Learn me 3rd Gen Camaro Z28

http://chambana.craigslist.org/cto/887395360.html

How can I tell that it is actually a Z28? for the price I don't mind that it is not, but still.

In the past there was another posting for this car and there it was listed as a 5 speed so that is a plus.

Thanks in advance,

that baby rocks. planning on growing a mullett?

Yes!

It is ittera;y 2 blocks from my house. We pass it when we go for walks.

http://www.thirdgen.org/1991-chevy-camaro

if you go down a bit on this page you will find a VIN decoder that will do what you want i think. http://www.camarosource.ca/php/camaro_info_db/index.php?act=decoding&year=1976&tm=1

I wasn't aware that Chevy put a stick behind a V8 in that generation Camaro. I thought it was some big no-no, like having a speedo that went over 85mph.

just be ready to pull the 305 when you get serious about adding power. other wise, go for it.

I have a 92 Camaro. 305 TBI, auto. Even with TPI and a stick, don't expect much from the stock engine.

Yes, they used the T5 tranny throughout the 3rd gen years.

Be prepared for intensely wimpy engines. The most power you could get in a 3rd gen was the "high output" 350 which made a whopping 205 hp. Most of the V8s fell between 140-180 hp.

If you plan on serious power, be prepared to dish out some serious cash for a rear end. 3rd gens came with a GM 7.5" rear axle. It is remarkably weak. Its fine for the stock power levels; even up through the 4th gens with 300 hp, but they were notedly traction limited as well. Swapping to some sticky meats often sends those axles to drivetrain heaven in short order. What makes a swap so expensive is that the F-body was the only one to use a torque-arm suspension with a bar from the tranny to the rear axle. The rear in a 3rd gen is located by two lower trailing arms and one long torque arm to locate the axle. The snout of the 7.5" axle has provisions for it, but no other axle does. If you have an axle with a bolt-on pinion housing, you can use those bolts to locate an aftermarket bracket for a torque arm, but there are no easy swaps for a better axle. Its often times just best to call up Currie and get either a custom 9" ford axle, or call Moser and get a custom 12" rear.

We put an LS1 in my buddy's 84 T/A, and within three days we toasted his factory 7.5" rear... and I mean toasted, as in, ripped the carrier bearing cap right out of the housing along with about 3" of webbing.

I understand the allure, and I've owned a couple, but they are pretty flimsy unibodies, especially with high mileage or if they've been beaten. Check for door sag when you open/close them. Subframe connectors can be welded in with marginal success. The front suspension is an odd LCA/strut hybrid that can be made to handle, but its nothing inspiring. Their secret is stiff springs, both to absorb body flex and to limit body roll and the scary camber curve associated with suspension motion.

snag it cheap, drive the snot out of it. When you get bored with it, drop in a 383 and see how long the stock rear will last.

If it's a stick, buy it. That thing's sweeeettt. It needs side pipes for sure though.

curtis73 wrote: Yes, they used the T5 tranny throughout the 3rd gen years. Be prepared for intensely wimpy engines. The most power you could get in a 3rd gen was the "high output" 350 which made a whopping 205 hp. Most of the V8s fell between 140-180 hp.

Having worked for a Firestone Firehawk team in 1988 that ran IROC-Z's and Trans-Am's, my first thought was your power figures were kinda low. When I did dyno pulls on balanced and blueprinted 305's, we saw 250-255hp. And a check of Thirdgen.org website shows this http://www.thirdgen.org/1988-chevy-camaro .

The only way to get the 350ci however, was with the automatic. If that car has a 1LE option code, write the check immediately.

The most power you could get in a 3rd gen was the "high output" 350 which made a whopping 205 hp.

Er, ya, no. The 350 TPI actually made 245hp in the final years. And nobody cares about hp. Check out the 330lbft it made! The later 305 TPI was no slouch either; 215hp and I believe 295ftpnds. Nothing to sneeze at at all. The 350 autotragics ran mid-high 14's, 305's with stick in the 15's. Of course, swapping in a better manual with a 350 is always great, but the 305 has proven to be a great grassroots motor.

Those 305 engines are garbage. I raced my roommate's Firebird with my POS Cavalier and won! They're a great 17.5 second muscle car...

I had a 91 IROC-Z back in 95 or so... like everyone else said - no power, weak drivetrain. Also, leaky t-tops, stiff as a wet noodle, seats that fall apart, creepy seatbelts that hook to the door, handling like a twin-beam F-350, everything rattles & shakes.

Good news - got 30MPG on the highway in 5th gear, could fit a mountain bike under the hatch and the T-5 was nice to shift. In fact, I'd suggest removing the trans and putting it in a real car to solve all the shortcomings.

Hey the 3rd gen f-bodys have a lower coefficient of drag than the 4th gens. They are great cars for the American Iron class in NASA and I forgot the name of the class in the SCCA that runs them.

You do have to grow a texas tailgate style mullet, start smoking Marlboro Reds, drink Budweiser, and use duct tape to fix everything oooh and you can't forget Mountain Dew is the redneck version of coffee.

Umm I know a lot of kids around my area that have swapped LT1s or LS1s into their third gens. They fit at home in there, swaps are pretty easy, and you can find all that stuff for cheap. You can also find a Chevy truck 5.3L and a T56 from an LS1 car and have a cheap LS engine swap.

I had a 1983 Z28 with the 305 carbed motor, and it had NO problems wasting modern V8 mustangs and the like.

Of course, part of that may have been the rear end, shift kit, headers, carb, exhaust. But it was a pretty damn quick car.

I loved it.

I had an 86 Iroc, I miss it SO much not quite as much as the miata, but close, I got mine down to the low 13's with a stock bottom end an no bottle, that said, it took ALOT of work, heads we're gone through. Port and polish < the guy that worked my heads for me was a friend of my auto shop teacher who worked on his roundy round cars> heads were shaved WAY down as in we had to take material off the intake side so everything would mate up. Ported upper intake, aftermarket runners for the TPI set-up, don't bother with the stock ones, as they are thin, I even looked at extrude hone as a way to port them, port matched everything on the intake side so it was nice and smooth, descreened MAF, home made ram air ducts K and N filters. Trans was rebuilt then a B&M shift kit was added, along with a 2500 rpm converter, with a stock posi unit in the back, unibody connectors and a basic 4 point roll bar to help stiffen it up. Add drag launch springs to the mix and it was fairly quick in a straight line, handling at the time seemed really good, but since then I've experienced a FD rx7 and a miata with some 500lbs+ springs in it, so it doesn't seem all that great anymore. TPIS specialties supplied the cam, it was fairly mild, pulled hardest from around 2500rpm till right at 6000rpm. after that the tpi system is just to restrictive and starts killing power. Also used a TPIS "FAST Pack" that included an air foil, FPR, and other parts. Edlebrock shorty headers, y-pipe, gutted cat, and 3" flowmaster single out cat back. Superchips supplied the custom burned E-prom.

On a side note with the 4 point bar, and subframe connectors, I went ahead and replaced the T-top seals, they seemed to hold with the extra stiffness.

Edit

If I remember correctly I think it was Camaro High Performance magazine or Hot Rod, but I remember someone doing a series where they took a set of vortec heads shaved them WAY down, slapped in a cam, along with, I think it was a "mini ram" intake, along with a T-56 and went out making fools of alot of people.

Well the info here, plus other reading I have done have led me to believe that I will just pass on this one.

I wasn't looking for a muscle car anyway, just saw it, recognized it and thouhgt I would do a little research on it.

I'm trying to get my '83 Z28 back together. It hasn't run in like 10 years. It was my college car and I enjoyed the heck out of it stock. Now I think I'll get it running and play with it a bit (not too much though because $ is tight).

Fun cars, but they've definitely developed a stigma over the years. American Sedan and CMC have always looked appealing to me...

Clem

A camaro I ran against this year, owner/driver was a really nice guy. we started out and at the end of 2nd or 3rd runs i was winning by a 10th or 2, then he whooped me by something like a second and a half (in my defense, i am on 5yo victoracers)

then theres the one ive been helping my friend build

( i would have made quite a few different choices with the car... im trying to get him to run it at the autocross, but he probly wont as you can hear the rear end whine over the open exhaust (cutouts).. its got about 300-350hp, and will have alot more once the rear/trans is fortified. (heads/cam and that motor should have something like 450-500hp))

if anyone knows a deal on a rear that can take that... my friend would be VERY interested.

Swap the 305 out right away. Total piece of junk.

96DXCivic wrote: Swap the 305 out right away. Total piece of junk.

put down the internets and step away from the keyboard

i'm sick of keyboard racers perpetuating myths about things they read from joe blow on some message board.

sure the 305 shouldnt really be used for performance except as a last resort, but they are solid engines and even when not well cared for can take you over 200k miles.

patgizz wrote:

96DXCivic wrote: Swap the 305 out right away. Total piece of junk.

put down the internets and step away from the keyboard i'm sick of keyboard racers perpetuating myths about things they read from joe blow on some message board. sure the 305 shouldnt really be used for performance except as a last resort, but they are solid engines and even when not well cared for can take you over 200k miles.

Yeah, aside from being wimpy, there's nothing wrong with a 305. If you're ok with a few less cubes and/or ponies they're fine engines. Being the 350's little brother is a pretty good step towards success.

Bryce

I meant totally piece of junk for performance and if you are buying a Camaro I assume that is what they want. A 305 is fine for a truck or a Cadillac but not that good for performance cars.

um, AS racers use 305's This one had enough power to make it up the hill at the hillclimb with its 305... (and enough power to shear his driveshaft at the starting line)

(though a 350 would be easier to make power with)