qazd

Goin off to college this year, and parents say they will take my ride if i dont get airbags. Has anyone put airbags in a non-bag thirdgen. Im pretty sure they're only 90-92 cars-please help!

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

I would have it professionally done. There are a quite few sensors and wiring to it. Also the steering column needs to be replaced. Get a Helms manual for a 90-92 so you can see what is involved. But it is doable. But you may be ahead if you sell your car and get a 90-92. You get the new style dash and gfx (91-92).

Iroc Detroit

I agree with Lonsal, If your car is a keeper i would get it done by a pro because a friend of mine tried to do it himself first and really messed up some other wiring and ended up paying more in the long run. But if you take your time and do some research im sure you could do it. But if you have been thinking of buying a new car now would be a good time before dumping money into this one. Just my opinion. Good luck

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1985 Camaro Iroc Z
305 Tuned Port Injected

Planning for a 350 swap soon!!!

camaro 22

i put a 90-92 steering wheel with the airbag on my 89rs but didn't hook up any sensors or anything so the airbag is nonoperational, but it will fit your current column.

PopaPork

Just the the 92 steering wheel, take about 8 hours to put it in, make sure there are alot of books out on the dash On how to do it, and alot of cursing. That way when your parents see it they will thing it is in and operational. :0) Only you and me will know it is a dummy.

okfoz

no kidding, I would recommend getting one from a junk yard, and installing it.

reborn

PopaPork beat me to it, thats exactly what Id do in that situation :-)

FSTFBDY

iTrader: (33)

If you do deside to do It I have a 92 Z wheel and bag from my car Ill sell ya.

Not at a outragous price like most places either. Its collecting DUST here.

e-mail me and let me know.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Have you tried reminding your parents that their reign of control over you ends 30 seconds after they drop you off at college?

Seriously, it sounds like they're a little too head-strung on safety to me. I'd feel much safer in my non-bag thirdgen than in ANY compact car regardless of how many airbags it had. I'd much rather avoid an accident than survive it.

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The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
Custom Thirdgen Subwoofer Enclosures
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m3baller

dumb parents... :-/

TZFBird

How come they decide that when your in college you will need airbags? Just say that you will study and not drive, so therefor, the airbags would be worthless. I would say something like that if I even had my car here at college. Or, have them take it because drunk college people will do **** to cars. I didn't bring mine because of stories I have been told about other peoples cars. Depending on where your going, you should probly decide which action to take. I personally would rather give up my car and drive it on weekends, then have to spend $3000+ on a new paint job and body work after some trashed moron decides to jump on your car and run his keys all over it.

RODS92Z

I'd rather not have a airbag. I don't want to have that thing slapping me in the face. Thats what scares me the most about getting into an accident, having that damn thing sucker punch me. Tell your parents to lay off. What will they do?

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1992 Camaro Z-28 custom 25th anniversary, 5.7 TPI auto, 2.73 posi, t-tops, arctic white with 92' medium mettalic gray stripes with black border stripe.

1967 Pontiac Catalina 2 door fastback, 400 v-8, auto, cameo white, dark red interior

82RECAROTA

Diabolical

tell your parents this story, it's a true story, happened to my girlfriend's cousin. she was driving, and rear ended someone going like 15 miles an hour. the airbag came out with such force, that it broke her sternum and caused her heart to stop. they had to perform heart surgery to save her life. she now has a long scar on her chest, and the heart pills she has to take disallows her from having children. the force of the crash probably wasn't even enough to seriously harm a pedestrian, but because of the stupid airbag, she was nearly killed.

JPrevost

I like that last idea. I wonder what a good set of used parents goes for nowadays...
Anyways, I too am confused on this reason you need an airbag. My best friend has a 98 Wrangler and his Mom told him he couldn't drive around with the top off unless they were on vacation. He's probably had the top off a total of 10 days since he's owned it (over 3 year now). I trash talk him every nice day we're in the hardtop jeep.
Dude, blow up a balloon and tape it to the steering wheel then tell your parents that it isn't worth the money. I don't even have my airbag activated because I know if it ever went off it could HURT me and cost $$$ to fix. If I get into an accident I think my 3600 lb maro will hold it's own. Now if I get hit by a drunk or worse yet, a woman (because they're never at fault) driving a huge SUV/truck then I'm scruwed anyways.

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, Jon (350 TBI!)
91 Red My website

nicmike85

Just go to a GM dealer and get a price list of all the parts to install it. These prices are for a fourth gen (Its all I got) Air bag:631.25 sensors 3 needed 149.00 each Derm unit 323.35 plus core clockspring 145.73 steering column 896.88
If that doesn't change thier mind then the labor will since the dealer will tell you that it can only be installed by a trained tech. Good luck and just ask them to flip the bill.

BeukeRS

And remind them that 1st generation airbags
hurt plenty of people, as Diabolical's friend experienced.

GM also recalled many 92 Camaros for premature airbag operation (go to NHTSA site)

Good luck, part of being a college kid is making decisions...

Aria

[This message has been edited by BeukeRS (edited September 09, 2001).]

MSTNG KLR

Is it their car to take from you? isent that illegal? oh i forgot.. parents can do anything.

btw, let them know it would be costly and time consuming, time and money much better spent on school books. haha

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87' Camaro Z28
305 TPI
Stage 2 hypertech chip
Custom ram air w/K&N's
air foil
shift kit
aluminum driveshaft
posi
VST gas ryder gas shocks
3" flowmasters
custom muffler

u r sofa king we tah did

its time to stand up and say, "hey, its my car, i like my car, if it doesnt have an air bag i dont care. i like my car and its not being sold"

qazd

thanx guys, I'm goin with the dummy bag option, and its not my parents car

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'87 Z-28 305,Edelbrock 600 cfm, stock 700-r4 terribly slow

IROC&ROLL

Did you ask your parents why they don't care about you while you're living at home? Or, did you offer to trade your Z in on a 2001 model with airbags... if they'll make the payments?

Seriously, did you ask what the difference is between living at home or away at school, why you need airbags there but not at home? One of my son's friends parents wouldn't let him take HIS computer off with him to college because it might get stolen! I don't understand thinking like that. I know it's hard to let your children grow up, I have 2 sons in college now and one that has graduated with a masters degree and now married. I know they love you and are concerned for your safety, but as a parent you have to let go. A parents job is to raise their children for this very eventuality. Hopefully you have taught them your values by the time they are ready to go off on their own. If you haven't by then a lousy airbag isn't gonna help. They need to trust in your judgement and their ability to parent!

87 Firebird

Oh, and because the third gen F-car has such a long nose, and the engine is positioned as it is, the frontal crashes that would trigger the bag to deploy are often cushioned due to the front dimensions.

MikeS

That's true about the long nose. I had a pretty nasty head on with a minivan a few months agon in my '84 and only came out with a broken nose. Pretty decent I think for hitting that hard (I estimate 45mph), and the passenger compartment was completely fine.

Chris Luongo

I'm not too sure, but I've always had the impression that our cars were fairly safe anyway. They're fairly heavy...probably only a few hundred pounds shy of a modern big car like a Crown Victoria...and at least as heavy, if not heavier, than your average medium sedan like an Accord or Taurus.

Also, since our cars are two-doors, the seat belts should work well. I like to drive with my seat as far back as it will go, and somewhat reclined too. Anytime I do this in a four-door car, the shoulder belt ends up sitting 4-5" AWAY from my chest...now that can't be very safe.

As you can see here, everyone has their own different opinion of the good and bad side of air bags. And in any case, it certainly is true that the newer cars have much gentler air bags than the early ones (like a '90-92 Camaro) did.

Regardless of all that, remember that the air bag will not what help you whatsoever if you get rear ended, hit from the side, or roll over.

If you want to go and just install the dummy air bag and make your parents happy, that's fine. But if you want to have a conversation with them...remind them that while air bags can and do save lives, they certainly do not save every life. They are just one small part of auto safety.

This is kind of like if your parents told you that you can wear sweat pants, slippers, and an "I Love Beer" T-shirt........but as long as you put on a necktie, you're ready to go on a job interview.

I think you should take this opportunity to remind your parents that you drive carefully, wear your seat belt (I hope), keep your car in good working order, et cetera.

okfoz

Technically speaking, his parents asked him to have an airbag put into his car. so as long as he gets the dummy airbag he fulfills his obligation. I did not see anything about making it functional.

Besides, I imagine if you really want to get literal, you could go to K-mart and get a blow up Pool toy. If you get a blow up girl, then you will never have to worry about a date either. The nice thing about blow up women is they are cheep on a date, and they never ask "does my but look big?"

John

91DropTopTA

Ok, I just wanted to reply to all the guys flaming airbags. I had a 91 rs before I got my TA. I fell asleep on the way home from working/partying/morepartying. It only took a second for the car to drift off the road and into the ditch. I hit a driveway culvert going at lease 50 or 55. It hit almost dead center. The ditch was deep and the car went completely airborne. It turned 170 degrees and landed ten feet off the road in the front yard of someones house. The T-tops both shot out and the entire front end was destroyed. And I mean totally destroyed. The interior was mostly intact, as far as structually. The airbag probably saved my life. I would not have wanted to take that hit in my 79 camaro. Everybody has a horror story. I hear more stories about people drowning because of a seatbelt than I can count. Airbags can hurt you, but there is a reason they are there. I had no injuries except a sore neck and an empty wallet. I think you should tell your parents to kiss your *** . If that doesn't work, tell them that you will get an airbag car only if it's an F-body. Show them the safety stats. They are on the net. If you paid for the car tell them to **** off though.

Brian K

Just get he parts, lie they work...

slowV8berlinetta

if you take the dummy airbag route, make sure that you also take a sensor from in front of the radiator of some random car, so you can mount it in your engine compartment with wires going anywhere so that it seems as though you have something to make it work. that should definitely work because judging from your parents request, they aren't very mechanically inclined.

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'84 Berlinetta, LG4, 700R-4, starwars interior, falling headliner, T/A t-handle shifter, trans cooler, more to come in time and $$ www.hipergp@aol.com

ChrisFirebird

If I were you I would tell my parents to **** off and that they don't know jack **** about what their talking about.

1991tealRSt-topGuy

DAMN ****ING STRAIT!!!!!!!

ARENT YOU 18???? CANT YOU STAND UP FOR YOURSELF NOW????? THEY CANT TELL YOU TO DO KRAP LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!


STAND UP!!!!!!!!!

qazd

hey chris firebird, thats almost what i told them, my father, after seeing these responses has decided that i can keep the stock wheel,he told mom to shutup, he is mechanicly inclined and would notice if the bag was nonoperational. Once again thanks to all who put in their input into my little problem- I turn 18 this week, and the title is to be changed to my name!

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'87 Z-28 305,Edelbrock 600 cfm, stock 700-r4 terribly slow

PopaPork

Hey Hey Hey.....enough with the "tell your parents to Kiss off and bla bla bla" I know exactly where he is coming from. With my rents, I do something that they dont approve of or if I do something stupid, there goes college. Buh bye...Cya lata. I cant afford 25000 a year. And I doubt he can either. So stick with the first idea, make your rents happy, just put in the dummy bags. You have plenty of time to tell your rents to kiss off after they get done spending all their money trying to put you through school.

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1989 RS Camaro
305ci TBI
Mods:
Hedman Header
Highflow Cat
3inch catback pipe
FlowMaster 80 Series Muffler
14x3 Open Air Element
8.5 HighTemp Spark Plug Wires
4.7 Ohm Reistor
Torque Converter Lock Up switch
www.rit.edu/~cjp8408
AIM: PopaPork

Ray Burrows

Glad you have this worked out, but I have to through in 2 cents here. Years ago a brother of a fellow I worked with was driving his 75 Buick Electra 225, pulling out of a parking lot on a city street he was T-boned, not wearing his seat belt and flew to the passenger side of the car, hit his head and died. Sherman tank theory doesn't always work. Story #2, neighbor kid, driving his 93Z on a two lane road hits deer at speed. He says you see a flash of brown and the air bags deploy filling the car with smoke and dust, your eyes water and you cough, and was lucky there was no oncoming traffic before he got the car stopped. Now I am in favor of air bags because they work, but they are not 100% fool proof, seat belts are a must because they have a better chance of helping you than harming you.
Going of to college deserves a sentence about drinking and driving, because I am aware of the beer parties on campus. THINK.