If Someone Was To Purchase A LB9 5.0 TPI Engine,Is There A Way To Verify If It's A 190HP Or A 215HP Version. Was There A Visual Difference Or Code Used For The 215HP Engine.

 

IIRC, the higher horsepower LB9 305 was only available with manual transmission cars. Assuming that's correct, the only thing I can think of to do is check the suffix on the engine stamp pad. Unfortunately, the Camaro White Book does not differentiate between carbureted and TPI suffixes, so all I can think to do is check the suffixes against those for automatic cars to rule the engine out as a 215hp version. Here's what the Camaro White Book lists for 1987:

Manual Transmission 305ci Suffixes (165hp, 170hp, 215hp)
C7L (Export)
DFL
SFP
SFS
SFU
SFX

Automatic Transmission 305ci Suffixes (165hp, 170hp, 190hp)
C7J
C7M (Export)
D3Y
SDB
SDD
SDK
SFL
SFW

Hope this helps a little bit at least.

 

87-89 The Manual had the hotter cam, The Auto got the "Peanut" cam
90-92 all TPI have the same cam (according to the parts catalog) The biggest difference between cars was the axle ratio. A 2.73 gear is a far cry from the 3.42 they used for the manuals, or the 3.27 for the L98...

John

 

The LB9 5.0 (TPI) with 215 HP was also available in 1985 in the Z28, the IROCZ, and TransAm only with an automatic transmission and a 3.23 rear gear ratio or a (G92) performance gears with a 3.42 ratio.

 

I was always under the impression that it had to do with the RPM tach ,If your gauge Redlined at 5500 you had the 210-215 HP LB9 and if your gauge Redlined at 4500 you had the peanut cam.

 

So there were different HP 5.0 TPI engines in 1987 with automatics? I had one in particular with the performance package that ripped pretty good. I had always assumed it was just the gearing & 4 wheel disk brakes that made up the package (& maybe IIRC an oil cooler, or steering cooler)? Interesting.....

 

Hey Navy,
Now you have me stumbled, everything I read indicates my 1985 IROC 5.0L TPI is rated at 215hp with the G80 gear of 323. Then the engine was detuned for 1986, and that was from a copy of the WhiteBook, so does my copy of the WhiteBook that I downloaded have a typo??

 

Here's some info on the 86 Trans Am / LB9.


IIRC we had this discussion awhile back, not all 86 LB9 TA's had the 5500 Redline RPM Tach

 

This Was Taken From My 1987 Camaro Brochure,Auto's Got 190HP 5-Speed's 215HP, Were Available In Both Z28 And IROC-Z

 

Heard about the tach. Haven't seen one.

 

http://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thir...3e0c3a7b60.jpg

 

Aahhh, I see...... its the carb'd versions that are listed. I must have "sped red" before my post. I always liked how they advertised the 5.7 as limited availability for 87. When I first got mine I thought it was rare, then I started seeing them around town more & more through the early 90's. I'm guessing 88 was the breakout year for the 5.7 as far as production goes, but there must have been a lot more 87's than first advertised.

 

My 1985 "California IROC" has the (LB9) 5.0 TPI engine, with an automatic that is rated at 215 Hp, (G92) 3.42 rear gears and a tach that redlines at 5500. All of the "California IROC"s came with that tach, engine, tranny, and rear gear combination.

I've also owned a 1985 Z28 with the same drive train combination except for the rear gears being 3.23 ratio, it's tach red lined at 5000. I would say the type of tach depended on the rear gears that year with a TPI engine.

As far as the number of 1987 Camaros with the 5.7 goes there were 12,105 produced.

 

very cool Mantaguy - thanks for posting.

 

So what is going on with 90-92, all "peanut" cams? Or all "hot" cams?

 

Generally speaking, the difference between LB9s is in the cam or exhaust.

The '85 LB9 is essentially an L69 with TPI. Big cam, big exhaust manifold.
In '86 LB9 went to the "peanut cam", essentially the LG4/L03 cam and retained the big exhaust manifolds.
From '87-'89, manual trans LB9s got the big cam and auto trans LB9s got the peanut cam.
From '85-'89 ALL LB9s got the better 2.25" exhaust manifolds.
From '90-'92, all LB9s got the big cam, but only manual trans LB9s got the 2.25" exhaust manifolds. The autos got the big cam but also had the more restrictive 2" exhaust manifolds from the L03.

 

I had been told before that all Speed Density cars 305 and 350 alike had the same cam. Interesting. People used to swear and argue my 91 Z28 LB9 had the 350 but it was pretty much a stock auto w/ 5.0 It would turn anywhere from 14.7-14.9 consistently. I thought it ran pretty well for what it was.

 

Here's some more info on the cams
https://www.thirdgen.org/1986-chevy-camaro/

 

Thanks for that info chazman. I ran across a post that says what you are saying about the exhaust manifolds, just in a different way. Great info! I wonder what their thinking was in 90-92 for putting a 2" exhaust manifold on automatics? Seems like one part number would be easier to manage in the factory.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/exha...manifolds.html

 

OK. So I'm not loosing my mind, and my 85 IROC was the higher HP engine!!! Now just to tweek it and get as many ponies as an LT1 or LS1.(hopes & dreams)

 

yes 85's got the good cam and were rated at 215 hp

 

Do you guys remember the GM performance parts kit that you could buy from the dealer to upgrade or replace these engines? I think it might have been a crate engine with all the bolt on accessories to build some serious power for the day. I don't remember what was all included, I just remember looking & drooling over it in the GM parts book back in the late 80's possibly the early 90's? I am sure it was was a ZZ based engine, but it was a specific kit for the carb's F bodies. Possibly specific to the camaro.

Sorry for being so vague, This just popped into my mind while reading the last post. I think the kit might have come with the HO duel snorkle air cleaner.

I've just added an 85 HO 5 speed Iroc to my collectors bucket list. While I have had a bunch of Irocs over the years, I somehow never knew this combo existed. For some reason I thought it was either std carbed, engine or TPI for 85. With Fuel injection being the coolest option on the planet at the time, & the TPI looking just so bad A$$, I am guessing most people opted for the TPI over the HO at the time. I'm sure I would have as well. That "tuned port injection" emblem was the emblem to have on your bumper in the mid 90's.

 

This was available in Summer.

 

Were all 1985 5 speed cars HO's, or could you get the std carb'd engine with a stick also?

 

You could get a base LG4 with a stick as well...

 

5-Speed's Were Standard On All Engines In 1985, Except The 5.0 TPI

 

First time finding out what my 1985 5.0l TPI with 3.23 gears can do... Scared the **** out of the wife, but I watched all he Fast and the Furious movies so I knew I had this IROC under control..LMFAO




First holeshot no brake used here

 

I looked at that road, and thought, gee, that looks just like a Michigan road... then I noticed under your avatar (or lack thereof) "Lansing, Michigan"

John

 

Looks Like That Burnout Was Done On The Wrong Side Of The Road.

 

Naaw we drive like that in Michigan... Has to do with something in the water.

 

Although I am a stickler for originality, this is why I need to get a posi on my '85. Imagine doing this with a pegleg.

 

Good old Michigan roads!!! OkFoz I still haven't figured out how to make an avatar,so frustrating!! I took the picture from the starting point, turned left onto this road, came to a stop and the punched it�� I figured I would get some tire spin, but when she hit second while still spinning I figured I should get out of it. That and the wife was screaming her head off, I still laugh thinking about the look on her face as I write this...

 

Probably less screaming from the passengers seat that way.

 

Nobody likes a screaming wife, well at least not while you are trying to listen to your motor!!! As far as my avatar it appears all my pics are too big...

 

Hey there's a pic now in my aviator ...WTF???

 

My kids always say how goofy I am, so......my new aviator fits

 

At any rate... Having too much fun with my IROC too bad the season is over��������

 

F Body Fan, That kit was called the SLP package. Siamesed air tubes, Larger manifolds and Dual cats on the exhaust. I think they advertised 50 more horses. It was touted as a dealer installed package that didn't void the warranty.

 

I might be thinking of something different because I remember the dual snorkel air cleaner, so it must have been a carb's engine kit & not a TPI. Maybe it was a complete engine kit, but pretty sure it was a GM performance parts type thing. Memory is grainy. I owned my first 5.0 HO for about 2 months back in 1992ish & has soon as I opened the hood, it reminded me of that engine kit picture. Probably why its stuck in my head all these years. So many books & magazines I discarded over the years that would be neat to go through today.

 

It was a GM performance parts kit. It used the ZZ4 engine. It came with dual snorkel air cleaner, manifolds, dual cats, an exhaust and a tune. It was for carbureted cars. It was also emissions legal if all the parts were installed.
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/eng...onversion-kit/

 

Yup! That was it. Whats really funny is I currently have a ZZ4 engine in a car I built about 7 years ago. Too funny I could't think of it.

Thanks for solving that for me!!

I would love to cram a dual snorkel setup on this one, but it would never fit.