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The Iroc right after dropping it off at my house. It looks better in this picture then in person Up on stands waiting to drop the tank
Hey guys, this is my first post, been lurking since march when I picked up a rusty old Iroc that wasn't running for 600 bucks. It's got a LB9/700r4 and the G92 package. Been reading lots of different threads and whatnot. Finally got the tank out in September and replaced the pump and sending unit and got it running. Just gotta get the muffler welded back on and see if she'll pass safety and emissions here in Utah and I can drive her for a little bit longer til the snow starts falling! This is my first third gen, but I'm not new to muscle cars or hopping up vehicles. I've been on performancetrucks.net for several years now and have a 91 foxbody 5.0 convertible and a 98 formula to work on as well. Plans for this car aren't gonna be any crazier then an EBL flash tune and MAYBE some Dyno Don headers. We'll see. It's just a cheap Iroc I want to drive and enjoy without concern about it getting wrecked. Anyways, glad to be here, let me know what you guys think of this rusty old car haha.
Thanks guys! Still got some work to do before I'm satisfied with the car. I picked up the car with what the previous owners suspect is 164k miles, they didn't have any paperwork for it but said it had 25k on an engine rebuild. Assuming the oil pressure gauge is correct, it has about 60 psi at cold startup. The car hadn't run since 2004 when the last fuel pump died (I believe it from the smell of the gas in the tank). Fortunately there was no trap door mod, and I followed the instructions in the write up to a T. Definately a pain to do, but worth it and I wouldn't feel intimidated about doing it again on another third gen. Somebody had been in the tank before though because I pulled the part number off the old pump and it showed as being an airtex brand. I put in the ac delco ep381 like people had recommended here. Used the Dorman sending unit they had off rock auto but I think I need to extend the rubber lines for the vent, evap and return since they seem to be "off" in alignment when compared to the old sending unit. Today I stopped the oil leak coming from the oil cooler after dumping most of the oil all over my driveway... when I pulled down the cooler housing, I didn't see the oil seal, thinking where it actually was, was part of the metal cooler. So I hold the seal to the mounting pad on the engine and install the cooler then the new wix filter. Fill it with oil and start the engine. After 10 or 15 seconds not seeing any oil pressure I shut it off and look under the car, shocked to find oil spilling out from the housing ha. Needless to say, I was pissed. I take everything apart again and re-read the oil cooler thread and determine where the seal is. Pop it out, replace it with the seal from the old oil filter, refill the oil and fire her up. Builds oil pressure and no more leak at least...sorry for the run-on ha...
As far as the formula is concerned, it's in limbo. On one hand, I wanna go crazy and do full heads cam and intake when I pull the engine for the front crank seal. However, obviously Pontiac is dead unfortunately and they certainly don't make these cars anymore. So I'm contemplating just fixing everything wrong and keeping it stock. I have no intention of ever selling it (I'm only 25, no kids or wife yet either haha) and understand it will be quite a while if ever that it is worth something.
Update time! Bought some cooper rs3 g1's and had them mounted back in march. Yesterday I soldered the wiring harness for the radio I'll end up putting into the Iroc. Had a newer Kenwood radio to replace an old 90's kenwood cassette deck that was having issues. Thankfully it was just the deck, didn't need to replace any speakers.
A running IROC for 600 bucks! You did great. I'm fairly certain the LB9 auto, G92,( not just the gears, but the package), is an '87 model year only option - and rare!
A running IROC for 600 bucks! You did great. I'm fairly certain the LB9 auto, G92,( not just the gears, but the package), is an '87 model year only option - and rare!
Cool car!
Thanks man! It wasn't running when I bought it, but a fuel pump and some new gas was all it took to get it running.
As far as the coopers go, I haven't driven it much more then around the neighborhood since it doesn't haven temp registration yet, and my street is under construction for a new water main so the road is pretty gnarly. I'll let you guys know how they are when I start hitting the road in the car.
Small update time! Got some temp registration on the Iroc so I could go get the muffler welded back on and see if it will pass emissions. Took it for a spin and it drove well! Didn't have any overheating issues or low oil pressure! It's supposed to get up to 90 today in northern Utah and with the windows down driving around town it wasn't too hot in the car. I think these t-tops block the heat better then the ones in my 98 Formula. Checked with the dmv about the availability of custom plates and found that slowlb9 and slo lb9 are both available. Gonna get one of the two for my car haha.
Hey guys, figured I would update this. Haven’t really done much with the Iroc aside from the transmission tail shaft seal and a filter and fluid change in April this year. Just sold the car to a local guy who is planning to fix it up with his daughter and relive the 80’s haha. Really glad it’s going to a good home and not the scrap yard. I’ll still be lurking on the forum, but I’ll be out of a third gen for the foreseeable future. Had to free up garage space for a 6 speed 2021 LT1 Camaro I ordered at the end of October and should be arriving in the next couple weeks!
