Looking for a little help here.. I've been looking for a third gen for a couple years now. I've been very picky, the specific car I want is an 85-90 Iroc, Hardtop, V8 5 speed in Blue. Finding one thats not a total piece of crap or $20,000 has been difficult

I'm getting to a point where I'm thinking of buying a car thats close to what I want and changing the rest, I found one (on ebay of all places) that looks to be in good shape with low miles, its a 90 blue V8 hardtop but its an RS. The main differences that I can see between a '90 RS and a '90 Iroc are the hood, wheels, fog lights, emblem on the dash, and the 305 makes less power. Is there anything else thats different between them?

 

i dont know any other differences, but you could probably easily swap in a chevy 350.

 

You are going to have an extremely hard time finding a 350 car with a manual trans, they are extremely rare. (if not non-existent, unless someone else did the swap)

If you really want a manual trans, changing the engine in a car that already has the manual, is easier than changing the the trans from auto to manual. There is a good article here for the T-56 swap into a car that was originally an auto if you are interested in going that route. (about 2 grand total cost for the conversion)

The differences are mainly cosmetic, and what option packages were available. Things like tire size, sway bar size, etc.... and the obvious body graphics/ground effects and such. Given that the cars are all mostly 20 + years old, and most parts are fairly worn, and probably in need of replacement, or, you plan on modifying the crap out of it in any event, what you start with really isn't as much of an issue. If you were doing this as an "investment", then having a "real" IROC would be more important. If you just want a car you can modify to your hearts content, and build what YOU want, what you start with becomes irrelevant.

Not sure where you are, but, here, camaro's are basically a dime a dozen..... I can find some nice ones for a grand or three. Projects for a couple hundred bucks.

 

your as picky as me. now i have the 3rd gen i want. try to find a 98-02 black LS1 6spd camaro with out t-tops and with a cloth interior! oh and a z/28 or ss option.

 

I have a 350 car with a manual, but the engine is out of a first gen.

 

am very interested in the answers also, i was checking the RPO codes in my car today for the 1st time (had the car a month) and found code 1fp87 and according to the site it was the code for the v8 z28 but the rest do confirm is an RS (trim/decals and such) so am curious was it an option to get a z28 with RS badges and trim or RS with the z28 v8 ?

 

Z28's had the RPO option of Z28 and the TPI RPO code is LB9 for the TPI 305. The L98 is the 350 RPO option available in the 87 and newer IROC's and Z28's

 

I'm definitely not doing it for an investment, I learned a long time ago that cars are nothing but money pits Its just a car I've always wanted. I checked out the T56 swap, it doesn't look too bad really especially since parts for the swap are already out there like the crossmember. I'm not sure I'd even want to put a bigger engine in it, I'd be perfectly happy with a TBI 305 and a T5 to be honest! I might have to try and pick this one up since the differences are so minor.. and nothing that couldn't be changed at some point in the future either. Thanks for the help!

 

Well the RS doesn't come with rear wheel posi but the z28 and iroc do. I know the z28 doesn't have a true posi, theres always one wheel that engages before the other one and sometimes the other one doesn't even engage but a vehicle with one wheel wonder.. won't be as much fun

 

The RS

1. Comes with smaller sway bars
2. Softer springs
3. No wonderbar
4. open differential
5. tall diff gears
6. TBI 305's if you're lucky
7. No Bilstein struts
8. Boring hood
9. Drum brakes in the rear usually

Basically to make a nice handling/quick car out of it, you'll need to change out the entire drivetrain.

I don't regret doing mine at all... but I would have been able to do it cheaper had I started out with a Z28 or IROC. But I dont know that I would haveb een so willing to start yanking parts off of it and straying so far from factory specs if it was a "desirable" car to start with.

If you already find the idea of an L98 or LB9 a bit underpowered, and ever plan to go with a stronger diff and a T56 or TKO600, then getting a Z car wont necessary be worth it since you'll be replacing a lot of the stuff that makes it unique. But on the other hand, if you're fine with a 215-245hp V8 and dont plan on racing it to the point where you're gonna snap the differential, then go with a Z.

 

If you can find a nice 91-92 RS 5.0TBI with the 5-speed and 16" wheels they came with the same big sway bars as the Z/28's but minus the stiff Z/28 springs, they also have the quick ratio steering box. And I "think" the last 2 years had the stiffest body's because GM started using glue in most of the body joints then welding them unlike the earlier model's that just got welded, I read that somewhere anyway.

 

Thanks for the list, that helps. I never thought about suspension parts. The open rear diff isn't something I'd want either, although if I could find the right rear axle I could take care of the open diff, tall gears, and drum brakes all at once...

 

I'm not sure that anything could be done "cheaper" or "easier" with an IROC or Z car - let's face it, 1992 is 18 years old regardless - so all the 3rd gens have at least 18 year old springs, shocks, struts, etc. An 18 year old Bilstein is no better than an 18 year old Monroe - you'd have to replace suspension anyway. The stock rear disc brakes weren't anything special in these cars compared to new larger disc brakes available, and most want to swap out brake systems regardless of IROC, Z, or RS. So to say that restore would be easier cheaper with a Z vs. an RS doesn't fly really.

Our cars are at least 18 now, and being such they all need restored and upgraded - that's why we're all here isn't it?

You should get the base from which to build that YOU want to start with, and make it what YOU want, with the time and resources available to YOU. Then regardless of whether anyone else likes it, it's yours, and all will appreciate your effort, even if they don't like the result.

 

Little surprised more didn’t chime in, as if you even owned a plain Camaro even little old ladies at gas stations will tell ya why its junk compared to a RS,Z,Roc………………. no really.

Which doesn’t happen in the FireBird. They don’t equate the TA as an upgrade but more like a whole diff car like the Camaro.

 

Wrong, many RS and base model cars have a limited slip, it was just standard on Z-28s.

it's RPO G80, my 91 has it.

 

Mine did NOT come with the same sway bars as the Z28. I heard it was "supposed to" from someone, but it had a 28-30mm front sway bar. The 91-92 Z's had 36mm bars.

I would also venture to guess that most RS'es would NOT have posi rears or decent gears. It's possible of course. The only way to know for sure about most of these things is to check the RPO list. And even that may not mean much as old as these cars are.

But they're rebuildable. From what I understand you can send em off the Bilstein and they can revalve them for you. And I've got IROC springs in my car and they're much, much better than the springs I started out with. And you're talking to someone who has Koni Sport Adjustables, so I'm all about quality shocks and struts. But if I had Bilsteins I'd have just gotten them revalved.

I disagree here too. The cast iron rear brakes up until 88 were horrible , but the 89-92 brakes are almost the same ast he 93-97 rear brakes and they're very good systems. The fronts are definitely the weak link in that comparison.

 

My 92 RS DOES have the big bars and quick steering box and the soft RS springs.

 

Is your car an FE2 or FE1 car?

 

After a couple days going back and forth with myself I decided to go ahead and buy the RS. The mileage is what really did it for me, 1990 with 29,000 miles. I'll post some pictures when I pick it up.

Now I'll have all winter to stare at it in the garage!

 

Maybe this should be in its own thread but it fits in this topic too.. Other than the intakes, fuel injection, and exhaust manifolds, is there any difference between the TBI and TPI engines? Like the cam, heads, pistons, ? Or are they the same internally? Just trying to figure out where the extra 50 hp comes from on the TPI..

 

I believe the TPI has different heads and cam, which helps make the 50hp.

And what is this "stare at it in the garage" BS? Man if I had a garage, the wife would never see me! It's only during the cold rainy winter days that she ever gets to see me, unless of course she comes outside and crawls up under the car!

You better get off your garage staring butt and get to work - the winter is project time, the summer is cruising time!

 

No get replacing parts. Lots of parts wear with age too, not just use.
Had lots of low mile never driven cars and soon as they become driven allot things go. Brake line, fuel lines, gas tanks, hoses, tires, other rubber parts, water pumps, rust in general......

Myself I have had new brake lines go bad in just 2 years cause it sat allot. Where ones in constant use can go for life sometimes.
Sitting seems to do more damage to some parts.

 

My wife already gave me the "you better not be out in the garage every night" speech I'll probably have a change of heart as soon as its here and be out in the garage in the middle of january until my hands go numb..

 

2 suggestions:

1) Find a cheap florist - flowers once a week buy alot of garage time!
2) Space Heater!

 

don't forget to throw some chocolate too.

 

I have no idea, where is the code listed? I don't see it listed on the door or on the sticker in the rear locking compartment. I have my window sticker... somewhere!!!

 

I give you crap about just lookin at it and find myself just hrs later doing the same thing, stacking up parts in the living room to gauk at for my enjoyment.
Though I only have a stone driveway.

 

It would be on the sticker in the rear locking compartment. They're in alphabetical order so look at the F codes. FE1 was soft ride, F41 is the IROC/Z28 suspension package, and FE2 is somewhere in between which is what Im thinking yours might have had.

I may be wrong on the details, but that's general gist of them as far as the pecking order goes and my car was an FE1 car. Soft springs and tiny sway bars.

 

My 91 RS has the F41 suspension too!

 

Looks like my RS has the F41 code, but it rides better than any Z/28 I've been in. See attached pic.

 

you & I have pretty much same codes, I don't get it back in the day if whom ever bought this car's ask for the suspension and the engine & so why didnt they just get a z28 sticker price shouldn't have been that far off.

 

I did buy my car new, I didn't get the Z/28 because they were about about 4 or 5G more expensive, plus I was young and in the high insurance rate class, the RS was just a lot cheaper all around.

 

Turns out I was mistaken entirely.

F41 is between FE1 and FE2. So F41 is like a high performance upgrade, but FE2 is the IROC/Z28 package that, in theory, handles better.

But it still explains why my car is different from yours.

 

There is one RS that nobody has posted about yet....and of course I have to cause I own one.......the B4C rpo code (police package). It cames with all the Z28 parts, and all the 1LE upgrades, and the only way to get a 350 tpi in a RS body and also the only way to get 1LE suspension with AC.