i know this topic has been asked atleast a million times but sadly enough i couldnt find the answer i was looking for im deffinatly getting a V6 5 speed Third gen. but my question is which year? you guys deff. seem to know alot about them so here is what i need in the car and you guys could be so kind as to tell me which year is best. I need a t top, and i know that was an option in most, if not every year, so thats not a problem. i also need ABS, IF it came out that late..dunno if it came in third gens. i need ground effects..to me the car looks empty and lonley without them and any engine differences in the RS years please tell me...

oh year...i need an RS too heh

 

Can't help you with the RS, but the 91-92 Birds were the most aerodynamic F-body's EVER built to this day.

 

ok, none had ABS. 90-92 came with a 3.1L engine instead of a 2.8L. 90-92 came with drivers side airbag. 90-92 use a MAP sensor instead of the VERY unreliable POS GM Mass Air Flow sensor. (i hear so many MAF sensor horror stories). and....all RS's have ground effects. i think the RS was available from '87-'92. hmmm, did i forget anything???

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Dan
1990 3.1L RS
80 Series Flowmaster
It's fast(er than a 3 cyl metro)

 

no abs! AHH! nightmare on wheels for rain and snow eek! how expensive would it be to install ABS? i could prolly get a discount with my dads hook ups, but regular price how much? its gotta be expensive..

 

ABS is nice, but definetely overrated.....

Vman

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1969 Camaro Sport Coupe
383, 700R4, leather, everything black but the lights

Previous owner of an 89 RS Camaro
2.8L V6, 700R4

 

ya, but im used to it...i drive around my moms 98 lt blazer. i like the 18 pulses a second turns me on..hehe jk :P but what would it cost to throw an ABS into a third gen? agreed it would be nice to power slide without f***in up our ebrake, but id like to have a sense of security in the rain too

 

borrow the blazer for the snow and leave the third gen parked.

ABS is not going to help much in the snow with a f-body

 

Amen.... I hate ABS... Call it a personal "problem" if you will, but I figure that if you have to brake hard enough to lock them up during *normal* (not competitive) driving, you aren't driving right anyway.

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--'87 Camaro LT --
Currently undergoing a 2.8->3.4 swap.....

 

well, thats how a 16 year old drives any car isnt it?

id take the blazer if that wasnt how my mom gets to school/work we got some **** super intendant (sp?) from NY and we barly ever get off even though we get decent snow in Md. so i was just trying to find a way not to total the 'maro the first year i get it by driving to school and not being used to "threshold" breaking and just using brakes like i would on the blazer

 

i agree, ABS is extremely expensive and probably even more so when putting it on a car that was never equipped.

you need security in the rain?? drive slow.

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Dan
1990 3.1L RS
80 Series Flowmaster
It's fast(er than a 3 cyl metro)

 

yea dude...you know what? If you use right stuff traction wise, u wont have any problems..story time. Was doing 80 on the i5 here in CA and all of a sudden brake lights the dude in front of my slammed on the brakes (rain) he starts skidding, i come to a nice no skid no accident stop while he hits the car in front and pushes 4 cars together. It all helps to have traction : good tires, brakes, rear suspension that wont have problems when u do in fact need to brake in an emergency.

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" I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT run at all ".

 

What a funny topic.. I and to think I just spent the past 2 days replacing my brakes on all 4 corners =P But yeh.. ABS is overrated. It's good for people who don't have practice threshhold braking, and it's good for people who have a tendency to panic.. I need to work on my panicing.. I've locked mine 3 times, only once because of sudden amounts of red in front of me (person in front of me locked up too so I didn't feel too bad.. made a really evil plume of smoke from my front tires too.. wish I could have grabbed a pic of that).. but generally I find threshhold braking to be far more effective.

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'86 Camaro SC, black /w silver racing stripes
2.8l MPFI/700r4 /w special 2nd gear delete option
In search of new v8 engine & transmission, now contemplating t5 swap to get me out of this mess.
MSD coil, Accel 8mm wires, SplitFire plugs, Gabriel hijackers, possible performance chip I don't know about.. gotta crack open the ECM and check sometime

 

The way to learn effecive braking is to PRACTICE.
Like any other red blooded american kid, you go to empty parking lots and practice, skidding, doing doughnuts and stopping in the middle of the slide.
It truly is the best way to learn, safely.
What you need to learn is how to twist/steer the wheel and take you ELBOW and slap the shifter into neutral while steering.
Removes power from the rear wheels and stops a skid in an instant.
You already have motion from the loss of traction, but, you need to reverse that motion. Effectiving Braking & Steering is that response.
When the Maryland Staties come bye to talk to you about your driving style, tell them you are practing in a safe controlled environment, instead of real world road traffic, where someone could get hurt. You are learning how to prevent an accident.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Well, I've had my license over a year now, and I'm just now finding out the skill of threshold braking (it's fun...). It definately takes some practice. Anyone want to hear the story of me finding out that my dad's Cougar DOESN'T have ABS? (It's a '93... we thought it would have it...)

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--'87 Camaro LT --
Currently undergoing a 2.8->3.4 swap.....

 

Actually, the '82 Trans-Am was the most aerodynamic Firebird built. The coeffecient of drag was slightly better than the rest of the 82-92 models (yes, including the 91-92). I think the normal 82-92 CD was 0.34, while the '82 T/a was 0.32. I should dig up that old magazine. Just curious- where did you read that 91-92 was the most aerodynamic? What were the CD's?

LOL about the ABS turning you on, Rustangs! I'd not worry about the ABS. I've had my Firebird since Jan '94, and never got into an accident in the snow/rain. Like Karl said, I practiced in the parking lots, and I don't drive like a moron in bad weather. Oh and tires with tread help a lot in the snow.. I had almost-bald tires one winter- never again!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Hey Tom, I'll have to find it. I had read that the 92 Birds were even lower than the 82. If I find it again, I'll post it.

 

heh sorry, shoulda been more specific. i meant camaros. no offense to you bird lovers, but i dont like the look of them, only the new 4th gens

 

One thing you'll notice about Camaros and Firebirds is they have some of the best brake st-ups you'll ever ride on even without ABS. Even today's Camaros and Firebird with ABS have great braking.