Hey!
My friend said shes selling her IROC for $4000 canadian. Now I think thats pretty decent so Im going to check it out monday. I dont know the year or the colour or the engine, so what are some good things to look for? Any problem areas, ways to tell if the engines 305 or 350 since she probally wont know?

 

to tell if its an iroc, just look for the appropriate RPO code. I believe the proper code was B4Z or simply Z28 in 88. Thtas the most sure fire way of proving that its an IROC.

As for the engine, the 8th digit of the VIN is the engine code, grab that and post it here and we'll tell you what engine is in it.

some other small things that you might wanna check out are that IROCs got the slightly larger sway bars, the quick ratio steering box, the steering brace (wonder bar), stiffer springs, better suspension (bilsteins), grid taillights, and the 16" rims which became optional in 88. I know there are a couple other things but i can't really remember them and i'm sur esomeone else will post it.

 

Is there a difference between IROC and IROC-Z? Or is IROC an upgrade to the Z28? Im a bit confused about that, but I know the years it comes in, so thats pretty good for me since I like those years. She said it has some fender damage, based on the severity Im thinking that needs some pretty heavy duty body work, should that bring the price down? or is 4grand good enough?

 

IROC-Z's and IROC's are the same. I think Chevy dropped the Z28 rpo code and called them IROC-Z's. A little unsure about the latter though.

 

IROC-Z's and IROC's are the same. I think Chevy dropped the Z28 rpo code and called them IROC-Z's. A little unsure about the latter though.

IROC = International Race of Champions
IROC-Z = Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z

People are lazy and call the car "IROC", which only the racing series is called. As a historian on third generation Camaros, I cannot afford to make this mistake. Therefore, you will never see me call it an "IROC" because this is technically incorrect.

If you can give us the year of the car, we can give you specifics. Such as: The IROC-Z was an optional handling/graphics package on the Z28 from 1985 thru 1987. The Z28 was dropped in 1988, replaced by the IROC-Z (thru 1990). The Z28 was brought back in 1991.


....IROCs got....

A misuse of the word "IROC" here as I outlined above. This is a VERY common practice which I've never liked. Very similar to "cement" and "concrete". Most people don't know the difference and oftentimes use one term when meaning the other.


....the slightly larger sway bars, the quick ratio steering box, the steering brace (wonder bar), stiffer springs, better suspension (bilsteins), grid taillights, and the 16" rims which became optional in 88.

The need to specify what the comparison to is important. When comparing the Z28 to the Z28 with IROC-Z option for 1985 - 87, here's a breakdown:

1) The sway bars are identical.
2) The steering box ratio is identical. There is one difference: The IROC-Z box has "stops" that limit the wheels from hitting the inner fender because of the larger 16-inch tires.
3) The Wonderbar is an IROC-Z exclusive, not found on the Z28.
4) The springs (front & rear) have identical spring rates. The rear springs on the IROC-Z are slightly shorter, resulting in ~15mm lower ride height.
5) The IROC-Z has Delco-Bilstein rear shocks. The Z28 does not.
6) The grid taillights are identical.
7) The Z28 has 15-inch wheels. The Z28 with IROC-Z option has 16-inch wheels.

Note: Some people think the ground effects on the Z28/IROC-Z were larger/lower than those found on the Z28. Not true. They are also identical, except color. Z28's are gold, silver or charcoal. IROC-Z's are body-color.

Enough for now.

 

Wow, you da man.:hail:

 

haha no kidding, I just learned so much! I'll be sure to gather as much info as I can so you guys can disect my find!

 

Gord, buy that IROC man, you won't regret it. I want one so bad. They are such nice thirdgen cars. Be sure to post some pictures if you get it! Good luck!

 

haha allright man way to pump me up! Keeping in mind the fender damage, how much is too much? You can buy fenders and stuff right?

 

I can't believe that Willie missed this one...

The RPO Z28 was never dropped (during the 3rd gen years). In the years 85-87, an IROC-Z had the RPO code of Z28 and B4Z. In 1988-90, the IROC-Z was designated by the RPO code Z28. There was no more seperate Z28 and IROC-Z like in the 85-87 years. There was only the IROC-Z, designated by RPO Z28.

C'mon Willie, bring it on!!

 

Geebus. No need to write 4 paragraphs about a mistake a guy makes. That's why I said I wasn't sure. I'm a firebird man myself. I had no idea they weren't called IROC's. Like you said, that's all I ever see people type so I just figured.
And, I'm a stock car fan. So I use the term IROC pretty regularly.

 

If you don't know Willie, don't get upset at his correction. He wasn't attacking the fact that you made a mistake and either was I. He was more accurately stating the history and diference. I was just messing with Willie!

When it comes to the history of these cars, we need to start accurately documenting them, so there will be no confusion. There are a lot of clones being made and alot of unknown answers. We've all learned alot from this forum

 

Ok the VIN is
GIFP21F9JL116696
I put it into the decoder but it sure didnt work. Its got a 305, 5 speed, T Tops, iots really nice, but I got into an accident with my other car today so I dont know if ill be getting it

 

Vin should read:

1G1FP21F9JL116696 instead of GIFP21F9JL116696

You missed the beginning "1".
The "I" should be a "1".

 

oh whoops :$ heh

 

So the car has a few problems, the passanger side fender is completally screwed but I hope its just the fender and nothing else, its got a few scratches and oddly enough it looks like theres no weather stripping on the rear window? And the doors have a bit of trouble closing, but other than that, nice. Im thinking of a new hood and getting it painted a new colour (its gunmetal grey which is pretty uncommon from what ive seen) But is $4 grand canadian good for a nice interior, good 305 engine with 5 speed, 240grand km, but recently rebuilt engine, T Tops (with origional cases) ?? Im getting a paintjob I know that so exterior will be fine?

 

*cough* aah hemm ah