I have a 1987 Camaro IROC-Z I bought it after one of the previous owners had replaced the 305 engine and block with a 327 from a Corvette. I purchased it with the intent to spend a couple of years and a few thousand bucks turning it into and IROC-Z28. I was wondering if it could be considered a true IROC if it still has the 5.7 Liter 327 intstead of a 5.7 liter 350 even though they do the same thing more or less.

 

If it was not an IROC to start with, then it will always be a Z28 that looks like an IROC. The Engine swap to me does not make or break it being an IROC, what makes it an IROC is whether or not it has the RPO for the IROC for the given year. an IROC had some differences in suspension and I believe in some cases rear axle over the base Z28...

 

327ci equates to 5.4 liters, not 5.7 liters. You might want to fix that in your signature. Just say either 5.4 liter or 327ci since the two measurements are equal to each other, the difference being that cubic inches is an English measurement, and litres is a Metric measurement. Most all cars sold in the U.S. measured engines in cubic inches until switching to liters in the early 80s. It's like going to a bar and ordering a 12 oz 0.4 liter beer. People will start looking at you funny

If it wasn't an IROC when it was new, it's not one now, and it never will be. If it's a base Z28 and you want to dress it up like an IROC and tell everyone that it's an IROC, then that's your business. But keep in mind that you will be frowned upon by myself and the majority of the 3rd gen community for insulting our intelligence by trying to pass the car off as something it's not.

The car is still a Z28 regardless of which SBC engine you swap into it (305, 327, 350, 400, etc.). If you want to get specific, you can tell people that it's a Z28 with a 327 swap.

Just to clarify, if the car is an '87, it's either an IROC, or a Z28. The IROC-Z name was only used from 1988-90, when the Z28 was no longer an available Camaro model.

 

I you spend the money, it will be much better than any old IROC.

 

Cubic Inches to Liters

For grins... cause I wanted to know

302 - 4.949L (5.0L Ford Math)
305 - 4.998L (5.0)
310 - 5.080L (305 .030" over) - approx
311 - 5.096L (305 .040" over) - approx
327 - 5.359L (5.3 or 5.4)
350 - 5.735L (5.7)
355 - 5.817L (350 .030" over)
373 - 6.112L
383 - 6.276L
400 - 6.555L
406 - 6.653L
427 - 6.997L
430 - 7.046L
454 - 7.440L
455 - 7.456L

 

Ok. I've since done a lot more homework on my particular Camaro this is what I found. It started life as an iroc but when the original engine blew both heads the owner sold it to a greasemonkey friend who put in the 327. The suspension and rear differential stayed the same but the new owner had the decals removed because he felt it was no longer an iroc. He also had it painted blue instead of red. I verified it started as an iroc through the vin check but was a little confused on terminology. My new question is whether it is still an iroc?

 

The vin will only tell you what type of 8 cyl. was in the car originally - provided it was an Iroc.
1. You need to look at the RPO sticker (usually in the center console box or under lid) and make sure the VIN listed matches your car.
2. If it is an Iroc, one code will be B4Z.

This is based on my knowledge of my 1987 Iroc which, in addition to my documents, has the correct RPO sticker.

For more research, Puma1552 did an in-depth post here: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...-car-iroc.html

 

You sure? I used a website that automatically translated the vin codes and it usually works for trim type. That same website has worked for other vehicles i purchased new. I will have to double check the vin since Im not going to be able to see my vehicle for a few days due to training.

 

What's the site you use? As mentioned, Puma1552 did a post and my RPO sticker jives with it. Perhaps moderator ScottMoyer can chime in. He too, has an 87 Iroc and can shed more light on this if I'm missing something.

 

What's the site you use? As mentioned, Puma1552 did a post and my RPO sticker jives with it. Perhaps moderator ScottMoyer can chime in. Like me, he has an 87 Iroc and can shed more light on this if I'm missing something.

 

I don't know of any public website that will accurately decode early (~ pre 1990) and non-exported ThirdGens by actually using the complete VIN and showing the proper RPOs for that specific VIN. That requires access to GM's records. Instead, many of those websites simply take the prefix of the VIN and attempts to decode based on that. That makes for a very generic report.

 

Maybe it doesn't work for cars that old but has worked for newer vehicles. Right now I don't have access to either the car or the vin.

 

Can we not say for sure that it's an IROC just based on the VIN if the 8th digit is an '8'? IIRC, the 5.7 was available *only* in an IROC in '87.

Back to the original question, if the 8th digit of your VIN is an '8', it was and still is an IROC regardless of what engine's in it now.

 

Eighth digit is an F

 

A Z28 or IROC-Z could have had the LB9 (F) 305 engine... the IROC-Z only got the L98 (8) -350 package in 87 (the last year they offered both the IROC-Z and Z28.) The first Z28 (non-IROC-Z) to get the 350 was the 1991.

John

 

F corresponds to the 5.0 TPI (LB9), and not a 5.7, which means it could still be a base Z28, or it could be an IROC. But definitely not a 5.7 when it was new.

Have you looked to see if it still has the white RPO label in the center console with all the 3 digit option codes? If it's still there, shows your car's VIN, and one of those codes is B4Z, it's an IROC.

 

Here is a whole thread dedicated to "Is my car an IROC", breaking down how to tell for each model year.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...-car-iroc.html

 

Rpo codes are missing. Center console was damaged.

 

Why isn't this a sticky. Very good info. Thanks Puma1552. In 87 does the Z28 have the wonder bar? If not he could tell if it's an IROC with the wonder bar.