I just bought an '88 IROC from a used car dealer, i've loved f-bodies all my life but this is the first one i've owned and i haven't delved extremely deep into all the specs and options throughout the years. the dealer told me the engine was swapped from the stock 305 to a 350, i'm not really sure if they were telling the truth because after dealing with them they seem a little shady .... i looked up all the RPO codes to get some info and i found that the car came with a TBI 170hp L03 and also that it was a sport coupe when it left the factory. it's obvious (now,after doing a little research) someone was trying to mod it out to look like an IROC. all the badges are in the right places, but it doesn't have IROC rims ... and it says "tuned port injection" on the rear bumper, which wasn't offered on any camaro made with the L03 in '88 to my understanding. but after driving the car i'm pretty sure that the engine either WAS transplanted to a 350, or someone built up the stock 305 a bit, but i don't know how to tell for sure ... other than the painted orange block/intake manifold and the open air induction .... the engine looks stock. does anyone know what the hp on a stock 350 is? is it a lot more than a 305? this car feels like its got way more than 170 horses ... i'm gonna have to check the engine code on the block to see if its' a 305 or a 350 which i haven't gotten around to yet. is there any way to tell if the engine's been modded without rippin it apart ? i'd appreciate any input you all could give.

 

congrats on the purchase. another thirdgen owner is like having a friendly neighbor that will bring ya beer when your sick =]

Iroc rims are usually really sellable.. if they got in a money bind, they might have sold them for $ plus they get stolen alot...dont base it on that, and anyone can buy emblems from the GM factory. I know my 85 had the 305 TPI but i put ina 350 and found 5.7 TPI emblems for it and put it on, its still a 1985 iroc z-28 though =] although it does have a carb now, not TPI but oh well.

Mods I would look for would be the intake, see if its edelcrap or even better yet, a holley intake... as for the internals (pistons, etc) you'll have to tear her apart to know for sure n break up the dial gauge and do some measuring.

To my knowledge, the 305 and 350 set-ups were offered with TPI in 88, the 4-speed trannies were not however. matter of fact, ALL engines were TPI and carb was eliminated

 

actually to clear up some stuff, it does have iroc rims on it pre-88 ones, the rpo codes match the vin # which says it's a 305 tbi auto with the aero package and spoiler, thus a 1988 sport coupe

 

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sorry, just a few things.... first, thanx for the congrats ... beer is always great when you're sick, and even better when you dont have to get it yourself, lol. now i don't claim to be an expert or anything .. i just know what i've looked up online and read, after doublechecking i found that you were right hydric, about gm offering TPI in '88, that was my mistake ... i didn't really post it the proper way ... according to my VIN# the engine code for my car is L03 ... which in 1988, no cars with that engine code were produced with TPI ... only the LB9 305 and the L98 350 were made with TPI in '88 ...so when i said that i was kinda pertaining to just the cars made with the L03, the others just slipped my mind because they weren't associated with my engine code. actually, i got that info off this very site :

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/techdb.shtml

here is a list of my RPO's and what i've gotten for info from them:
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AR9 : SEAT, FRT BKT, EUROPEAN STYLE, PASS A DRIVER RECL
AU3 : LOCK CONTROL, SIDE DR, ELEC
A01 : WINDOW, TINTED, ALL SHADED, W/S
B3W : Advanced Price Sheet Processing Option
B84 : ORNAMENTATION, EXTR MLDG, B0DY SIDE
CC1 : ROOF HATCH, REMOVABLE PANELS, GLASS
C41 : HVAC SYSTEM, HEATER OUTSIDE AIR, WITH FAN
C49 : DEFOGGER, RR WINDOW, ELECTRIC
DE1 : SUNSHADE, BACK WINDOW
D35 : MIRROR, OUTSIDE REAR VIEW
D6D : GEAR, SPEEDO DRIVEN
D81 : SPOILER, RR, AERO WING
D88 : DECAL, STRIPE, SPORT
E5Z : SPEEDOMETER ADAPTER (DELETE)
E72 : BODY LENGTH, INCR I8 INCH
E9Z : SPEEDOMETER KEY (DELETE)
GU2 : AXLE REAR, 2.73 RATIO
J50 : BRAKE SYSTEM, POWER
K99 : GENERATOR, 85 AMP
L03 : ENGINE, GAS, 8 CYL 5.OL TBI
MD8 : TRANSMISSION, AUTO 4 SPD, THM 700 R4

Unable to locate code MX0 in our database!

NA5 : EMISSION SYSTEM, FEDERAL, TIER O
NK3 : STEERING WHEEL, SPORT, SOFT RIM, SIMULATED LEATHER
N90 : WHEEL, 15 X 7,ALUMINUM CAST,4.75 INCH BOLT CIRCLE
PB4 : LOCK CONTROL, WHEEL
QYZ : TIRE ALL, P215/65R15/N BL R/PE ST TL HWY
UQ1 : RADIO PROVISIONS, FOR STEREO
UX1 : RADIO, AM/FM STEREO CASSETTE EQUALIZER
U79 : SPEAKER SYSTEM, 4, DUAL FRT COAX, DUAL EXT RGE PKG
VAN : ASSEMBLY PLANT, VAN NUYS, CA
VK3 : LICENSE PLATE, FRT MOUNTING PKG
V73 : ANTENNA, FIXED

Unable to locate code WW5 in our database!

W62 : ORNAMENTATION, AERO PACKAGE
1AZ : Order Modification, Orders Sold (or: CUSTOMER ORDERED VEHICLE)
15A : STRIPE COLOR, ACCENT, MED GRAY MET, (91)
6XU : SPRING, COMPUTER SELECTED, FRONT, LEFT HAND
66B : TRIM COMBINATION, CLOTH, MED BEECHWOOD (B)

Unable to locate code 661 in our database!

669 : SEAT BELT COLOR, MED BEECHWOOD (9) (91)
7XU : SPRING, COMPUTER SELECTED, FRONT, RIGHT HAND
8UX : SPRING, COMPUTER SELECTED, REAR, LEFT HAND
81Q : MOLDING COLOR, BRIGHT RED (91)
81U : PRIMARY COLOR, EXTERIOR, BRIGHT RED (91)
88A : STRIPE COLOR, ACCENT, TWO TONE, GOLD/BLACK (91)
9UX : SPRING, COMPUTER SELECTED, REAR, RIGHT HAND

Unable to locate code 92P in our database!

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as you can see, the four speed auto is listed in the '88 options here so it was offered. hydric , i'm sorry but the way you posted it sounds like you are saying that ALL engines in 88 were TPI and the four speed auto wasn't offered with TPI ... therefore there were no 4spd auto's in '88 ? i'm sure thats probably not what you really meant , but thats kinda how i read it. but as for the question in my original post about the hp of a stock 350, you helped me answer it cuz when i was doublechecking the TPI thing the hp for the 5.7 is listed right next to the info ... guess i overlooked that ... lol , i was too lazy & tired to look it up last night. thanx for your reply, i appreciate it. i'm gonna have to go look at that engine code... i just hate to go out in the cold ... lol.

 

thanx 86 i appreciate your input. i know the rims were IROC ... but not for the year my car is ... thats really what i was getting at ... thanx again.

 

http://www.iroc-z.com/1988pages/1988factsandfigures.htm

 

from the site you gave ...

RPO# = L03
Liter = 5.0
Injection = Fuel Injection
C.I.D. = 305ci
H.P. rating = 170hp
Engine Code = E
# produced = 28,719

this is the L03 TBI engine, not that you can tell from that site because it lists all the engines as TPI and for the L03 it just says fuel injection ... TBI is the only thing offered on the L03 305 engine that year. the LB9 305 was a TPI engine.

for the Tranny ,

RPO = MXO
Type = Auto
Specifications = 4 Speed with OD
I.D. = 700R4
# Produced = 77,179

* Note: The 4 speed manual transmission was only available in 1985 and discontinued in 1986

you are right ...the MANUAL 4 speed was not available in '88, i have an AUTO 4 speed with O/D i dont know where that came from i never said my tranny type in my thread ... but oh well, i just want to make sure we're on th same page. my car has 2 tags with different VIN and RPO codes, the one that matches the VIN on the car says it came with an L03 TBI, the other tag is from an '84 Berlinetta which i think one of the previous owners used for parts to rebuild the car or something.

peace & love. F-BODIES RULE!