Im looking at buying this 88 IROC-Z, 350 TPI 5 speed. Mint condition, garage kept its whole life and so on so forth. My question is, I looked on here and it said there was never a 350TPI with a 5 speed, 305 5 Speed yes, 350 5 speed no. Can anyone straighten this up, I really dont want a car that wasnt an original 5 speed. Any help appreciated, thanks TGO

 

then im not sure about mint condition, it has been modified for it to be a real "350 tpi with a 5 speed"

because they did not make 350 tpi with a manual. they all came with auto. like mine for example, its an RS that once had a 305 tbi but now has a 350 tpi with the original T5.

sooo theres a few options here..either the dude is outright lieing about it being a 350....or he swapped a 350 tpi in it and matched it up to the T5 therefore making it a "IROC clone"

OR he took the auto out the IROC and put in a T5 (which i dunno why he would do) all that work for a T5 when he coulda put in a T56 or better trans.

look up the vin or get a block code or something.

 

I bet it is just a 305/5-speed & he is claiming it is a 350.

If not, then the tranny or engine has been swapped. Run the VIN & RPO codes (if he has the RPO codes).

 

I found this on IROC-Z.com a few years ago when I was shopping for my Camaro. Maybe it will help you:
"The 5.7 was not visually distinguishable from the 5.0. A few things can be used to distinguish a 5.7 TPI from a 5.0 TPI (other than badges, which are often changed to sell a 5.0 as a 5.7). All 5.7's came with the square shifter ****, all other Camaro's came with the round ****. All 5.7's had automatic transmissions and rear disc brakes. the eighth digit of the VIN is an 8 for 5.7 350 TPI. The service parts identification list in the center console glovebox will list the code B2L for a 5.7 350 or LB9 for 5.0 305. The under hood sticker should list the motor as a 5.7 liter rather than a 5.0 liter. All TPI 350's came with a tach that had yellow at 5000 and red at 5500."

 

I agree with Stephen. The dude is probably lying. It's possible that either the motor or trans was swapped at some point (in which case it's not mint) but more than likely the seller is trying to sell a 305 as a 350. This is pretty common. I actually had someone try to sell me a 92 formula 305 tbi as an all original 350 tpi (they don't even look similar)! Also beware of people claiming it was a "special order from the factory". That wasnt an option. You could get a car with a 350 OR a T5, not both. Anyway, if you call his bluff it might work in your favor as far as negotiating price. Good luck.

 

Be careful what you read on iroc-z.com.

I don't agree with the square/round shift **** thing. I believe that plenty of 305s had the square **** too. It's also very easy to swap them. Likewise, gauge clusters may not be original, center consoles (and therefore the SPID tag) may not be original, the hood may not be original (and therefore the hood sticker). The 8th digit of the VIN is the ONLY thing you need to be 100% sure of what motor that car had when it left the factory.

That said, if a 350 was swapped in to replace a 305, or if a T5 swap was done to an L98 car, either is a huge plus in my book as long as the swap was done properly.

 

There are a small number of f-bodies that came new like that due to dealer installed (not factory installed) engines, + rebadging.

The 350 and 305 blocks are not identical. A 305 block cannot be bored out to a 350.
Look on the back of the block just below the distributor on the driver-side. The block will have either 5.7 or 5.0 cast into it.
This is the sure-fire way to tell what engine is currently in it.

 

even then just check the block number. mine was supposed to be a dealer installed 350 but said 305 when I pulled it, there is way to many people in this world willing to screw anyone over. I bought mine from an air force chaplain for $7000 so take it how you want to I guess but better be careful. My personal opinion since I had to learn from my mistake is stay away from it unless it is in the $2k-$3k range then if it runs good then it is still worth getting just not for a collectors standpoint but just for fun then it would be fine. Check it over for any electrical problems and search around for any body panel cancer. both of those make it expensive fast.

 

with all being said, he MAY be telling the truth. BUT he SHOULD have some sort of paper work or something if hes willing to tell you its a 350 tpi with a 5spd in "mint condition"

mine is a clone..swapped a 350 tpi and it has the T5 tranny. but ill tell you right now, i have every scrap of paper work in detail that shows everthing that i did to it and the actual 350 that was purchased (from a JY) but i understand that not everyone might have receipts, motor coulda been a hand me down or bought from a private seller. best bet is to look at the stamping on the engine block.

just be cafreful, i see on craigslist all the time, people butchering facts soo bad on camaro's (3rd and 4th gen's) ive seen it all almost, from not real HP numbers to people saying its a "rare find" when its not. ive seen people claiming LT1's alone that have the stock TPI set up, ive even seen someone listing camaro rims online for a 2004 camaro....yes, a 2004!!! wf?!

 

yeah i wish i had a 5speed or 6th speed without doing the swap on my formula. but i just ordered a built trans witth 2800 stall etc etc