okfoz

I was told it was a Government sanctiond thing. I believe it was an attempt to reduce speeding. The time it was in effect ran from about 1975-1985 (physical years).

John

redliterunner

Yeah. Somebody decided that the psychological impact of driving with the speedo buried or nearly buried would slow people down.

It was all about the shortage of gas which first hit in 1974, driving gasoline prices to obscene levels well in excess of 40 cents/gallon over much of the country.

Pres. Carter imposed the national 55 mph speed limit about the same time. All in the name of saving fuel.

I remember watching a road crew outside my high school window taking down a 70mph sign and putting up a 55. I remember thinking "Wow! Government in action. Cool!".

That afternoon, driving home in my Camaro, I thought "What the f**k is this bull***t!?!"

86NiteRider

iTrader: (10)

So can I swap in the 145 to my 92 RS even tho the engine is 5.0? I did a swap on my 86 with no problem. Is it as easy in a 92?

Codename 47

iTrader: (4)

My 86 Z28 LG4 5 Speed has the 145 mph speedo.

85 roc it

Goes by the cam size on some

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

So if there isn't an RPO code for it, then it must be in combination with other RPO's. So, if you have the 145 MPH speedo, post your specs. Do it if you didn't have it originally too!

1988 Iroc-Z
5.0 TPI
5 speed
3:08 posi
15" wheels
115mph speedo

86 sports coupe

I beleive that the tire speed rating came into play on the 145 mph or 115. The 4th gen cars are this way 93-94. If it had the low speed tires it got the smaller speedo.

CHEVY_EATER

Yea, a guy my dad worked with years ago bought a 93 Formula new and it had the Eagle GA's on it. lol He bragged how fast the car was but it shut off at 112 I think...haha.

Bandit400

That's true the 4th gens were that way.
It seems for the 3rd gens that you couldn't order say an L98 with the 235/55 Eagle GA which would necessitate the 110mph speedo. If you ordered the L98 engine or G92 option then you got the 245/50 Z rated tires which in turn got the 145. It seems that G92,L98, and/or 1LE went hand in hand with the 245s and in turn with the 145mph gauge. It appears that when ordering you couldn't select 'just' the tire size alone. You certainly couldn't with RS. If you got F41 then you got the 16s if not you got 15s. But to get F41 you also had to get LO3. But you couldn't pick and choose all the options.
Anyway, some of this is speculation and I would be interested in hearing from someone who knows the true details.

86 sports coupe

Of course I never saw a 3rd gen that came with the 5.7 to not have the 145 mph. I know 87 z/28s that had tpi but not speed rated tires.

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

Like I said above, I think the best way to figure this out is to go by the numbers. Post what you have for a configuration, and judge from that!

86 sports coupe

I wish I could post what I got but some idiot equiped my 83 berlinetta and sports coupe with 85 mph. Duh a 200 mph speedo would be more accurate.

Codename 47

iTrader: (4)

1986 Z28
5.0L TBI (LG4)
5 Speed
3.23 Posi
4 wheel disc brakes
15" wheels
145 mph speedo

My car was built in June of 86, so it's a late 86 car.

redliterunner

'89 iroc
5.0 TPI
700r4
Drum brake/non-posi rear
16" wheels
145 speedo
130 mph limited

I think the speed limiter value, if known, might be significant as well.

86 sports coupe

Mines 12o mph at 5500. Trans wont stay in overdrive.
The speedo is a 115 unit and by looking at it it was about 5 mph past it.
Does this sound about right for a car with 345 gears 26 inch tall tires?

onebluemcm

Ever since I bought my car I've wondered whether or not it is truly all stock. The RPO label from the glove box was missing so I can't check that out. I did get a copy of the build sheet and the sheet and the car agree, but with out the RPO list I feel like I just can't be 100% sure. It was owned, and originally ordered in '88, by the general manager of the Chevy dealer where I bought the car - so yeah, it spent it's entire life in and out of a Chevy dealer in Dayton OH. I think I am a descent judge of character and so to me everything seemed on the up-and-up at the time of my purchase. For all intents and purposes, I think the car is totally stock.

LB9, T5 trans, 15" wheels and it has the 115 or 120, which ever you prefer, speedo.

One question I wondered about is if any L98 cars ever came, or were even available, with 15" wheels? If it had a 350 and thus had to have 16s, maybe that helps explain --- something? Just a thought...

Kev

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

In 1988 only, 15" wheels were standard on the Iroc-Z, and the 16" were an option. I don't think the engine had anything to do with the size.

86 sports coupe

Show me a 5.7 camaro or firebird without an 145 mph speedo.

okfoz

And I will show you a car thats not all original.

John

onebluemcm

In the later years, liek 89 on, the whole 5.7-gets-a-145-speedo things doesn't even make much sense - the mights 305 with TPI was nearly as strong and ceratinly could go aboust as fast, if not equal. Must have had more to do with tire size as originally equiped......

Kev

86 sports coupe

I have never seen a 5.7 car without the 145 speedo, but of course with the top engine you got the top tires also, I guess they all go hand in hand.

okfoz

THe thing that gets me is I gave a perfectly logical explanation with information to explaint which cars got which speedos, which no one up to this point has convinced me its in err. But its almost as if no one wants to believe the information.

John

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

Except for me, as I have:

1988 Camaro
LB9 305 TPI with 5500 redline
15" wheels
3:08 rear
115/120 speedo

Everything is factory BTW.

ajmclean

ok then explain to me

a 1987 iroc vert with 85MPH and 5500 red rpm
and a stock TPI and it was automatic

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

In your case, I would say something isn't stock. Far as I know, only the T5 cars got the 5500 tach.

CHEVY_EATER

I am going to have to look at my friends car or take some pics.
1990 L98 car with rear disk, dual cats, and it has a 110 speedo? The car was 100% stock when he got it and he is the 2nd owner only and had it since 1993 or around there. I thought it was really odd. I know the car is a L98 car for sure, I checked the vin and the RPO codes when I was still in parts department at Chevy dealer last year. I printed but he probably lost it by now. I could look up alot of interesting info when I was still working there, too bad I never had a GM until now! lol

86 sports coupe

I beleive its original, but it isnt the norm.

CHEVY_EATER

I took pics of the car tonight and the RPO decal, door decal, etc. Here is something I thought was odd??

E5Z
SPEEDOMETER ADAPTER (DELETE)

E9Z
SPEEDOMETER KEY (DELETE)


What is that all about?

CHEVY_EATER

CHEVY_EATER

86 sports coupe

WOW! an l98 car without the 145? Sometimes if they are out of a part they wont shut the line down, they will use what they got.
Thats the only explanation I know of. Ive never seen an L98 car without the 145.
ANYONE ELSE?
This isnt a convertibal is it? The tach is a 5000 redline, maybe its not a speedo thing but the whole cluster?
Man I love talking about theese cars!

86 sports coupe

Maybe a gauge swap?
Never seen a L98 car with the 145. parts shortage or gauge swap, I would lean towards the gauge swap.
Anyone else want to chime in?

CHEVY_EATER

Nope it is a hardtop with no t-tops. The block even matches, it has the last part of the vin stamped in it, never knew they did that still...??

CHEVY_EATER

Anyway to tell if it was swapped? No idea why it would have been...car has never been wrecked and had 1 repaint only due to paint falling off.

86 sports coupe

It can happen, maybe they ran out of the 145 speedo that day?
Ive seen 350 small blocks with heavy duty balancers and could swear that it would be a 4 bolt, pull the pan, it has heavy duty rods big 8 inch balancer( the thick one) and it is a 2 bolt. It does happen, but being 2nd owner who knows? Maybe fraud? lower milage speedo replaced it? The speedo or tach messed up? We dont know. You friend could contact the 1st owner, but if its a fraud the guy is going to say its original.
Has anyone else everv seen a 5.7 car without the 145?

86 sports coupe

When it comes down to it there is know numbers that says this car was equiped with a 145. the 69 z/28 from california............. there is no number on the tag saying this car is a z/28.
Im glad you sent the photo, I would like somone else show me a 5.7 car without the 145. There cant be that many, but like I said nothing is impossible.
Thanks Randy

CHEVY_EATER

No prob! I never knew they had the vin in the block either..I thought that was only back in the 6o's and 70's?!

86 sports coupe

I just pulled an engine out of my 76 truck( junked everything else).
My friend put 150k on it it had about 120k on the clock. he never changed oil on it. I had it about 2 yrs put maybe 10k on it. every time I changed oil it was 1/2 quart overfilled because of the sludge! well i have read about the block number for yrs, I scraped the goo off compared it to the vin and they matched! You cant beleive everything you raed but you cant ignore everything either.
I love these cars, and I know in my heart that the camaro berlinetta will be compared to the ZL-1 camaro or the 1970 dick herald LS-6 454 camaro! OH CRAP DID I FALL ALSEEP AGAIN AND TYPED?

okfoz

Although I may be wrong on this, or at least I hope I am wrong. I am thinking that it may have been a cluster swap. To change out a cluster on a on a 86-92 Firebird or a 90-92 Camaro would probably take me about a half an hour once I got going. One #2 screw driver, a 7MM and 10MM nut driver is all you need and a small magnetic pan for all the screws.

THe parts and illustration catalogs pretty well spell out what speedo and tach goes with each engine/trans combo. I wnet through it a few years back for the Firebirds. It cannot be much different for a Camaro to do the same.

John

CHEVY_EATER

I'm sure it is possible, only thing I can think of doing is having the speedo looked up at dealer with the vin# in the sysytem. It will only show the part # for the cluster that is correct for the vehicle. Another way would be to call United Radio...I think that was who did the warrant clusters for GM when I worked in parts. They can tell you what one goes in the car from the vin #. Might have to do some research. It is possible the speedo was changed out...seems odd...not sure why...but might be the only possible thing.

okfoz

My guess would be that the original cluster malfunctioned, and thats the one they had in stock. IE, the speedo broke, and like so many things at GM the only thing they offer is an assembly.

John

CHEVY_EATER

Maybe it was replaced by the previous owner? With GM, when a cluster goes bad you call and request a replacement with the mileage, vin #, and the original part # off the unit itself so that you get the right one. I know that alot of times, what the car "should" have had was not always the way it was. They would not go off a part # from the computer, it had to be off the unit. But part numbers get changed so much it is crazy. I used to have parts that changed to a new # and the number was not right! The parts catalog is NOT always right, I used to call GM and request info if I was concerned at all.

okfoz

Unfortunately the Parts catalogs is about all we have to go with any more in regards to our cars. It really has a great amount of info if you have a little info to start with. It does take some guess work however based upon what you know.

If you take out your cluster you should be able to locate the build date of the cluster. The ones I have I belive have a date stamped on the outside, or there is a decal with the date.

Its a lot of work for something so trivial, but it MIGHT shed some light on this if you compare it to the build date sticker of your car that is found on the Drivers side door. Unfortunately I think they only include the Month that your car was made on the sticker...

On a side note, If someone has the pages for the Speedo applications for Camaro If I get some time I could decode the information and it would end some of the problems with the debate. it should be Section 9.761

John

Xlr8torZ28

iTrader: (19)

We need to remember one thing. No matter what is or was considered standard or optional, Dealers could order a car set up just like they want or for that much a person that pre pays for an unbuilt vehicle can get exactly the options he or she wants. There is a myth that no 350 5 speeds were ever produced. This is true to an extent. You could order a 350 5 speed if you wanted one, but it voided warrantly on the transmission. It was not a standard production offering. Also from 1990 -1992 a Z28 with T-tops was not available with the G92 option or a 5 speed, and was no longer available with the 350 as were the convertibles, BUT some dealers ordered some how they wanted and customers also. I have a '91 Z28 with a 305 that came with a 5 speed and the G92 option, but the previous owner special ordered the car like he wanted. You just have to pay upfront and wait a few weeks for your car.

okfoz

Unfortunately your incorrect, Although this may have been the case in the early years, like the 60's and possibly early 70's, once you get into the 3rd gens those special things are no longer, the COPO cars, and the Yenko Camaros are long gone, as crash tests became more important and safety was on the governments lips...

You could get special things done, for example, there are some Buicks that have special paint jobs and special colors from the factory, its not on any list as a standard color, however they exist... BUT that was usually preautomation, once you get into robots painting cars, and robots assembling some of the parts, that goes away. There are only so many colors that a Robot can paint at one time, and only so many colors that will be accepted by the machine... Thus why for the most part both Camaros and Firebirs usually offer the same colors, the only difference is the name chosen by the division... I could go on but I made my point, and this is not the time or place for it.

The idea that a 350 could be had with a 5 speed, and it would void the warrenty is obsurd. Although on the surface it would seem to be reasonable, but GM would still be legally LIABLE if there was a problem, and in the end could be sued if something were to happen.

When a car goes through tests, EACH engine and transmission option must be TESTED before it is certified by the federal government, This is what almost bankrupted SLP back in 1990. When they set out to build the Firehawk, they needed to test cars with different crash tests to observe what the result of the new axel and transmission would have in the case of a crash. Likewise, GM probably never did a test with a 5 speed and a 350 in a Camaro or a Firebird, therefore they could NOT sell it. Even though a 305 is similar its not exactly the same, and both engines needed to be tested seperately with the Automatic. This is probably the reason why the 4th gens only used 2 engines unlike the 3rd gen which used a minimum of 4 different engines each year.

I hate to say it, but a 5 speed 350 car does NOT exist in the 3rd gen, they were not made, no matter how hard you pushed or proded... THe ONLY way it would have been possible is if the dealer installed it for you, then its not original anyway...

sorry to seem like an A@@ but its the truth.

John

1991L98G92

I don't have it in my hand right now, but I will check when I get home, the "Camaro White Book" mentions the 140 MPH spedo through the different years. I believe for 91 (my car) the G92 is what opted the 140 spedo and I don't believe any 5.7's in 91 were without the G92, but I could be wrong about that. I will see about scanning the pages which mention what year and model with what option. I think in the dealer catalogs it will also be mentioned, so if any of you out there have a catalog get it out and have a look.

Xlr8torZ28

iTrader: (19)

Whats even funnier, is that a '91 Z28 with 5 speed or G92 wasnt available with T-tops, But I have one, so I guess it is possible! thank you