well i just got a 1987 camaro iroc z-28 with the 5.7L tuned port injection, i was told it was rare, is it? how strong does this motor usually run? (i havent picked the car up yet)

87 was the first year for the 350 TPI in the IROC Z. Not sure how many they made; you could probably find that info on a 3rd gen Camaro site. They run very strong, although it would have been nice if they were available in stick. I had a friend in high school that bought one new, and it was one of the faster stock cars at the time. That car lived to be all of 3 weeks old before another guy put it into a field at 120 mph. Guy was unhurt, but the car was a total loss (roof touched the tops of the seats) and the first payment hadn't even been made.

Not sure how rare that car was. But I know the power plant well enough. A friend of mine robbed a 5.7L TPI motor out of an 87 wreck. He stroked it to 383 and we got real familiar with the fuel injection system. You might have fun poking around on www.thirdgen.org (http://www.thirdgen.org) We aquired loads of information we used to burn eeproms, hack and tweak the ECM. Fun stuff. Welcome to the board.

I also have an 87 IROC 5.7L!!!! Great car. Gave it to my son, minus the nitrous. Got it into the high 13's stock engine, but the standard mods mentioned on the thirdgen site, like deleting the radiator recirc through the throttle body, SLP siamesed runners, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, etc, etc... and into the high twelves with 150 shot of nitrous. Still runs great. Drove it yesterday, got over 21 miles to the gallon with combined city and highway, gets up to 24-25 on the highway exclusively. FAST, unbelievable torque, and handles superb... ur lucky!

Oh, btw, the tranny you have is probably the best year for the 700r4's in the thirdgen run. Strongly suggest you get the TRANSGO performance shift kit for it with the corvette servo for increased line pressures. Our car still "chirps" the rear wheels from first to second.

I got her today!!
very nice, runs strong! it has 373 posi & b&m shift kit already! so far so good.
you can really feel the torque!
if any one knows of something that i should do or see if it has been done, let me know.
thanks!!

great car, i had an 89 formula 350 and man did i love that car! the torque is just crazy down low! if you plan on racing it the first thing you need to do is get some good shocks and a set of good sticky tires. as for begining engine mods, i would say you can either do the siamised runners as someone else has mentioned or you can get a totally different intake. here is a website
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2119&prmenbr=361

i have heard of alot of people doing quite well with this intake, a lil pricey but i was gonna do it to my tpi before i sold it. but you definatly need to check out thirdgen.org good luck and let us know how it goes!

daniel

it has 373 posi & b&m shift kit already! Good deal, especially the 3.73 gear. Might think about changing fluid.

if any one knows of something that i should do or see if it has been done, let me know As jethro suggested, bypass the throttle coolant chamber.
Another helpful maintenance tip, see if anyone cut a min 4 inch hole on the pass fenderwell behind the strut to gain access to #8 spark plug. If the air dist manifold is in place, its a tight access to reach #8 spark plug from the front/top.

well i am not planning on racing it. i just want a fast street car! so how do i find out how to by pass the throttle coolant chamber?
Also i wanted to ask about these chips that are said to give you 20hp and not effect your gas mileage?? i can get one for $120 should I???
thanks

You can bypass the throttle chamber with a length of copper tubing and use it to replace the chamber.

Start at the intake manifold coolant crossover, this is where the thermostat sets, and see a hose going from here up to the throttle cahmber on the drvr side. Now crossover to the pass side and see the hose coming out of the throttle chamber and going to the heater core at the firewall.

When the engine is cold, disconnect the hoses from the throttle chamber and insert the copper tubing. You may have to bend the copper tubing, make up a bent tubing, or replace the two hoses with a single piece of heater hose.

Be sure to replenish the coolant level.

You'll find everything you need to know about 3rd Gen Camaros at www.thirdgen.org (http://www.thirdgen.org)

Originally posted by tph:
well i am not planning on racing it. i just want a fast street car! so how do i find out how to by pass the throttle coolant chamber?
Also i wanted to ask about these chips that are said to give you 20hp and not effect your gas mileage?? i can get one for $120 should I???
thanks There is no chip that will give you 20hp. You might get 20hp out of a dyno tune, but not from a one-size-fits-all chip.

For an 87 there are two things to do that maximize power, and cost nothing.
First, port the mass air sensor, remove the screens and heat sinks. Second, make sure your throttle position sensor is adjusted properly.
In the more expensive mod department, exhaust with a new high flow cat, and cold air induction net big gains.
Information on all of this is available on thirdgen.org check them out and have fun with the IROC.

thanks, the chip i found is supose to be tuned to your exact car, you give the guy all the info on your car and he makes a chip to match. i don't know if this will work but he garrentes it to, or money back.

does any one know if i should get this chip?

The guy I worked with to tune his car went through more than 90 different programs to get it right. I'm sure an experienced guy could get it in fewer tries. But I doubt that anyone could give you a chip "tuned to your motor" in one shot. If you're really interested in tweaking you can buy the equipment to program chips and do it yourself. But I do realize that isn't everyone's bag. I just think $100+ for a chip is a rip off. There have been many disassemblies made of commercial chips and the changes are very slight. You pay $100+ for a few degrees timing advance in most cases.

so i should just skip the "hot" chip??

tph PLEASE go to www.thirdgen.org (http://www.thirdgen.org) as I posted earlier. The chip will NOT give you an extra 20 horses... here are just a COUPLE of cheap mods that will start boosting your hp FROM that site...

http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/dualsnorkel.shtml

http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/coolantbypass.shtml

http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/tbi-afpr.shtml

Trust me on this... go to the site above and browse the tech articles... it will save you the money for a "custom" prom, and allow you to start learning everything you could possibly want to know about your car. PLUS, go to the classifieds... they are AWESOME, and you may even find those SLP intake runners!! Good luck, bud.

i have been looking around on third gen, its a cool site!
i will take your advice and not get a chip.
thanks for all of you help and suggestions