Hello all,

Well, I'm going to need lots of your help. As you can tell from the username and sig, I'm a dyed in the wool Ford guy. However, the wife has decided she wants the car her daddy wouldn't let her have, a third-gen IROC, so here I am. (She's spoiled, gets what she asks for)

I can peruse a Ford site and instantly know what's going on, the abbreviations and acronyms make sense, and I know what most of them are or do. Over here, I'm lost, it's a different world for sure. So, I humbly ask your assistance with this project, and thank you all in advance.

Here's basically what she wants: Bright Blue Third-Gen IROC, T-tops not important, Auto, (very important), about 350-400HP (crank) when it's done, power everything.

Questions:

What years are desirable for the IROC?
What were the major changes year to year, a website reference would be greatly appreciated, and I'll do the research.
Engine choices? I seem to remember the 350 being available
Transmission issues?
Reliable sources for parts.
Problem areas to be aware of when looking to purchase the car.
Anything else you can think of that might help.

That's all for now, I'm sure I'll have other questions along the way. Thanks again.

Joe X

 

Welcome to the boards and the wonderful world of GM. Don’t be surprised if your post gets moved because it probably shouldn’t be in the car audio board…

I'm going to tackle your post question by question.

What years are desirable for the IROC?
I would say anything 87+ as they came in TPI. This is personal preference on my part. There were also server minor appearance changes along the years and the general consensus is that the 91-92 model years look the best.

If you want to try to budget things some, try to find a car with a Borg Warner 9 bolt rear in it. They’re extremely strong, but parts are getting hard to find for them (read seals) because of their limited run. Do a search for 9 bolt to find out what years it came in Camaros.

What were the major changes year to year, a website reference would be greatly appreciated, and I'll do the research.
The thirdgen.org FAQ page is littered with tons of information that you will probably find helpful.

Engine choices? I seem to remember the 350 being available
There are quite a few engine choices. There was a 2.4l inline four that is next to impossible to find due to its extremely small production numbers (despite how many inline 4 mustangs from this time period are around though ). There's a 2.8l HO v6, which is also somewhat rare. As for the v8's, there is a 305 (5.0) and a 350 (5.7) available in either TBI (carb) or TPI. For the amount of power you want to achieve, you would be ok with either the 305 or the 350, but the 350 would be a better choice since there are more options and it would also be cheaper to make that power.

Transmission issues?
Since you want an auto, you will have little to no problems with the factory 700r4. Things would be different if you wanted a T5 (5 speed).

Reliable sources for parts.
Check out the sponsor buttons on the top of every forum page. Spohn makes amazing suspension related things (SFC - sub frame connectors, front ends, drive shafts, etc). Hawks is a good place for most everything else (interior, exterior, etc) but they tend to be pricey. Classic industries also makes a decent amount of stuff for the interior of our cars. You can also still find a pretty good amount of stuff at a dealership, but you will pay more. Junkyards are a good place to try too. Also, don’t forget about places like National Auto (or whatever auto store is in your area that you trust). Parts are (for the most part) extremely common.

Problem areas to be aware of when looking to purchase the car.
As with any car, rust. If you're looking at a t-top car, leaks. There's nothing that special/different to look for with our cars than your average other car.

As for what she wants (paint, t-tops, etc)...
The paint probably won’t be in the best shape unless the car has been garage kept its whole life due to the environmental restrictions of the era. Also, if she's dead set on bright blue, you might be better of painting it. Better to buy a perfect red/white/whatever car that's in amazing shape than to pass it up because it's not the color you want.

T-tops: odds are that you wont find a 5.7 car with t-tops. They do exist, but they're really rare, as they were not commonly done from factory due to chassis issues with the 5.7. There were a few aftermarket companies doing them though.

Transmission: Again, if you're going to be getting the 5.7 it will come with an auto unless a previous owner did a swap. The 5.7 only came with an auto trans because the T5 couldn't stand up to the 5.7's torque.

HP demands: check the engine swap board for more info there. You can easily get to your goal with less than $3,000 invested into the block.

 

Gummie,

Thanks for the info, it's exactly what I need at this point.

Joe X

 

During all years that the IROC was produced (85-90), TPI was available.

85 had a somewhat unique TPI setup, at least from the standpoint of computer and Mass airflow design. If you're doing major mods, you'll probably need to pitch the stock computer setup anyway, so it may not be a major concern, but if you're sticking to relatively minor mods, skip the 85 and get into an 86 or newer. All TPI 305s and 350s from 86-89 used the same computer, and overall, a very similar TPI setup. Even if you get a car with a 305, it won't be terribly difficult to install a 350 and retain 95% of the original TPI equipment.

When looking at an IROC, there are 2 things to remember: "F" and "8".

8th VIN digit for a factory 350 car is an "8". If it's an "F" then it's a factory TPI 305. The two look visually identical, so you need the VIN to be sure. Every idiot selling a car with TPI thinks he has a 350.

If you intend to do significant modifications though, I wouldn't pass up an otherwise clean TPI 305 car. You can build a 350 cheaply, and like I mentioned above, it's not difficult to swap a 305 for a 350. It's not like Ford and their 50 different non compatible engines.

 

Ahhhh...how true. Thanks for the valuable info. Now I guess it's time to look for a car.

Joe X