this is my first post ever and i have a few questions i would like help with i dont currently have an f-body yet because i cant decide which one to get, i know i want a camaro not a firebird and i know for a fact that i want a v8...i wont drive a v6 f-body...but i dont know what to go for in the v8, like the tpi and tbi...etc i want alot of horsepower but i dont have enough money for a nice iroc with the 5.7 350 tpi...does anything else compare to the 350, like even the 305 tpi and one last thing that i can think of...are camaro rs with 305s fast? please help me

 

the fastest f body next to the L98 equipped cars (not counting the TTA) are the LB9 305 TPI cars with the T5 and the G92 option, but those are about as expensive as a 350. an iroc or a z28 with the LB9 TPI 305 auto is great fbody. good power, tons of torque.....

you could also get a z28 or an iroc with the lg4 305 4 bbl. this engine is not too fast in stock form, but a few mods will boost its performance....

personally, i would stay away from an RS with the LO3 305 only becuase i am not a fan of TBI. these cars are in the same performance category as the LG4 (in fact, they replaced it in 1988), but the TBI 305 doesnt respond as well to mods as the LG4.

If i were you, i would look for an LB9 car. if you cant find a decent one, then go for an LG4 equipped car....

 

Well,the later model 305 TPI with the 5 speed made good power.They were rated really close to the horsepower that the 350s made.In road tests from back in the day there was only a few tenths difference in a L98 and a five speed LB9.ALso,keep an open mind about the firebird.I have owned 5 IROCs but i just absolutely love my T/A.

 

IMO in their stock forms no 3rd gen f-body is what i'd describe as "fast", but they're not what i'd call slow either.. if your looking for a camaro look for a 350 to start with... they are cheaper to mod and has better potential then a 305, however a 305 can be pretty fast too with the right work. What I'd personally look for in a 3rd gen is the body itself, make sure its in nice shape, no rust, straight panels, no stress cracks (esp. on t-top cars), etc. If you can find a really nice 305 in your price range i'd say go for it.. you can always swap in a 350 later or build up the 305. Look at the overall condition of the car in general, most 3rd gens were anything but pampered.. in fact most of these cars have had the living **** beaten out of em over the years and many are now showing their age.. on a side note dont give up on the v6 altogather.. the tta's are pretty quick for 6's

 

thanks for the quick replies...no im not definatley ruling out a T/A but i got my heart set on a camaro and yes the TTA is one quick car especially being a v6...how would i know if the v8 was an LO3 or LB9...would it be only because it would be in an iroc and not an rs because it could be possible to swap an LO3 into an iroc(i dont know who would ever want to do that) but is that possible? and another thing kinda off subject do all v8 3rd gens have positraction?

one more quick one for now...170HP...i know its not alot in the f-body world but do u have any idea on top speed, 1/4mile...etc(im talking about a completely stock 305 rs) and how much faster would u say the LB9 was compared to the LO3?

 

Well,the LB9 is the Tuned port motor and the LO3 is the TBI motor.Theres a huge difference in these motor.I have owned the L98,LB9 five speed and the LO3.The LB9 5 speed was the most fun because i personally love manual transmissions.The LO3 sucked and frustrated the hell out of me.Also now that i think about it i also had an IROC with the LG4,it was the absolute slowest.I got my butt handed to me by V6 4th gens all the time!!

 

no, all 3rd gens do not have posi. G80 is the RPO code for positraction.

as far as the LB9 and LO3 go, if you open the hood and there is what looks like one of those "face huggers" from aliens, its TPI and either the LB9 or the L98 (350). if theres an air cleaner like a carbed car would have, its the L03...


another easy way to tell is to look at the VIN number. it is located at the bottom of the drivers side windshield. the 8th digit in the VIN corresponds to an engine...

8 - L98 350 (TPI)
H - LG4 305 (4 bbl)
F - LB9 305 (TPI)
E - LO3 305 (TBI)

though this wont help you if the engine is not original......

as far as performance goes, i have seen RS's with the LO3 in the low 17's in the 1/4 and have seen auto LB9's in the low 15's. it really depends on the condition of the engine. hell, my car completely destroyed my friends LB9....

 

Some Iroc Z's came with the LO3, U'll find these with the 15" rims, if they are even stock. TO tell the difference between a TPI (LB9) and a TBI (L03), look for a carb style air cleaner (round and black) on the top of the engine. If you see one, you can be sure its a TBI L03. To answer your question, not all V8's came with posi's.

 

ok thanks for the help now that we cleared up how the LO3 engine looked... and the positraction issue...now for the really hard part...getting a car...i know all the kbb.com values of the cars but everyone always jakes the price of irocs up, what is the average price for and iroc and what is the stock fastest iroc year with the L98?

 

I agree with 89rs, definitly find a 350, or just get a nice body and drop in a carbed 350. You will be way ahead in the end.

 

can someone please explain the ups and downs of a carb'd 350 as opposed to a TPI 350 as far as stock HP ratings, up keep, performance parts, and overall quality?

 

I would also try and find a 350. If you can't then go with the 305 TPI. Fuel injection is easier to maintain because it's computer controlled. Few adjustments needed. Also there are more advantages to it when you're dealing with emissions. I've never owned a carbed car cuz by the time I bought my first car I knew about the differences between FI and carburators. My first F body was an 88 2.8 Firebird 5 speed. Although it was slow, I had very few problems with it.

There are more available high performance parts out there for 350s. Like I said I would recommend getting a car with the L98 in it, that way you won't ask yourself later on "I wonder how fast this car would be with all these mods if it had a 350 in it". Pretty much all the mods you can do to a 350 you can do to a 305, but the extra CI's already put you way ahead.

 

well, for one a carb is worlds easier to tune than EFI. second, the main problem with a stock TPI system is it will not breathe well above 4500 rpms due to the runners and base. a carbed car can pull as high as the internals will allow....in other worlds, TPI tends to bottle neck the engine whereas the right carb will not...

 

I ran a rip-roaring 16.29 ET with my almost stock 82 Crossfire 305 that's rated at 165 HP. That was with me (230 lbs), couple a sub-woofers, back seat full of crap and a rear subframe brace (ok, it's really a trailer hitch )

 

Well it would depend on the intended purpose of this auto. If it's going to be your daily driver the find a 350 tpi car. Altough you can make a tpi car pretty fast, it IS expensive. Weekend type car, carbs are cheaper to make the power with. Visit the tpi and prom burning boards on this site, lots of smart guys roaming here. Depends on how much you want ta spend, and learn.

 

The bad thing about FI is its complexity, if something goes bad it could be any number of things. With a carb you can narrow down very quickly and simply fix it. Thats what i hate about new cars, you can't fix or work on them yourself.

 

alright ill have to take a trip over to tpi, carb, and prom forums thanks guys