What's up third gen people. A little bit about me 35 years old and this is my third camaro.

1st camaro way back in 2000 1995 z28 auto hard top
2ed camaro 2001-2002 1971 RS auto hard top
3ed current 1986 iroc z auto t top lb9 with 700r4

I just bought this car a month ago. Paid 3450.00. Had what looked to be a more decent paint job when dirty and dusty. Guy I bought it off ownes a performance shop in the Sparks nevada area.

He said he was all in at $3300. The paint looks like a 2k max paint job to me once I washed & cleaned the car.

So far I've bought about $2500 worth of labor and crap for this car. According to the seller its an Iroc but yet the center counsel box was swaped out for another at some point. Making it hard as hell to prove that it had the iroc package.

Took the car back to the sellers shop for welding and other repairs where at some point in the week it was there was hit or swiped by something red in color. Progressive only gave me $270 after my $250 deductible. Body shop wanted over $500 just to paint the area only not the whole bumper lol. I'll paint it in Mexico before I pay that!!

Seller also said it had 59k original miles and had been sitting weathering away up til a few years ago.

I'm some what inclined to beleave it based upon the brake and accelerator pedals the lack of new tie rods and the shocks. It handles reel tight with almost no slop.

I'm hoping I haven't wasted
good money on this thing lol.


So far
New stereo and all new speakers
2002 leather z28 seats front and back
New door and t top seals "not installed yet"
Shorty headers and y pipe no cat with bullet muffler
Ported tb port on upper manifold
52mm professional products tb "exchanging for a summit 52tb since the pp tb sticks " even after changing out for a new one lol.
Tinted the windows

Accel header plugs at .045 accel super coil with 8mm Taylor wires
All the interior pieces to make the interior trim panels all black. " not installed yet"

Did I get screwed guys?

 

Looks like it has 159K miles on it. Just my .02 cents. In regards to whether or not you got "screwed," only you can answer that question. If the car is worth it to you, then it's worth it to you. Got any shots of the engine bay? That might help better determine age also. Welcome to the board.

Will

 

Does it have a wonder bar? Only Irocs got them. looking at the pic of the engine bay it has that little brace on the passenger side hood hinge to cowl. Im thinking its an Iroc. no one would add that little brace under the hood, I dont think anyone knows what its for.

I doubt is a 59,000 mile car. Pre 90 cars only had a 5 digit odometer. I think most cars have rolled over once already. I think thats why so many "low mile" thirdgens are starting to pop up.

As long as you dont feel like you got ripped off it was a good deal. Looks like a decent example of a thirdgen. Fix, mod it, and enjoy it.

 

I could have swore I read some where that the tag on the diff had ratio info. that tag had only use limited slip oil only nothing else?

 

Looks nice! Enjoy it.

 

So I asked him for the run down on the car. price seemed low for millage" How he knew the cars millage and so on. He said the original owner started bringing him the car 17 years ago for oil changes tune ups etc. The owner passed away a few years back and his old lady just lived at the bar. She let the car rot for about 7 years or so in the nasty Nevada sun.


He said before he slapped the pant job on the car it was beat. The problem I have is the car doesn't look like a 59K original but the price was okay. Hard for me to really tell.

 

if you're questioning his work and or integrity stop going to him

whether he's legit or not i don't think it's a healthy relationship to have with your mechanic

you two should start seeing other people

 

I'll rephrase that. He missed a couple of pin hole size leaks were the bead stoped in a couple of spots. I had welded in a few spots with a worthless 90amp flux core that I couldn't reverse the polarity to make nice no buttered up welds.


In his defense welding around another crappy weld is difficult. He's no idiot what so ever. I consider jay to be a mechanical engineer with a overwhelming workload all the time. Things do get over looked.


I like the guy a lot I just wish didnt have to spend hours droping the exhuast and welding straps on and so fourth.


He's never unfairly charged me for sh!/ ever!

 

I think what everyone is trying to say is if you're happy, you're happy. If you're not, meaning any reservations about the purchase, then you're not happy. A 17 year history of oil changes is not in and of itself a full record of service. I can tell by looking at it, that whoever owned it previously, was not looking to spend ANY money on it, as evidenced by the lack of ac compressor, lines, and so on. What is the 8th digit of the vin? This forum is here to help you. Everyone's project starts somewhere. It's up to you to decide if this example is worth your time and money, or if you want to start with a different car.

 

NorCal I hear what your saying. I like the car but than its little things that kind of **** me off.

The 8th digit is "f" I beleave making it a SoCal Pomona or somewhere near there.

I just picked up a complete bw t5 swap complete from a z28 in decent enough shape. I really liked the 2 tone paint when I saw the ad on CL. It's nice enough to save. I just need to keep my cost realistic.

My only reservation is that CL ad could be construed as slightly miss leading. I'm over it now and packing away at all the little stuff I don't like.

I'm grabbing a AC compressor and lines today. Can't wait to get the t5 done!!

 

Is it called a wonder sense everyone wonders what the heck it's for? I use to wonder about my 5.0 pushrod stang. It had a little bracket from the upper to lower manifold that did absolutely nothing.

 

F= a 305tpi car, if my memory serves.

 

1986
2 151-88 (LQ9)
S 173-135 (LB8)
F 305-215 (LB9)
G 305-190 (L69)

 

I thought the lb9s only had 190 hp. I hope the stage one fx clutch i just bought holds up to the little bit of extra power lol.

 

You are correct sir, '86 cars got the peanut cam while the '85 cars had the little peppier cam.

 

Wtf? That's wrong my 88 formula has 197K on its Odo right now and I've see. Multiple older cars with 6 digit odometers

 

Kairles meant to say pre 90 "Camaro's" only had a 5 digit odometer. Birds are different

 

Well I guess it was just a rough 60k miles. The block and vin match. The engine had the Oem head gaskets and oil pan gasket etc. never been opened up as far as I could tell.


I feel kind of bad after seeing all the cross hatching in all borers along with the Oem piston coating GM put on the Pistons.

The machine shop in carson city asked me why they were cleaning and checking the heads.

I told him the bigger cam and all valve train components are being up graded to compcams and crane cams parts.

He said the dam springs guides valves and seats look close to new. You can't always judge a book by the cover. However if it walks like a duck talks like a duck etc it usually is a duck lol.

I guess I'm the horses a$$ on this one lol. But dam it looked fishey at first but the prof is in the pudding I guess.

I'll post back with block pics in a few days. I'm in the middle of decarbonizing the rotating assmbly,valley, front and rear main areas etc. already took care of the intake manifold upper lower runners etc.

I'm not trying to dump to much on a turd 305 but if I can break even at hot August nights I'll have over half of what I need for a ls swapped iroc.

The AC part kind of sucks. It's about $800 for a full retro replace everything type deal. So far I bought it for $3500 and have bought about another $3k in parts and counting. I have to kind of mind my ps and qs. I hope to pull at least $6500 rock bottom minimal loss come hot August nights. If I can't get a little less than I have into it it'll be lsx time for it the following year.