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We have three great third gens for the October 2021 COTM "Open Season" contest... Nominee's please post up some great information to help the voters decide the winner! Voting will go through the end of the month. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...ml#post6442796
Re: October 2021 COTM "Open Season" **Voting Thread**
Thanks again for the nomination! I always enjoy participating in COTM nominations and voting, and it's fun to have my car in the running.
My car is a 1986 IROC-Z, and currently sits with 19,322 actual miles. It is all original, except for the tires, battery, and Flowmaster cat back exhaust. I had the chrome Flowmaster tail pipes removed and replaced with factory style slash cut tips, so at least it appears stock. All of the paint is original.
I bought the car this past June. It has been an Iowa car its entire life, and I purchased it from its third owner who lives just 25 miles away from me. I first saw the car at a local car show about 3 years ago. I couldn't believe there was such a mint, low mile IROC so close to me, and that I'd never seen the car before. After that car show, I kept waiting to see it again at every show that I went to, but I never saw it again. The car seemed to vanish LOL. Anyways, fast forward to June 2021, and I pulled in to a car show with my old Blue/Gold 1989 IROC. I was wiping the car down right after I had arrived when an older gentleman came up to me and said how much he liked my car, and that he also had a blue one, and his only had 18k miles on it. Of course, I knew the car immediately, and asked to meet him at his car in 10 minutes so I could check it out.
When I arrived at the car, I was pretty stoked to get the chance to see it again! We chatted for probably 15-20 min, and I told him "If you EVER want to sell this car, I would probably be interested in buying it, just depends on what you'd want." He replied with "Well the car is not for sale....but I WOULD sell it" and he threw out a number that I was MORE than happy with. I replied with "I better get your number".....and a week later I owned the car.
The only thing that didn't work on the car was the air conditioning, so I had the car converted to R134A, and now it works great. The car is loaded up about as good as it could be for a 1986. About the only thing it doesn't have is a power driver's seat. It has the TPI 305, posi, 3.23 rear gears, 4 wheel disc brakes, power mirrors, overhead console, power windows, locks, rear defrost, 145mph speedometer, etc.
I have driven the car to a few car shows this summer, and was at one very large car show that was judged, and I took second place in the 1980-1999 original class.
I am planning on keeping this car for a very long time. I absolutely LOVE this thing! Anyways, here's some pics of the car!
Re: October 2021 COTM "Open Season" **Voting Thread**
Hey all, thanks a lot for the nomination - I really appreciate it !
First of - d@mn dangwood, that's a gorgeous car - my vote goes to you!!
Anyway, so I've been around a while , and I've had this car for just over 23 years! The car is a 1986 IROC-Z convertible. I bought it in August 1998 after moving from Norway to the US to go to college. I bought it in Westville, IL from an older gentleman whom was the 2nd owner. First owner was a lady in Champaign, IL if my memory serves me. I can't quite recall the milage at the time when I bought it - but I believe it was somewhere around 60K.
Over the years been it has been quite a few debates about the origin of the conversion of this car, as it is an 86. The story I got from the previous owner was that the car was converted by Choo Choo Customs in Chattanooga, TN - but by the use of parts from ASC. As I could not find any documentation of any other CCC convertibles, I contacted CCC in 1998/1999 to ask if they had in fact done any such conversions on thirdgen Camaros. I was familiar with their other Camaro conversions (SS, SX and TeamCamaro) from old brocheurs that I had gotten my hands on, but there was no mention of convertibles. The answer I got was they had actually done some convertible conversions, but had no number or any other info as there had been changes in the company and they had no old records.. The total lack of stickers and other marks for identification to prove if it was a CCC conversion or something else - also makes it challenging to say who did it. The only thing that is for sure - is that it was done with ASC parts, but it doesn't have any ASC stickers, badges etc. either.
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So, the conclusion is - I really don't know, and I've given up trying to figure it out, I'll just stick with enjoying it
To continue the story, during my college years I lowered it, added 17x9,5" TT2 wheels wrapped in 275/40x17s and a minor mods here and there + a full color swap of the interior from red to tan and 97 T/A seats. In the spring of 2002 before graduating, my exhaust was shot and I bought a full Edelbrock TES exhaust (headers, y-pipe and catback) , but broke a bolt in the head when removing the manifold. So, I bought a set of WP S/R Torquer 305 heads instead. As they turned out to be 87-up heads, one thing lead to another - and I ended up with a cam swap, a new TPI intake base, and SLP runners to go with it I f**ked up during assembly and the car ran like crap. Ended up getting getting invited by our friend Vader to bring the car up for a thorough check. Rented a U-haul and a trailer, took a 4 hour trip to his house and spent a couple of days there. Turned to be 1 tooth off on the timing chain with a bent valve as the result. He of course got it sorted out, fixed me up with some new rockers and cleaned injectors (and probably more that I have forgotten) - and the car ran like never before! Shortly after this I got an issue with the trans starting to leak occasionally.
May 2002 I moved back to Norway iafter graduating, and brought the car along with me. It has since had some years with quite a bit of use, and others without a single mile. After two long road trips in Norway 2003 and 2005, I realized the stock brakes are useless in mountainous Norway! So I bought the C5 front brake conversion from Ed Miller. When I got these mounted, I realized they didn't clear my TT2s, added some spacers - but that pushed them too far out. Time for wheel shopping! That was when our good friend Kandied91Z decided to move up from his 18" Boze Stingers, and I was lucky enough to buy them from him and have them shipped over here! Around 2008 I bought a used set of 91-92 gfx and put on the shelf, and shortly thereafter a NOS 91-92 front spoiler came for sale here in Norway, which I also purchased and put on the shelf.
Then a few years of little to no use came along as I never got that transmission fixed, and it gradually got worse.. it would leak and eventually started slipping out of gear. Finally in 2017, I bought a DIY kit an a video from Monster Transmission, then me and my brother had at it a weekend and rebuilt it ourselves! Put it back in the car and it ran like charm! Now, fast forward to last winter where I started to shop for parts - bought a brand new front bumper, all new seals, windshield and other miscellaneous parts - then finally April 2021, I could ship the car off to the paint shop for a long planned paint job!
It took a while to get everything put back together after the paint job, but it is getting there now. Currently have a plan for a full renewal of the interior that I'm anxious to get going, hopefully over the winter.
Mod list: 305TPI w/TH700R4 Monster Transmission WorldProducts 305S/R heads SLP runners Ported plenum Edelbrock TES headers Edelbrock Cat-back Highflow cat CompCam Roller rockers AFPR Jamex 1.5" lowering springs All poly bushings Edelbrock trailing arms BMR strut Tower brace Lakewood adj. Panhard bar C5 Z06 front brake Conversion Boze Stinger Wheels 18x8/18x10.5 (Kandied91Z's old ones) Tires: 245/40 + 285/35 ASCD SS Hood Seats: Neutral '97 TransAm front/back Interior parts painted in GM's pewter MacEwen white gauges Momo steering wheel and pedals
Paint: GM Victory Red
Some pics from over the years:
When I bought it back in 1998 With TT2s, lowering and SS hood, 2001 With Boze stingers Engine - not much to brag about.. Interior, neutral 97 T/A seats, Momo steering wheel, MacEwen gauge and shifter overlay, my own HVAC overlay and accents painted in GM Pewter metallic 2016 2021 and ready for paint shop 2021 Just home from paint! 2021
09-26-2021, 05:39 AM
, and I've had this car for just over 23 years! The car is a 1986 IROC-Z convertible.
I f**ked up during assembly and the car ran like crap. Ended up getting getting invited by our friend Vader to bring the car up for a thorough check. Rented a U-haul and a trailer, took a 4 hour trip to his house and spent a couple of days there. Turned to be 1 tooth off on the timing chain with a bent valve as the result. He of course got it sorted out, fixed me up with some new rockers and cleaned injectors (and probably more that I have forgotten) - and the car ran like never before! Shortly after this I got an issue with the trans starting to leak occasionally.
