I am sixteen and am in the position to buy a 1990 Camaro RS with the 5 speed manual. I came here and checked out the 1990 RS specs and it says it puts out 170 hp and 255 ft-lbs torque. My heart sank. I am sixteen and looking for what people would call a "quick car", something that can run around 6.5 to high five second 0-60, and i dont think 170 hp will do that. So my question is this: How fast will it be, low and high end, and if its truly slow, what would be the best upgrades to first put in it? Nothing as big or expensive as cams, no engine swaps, to aspiration, things along the lines or CAI, throttle body, underdrive pulleys, etc. And where would i be able to get the upgrades? Would they be thirdgen f-body specific for the 1990? And does the 1990 RS have a computer that you can plug a tuner into? Sorry about the long question quys, just answer what you can. I really new to the thirdgens and i am trying to learn as much as i can.

 

Welcome

There's lots of knowledgeble, talented people here, as well as the
usual collection of jugheads & gas-bags. You're initial problem
will be in discerning the difference.

As a grizzled old gearhead, and father of a couple former 16 yr
old auto consumers, let me offer some insight, for whatever
you may think it's worth.

Without some more data on the vehicle (mileage, over-all condition,
etc.), it's hard to make specific recomendations. But here's some
generalizations.

Unless it's low-mileage, in VERY good condition, I would not recommend
buying this, for an every-day driver, that will dependably get you to...
school, work, whatever you're life currently is. These vehicles typically
have 100k+ miles, which means normal maintenance, like brakes,
suspension, exhaust, yada, yada, yada. Lots of room for performance
upgrades, but remember projects only have the time window of when
you next must be somewhere. What's your experience & tool availability?
Will your dad or some other family member be able to lend support
with knowledge & equipment?

Don't get me wrong, third gen's are marvelous platforms for learning,
with truly awesome performance possibilities. Unfortunately, they're
from the time when performance was mostly sacrificed at the alter
of environmentalism. There is an abundance of performce equiment
upgrades available, from a wide variety of sources. Which is part of
the romance of these vehicles. Now specifically, the types of things
you mention are not going to make much of a seat-of-the-pants
difference. And the ECM's are pretty primitive by today's standards.
Data logging is low & slow. Tuning is via chip-burning, which means
some secondary equipment, and a considerable learning curve.

So unless the condition is pristeen, these vehicles are better suited,
nay GREAT, for hobby purposes.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

 

Moving to TBI board as I believe you'll get much more input...

 

16? and wanting a quick car. wow. i remember that time. 26 years ago. these cars are great cars. it is a specific taste for them. as dis said it can be a high maintenance car. to most it is a hobby car as mine is. dont get me wrong they can work well. mine has made plenty of 100 to 400 mile trips perfectly. and gotten 22 mpg. as for a fast car---NO!!!--. can it be??? YES. with a lot of planning and money. if you are in to cutting up to make fastat all cost. leave it for someone that will take care of it. if you are going to take care of the car and deal with its poor performance and be patient to build it correctly then go for it. 3words will help you with this car
read
patience
planning

oh yeah! #4 money.

 

i believe it is a great first car . they look good , feel faster than what they are an have so much potential . welcome to the forum an enjoy an be safe if you get it .
theres answers to any an all questions here thats forsure this is the best third gen forum on the net .

 

get it!! I bought my thirdgen 92 RS 5 speed when I was 17. I simply love the car. With small upgrades, it can be sort of quick but it is a crapload of fun. In high school, I paid the least for a simply beautiful car. The paint is far from perfect but presentable. The car is cool , loud with its aftermarket flowmaster exhaust, and is a great base to start off.

Make sure you check all the rust under the car! With simple suspension upgrades, a motor swap, and interior restoration, you will love the car.. It's a great car to learn how to work on cars. You are 16, you don't need a really fast car. Otherwise, you will kill yourself..It's all about being responsible.

And like I dis travlr said, you need a daily driver to get you around to work and school. Be prepared to drop your paychecks on the car too!!

 

Get it man. I'm 17 and bought my 1990 RS when I was 16 just a few months ago. I love it to death and wouldn't have any other car. You can follow my build thread on this forum if you want some advice on mods

 

Hello, and welcome to the boards!

I remember being in a similar position to ya about 5 years back or so. Wanting a beast as a daily driver without a lot of experience behind the wheel. Looking back, I'm glad I ditched that idea and picked up a project third gen later on. A fast car can get to be quite an investment, and if you're not responsible w/the power, you'll end up getting yourself into trouble. I'm sure you get tired of hearing that, but it's true!

That being said, if this car is in really good shape and needs either minimal or no work to be road worthy, a 305 TBI is a great daily driver engine, and will be a lot more fun to drive with the 5 speed. If it's a beater/project though, I would move on, unless you're willing to put money and work into it.

As far as upgrades to get more power go, things like exhaust, headers, an open element air cleaner, and better gear ratios can wake it up quite a bit without going too heavy into mods (The stock exhaust system is alot of what's holding these motors back). Don't expect it to blow the doors off of much of anything when stock though. These cars came from an era where 170 HP was acceptable for a V8, and 240 or so was considered really good. They're still quite fun to drive though!

 

If YOU love it, and it is in good rust free and complete, buy it. I am now old....40... and had an old Nova as a kid and loved every second of it. I am now tearing into my sons 91RS with him. If you have time and a little money it will be great fun and way cooler than your buddy's moms old Rav4. Fast is possible for time and money, but cool is much easier. In my opinion which I still get to have as long as the wife is gone or asleep, every boy needs a cool quick car. Not deathly fast no one needs that as a DD. My son is excited to get his splint off his hand so we can really get working on his. Take someone knowlegable about cars and someone who is not in love with this particular car. They will help you make a great decision. I paid 2100 for mine with only a small piece of rust on the rear behind the bumper and already transplanted 350. It wasn't running right but a few trips to TGO and a trip to the salvage yard and the parts store and it is running perfect and pulling 23mpg at 80mph.

 

I would like to buy you a "dad of the year" T-shirt, totally serious. All my dad has done so far is complain that I'm messing up my perfectly good car. I think it's odd since he dropped a Pontiac 429 and 4.10 rear into his '57 Chevy when he was 17.. but whatever

Are you logging your progress on here? I'd like to subscribe to that thread if you are

 

I have heard a lot of comments like a kid doesn't need a car like that.. However my crappy 4 cyl 09 Malibu company car had over 200 HP! It is more about the time spent with my son, my dad did it some and I would have liked even more time with him working on my old car. If you build it you will respect it more. I will be teaching him to actually drive and control his rear wheel drive car. I did and parked in the back garage going across the pasture to get her backed in. Only got my 72 Nova stuck 2 times. Once when the snow was over a foot deep and once in the ice in the back yard. It is all about control and understanding what is under your butt. Oh and I was also able to know when to use both the gas and the brakes. I bought a 2 wheel drive v6 S10 in 96 and never had much issue... Now several crappy company FWD cars later, I have a family and a HEMI full time 4X4 Grand Cherokee Limited. Big ol tires and 350 HP is scary fast. Oh and my wife rolls a 390 HP HEMI RAM. He has to at least keep up!! Anyway it is all about what a person can handle and will respect. Old people are stupid too...lets not all pile on the next generation of Car Guys and Gals. Just because one kid cannot control his hand-me-down Honda doesn't mean all kids are crappy drivers.

 

Are you logging your progress on here? I'd like to subscribe to that thread if you are[/quote]

I have not started that thread, I have taken some pics and made some notes. We find out tomorrow if my son's hand is healed enough to start using again, then maybe we will get a thread started. So far the progress is small simple stuff and research. You talked me into it. Maybe this weekend we can start turning wrenches.