I like mine. Bought new in 82, now sitting in a container waiting for another motor, a headliner and a trip to the Wilwood store. For an 80's chassis, they are very, very good. Compared to a modern chassis, they are pretty darn floppy. As to the engine, its a bloody small block Chev. How much power do you want? I built a 8.5" diff and my own design of torque arm which has been pretty much indestructible, based on the lack of traction available.
I really hate third gen F-bodies. The mulleted retards in high school did half the job, then I drove one (350 auto). HORRIBLE dash and interior. Chassis so flexy you can hear it creak when you hit a steep driveway at an angle. The front & rear overhangs are massive (and kill any resemblance to any other period sports car, IMO). Doesn't handle worth a damn out of the box, and won't without a lot of money. They make a decent sound if you're into it and there is potential in the platform if you feel like replacing...well, everything. But definitely not a car for me, does nothing well out of the box yet is ubiquitous for no good reason.
An SN95 is a better choice than a third gen any day of the week. An LT1/T56 fourth gen is a better choice than either if you can find one and afford the premium.
Crap or not I would not mind one of these. Though being in HS when these were new may have something to do with that.
Ok, so...
+rigidity, +comfort, +700ish pounds. Maybe less embarrassing, maybe just a different kind.
I've got to say, I'm torn. I really like little econoboxes that get great mileage. I loved my Camry. I loved that it drove to Raleigh for like $20. What I didn't love was my back after sitting in it for 4.5 hours. Even after a 2 hour trip in the Subaru, I'm rubbing my back like an old, naked man in a sauna.
Maybe it's time to go big, ugly, and comfy. I had an old Dodge Van that was like driving a water bed, but wouldn't break 12 mpg.
What do you guys think? 5 speed, back breaking import or column shift sofa with wheels? Does the cheapness of the parts make up for the gas? Is a big V8 really that smooth after 30 years? Should this be it's own thread? Do I make too many threads while saving up money and asking all of you about every car that raises one of my eyebrows? What if I don't like black and milds?
I owned an 89 RS 5sp with T-tops in the 230hp variant. Everything everyone says about these cars is true... floppy chassis, anemic gearing. Kid Rock fan club kit included with purchase.
But, I loved mine. It sounded good. It got 30mpg on the highway with that anemic gearing and overdriven 5th gear. It got me to my first real job for 5 years of payment-free driving up/down the PA turnpike to Philly. It was reliable as an anvil. Only a bad starter sidelined it in 130k miles. The hatch would swallow my skis, a mountain bike... a pile of luggage/tools/guns... for whatever weekend plans I had at the time. I might be the only fan of T-tops in the whole world but they were sweet on a sunny day by the lake.
I don't think I want one again but I was happy with the one I had when I had it.
I have a 91 RS and it's a mixed bag for me. The ride is horrible so it's not a good daily driver. The chassis is weak which hurts daily driving and track work. The solid rear axle is probably the worst part of the car because the rear end does not feel as fun when pushing it hard around corners (especially bumpy ones) compared to IRS configurations. Most of them have open diffs which hurts performance too. They're best as a project car for styling aspects and price than a semi-finished performance car.
Mr_Clutch42 wrote: They're best as a project car for styling aspects
get the camaro, remove headers. flip headers so they point up toward hood. Cut them off even with the hood. Cut holes in the hood so you can see the flames.
1 way ticket to awesome.
On the comfy couch dd angle though, my wife had an olds 88 with the 3800 series II before we got married (aside: she inherited it from one grandma when she died and we recently gave it to her other grandma who needs a car).
That car was comfy, returned a solid 25 mpg highway and was actually pretty fast (I think the series 2 is near 200 hp, could be wrong). I'm sure if we wanted to try and sell, it would've been hard to pull $800 for it. and you don't even have to shift yourself!
SEADave wrote: You definitely wouldn't want to live with the shame of having something like this:Or this:
I love the look of these. When I was growing up they were one of the cars to have even though everyone knew the Mustang was faster in a straight line.
I've done some research and between the Mustang and Camaro of the same vintage the Camaro has the better rear suspension believe it or not. The best forum for road racing 3rd gen Camaro's I've found is www.frrax.com. They also talk about 4th gen's if you're interested.
My quandary has been to either go 3rd gen or suck it up and find a 4th gen that needs work. It's all true what previous posters have said about finding a manual 3rd gen. It's hard. Most I've found are the anemic (180hp) RS cars. I have yet to see a Z28/IROC with a 5 spd and the higher horsepower 305 (230 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque). You can swap a 350 (245 ponies and 345 lb-ft in the 87+ cars) in place of the 305 on any car but the 5 spd won't hold up to a 350's torque. That's why all the 350 cars had to make do with the 4spd auto trans. I do see a lot of the later cars have four wheel discs which is nice even if the fronts need a C5 disc swap before doing track work imo. You could hit a track with the stock setup but I think fade and disc warping would be in your near future.
But...let's consider this.
..this could be a fun machine to hustle just about anywhere. It would also be damned cheap to buy, maintain, and run. Your highest costs would be the usual stuff with a heavier car on the track like tires and fuel.
Also, after 87 you could order the car with the 350. This engine would hustle the Z28 you bought it in from 0-60 in 6.4 seconds and the quarter in 14.4 per Motor Trend. Link. That's pretty damned good imo.
You kids have been spoiled by the embarrassment of riches out there today. In 1982, that car kicked serious ass with its 145 horses and super-duper good handling chassis...and I'm not kidding.
I still own mine out of nostalgia, and to be honest, its not as good a car as my Neon...but I'll put it up against anything built in 1982. Including that guy in the 308 Ferrari that thought he was special.
We won't mention the Thunderbird turbo coupe I met up with a few years later, but I blame the 1:1 top gear for that little situation.
There's lots of things about the 4th gen that are better, but they are just butt ugly.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I might be the only fan of T-tops in the whole world but they were sweet on a sunny day by the lake.
Raises hand T-top fan here!
So, I have a 91 Hardtop 5 speed RS model, and yes I actively sought out this car. For me it's a nostalgia thing, I loved the way these looked in the last 2 years of production ever since I was a kid. Mines a complete basket case, though it's starting to come together, rust everywhere, thanks to the crappy seam sealer GM used back then. All the plastic in the interior is crap and I had to deal with a saggy headliner for the 200 mile trip back home in it, but damnit if it isn't a hoot to drive! The build quality is horrible, but then again so was anything else built by the big 3 in 1991, it doesn't even begin to compare to the '91 240SX I had, but who cares, it gives me a fizzy sensation in my gentleman sausage and that's all that matters here.
Buy one and see for yourself. Worst case you end up selling it in 2 weeks for a couple hundred more than you bought it for after vacuuming all the mullet hair out of the carpets.
Edit: If I had to do it all over again I would buy a 4th gen now that they are the same money.
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