GFusick

I plan to by he 87 Camaro Iroc Z 5.7L Larger Cam & Header , the only problem I have is that I have to install the new torque converter and also the car has been sitting for a year now and hasn't been started since .. Should I take a risk on buying it ? If so tell me how I should go about the process of getting it cranking and running again .. I'm going to attach some pics of the engine and tell me what you guys think I should do .. I need of Help I really want this 3rd gen in my life lol ..

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

WAY too little info to make a proper determination !

First up , and most importantly of all , how about the PRICE ?!?!?

How is anyone to determine good deal VS bad deal without knowing how much something costs ?

Next up is rust/rot . Got any ??? And where ? Rot is the single biggest killer of these cars (next to unfortunate coupling with trees and bridge abutments) and is very next to impossible for the average car hobbyist to eradicate . Sure "car guys" can rebuild every floor pan and rotted subframe they encounter , is that YOU ? Do you HAVE the skills (or many thousands of dollars to pay someone who does) to properly repair any "hidden nasties" you may find lurking under the car ? Next up is the fact that it don't run , again not quite so concerning on a $500 car , but really important on a $5000 one . This business of "needs a torque converter" is likely bullshit as well , usually said to make someone think that the major transmission rebuild that's actually needed will somehow be cheaper cause "it just needs a converter" .

I hope I've given you some things to think about , ask about , and check out . Especially the rust/rot . Check every INCH of the bottom of that car , including firewall and strut towers , before so much as a penny changes hands !

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

Along with the above mentioned already, with this the first thing I see is a fuel tank drop and new pump installed......

apie2546

Plus, when you eventually get it fired up, and driving, every seal on the car will need replacing. Trust me, I had to.

92Formula94

Also, you said aftermarket headers. I can't really see the exhaust, however on the right side I think I can see a little bit popping through, and they look like an original rusty exhaust manifold. If this is true, who knows what else he is lying about.

DeltaElite121

if you have to ask these questions, you're already in over your head..

GFusick

So this is the car it's on a trailer he won'ts 3200$ I went to check it out everything is clean in the inside and outside .. The guy mothers has it on the trailer covered up as we speak .. He told me about checking seal and for exhaust leaks and oils leaks..the car was running great before he sat he says the Trans was rebuilt when engine was rebuilt with all paperwork just need the torque converter to handle rpms .. I don't wanna get hit over the head guys just wanna get this baby running he tell me no problem but it sitting for a year .. So guys let me know what Yall think here's some more pics of he car

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GFusick

Not in over my head buddy just not Tryana get hit over the head lmao ,, **** maybe you can help with that instead commenting lame things ..

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

$3200 for a 'non running' third gen seems high to me. I have my 91 formula L98, ws6 car up for sale for $3800, running, driving, the only thing that don't "work" is the AC

But back to your questions... Check the fuel 1st. Pull the fuel filter off, drain it into a pan, cut open filter and see how it looks and smells.

Varnished fuel has a nasty smell that just don't smell like gas, also orange/brownish in color. If you find that, then you probably will need to pull the fuel tank, replace the whole sender/pickup/filter (just went through this on an S10 I built) and clean (or even replace) the tank depending on how bad the varnish is. Also if key has been turned and fuel pump primed you may have to clean or replace fuel pressure reg., fuel injectors, etc. Varnish is some nasty stuff that clogs up everything.

If clear fuel, no varnish just stick a new fuel filter on it.

Check the oil, replace or add as needed

Pull all 8 spark plugs and shoot a little light oil or marvel mystery oil into each plug hole.

Put a 5/8" socket and breaker bar on center crank pully/damper bolt and turn engine over by hand.

If plugs looks bad replace with new, if they look good reinstall

Charge battery or install good battery... Try to crank it up

As for putting the torque converter back in... You will need to move trans down a tad and slide it back. To get to that point you will need car up on a lift or atleast 4 jack stands.

Transmission jack or shop hyd floor jack with a plywood square strapped to the saddle.

Loosen/remove any exhaust thats in your way, un bolt trans mount, remove dipstick, TV cable, shift cable.

Remove torque arm bracket from trans.

Put jack under trans pan. Put another jack under oil pan of engine.

Remove the 6 bolts holding trans to engine. Strap trans to jack.

Slide trans/jack back and let jack down some. Muscle the heavy 700r4 converter off, and new one back on. Make sure the new converter seats fully into the pump. Push in and turn as you put it on trans. It should clunk/drop in 3 times to be fully seated.

Jack trans back up and roll forward to engine.

Barlow8869

iTrader: (1)

my gta sat for over 2 years ... put a big bottle of alcohol, 2 bottles of injector cleaner, and a bottle of octane booster in it ... started up ruff, but ran smooth after a minute or two

only had to give $600 for it

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

When was that, if you don't mind me asking? The new 'corn' fuel E10 crap we had for the past few years just does not hold up/last very long. About 6 mo. max on this crap

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

You got damn lucky then, My GTA sat the same time with that ethanol crap in in, had to replace the tank and everything inside. Everything was gummed up and rusted.....

naf

iTrader: (7)

Don't do it. The torque converter is a huge red flag. Chances are someone hacked out a cheap rebuild that failed and gave up on it. If the old tc is bad, it's flooded the rest of the Trans with crap. Chances are it's not even the converter, just 'sounds' easier than saying F'd up trans.

No matter how good this car looks, it's a non running car worth at most $1000-1200.

Don't walk away, run.

92Formula94

3200 is nuts. Why don't you look at other camaro in the area for around the same price. Guarentee you that you could get a nice looking good running and driving car for that price.

mmadden55

You said he said replace the torque converter for RPMs , did you mean he suggested you go with a higher stall converter, if so the present one is fine just not optimum. Rest of the advice is pretty good on here.

DeltaElite121

Yeah and I gave you a solid answer. Anyone that says "Oh it's just _____ totally E-Z fix but I'm too lazy to do it" = HUGE bullshit liar. If it was that easy they would've done it to make the car ten times easier to sell at a higher monetary gain. That torque converter is probably the least of your problems.

Unless you're intentionally buying a car like this as a "basket case restoration" intending LOTS of money, then you need to stay the hell away before you drown yourself in someone else's problems.

2005Impalla

Don't worry too much about a car siting for a year. If it was a few years maybe but 1 year is not bad. I have bought a few cars that have say for years and ran them. The only one I had problems with was a 69 furry that had sat for 5 years and the gas smelled like a skunk and turned to varnish in the carburetor. Pull the gas cap and smell the gas to make sure it has not went bad yet. If it still smells like gas your good. $3,200 is way to high and you have to ask your self why a person has not drove a good car for 1 year. I would look for one that is drove every day or get the car for around $1,000 or under. If you do get the car fill the tank, change all the fluids and you should be good. I would not buy it if it is not driving though at least not for that price. Even $1,000 is a little high if it dose not run.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

Any good tranny shop would provide the correct torque converter for that transmission and engine it's matched up to. Does the paperwork list the car specifically on it, I'm assuming not because of the torque converter issue. A non-running car with open paperwork is a huge risk not only if the engine runs but also how does it drive down the road and all of the other function you can't test while it's sitting on a trailer. Sitting for a year is really a non-issue and a poor excuse not to prep and start it up. Cars often sit for 6-8 months every single year due to the weather. I have to agree that you are in over your head, I don't think the other guy meant it personally and I don't either, but I see a lot of red flags with your description alone and that along with the questions you're asking I'd recommend learning more before putting that kind of money down on something with as much risk as this appears to be. You are at a huge disadvantage here.

Barlow8869

iTrader: (1)

had it about 2 weeks now

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Wow, cool deal. I'm kinda shocked though. You got real lucky with it then. Like I said this new e10 fuel only stores good for about 6mo. in most cases.

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

It's only good for about 1 1/2 months in lawn and garden equipment, wished I had a penny for every carb & tank clean I've done since this crap came out.....

apie2546

Bought a running driving trans am for 2k with 124k 305. Eventually after 2k miles it needed some TLC like every thirdgen. I'd skip on this car. For 3 grand you can get much better

GFusick

What do you think about a 1988 Camaro Iroc 5.7L with 285xxx miles on fresh paint job everything orig a/c and heater works no mods .. I wanna get it but then miles how do the engine last is my question

DeltaElite121

What is it you're wanting to know? I mean, seriously.. You're asking basic questions that have no answers unless you know what you're looking at. There's no pictures, no documentation/parts lists, no paperwork, no videos, no nothing... what do you want us to do, guess? It's like you're looking for an excuse to throw money on a heaping turd. Come on now.

GFusick

Well Dick here a video of the car .. He wonts 2700 but them miles is killing me

GFusick

Here's how it looks also .. Is it worth buying a Camaro with 285xxx miles is that **** gone break down next year like that's the **** I want to know .. It's all original I said that no parts no mods

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Look man, nobody on here can make that call for you. It's a 27 year old car with 280K miles on it. Yes it is nearing the end of it's life, but when will it die? None of us can tell you that.

How many miles per year do you drive? Some people on drive theirs 3K miles a year, some drive 25K miles a year

A well took care of sbc engine will go 300-350K miles, if it's took care of.

My opinion has not changed much from the other one you was asking about... Too much money for what it is. Like I said I have a '91 formula for sale for $3800 and it has 181K miles on it....

I feel with 280K miles $1400 to $1800 would be a fair price

It's not just the engine you have to think about... The engine is the 'cheap' part. You can do a basic rebuild on a sbc for under $1,000.

It's the rest of the car... Everything has 280K miles on it.... Suspension (bushings, ball joints, tie rods, etc) transmission, rear end, steering column,.

So when stuff starts breaking it's gonna be a domino effect

GFusick

Thanks for the response back that help my mind a lot .. The one I was thinking about before Yall scared me away from talking Trans rebuilt and things like that when I said the engine is putting out to much hp for the stock converter and I need to install the b&m torque converter that comes with the car .. So idk what to go off of man .. Do you have a number I can contact you on so I can run something's to you ?

GFusick

Maybe you can help me make right decision because I have a couple that I'm interested in

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Your welcome. You can PM me here or shoot me an email. I will be glad to help as much as I can and give you my honest opinions.

GFusick

My car failed smog because of Thermostatic Air Cleaner Fail and Fuel Evaporative Controls .. What you think I should do also my emission result were off too here's my result .. Also my car failed the ignition timing check due to engine rpm being out of tolerance .. Check out my result and give your best advice if you can and what I should do it seems like an easy fix .. My car has been sitting for a year also no tune up nothing I just out a qt of oil in it and also my coolant is going down alittle fast engine getting a little hot also ..

GFusick

Filled it up to full and drove it about 3 or 4 hours and it was down to alittle over half

GFusick

My coolant I'm talking about

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Check for coolant leaks.. Look at your upper and lower rad hose on engine and rad.
Heater hoses, water neck, bottom of water pump, inside car in front floors.

Check your engine oil level and hope it's not reading alot higher than full, and looking like a milk shake (blown head gasket, cracked head, cracked block will leak coolant to the inside of crankcase of engine)

Thermostatic Air Cleaner Fail and Fuel Evaporative Controls..... This sounds like a visible check and the car is
A) missing the factory air cleaner housing. or B) The stove pipe is not hooked up, or vac line is off/missing.
And.....
The charcoal canister is missing or not hooked up.

Get a few good pictures posted up of the engine from front and side, also a pic of the spot up from like where battery is but the other side that don't have the battery (thats where the charcoal can goes)

Here is something I pulled off the internet that can help you sort out your sniffer results

CO Failure is the result of an excessively rich air fuel mixture. The following is a list of the most common causes:
– Defective Oxygen Sensor
– Inoperative Air Injection System (if equipped)
– Leaking or defective Fuel Injectors
– Restricted air filter (especially if high CO is present only at high RPM)
– Vacuum leaks resulting in improper MAP sensor operation
– Defective air mass or air flow sensor
– Malfunctioning fuel evaporation system or purge valve
– Defective Catalytic Converter
– Defective thermostat (cooling system), thermostat stuck open
– Oil contaminated with fuel, excessive miles between oil changes

HC Failure is the result of incomplete combustion. Any item that causes incomplete combustion can result in high HC. The most common causes are:
– Worn spark plugs
– Defective spark plug wires
– Worn distributor cap and/or rotor
– Improper ignition timing, usually over advanced
– Vacuum leaks
– Engine mechanical failure, low compression, worn valves, excessive oil consumption

NOX Failure is the result of combustion temperatures that are too high. The most common causes are:
– Inoperative Exhaust Gas Recirculation System (EGR)
– Cooling system malfunction, engine running too hot (restricted radiator, defective thermostat, etc.)
– Over advanced ignition timing
– Excessively lean air fuel mixture (defective oxygen sensor, MAP sensor or Air Mass Sensor)

GFusick

My car failed smog my emission HC 78 /120 at 15 mph and at 25 mph 83/93 And also my fuel evaportive control functional fail also the fuel cap , the thermostatic air cleaner failed also.. Than it says ignition timing failed because of engine rpm being out of tolerance .. Help me I need some Adobe my car is 1987 Camaro iroc 5.7l corvette engine with 66xxx miles it just been woken up from the dead from a year so no tune up or anything tires are worn also

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

Did you read all of what I posted before your last post?

GFusick

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GFusick

Sorry for all the attachment my Im using my phone it doesn't let me upload more than 1 smh .. But check them pics out and tell me what you see need to be replace or if you need better pics . Thanks Night Rider for you help bro

GFusick

I read everything just now , okay I look at my result my vacuum is good .. What failed was just the fuel evaportive control functional and the cap also the Thermostatic Air Cleaner needs to be installed so when I do that you think I'll be ready or do I need to go ahead and get that tune up since its been sitting spark plugs and etc .. ?

Nonwoven29

The price seems way high imho. I just picked up a 86iroc for $3450 with 59k miles.Unless your just stuck on picking that 87 up I would check out all my options for real!!

I think you can get way more for your money. Remember all cars are money pits lol. Some holes are deeper than others.

GFusick

I picked up the 87 IROC for 2760 bro 66xxx miles that's great man just need to get a couple things fixed first like antithetical old car that's been sitting for a year

Nonwoven29

Now that's a awsome deal man!!