Hmmm.. I am new here and have scanned quit a few postings on values and some of ya'lls restorations.

I have a 5 speed 1989 5.0 tbi I-ROC with t-tops, with 160k miles on it that I purchased for 3k 10 yrs ago when it had 100k miles on it. Probably paid to much but figured it would be a good investment for the future.
The engine is original and still running strong but I need new catalytic converter and other than the driver side fender ( I have an oem fender handy) and door (I had an argument three months ago, with a very strong mail box and lost!! The frame was not hurt at all and the rest of the body is in awesome shape as well as the paint job, (still factory with door decals completely intact) T-tops are in excellent shape as well, no leaking but passenger drip guard a little worn on jamb side (can that be replaced?)

Interior needs some minor work, like new dash board, and liner redone as well as seats re-upholstered. Is this car worth throwing a few $$ at it to get it in shape again? I have never restored a car before but am willing to try. Looks like it might be fun despite some of the headaches that might arise. Any advice would be helpful.

 

Post pics! And there is no dash in IROC.

 

That all depends on what your willing to invest and what its worth to you. You'll always have more in them than what they're worth.

 

WRONG!

CORRECT!


IROCs are great looking cars, although yours has the worst (lowest output) factory engine option, still a great looking car. personally, i would fix the cosmetic defects and throw a different engine at it (LT, LS, L98, Ramjet, basically something fuel injected.) i'm pretty performance oriented, so this is the type of advise i typically give. obviously this would cost alot of money. whatever you decide, think of it as an investment in your fun and enjoyment, but never as a financial investment. ever.

 

First thing to ask yourself is what you want out of your car. In my case, I wanted a nice, drivable 82 pace car and to have it as factory as I can make it. I know I will probably sink more into the project than it's will ever be worth, but I don't really care.

Buying any car for possible future value is foolish. Buy the car because you like it, and decide how you want to enjoy it -- then work toward that goal.

 

Don't waste your money on that car.

It's the bottom of the IROC line. TBI 305.

Get yourself a better car. Otherwise, you'll find yourself with about $10k tied up in about a $3k car; and all you'll have, still, is .... a TBI car. And a 305 at that. <9th grade girl> EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww </9th grade girl>

Incidentally, IROC was the International Race Of Champions series; an invitation-only series that invited the top 6 or 8 NASCAR drivers, the top few CART drivers, top couple of F1 drivers, and a few others sometimes (SCCA Trans Am series, mayne a few others I can't recall any more) and ran em in identically-prepped cars at mostly the big ovals on the day before the Winston Cup race. Chevy licensed the name and supplied the body work for those few years, until some genius over there decided that it was pointless to support a series where Chevys only raced other Chevys and pulled the plug. (They ran a bunch of other stuff over the years, Porsches even in some years, before that; afterwards, Dodge licensed the name briefly for some one of their little smarmy FWD POSs) IROC itself died about 8 or 10 years ago. Its last few years, it ran Firebirds; but without any factory support at all. Seems like even for a couple of years after the Firebird was discontinued.

 

Restorations usually end up costing twice as much as originally budgeted and take twice as long

 

WRONG!

Restoration projects will often lose money, but low mileage originals have the potential to grow in value and make you money. Ask me how I know

Light restorations can easily be recouped as well if you buy the car right first, and don't over-restore it.

 

Jason, how many F-bodies have you bought and sold?

 

I should have said repair.. I understand value loss on restoration, it just like remodeling a house, nothing gained but ego.. I just want to get my car looking good again and keep her not sell her.. though only a pitiful 305, she still fun to drive.

 

My first Iroc was an '87 Auto hardtop with the 5.0 .....Carbureted engine 165 total hp but it was fun to drive it was non G92 so I got highway gears but I plan on buying the car back and putting some money in it so that it can be a lil faster and meaner. Such as : 3.23 posi, mild comp cam, Flowmaster 80's Series 3" catback, b&m shift kit, Bilstein shocks.

 

Since this was brought up, anybody mind if I elaborate?

These Camaros are not IROCs, they are not Irocs, they are not I-ROCs. This being the age of the Apple craze, they aren't iROCs either. Every single street version Camaro with the 85-87 RPO code of B4Z, and the 88-90 Camaro with the Z28 RPO code are IROC-Zs. The IROC was a race series. The IROC-Z was a Z28 inspired by the IROC series.

Just a little history lesson for anybody that cares!

 

True!

 

I am just glad that he has chosen an American made V8 muscle car to keep and restore vs. turning to an import. Yes the L03 is not a 400hp quarter mile monster motor in stock form. But that does not mean that modifications can be done to that motor to improve it. We all know that its very simple to install a 350 engine in these cars as well.

I am also glad that an IROC was saved from the junk yard. The state of 3rdgen's is changing. These cars are old enough now that many people are looking at them as potential projects and not just trash on wheels.

You also have to ask what you are looking for out of the car to begin with. Some people are more than happy with the stock L03. Other people want more performance from the start and seek out a car with the LB9 or L98 to start. Either way the owner has a chance to learn about cars and figure out whats important to him.

Lets also be 100% honest here. While there are some nice low mile pristine 3rdgen cars out there, this car is more realistic of what you will find. The newest thirdgen (1992 model year) is now 20 years old. That alone dictates that some type of work may need to be done to the vehicle.

So yes if he was looking for the fastest factory IROC I wouldn't want to start with the L03 either. I personally like the LB9 and L98 cars the best. But, he already has the car and knows at least some of the service history on it. The fact that the L03 was what the car was born with shouldn't be the end all factor in the choice. Because its an IROC-Z it will always be higher up on the food chain than an L03 RS.

Keep in mind that he could always swap out the L03 for something hotter and blow the doors of a stock looking LB9/L98 car. This would be especially true if the outside is all stock. The L03 IROC-z didn't recieve an engine identification on the rocker panel or the back bumper. I remember when I got my car (which has the L98) I didn't have engine call outs on the car. One of the previous owners took them off. I got every idiot in the world that wanted to race me. When I got the engine identifications badges put back on I got more respect. The L98 and LB9 cars are still very good performers today in my opinion. It also doesn't take too many mods to really make them perform even better. You just have to be smart and plan out what your goals are with the car. Then select an apporpriate course of action to reach them.

What would really be fun is if he built up a 383 TPI set up and left the car all the way stock looking on the outside. Someone correct me on this but didn't the L03 IROC's in 1989 all get the 15 inch IROC-style wheels? I know in '88 the 16 inch wheels were and option. That would be very cool if what looked like a stock L03 IROC blew the doors of an LS powered car.

 

Thanks for your comments, my first goal is to get parts I need, then shoot for a quality repaint (which I know can cost some serious $$$). I have researched this part and figure 3,500 to 4,500 to get a proper and good looking paint job. I shamefully had my bubble burst when I thought 1,500 was a good paint job!! LOL!!! Didn't realize good auto painters take car apart and soda blast it and do their magic. The labor cost more than the paint!!!

 

One of my tech's at the shop is going that same route with his L03 IROC-Z, except 5.3l turbo Should be a total sleeper.


Keep the exterior stock man. Its so rare to see a nice original anymore.

 

For a fun street car there is nothing wrong with a 5.0 TBI if you do some of the basic bolt ons and gear them with at least a L.S.D. and a gear ratio. change of 3.42 or higher depending on if its a automatic or not. I have one and its a blast to drive. I added a Corvette servo in the 700r4 and it gets on it just fine.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...nt-photos.html
The car was on its way to the junk yard. I took a chance and payed $500.00 for it. Needed a fuel pump ,water pump , power steering unit ,new steering column/ VATS module , some of the interior ,etc.( I did not know all that when I bought it.All I new was I wanted to save it) . Runs like a champ now.7 years of hard but fulfilling work so far.As you can see looking stock was not in my plans.(this was my first project car ever and shows what can be done if you set your mind to it.Perfect for my DD.)