Re: IROC Lovers?
 

fun fact, the 1989 firebird trans am anniversary turbo had the GNX motor and absolutely annihilated the grand nationals. it was the pace car that year and needed NO CHANGES to pace the field except for adding the light bar and radios and other safety equipment.

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

Yeah thats like the holy grail of 3rd gen F bodies to me.

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

I hope you don't do both at the same time :lol:

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

It’s home!!! It was a bit of a pain in the ass getting it on the trailer because of how low the factory ground effects are but we got on without tearing anything up. I bought this car as a long term project for me and my only son Cole. Today was the first time he saw the car up close. I think he approves! I can’t get over how clean this car is having sat so long. There’s no rust anywhere other than the surface rust from the blistered paint.

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

Congrats!!

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:lol: Yeah. I would say that he approves. Very nice.

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Very nice! I see your next trip in the background for a K20. You can't pass that slide in up can ya? :lol:

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

If anyone is interested, there is a junk yard near me that has an 89 I believe, Black GTA for very reasonable. Someone should save it. :lol:

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

Nice find, congrads.
3rd gen is one of my favorite body styles. I always wanted a convertible and when this deal came around, I couldn't pass it up. It is a Z28 clone. I got it with no engine and tanny. I dropped a used 5.3 and T5 that I had sitting around and now it is on the road for summer!

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So cool! I can only think how different my life would be if my dad had gotten a car like that and told me it was for he and I to fix up for me.

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Very nice car.

My itch to get one has turned into a fever. But sticker shock holds me back. That and I need another car like I need another hole in my head.

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We called them guidomobiles in high school :) I do love them..

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

Ohh believe me I know all about the DSE-Z. That car is really bad ass. I’ll keep you in mind on the wheels when I get to that point. they would look pretty good on it. For now I think I’m gonna work on getting it running and see what I have to work with.

Damn Ryan you read minds real good, I was looking it over pretty good I’m not gonna lie. It’s got some water damage inside of it though, so I’m not sure I want to take it on. I did contemplate it though:lol:

Hell yea nice car!

My dad and I built my ‘57 when I was in high school and I cherish every minute of that time I had to spend with him on it. He’s still here but he lives 2,000 miles away from me now, so I don’t get to see him very often. I want to share similar memories with my son. I’m also giving my oldest daughter my ‘69 K10 swb when she can drive. My goal is to do a vehicle project with each of my 3 kids in this fashion.

Do it Paul! You know you need one!

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

so fun fact II, they only made the TTA for one year because it was so much faster than the GTA. they were only rated at 250 hp for the same reason even though dyno tests of brand new cars showed closer to 375 hp and quarter mile times in the high 11s, low 12s. compare that to the cars of 1989, even exotics! I was working at the burger king next to wright pontiac in 1989 and would walk through the showroom every day to look at their TTA.

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Power washing anyone? This car is 100% original as best I can tell. Crazy to see all the original hoses and such. And how clean it really is. I hope to pull the plugs and start lubing the cylinders and such soon. Gonna pull the tank and clean it as well as replace the pump/sending unit and filter before attempting to start it.

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

Aw man, you washed away all the "barn find" dust that would've brought you thousands more at auction ;)
Under the hood cleaned up really nice. That's a great one to document originality from. I wonder if the fuzzy seat covers ended up protecting the seats from heavy sun damage?

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Yes sir they sure as hell did:metal: the rear seat was similarly protected by the louvers.

I thought it was pretty cool that the original T-Top bag is still in the back.

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That motor cleaned up real nice. The seats too. This car just keeps getting better and better.


As clean as it is I would be really tempted to just repaint it and keep it stock. Especially if you plan on tossing the keys to a 16 year old. Remember back when you were 16. I was a terror and so were my kids at that age. My youngest is 30 now and my oldest is 40. They have calmed down substantially. The jury is still out on me. Now they tell me to grow up.

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That underhood pic is unbelievable.

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Hey..I resemble that remark!
I grew up in a neighborhood full of them.

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Here are my thoughts on it. Since he has so long before his son is driving, rip out all that pristine original stuff, do the 5.3/5 speed swap, enjoy it, and then put the stock stuff back in before he gets his permit. Let him learn on the stock version. Shoot, I'm sure by the time he's that age, you'll have 3 more of these. :lol:

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Lol you know me too well Ryan:lol: my wife was like now Tyler, 1 5th Gen and 1 IROC are ok, I’ll tolerate them but; NO MORE than 1 of each:lol: I need to come up with some new justification excuses! She’s afraid it’s gonna be like it is with the trucks. A million of them laying around that I’ll take forever to get too:lol:

I’m not sure what I’m going to do drivetrain wise. It’s hard for me to want to yank the motor and transmission on such an original car.

Liz- funny stuff!

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

That's the problem with a really nice original car. You don't really want to mess with it. The paint is a given. You have to do that and the broken wheel but everything else looks good.

Here's your justification for another car. Tell your wife that you have to have another one that isn't so nice to hot rod. It'll work. Trust me. I'm good at making excuses. I've only had 15 women leave me.

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

Amazing before and after engine pics. Even the hoses look good but I don't know if I would trust them.
If you keep the current engine I would pull the injectors and have them cleaned and flowed.
Have you tried turning it over with the crank pulley bolt?
Just FYI there is a company in the MPLS area called TPIS. Tuned port engines were their thing back in the day.

Re: IROC Lovers?
 

I haven’t attempted it yet. That is first on the list before pulling and cleaning the tank. Hopefully later tonight or tomorrow. I will probably try and run it on the injectors that are in it. If they need work I’ll send them off and get them cleaned and rebuilt if needed. I’m going to clean the tank and change the fuel pump before I even attempt to start it or prime the fuel system so as to avoid giving them a certain death sentence.

I can’t wait to get the interior cleaned up to see how it really cleans up.

Paul- I’m not sure it’s a good idea to take advice like this from someone who’s got so many exes!