned up TBs and intake, (and pretty much everything else), clogged cat and airfiters. If it was putting out 90 hp, I'd be shocked. If you gave it more than 50% throttle too suddenly, it would backfire and die.

The trans, OMG, it shifted like a POS. It had recently been rebuilt by a trans shop in Milwaukee which the previous owner thought was famous, but I had never heard of them. The P.O. also told me that it was rebuilt with a Corvette servo, but had no other details. At full throttle, it would shift into second at 4000 RPM, 3rd at 3500 and 4th at 2500. Talk about stacked shifts. Oh, and it wouldn't really downshift. And the 1-2 shift was so violent at full throttle, it would bark the tires and go sideways, even with the estimated 90-ish hp it was making. Ridiculous! The previous owner told me that I'd better be careful when it's wet out because it shifts so good. I broke the trans mount, the first day I had it. My local trans shops were no help at all, they just wanted to rebuild it. I only got it shifting right from the advice I got from TGO member ProBuilt. Now it operates really nice.

 

My '83 ran well enough when I first bought her to go to for parts and back. Mine would backfire at times when cold. I went through the same with sensors,vacuum hoses (some were the original striped) and the lid seal. What a world a difference combined with a full tune up and K&N filters. The hardest thing to find was the air cleaner base gaskets. The trans on mine shifted similar to yours also and combined with the worn out tires I was hesitant to drive over any wet surface (a full rebuild came up no long after I bought her).

Chazman is yours a late or early build '83 (mine is a June 3rd week)? The reason I ask is mine has the second design lower intake (I'll have to look to get the number but '017 comes to mind). And you have me thinking about taking the 16" single stripes off her and putting the 15" back (with Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTS 235/60-15).

 

Any of you guys have CFI **** you can post? I have never seen it with the top off!!!

Aircleaner off that is


Have you guys seen this:
http://www.technovelocity.com/chevyh...rt_polish.html

 

I'm pretty sure mine's a December car. What's the difference in the lower intake?

 

There aren't big differences between the two castings. I apologize as I can't locate the information on the differences. I'll get my spare intakes out and look them over if all else fails.

 

Go through the brakes and get some real tires and autox it. BFG makes a comp t/a summer tire in a 225/60/15.

 

I wouldn't waste my time with that there is a company that makes an intake and you get pretty good results. I think you can get alot of gain with a crossfire if properly tuned. There was a guy with a c4 all he did was a few minor bolt-ons and a shot of nitrous and he was running 11's I believe.


Heres the article http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...tte/index.html

 

Right now, the Renegade intake is the way to go on a CFI.

http://www.crossfireinjection.net/renegade.htm

 

T-5 Swap and then sell it to me.

 

Do you know if anyone has quantified the gains when using a Renegade on a stock motor? Seems like most posts I found were from people that had modded motors.

 

I have given a lot of serious thought to a T5 swap. I think it would make the car so much more fun to drive - especially given it's eagerness to rev with it's now better exhaust. I'd have to find a nice leather '82-'83 shift **** though, with stitching going vertically, rather than horizontally.

As much as I'd like to do something like that, I have neither the mechanical ability nor the inclination to do it myself. And paying someone to do it would probably cost a small fortune.

 

I haven't seen it on a stock 305 either, it's mostly the Corvette L83 guys.

 

There is a forum called the crossfire vault. Look there. Also check out the corvette forums. Seems like there are a few on there running 11-12's with bolt ons. I've driven Chalies car before and after he fiddled with it and all those little things he's done it has become a different car. IMO those Crossfires if they run right with a couple of bolt ons can be as quick as a TPI car if not faster.

 

Yeah, it's really too bad that GM didn't deliver these cars with a better exhaust, like the L69's, and a manual trans, from the beginning . Would have made for a MUCH better package. And those early 5.0 GT's would have had a run for their money.

 

Your almost there just find a 5 speed set-up and get a 3.73 gear and that car will be a blast. Fast enough to have fun with.

 

I have a Renegade sitting in my basement. The intake runners are substantially larger then stock. I would have to say that adding the Renegade, plus a good exhaust has to net some decent gains. If porting a stock manifold wakes up a Crossfire, the Renegade has got to be better. I am in the middle of a bunch of other things with the car, so I won't be putting it on for awhile, but that intake really deserves at least a 350. I am not sure what I am going to do with it at this point. It will wind up on the car eventually, but possibly with some more cubes.