Hello everyone. I'm new here and this is my first post. I just decided to register after researching this site for many hours learning about third-gen F-bodies.

Okay, I'm almost 25 and until now I've been doing the import thing (I had a 97 Eclipse GS-T and then a 99 Eclipse GSX, both were awesome) but lately Ive been cosidering going to the darkside haha- F-body. Actually, I remember being 6 or 7 years old and seeing an IROC-Z roar by, and me and my little playmates would gawk and drool and we all thought it was the coolest car ever. Its coolness holds up to this day.

So that being said, I have a bunch of newbie questions that I would like to get answered all in one shot, if possible. My IROC-Z would have to be a stick-shift, preferably 6-speed. I would also need a powerful engine, so the 305 is out. Here are my questions:

1) Would it be easier to put a T-56 trans in a 350/auto car or should I drop a crate 350 into a 5-speed manual car? Remember, I said I would prefer 6 gears so Im leaning towards the former.

2) Assuming I am putting a T-56 into a 350 IROC, how much can I expect to spend if I want ALL NEW PARTS... (brand new T-56, new master & slaves, pedals, flywheel, etc etc) oh, and I cant do it myself so factor in the labor too... I know, used is cheaper, but I like new parts.

3) I live in West Chester, PA (very close to Philadelphia) Does anyone know of a local shop near me that could complete such a job in a timely fashion with zero drivability problems? I wouldnt let anybody do this swap unless they had done it at LEAST a few times before. So what I'd be looking for is an F-body specialist in the Philly area.

4) Will everything work afterwards? Speedometer, ECU etc etc? The tranny swap wont affect emissions will it?

5) How fast can I expect my 350/T-56 IROC-Z to be? What did the auto 350 IROCs run stock? What kind of trap speeds?

6) After I had swapped a 6 speed into a 350 ROC, then lets say I want to drop in that crate motor anyway just for kicks, will the new trans complicate that at all?

7) My IROC would have to be lower than your average Camaro, thus I would definitely have Eibach Sportlines on there. But I havent seen anybody selling anything that corrects the negative camber issues that arise with lowering a vehicle. Who sells camber kits and how much?

8) My Iroc would be freshly painted jet black, with new emblems and decals and stripes. I like the way the ROCs look from the factory, but I prefer the wrap-around spoiler that came on the Trans-Am? I think? If I ditched the little lip Z28 spoiler and put on the wraparound from the bird, would you guys think thats lame? Haha or you know I dont want anybody talkin trash about my Z so let me know...

9) How much can I expect to pay for an okay condition 88-90 IROC-Z with maybe 100K or less?

Well anyway, there it is. I feel like I just wrote a novel. Thank you to anybody who actually just read all that, and thanks in advance for answering my ?'s. Depending on if I think its a feasible idea or not, I could go either way. (IROC or another Eclipse) Lets see if you guys can lure me over to the muscle-car world, but please be honest and dont tell me everything'll be dandy if it wont be. I had enough problems with the two DSMs so I dont need any more stress. Okay thnks

 

First off, there was never a manual trans used on the 350 cars, only the 305 cars.

For the 350/6-speed, probably the best way to do that is to get a 305/5-speed car and put in a 350 and a 6 speed... because that car will have all the provisions for a manual trans. The trans will bolt up to any SBC engine. 305/350/400... they all have the same bellhousing bolt pattern. I think big blocks do too, if you were curious.

The 350/auto IROC Camaros ran low 14s stock.

I dont have any experience with the 6 speeds myself, so I cant really answer the rest.

 

yeah I know they didnt come with a 350 and a stick I know, that sucks.

The thing is... I really want an IROC-Z. I think all IROC-Z's came with the 350 engine, correct? Which means they were all auto. Which means I would be swapping a T-56 into a auto car, but at least it already has a 350 in it.

As for the low 14's stock, that sounds good enough for me. Hell my GSX ran high 13's and I used to brag about how fast it was. I bet an IROC Z-28 with a 100 shot would make me pss my pants...

but anyway, can anyone else who has actually done this before enlighten me about the other questions?

 

NOPE! check the home page, under tech data (i think) you could get all kinds of different engines and trans

LG4, LO3, LB9 (all 305, 5 speed or auto) or the L98 (350, only auto)

so the big question is....do you want carb? or fuel injection?

if you want carb, buy a LG4 with a 5 speed and start swapping
if you want FI, but a LB9 with a 5 speed and start swapping

 

I want a fuel-injected car. What if I bought a cheap manual-trans shell and bought and entirely new drivetrain for it? Brand new crate 350, brand new T-56 6-speed. Then I could just repaint it and buy all the emblems and stickers to make it look like an IROC-Z. I found this car on autotrader:
http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ca...or=&cardist=86

Its an RS but its got a manual trans so could I theoretically just drop in a 350 and a T-56?? Then slap some new black paint on it with the IROC-Z stickers and some nice rims and call it good? Hmmm...

 

Either stick will be fun but your best bet is a 6 speed zf with all the mods

 

Cool.

Putting a 350 in a 5.0 5-Speed car would be easier but many have done the auto to manual swap also.

The guys on the Trans Board will know this for sure if it doesn't get answered here.

Try asking in the NE Regional Board.

Stock the best G92 cars ran around 14.20's@about 97MPH.

Try the Suspension Board.

I'd keep it stock. And don't make an RS an IROC-Z28, not cool.

For OK condition about $4,000-$5,000.

They won't destroy engines like those cars and IROC-Z's handle excellent. They routinely hit high .8's-.92 g's. You'll have a cool car to take to shows and not get laughed at. Once you drive a good one, you'll most likely never look back at imports. Remember that these are uni-body cars and SFC's are a must.

No, they came with 305's too. The 350's are rarer and more expensive and as you know, never came with a manual. If low 14's is what you want a stock L98 G92 IROC-Z28 in good condition should have no problem doing that. Read our Tech Data on the main page to learn more about the cars, options, performance numbers, and specs. Also check out the FAQ, there's just lots of information on our main page. We also cover swapping things and modding in our Tech Articles. The Search function on this board will be a great source of information too.

 

ZtwentyGR8, thanks man. Its a bit late now but Ill try to post these questions in their appropriate forums tomorrow.

Yeah, I kind of expected people to say dont try to make a RS a fake IROC or try to make anything something it isnt for that matter. I half *** wouldnt feel right if I did that anyway. The thing is, I reallllllyyy want a 6 speed IROC-Z with a N20-sniffing 350 motor. Really SUCKS that GM didnt build the car right in the first place. Well until 93 that is. But in 93 they tried to make them round and in my opinion the IROC-Z's are where its at from a styling standpoint. Oh well more tomorrow L8R

 

Manuals aren't the greatest thing ever! I prefer built Autos. They couldn't build the cars with manuals at the time because the T-5 would not put up with a hard driven L98 which put out nearly 350 lb. ft. of TQ. It would also be very close to the Corvette if they did that.

 

See, me, I gotta be in control of what the transmission is doing, because in everyday traffic an auto will upshift and downshift at times when I feel it shouldnt have... I'm not a track-head so I dont need the absolute fastest shifts on earth, but I do need to feel useful, and a sports car is about having fun, right? To me shifting for myself is a big part of the fun...

 

I think you would be better off getting a 305 TPI w/ a manual, then doing a 350 swap (which is pretty straightforward), and then eventually doing a manual swap for the 6 speed, this way, your car is only down for the count for a few days at a time, and you have a lot of the provisions already in the car for both TPI and your manual.

Good luck, and welcome to the home team.

 

1) I'd actually find a shxtbox 305 5spd and then swap, but if you'd rather be able to drive the car right away get the 350TPI with the 4spd auto and work from there.

2) About $1000 I'd say. It's a matter of preference, but I'd rather throw $1000 into rebuilding an auto because it would be significantly faster and just as fun.

4) Assuming you had the proper speedo gear yes.

5) Stock is low 14s in a 350 TPI (aka L98) but they have dozens of mods that you can do to put them into easy 13s. One of the biggest drawbacks with our cars is the camshaft, which is a pretty simple swap. Spend $100 on a cam and get an additional 30-40 horsepower. I won't bore you with details but mods are simple and inexpensive.

6) I'm fairly sure that almost every small block engine will bolt up to the transmission without worry. Your biggest concern would be the actual tranny swap regarding the crossmember... but it would not affect the engine swap later on if performed. A rebuild would be cheaper than any crate engine, but it's a lot of work involved for a new guy. However, you do have experience with other cars...

7) The only problem with lowering our cars is clearance- there's not a lot. Especially with headers. I'd never lower my car more than an inch because of my 3" pipes.

8) Ive seen it done a few times, and it looks good.

9) $4000-5000 for a good car, yet I've seen them sell with perfect bodies for under $3000. If you bought a car that needed engine work you'd save money if you ever did an engine swap or rebuild.



AWESOME it feels so good when we get the import guys here :yourock:

 

I've heard (so don't sue me) that GM didn't want to risk putting the T-5 behind the L98 because they didn't think the tranny would handle it - it would die a terrible and miserable death at the torque the L98 produced. If I had to, I'd pick the smaller 305 TPI that was mated with the manual tranny, maybe go for a stroker kit and have 355 cubes (right?) and have fun wasting people with 'only' a warmed-over 305.

Of course, I have an auto L98 car, and the transmission doesn't get too confused over my driving habits at all, plus I can always manually select my gears, downshift and whatnot. (but I don't try to fool people into thinking I have a stick, that's poseur stuff...)

 

I too suggest a manual 305 body and getting the tranny put in. You can put a worked 350 in down the road, especially since you won't be pressed for time with the 305 keeping you on the road.

Check out Spohn.com for the tranny swap. They have just about everything you need (Tremec T-56, crossmember, driveshaft, torque arm). They're also not all that far from you, so you could potentially bring the car out to them to get the swap done.

 

Well, I want a 350 and I want a 6-speed. But I dont want to have to buy BOTH the engine AND the trans. I'd like to buy a car with one or the other so all I have to do is swap in the missing peice. And since a 6-speed wasnt offered in third-gen form, that means I'd probably be happier with a 350. From what I've read, the 305 is a dog and I wont like it, but the 350 on the other hand, had enough power to propel the cars to low 14 sec. 1/4 mile ET's, sounds fast to me. Fast enough, anyway. And with a 100 shot of giggle gas, look out.

Now there's the information I'm looking for. According to mapquest, it's a 1 hr, 20 minute drive to Spohn performance from my house. This might be the plan. Thanks so much, thats exactly the info I was looking for.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LOW&LOUD
[B] From what I've read, the 305 is a dog and I wont like it, but the 350 on the other hand, had enough power to propel the cars to low 14 sec. 1/4 mile ET's, sounds fast to me.

In my opinion, the 305tpi with the manual was definetely not a dog. Low 14s are not very hard with this setup. Get rid of the airbox for a K&N cone filter,add a TB flow piece, port the plenum, AFPR, and a free flowing exhaust and you're there. And that will cost you less than $500, which should be fast enough to hold you over till you save up for a 350 and T-56.

 

Well sorry, I mean no offense but what I meant was that low 14's is satisfactory for a STARTING POINT. I dont think anybody will dispute that the 350 would definitely get me in the high 12's for maybe $1500 bucks, if 500-750 of that is a decent shot of N2O. And that, my friend, is where I want to be.

 

For the second time, get that FWD import crap outta your head. ITS NOT NECESSARY ON THESE CARS!

 

This is correct. All that's needed after lowering an f-body is an alignment.

And don't worry about what some people here think about nitrous. Power is power and there are quite a few f-bodies running nitrous with their cars (some with a blower or turbo, too! Check out the power adder board).

 

Okay, okay. No camber kit needed, I got it.
So what you're saying is if I throw some Eibach Sportlines on an '88 IROC-Z the wheels will NOT tilt inward AT ALL? Is that correct?

 

they wont if you get the car aligned after the spring swap. These cars are rear wheel drive and don't require a camber kit to make camber adjustable, its adjustable from the factory. The main thing to worry about when lowering a rear wheel drive car is the changing of the rear suspension geometry, which in turn will cause traction problems and wheel hop, this can be easily corrected with the addition of Lower Control Arm Relocation Brackets.

 

Don't be afraid of an auto to manual swap on one of these cars, its really not that hard of a swap, all you need to do is cut 2 holes and swap in the pedals and hydrolic assembly and the car is setup for a manual tranny, the 350 t-56 combo is a great combo for one of these cars. With the addition of an extra overdrive gear gas mileage increases significantly as well as top speed. Starting with an L98 would have you ahead of the game in my opinion. Also a used T-56 would be much more cost effective then a brand new one.

 

Also why is doing some of the work yourself out of the question? Do you not have tools or are you not very mechanically inclined?

 

I can do oil & filter changes, spark plugs, cap & rotor, plug wires, bolt-on exhaust, high-end stereo installs, etc. Little stuff like that. But when it comes to tranny swaps & custom fabrication I wouldnt know where to begin, and I would rather pay someone to do it who I can trust to do it right. Also, yes, I am somewhat limited by a lack of the correct tools for a job like that.