I have an opportunity to buy an '82 indy pace car. My question is it's in somewhat tough condidtion, unrestored, but i am looking for something of value to work on. More so than just a camaro. Everything's there. It has the auto trans with the cross fire injection and working ram air hood thing. Would this be something worth fixing for an "investment" car kind of thing. It has like 85000 miles on it and runs, just needs some major tlc. Any thoughts would be appreciated...
Will

 

I say go for it if you have the funds and time to do it. It's not everyday you run across an old F-Bod pace car

 

What is with the cross-fire injection? Why did chevy put it in the car? Is that injection method any good for proformance wise?

 

I don't know how cfi works.. i've only heard that it's absolute junk in terms of performance. Although I could be wrong, so wait for someone more knowledgable to chime in

 

Yep, cfi is poop for go power. My buddy had a mint 82 pace car, and we took it to the track for ****s and giggles only to squeeze out a 16.8 at 84 or something around there.

 

Crossfire injection is 2 tbi throttle bodies on the intake. Kinda like an early eighties version of dual carbs.

 

very primative and hard to work on but they look cool. 16.8 on a crossfire is pretty good. better than your garden variety tbi 305. most of them only run 17's

 

If you look around on some of the forums you can find info on porting and modifing the crossfire for some nice gains. They do look interesting and remember it's capabilities were good for it's time, kinda like TPI's.

 

Imho,, I would say don't waste your time or money.. I bought a new '82 back in '82. Big mistake! The hp rating on that pos is a whopping 165 rwhp. Not only that, the car has a metric 200 tranny which will break before you can say break. Car only came with a one legger rear, not to mention the ring gear is only 7 1/2". I CLEARLY remember 82 mustang owners laughing uncontrollably at how badly they would blow my doors off!! Also notorious for power window motors and switch problems. Dash pad also prone to cracking due to sharp corners along the front edge. If your jonesing on a 3rd gen,, look for an 87 Iroc which came from GM with a healthy 215 rwhp stock ratiing. Also had 700r4 tranny, and 7 5/8" ring gear with limited slip(all stock).
Car will most likely get better gas mileage than that slug. If your alright with hours of work under the car, as well as constant embarrassement and frustration,, then go for it. But what do it know,, I've just had 17 Camaro's since '67.

thanks,
Paul

 

 

I passed on it awhile ago. Thanks for the great info. I am actually looking for a '87 t-top 5 speed IROC though. I just stumbled across that pace car and never knew they existed.

 

The '82 Pace car is neat as a historical piece, but it's no performance car. I wouldnt get one unless its in excellent, unrestored condition and it's reasonable. If you want an early eighties collector, look at the 1983 Pontiac Trans Am Daytona 500 pace car, or the 1984 Trans Am 15th anniversary edition. They only made 1500 of each, and I've personally only ever seen one of each, and it's been fifteen years since I've seen them. Other cool underpriced collectables are the 1993 Indy 500 pace car Camaro, and the 1994 25th anniversary Trans Am. Forth-gens I know, but they are collectibles that are overlooked and still priced well.

 

Yes them older Z's are SLOW...I used to own a 92 Mercury Topaz XR5 with a 3.0 V6 and a 5-spd, My friend used to own a 82 Z28 and I absolutley demolished him, Imagine how he felt saying he was killed by a Topaz. That XR5 does run high 15s in stock form though. I would not mind owning a 89 IROC-Z with the 350 TPI, that'd be nice

 

An IROC would be a good idea. You definitely don't see alot of those on the roads and when you do, they usually are not in the best of shape.

 

I've got a friend that has an '89 IROC 350 tpi with the 700R4 and he has owned it since day one and it's in immaculate condition. I'm hoping to find a clean iroc to drop a stroker into.