frederzick

Finally after 2 and a half years of waiting;

1st a year and a half wait for my Camaro to become historic here in MD. Took the tags off due to an emissions gremlin I didn't have the money to track down at the time. Every emissions test for the past 6 years kept getting worse to the point of not passing, needing to spend money on replacement parts, just to get it through. Finally re-tagged her January 3rd, 2011, first day the MVA was open this year.

2nd almost a year of dealing with a very confusing problem that even the 91 GM service manual couldn't help me figure out, bad fuel injectors. Not leaking mind you, but not functioning, where as the car would start cold, but not hot without help from starting fluid, and then run like crap when in gear. Finally through a thread on tg.o found out I needed to ohm my injectors, 6 out of the 8 were bad. Thanks go to God, thirdgen.org, SouthBay Fuel Injectors, and my ever patient wife.

Biggest problem that took me so long to finally get a proper diagnosis was changes at my job that kept me too busy to work on my baby. My wife was ever so vigilant that I fixed the car myself, to not just cave and let a shop take a look at it (she knows how much I like to do things myself).

So, in closing if anyone is up for a meeting, just drop my a line. Catch you later, gotta do some driving before any white stuff starts falling from the sky (not that we're expecting any yet).

Ed1LE

iTrader: (39)

Greetings fellow Hampsteader! Thankfully MD dropped the Historic qualifications down to 20 yrs for you! Is your Z the blue one over by North Carroll Farms development?

frederzick

Yes, that's me alright, it's nestled right beside my wife's Black '99 WS-6 Trans-Am and my neighbors white WRX Subaru, when they are home.

I think those injectors had a lot to do with my emissions problem from the past, the car would run rich when sitting in park idling. I had replaced all sorts of emissions part the year prior to taking the tags off and it still didn't pass (it was waved due to spending over a certain amount of money). So when I got the new notice I figured what the heck, I'll take it off till it's emissions exempt, and I get the time/money to fix it right, besides I had the wife's '99 TA to drive (though it just didn't feel the same).

I know I'm not the only one that was happy that MD changed it to 20 years. My brother in law took advantage when it first went into affect back in 2006, I had just finished swapping everything over from his '86 maroon tpi Z-28 (it was made to look like an IROC-Z) that had been t-boned in the drivers door in the fall 2005 to the rolling chassis '86 red tpi IROC-Z (person had just taken the drive train out and was ready for a tpi to drop right back in) I had picked up the year before 2004. My plans were a tpi and 5spd, but the money wasn't there and he needed a rolling chassis, his uni-body was bent. The real sucky thing for me was I had just dropped a 350 into his (as the stock motor had a piston go bad), plus changed the rear end over to a 9 bolt 3.23 posi disc brake unit, slotted/cross drill frnt rotors, etc. all had to be swapped over to the new roller. The fortunate thing for him, his car needed a paint job, which he hadn't gotten done yet (though the new body needed one too).

Anyhow it's just so nice to have an option on what I want to hop in an take for a local drive. The fun, performance, and reliability is back.

Catch you later.

Ed1LE

iTrader: (39)

Cool deal, your brother inlaw still have the Iroc? I actually saw your car a few weeks ago (maybe longer) pulling into the N. Carroll High parking lot and commented on it to my wife. Love the blue Z's.

frederzick

Yeah, he still has the '86 IROC-Z. He lives in between Hampstead and Westminster. He got it painted a few years ago, by a buddy of his who did a phenomenal job (he disassembled quite a bit of the car, I guess you could say almost a frame off for a 3rd gen). His buddy has a shop over in Westminster now, but back then he painted the car out of his own garage. It's candy apple red with chrome 16 inch IROC wheels. Now he just has to get the interior done. We swapped the gray interior from his old car over, cause the original interior was red (even the trim panels). He got new black carpet before doing the swap, so now he wants to get either black or gray seats, plus he needs a dash pad since his is cracked.

Funny you mention that, pulling into N. Carroll High, that was just before finally figuring out the fuel injectors had gone bad. It was so weird, the day before I had put in a new ignition control box from MSD (actually there Street Fire Brand) and after a few hick-ups it ran great (went up and down the by pass superbly, even lit up the tires wheel from a stand still). Of course the next day it was back to running really crappy (as if I had to start over from scratch) and would barely even move. I pulled in to park and check the TPS that day you saw me. I went through a lot of parts that it could be, before finally finding the thread on here about fuel injectors.

Now she run's like she did 11 years ago when I bought her. Back then though she was the 4th 3rd gen I had owned. My first was a 3 different shades of red v-6 '86 hardtop sport coupe auto totally base model, drove it for 6 months when I traded it in for a midnight blue 305 TPI '87 Z-28 T-Top auto loaded. While I owned the '87 I came across a gunmetal gray 305 carb'd '85 Z-28 hardtop auto striped down model, couldn't pass up the car, the price was right. Sold the '85 to my Dad who sold the car to my sister who needed a car at the time. Eventually years later I got the car back only, to fix it up and give it to my nephew, who totaled the car. I traded my '87 Z-28 for a black '96 Baretta Z-26, needed the front wheel drive for winter, I was working pretty far from home then and the Camaro wouldn't do. Regret that day I traded it ever since, It only took me 6 months to end up getting my current Blue 305 TPI '91 Z-28 T-Top loaded. I have no plans of letting this one go, like I said 11 years and counting. During the past 11 years though I've owned two other rolling chassis Camaro's the red '86 IROC-Z my brother in law ended up with and a red '89 IROC-Z convertible I bought it for a few parts (to rebuild the '85 I got back from my sister she had hit a deer), while a buddy of mine at the time wanted the shell underneath to rebuild a white '91 Z-28 convertible he had (not sure how this ever ended up lost contact with him).

Of course as most of us car guys are we're always looking for another ride and a good deal. I'm trying to find a '85-'92 hardtop TPI'd or TBI'd 5spd, I've seen a few over the past few years. One a '92 RS was way over priced and the other '85 Z-28, I couldn't convince my wife on, she saw too much rust, but they are hard to come by. Then again if a good deal comes along for any '85-'92 Camaro in general I don't think I'd pass it up. I think I'm still trying to replace the '87 I let go.

Well just happened to look up at the football game, it's pretty much over, so I'll catch you later.

Docfirebrd

iTrader: (1)

Hello fellow f-body fans and Hampstead citizens. Nice to know there are others in the local area. Hope to catch up with you one day after I get mine put back together.

frederzick

Yeah, we will have to set up to do a cruise around Carroll or something.