So last April I bought an '88 IROC. The car had been abused. It had a bad transmission and clutch when I got it (previous owner grenaded it while doing donuts).

Current Specs:

Year: 1988
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Camaro
Trim: IROC-Z
Engine: LB9 5.0L Tuned Port Injection
Mods: Unknown Cam,
Minor Head Work
MSD Blaster Coil
BBK Throttle Body
Flowmaster Cat-Back Exhaust (2.5")
Transmission: Tremec T-5 (.64 OD)
Rear End: 10-Bolt Posi 3.73 (3.42?)
Front Tires: 245/50/R16
Rear Tires: 245/50/R16

Plans for right now are 383 stroker against a T56 with a 4.11 rear end, in addition to fixing the little things wrong with it. Eventually I'll move onto the bodywork and new seats.

I'll upload some pics in a bit.

 

That car doesn't have 315 rwhp with those mods on a 5.0..

 

If you have 260wph it would be great

 

Probably more like 250 at the crank lol.

 

I'm not a mecanic so I don't want to say bullshit but I was thinking 250 a the crank too first....

 

My LB9 with LT1 cam, headers, Stealth Ram, and custom tune made 260 to the wheels.

 

 

People who have rode in the car (car guys, know their stuff) figure it's around 300 horse. The car holds it's own against my friend's 370Z, and he's perfectly capable of driving that car well.

I'm just guesstimating. The car is way quicker than it should be with the mods it has. I might have gotten lucky and bought the Camaro that was built on a Tuesday, you know?

It does a 1/4 in a little over 13 seconds.

 

what happened to the pics?

 

Totally forgot.

 

thats a nice lookin car! i was kinda expecting a rough ride by the title of your thread, lol.
i used to have the same year and drivetrain, but in white. it was a very fun car to drive.

 

Yeah I love the car. It looks better in pictures than it does in real life. The trailer park Corvette thing is kind of an inside joke lol. It needs paint badly. Rust is minimal, only some surface on a fender and a quarter, but there's a hole inside the right wheel well going into the trunk. Gonna have my body guy weld in some new metal once warmer weather hits.

Anyone know what resistor I need to replace in my tach? It's pinned at 7k. I got a replacement out of yard, but it came out of a V6 Camaro and it's way off. Car idles at 1200, apparently lol. It really idles at 750-ish.

 

Uploaded some videos.

http://www.youtube.com/zeifer2142

Anyone know any tricks to make the gauges brighter? I already replaced the bulbs with 360 degree LEDs. I thought about lining the inside of the cluster casing with tin foil.

 

Car faster than it should.

nice

Then it's a MIRACLE !!!!!

 

It's the miracle wagon/money pit lol.

 

Uh huh

 

Nothing more accurate than a "car guy butt dyno".

 

Like I said it keeps up with a 370Z, and does a quarter in a little over 13 seconds.

 

No way. My 2010 SS when it was stock had a hard time keeping up with a 370Z.

My 350 with headers, no cat, a real Y pipe, k&n drop ins, flowmaster exhaust, no smog pump with a shorter belt, 3.70 gears and a custom tune only put down 220 rwhp and 280 ft-lbs on a dyno.

I question a lot in this thread.

 

I understand that it doesn't make sense that the car performs the way it does, but that's the way it is. Once I get the car on the road for the season (as soon as I hear back about classic insurance) I'll record a 1/4 mile pass.

 

I question why you think your 350 is a big deal. You've probably got crap heads with a crap cam, of course it isn't going to make any power. The new camaros are fat pigs, the 370z is lightweight and has plenty of power to go with it. That being said, one of our cars could probably do it with about 300whp. But with 300hp, you would be in the LOW 12's, maybe even 11's depending on your setup, which is why I don't think the OP has 315hp.

 

Guys, the car is 26 years old. A previous owner may have swapped in a 350. Who knows, who cares.

Eventually he'll run it and give updated numbers.

 

I will concede that I'm probably not breaking 300. It's definitely 290ish though. The problem with my 1/4's is wheelspin. Gonna have fresh rubber on the back once the car's insured so we'll see how that goes.

 

nvm not getting involved.

 

I never said anything about it being a big deal. I've got whatever heads and cam GM put in it.

Yes the new camaros are fat pigs but fat pigs. We can agree there.

 

sounds like you need to upgrade the Heads, Cam and intake then ditch the crappy flowmaster exhaust on your 350, the only Mod that i see done on this car is headers and Y, the flowmaster is probably restricting flow just as much as a stock exhaust, K&N filters don't count as a Mod, the 3.70 gears help but not if it shot you clear out of your power band

an LB9 with a 5 speed behind it can be a stout little motor with supporting upgrades, im not saying he's anywhere near 315 HP, as i would put it somewhere between 240-260 RWHP

remember, butt dynos typically get fooled by Torque, even by the most experienced car guys

 

Lol. I was just listing what's been changed. Agreed, different filters are not really a "mod".

I'm not interested in changing heads or my cam. The exhaust sounds good and the car runs fine. I'm not into drag racing and don't give two dead flies what it puts down on the dyno. I was just making a comment.

 

How are you guys thinking it has like 250 rw hp? Its a 305 with minor bolt ons.. guys, the car had, what, 170 crank hp NEW? Its lucky if you're at 200 rw hp (even that's high). I don't care what day it was built on.

 

I wouldn't call a cam and head work minor lol.

 

I feel like a lot of doubt could be cleared up by my own misconception of what SAE net horsepower is. I was lead to believe it was measured at the rear wheels. I know this measurement began use in the 70's and it measures HP at the crankshaft with all accessories.

This being said, the 305 TPI in my car should have been 220 HP at the crank (or around there) from the factory. So yes, I will concede that I'm definitely not breaking 300 at the wheels.

 

Eh, no worries. Nothing gets people on here all riled up faster than horsepower numbers (whether they're correct or incorrect)

 

Nice to see someone on these boards with an attitude like that.

Props to you guys who wanted proof and thought it plausible that the car runs the way it does without shooting down the idea and saying "no way in hell you're making more than *insert extremely low number here*.

I know the from like '75 to '95 the performance of V8s was pretty much comparable to 4 cylinders due to emissions, so this generation of cars isn't the fastest by far, but they can still run good and keep up with other sports cars, whether new or old.

 

those chassis dynos spit numbers all over the place. some are generous, some are stingy.

the manual tranny will get a little more power to the rear wheels too, compared to an auto.

whether or not the car in question can beat another car surely brings about a driver factor. one guy might be a better driver and be able to get more out of a car?

 

Zeifer, That's a nice looking car!

 

Thank you.

 

To run in the mid 13's with a thirdgen you would need somewhere in the 240 RWHP range, most of the T5 cars got the best options from the factory, add head work and a cam, supporting bolt ons and a tune, I don't see why 240-260 at the wheels would be questionable, is unbelivable because it's a god awful 305?

 

Horsepower doesn't dictate your 1/4 time, the rest of the car matters too. gears, weight, suspension, and tires all play a BIG role. I personally love the 305, moreso than the 350; that's why my LB9 block is still sitting in my room, waiting for a forged rotating assembly and turbos.

 

I wish I had space in my room to store an engine lol.

Hopefully picking up this 350 this weekend so I can get the machine work done on the crank and block.

 

Never said Horsepower was the sole factor, visitor asked why anyone thought this car would be in that hp range, I simply stated that would be the horsepower needed to get into the time range the OP stated

Of coarse you would also need gears and traction, the OP mentioned 3.73 gearing which would be appropriate for the work done to the car coupled to a T5, I'm under the assumption he is at stock weight and suspension, this is why I feel 240-260 RWHP is a decent assumption

 

Yeah, stock weight (registration says 3314 lbs for curb weight) plus a 200 pound driver, no spare tire or jack, stock suspension, incorrectly gutted A/C, and a 12 inch sub and an amp.

 

Update, fuel pump gave out so I had to replace that. All the wiring seems good, pump wouldn't prime, no fuel pressure. Replaced the pump and all is good. This morning when I tried to start it the pump wouldn't kick again. I unscrewed my gas cap to relieve the negative pressure and the car started. Is it unheard of that there could be so much negative pressure (vacuum) in the tank the fuel pump can't prime? How do I fix the issue of air not being able to enter the tank?

 

i'm not sure why its an issue, but you can buy a vented gas cap at any parts store.

 

That happened to my car once. I filled it too full of gas. SMH. It would only start if I help the gas pedal down. Got it running, let off a second to drop it into gear and drive about 10 miles. CEL came on immediately. After 10 miles, opened cap and it was really pressurized. Started right up, no CEL. I don't top off any more. Lol.

Moral of the story... Did you fill the tank too full after the swap?

If not, try the vented cap.

 

I noticed the pressure/vacuum prior to needing a new pump, and this morning when it happened I only had like 1/3rd, 1/4th of a tank left. I don't overfill my tank because I know it can cause issues. When the pump clicks, I stop. My last few fill ups have been 10 or 11 gallons because I don't like to run below a quarter tank because it's bad for the pump (probably why the last one died) and when it gets really low the car doesn't get enough fuel going around a corner.

 

I would. At any rate, its for sure a clean car and a nice project

 

Well, the car is acting up again, fuel pump went prime or kick on after cranking. So far this is what I've done.

New fuel pump
New fuel filter
New fuel pump relay
New fuel punk relay pigtail (factory one was semi-melted)
Checked fuses
Beat the hell out of my tank

There's just no fuel pressure at the rail. Is there a way to test the plug on the underside of the hump for the fuel pump without dropping the tank? Anyone have any other ideas? My tank pressure theory went out the window.

I'm gonna check the ECM ground next and any other underhood wiring.

 

check the oi pressure switch...it has to send an ok to the ecm/fuel pump power on order for the pump to come on.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

I just went through the car with a test light, and there's power going all the way to the pump up until the connector on the fuel sending unit. So I guess I'm buying a fuel sending unit now. Was hoping I wouldn't have to drop the tank again, but whatever, I guess.

 

False, the oil pressure switch is a fail safe, as long as the fp relay is functional the oil pressure switch doesn't control anything fuel related

 

Dropped the tank, just waiting on my sending unit to get here. The wiring in mine was screwed.




There's another plug inside the tank that had begun to melt as well. My previous fuel pump was getting loud, I think what happened was the old pump was drawing too much power.

I noticed something else while I was under there. Is this bar (the one above the panhard bar) supposed to be bent like this?




My torque arm is tweaked as well, complete with curb rash on my right rims. I feel like a previous owner tried to drift or do a donut and ate some sidewalk, bending that. Frame looks straight, though. I'll have to get it on a machine to check. My rear end sits about half an inch to the left, but I know that's a common problem on these cars.

Good news is, now I can throw in my adjustable panhard bar in when I put the car back together.