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Picked up a new toy today...


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For the past year or so I've been daily driving a Buick Park Avenue Ultra that I found on craigslist for dirt cheap, and it's been nothing short of awesome. I constantly brag about how it's a perfect daily driver and how it's such a great car in so many ways. So, naturally, I ended up getting rid of it today. Here's what I got in exchange.....

 

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It's an '89 Camaro IROC-Z. It has the base 305 TBI motor (the majority of IROC's were tuned port 305 or 350) with an automatic, 15" wheels (most IROC were 16's) and crank windows. T-tops. Red/red. All stock and original, and only 66k miles. Runs and drives great. It needs a little TLC and there's a bit of rust and peeling clearcoat, but overall it seems solid.

 

Drove it home topless......

 

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I gave it a quick bath, and it cleans up pretty well.....

 

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I'll miss the Buick, but I'm very happy with the trade. :cool:

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Yea third gen! Congrats. I've never seen an IROC that wasn't a tpi. What's the 8th number in the vin? I've always seen 350 cars are an "8" and 305 cars are "F"

 

Check out thirdgen.org if you have any questions. It's a good forum for everything third gen camaro/firebird.

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Yea third gen! Congrats. I've never seen an IROC that wasn't a tpi. What's the 8th number in the vin? I've always seen 350 cars are an "8" and 305 cars are "F"

 

Check out thirdgen.org if you have any questions. It's a good forum for everything third gen camaro/firebird.

 

8th character is E. It's the L03 "truck motor". Most people don't even realize you could get an IROC with it because like you said, most were TPI.

 

I'm already a member of TGO actually, I used to have a '92 RS :D

 

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8th character is E. It's the L03 "truck motor". Most people don't even realize you could get an IROC with it because like you said, most were TPI.

 

Interesting. I learned something new today.

 

Congratulations on a great trade! The look of the 3rd-gens is aging well, especially the later years.

 

Later years? Clay are you calling us old? I'll take my teef out and wack you with my cane.

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So one question.....since the car was acquired through trade, can I put $0 as the purchase price on the title? I've done this the past but not in several years, do they still allow this? I've heard that they make you put the "trade value" now but I'm not sure how true that is?
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So one question.....since the car was acquired through trade, can I put $0 as the purchase price on the title? I've done this the past but not in several years, do they still allow this? I've heard that they make you put the "trade value" now but I'm not sure how true that is?

 

I would put a minimal value and maybe take a few pics of the worst areas of the car. My dad tried to give me his old car once and the title place was a total PIA because it said $0. Last time I did a trade I put 500 for my blazer and took some pics of the rusty areas. I showed them the pics and they didn't have any issues. Good luck

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I would put a minimal value and maybe take a few pics of the worst areas of the car. My dad tried to give me his old car once and the title place was a total PIA because it said $0. Last time I did a trade I put 500 for my blazer and took some pics of the rusty areas. I showed them the pics and they didn't have any issues. Good luck

 

That sounds like a giant hassle. Last title I did was in Logan. Put $0 because I traded vehicles. They asked how the weather was. Small towns DGAF. :lol:

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So one question.....since the car was acquired through trade, can I put $0 as the purchase price on the title? I've done this the past but not in several years, do they still allow this? I've heard that they make you put the "trade value" now but I'm not sure how true that is?

 

Lying about a tax form is never a good idea, but for a car like this most no one will check. Honestly I'd put a couple hundred bucks down. When my uncle gave me his old motorcycle before he died, I put $1000 as the sale price when in actuality it was the cost of 2 cases of Guinness.

 

paying $75 to keep the gubm'nt off my back was worth it IMO.

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Thanks everyone. I'll probably just put a couple hundred as the purchase price. I've done that several times before and never had an issue.

 

Nice to see another 3rd Gen around! Nice grab. What are the plans for it?

 

Clean up the interior, add a decent sounding catback exhaust, that's about it. No big plans for it yet. Maybe several years down the road that might change, but for now I just want to drive it on nice days and enjoy it how it is.

 

Why would you trade for a RWD right before winter?

 

I have a 4x4 truck for that

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Nothing wrong with a casual cruiser that looks this good. Get it sounding right and enjoy the rest of this great season we're having!

 

I honestly can't think of anything else I would do to a car like that aside from lowering it just a bit and putting on a cat-back, like you said. Maybe upgrading the stereo a bit.

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have you taken it through an automatic car wash yet? MY old Formula Firebird loved to dump water from the leaky T-tops directly into my crotch on rainy days. It was the primary reason I got rid of it after only 2 months.

 

The 305 is an interesting engine. It was never a "performance" engine - it was actually built as an attempt to have a fuel efficient truck and large car base engine. It runs the same 3.48 stroke crank as the 350, but a 3.73 inch bore which is tiny (it may be the smallest bore of any chevy v8). That means it is torquey down low and won't really breath up top. With the stock cam the party is pretty much over by 4500rpm. If memory serves me correctly those old TBI 305s (which were also in box body police cars) made between 140 and 180hp stock and somewhere around 240ft/lbs of torque. It be boat anchor slow yo, but good for tail slides and launches.

 

A lot of guys say "just throw some 350 heads on it" and honestly that won't really work because I think you have to change everything from the head up. I had an old 305 police block engine that I had the heads machined for larger valves, which helps some but that's expensive, I think trick flow and edlebrock both make heads for the 305.

 

I think the biggest cheapest mod you can make is to put on headers and a real exhaust. Those 305 manifolds were tiny and restrictive.

 

there are about half a dozen cams for the 305 but honestly I would save it for if you get the heads done since you want something to match the new flow.

 

Super Chevy did a 305 buildup in the late 90's that I tried to follow (money permitting) and they were able to pull 300+ hp out of one, which is more than you need for a third gen. There is potential in the car, but not without addressing the fact they just don't breathe.

 

 

As for the value, the last time I listed a car for $0 I had the "seller" standing next to me in line at the BMV telling the person that the value was $0. That worked. I then tried it 6 mos later for a motorcycle I bartered for and was rejected and told to put literally anything but $0 down. The woman even whispered to me (just make something up). So I put $500 down and called it a day, which was the lowest number NADA had listed for the bike on their website (in poor condition).

Edited by Geeto67
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Kerry brings up some good points above...I want to say that Engine Masters (Dave Freiburger's YT engine-dyno series) did a 305 buildup?? and it did seem like a lot of work/$$ for not a lot of HP.

 

Not that it was your plan anyway, but you're getting confirmation from CR to just throw an exhaust on that thing and cruise it out. :)

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