Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Getting ready to tear into my IROC again so I thought I would start an official 'build thread'.

The Goal of this car is to be a great daily driver. Good handling suspension, good milage, good drivability, and enough power to make it fun on the daily commute.

First a little background. In 2003 I decided I wanted a 3rd gen again, with the idea of it being my daily driver. So first I decided what I wanted.

I wanted a Formula Bird, TPI 5 speed hard top. After months of searching I found none. Then oneday on the local fbody site a 1988 IROC-Z L98 hardtop came up for sale. It was listed as a "parts/project car", runs and drives, $900. It was about 2 hours away in Cincinatti. So, I made the drive, and after some dealing got it for $750. As soon as I pulled out it started raining and of course the wiper switch was broke. A little Rain X and the trip was on!

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long read, but its the history of the car, leading to the current build!

First up I tore into the front and rear suspenison,

Front. New Moog Springs cut 1/2 coil
KYB GR-2 Struts.
Edelbrock tie rod adjusters
New inner and outer tie rods
Poly control arm bushings
New ball joints.
Rebuilt calipers, new rotors and HPS Hawks pads.

Rear Added Lakewood control arms and track bar
GR-2 shocks
New Moog rears, cut

. Of course the body was beat up, I replaced both doors, put 2 new front fenders on and a Jongbloed Hood.

I decided to add headers and in the process broke a bolt off in the passenger head. So, off came the 083 heads. I had them ported and milled. Just as I was about to reinstall them, I hear of a local selling a Super Ram cheap, turns out it was a Stealth Ram, and I grabbed it.

Got the engine back together with the ported heads and the stealth ram, so then I moved on to bodywork.


The Entire body was stripped to bare, epoxied and primed. This was my first bodywork project and turned out pretty good, but I sure learned a lot!


We shot the orange paint, then a friend laid down the stripes matching the 1970 style. We used House of Kolors Copper Penny Peral on the stripes for a ghost effect.


After that it was interior.

Added new front and rear carpet, headliner, black plastics.

Just as the car was almost done things changed.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

So, by this time, I had a child on the way, and the engine in my Daily Driver truck had crapped. I had been hanging with my drag racing buddies, and was offered a great deal on a wicked 427, thinking I could afford to go racing I got it. I then pulled the l98 out of the iroc and dropped it in the truck.

Then it was big block time,


This thing was .060" over, 14:1 Aries Pistons
Heavily ported heads
Custom ground solid roller, 282/290 @.050" .748" .712" lift!

Over the next couple years the car sat.

I moved a couple times, and the camaro got shuffled through 6 garages in 7 years. It got a lot of dings and scuffs in those garages, and got raided for parts more then once

Finally after realizing I did not have the time and money to make this a competitive drag car I sold off the big block and roll cage I had bought.

Then for about a year the car was in limbo. I did not know what to do. It had lost all its heat and ac components. I was thinking about making it just a weekend cruiser hotrod, but just wasn't to excited.


By this time, I had a 1969 C10 that I had rebuilt, slammed, etc... that was my daily driver.



Then one day, I see what appeared to be my first car from 20 years ago for sale, a 1971 Camaro. The truck was sold, and I bought the 71 the same day. Turns out it wasn't the same car, but close enough.

My original camaro, still stock,


The 71 that I bought,



So, we are now almost 10 years later since I bought the 88. I have a cool 71 that will be my real hot rod, so it gave me a chance to get back in focus on what to do with the 88. Make it a great Daily Driver.
The 71 is currently playing daily driver duties.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

In the last couple months I have been collecting a ton of parts for the rebuild.


My goal is a great daily driver. I decided to go back to L98 after conpemplating my options. I also wanted to keep the TPi intake, cause, well, its classic and just looks cool! When I was a senior in high school I built a TPI and dropped it in a 1980 malibu, so I've been a fan of them for a few years.


I have just finished moving again, but bought this place so I will be hear for awhile!

Still unpacking and getting the shop ready, but will start turning wrenches soon!

New Shop is 24' wide x 30' deep, whith an enclosed 15'x30' leantoo! Not the biggest and best shop around, but I'm happy!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

So here is the current plan,

Clean up and repaint underhood.

Build and install engine

Upgrade some suspension stuff

Finish interior

Touch up paint

Drive!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Current parts list for engine

Many of the parts came for board members

L98 block bored .030" Decked
083 heads milled cut for bigger springs and 2.02/1.6 valves
New valves
New Comp dual springs
New Cast Eagle Crank
New Rods
New Speedpro flat tops. with the milling and deck should get me close to 10.3:1

Comp 08-501-8 cam
New GM lifters
New Comp pushrods
1.52" Comp Roller tip steel rockers
Clevite bearings

Induction is stock TPI base, which I plan to port, SLP Runners and a ported upper.

Picked up a set of Hedman shorties, same as what I had on the car before.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Suspension upgrades I have waiting include,

Founders Strut Mounts
Founders rear drop brackets.
Rear Bilstien shocks
Jegs adjustable Torque arm.


The car already had a Founders Panhard with rod ends I added a few years ago, as well as Jegs Control arms with solid bushings and rod ends.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Well, thats a start. I will get more pics soon, and will be adding a ton of progress pics once it gets going in a week or so. Gotta wire a 220 outlet for my Air compressor so I can get to work!

Richboll

Great story, I'll be here for the next chapter. I have a stock IROC convertible but I really enjoy reading the build threads. It just amazes me on how many just end without being completed. Here's to the successful completion of your build. Nice 71 by the way.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Thanks!

I hope this thrread will inspire others to knock the dust off their old projects and get back too it!

The problem with mine, and I am sure many others was that I lost focus. But now the focus is back, and this will retun to the road soon.


My goal is to have it on the road this summer, that way the 71 can go into the garage to repair the oh so common rear frame rail rust. I have a 408 sbc on the stand to build for it.


I have most of my parts for the 88 now, so it should not be too big of a deal getting it together. Got to spend next week finishing unpacking and getting the garage organized, then I will be spending many evenings on this!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Overall goals.


Great drivability.

20+ MPG

Clean appearance, I am going to try and make the engine bay as clean and uncluttered as posible.

Psychoz28

Nice build! Give some news soon for the update and some pics!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

This is it shortly after I had it almost finished. Nothings changed except the wheels.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Here it is when I bought it. Yeah, it had firebird wheels when I got it.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

And now, and yes, ended up with some firebird wheels for rollers.

jhainer

Nice to see another orange Camaro mine has the big block tho .

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Yeah these been a few orange ones on here over the years. My paint is about 8 years old now, and has seen better days.
Ill probably be painting it again in a few years, maybe back to factory red, or fire red.

I wish I still had the BBC, though I'd put it in the 71 now.

As you can see in that pic, I hot some unpacking to do!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Don't worry, the firebird wheels won't stay on long.
I have a set of wheels that I'm experimenting with spoke color now.

What color spokes would look good with this bright orange?

Coolwheels84

iTrader: (5)

Awesome story. Glad to see that you hung on to it through all the years. As far as your wheels, you can't go wrong with black. I'm a little partial though. lol.

njmick24

iTrader: (3)

Can't wait to see the progress. Awsome story! There's alot us out there with that same one. Keep that fire goin brother!!!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Just got back from a swap meet.

Picked up a 3.27 geared 9 bolt for $175.

Another part crossed off the shopping list.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

The rear has a swaybar on it, which I needed anyway.
I measured it with an adjustable wrench and it appears to be 23mm? Does that sound right?

I know they had several sizes. I had a 24mm before, but it got robbed along with my old 9 bolt a few years ago, when I sawpped it to a 92rs that I had for a daily driver.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Trying not to go black, tend to lose some of the detail off the wheel when it's black. May go dark though.

First test was vintage racing gold.

Thought?

Richboll

Needs more POP! I think chrome goes great with orange.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Got more stuff unpacked and put away. Hope to have my air compressor hooked up in the next week or so. Once I get it hooked back up I can start porting and polishing engine stuff. Then I'm taking the rotating assembly to the machine shop for balancing.

I may try an aluminum paint on the wheels next.

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

Subscribed looking good man, love the second gen too

W.E.G.

No gold on the Camaro!

Great to hear the progress!

BADNBLK

iTrader: (11)

Nice to hear the back story on this. Keep us posted as you get further.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

My stripes are Copper, which is close to gold

njmick24

iTrader: (3)

Maybe some type of rim that has a little larger surface area thats chrome, but then do a light or medium smoke over top of the chrome topped by a good clear coat would look pretty awsome against the body. Not to large of a surface area so you can still get a glimpse of the rotors, calipers, and hoses.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

The wheel with the gold spokes are the wheels I will be using. Brand new 18"x8.5" and 18x9.5" which I had to machine the fronts to fit.

W.E.G.

They DO make copper-colored paint.

You don't have to mix gold and copper colors.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

I have thought about using the copper pearl on the wheels, maybe over a silver base.

Just thought I'd try the gold, it is from eastwood, "Vintage Racing wheel gold".

I'm going to put a silver/aluminum coat on them and see how that looks first.

W.E.G.

For my tastes, silver and black are all I want to see on Camaro wheels.

The gold looks OK on the black/gold T/A when its done to a motif.
https://www.thirdgen.org/pictures-1985-pontiac-firebird

Otherwise, gold wheels usually look inner-city to me - especially if its a modded-car.
Not meaning to offend anybody who has put a lot of work into a gold color scheme on their third-gen. You asked for opinions, so there mine is.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

No offense taken, I hear ya for sure.

This isn't "24k" gold.
Vintage gold, just like many wheels had in the 60's, think eniki, however it's spelled, early scca stuff.

Not too mention. Many irocz's came with gold on the wheels. I need new iroc emblems anyway, I could get gold.

I'm not commited to gold though.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Engine parts, there's a ton of stuff here, hard to see a lot, but,
cam, lifters, pushrods, rockers, valves, pistons, rings, bearings, rods, gaskets, etc....
Basically, everything us in pic but block, it's behind me.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

New flywheel from Jegs came in yesterday. The parts pile is getting bigger and bigger!

Pro-mo

Man this story is helping me get the motivation I lost with mine. I still havnt finished the paint work yet, let alone the rest of the car.

I look forward to seeing you finish this thing!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

So while trying to organize new garage, I threw sone of my parts together,




Still in the air about the polished look. Was planning on going all black and cast aluminum on the engine, but the slp runners were already polished when I got them, and got a great deal on the other parts as well.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Still waiting on some parts, got bored today so I started porting the tpi base. These things are rough! Just cleaning th runners up probably helps a lot. Also gasket matching the heads side.

Still waiting to get air compressor wired so just using a drill at the moment.

Ed1LE

iTrader: (39)

Great strory. Love the hood but never realized you had the ghost stripes. Looking forward to updates!

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Thanks! The ghost stripes are a little more noticable in person.

I like the hood, but would love to swap it for a fiberglass IROC hood. Though I don't think that will happen, as it doesn't look like there is enough interest to have one built.


I spent about 5 hours working on the TPI base. I'm sure if my compressor was going and I could have used my die grinder it would have gone faster, but I can't believe how much room for improvement there is with the TPI base.

DiabolicalRS

I like your build what color orange is the car, I may have over read it. Looks like the same exact color of mine

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

That does look the same!


Mine is PPG Brilliant Orange. Stripes are House of Kolor Copper Penny Pearl.


Paint is almost 9 years old now.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Tpi base is almost finished in terms of porting.

Put the car up on jackstands today, pulled the junk rear out, removed struts and mounts, cleaning up underhood now, wishing I had air so it would go a lot faster. Electrician is supposed to come by today of tomorrow.



Plan on droping the rotating assembly off at the machine shop tomorrow to get it balanced, then I can begin assembling the shortblock.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Dropped rotating assembly off at machine shop for balancing.

Working on cleaning up the engine bay for paint now.

rwstegne

Do you have cost estimate for the motor rebuild?

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

I got a screaming deal on all my engine parts.

A lot of the stuff came from members here as well as wbay.

Shop around for deals.

If I was buying new, I would have gone Vortec heads and Stealth Ram, but I got such a good deal on this stuff.

ASE doc

Have you considered taking the block in along with the rotating assembly and having everything clearanced? My machinist only charges me $100 extra to verify clearances within .0001 Guarantees good oil pressure and it's cheap insurance against a spun bearing down the road.

DiabolicalRS

holy sh** man, your car looks good way better than my beater lol what products do you wash with?

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Block is there as well.

What clearances rod and mains? I will check them again before final assembly as well, .0001 sounds pretty tight!