The 3rd Gen F-Bodys hit the dealerships, and the streets, when I was in High School. Camaros and Firebirds were all the rage in the automotive magazines, and sold very well.
For many years, they were a common daily sight. Nowadays you rarely see them on the road, much less at car shows.

My first car was a 1970 Camaro Z28 4 speed. It was 12 years old when I acquired it in '82, barely drivable, needing pretty much everything cleaned and overhauled. I learned
a TON working on that '70 in the 12 years I owned it. It was my daily driver for most of those 12 years, until I bought my first new car.

For a short two years, I owned 2 Camaros. The '70 Z28, and a new 1993 Z28 6-speed. I was the first one in the Raleigh area to have one, and EVERY Mustang driver wanted a
piece of it! Thankfully I didn't lose my license back then.

Recently I purchased a 56k mile '87 IROC L98 with T-tops. It needs a bit of TLC, as it has the usual 40-year-old car issues such as hesitant power door locks, deteriorated speaker cones,
engine instrumentation/gauges not working or intermittent. AC blows cold, but there is no heat. I suspect a vacuum issue as the engine temp runs about 180F (checked with an IR
temp gun). I'll investigate the vacuum lines and such under the dash soon. It runs and drives great, cruise works, etc. and cosmetically it has had one repaint. The interior is in excellent
condition. I was informed it had been garage kept and not driven in winter weather, which contributed to it's rust-free condition.

Here are a few pics from the old days, and recent of the '87. I was 21 years old when this Camaro was new.



1987 IROC L98 56k miles

GarageMahal. 1996 LT4 Corvette

1970 Z28, my first car, and my first New car, a 1993 Z28

 

Ungawa, congrats on the 3rd gen. Super clean, you'd never guess it has any issues from the looks of it. Either way congrats and really love that 70z. I had a schwinn when i was 12.

 

LOL, I was 17 when I bought the '70 Z. It was the car that was only 12, and had been driven hard and put up wet so to speak. Needing everything, a little at a time.

Thankfully the IROC doesn't need much.

 

Doh, i read it as "I was 12", still riding that schwinn at 17 too.

 

Congrats! It's hard to beat a black L98 with t-tops. I was only 11 when your car came out but I was old enough to lust after them back then.

 

There are a few small items that I've been sorting out, such as no heat, although the AC blows cold, and all of the
vacuum operated doors operate properly.
I removed the heater box cover under the dash, and discovered the heater core is a 'Harrison' branded unit. Probably original.
It's not leaking, and all of the hoses are hooked up. Nothing is re-routed or bypassed. I suppose the vacuum operated shutoff
valve is not working, or the core is blocked internally with sludge. Haven't had time yet to find out.
I did fix a stuck heater blend door, and found the potmetal actuator was broken.
I bought a nice metal one from @nickalope24 and it arrived on 3/30/26. It'll outlast the rest of the car! Very nicely machined.
I'll have time to install it in a few weeks, and also flush out the heater core and test the function of the shutoff valve.

The third brake lamp bulbs weren't illuminating, and research showed it was usually a bad brake light switch, so I ordered one. With a new switch installed,
still no 3rd brake light. Upon closer inspection, all of my bulbs were burnt out! So last week I ordered five 10-watt bulbs from Lon at TopDownSolutions, a vendor here.
Reinstalled the OEM brake light switch, and returning the other one.

My IROC came with a power antenna, but unfortunately someone in the past removed the whole thing, and cut the wires and even the coax cable. Probably had
the typical issue where the motor runs constantly, so they gutted it. I've found out OEM ones are hard to find!
There are a few alternatives, and I would prefer an OEM Delco unit. Working with member John in RI via PMs, seeing if he can put something together for me.

Overall it's a nice driving Camaro. Haven't washed it yet, as it's full-blown pollen time here in Central NC.



Heater blend door actuator. Very brittle potmetal, missing a couple arms.

Heater blend door actuator. Very brittle potmetal, missing a couple arms.

3rd brake light working! 10w bulbs from

Very rubust replacement Heater blend door arm