Pab's

iTrader: (2)

Whats up guys I just got an 88 IROC-Z its got a blown head gasket so im thinking of getting some aluminum heads and upgrade a few things in the process here's a pic

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

where can i get some aluminum heads at a good price?

red rock

iTrader: (2)

Welcome to the big show! As far as heads, for new check summit or jegs, for used look for stock vette aluminum heads.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

coll ill check summit since the motor's gonna be opened up what else should i get?

red rock

iTrader: (2)

Depends on how much you want to spend? A comp cam would be good start. You have to make sure the bottom end is worthy of heads and cam. Worn bearings will show their ugly head in a short minute with more power.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

well i eventually want to go carb and get around 350 rwhp so i dont want to up grade anything im gonna have to change once i go carb

red rock

iTrader: (2)

Maybe for now, just replace the head gasket, and see how it runs?

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

thought about that but being that i dont have deep pockets i wanted to knock out 2 birds with one stone

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Welcome!

Check out http://sa3go.com/ for local help.

red rock

iTrader: (2)

If you do the gasket yourself, you'll save some bucks. If not, probably a couple hundred.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

i wish i had the know how im pretty new to camaro's

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

You can't legally switch your FI car to a carb & pass Inspection, unless you've got a 'hook-up'.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

oh sure yeah

red rock

iTrader: (2)

First thing to have, even if you don't tackle the big stuff, Get some repair manuals, chiltons, haynes, and possibly a factory manual off of ebay. They will answer many questions, but keep asking and looking on third gen. Lots of info from lots of experience on here.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

honestly i wish i could say yeah Ill get those and eventually ill be somewhat mech. inclined but i work 70hrs a week so the little free time i have i dedicate to my family

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Swap in a 5.3 or bigger LS engine and be done with it. You will be glad you did.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

maybe in the future im poor right now

DrewsCam

iTrader: (2)

on some points i agree with zone there is no substitution to cubic inches... however on the other hand if all really depends on what you are going to do with the car. If its a daily driver, show or race it all makes difference in what you are gunna do. Seeing as how it has a blown head gasket and you have a family i'm thinking just fix it. Every dollar you put in is not just money but time and know how with out those three things your gunna end up selling that 88 to me to finish :P

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Well, with a 5.3 or bigger LS platform, the function will end up on the cam and heads. From there, tune away.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

well zone since you keep insisting on an ls swap I will gladly take some monetary donations from you


I think for know i will wait for serious upgrades for a bit maybe just cam and exhaust for now

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Wel, let me know what is in your budget and i will know when i can set something p for you. I have a business dealing with 99 up lste moder GM drive line and i can get some decent deals. Trying to get MSD to come down on my prices for the ignition controller but other than that, i can get you a 5.3 for around 500$ and from there the carbed intake and ignition box is 600$. So, unless you want a cam, i can get you hooked up with 350 or so HP right off the bat for about 1500$ for everything, unless i get a deal on a 5.3 a bit cheaper to save you some cash. Otherwise, fix what you got and save up for a LS swap.

DrewsCam

iTrader: (2)

hey zone you got any deals on harness and programmable computer for ls1's. Also you wouldn't happen to have those side brackets we talked about for this front end?

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

Thats a nice IROC. Its interesting that it has the Z28 wheels on it. Are those the original fog lamps on that car?

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

yeah the previous owner put the iroc wheels on a z28 he kept and im not sure abou the fog lamps

I got some zz4 heads, valve covers powder coated black and a killer alarm to keep the thiefs away

chevysurfer

Hey whats up man, im from S.A. also. I have abused the hell out of my camaro,the odometer never worked and its definently got over 200,000 miles on it. Anyhow im not mech. inclined either. Register with autozone online they have helpful diagrams and other things on the website, and for 15$-20$ bucks get a car manual its a most have, for things like torq specs and parts. Also this websites the best you can find any info you need here. I started with changing my engine mounts to gutting my engine bay modding my TBI unit, painting and cleaning everything and rerouting all my electrical (all thanks to this website, my girl hates it). Pretty extreme for me but turned out looking bad ***, if you pull your heads think of everything you need to take care of while everythings apart, because thats dang near half your engine. So have a spare vehicle, make a parts list for $$$ reasons and start cleaning and replacing. It all comes off real easy its just getting everything sealed up properly can be tricky. If a gasket fails, everything has to come back off take your time. And im lookin for front end peices mostly headlight baskets, let me know if you run across any thanks.

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

I just wanted to ask you, how do you know its got a blown head gasket?

Does white smoke billow out the back when you start it up? Does it overheat very quickly and run very poorly? Have you done a compression check yet?

92 BBC Z

First, dont be concerned with anything under your hood when it comes to passing inspection here in SanAntonio. They don't(not required by law) and wont even lift your hood, and no tail pipe sniffing here, yet. Second, Jeg's and Summit are good sources for parts but you can also use Alamo Performance,(off centergate and Perrin-beitel rd.ask for Wes) they have pretty much everthing the big parts guy's have but trully free shipping on items not in stock and next day shipping at no extra cost to you. They also have a room full of used/preowned parts as well. Those guys are a lot of help and really cool and no funny attitude's. Third and last, if you work 70hr a week, and your family gets whats left, then maybe you should just start with the blown head gasket repair, and leave good enough alone. If you choose to accept this mission? then you should probaly get DrewsCam phone# for later.
P.S. The heads are cool, but that alarm will be left setting where you last parked the car.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

I had my buddy who own's his own shop check it out and he said its a blown gasket even if it wasn't i wanted zz4 heads anyway

and just to clarify by buddy is doing most of the grunt work on the swap since i really dont have the time for it im also not really concerned with "passing" inspection here in SA. I've already been talking to Alamo and Lethal asking questions and what not

thanks for the compliments on the heads but I dont understand what you mean about the alarm ???

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

oh I also ordered some hooker headers and a y pipe still unsure what muffler to use

chevysurfer

If your gonna run a single pipe back forget the exhaust use a resonator/inline muffler and run a large dia. pipe back. I dont understand two tailpipes with single exhaust. Looks cool but not functional save weight and simplify things or run true dual pipes

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

aiming for true duals

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Not much on EFI right now, if i get anything i can let you know.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Kind of a biitch, but it can be done, mine scrape every now and then with stock ride height, so if your lowering it, i wouldnt.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

i wont lower it im going from a truck with 6" of lift and 36" tires to the iroc....im low enough

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

went to the parts store and spent way too much money :S got me some

A/C delco Spark plugs
STP air filters
Thread lock
Head bolts
Head gaskets
180* thermostat
Intake gaskets
5 qt's of oil
AC delco oil filter
RTV and some anti freeze

oh and a chrome dip stick and tube

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

If you go "true duals", your car will non longer pass Inspection legally. If you have a friend that does inspections, you might still be able to get a sticker, but that doesn't make it legal. Just gets you around the law.

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

I forgot to tell you the other day when you texted me; Prestone has a mail in rebate for antifreeze going on right now. I saw the sticker on the bottle at Target for $7 full antifreeze and $5 for the 50/50 ripoff.

I think the price came out to around $3.49 after the mail-in rebate

http://www.prestone.com/products/spe...rs_and_rebates

BillyTheGoat

iTrader: (2)

it's much easier to pass inspection in San Antonio than it is in Austin.

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

Your thread brought out the san antonio guys... if only we could get them to come out to a meet...

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

well about time some peeps need to get up post and show up Ill have my car this weekend (Im praying) so lets get together for some burgers and beers or shoot i can bbq at my house its cool

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

oh and yeah im not too worried about being 100% legal and if I hurt any tree hugger's feelings o well

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I'm not in Austin, but close. No emissions testing where I am in Burnet County. Even if I was in Austin & my GTA is old enough now to be exempt from testing? Still can't do it.

Bottom line is though.....Whether or not a person can skirt the law, it is still illegal, regardless.

No emissions testing where I am, but I still can't ditch the cat or run "true dual" legally.

Just sharing a little info, so that the OP can be informed & decide for himself, if it is worth the possible ticket or not.

BillyTheGoat

iTrader: (2)

I would if my car were legal. The guy I bought it from moved to California and didn't give me a bill of sale. I'm waiting for it to come in the mail. Also the cat is bad, which I think is the reason why my trans am accelerates like a b***h

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

Here is a thread about making the dual fans come on at the same time commanded by the ECM:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cool...nsor-wire.html

I would be concerned with the temperature of the engine after fixing the head gasket because there is no telling what caused the head gasket to fail in the first place. I suspect the car was overheated so I would look at the head that you pull carefully to see if its cracked.

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

That sucks man. When I bought my IROC the guy gave me the keys and disappeared on me. He got arrested and put in jail, so for awhile there I was worried about getting the title.

When I overheated my engine when i was a teenager, I cracked the drivers side head and the catalytic converter died. It would barely rev up and when you banged something against it, you could hear the stuff inside bounce around.

If its got the stock converter on it, take off the rear bolts and get a pry bar or something and clean it out really good. Its not exactly legal to do that, but it will allow you to drive it to a shop so they can replace it.

Also, on the south side of downtown there is a shop called Rodriguez Tire and Muffler, they did mine in a 3" cat for like $100. I also had them put on a Borla muffler and cut me some new tail pipes. The installer was cool enough to keep adjusting them for me until they looked right.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

yeah I had thought about that and that's why I got a new thermostat if its still over heating ill get a big *** electric fan

BillyTheGoat

iTrader: (2)

I don't know if it's stock. I doubt cleaning it would work. It gets really hot and eventually starts to smoke. I wanted to try to replace it myself. I have the service manual and it looks like you can just put these on without welding, unless it was welded on

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

why dont you just cut it off get some muffler tape and drive it down to the muffler shop to get fixed

Lucid

iTrader: (4)

If the cat got overheated and melted, it can end up creating a clog much like a clog in a drain. If the cat is bolted on its probably stock, if its welded its not.

You can remove the bolts on the rear of the cat and drop it down enough to get something up in there to break up the material and empty the gunk out. It will take some elbow grease to do it. Get a flashlight and look up inside of it.

If you decide to do this, run the engine afterward and let the engine push out any remaining gunk/dust out so it doesnt get into your muffler.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (2)

Alright, i can get 5.3s for 300 right now in short block form, then a set of 241 heads for anywhere from 75-125$ and you have a stout long block, then you decide on cam and the rest of the valve train. Not too bad.