I bought a new (well, new to me, newest car I had owned at the time) 1985 blaze red Z28 LB9 car with 10K on the odometer back in December of 1986 when I was 18. I had it for 5 years. It was a 15 sec car stock, high 14s with a chip and exhaust mod.

I have found an 85 IROC LB9 car to check out when I get back from my week out of town for work a few hours from me. My orginal car was a Z28 hardtop, next to it was an 85 IROC with the 5 speed and t tops but I went with the Z28 for the extra HP and solid roof.

It has the tan interior and rims (I had gray, not a huge fan of the tan),
but it is a hardtop car in running condition (at least driveway, not sure if roadworthy) for about 2K. It has the 80s clear coat mange, but all I can tell from the one photo and I can't get to it for a week or so. Around here, it is either basket cases or expensive low mileage queens, and hard as hell to find a solid roof.

My goal is an 85 LB9 car, like I had, and to be able to give stock Challenger RTs (low 13s) Camaro SSs (13.0s) and Mustang GTs (12.9s) a run for their money. I figure a 3200ish pound car, with 3.23s or better,
if I can get to 300 crank, let alone RWHP, I should have a low 13s/12.9s car.

'85 was about as much HP as you got from any year 5.0 TPI auto car. Plan would be work the intake, work the heads or vortex heads, 9.5:1 comp on pump gas, 45ish pound FP, better injectors, cam, new chip/tune, shortys, and true duals.

I know I won't win the HP game against those cars with a 5.0 TPI car by any means, and don't want to spray, but should be from 300 to 1000 pounds lighter than any of those cars.

I would like any critizcism, advice, tips, etc.

I may miss out on this car, know I would have a better shot with a 5.7 car, and have almost gone that route, but something keeps making me go for the 85 again. Sooner or later I will find the right solid roof car.

Thanks for any info or links.

ca 1988



I can't find the car anywhere, sold in '91 near Winooski , VT.

car I hope to go look at next week if back and still available:



It might not surprise many I preferred my vinyl gray interior and rims to the tan,
It might surprise many I have always preferred the Z28 color scheme to the IROC one.

 

Intake is going too need major work so it can pull past 4500

the newer muscle cars you will prob hand at the start but they going to pull on you on the top end

stock heads would help "budget" if got work on but stock heads you can only do so much ..but but vortecs flow way better than them ..if you go vortec then you need new intake IIRC First Intake has a vortec version as well if you want to keep the tpi

many guys go to miniram, stealth ram etc with the shorter runners to get more from the upper rpm

if you have auto then a stall and gear would help alot

technically you only need about 250-300 to the wheels to get into the 12s assuming you have the suspension to get it to hook so there alot of variables

theres bolt on 305s going into the 12s but you have to have the suspension to hook

or you can get a supercharger or go turbo