After a 4 year hiatus I'm back owning a Camaro. I sold my heavily modified 1985 Z28 in a hasty decision and kinda regretted it since. Occasionally I browse the online classifieds to see whats out there. Usually it is just junk or nice cars people want way too much for. I hadn't planned on buying another Camaro as I have 3 trucks and a Mustang I drive regularly and no more garage space, but I found one for sale somewhat close enough that I was willing to travel for. It ticked off 9/10 boxes, if it had the L98 instead of the LB9 it would have rang all the bells.

It is a 1987 Camaro Z28 Iroc-z 305 tpi with automatic transmission and T-Tops. It is a well optioned car, pretty loaded except leather. Power everything including drivers seat. The interior is just about perfect. Needs a good cleaning though. One item I was pretty excited about was the overheard console flashlight! It was still there! The interior upholstery pattern is my favorite of all Camaros too. The body is solid with no rust. A few nicks and scratches. I will give it a 3 stage power polish and see how it looks. The front bumper needs to come off so I can paint the whole thing. Something hit the passenger corner and flaked off the paint. The bumper doesn't seem cracked though.

It has a large amp and subwoofers in the back. I am not a big fan of them though. It has a magnaflow catback exhaust. I will keep that but the gross exhaust tips will come off and stock looking turn downs put back on.

Motor is bone stock. Transmission may have a shift kit as it hits 2nd pretty good. I've never been in a automatic transmission thirdgen so I have no comparison. I am not going to do anything to the motor, I may put a Procharger P600 intercooled supercharger on it. My friend has had one in a box for 20 years. I would have to change to a serpentine drive belt set up. If I can make a reasonable deal with him I will do it.

Now for what everyone loves to see, some pictures. This was after unloading it off the trailer.

 

Welcome back, and congratulations on your purchase!

 

Nice score! I remember when I bought my ‘88 Trans Am. Same 305 auto combo with a 2.73 posi rear. That thing would would chirp 2nd gear all the time under throttle. That was with 75k miles on it too lol. First time experiencing that in a factory car. Every one before that I had to install a shift kit to make that happen

 

Very cool car good score! I love the color of the interior and the classic look of a blue Iroc. I never have understood why Magnaflow uses those ugly tips either but I like the way their exhaust sounds.

 

Thanks for the kind words.

The interior is my favorite part of the car. Other than the small break in plastic edge piping down the driver's side, the interior is mint. I'll have to take a pic of the headliner. It has the dials for time and date appointments and the flashlight.

Car has 160,000km or 100,000 miles. Not too bad. It smokes a puff of oil cloud on startup. I have a bag of new valve seals from another project I'll put on to see if that helps.

I'm gonna give the engine bay a good degreasing.

 

Great car, welcome back.

 

Congrats on the purchase, I love that shade of blue and car looks pretty clean.

 

I am going to have to take the flashlight apart and replace the batteries.

 

I have the overhead console in my'86 IROC-Z. Totally useless, but cool looking. Replace both of the bulbs in it with LED's and get a LED flashlight conversion bulb for the flashlight.
Makes it useful, that way.
Good looking car!
DR.K.

 

Well the day started off optimistic about fixing up a few small things......then this happened....





165 psi in first 2 cylinders I checked, then 90 psi in the #5 cylinder. I stopped there. Disassembling to find out the problem.

Preliminary plan is to hone, re-ring, new bearings, valve job and put it back together. I know everyone will say 350 swap, but I want this car stock 305.

 

On the bright side, it'll be a lot easier to degrease the engine bay now.

 

Thought my engine just needed a hone also..My #5 cylinder was pitted so off to the machine shop next week it goes. Maybe you will have better luck than me

 

The machine shop has already inspected the block and given it the ok.

 

I've been slowly working on the motor. It is all back together and mostly assembled. I want to put the lower intake, exhaust manifolds, and front accessories on before putting it in the car.

I was going to put a Comp Cam XR269HR in while apart, but the valve stem o ring grove would have interfered with the stem seals and I wasn't going to do any more work to the 305 heads.

 

Got the motor just about ready to drop in the car.

What a mess v-belts are. When my 1992 S10 packs it in, I will be swapping the serpentine system over to the camaro.

 

Got the motor back in the car today. Got all the brackets and belts and Air Conditioning compressor mounted. Almost all the wiring is hooked up. Still need to put in the radiator, starter, hook up the exhaust. Then I can prime it, stab distributor and try and start.

 

All back together today and fired it up. Sounds like a manifold leak on the drivers side. I didn't like the way the aftermarket y-pipe bolted up. It could be that or the manifold gasket. The surface was pitted pretty bad around the #7 port so I put a light smear of RTV copper around all ports then smoothed it out. I forgot to smooth it on one port, left it as a bead and it hardened but I bolted it up as is. Now I know the most likely cause.

I didn't have a timing light so I have no idea where the timing is right now. It starts and idles pretty smooth as is.

What a beautiful engine. In my opinion the TPI motor is the best looking motor GM ever created.

 

I agree! Doesn't need plastic covers over the whole thing to make it look good.

 

Agreed. Tuned Port motors look fantastic.

 

I got the wiper washer pump working today. Couldn't find a wiper motor circuit board so I soldered in some jumper wires and now it works.

I touched up the front bumper corner. It will do for this fall. Paint is a autobody supply store paint code match, but it doesn't match great. The car was painted before so that is probably why it doesn't match.

Before:



After:



I still have to paint the headlight bucket black.

 

An update.

I sourced a 1997 350 roller block. It is at the machine shop getting bored 0.030" over.

Eagle 383 stroker, AFR 195s, Holley Stealth Ram, and mild roller cam all on order.

Only want to make 400-425 engine hp so cam is small 220*.

The car is away for the winter. In march or so I will get it out and it is also getting repainted stock color.

 

Well that escalated quickly lol

 

I have the heads, cam, stroker kit here now. Waiting on the machine work for the block. The HSR is proving troublesome to obtain right now. Shipping dates are pushed back to second week of March already.

 

AFR 195 As Cast Heads. #1001

 

so are you still trying to keep it a 305? since your changing everything anyway, might as well do a big bore short stroke.

edit- just saw the stroker kit was ordered. hopefully you will not be using a 305 block.

 

Post #21 states that he sourced a late roller block for the car.

 

i must have been drunk earlier.

 

Block is finally back from machine shop. Bored .030" over and torque plate honed. I will be clearancing it for the stroker kit.

I wanted a HSR intake but its been back ordered since October and a June estimated shipping date... I decided on a Edelbrock Pro Flo XT intake. It is on its way to me.

Headers and roller rockers on the way too.

 

Cool project...

 

Comp Cams 1.6 roller rockers and Hedman 68470 shorty headers showed up today.

 

The Edelbrock pro flo xt intake showed up today. I jumped right in modifying LT1 fuel rails that I got for free.

 

The fuel rails are finished and pressure tested.

I clearanced the block for the stroker kit. It didn't take much. Nothing hit to begin with. I have all the plugs out of the block and will be cleaning it today.

 

Are you still getting that harsh 1-2 shift? My wife's LG4 Berlinetta does the same thing. I changed the fluid in it, and it lessened it somewhat, but it's still pretty harsh.

Nice work on your project BTW. Love the color.

 

I cut and polished the paint today. Really got rid of tons of surface scratches.

 

I started assembling the short block.

 

Oil pan sealed up. Heads on and rockers set.

 

Getting closer!

 

Working on the ls to TPI throttle body adapter for the Edelbrock proflo XT intake.

 

eBay tall fabricated valve covers showed up today.

 

TPI throttle body adapter complete.

 

I've started the swap. Been slowly getting ready to pull the LB9 motor. I really should have took my friend up on his offer to use the lift at his shop. Lol. But at least my garage has air conditioning so it's nice and cool inside and 90 degrees outside.

 

Motor is out and 383 is just about ready to go in!

 

383 is in!

 

That looks like it will be mean, nice work.

 

Thanks.

Headers are in.

 

Love that intake! Nice work on the adapter as well.

That will work with a factory hood?

 

Sorry for the long delay. Intake fits factory hood and under hood insulation with more than 1/2" to spare.

 

Everything has been finished up for a couple weeks now. Car is running good. Working with Tuned Performance on the tune. I ended up picking up a 3000 rpm stall torque converter last week but don't really feel like pulling the transmission to install it. Lol. Not yet anyways.

 

when you blow up the stock converter, that'll be the incentive!

so with tuning done, if you don't mind me asking again...

Manifold vacuum in gear and at what RPM? And are those 1.6 rockers?

Against a stock converter, that'll be a conservative number for me to gauge your cam's idle quality, given I have a looser 2500 rpm converter.

 

Hot idle in gear at 575 rpm vacuum was 13 inHg. Yes 1.6 rockers.