1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I understand it's tough to restore our cars to concours condition, and I appreciate the effort that went into this, but there are so many little things that bug me about this car, that I could never own it. Every frame has 2 or 3 things that should have been done better.

I'd rather get two low mile, original IROCs for the same money.

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Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Name the things missing on the $80K car in this picture.

https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...sQ&oe=636F7D7A
https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...LQ&oe=636E5DFF

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

How about this?

​​​​​​https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...aA&oe=636E54C4

​​​​​​https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...zQ&oe=636F9F8B

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

This?

​​​​​​https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...rA&oe=636E6B9A

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Did the pictures not load? I cant see anything but the writing.

Also, for 80k it should be perfection...but I agree with your idea to just buy a ultra low miler or two for that $. Its only original once as the saying goes...

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I copied and pasted from the FB thread. They are visible to me. Anyone else having problems viewing?

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I cannot see them. A common issue with facebook photos.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Can you guys see the Youtube video?

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Ok, I'll download them and repost them.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Yes.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Didn't even bother to rewrap the steering wheel, tried to save $100 and not use a leather covered shifter ball. Painted plenum, TB, and runners. Driver's side valve cover flipped around. Rear license bracket should be bare treated metal



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...b2d43e9c9.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...b6e3c7ebd.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...a534f4c69.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...155afac8c.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...75e2f95f2.jpeg

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I see old original exhaust manifolds. That is all I see.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

This would be a nice $25K car. $80K? No way.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Idle Sounds Way To High

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Looking at the interior picture and the YoutTube video, it looks to me the rear view mirror is bad.

Is this car headed for Bringatrailer?

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I don't know. This car has been all over FB recently, for sale. It is being sold by a 2nd gen Trans Am dealer.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Hopefully he didn't cut a hole in it for a future fuel pump/sender replacement like the guy that just got a 91 1LE Z/28 did.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/sout...my-91-1le.html

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

BTW, this car has 290K km, which is 180K miles.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Is the top of the cowl / wiper area supposed to be black or was 88 the last year they did that?

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Just watched the video and the car is "over restored" in many areas differently from original. They are only original once and once you start doing paint work under the hood or underneath the car it is near impossible to duplicate the factory look. I see a lot of parts painted that should have been natural too.

In painting the engine bay on my Morrison Cook car it became obvious that it would never look factory again in regards to the finish however since somebody had painted it once with latex house paint I wasnt really left an option. Stuff like that bothers me too where most would never see it.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...09f2266b1.jpeg

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I believe '87 was the last year for that.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Nice-looking car, but hardly an $80K vehicle. Whomever did the "restoration" should have done his homework first. However much it actually brings at sale, it may have brought more if it hadn't been "restored."

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Sounds like a vacuum leak. It's idling much too high and for far too long. The fast idle should only last about 30-45 seconds, but that one's running fast for over a minute and a half, and the whole time he's jockeying the car around in the driveway the sound of the engine doesn't speed up or slow down. It also starts poorly. Something is definitely amiss.

I've seen many pictures of 3rdgen TPIs where the driver's side valve cover has the filler cap in forward hole. Not sure when such a change might've occurred, or if it was an "at-the-moment" or random change. Maybe it was to use up a batch of covers that might've been machined incorrectly.

Also, the valve covers can't be "flipped" in an end-to-end manner. Fit-wise, however, they can be alternated between the driver side and passenger side. Regardless, simply choosing to relocate the filler cap to the forward hole and putting the PCV in the rearward hole probably isn't possible due to the design of the hole for the filler cap, so it's likely or, at least, possible that the driver's side valve cover is correct.

Wouldn't a 1LE TPI/5-speed have come with a dual cat exhaust? This car has an all-new single cat exhaust.

It might've cost near $80K to restore the car, but it's very unlikely that anyone would get his money back for such a project. The "investment" is for the heart, not the head, so you take what you can get and accept the loss by considering the money going back into your bank account as "profit."

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

There is no N10 code on the SPID for the dual catalytic converter. On the Firebird side, it was required on all LB9/MM5 and L98 builds after January 1989 but there is mixed results as to when it actually got implemented as there are several of those 1989s that did not get the exhaust. Charlie has a thread about it:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...1989s-n10.html

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

This car is a RPO R7U Canadian Player's Challenge Series car. They didn't have the N10 dual cat exhaust system. GM supplied the race cars or provided to the race teams a modified single cat system that had dual exhausts that exited on each side before the back tires.

It looked like this.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...f79b2dabb6.jpg

My guess is the race dual exhaust system was removed after this car's life as a race car ended and they just installed factory style hi-flow single cat system in it's place. Also makes me wonder if it still has the Chevy Race Shop sealed engine it came with. It doesn't appear so because it missing all the markings and paint seals and special sticker on the plenum.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

My 88 Iroc G92 very has the black cowl.... Not sure about 89 though...

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I don't even see this as a $25k car. With the miles, and the incorrect parts, the "restored" comments are a joke. The window switches, rear hatch switch and the cruise stalk writing is all but gone.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

There are suckers everywhere. Just my $0.02.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

We are early on, in how folks restore 3rd gens. I'm honestly glad to see it happening. But, if this were a '70 LS6 Chevelle restoration or '67 Corvette, I can imagine what that community would make of it. They'd tear it apart.

I understand perfect replacement parts don't exist for our cars. But this resto has several unforced errors. It's one thing to say proper seat fabric isn't available, it's another to cheap out on the steering wheel, shifter ball and rear license plate bracket.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to watch this car as it eventually sells. Nice paint though.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

No kidding? Got a pic and a build date?

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Charlie, it's been documented that '88 was the transition year for the black painted cowl. Many '88s have it.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

my 88’ had a black cowl. My 89 had a color matched one.

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

Early '88s?

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

I can’t believe the steering wheel and shifter aren’t re-wrapped on an $80k restored car!

believe it or not the license plate bracket being painted bothers me more than undercoating would…. That’s a part I’d come in contact more frequently and always remember from back in the day flipping that bare metal plate frame down to get to the trunk lock…. They all even make the same squeak when you flip the plate…

The last Norwood car was a pretty impressive restoration at GM Nats…. There were a couple things that I could nit pick but he also got stuff factory correct that I didn’t even know about so touché!

this car is not even close to that one…. Still a cool car!

Re: 1989 1LE restoration. $80K
 

My vert was probably late 88 as the ASC tag says “April 1988” on it…

I have a body color cowl..