This 1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Z28 looks fairly stock from the outside, but the description makes it sound as if it was a bruiser back in the day. The Camaro has obviously been parked for some time, as evidenced by the dust and flat tires. The seller has listed it on behalf of his wife’s uncle and is helping to translate some of the work done so that the outside world can appreciate just how much effort went into building this car. According to the listing, it is powered by a 383 stroker engine that was built in the mid-90s with all of the best performance parts the aftermarket had to offer. Find it here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $9,000.
Keep in mind, all of the information shared in the listing is what the owner explained in a phone conversation, so there are likely a few details that are off – but overall, it seems like the uncle maintained a pretty good recollection of what all he had done. Some of the details include Crane Cams Gold Race rocker arms 1.6 ratio; Trick Flow Twisted Wedge G2 aluminum cylinder heads; 200cc intake ports; .600 high lift springs; adjustable pushrod; hydraulic roller lifters; a custom ground camshaft; and many other internal enhancements. Some of the other upgrades include Keith Black pistons and rings, a Scat stroker crankshaft, Accel 32-lb fuel injectors, Holley fuel rails with an adjustable pressure regulator, a Holley Stealth Ram intake manifold, and much more.
The details go on and on, with the owner eventually admitting he had the transmission built to handle 700 horsepower. The transmission itself represented a $3,000 upgrade, with either a 2800 or 3000 stall converter (he can’t remember which), a Corvette servo with Kevlar bands, and a heavy clutch pack. When you’re building an automatic transmission to support that kind of horsepower, it certainly seems like you have lofty goals for taking this car to the drag strip. That’s the one detail that’s missing, which is how exactly the Camaro was used as it seems silly to build a car like this solely for street use. The listing does note he eventually dropped a valve and intended to repair the Camaro, but got married in the interim and never got back to the car – a tale many of us know all too well.
Perhaps that’s why there are no pictures of it dominating a local 1/4 mile strip, or photos of the trophy case attributed with this car’s dominance on the track. It sure seems like a heck of a lot of car for the money, but without the receipts documenting all of this work, it’s difficult to put a value on what you’re buying. The quality of the engine build is as much about who did the work as it is about the parts themselves, and while it seems like the right investments were made, the next owner won’t know for sure until they’re into the engine up to their elbows. Still, the price seems fair for what it is, which is a clean, rust-free Camaro with under 50,000 miles and some potentially high-quality modifications under the hood.
Must have added a new rear diff also ?
Hopefully subframe connectors too.
dropped a valve. parked it, nuff said
Paint finish and steering wheel look more like 150,000 miles than 50,000 miles.
Not defending this car or anything, but I bought an ’89 iroc in ’94 with 60k on the clock and the steering wheel looked about the same. Something about the foam inside had turned to mush. I think I probably replaced the wheel with an aftermarket before I even put gas in it.
The interior shots are a big warning here. I was factory trained by GM to deal with the T Top leaks and other water leaks on these. Impossible to cure leaks around the tops, the body flex always make em leak again. This one has had some major issues with water…A shame but GM never figured out how to do the T Tops right. Could be the reason they died off. I would imagine a wise buyer will lift the carpet before handing over cash. The interior floors will be able to show how bad water leaks really were, worth the slight effort to look…this is someone’s unfinished or broken project. Hard pass here.
Ralph is so right on the leaking t-tops! Imagine barking the loud pedal many times, body flexing, t-tops leak worse! No thanks! I also worked at a Chevy dealer and had to deal with the leaks, no thanks!
I had an 85 IROC and an 87 Trans Am GTA. Never had an issue with the T’s leaking. My boss (chemical engineer) told me to use Vaseline (light coating using your finger) on the gaskets where the T glass met the rubber gasket. It worked fine. Only drawback was in the summer the heat would melt the Vaseline and once in a while you’d have a little liquid Vaseline to contend with. No big deal, not enough there to run all over the place. Kept a rag in the back for those rare occasions. Sold both and never had to deal with the leaks. My buddy had an 86 Grand National with T’s and he did the same thing after seeing mine didn’t leak, and then neither did his.
Would be worth it for a third of what he’s asking because he’s asking ALOT of us for what we know. Love the car though, ive had 2. With 700 horse it would be a blast to drive!
Located in:
Adair, Iowa
Another corvette engine. Not only did they make far more than I remember, but most of them must have been parted out with engines going to projects like this.
The camaro and corvette L98s were practically the same motor, except for the vette heads, which were no significant improvement. This could still be a numbers matching car FWIW.