hey guys, I'm new to the site and I'm not sure if this is where i should be posting this but here goes nothing. So I've been looking all over Craigslist and other sites online to buy my first z28 or IROC, and i hardly know anything about the cars or what they are worth. Pretty much everything I'm finding around my area are going for around $2k-$5k. i found a couple that have 383 strokers in them and they want around $3500 for them. One in particular is an 89 IROC with a 383 with four bolt mains. All forged internals. Chrome Molly rings, Edelbrock heads, Weiand intake, Holly street avenger carb, Hooker long tube headers, Mallory ignition, Flow master exhaust and a 5 speed trans. seeing as it has this "bad a$$" built motor and a 5 speed (which I've been reading are very rare) is $3500 reasonable? or should i be scared to buy this car because something is going to go drastically wrong with it as soon as i drive it away? What all do i need to really be cautious about when looking at 3rd Gens? what are tell tail signs that I'm going to get screwed? thanks for the help guys!

 

Just my opinions:

I'd be more concerned with the condition of the car that the engine is in. I'd be looking for rust and collision damage.

Don't take anyone's word that there's a 383 with good internals in it. Only believe what you can actually see (and verify).

Hacked wiring is something else I would avoid like the plague.

 

cosmetically the car is in good shape from the pictures I've seen. inside and out its really not bad for an 89.

 

Well just me but I wouldn't buy one with upgrades and stuff on it I would want to know every thing I put in the car out of pocket. I'd prefer my car bone stock when I buy it just me like I said but go and try to test the car also but on price it is a good price maybe even too good to be true ask if you can take it to your personal mechanic to inspect it

 

thats the problem… Its about 5 hours away from me.. what do i need to look for when i go check it out? i don't want to find out 3 hours from home that he filled everything up with Lucas and now that its hot and got some miles on it, everything is leaking and going to hell in a hand basket

 

I'd write down all of the casting numbers and look them up. Could be a bargaining point, especially if you find something that doesn't match his story. Crawl underneath it and check out the floorpan, if there is rust, I'd avoid it. Also take a look at the steering and suspension.

 

If he gives me the casting numbers for the bock and heads it'll just show that it's a 350 right?

 

Well i think that's very unlikely lol. But if you ever go look at it take on a test drive drive for maybe 20min+ and give it some gas too i mean if you dont buy it just make sure to give him $10 for gas lol. But also let it run for about 20 min also just let it run to see if the engine makes any wierd noises let it run for for about 10 minutes after it gets good temperature and then start to listen for anything that doesn't sound normal

 

Also how do the rear ends hold up in those cars with a stroker or even a 350? I read a couple places that the rear ends are super weak and that's the first thing to go when you put some power under the hood

 

rear ends are kind of a "weak link",but nowhere near as bad as the "weak"reputation you may have heard-at least for street use on street tiresUsually when I see one broken,something was wrong with the rear end:loose bearings,faulty gear alignment,etc.In '89 the iroc was also avalible with a GM holden/ borg warner rear axle:this was tougher than the standard 10 bolt,but has a wear prone posi.In 1990,the 10 bolt was upgraded with 28 spline axles and revised ribbing in pinion bearing area of pumpkin to maintain pinion alignment under high torque loads-a wider version of the upgraded 10 bolt was used through the 4th gen f-bods.

 

Do yourself a favor and get something stock. Seriously. You don't want someone else's project unless you know what you're dealing with. You yourself said you dont know much about these cars, so trying to deal with someone else's project on top of that isn't going to help you much.

Get a car as stock as you can find in good condition.

Think about it this way, if you wanted to buy a reliable daily driver, would you buy a Honda with a bunch of fancy anodized aluminum parts all over it and a big wing and green headlights? Or would you buy somethign that looks and works as if it is factory?

Just because these are performance cars doesnt change teh fact that the factory does a better job of building them than your average local yokel.

Get a stock one.

 

I've seen more people lie about 383 strokers than be honest... And if it is a stroker it's usually Cheapest of the cheap parts slapped together for status more than anything... If you'd like to call it that. They're USUALLY turds.

Buy a straight body, stock vehicle so you can plan a fresh build instead of finding out your new car has a host of issues because the previous owner did a hack job. Buying someone else's headache for someone new in the game is asking to cripple your wallet and cause you unnecessary grief. I've done that once KNOWING what I was getting into and it ended up being 5 times worse. Not a pleasant experience.

 

Anyone else notice that thing seems to be sitting up quite a bit higher than it should be? Does he have a transfer case under there? lol.

 

Like I said and he said go with a stock most likely cheaper and more reliable. They way you know every thing you put in it.

 

Thanks for all the help y'all. Y'all are an awesome community. Everything that has been said isn't want I wanted to hear but it's what I need to here. My wallet and my wife thanks y'all lol

 

Yeah dude if you want headers just buy them yourself if all you really want is exhaust just put one in like I said so you know why you did this and that

 

 

Yes and no. The numbers on the back of the block will tell you that it's a 350 or a 305, but the numbers on the front of the block will tell you what it came out of; corvette, fullsize car, truck, etc. They are on the deck surface of the passenger side bank. If you want to see if it is in fact a 383, take out a plug and stick a coat hanger in the hole, turn the crank over by hand to the bottom of the stroke and grab it then turn it over until it's at the top of the stroke. If it comes out to 3 1/2 inches it's a 350, if it's more like 3 3/4 inches it's a 383. The same with the cylinder heads, once the valve covers come off they will be right there, if they are stock heads. Same with the rear end, there is a tag that is attached to one of the bolts on the cover. I've had people drop their asking price once I started checking the casting numbers, so like I said it may be worth doing for a bargaining point. InfernalVortex does make a good point about not buying someone elses project.

 

To me, I'd stay away from this car. Like everyone else said, your buying someone elses project/headache. There is a reason he is selling it and it probably isn't for the good. The car isn't original anymore with the stuff the guy said that's in it. The things I see in the pic is that it has a 91 or 92 front ground effect and most likely its been repainted. Plus, the car is sitting up pretty high. Also doesnt have the correct year iroc wheels for an 89. I dont think its an iroc/z28 also. Doesn't have the correct grill for it. No fog lights. And no louvers on the hood. Appears to be just a RS and selling it as an iroc. For the price he's asking, you can find a close to original car and build it the way you want and know whats been done to it.

 

Exactly. This is an 89 IROC. Quite different than this junk the seller is trying to pawn off.