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So I've wanted a third-gen since I was a little kid. Well today I finally made the dream a reality and picked up an '89 IROC-Z with just over 42,000 miles on the clock. It's a 5.7 TPI car with the auto and T-tops. It doesn't line up exactly with what I was hoping for (I'd have rather had a hardtop than a T-top) but it's pretty close, and it's pretty good. It's had some work done by a previous owner, but a thorough inspection of the car has shown the work appears to have been done well (heads, camshaft, bigger throttle body, injectors, new fuel pump and sending unit and a few other little odds and ends). The interior is pretty much flawless. The paint..decidedly less so, but it's not rusty which is the important thing. It looks like this car spent most of its time stored outside, and the sun has baked the paint pretty badly.
There are a couple other really minor issues. The battery gauge doesn't work. The radio doesn't work. The needle on the fuel gauge is misaligned (tank is full. Gauge reads 3/4). So it's not 100% perfect. But it's the best one I could find out my way (and one of only like 3 of the dozen or so people I contacted to actually respond)
I'm pretty sure the paint is too far gone to be polished out, so I'm likely going to have to respray the entire car to make sure the paint matches. On the one hand I don't like the idea of taking off original paint. On the other, when it's this rough it's not really worth saving.
So what are my plans for this car? Basically, fix all the little stuff that's wrong with it, put enough money aside to replace the transmission when/if I blow it up, and enjoy it. I don't have space for a garage queen. I barely have a garage. This will be my 3-season daily driver. (I am not stupid enough to try driving this thing in the snow) So I'm not gonna go too extreme.
I freaking love this car. Knowing my friends, the ******/trailer park jokes will never stop. That's okay though. I can handle those knuckleheads.
Looks good! I love hearing about people "finally" getting into these cars, after having wanted one all this time! AWESOME! ...and I've always loved the red/black stripe on the burgundy.
As for the paint.... as you mentioned, at some point there's really no need to "save" it, if it's not worth saving to begin with. If you're new to our community, you'll learn that in the last few years, "original" and "restored" has really become popular, and the resale prices on cars in those two categories really shows that. That being said, in your words "I've wanted one since I was a little kid". It's YOUR car...make it what YOU want. MY choice for MY car was to make it look pretty much bone stock rolling down the street, however it's nowhere even CLOSE to being stock/original. ...but still, 95% of the interior/exterior looks stock. Stock wheels, stock decals (more less) stock interior, steering wheel, seats, etc. -outside of this site, with the hood down, most people thinks it's stock.
Since you were a little kid, you've had vision of this car. Make it THAT car.
I'll probably use this post to keep a running log of everything I do to it. I'll post links to the parts I use when applicable, and I will TRY to remember to take photos of what I'm doing.
Your kind words mean a lot to me. Yeah, not everybody gets it, and that's fine. But those of us who do..well, we know. I think what adult me likes about these cars is that they're kind of the best of both worlds. They're old enough that they're considered "old-school", and make all the old school muscle car noises and such. But they're new enough that it's still a modern car. It has EFI. It has all the power equipment (windows, locks, mirrors, etc). The AC is cold, instead of your grandma blowing over an ice cube. (My particular car has been converted to R134A and it works great) You see what I mean? I can still have my stupid loud troublemaker, but I don't have to give up any of the creature comforts I've come to enjoy.
I'm not really a mechanic. It's why it was important for me to find a car that, as far as powertrain goes at least, was well-sorted. This one is pretty well sorted. It runs like a top, and it gets on down the road pretty good, even with the highway gear in the rear end (it's a 2.77) I can get a picture of the SPID plate if anyone wants to see that (I have a picture already, but it's blurry and some of the codes are cut off because I was in a hurry).
So anyway, a little more detail on what my plans are. First and foremost, fix all the stuff that's wrong with it. I replaced the hatch struts today. I had to find an old broom handle to hold the hatch up while I unbolted the struts. That is probably the sketchiest thing I've ever done. Probably not my finest moment. Fortunately I'll never have to do it again.
So here's what's left that needs attention because it's busted. It might look like a long list, but it's really not that long and most of this stuff is cheap (or free).
Fix battery gauge
Fix fuel gauge (works, but reads 1/4 tank too low. Needle's probably just on wrong since the sending unit is brand new)
Replace radio (speakers are blown and I'd like something that I can plug my phone into)
Paint (I think I am just going to respray the whole car And when I say I'm going to respray the car, I mean I'm going to pay someone else to do it for me since I don't have anywhere to paint a car. Also I'd rather it was done correctly. That way I don't have to worry about taking it somewhere and they do a crap job matching the paint and then I have to complain and they have to fix it. When I do, I'm going to keep it the same color, though the IROC decals and the stripes along the skirts may change to a different color. Red on red is really hard to see. I'm thinking either charcoal gray or white. May do stripes on the hood to match. Haven't decided yet)
Tires (Front tires are OK. Rear tires are OK for now, but with the way I drive they probably won't last too long)
Seatbelts (the retractor on the driver's side isn't working too well. Plus they have nearly 30 years of accumulated human slime on them, so I'm thinking they're gonna go)
And for stuff I'd LIKE to do, but it's not a priority...
Seats. I'm a tall guy, so I'd like something that A: sits lower in the car to give me a little more headroom and a better view, and B: will have a headrest that actually reaches my head. If anyone can make a recommendation that isn't too expensive, I'm all ears. (Like under, say, $600 for a pair, because I'm obviously going to replace the passenger seat too)
I also want to add subframe connectors to take some slop out of the chassis and make it corner a little better. This is something I'm going to have to have someone else do, since I don't have a welder and don't know the first thing about welding.
One thing I'm toying with is getting a Hurst dual-gate shifter. Because I like them.
I'm also planning to tint down at least the rear hatch, probably the side windows as well. Not too dark, just dark enough to cut down on glare.
I also plan to install an alarm system in the car. This will give me a bit of a discount on my insurance and give me keyless entry, so, you know, both desirable things.
I MIGHT yank the entire cluster out at a later date and install one of those Intellitronix digital clusters. I kinda like them, but I dunno if I want one in my car or not. The gauges in the car are all factory spec, but they have white gauge faces...with white needles. Previous owner didn't think this cunning plan all the way through. I think I'm gonna have to paint the needles, I'm thinking red, at least the tips.
I think that's about everything. Oh, and also I think it's really funny that the site auto-censors that particular hairstyle. Laughed my *** off when I saw that.
Oh it's not the car that's stupid. It's the owner that's a few fries short of a Happy Meal. That'd be me.
Why? Well, let's just say sometimes...well, the Barenaked Ladies put it best. "I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve. I have a tendency of losing my shirt"
Congrats! I was in the same boat in February. Got one myself. My wife freaking hates the car but I love it (maybe even helps me love it a little more! ). And I get plenty of compliments.
Enjoy. Watch the little things. There are smart ways to fix them and the not so smart ways. Its all been done before and its documented within these hallowed page headers. And welcome!
though the IROC decals and the stripes along the skirts may change to a different color. Red on red is really hard to see. I'm thinking either charcoal gray or white. May do stripes on the hood to match. Haven't decided yet)
Just my two cents....red/black on the dark red metallic/burgandy is one of my favorites!...with nice paint, it goes soooooo well.https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...new-paint.html
...and while hood stripes are cool, they don't always go well with pinstripes. I'd consider one or the other. Either way, welcome aboard, and enjoy your car!
I had the same feeling 2.5 yrs ago when I finally got mine. You should enjoy doing all those little things and making it your own. It is a great feeling. like Tootie my wife doesn't really like the car, that is until I take her out in it, with the top down, on a nice night or afternoon, I can see the smile she is trying to hide.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Both just wouldn't look right.
I don't think my car is going to end up looking as good as yours, but I'm sure it'll still be pretty good. I'm not going for "showroom" quality. I just want a nice clean driver. I'm still planning to spend probably a good $2K on paint, though.
Hadn't thought about the headlight buckets. I might leave them black. I might paint them body color. If I do a white or gray stripe. I'll probably paint them body color to keep things from looking too busy. If I go black, I'll leave them black. One thing I'd like to do after the car is painted is put a clear bra on the front end, to save it from rock chips and such. I know that'll be another few hundred bucks, but I figure it'll be worth it. Help keep the car looking good for longer. (If I was going for a show-quality car, I'd consider putting the stuff all over. But I'm not. So I won't)
Also, I forgot how AWFUL sealed-beam headlights are. (Or maybe these are just old). Might have to do something about that in the future. Low priority since I'm very rarely on the road past sundown.
Another side note; I live in a town with a lot of tunnels. (Pittsburgh, PA) Tunnels are AWESOME, because I am basically still mentally about 12 years old and I never really grew out of making noise for the sake of making noise.
I've owned eight f-bodies, six of which have been 3rd gens. So I have been getting the ****** joke told to me for years, but no one who makes the joke has ever owned a f-body. They have no idea what they're missing!
Welcome to TGO! I've had a 80's hair cut since the 80's. Owned a new Iroc back in 86, own one now and still have kind of a 80's hair cut so have fun with it.I still think history repeats itself and am waiting for the 80's hair cut to come back. You can't own an Iroc without having a 80's hair cut, and a fishnet tee shirt, and Whitesnake hammering the stereo with the T tops off. That's livin.
I have done the same as you exactly; just a month a go I posted here about the '87 I bought - first time F Body owner and wanted one for a long time. I shopped for about 5 years. In that time I went from wanting a '84 L69/5 speed to wanting an iroc, but still have a soft spot for the early cars.
You car sounds like a great platform to work on, and I dig all your plans you mentioned. Ok, it is your car, but I personally think with such a low mile car you will regret body coloured headlight buckets and hood stripes. But it is most important that you do what makes you happy. I am hopeful for you that you can get paint for $2k as in my parts an average job by a pro is $5k and an excellent paint is $10k - if there is no real body work required. I can relate to your thoughts about not wanting to replace original paint, my car has a lot of stone chips on it. I am going to try a few things but eventually I may have to paint it. I have heard of people getting their original radios modified for an input jack, something I may look into.
Originally Posted by jwrebholz
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Another side note; I live in a town with a lot of tunnels. (Pittsburgh, PA) Tunnels are AWESOME, because I am basically still mentally about 12 years old and I never really grew out of making noise for the sake of making noise.
LMAO!! That is awesome. No tunnels here, but underpasses get 'er done!
You picked the right site to join - lots of information already posted and some great folks willing to help you out when you have issues.
I had a 1985 trans am when I was 16 - last summer my son and I took a two hour train ride to reaquire the missing feeling I had for the past 25 years. I bought a 1985 trans am - only difference was my original car was dark blue with silver skirts and this one is bone white for now.
On the way to pick it up my son found a video review on YouTube of an 85 trans am by something like regular car reviews or something. Anyway it was hilarious in terms of the description of the type of guy who drives a 1985 trans am - but I could care less!
Truth!! Slide It In, Slow and Easy, Still of the Night... great tunes.
I have a "recent" Whitesnake CD that has they cover of Deep Purples Burn on it...also lots of fun with the tops out. And yes, it's in the T/A right now.
Well the car is now inspected and fully legal. Passed with flying colors, as I expected it to. Had them change the oil as well since I dunno when it was last done. Would have done it myself but the jack I have doesn't fit under the car...so I need to get a new jack. Looks like I'm making a field trip to Harbor Freight.
And my new voltmeter is on order from Rock Auto (they had a NOS unit for a bit less than 40 bucks, better than the used ones I was finding on eBay for $50+). I need floormats too, now that I think about it.
EDIT: I've just picked up some more parts today. New head unit, some speakers and a security system. I'm going to have the alarm professionally installed because I have never wired up an alarm before and REALLY don't want to f*** it up. My old 4th-gen had an aftermarket alarm in it that wasn't wired up right, or maybe it was just old and crappy but I got really tired of having it go off randomly in the middle of the night for no good reason.
I bought four speakers but only have two (the front speakers are on order). Not 100% sure when I'll have the time to mess with it. This is by no means a high-buck build. I'm trying to keep to a relatively strict budget.
I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Picked up a Haynes manual for the car. Between that and this site, I should be able to handle just about anything shy of pulling the motor. (And that's only because I haven't got a hoist).
I've got the day off Sunday, so I'm hoping to get at least the voltmeter repaired. If I'm lucky I can swap the parts without taking the cluster all the way out of the car. Probably not that lucky though. And I still need to buy paint for the needles. The local hobby shop should have what I need. Looking for a nice bright fire-engine red.
If I have the time I've got another little side-project to work on for the car. I gotta modify that cupholder I bought off Amazon. Fits nicely enough but doesn't hold stuff in for squat. Of course there's things I can do to fix that. More on that later.
If your just replacing the volt gauge, all you need to do is take the tork screws out of the face of the dash cluster, then the clear plastic cover and a screw for the volt gauge and the just pull it straight back towards you. It gets a little more complicated if your taking the whole gauge cluster out, but isn't too bad of a job. The speedometer clip is the worst. If taking the whole cluster out, you will need to take out the two nuts the hold the steering column up so it can lay it down on the seat, and then pull the cluster back to get enough slack to unclip the speedometer cable, then the cluster will come out.
Well unfortunately I didn't get to finish any of the work I wanted to do this weekend, mostly due to lack of tools. The torx driver, I had. Got the faceplate off and saw all those little bolts holding the lens on. All the sockets I have in the toolbox in my basement, EXCEPT for the one I needed to get those bolts out. Figures. So I've got that on order. Should be here Tuesday. Hopefully it shows up before noon so I can get it done. The alarm is being installed on Wednesday and I won't get the car back before I have to leave for work, so at that point it might have to wait until the weekend.
Didn't get to the cupholder work either. I have a portable table saw I was going to use. Forgot I loaned it out to my brother a month or so ago. Even money says I don't get it back before Christmas.
I did manage to get the car out to its first car show over the weekend, just a little affair in a neighboring town. No awards or anything like that, just come and show your car. Thought it'd be fun. Also left about 30 feet of rubber in front of the Speedway near the show, because let's be honest, that's the sort of thing these cars were made for and it was gonna happen sooner or later. This car brings out my inner hooligan.
And I'll tell you what. I really didn't think these cars were all that popular around here anymore, but boy was I wrong about that. I get positive comments and compliments on it literally everywhere I go, and that's with it looking the way it does, scorched paint and all. I can only imagine what people will say once it's resprayed. (Oh, and I've decided on the IROC decals. I'm gonna go with the gold ones. Totally forgot they came in that color, and I think they'll look great against the dark red paint. Actually was my boss' idea)
Well that's one more project done. The car audio and security is sorted. I had the speakers and alarm professionally installed, and I slapped the head unit in earlier today after I picked the car up. In terms of equipment it's nothing special (see photo in above post) but it's a damn sight better than stock, and plus now I have keyless entry and a remote hatch release. So I got that going for me, which is nice.
And that'll probably be it for a while. The weather's starting to turn cold, and once it starts snowing the car's probably going to get parked for the winter. I'm going to use the next few months to put cash aside for all the stuff I plan to do next year. Next year I'll get the seats and belts taken care of. I kinda also want to put a different hood on it (I've always liked the look of a low cowl-induction style hood on these cars, so I might get one of those in probably fiberglass to take some weight off the nose) and after I make up my mind on that (and get some subframe connectors installed) the car will go to paint.
Gave the car a good, thorough cleaning at the local DIY car wash. The good: The car looks great cleaned up. The bad: It only lasts for as long as it's wet, once it's dry it goes back to being a scorched hot mess. The ugly: The weatherstripping doesn't care for the high-pressure hose at the car wash. I suspected as much, being that it looks to be as old as the car. Frankly I'm surprised it's held up as well as it has. So that's another item on the list to be fixed.
Picked up a set of new floormats for the car, to help save wear and tear on the carpet. I decided on these-- https://www.carid.com/1989-chevy-cam...s-4137888.html and they should arrive Wednesday. They'll be grey to match the carpet, with a black CAMARO logo embroidered in them. Only bought the front mats, as I seriously doubt anyone is ever going to sit in the back seat of this car. I'll take pictures when they arrive and let you all know what I think of the quality.
It's been a while since I've said anything, mostly because it's been a while since I've done anything. But today I installed a new set of front seats in the car. I selected Corbeau GTS II reclining buckets in gray cloth. Figured it'd be a fairly close match to my car's gray interior. It's pretty close, yeah.
The installation couldn't have been easier. The bolts weren't even seized or rusted over. I was able to take care of everything with basic hand tools. Yes, I lost my power driver's seat, but power seats are useless anyway. I'm the only one that drives the car. I put the seat where I want it and then never touch the controls again. I will warn anyone considering these seats, they are considerably taller than the factory chairs. Put the headrests on BEFORE you try to stuff them in the car. (I'm lucky I have T-tops)
Sweet thirdgen!!! Like has been stated, very cool to see people out shopping and buying these still. The seats look like they belong right there, nice choice.
Sweet thirdgen!!! Like has been stated, very cool to see people out shopping and buying these still. The seats look like they belong right there, nice choice.
Subscribed, looking forward to your car's evolution
A couple of other notes. Kinda minor but worth mentioning.
The floormats pictured are not GM factory units. They're made by a company called Lloyd's, and I got them from carid.com. They're really nice mats, cost about $80 for the pair. The sunshades for the T-tops I got from Hawk's Motorsports, I think they were about $100. They're nice, they fit well, but they droop. I think I'm going to try to reinforce them on the top side. If I can get a couple of, say, 3/4" dowels, rip them in half and run them crosswise on the glass side of the shade, that should keep them from bowing downward. I'm 6'1". I need every inch of headroom I can get.
I'm still planning on replacing the seat belts, I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not going to replace them with the same color. The red interiors these cars had as an option had a nice maroon colored belt that I think will look really good and add a bit of color to the interior, as well as bring some of the exterior color inside without being gaudy. And I STILL need to get the car painted. I've been calling around and the few shops that actually want to do the work (believe it or not, most body shops around here are only interested in doing collision repair work, not full paint jobs) are quoting me in the $5K neighborhood. I'm owed a sizable amount of cash, which will be enough to cover the paint work and then some. I'm just waiting for it to come in, and then the car will go off to the body shop.
Also, I ended up replacing all 4 tires. The rears were bald thanks to my inner hooligan, and the front tires developed a nasty bubble on the sidewall. They were old anyway, so they got chucked. I'm currently running Cooper Zeon RS3 G1 tires in the stock 245/50R16 size. (Very few manufacturers make tires for this size anymore, so my selection was quite limited)
hi there, im about 6 foot as well and im looking at the GTS seats. i hear they sit higher then stock so im curious what yours are like. what brackets did you use and do you have room for a helmet still?
The seats feel like they sit about the same height as factory if you opt for the thinner cushion. It doesn't impact comfort and it'll buy you a little room. As for a helmet... Not with these seats or the Corbeau brackets I got with them. You're going to want something else.
I've been very quiet lately. That's because nothing has really happened. I've just been driving the car and enjoying it. I did end up putting a new battery and a new head unit in, but otherwise, it's been irritating my neighbors on a daily basis.
did you opt for the 4th gen brackets? supposedly they are a bit lower. Ive also heard the wedge brackets are quite a bit lower than corbeaus. just trying to find someone to confirm that with before i order.
did you opt for the 4th gen brackets? supposedly they are a bit lower. Ive also heard the wedge brackets are quite a bit lower than corbeaus. just trying to find someone to confirm that with before i order.
I'm not sure what info you are looking for, I have these seats, I ordered them as close to the floor as you can get them, when the brackets arrived, I cut the mounting tabs off all of them, and re welded them almost an inch lower than they came. They fit perfectly now....
just getting a bit of work done right now.... All leather...
I'm not sure what info you are looking for, I have these seats, I ordered them as close to the floor as you can get them, when the brackets arrived, I cut the mounting tabs off all of them, and re welded them almost an inch lower than they came. They fit perfectly now....
just getting a bit of work done right now.... All leather...
Which brackets did you use? Corbeau or Wedge? 3rd gen or 4th gen? shaved base option on the seat?
Height aside, I'm quite happy with them. They provide plenty of back support and head support (that the factory chairs didn't) and much better lateral support as well. They're also much more comfortable on longer trips. About the only annoying thing I failed to take into account was that there's nothing to keep the factory 3-point seatbelt from coming off my shoulder and rubbing against my neck. I got these little doohickeys in a mail-order catalog my dad gets that clip onto the lap belt, and you can thread the shoulder belt through them to keep it off your neck. Probably intended for old, short people, but in this case it works like a charm. (I don't know what catalog he got them out of. I'd just mentioned it was a problem and he got them for me. Nice guy, huh?)
Height aside, I'm quite happy with them. They provide plenty of back support and head support (that the factory chairs didn't) and much better lateral support as well. They're also much more comfortable on longer trips. About the only annoying thing I failed to take into account was that there's nothing to keep the factory 3-point seatbelt from coming off my shoulder and rubbing against my neck. I got these little doohickeys in a mail-order catalog my dad gets that clip onto the lap belt, and you can thread the shoulder belt through them to keep it off your neck. Probably intended for old, short people, but in this case it works like a charm. (I don't know what catalog he got them out of. I'd just mentioned it was a problem and he got them for me. Nice guy, huh?)
I had thought of that. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, I'm hoping I can make a device like what's on the factory seats but I'll have to evaluate when the seats come in. I know what you're talking about tho which would be great in the mean time, but I can't for the life of me think what it might be called
My original plan was to take an old curtain rod I had laying around that had a curve to it on one end (for mounting to the wall), drill a couple holes in it and put it between the seat back and headrest. I had to abandon that plan because that curtain rod was needed for something else.
That's very similar to what I was initially planning. My plan would've had a hook on one side for the shoulder belt but that's basically what I was going to do.
10-02-2017, 11:22 PM
). And I get plenty of compliments.
